Terrorist Trials in New York City – REALLY?

Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that the government will move five of the terrorists (and that is what they are) to stand trial in the U.S. Federal Court in New York. I guess the question that must be asked is WHY? Didn’t the congress devise a method to specifically try these barbarians in a military court back in 2006 and 2007? Don’t wait on the translation, the answer is YES. And yes, Barak Obama was in attendance for that debate and supported the legislation that created this approved method for bringing these terrorists to justice through the aforementioned military courts.

Now the Obama Administration has fundamentally usurped that legislation by telling the American public that they are bringing these cowards to New York for a show trial that is going to do nothing other than glorify these five terrorists to their cultist followers the world over - NICE. So let’s look at some of the facts of this ignorant maneuver and let’s just see what the possible outcome(s) this act of lunacy will have.

First, think about the security involved and who are we keeping safe; them from us, us from them, them from other prisoners, them from their own, them from……never mind, you get the point. We have no idea who is protecting whom from what, or why. Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) was supportive, but wanted to make sure that New York law enforcement would get reimbursed for the expense of providing protection for these incarcerated animals.

So let’s get this straight, they are currently under some of the strictest, most secure incarceration in the world, but instead of leaving them there, we are going to bring them into the U.S., where they will have enhanced rights under the law. Then we will have to pay more money for the protection/incarceration that they already have. Just not good head work on the expense of this process.

Second, in a military court they would be tried in a manner that would limit many of the rights they will have in the U.S. Court System. And before it gets asked, no they should not have the same rights as a U.S. Citizen. They will also have access to information that we have on them, their co-conspirators, and on their operations. If and when that information gets out, the terrorists all over the world will also have that information.

I can already hear those little brains a-whirlin’ in some of you, but if you don’t think that sort of information transfer will happen then remember this, it was during the trial of the “Blind Sheik,” that Al Qaeda got a hold of the observed terrorist list that was found during discovery and placed into evidence in that trial. With that information terrorists worldwide began to move to positions that would allow them more security. Funny how that works…isn’t it. These trials will also allow the opportunity to air our dirty laundry in public and allow these terrorists to get even more of their propaganda out.

Lastly, according to today’s paper, the Attorney General’s office has put out some talking points on this issue and one of them that struck me as completely ignorant is that since this was a “crime” against mostly civilians on American soil, then it should be tried in the civilian courts and not in a military courts whereas the USS Cole attackers should be tried in a military court. Makes you wonder about how the Attorney General’s office missed the fact that the Pentagon was also hit that day as well. I wonder what would have happened had the terrorist managed to hit the Capital or the White House, would those have been targets warranting trial in a military court or would you see that on a civilian court?

These terrorists were military combatants caught on a battlefield and as such they should be tried in a military court. But if the terrorists use the logic from the Attorney General’s office, terrorists will now reconsider striking military and government targets and start considering more domestic terrorism against civilian targets in America. That way they will receive a trial in an American civilian court – oh that’s genius!!!!

In the end, this is a bad idea and one most American people recognize as such. It is a choice for which Attorney General Eric Holder better prepare himself. President Obama is going to take some heat for this, but he will wiggle his way out of it and leave Attorney General Holder…uh…"holding" the bag.

See what I did there?
Bill

Healthcare’s First Simple Step

First off let me say that, while I believe we have a foundation in healthcare that is the envy of the world, I know and understand fully that we need to reform our country’s healthcare system. Most of the problems that contribute to the healthcare problems in this country are external factors that cause the cost to rise yearly if not daily. I have written some on those in the past, you can go back and read that later.

With that said, I think we need to look at healthcare reform as a series of small provable steps instead of one big leap of faith based in hype and predictions from a government that has a history of missing the mark on their own estimations.

During his most recent speech before a joint session of Congress, President Obama made the claim that we could pay for a large part of his new healthcare plan by reducing waste and inefficiencies in Medicare and Medicaid.

I think the President might be on to something, but don’t make this a part of one overall health plan. Make this first step the first healthcare reform bill introduced. Create a plan and bill that would do just what President Obama suggested; reduce the waste and inefficiencies of the existing government run healthcare programs in America.

If, and once, this is done, then these programs will not be in the red as they are now and you will have the money to expand benefits and make medical care more affordable. The government will finally be shown to be effective and we will have a better idea of where to go to take the next step in making America’s healthcare system truly the finest in the world.

It all starts with one simple step.

Good Health to All,
Bill

Harry Reid and the Menacing Media.

In a news conference Thursday, Senator Harry Reid, the leading Democrat in the Senate, blamed the media for setting a timetable on the healthcare bill. He said that it was the media’s fault and responsibility for setting an artificial timetable.

REALLY?

Here’s a look at the timetable for the speaking going on by Harry and his friends on this healthcare issue.

June 2, 2009 – President Obama – “This Window Between Now And The August Recess, I Think, Is Going To Be The Make-Or-Break Period.”

July 5, 2009 – Representative Steny Hoyer (D-MD) – “We’re going to pass significant reform … before the August recess in the House of Representatives.”

July 12, 2009 – Vice-President Biden – “We must and we will enact reform by the end of August, and we can’t wait.”

July 12, 2009 – Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) – “We Expect the House and Senate to have passed bill, yes.” In response to a question if the healthcare bill would pass by the August recess.

July 13, 2009 – Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) – “We’re still on schedule…we have plans to vote for this legislature before we leave for the August recess.”

July 14, 2009 – Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) – “Before we leave here…We’re going to complete the legislation we have dealing with healthcare.’ When asked if they would get it done before the August Recess.

July 20, 2009 – President Obama – “I’ve told Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi, you know, that it is critical that we see serious forward motion before people leave.” When asked if he could make congress give us a bill before the August recess.

July 21, 2009 – Senator Harry Reid – We must keep our eyes on the prize. The prize is healthcare reform. My desire is to get is done this work period, and I’m going to continue pushing to see everything – to do everything I can to get it done this work period.”

Yeah, it’s easy to see where the media set the timetable for Congress. I mean, what with the reporting of what they all said, how can it not be the media’s fault for setting the timetable.

Speaking of media driven timetables, anyone see the Solunar Tables?
Bill

Fixing Healthcare

So we need a new Healthcare plan in America. President Obama has classified it as a crisis. Of course he also claimed that passing the stimulus would also stem the unemployment crisis and keep the unemployment numbers below 8% – it it’s at 9.5% and climbing as per this last weeks Labor Department numbers. He said that GM and Chrysler were in crisis claiming that both were to big to fail and without their bailout money that would happen – uh, didn’t they have to file bankruptcy anyway.

So with the President and his cheerleaders claiming that we need to have a new Healthcare Plan and the GOP suggesting one of their own, it seems like the right time to address the issues that will make a difference to solving the problems faced by the U.S. Healthcare Industry.

1. Legal system reform
2. Insurance industry reform
3. Increased border control
4. Citizenship reform
5. Understanding the numbers

Legal reform is necessary due to the ease at which so many people and their attorneys sue in today’s America. This sue-happy public makes it necessary for doctors to carry insurance that is both expensive and inordinate compared with other professions. That high cost for insurance is then passed on to the patient.

But that is not the only expense. Due to the ease at which we as a culture will opt to sue, many doctors refuse to make diagnosis on their own resulting in them forwarding patients on to a string of specialists in order to cover themselves from liability. This is not to say that there aren’t cases of malpractice, just that there are too many accusations of such and with each accusation, whether true or false, it increases the costs of medical malpractice insurance, thereby increasing the cost of our healthcare, and thereby increasing the cost of our health insurance.

Insurance reform must happen both for private insurers and for public insurance. That’s right, there already is public healthcare in the form of CHP, Medicare, and Medicaid. One thing all of these healthcare plans have in common is there lack of agreement with the healthcare profession as to how much a service should cost. Most pay only a percentage of what is billed to them. As a result of this practice, many medical facilities will inflate their costs to cover the loss. So lets say an insurance carrier only pays $50.00 on an $80.00 tab, well the next time the bill will be $100.00 in order to make up some of the difference. This costs the insurance companies more money, which in turn causes them to raise the rates on what they charge us – more money out of our pockets.

Now the next couple of issues get into some touchy subjects for some but are MAJOR contributors to our healthcare problems in the U.S. To not address these issues is probably the more politically correct route to take, but not addressing issues like this has put this country into the position it is in. Border control is necessary and crucial to reigning in the problems faced by the healthcare industry. Medicare and Medicaid programs are failing and are actually broke as of April 26th of this year. Much of the reason they are failing is due to the high number of Illegal Aliens in this country, primarily from south of the border. Enforcement of current immigrations laws and the control of the southern border are imperative to solving the healthcare “crisis” here in America.

Another touchy subject is in a reformation of our citizenship process to eliminate the matter of anchor babies. An anchor baby is a baby born of non-citizens and given citizenship based on them being born here in America. Too many illegal aliens are granted residency in America and free access to our healthcare system based on the fact that their babies are born here (many on purpose) and are granted citizenship at birth. In order to seriously address the problems faced by the healthcare industry in America this change to the citizenship policy of America must be changed.

Lastly, the number of uninsured in America must be understood for what they are. President Obama claimed this week that there are as many as 50 million uninsured people in America; however, he never does use the term citizens and he never expounds on those numbers. After looking at many sources it is still hard to come to a solid conclusion.

It is believed that the actual number of uninsured in America is somewhere between 42 to 46 million. Of those it is believed that 11 to 13 million are illegal aliens. That is clearly 1/4th of the uninsured right up front. It is estimated that 10 to 15 million of them are 18 to 30 year olds and just aren’t carrying any sort of insurance due to a personal choice. Between these two groups it takes the total to somewhere between 21 to 28 million; however, left out of these estimates are folks that carry only catastrophic healthcare policies and those who just are uninformed of their options. So the number of CITIZENS that cannot get healthcare in this country is probably closer to 5 to 12 million and even that is debatable.

Is our healthcare system perfect in America? No – not by any means.

Is it in the crisis that President Obama says it is? Absolutely Not!

Now let’s be honest, back in the good ole days healthcare was still expensive, but not to the extent that it is now; however, back in the day people paid their way (in full or in trade). People were not as dependent on the government and did not have the inclination to sue as they do now. What we need is reform of the legal system, reform of the insurance system, reform of the citizenship policy, enforcement of existing border policy, and a basic understanding of the issues as a whole. What we don’t need is either of the policies suggested by either party in Washington. What this issue needs is strong leadership to make the hard choices, but with the lobbyist-dependent, career-oriented politicians that permeate the halls of Congress and the White House, that leadership is not available.

Now Paging Some Leadership,
Bill

Talk Show Integrity

Being on the road most of the day I have the opportunity to listen to more than my fair share of talk radio. I listen to talk show hosts on all sides of the political spectrum. I hear from all sides and think it is important to do so in order to understand the thoughts from different points of view. No matter what the rhetoric or how much passion these talk show hosts exhibit, they all have one thing in common – selling their sponsors advertising.

Now I understand that talk radio is like any other endeavor in this country. It is conducted with the ultimate goal of making a profit and I have absolutely no problem with that. I do find it humorous how similar the different host are with the advertising while so different with their political views. Makes a person wonder as to the integrity of the individual doing the hosting.

How much credibility can a talk show host have when he spins opinions and stories into he next advertisement. Here is an example: “Typical government and their lack of security with personal records of servicemen. Speaking of securing records, why not consider Acme (I know it is a cliché), YES Acme Computer Back-Up System for your personal records?” It makes a person wonder, are they honestly reporting on an issue or setting up the next paid on-air advertisement?

Then there are the real integrity challenges. A recent example that comes to mind is with the many talk show hosts who have been very critical of GM and Chrysler. They chastise these companies for their mismanagement, and then they move right into an on-air advertisement for the very car manufactures they are criticizing. So which is it, the harsh criticism or the glowing advertisement.

I guess it is an example of the unseemly side of political talk radio, when you get right down to it the question remains are the hosts true to their message and beliefs, or are they beholding to their sponsors?

And Now A Word From Our Sponsors,
Bill

Is Palestine Nation Worthy?

Many argue that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech last week on beginning talks for a Two-State Solution set the bar too high for the Palestinian Authority to reach. The amazing aspect of Netanyahu’s statement is that he would even consider the concept of a Two-State Solution. Look at the facts and trends involved in this issue.

Who are the Palestinians, what does that term mean? There has never in the history of the world been a country of Palestine. Palestine is a region of the Middle East just as other parts of the world has regions. It covers Israel, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, as well as portions of Jordan, Syria and Lebanon; just as in Europe there is the Alpine region and in America there is the Appalachia region. Following World War II there was an arrangement made to establish a Two-State Solution and the Arabs, not the Jews, disagreed with it and walked out on it. So why, now, after all these years, is incumbent upon the Israelis, and the world, to cave to a group of people who have traditionally never been happy with their place in the world; a place they themselves created?

But just on the off hand this Two-State Solution was to come about. If Israel did give in to this concept, will the Palestinians quit? History shows that every time Israel gets the upper hand on the militant Palestinians, the Israelis eventually give a ceasefire in order to allow the Palestinian people to recover. The only problem with these ceasefires is that instead of recovering and trying to sit down at the table to negotiate, the militants reorganize, re-supply and then re-launch their attacks against Israel. So how can the Israeli people be reassured that creating a Two-State Solution won’t just entice the militants to increase their efforts and obtain more?

Lastly, will allowing for a Two-State Solution actually create a civilized county of Palestine? No, and as an example look back to September 2005, where as part of the Oslo Peace Accords, the Gaza Strip was turned over to the Palestinian Authority to rule. Israel vacated the Strip of settlers and military and left the Palestinian Authority in complete control. Less than 18 months later, in January 2007, a civil war began between the Hamas and Fatah factions of the Palestinian Authority for control over the Gaza Strip. Fighting that has erupted several times since and the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip has been completely destroyed leaving the Gaza Strip at the mercy of aid from international agencies and, in an ironic turn of fate, from Israel.

In the end, it is imperative for the world to understand that nation building is a negative endeavor. Nations are created and destroyed by the events that shape the world, not built by countries carving up the map. Since the end of the World War II and the Cold War, It should be so obvious that nation building can not and is not a viable path by which successful countries are developed; however, many in the world still dwell on this as a viable plan for rectifying the problems in the Middle East.

Sincerely,
Bill

Irena Sendler

In a discussion with my children the other night, I made the point that rewards and awards are nice, but they are insignificant to the work you do in your life and the lives you touch along the way. I thought of a few examples and shared them. In looking back on that night, I realized that I had forgotten about this story until this morning when someone sent me an email reminding me of it.

Last year, May 12, 2008 to be exact, a small, frail, 92 year-old Polish lady died quietly in her nursing home in Warsaw. Her name was Irena Sendler and while she died peacefully, her life was anything but. She was born in 1910 and during the late 1930’s, when the Nazis invaded Poland, Irena was working as a young Catholic social worker. She joined the Polish resistance and worked to save as many of the young Jewish children as she could.

It was her job to check the Jewish ghetto for Typhus as the Germans did not want the disease to spread out of the ghetto. In this capacity, she was able to smuggle and save as many as 2,500 children of all ages from certain death at the hands of the SS. These children were given to Polish families and catholic convents to raise. Their identities were written on lists Irena made, placed in jars, and buried to keep hidden from the Nazis.

She smuggled these children in packages, in food sacks, in ambulances, and by whatever means she could. In 1943 she was captured by the Gestapo and tortured to give up any information, she was beaten to the point where both her arms and legs were eventually broken and mutilated the rest of her life. She never spoke a word. Sentenced to death, her resistance partners managed to bribe a guard to save her life. On the way to be executed, the guard left her broken body by the roadside, in the woods. After her rescue she continued to work covertly to save as many children as she could.

After the war, during a time when she should have been famous for her efforts, she was persecuted and imprisoned by the new, communist Polish government for collaborating with the West and the Polish government in exile.

Not until 1983 was Irena allowed to leave Poland. That was to attend a presentation in her honor by the Israeli government. Much has happened in the world since the many years of hardship, both at the hands of the Nazis and the Communists. Since that time, Irena has been celebrated by many governments and religious organizations; although, I doubt any award is sufficient given the truly heroic acts managed by this small woman in the face of two of the most tyrannical and horrific regimes in the history of the world.

In 2007, Irena was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Peace for her work during World War II. She was beaten out for the award by Al Gore and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – REALLY. Seriously, is the “fight” for a climate change philosophy that is still not scientifically proven a real competitor to someone who accomplished the works Irena Sendler did?

I wonder what those children would say of the slight the Nobel Committee gave to the woman who saved their lives. In the end though, I imagine that the life’s work and the 2,500 or so children she saved make the Nobel Prize look like a pittance. Regardless, I congratulate Irena Sendler for the work she did and know that she is happy, healthy, and rewarded in Heaven for a life of sacrifice here on Earth.

God Speed Irena,
Bill

Questioning the Judge

Okay, President Obama has nominated his first candidate for appointment to the Supreme Court. Judge Sonia Sotomayor of the U. S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. According to the requirements of the U. S. Constitution, she is more than adequately qualified and the president has every right to nominate her. Of course being that this is the new president’s first choice as a Supreme Court Justice, the Republicans will make it interesting to get her approved.

I have heard the talk of racial overtones by various comments made by Judge Sotomayor and I have seen her remarks made on camera about the Court of Appeals being the place where policy is made. Those two issues bother me a little as they seem to be overlooked by the mainstream media; however, these incidents are not what bothers me.

My problems with Judge Sotomayor stem from other factors. I look at the comments made during her introduction, her rulings and the rate of which her rulings have been overturned by the High court.

During her introduction by President Obama she made a statement about how she feels it is her responsibility to take into account how her ruling will affect those she rules for and against. In reality this is completely irrelevant to the legal decision-making process when determining how to rule on a case. The rulings should come based on how the law applies to the situation regardless of how that ruling affects those who are involved in the case.

Another problem stems from the wide range of area covered by her rulings that appear to indicate that her rulings tend to be based more on her beliefs and concerns rather than the interpretation of the law and whether those laws and prior rulings are constitutional. Personal feelings and beliefs must not be a part of the decision-making process when determining the application of law to a case.

Lastly, the unsettling fact that many of her controversial decisions have been overturned by the United States Supreme Court, the very institution she seeks appointment to. What is most disturbing is that in the most contentious rulings she did not make statements supporting her stand. Making a decision that affects the lives of many with little to no justification is a very unsettling habit.

Overall, it does seem that overall Judge Sotomayor is more of a moderate than Justice Souter, who she looks to replace. But it is important to remember that a republican president appointed Justice Souter, a republican president who either misjudged his appointee or was more concerned with his appointee’s qualifications rather than his political leanings. It seems that current justices are chosen more for their political stance.

Finally, the last real issue that actually bothers me is that once again we are getting a judge from the federal bench with an Ivy League pedigree. As I wrote in my “Quick Points” blog, President Obama had a chance to choose someone with a degree outside the Ivy League and from somewhere other than the federal bench. Instead, we have another job description/pedigree to go along with those already on the bench – well, except for Justice Stevens. Guess all those law students outside Harvard, Yale, and Columbia will have to dash their dreams of serving on the nations highest court.

All Rise (Again),
Bill

Federal Government Control

When the framers of the Constitution created this special document it was meant as a road map for the Federal Republic they imagined. This Republic was intended to work for the betterment of the member states to represent their common ideals, to stand for them in the international arena, and to coordinate their common defense.

The states would in turn control the happenings inside their own borders based on their individual cultures, ideals, and desires.

Over the course of the last 233 years, that framework the Constitutional Congress devised has been nit-picked and slowly eroded to the point where the elected officials in Washington feel it their job to control every aspect of our lives. Gone is the belief that the states know best how to handle their own affairs as originally set out in the Tenth Amendment.

Instead of the framers original meaning, we now have an oligarchy in Washington that believes that the common good of all Americans is what they were elected to rule over. The framers would surely disagree and point out to our modern representatives that their job is to represent the states in common issues and prepare for a national defense, not to solve all the ills of the various states, cities, and citizenry.

Our Federal Republic is set up not to be the problem solver for the failings of every facet of our society. At some point the individual states have to stand up and fix their own problems – or fail and start over. But regardless of whether a state fails or thrives, it should not be the Federal Republic who steps in to save them.

The Eyes of Texas Are Upon You,
Bill

No Check Till I’m Dead – Maybe?

I told my wife the other night that I would have to be dead before I accepted a stimulus check from the Government. We lived through 14 years in the Navy and we could have received food stamps for 9 of those years but we refused. We were determined to make it on our own.

Today, we have a comfortable life and I would be one who would more likely have to pay for someone else’s stimulus check rather than get one myself. It irritates me that others will accept this money, some never having paid taxes in their lives, and not think twice about it. But look out, like anything else the federal government gets their hands in, the system is screwed up.

Recently, a New York woman, expecting a stimulus check of her own, opened the envelope only to find a stimulus check for her father, Romolo Romonini. Now I know, sometimes things get delivered to the wrong person, but this ladies father was dead. Yes, apparently he had made the same pledge I made to my wife – well, not really. It seems Mr. Romonini died some 34 years ago…in Italy.

The Social Security Administration is sending out the checks and I will give them this, at least this gentleman was a U. S. citizen. The problem is, he left for Italy in 1933 as a U. S. Citizen and only came back once afterwards for a seven month visit in 1969. He was a citizen, but never registered for social security and was never on their rolls.

So how did he get a check, well brace yourself. According to the Social Security Administration he is not alone. Of the 52 million checks sent out, between 8,000 to 10,000 will go to dead people because there is no record of their death. That is rather humorous since not only did they not have a record of Mr. Romonini’s death, but they had no record of him ever registering for social security in the first place.

I guess, looking back at that promise to my wife, I better be careful. If a check shows up in my mailbox I will be looking over my shoulder because the grim reaper can’t be too far behind.

The checks in the mail,
Bill

Margaret Sanger

Late this April, while speaking before the U. S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs on taxpayer funded abortion, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made reference to how she saw her admiration of Thomas Jefferson in the same light as her admiration of Margaret Sanger. Now I know most people thought nothing of this, just as they probably no very little of Margaret Sanger, but I think it important to look at Sanger and to know who she was and what she stood for.

Secretary Clinton maintains that her admiration for Sanger comes from Mrs. Sanger’s efforts in the field of expanding the rights of women. To a degree, she has a point. Mrs. Sanger was an ardent supporter of the women’s suffrage movement and an advocate of legalized abortion; however, if you look at the whole of her beliefs, I think most of us would be hard-pressed to look at Mrs. Sanger with anything more than distaste.

Ms. Sanger was an ardent pro-abortion supporter (although she believed in privately funded apportion), socialist, racist, and a staunch believer in the “science” of Eugenics. I am sure most folks know what socialism and racism is, but what about Eugenics. According to Webster’s Dictionary, Eugenics is the science that deals with the improvement (as a means of human mating) of hereditary qualities of a race or breed. Sound familiar – yes, that is the same “science” the Third Reich used in establishing their “Final Solution.”

In her book “Pivot of Civilization,” Sanger argued the three points of her Eugenic beliefs.
First, she called for the elimination of “human weeds,” examples of those being immigrants of Slavic, Italian, Jewish, black and catholic heritages.
Second, she called for the segregation of “morons, misfits, and maladjusted.”
Third, she called for the sterilization of “genetically inferior races.”

In the same book she further made her point by saying that many of the people in these three groups were “an increasingly spawning class of human beings who never should have been born at all.” These were the same sort of claims and arguments she made in front of many organizations including the KKK.

In part due to Mrs. Sanger’s influence, several of the leading families during the early 1900’s used their own influence, and money, to help establish clinics that studied Eugenics. These studies and resulting “programs” attempted to show how the use of this “science” could help make the human race more genetically superior. These influential individuals also used their influence to help build programs outside the U.S. including the Kaiser Wilhelm Institutes for Psychology and Eugenics that were later used for research and development by the Third Reich.

I am not sure why Secretary Clinton chose Margaret Sanger as a person worth her admiration. Maybe she didn’t know the entire history of Margaret Sanger. Maybe she was just going by the publicity used by Planned Parenthood in their awarding of the Margaret Sanger Award (of which Hillary Clinton was the 2009 recipient). Incidentally, I looked at the list of awardees from the past and it is the oddest assortment of bedfellows I have seen in a while.

Mrs. Clinton said she admired Sanger for her work to help women to gain the freedom to make choices of their own. Mrs. Clinton also elaborated that, like Thomas Jefferson, it is hard to judge historical figures because they are all flawed. I get it, Jefferson owned slaves, but how can you compare that flaw with Sanger’s who advocated the EXTERMINATION of the minority races here in America. Is that the judgment we want in our Secretary of State?

Gute Nacht,
Bill

Basic Education

As I watch the march of time go by and think back to when I was in school, I remember the conversations I had with my grandparents. It occurs to me that one thing is missing in today’s basic education system. Today we place a great emphasis on how poorly our education system is in regards to the rest of the world. The point of fact is that our priorities in education have become so skewed towards meeting that worldly goal that we don’t educate our kids to become productive citizens. I am introducing this topic tonight as I have several ideas on it; however, I am trying to keep this blog to shorter entries and if I was to go on with all the ideas I have it would fill the chapter of a book rather than a one page blog entry.

Somehow, we have lost the real reason to have a free public education in this country. Today we focus on letting the schools prepare the kids for college while we prepare them for athletics. Seriously, how many parents out there have spent as much time with your kids working on their math as you have throwing them the ball. Hey, we’re all guilty in this. Even if your child is doing well in school and has book smarts, how prepared are they to handle their future and be a productive participant. Whether they go to college, attend a tech or trade school, or enter the work force; K-12 school should be the place for the kids to get this education. There needs to be a better representation across the board on the subjects taught. The courses taught must fit the students whether academic, technical, or practical.

Another area of thought is the teachers and there qualifications. Why is it that every teacher needs a four year college degree and a one year teachers qualification. My grandfather worked his way through his first two years of college by teaching primary school. These kids turned out fine, one even became the governor of his home state and a pretty significant senator. So if he taught as an undergrad in his first two years of college, why can’t a college graduate with an associates degree and a teacher’s certification teach sixth grade and below - more on that in another blog.

Why do we pay so much for high school athletics and under-fund other areas of the school. Currently, in our local high school, we fund our athletics program (granted not like other schools in the area) and have no budget for our agriculture program or our theatre arts program. I know this may sound petty, but we have had just about as many theatre scholarships as athletic scholarships given to our high school graduates. What is really sad is that while very few if anyone from the local high school has had a significant career in sports or theatre, we have and do produce professional farmers and ranchers each and every year. I don’t know, does this sound like a fair use of the tax-payer’s money?

To sum up this first blog on education, the basic problem is that we don’t allow the local entities in charge to forge the education path of their local school while meeting a basic standard. Instead, we have a nosy state government that delves into all aspects of the education arena and a massively huge federal bureaucracy in the form of the Department of Education that has failed to make any positive advances overall in 30 years of existence.

Thanks,
Bill

Government Action

I promised that this blog would not be partisan and I intend to continue with that policy. With that thought in mind, I am writing this second political blog entry with the understanding that the problems talked about in this entry are the responsibility of both the major political parties and us, as Americans. As the voting public, we have allowed our country to travel down the road it is currently on for far too long. We have allowed this by not keeping ourselves informed of the issues as talked about in the previous blog about being an informed voter. This entry is simply a device to help begin the thought path that will hopefully motivate some to seek out more information.

What is it that makes people think that the federal government can solve any of the social problems we face. I often find it incredible that anyone could even think that the government could handle anything better than they could on their own. I would love to hear of one single item that the United States government can tout as an example of their success on the social agenda. Is it Social Security…NO! Is it Medicaid or Medicare…NO! Is it control of the borders…NO! Betterment of the education system in America…NO! Actually, there is nothing. Not one time in the history of this country has the federal government conducted any action in the realm of social policy that can be judged as a long-term success.

Following the stock market crash of 1929 and the ensuing depression that followed, the Hoover and Roosevelt administrations enacted policy after policy that kept the U.S. languishing in a depression far longer than any other industrialized country on Earth, except for Germany which was still trying to recover from the Treaty of Versailles. Only World War II pulled the United States out of the Great Depression. Hoover and Roosevelt’s maneuvers only secured the beginning of the countries slow travel from a solid capitalistic society to a country that has moved down the road to more and more socialistic tendencies.

I am not writing this as a rail to travel towards the now popular, “Obama is a Socialist,” battle cry; in contrast, I am in full belief that since the Great Depression of the 20s and 30s, this country’s politicians have slowly grown an ever increasing Socialist agenda. An agenda that has continued to swell at the hands of decisions made by career politicians, trying to repair the ill-guided decisions made by earlier career politicians. A fact that is further aggravated by politicians who make their choices in government many times guided by greed and partisan politics rather than what was truly best for the country.

This is not to say that there haven’t been well-intentioned elected officials who have served in Washington; however, their numbers tend to be so small that their deeds are often overlooked when compared to the failed policies and scandals of the many self-serving elected individuals, including the leaders of the Democrats and Republicans in Washington. To actually do a search of the biographies of the current legislature would show a majority of those serving in congress, especially those in leadership positions, have no real world work experience, have spent most of their adult life in elected office, and are of the legal profession. Any one of those attributes should be enough to make the common citizen wince in fear.

The fact is, our government is so large and indecisive that it tends to form policy and pass laws based on current popular sentiment (lately in as little as a few hours) or in reaction to some incident that has already occurred and is in the process of correcting itself. This causes the federal government to be an overactive, grossly-overreaching institution instead of the limited, proactive government the framers had envisioned.

Regardless of party affiliation, it is a government that generally misses everything initially, then tries to make up for it by passing regulative legislation enacted so late that it is of little help and/or so strong that it counteracts any positive, corrective advances already made by the private sector. Of course, congress also feels it necessary to interject its presence and drift off on tangents of such amazing importance as steroid use in professional baseball or college football’s BCS controversy.

An issue of recent concern has been the earmarks that congressmen assign to various spending bills. The real subject should not be the inclusion of the earmarks, but that regardless of the earmarks, the earmarked money is still going to be included in the bill. The earmarks simply give the money a destination rather than allow it to be assigned to some undesignated purpose by some anonymous government official. So the real outrage should not be that there are earmarks, but that the money will still be appropriated and spent regardless of whether it is actually required or not.

But I digress so back to the initial topic of this blog. Sure the government can provide temporary aid; however, in the end, the problem will return and usually with greater calamity. In the history of this country, the federal government has never been the catalyst of economic growth. Growth has always been spurred by national or world events and technologic improvements. Government can not replace American ingenuity, personal responsibility, human compassion or pubic integrity. When the federal government tries to solve the problems, it doesn’t matter who is in the seat of power, it will not work and only exacerbates the problem. Unfortunately, this sort of problem solving is what the federal government has been trying to do, and what many of our fellow citizens have become reliant on, for far to long.

So when you hear someone make the statement that they need the government’s help, ask them what it is that makes them expect the government to provide a long-term solution. I doubt they will ever be able to give a practical answer.

Sincerely,
Bill

Contests vs. Sports

Okay, I had this discussion again for about the hundredth time last week. So for those who have heard my argument, this will sound familiar, but for those of you who are uneducated in my ways, well this will surely be new and enlightening (just as all my blogs are).

In our society, we will make a competition out of anything. Those competitions come in two forms; contests and sports. Yes, I know we use them interchangeably; however, the truth is, when defined correctly (as I always do and or makeup) they are very different animals. A contest is a competition where points are awarded based on subjective grading. A sport is a competition where the winner is based on the points scored or the timing involved in the event.

Many people generally consider figure skating to be a sport , yet they are seriously mistaken. Figure skating along with gymnastics, beauty pageants, synchronized swimming, sand-castle building, decorating your yard at Christmas, and anything else that requires winners to win a subjective grading competition are not sports, they are contests. This does not mean that a gymnasts, figure skaters, or synchronized swimmers are not athletes, only that their chosen competition is not a sport, but a contest. There are many great athletes who have competed in contests.

With that in mind, what is a sport? A sport is any competition that is scored using a system based on points scored by the competitor or based on a time kept. Sports include football, baseball, track and field, tennis, horseshoes, basketball, car-racing, ping pong, bowling and many others. Now just as with the above stated contests, sports can, and do, contain athletes as well those of the non-athletic variety. I mean seriously, what athletic man would wear some of the goofy clothes they wear on the PGA tour (that’s pro golf for those who participate in contests).

Why would I be so worried about this sort of subject, well I will tell you. Because I am sick and tired of seeing figure skating on ESPN or other sports oriented programming. Yes I know these people spend years and years preparing for the Olympics, but lets face it, most people only pay attention to these during the Olympics and then it’s like, “WHO?”

Other than these contests invading my sacred sports programming, I really have no other point for this blog. I just wanted to make the point that bull riding and cheerleader contests should not be on my sports networks. I would seriously watch curling or the international darts association rather than one of these contests. Now I don’t want to offend the serious rodeo fan (many of which are touched enough to want to whip my rear), but really, how many of you go to see the actual riders ride and how many of you are sadistically waiting for the chance to see a bull get a hold of one of the riders.

I like to watch bull riding, but that has more to do with the fact that I think those guys are crazy and watching crazy people do absurd things is something of a pastime for me. Thus the reason I like to watch those in government try and fix the country.

Well that’s about all. I hope I haven’t offended any one. That truly was not my intention. I only wanted to inform those who had not been given the chance to experience some of my enlightening knowledge of the competitive world. Oh yeah, and I wanted to make sure that my mother knows that figure skating is NOT a sport.

Aloha,
Bill

Be an Informed Voter

It had to happen sooner or later. From time to time I will speak on political topics. I know, my grandfathers both used to tell me the three things you never discuss in public are sex, love and politics (and not necessarily in that order).

Well, I promise to do my best to stay neutral on this site. That may mean that I have to create a second blog later that is more opinionated; but for right now, I am just going to try to play it like my golf game…right down the middle (yeah, I know that was cheesy). After all, this site is supposed to be about common sense in you everyday life and sometimes politics should require common sense.

Before I start this little episode, let me put out this disclaimer. I consider myself to be somewhere right of center in my political beliefs. My beliefs are just that - mine, and I generally am beholding to no party. So with that said, lets get going.

Last fall, before the election, a friend of mine wrote an article for one of the local papers in which he discussed the importance of not only voting, but of being an “informed voter.” This friend and I don’t always agree on every issue, but our political conversations are always interesting as we seek to have an intelligent dialogue on the issues. On this issue, he was absolutely correct. Whether you consider yourself a liberal or a conservative; a Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Whig, or a Republican, you should be informed.

Being an informed voter may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. It only requires a person to pay attention to the news and maybe, occasionally read a newspaper from time to time. Not really a lot to ask, but you would be surprised how many people, who will go out and vote, have no idea about what is really going on in their own city hall much less the world.

Over the course of the normal day I often hear people discussing politics and while the subject can be tricky enough when discussing it with folks that are politically savvy, it can be impossible with modern internet/email informed people. The problem is that, too many folks take serious the slanted and even false information they get from the internet through emails, partisan web sites, and yes…blogs (well, I mean except for mine).

What is an “Omnibus Spending Package,” or a “Trade and Cap” policy? What is an “Earmark” and how does one affect spending? Do the terms “Continuing Resolution” or a “Cloture Vote“ sound even remotely familiar? Probably not, but these are the terms that will affect our futures and far too many voters know nothing of them.

During an election year, and then usually only a few months before the actual election, do most people even begin to pay any attention to what their representatives in government are doing. Who are those representatives in Washington, and in Austin? These are the people who have the most affect on your life and yet most people couldn’t name who their legislative representatives are or what they stand for.

I am a political junky and eat this stuff up about the same way a Las Vegas bookie knows sports. So in the future, from time to time, I will write an occasional blog that will give you some pointers and direction to sources for gathering information that will help. I know this is not everyone’s cup of tea; however, unlike sports, being an informed voter will make you more effective in helping to determine the future for us, our children and, someday, our grandchildren.

Sincerely, your non-partisan blogger,
Bill

My Driving Difficulties

OK, lets start this out by saying that I drive like an old man. If you don’t believe me ask my wife, my friends, or my children. They seem to have a never ending supply of adjectives to describe my driving style.

With that said, I have some pet peeves that absolutely drive (notice the pun) me crazy. Anyone who has ever taken the opportunity to ride with me has probably heard some of the pleasantries I often share with my fellow drivers, and I have more than once been told how much comedic value there is in riding along with me. I may drive like an old man, but I offer my opinion of other drivers in the same manner an old sailor would - wait a minute, I am an old sailor.

Getting back to my pet peeves, I can name the first three in terms my Grandfather used when he was burning up the roads. Of course he was a judge and NO ONE was going to give him a ticket. Granddaddy used the phrase that you, “lead, follow, or get out of the way.” And he meant it.

Look, it is simple. If someone comes up behind you, make it easy for them to pass. If you come up on someone who is driving slower than you, pass them. I know for many Texans it is hard not to pass without the driver in front of you moving over onto the shoulder, but you really must get over that.

Nothing, and I MEAN NOTHING, gets me more irate than following someone who is following a slower driver and will not pass because the driver in front won’t move over. Good God people, we have some of the best, widest, well-marked roads in the nation and these goobers won’t pass without two miles of visible, clear road ahead. This is when I need that James Bond laser feature on my car. Take them out with one shot, I would.

Then there’s the Boneheads who drive around a parking lot for 20 minutes looking for a parking spot near the door. I don’t care if they drive around and waste their gas, but they’re always in my way. Oh My God! These are the same people who drive around the gym parking looking for the closest space possible. COME ON - you’re there to workout, consider it a warm-up!

And if you think about it, once they find that elusive parking spot near the door and climb their lazy rears out of their 1986 Ford Escorts, you get a look at them and realize that they probably should have parked across the street and walked on over for the exercise value alone. Just park your car at the first spot you come to, get out and walk in. What are you really saving by driving around for 20 minutes when you would probably benefit more from the extra 90 seconds of walking anyway.

Then there are the idiots who follow you while you walk back to your car; waiting on you to leave so they can get your spot. Next time this happens, walk to your car, get in, let them sit for a few seconds, then get out of your car and go back towards the store. It really gets ‘em hoppin. Then, to top it off, once the bird-dogger drives away, turn back around, go to your car, and let the next person have the spot. I love that one.

Now we come to those who take Grandma’s car to the store to use the handicapped sticker. I can’t even think of anything else to say but SHAME ON YOU. And get Grandma’s car back…the liquor store closes at 9:00.

Lastly, I leave you with this little jewel. Keep an old Hank Williams’ CD in your Truck (in Central Texas “Truck” is the generic term we use for any vehicle). Keep this CD for that special occasion when you hear some chucklehead with their stereo set to a volume level that can be monitored by the International Space Station. Take Hank out, roll your windows down, put Hank in the CD player and share Hank. They may not like Hank, but when you do this, the other people around you will almost always give you a thumbs up (don’t you Aggies get all giddy out there).

Well, hope this has been enlightening and even somewhat helpful.

Later Gator,
Bill

Horse Sense

I wanted to start a blog long ago, but put it off for fear of what might be thought of my thoughts. I am responsible for my own thoughts and actually worry little about what people think of me, but I have always held out hope that most people would think I am smarter than I am and feared that by sharing my thoughts maybe people would realize the truth. Now I am no longer as concerned about what people think about my thoughts. I just want people to think for themselves. I am starting this blog in the hopes that it interjects a little bit of that good old common sense that used to be…well, common.

Much of the time in today’s world we seek to make far too much out of the simplest of things. For an easy definition of common sense you can go to Webster’s Dictionary. By the way, there is no difference between “Common Sense” and “Horse Sense,” thus the source of this blog’s name. The definition is as follows:

Common Sense: it is sound and prudent judgment based on a simple perception of the situation or facts.

Here in Central Texas we have an old saying that describes the concept of common sense – “If you see a snake, kill it.” Yes, I know, it is probably an old saying all over the place but I first heard it here in Central Texas. Here are the procedures for this:

1. Sight the snake (by the way, the snake is a metaphor for just about any problem, task and or situation).
2. Pick something that will kill the snake and obtain that object quickly.
3. Use the acquired object to kill the snake.

How simple is that? Unfortunately, in the world we currently find ourselves in, that simple bit of common sense has disintegrated, disappeared and been substituted for a bureaucratic mess that is working to destroy our society a little more with everyday that passes. Today the saying more closely resembles this; “If you see a snake, form a committee on how to kill it.” The process more resembles the following:

1. Sight the snake (once again, the snake is a metaphor).
2. Form a committee to determine the snakes true identity.
3. Establish the snake’s hazard to society.
4. Conduct risk analysis on the removal of the snake from society. (NOTE: in this model we will use the term “removal” as using the term “kill” is deemed too traumatic)
5. Determine the cost of removing said snake.
6. Identify the individual best suited to remove the snake.
7. Conclude what method of removal should be used.
8. Settle on a time for the snake to be removed.
9. And lastly, come to terms with who is responsible for the snake’s removal and how that responsibility should be assessed and if the person responsible will need counseling.

Sadly, as humorous as this all sounds, it is as accurate an anecdote as I can come up with – OK, I could have made the second part much more in-depth, but I was pretty sure you knew where I was coming from.

Anyway, I just wanted to get this thing kicked off and let everyone know what is going on, kind of. I will try and post as often as I get around to it (man, I should be a politician). For those of you who know me, you know that I am usually pretty busy. For those of you who don’t know me, well, I am a pretty busy person. If you want to comment I think you can and if you want to email me I think you can do that to. To be honest I am not sure I have this whole thing figured out yet, but I will get there.

Thanks,
Bill