Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX

July 15th, 2010
Parkland Hospital

Just One Hospital. Unbelievable.

Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas , Texas is a fairly famous institution and for a variety of reasons:

  1. John F. Kennedy died there in 1963
  2. Lee Harvey Oswald died there shortly after
  3. Jack Ruby-who killed Oswald, died there a few years later.

On the flip side, Parkland is also home to the second busiest maternity ward in the country with almost 16,000 new babies arriving each year. (That’s almost 44 per day—every day)!

A recent patient survey indicated that 70 percent of the women who gave birth at Parkland in the first three months of 2006 were illegal immigrants. That’s 11,200 anchor babies born every year just in Dallas !!!

According to the article, the hospital spent $70.7 million delivering 15,938 babies in 2004 but managed to end up with almost $8 million dollars in surplus funding. Medicaid kicked in $34.5 million, Dallas County taxpayers kicked in $31.3 million and the feds tossed in another $9.5 million.

The average patient in Parkland in maternity wards is 25 years old, married and giving birth to her second child. She is also an illegal immigrant. By law, pregnant women cannot be denied medical care based on t heir immigration status or ability to pay.

OK, fine. That doesn’t mean they should receive better care than everyday, middle-class American citizens. But at Parkland Hospital , they do. ” Parkland Memorial Hospital has nine prenatal clinics. NINE!!!

The Dallas Morning News article followed a Hispanic woman who was a patient at one of the clinics and pregnant with her third child—her previous two were also born at Parkland . Her first two deliveries were free and the Mexican native was grateful because it would have cost$200 to have them in Mexico. This time, the hospital w ants her to pay $10 per visit and $100 for the delivery but she was unsure if she could come up with the money. Not that it matters, the hospital won’t turn her away. (I wonder why they even bother asking at this point.)

“How long has this been going on? What are the long-term effects?

Well, another subject of the article was born at Parkland in 1986 shortly after her mother entered the US illegally – now she is having her own child there as well. (That’s right; she’s technically a US citizen.)

These women receive free prenatal care including medication, nutrition, birthing classes and child care classes. They also get freebies such as car seats, bottles, diapers and formula.

Most of these things are available to American citizens as well, but only for low-income applicants, and ev en then, the red tape involved is almost insurmountable.

Because these women are illegal immigrants, they do not have to provide any sort of legitimate identification – no proof of income. An American citizen would have to provide a social security number which would reveal their annual income – an illegal immigrant need only claim to be poor and the hospital must take them at their word.

Parkland Hospital offers indigent care to Dallas County residents who earn less than $40,000 per year. (They also have to prove that they did not refuse health coverage at their current job.. Yeah, the ‘free’ care is not so easy for Americans.)

There are about 140 patients who received roughly $4 million dollars for un-reimbursed medical care. As it turns out, they did not qua lify for free treatment because they resided outside of Dallas County so the hospital is going to sue them! Illegal’s get it all free! But U. S citizens who live outside of Dallas County get sued! How stupid is this?

As if that isn’t annoying enough, the illegal immigrant patients are actually complaining about hospital staff not speaking Spanish. In this AP story, the author speaks with a woman who is upset that she had to translate comments from the hospital staff into Spanish for her husband. The doctor was trying to explain the situation to the family and the mother was forced to translate for her husband who only spoke Spanish. This was apparently a great injustice to her.

In an attempt to create a Spanish-sp eaking staff, Parkland Hospital is now providing incentives in the form of extra pay for applicants who speak Spanish.. Additionally, medical students at the University of Texas Southwestern for which Parkland Hospital is the training facility will now have a Spanish language requirement added to their already jammed-packed curriculum. No other school in the country boasts such a ridiculous multi-semester (multicultural) requirement.

(Sorry for the length, but this needs wide circulation particularly to our “employees” in Congress.) Remember that this is about only ONE hospital in Dallas , Texas . There are many more hospitals across our country that must also deal with this.

PLEASE SEND THIS TO EVERY U.S. CITIZEN YOU KNOW.
ONLY IN AMERICA!!!!!!!!

Some Other Ideas

Tags: ,
Posted in Current Affairs | Comments Off

Harry & Bess

July 6th, 2010

Editors Note: I have a viral email archive site, Web PickUps, that is primarily a comedy site. Perhaps this should be included there as it is circulating as an email, but this epistle does not fit the mold there.

the happy couple

Harry Truman was a different kind of President. He probably made as many, or more important decisions regarding our nation’s history as any of the other 42 Presidents preceding him. However, a measure of his greatness may rest on what he did after he left the White House .

The only asset he had when he died was the house he lived in, which was in Independence Missouri . His wife had inherited the house from her mother and father and other than their years in the White House , they lived their entire lives there.

The Truman House

When he retired from office in 1952, his income was a U.S. Army pension reported to have been $13,507.72 a year. Congress, noting that he was paying for his stamps and personally licking them, granted him an ‘allowance’ and, later, a retroactive pension of $25,000 per year.

the older couple

After President Eisenhower was inaugurated, Harry and Bess drove home to Missouri by themselves. There was no Secret Service following them.

When offered corporate positions at large salaries, he declined, stating, “You don’t want me. You want the office of the President , and that doesn’t belong to me. It belongs to the American people and it’s not for sale.”

Even later, on May 6, 1971, when Congress was preparing to award him the Medal of Honor on his 87th birthday, he refused to accept it, writing, “I don’t consider that I have done anything which should be the reason for any award, Congressional or otherwise.”

As president he paid for all of his own travel expenses and food.

Modern politicians have found a new level of success in cashing in on the Presidency , resulting in untold wealth. Today, many in Congress also have found a way to become quite wealthy while enjoying the fruits of their offices. Political offices are now for sale. (sic. Illinois )

Good old Harry Truman was correct when he observed, “My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there’s hardly any difference! ”

I say dig him up and clone him!!

This is not sent for discussion. If you agree, forward it. If you don’t, delete it. I don’t want to know one way or the other. By me forwarding it, you know how I feel.

Enjoy life now-it has an expiration date!


Some Other Ideas

Tags: ,
Posted in General Interest | Comments Off

THIS IS OUR PRESIDENT

June 21st, 2010

Foreword: This post is the contents of an email that is circulating on the Internet. This does represent the view of a segment of the population. I have not checked the context of these quotes. I present them as they are presented in this email.

THIS IS  OUR PRESIDENT

Is anyone out there awake?

Everyone of voting age should read these two books:
Don’t buy them, just get them from the library.

book cover

book cover

From Dreams of My Father:

“I ceased to advertise my mother’s race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites.”

From Dreams of My Father :

“I found a solace in nursing a pervasive sense of grievance and animosity against my mother’s race.”

From Dreams of My Father:

“There was something about her that made me wary, a little too sure of herself, maybe and white.”

From Dreams of My Father:

“It remained necessary to prove which side you were on, to show your loyalty to the black masses, to strike out and name names.”

From Dreams of My Father:

“I never emulate white men and brown men whose fates didn’t speak to my own. It was into my father’s image, the black man, son of Africa, that I’d packed all the attributes I sought in myself: the attributes of Martin and Malcolm, DuBois and Mandela.”

And FINALLY ………
and most  scary:

From Audacity of Hope:

“I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction.”

If you have never forwarded an e-mail, now is the time to do so.

We CANNOT have someone with this mentality running ~ and ruining our GREAT nation.

I don’t care whether you are a Democrat, a Republican, a Conservative or a liberal, we CANNOT turn ourselves over to this type of character in a President.

PLEASE help spread the word.

We have really put ourselves in harm’s way with this monster in disguise.


Some Other Ideas

Tags:
Posted in Politics | Comments Off

THIS IS TRULY AN OUTRAGE….

May 4th, 2010
Man and bike with sidecar

My name is d’ Lynn . I’m a disabled Vietnam vet. I don’t look too bad for a beat-up old fart, do I? And that’s my ride. She’s looking pretty good looking also, especially when you consider that she’ll turn twenty this summer. That’s right, it’s a 1990 with a 1990 sidecar. I can’t ride a solo bike, ergo the sidecar rig. It’s my sole means of transportation – rain or shine, snow or wind, and this summer also marks a milestone in both of our lives, as I will finally be able to pay her off. Twenty years old? What? Why did it take so long? You weren’t paying attention, were you? It’s right at the beginning of this paragraph. I am a disabled vet, which means I receive a veterans administration disability pension, which also means “I’m broke!” Just one step ahead of being homeless every month, and that’s not an idle statement or an”Oh, whoa is me” dire complaint. There’s a point to this, so hang in there a minute or two and read on.

There’s a 25-year-old illegal immigrant woman living in Florida , with eight kids. Yes, eight “anchor babies” and she receives just shy of $1,500 per month per kid, plus medical, plus food stamps. Oh, wait. I’ve been informed that I shouldn’t call them Food Stamps anymore. That’s not PC. It’s all called “Social Assistance” now. You do the math on that yourself. I’d say that she was schooled early in how to make it in the system. Twenty-five years old, eight kids . . . . . yep, she started early.

You can whip out the calculator if you want, but this women who never has paid a dime in taxes of any kind, (and still doesn’t – she’s ‘illegal,’ remember?) is here in this country illegally. She hasn’t paid one one cent in medical for all the “anchor babies,” makes more in one month, legally, than I receive in over a year and a half in disability payments and I can’t even get food stamps! Oops, I mean “Social Assistance.”

Technically I am eligible for “Social Assistance.” I was told it would be a walk through – a gimme – being disabled. No problem, and in the very next breath I was also informed that under the law the amount I received in “Social Assistance” would be deducted from my disability pension.

Let’s say I take a great photograph. It was just luck, a one of a kind accidental, in the right place at the right time shot. My local newspaper offers me fifty bucks to use the photo in a featured story. (I live in a small town and fifty bucks is all they could afford.) I have to report that fifty dollars to the VA as earned income, which will immediately be deducted from my next month’s disability check. If I don’t report it I’m in violation of federal law and technically they can stop my disability pension and prosecute me under a federal felony. Pretty cool, eh? For fifty bucks.

I see no point in dealing with two federal bureaucracies, so I don’t bother. What’s the point?

She’s here illegally and with just one kid would make over twice what I receive per month. She has eight and she’s not a stand-out case. She’s not alone. That’s the way the system works. Millions of illegal immigrants know this, know how the system works and know how to use it. (Haven’t you seen the pamphlet? It’s handed out all along our borders, “The Illegal Immigrants’ Guide to Keeping America Just The Way It Is.”) and that’s just the way it works.

Did you know that the federal government provides a “refugee” in this country with a monthly “stipend” of $1,890, plus $580 a month in “Social Assistance?” That’s $2,470 a month, tax-free. That’s two and a half times what I’m allowed to receive as a disabled vet. And just what did they do to earn this? All you have to do is show up on our collective doorstep, raise your right hand and swear that you’re a refugee and, bingo, receive $30,000 a year, tax-free. That’s more than someone making $15 an hour, and they have to pay taxes to boot!

Now, in defense of the Veterans Administration, they are doing what they can with what they’ve got. This is precious little compared to what they should have to get the job done. At least this country has a VA. It’s the Senate that keeps passing laws, rules and guidelines, cutting their budget, denying requests for more staff and computer systems to handle the massive work flow. Their hands are tied by the very government that’s supposed to give them what they need to get the job done, by the government you voted into office. Don’t scream at the VA. I have. It’s misguided anger.

The point to this “story?” Just why are you paying such high taxes to support this incredibly screwed-up government? Why? And I’m not proposing you stop paying your taxes. That’s wrong. There are good programs and reasons to pay your taxes and support our government. What am I proposing? It’s quite simple. Vote.

The government, our government, is broken and we as the voters serve as the maintenance crew. We fix it . . . . . by voting.

If your state Senator has been in office more then two terms, vote ‘em out at the next election. If your state representative has been in office more then two terms, vote ‘em out of office. We put term limits on just about every publicly-elected official in the country except the House and Senate. Why? Believe me, they know this and love it! Ahhh – the power!

I don’t care how much you believe your Senator or Representative is doing a good job. They’re not! Look at the government you have, that we have. How can you state they are doing what you want as the voter that put them there? How?

Vote them out of office. Do it.

Change the course of this country’s history by what you are granted and guaranteed under the law. Vote! And if you have the guts, the anger, the outrage, start a petition in your state for a state-wide initiative to be placed on your next state ballot. Limiting the terms of office for your state senators and state representatives to your federal government to two terms.

The federal government will never pass such a law, but you can. You can get it done. You can force it. You can make it a law.

This is the first step in “getting it right.” Just vote. It’s simple. It’s easy, dammit!

This first step will send a very clear message. It’ll work. It’ill put “us” back in control of “them.” As it should be. As it was intended in the first place.

Are you an American? Born and raised? Then vote!

Some Other Ideas

Tags:
Posted in Opinion Piece | Comments Off

YES, “We noticed.”

April 23rd, 2010

Preface: This came in by email as most of the things on the site. I have not checked on the accuracy of the statement as to the author. I publish this because it does reflect the feeling of a portion of Americans at this time.

Update: I was checking my server logs and found a Google search looking for information on if Sherry Hackett was still alive. There was an Urban Legends link so I followed it. The information given included that there was a statement that Mrs. Hackett had passed in 2007 and that the actual source of the list was from a lady living in Florida.

Sherry Hackett, wife of the late Buddy Hackett, is a dyed-in-the-wool Democrat. I would think that many other Democrats share her position…

This was written by Sherry Hackett, Buddy Hackett’s widow.

“WE NOTICED”

President Obama:
Today I read of your administrations’ plan to re-define September 11 as a National Service Day. Sir, it’s time we had a talk.

During your campaign, Americans watched as you made mockery of our tradition of standing and crossing your heart when the Pledge of Allegiance was spoken. You, out of four people on the stage, were the only one not honoring our tradition.

YES, “We noticed.”

During one of your many speeches, Americans heard you say that you intended to visit all 57 states. We all know that Islam, not America has 57 states.

YES, “We noticed.”

When President Bush leaned over at Ground Zero and gently placed a flower on the memorial, while you nonchalantly tossed your flower onto the pile without leaning over.

YES, “We noticed.”

Every time you apologized to other countries for America ‘s position on an issue we have wondered why you don’t share our pride in this great country.. When you have heard foreign leaders berate our country and our beliefs, you have not defended us. In fact, you insulted the British Crown beyond belief.

YES, “We noticed.”

When your pastor of 20 years, “God-damned America ” and said that 9/11 was ” America ‘s chickens coming home to roost” and you denied having heard recriminations of that nature, we wondered how that could be. You later disassociated yourself from that church and Pastor Wright because it was politically expedient to do so.

YES, “We noticed.”

When you announced that you would transform America , we wondered why. With all her faults, America is the greatest country on earth. Sir, KEEP THIS IN MIND, “if not for America and the people who built her, you wouldn’t be sitting in the White House now.” Prior to your election to the highest office in this Country, you were a senator from Illinois and from what we can glean from the records available, not a very remarkable one.

YES, “We noticed.”

All through your campaign and even now, you have surrounded yourself with individuals who are basically unqualified for the positions for which you appointed them. Worse than that, the majority of them are people who, like you, bear no special allegiance, respect, or affection for this country and her traditions.

YES, “We noticed.”

You are 14 months into your term and every morning millions of Americans wake up to a new horror heaped on us by you. You seek to saddle working Americans with a health care/insurance reform package that, along with cap and trade, will bankrupt this nation.

YES, “We noticed.”

We seek, by protesting, to let our representatives know that we are not in favor of these crippling expenditures and we are labeled “un-American”,”racist”, “mob”. We wonder how we are supposed to let you know how frustrated we are. You have attempted to make our protests seem isolated and insignificant. Until your appointment, Americans had the right to speak out.

YES, “We noticed.”

On September 11, 2001 there were no Republicans or Democrats, only Americans. And we all grieved together and helped each other in whatever way we could. The attack on 9/11 was carried out because we are Americans.

And YES, “We noticed.”

There were many of us who prayed that as a black president you could help unite this nation. In six months you have done more to destroy this nation than the attack on 9/11. You have failed us.

YES, “We noticed.”

September 11 is a day of remembrance for all Americans. You propose to make 9/11 a “National Service Day”. While we know that you don’t share our reverence for 9/11, we pray that history will report your proposal as what it is, a disgrace.

YES, “We noticed.”

You have made a mockery of our Constitution and the office that you hold. You have embarrassed and slighted us in foreign visits and policy.

YES, “We noticed.”

We have noticed all these things. We will deal with you. When Americans come together again, it will be to remove you from office.

And allow me to add another Yes, “I noticed”.
Unlike President Bush, who ALWAYS looked the Marine in the eye as he saluted with respect when disembarking from his aircraft –You on the other hand look straight ahead, making no eye contact with the United States Marine. Your disdain for our military is both evident and insulting to all who served and are serving our once great nation. The same nation you are hell bent on destroying.
Semper Fi,
Neal
Take notice.

If you agree with this, please send a link to this page on. If not, rethink your position.

Some Other Ideas

Tags:
Posted in Opinion Piece | Comments Off

Plastic Bags Banned in Ajman

April 17th, 2010
tote bag

The emirate of Ajman, which is the first emirate in the United Arab Emirates, is doing its bit for the environment by imposing a ban on plastic bags within its borders. This is one of the seven emirates, and the first to take such action so far.

Chairman of the Ajman Department of Municipality and Planning, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Al Nuaimi, was the man to issue this order, which will be enforced in July 2010. This will start from the beginning of the month, and continue for as long as the law is in place, assuming the ban works well. The order to impose this law was issued in January 2010, on the 18th of the month, which gives the emirate and its citizens almost seven months to prepare for the order to come into place. This means that when the time comes around, it should not be such a shock to the system, as measures should be put in place before then which will see the usage of plastic bags be cut down to minimum possible levels anyway by then. It just means that from July 1st, it will be illegal to use these bags, but this does not condone their use before then, in the months leading up to this final enforcement.

Find Over 3 Million Unique Tote Bags at CafePress!

three bags

The punishment for using a plastic bag after this date will be a monetary fine. The maximum amount set in place currently is Dh50,000, or, 13,612 US dollars, but the value given to individuals may be anything up to this. It will be possible to use certain plastic bags, but these will be recycled ones which have to meet regulations. The regulations include stickers upon the bags, which specify exactly when bags should be recycled and where they came from. All shops within the vicinity of Ajman should take note of this as soon as possible, and contact suppliers who can help provide them with suitable bags to offer shoppers. There is a grace period of six months that has been granted for those with plastic bags in stock to be able to use them up and get rid of any they have left. This law will basically only have bad impact for shops and suppliers, as it is them who are responsible for serving the masses and dictating how people will take their shopping home. As long as they do not hand a shopper a plastic bag, that is not one of the recycled ones, then they are not breaking the law.

fancy tote

The majority of bags will be replaced by fabric counterparts, such as jute, as these are environmentally friendly and will not harm the environment, even if disposed, as plastic bags do. Plastic bags have been seen to be harmful to the environment for many years and often clog up oceans and can be ingested by local wildlife. The use of alternative measures for packaging goods will mean that these areas will vastly improve.

This law will come in in phases, which are to be discussed at the moment, and will mean Ajman is an environmentally forward province.


Author Bio: Be a part of the solution, not the problem – use tote bags to carry your shopping.

Some Other Ideas

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Current Affairs | Comments Off

Poland U-turn on Plastic Bag Tax

April 14th, 2010
shopping bag

In December 2009 Poland announced that it would be looking to increase the tax on plastic bags in order to change the views of the consumer to start reusing bags. In January 2010, however, Poland has decided to back out of their promise of raising tax causing outrage within many green and pro-recycling activists. However, the real question to consider is, should we really depend on the government to force us to into changing our habits or should we decide for ourselves if we want to recycle and re-use plastic bags or not?

As you would expect the opinion on this matter is split, especially for those of us in the UK who believe that we are, in effect, in a nanny state.

Prada, Fendi, Gucci handbags and sunglasses at 40% off retail prices.

grocery shopping bag

On one side of the argument the greener people would say that the government should do its part, even if it is by forcing us to change our ways as it is their fault for creating this community. In a way we have to agree, as just like smoking, the government first said that it was okay, then they did a U-turn and then started to block the usage by age, amount even by taxing tobacco in order to forcibly stop those of us who are money conscious. If we were to do this with plastic bags then the next logical step to tale would be that of which Poland first promised in that we would increase the amount a plastic bag cost to an amount such as 10+p. By rising the prices to such an amount people will start to think twice about buying them and will be more inclined to take the small price jump to get reusable bags that are more durable (such as tote bags).

rainbow shopping bags

On the other side of the argument you can argue, as did the smokers at the time, that although it was first introduced by the government it is still their choice. The problem with their argument is that they were already addicted to the product and as such what they had to say was purely influenced by their need for the nicotine within the cigarettes. When we compare this to the use of plastic bags we are, in a way, addicted to the usage of plastic bags, we take them for granted, throw them away without thought and buy them again in the same way. We have done it for so long, so many times and watched so many other people do it that not only have we learnt the behaviour but we have also become addicted to it as a process of shopping.

When you ask a person what things they think of when they recall a shopping trip people will usually say the bag that their items come in last, if at all. What this shows is that we do not truly case about the packaging our good come in, but the thought of change is what makes us want to rebel. Adaptability to environment may have made us the dominant species, but our refusal to change ourselves socially will be the death of the environment.


Spring is in the Air...Shop New Spring Arrivals

Author Bio:

Make a difference to the number of plastic bags going to waste, use reusable bags over plastic bags. There are many styles and varieties and sizes of tote bags available at Bag It Don’t Bin It.


Some Other Ideas

Tags: , , , , , , ,
Posted in Current Affairs | 2 Comments »

Early Sword History – Bronze and Iron Ages

April 14th, 2010
sword

Assorted Swords

The development of the long edged weapon known as the sword was already well underway by the Bronze Age. In fact, rudimentary swords were developed even before metals, though of course these had very crude blades (made of flint, bone, or similar materials) and were not nearly as sharp as any metal weapons that would follow them. Plus, the stone and other materials used for the blade were very brittle, and would crack or break easily. The first bladed weapons appeared as early as the thirteenth century B.C. in multiple locations around the globe.

Wusthof Knives with free shipping and gifts

fancy swords

During the Bronze Age, the first metal blades were introduced, and bladed weapons grew from the dagger to the longer weapon now known as a sword because newly discovered metals were strong enough to allow the construction of longer blades. The oldest metal sword-like weapons were crafted of arsenic copper (from around 3700BC), and later in tin-bronze, from the late third millennium BC in the Middle East. The oldest such weapon found to date was unearthed in Turkey and dated to around 3300 BC, though this is considered a long dagger, not a sword. Bronze Age swords made of copper were unearthed in India and dated back to 2300 BC.

Swords longer than about 24 inches were simply not possible during the Bronze Age because the bronze and other metals then in use lacked the strength, so longer weapons would bend too easily. These swords, made of a much softer metal than later versions, would need frequent sharpening. Copper-tin and other alloys were a bit stronger than bronze, though they would have still required much more sharpening than we would expect of modern blades. As stronger alloys and heat treatment processes were used, longer swords gradually became practical. During both the Bronze and Iron ages, multiple materials were used as the swords’ creators experimented with different alloys and construction techniques.

Swords constructed of iron were, at first, produced alongside copper swords during the Bronze Age, beginning around 3000 BC. Swords made of iron became increasingly common, and soon overtook the production of bronze swords. The Hittites and the Mycenaean Greeks were both early users of iron swords. Because the iron was more widely available, more swords can be produced of this material than those crafted of earlier metals. Harder and more durable than earlier blade weapons, they would require much less maintenance and sharpening.

etched sword

Still, the quality was incomparable to later blades, especially those made of steel. The iron of this era was not very hard, and according to some accounts, was actually quite comparable in strength and hardness to earlier Bronze Age swords. These swords were known to bend during use, but for the first time entire armies could be equipped with swords and similar bladed weapons. Both the Greek and Roman empires were equipped with iron swords. In the late Roman Empire, the longer spartha sword was commonly carried; it would provide the basis for the Medieval and Renaissance ‘longsword.’ Swords of this period typically measured 24 to 30 inches long.


Shop at MetroKitchen.com Now

Author Bio:

Sharpen ‘Em has a full range of knife sharpeners to keep your knives in perfect condition. Also check for current specials on a electric knife sharpener


Some Other Ideas

Tags: , , ,
Posted in World | 1 Comment »

Humbling America

April 9th, 2010
book ad

by Gene Lalor

In a forthright and unsettling piece on CNS.com, Ben Shapiro writes of “Obama’s Plan to Humble America” in which he compares the president’s machinations with “gargantuan” domestic expenditures coupled with equally expensive wars to LBJ’s vain efforts to provide America with “Guns and Butter.”

The guns were intended to win the war in Viet Nam, or at least not lose that war, the guns. At the same time Johnson wanted to effect his Great Society programs, the butter. The end result of that juggling was that we kept the welfare and other domestic programs and ignominiously lost the war due to half-hearted commitment.

With hard economic times a continuing outlook learn how you can make your home energy self-sufficient!

According to Shapiro, our current president is on the same social welfare/wars path with one notable twist: Obama knows where he and the country are headed and is planning for failure: “First, Obama wants to weaken us on the home front by ‘spreading the wealth around’ in the name of equality. Second, Obama wants to use that aggravated economic weakness to undermine America’s foreign policy standing around the world.”

book 'Project President'

That’s a strong charge to make and it’s what makes Shapiro’s article unsettling.

As big and as boorish an oaf that LBJ was, no one to my knowledge has ever suggested that he anticipated much less planned the loss in ‘Nam; it was an unintended consequence of America’s finite resources. The nation simply couldn’t afford both the butter and the guns without huge tax increases which Johnson proposed and in the end there weren’t enough guns, nor much Democrat desire to provide them.

Essentially, Shapiro is saying that Barack Hussein Obama doesn’t like our country, even despises the inequities he sees on the homefront and the “brutishness” of our foreign policy stances and he’s striving to cut us down to the size he envisions for the United States.

That would explain his maniacal tax and spend schemes at home and his penchant for traversing the planet and apologizing for the nation at every stop he makes. Antagonizing proven allies, Israel and Britain, and a necessary ally, Afghanistan, are other surefire techniques to undercut America’s supremacy and influence.

His intended domestic consequence is not only to spread the wealth but to create class warfare of some sort with his constant badmouthing of businesses and industry. At the same time, he’s creating an image of weakness and indecision overseas.

Both policies can only have negative outcomes for the people of the United States.

Despite its many glaring flaws, capitalism is the financial and social foundation not only of our success and wealth as a nation but of the character of the American people: confident, brash, industrious combined with generosity, religious faith, and courage, all former hallmarks of the collective American psyche.

To undermine the capitalistic foundation of our society is to undermine the very bases that made America great and enabled it to fight and help win what were basically European wars in the twentieth century at very high human and economic costs.

energy illustration

If Obama is allowed to continue on this deadend road to perdition and financial ruin, if Obama gets his way and converts America into a second rate power, the international perception of our weakness and indecisiveness combined with a crippled and bankrupt economy can only mean the next time we’re needed somewhere on the globe, we’ll be too weak and broke to help anyone.

As Shapiro concludes his article, “Unlike LBJ, Obama acts not out of ignorance, but insidiousness. Like LBJ in 1968, he must be made to pay the price:” http://bit.ly/bnQ946

The only problem with that truth is that America will already have paid a steeper price. We will have been humbled beyond redemption.

renewable energy banner

Some Other Ideas

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Opinion Piece | Comments Off

Logical Response from A Member of Congres…

April 7th, 2010

A VERY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE KIND OF REPRESENTATION WE HAVE IN CONGRESS:

congress

(You may fill in the blanks with the name of most any member of our current crop.)

A noted psychiatrist was a guest speaker at an academic function where a congressional leader happened to appear. The Congressional member took the opportunity to schmooze the good doctor a bit and asked him a question with which he was most at ease.

‘Would you mind telling me, Doctor,’ _______ asked, ‘how you detect a mental deficiency in somebody who appears completely normal?’

psychiatrist cartoon

‘Nothing is easier,’ he replied. ‘You ask a simple question which anyone should answer with no trouble. If the person hesitates, that puts you on the track.’

‘What sort of question?’ asked _______.

Well, you might ask, ‘Captain Cook made three trips around the world and died during one of them. Which one?”

_______ thought a moment, and then said with a nervous laugh, ‘You wouldn’t happen to have another example would you? I must confess I don’t know much about history.’

Some Other Ideas

Tags: , ,
Posted in Politics | 1 Comment »

« Older Entries
privace policy | terms of service | about us