Charley Reese's final column for the Orlando Sentinel...He has been a journalist for 49 years. He is retiring and this is HIS LAST COLUMN.
Be sure to read the Poem and the Tax List at the end.
This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ....
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.
What in the heck happened? Can you spell 'politicians?'
I hope this goes around THE USA at least 545 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!
GO AHEAD. . .. BE AN AMERICAN!!!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
I'm Just Asking Here
SOME OF YOU WILL APPRECIATE THIS AND SOME OF YOU MAY NOT.
I DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR SENDING THIS BECAUSE ALL OF IT IS TRUE, A MATTER OF RECORD, AND VERIFIABLE.
"IF..."
.If any other of our presidents had doubled the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had criticized a state law that he admitted he never even read, would you think that he is just an ignorant hot head?
If any other of our presidents joined the country of Mexico and sued a state in the United States to force that state to continue to allow illegal immigration, would you question his patriotism and wonder who's side he was on?
If any other of our presidents had pronounced the Marine Corps like Marine Corpse, would you think him an idiot? I certainly wouldn't think of him as intelligent as the media keeps telling us!
If any other of our presidents had put 87,000 workers out of work by arbitrarily placing a moratorium on offshore oil drilling on companies that have one of the best safety records of any industry because one foreign company had an accident, would you have agreed?
If any other of our presidents had used a forged document as the basis of the moratorium that would render 87000 American workers unemployed would you support him?
If any other of our presidents had been the first President to need a Teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
If any other of our presidents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take his First Lady to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had reduced your retirement plan holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought it a proud moment for America?
If any other of our presidents had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
If any other of our presidents had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had stated that there were 57 states in the United States, wouldn't you have had second thoughts about his capabilities?
If any other of our presidents would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in his home town, would you not have thought he was a self important, conceited, egotistical jerk.
If any other of our presidents had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, wouldn't you have winced in embarrassment?
If any other of our presidents had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?
If any other of our presidents' administrations had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?
If any other of our presidents had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
If any other of our presidents had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America, would you have ever approved.
If any other of our presidents had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive?
Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 21 months -- so you have that much time to come up with an answer.
Every statement and action in this email is factual and directly attributable to Barrack Hussein Obama. Every bumble is a matter of record and completely verifiable.
I DO NOT APOLOGIZE FOR SENDING THIS BECAUSE ALL OF IT IS TRUE, A MATTER OF RECORD, AND VERIFIABLE.
"IF..."
.If any other of our presidents had doubled the national debt, which had taken more than two centuries to accumulate, in one year, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had then proposed to double the debt again within 10 years, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had criticized a state law that he admitted he never even read, would you think that he is just an ignorant hot head?
If any other of our presidents joined the country of Mexico and sued a state in the United States to force that state to continue to allow illegal immigration, would you question his patriotism and wonder who's side he was on?
If any other of our presidents had pronounced the Marine Corps like Marine Corpse, would you think him an idiot? I certainly wouldn't think of him as intelligent as the media keeps telling us!
If any other of our presidents had put 87,000 workers out of work by arbitrarily placing a moratorium on offshore oil drilling on companies that have one of the best safety records of any industry because one foreign company had an accident, would you have agreed?
If any other of our presidents had used a forged document as the basis of the moratorium that would render 87000 American workers unemployed would you support him?
If any other of our presidents had been the first President to need a Teleprompter installed to be able to get through a press conference, would you have laughed and said this is more proof of how inept he is on his own and is really controlled by smarter men behind the scenes?
If any other of our presidents had spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to take his First Lady to a play in NYC, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had reduced your retirement plan holdings of GM stock by 90% and given the unions a majority stake in GM, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had made a joke at the expense of the Special Olympics, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had given Gordon Brown a set of inexpensive and incorrectly formatted DVDs, when Gordon Brown had given him a thoughtful and historically significant gift, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had given the Queen of England an iPod containing videos of his speeches, would you have thought it a proud moment for America?
If any other of our presidents had bowed to the King of Saudi Arabia , would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had visited Austria and made reference to the nonexistent "Austrian language," would you have brushed it off as a minor slip?
If any other of our presidents had filled his cabinet and circle of advisers with people who cannot seem to keep current in their income taxes, would you have approved?
If any other of our presidents had stated that there were 57 states in the United States, wouldn't you have had second thoughts about his capabilities?
If any other of our presidents would have flown all the way to Denmark to make a five minute speech about how the Olympics would benefit him walking out his front door in his home town, would you not have thought he was a self important, conceited, egotistical jerk.
If any other of our presidents had been so Spanish illiterate as to refer to "Cinco de Cuatro" in front of the Mexican ambassador when it was the 5th of May (Cinco de Mayo), and continued to flub it when he tried again, wouldn't you have winced in embarrassment?
If any other of our presidents had burned 9,000 gallons of jet fuel to go plant a single tree on Earth Day, would you have concluded he's a hypocrite?
If any other of our presidents' administrations had okayed Air Force One flying low over millions of people followed by a jet fighter in downtown Manhattan causing widespread panic, would you have wondered whether they actually get what happened on 9-11?
If any other of our presidents had failed to send relief aid to flood victims throughout the Midwest with more people killed or made homeless than in New Orleans, would you want it made into a major ongoing political issue with claims of racism and incompetence?
If any other of our presidents had created the position of 32 Czars who report directly to him, bypassing the House and Senate on much of what is happening in America, would you have ever approved.
If any other of our presidents had ordered the firing of the CEO of a major corporation, even though he had no constitutional authority to do so, would you have approved?
So, tell me again, what is it about Obama that makes him so brilliant and impressive?
Can't think of anything? Don't worry. He's done all this in 21 months -- so you have that much time to come up with an answer.
Every statement and action in this email is factual and directly attributable to Barrack Hussein Obama. Every bumble is a matter of record and completely verifiable.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Happy tax day
Happy tax day, suckers… Why I'm certain Obama will not be re-elected… The "ashbin of history"… Standing up for "the rich"… How to hide assets legally… Safeguarding your IRA…
In honor of our national Tax Day, I've written the following letter to Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. Please feel free to pass this around if you like it…
Dear Mr. President,
Welcome to the ashbin of history.
With the speech you gave this week, you have firmly and permanently put yourself in the same garbage bag as all the other communists and socialists of the 20th century.
Your speech sounded like the faint echo of a speech Lenin gave in an icy square in Moscow 100 years ago.
The promises you made, Mr. President, about the government giving people things they can't provide for themselves – a better income, reliable health care, an advanced education, cheaper mortgages, a "shiny, happy" life – have been made time and time again… sometimes by speakers even better than you.
And they have always been lies.
While the government can demand obedience (and taxes), it can't mandate dedication, creativity, or innovation. The fact is, the government itself is nothing more (or less) than the organized ambitions of the people. Promising something to the people that they don't already have is a logical absurdity. And therein lies the timeless flaw of all collectivist theory: Governments cannot deliver benefits to the people that the people cannot deliver to themselves.
To demonstrate this truth, consider this example… Governments cannot simply mandate higher tax revenue. Any substantial increase to tax rates will reduce total collections, an economic phenomenon known as the "Laffer Curve." This has been proven countless times in our country and many others. Any sensible person will immediately understand why. Taxes are a disincentive. The higher the marginal rate of tax, the more powerful its impact.
That's why, over many decades (and many different tax structures), U.S. tax revenues have been remarkably stable at around 20% of GDP. That's why, as you surely know, Mr. President, changing the tax code will not result in increased tax revenue. Taxing only the rich simply doesn't work. It never has. And it never will. To increase the government's revenues, we must first increase the size of the economy. The government cannot tax what the economy doesn't produce.
In another time, most Americans might have simply ignored your speech as the ignorant remarks of yet another handsome, Ivy League-educated, dilettante president. But at this point in our history, my bet is people are going to take you far more seriously than you expect. In fact, I think you're going to get what you deserve – the trash heap. Why will Americans turn on you so rapidly and so completely?
Two things have changed – forever – about American politics.
The first is the media and access to critical information. It's no longer possible for a president's administration to control what people read, see, and think by simply managing the evening news broadcasts.
Thus, all your lies are now exposed almost instantly and broadcast to millions of people via websites and services like the Drudge Report, Twitter, and Facebook. Socialism cannot possibly survive over any long period of time in a society with a free media – because socialism is based on a lie. Facebook means the "half-life" of socialism is now weeks instead of years. Even mainstream publications like the Wall Street Journal have called you a liar this week. They have no choice. Your lies were broadcast to the entire world long before their op-ed pieces appeared.
Your advisors told you none of these "bloggers" mattered. All you had to do was promise more benefits to more voters and then force fewer voters to pay for it all. I'm sure you did the political calculus… You believed your power to bribe and bamboozle the poor and the ignorant was stronger than the resentment you'd engender among the "rich." And I must admit… since at least World War II, that's been a safe bet in American politics.
But you forgot one critical factor: We simply can't afford this nonsense anymore…
Immediately after your speech, the price of silver went from $39 to a new high above $42. Gold went up, too.
These are signs, Mr. President, that the world is losing confidence in our currency. If our foreign creditors were to call in our debts, America would suffer an economic cataclysm unlike anything we've ever seen in our entire history. Americans now owe a total of $56 trillion. Without the Fed's money-printing, it's unlikely we could afford even the interest on these existing debts… much less the $1.5 trillion or more in debt you continue to rack up year after year by promising benefits we haven't earned.
Sooner or later, our foreign creditors are going to decide our money-printing amounts to a default, and they will stop buying our bonds. On that day, everyone who trusts you, everyone who believes in your lies, will be wiped out.
But that won't be as many people as you expect.
Almost every American knows in his heart what made this country great for the 200 years between 1776 and 1976. It wasn't the lies of our presidents. It wasn't our ability to print money and rip off our Chinese creditors. It wasn't the modern crybaby mentality of our school system or our unions. It wasn't the baby boomer's dream of a 40-year retirement with free prescription drugs. And it sure as hell wasn't a suave, made-for-TV version of Karl Marx promising everything to everyone, but with no way to pay for it.
No. What built America was her people's unwavering faith that they were free to enjoy the rewards of their accomplishments.
As our country tumbles into bankruptcy and crisis, the people are going to want their prosperity back, Mr. President. And deep down, they all know… even your most fervent supporters know… you don't have the goods. You don't have the foggiest idea of how to deliver prosperity to America because, really, you don't know anything of what America is all about.
Regards,
Porter Stansberry
With today's Digest, I am announcing my complete support for "the rich" – the class of people Mr. Obama and his ilk castigate at every opportunity. Ironically, it is these same people Obama expects to line up like sheep waiting to be sheared. My best advice? Don't get in that line.
Despite what Mr. Obama and his vast team of lawyer buddies, career academics, and professional bureaucrats believe, most "rich" people in America got that way by working hard for a long time. They got that way by taking risks, educating themselves, starting small businesses, and selling valuable services or products to their fellow citizens. They didn't inherit their wealth. They didn't rip anyone off. They didn't buy political favors from people like Barack Obama.
They got that way by working hard to achieve the original American Dream… not Obama's new "progressive" American Dream, where everyone can live at the expense of his neighbor. That's why Obama's grandstanding must be viewed in a new way. We need to realize when Obama vilifies the "rich," he is vilifying the "achievers."
Now… before you send me an angry letter, ask yourself this question: If America had the lowest corporate tax rate in the world (instead of the highest), do you think we'd have more companies located here, or fewer? If we got rid of the estate tax, which makes it impossible for successful entrepreneurs to leave their companies to their children, do you think we'd have more family businesses, or fewer? And if we taxed all people at the same (hopefully low) rate, do you think more wealthy people from around the world would want to live here, or fewer
I'll soon be publishing a report by one of the world's leading asset-protection attorneys about how you can convert your IRA into your own corporation. That will allow you to invest in whatever you like – even the things the government doesn't want you to have. This structure will also allow you to get your IRA out of the U.S. before the government seizes it and forces you to buy worthless Treasury bonds to bail them out when our foreign creditors start selling… And yes, that's what will happen.
Regards,
Porter Stansberry
Baltimore, Maryland
April 15, 2011
In honor of our national Tax Day, I've written the following letter to Mr. Barack Hussein Obama. Please feel free to pass this around if you like it…
Dear Mr. President,
Welcome to the ashbin of history.
With the speech you gave this week, you have firmly and permanently put yourself in the same garbage bag as all the other communists and socialists of the 20th century.
Your speech sounded like the faint echo of a speech Lenin gave in an icy square in Moscow 100 years ago.
The promises you made, Mr. President, about the government giving people things they can't provide for themselves – a better income, reliable health care, an advanced education, cheaper mortgages, a "shiny, happy" life – have been made time and time again… sometimes by speakers even better than you.
And they have always been lies.
While the government can demand obedience (and taxes), it can't mandate dedication, creativity, or innovation. The fact is, the government itself is nothing more (or less) than the organized ambitions of the people. Promising something to the people that they don't already have is a logical absurdity. And therein lies the timeless flaw of all collectivist theory: Governments cannot deliver benefits to the people that the people cannot deliver to themselves.
To demonstrate this truth, consider this example… Governments cannot simply mandate higher tax revenue. Any substantial increase to tax rates will reduce total collections, an economic phenomenon known as the "Laffer Curve." This has been proven countless times in our country and many others. Any sensible person will immediately understand why. Taxes are a disincentive. The higher the marginal rate of tax, the more powerful its impact.
That's why, over many decades (and many different tax structures), U.S. tax revenues have been remarkably stable at around 20% of GDP. That's why, as you surely know, Mr. President, changing the tax code will not result in increased tax revenue. Taxing only the rich simply doesn't work. It never has. And it never will. To increase the government's revenues, we must first increase the size of the economy. The government cannot tax what the economy doesn't produce.
In another time, most Americans might have simply ignored your speech as the ignorant remarks of yet another handsome, Ivy League-educated, dilettante president. But at this point in our history, my bet is people are going to take you far more seriously than you expect. In fact, I think you're going to get what you deserve – the trash heap. Why will Americans turn on you so rapidly and so completely?
Two things have changed – forever – about American politics.
The first is the media and access to critical information. It's no longer possible for a president's administration to control what people read, see, and think by simply managing the evening news broadcasts.
Thus, all your lies are now exposed almost instantly and broadcast to millions of people via websites and services like the Drudge Report, Twitter, and Facebook. Socialism cannot possibly survive over any long period of time in a society with a free media – because socialism is based on a lie. Facebook means the "half-life" of socialism is now weeks instead of years. Even mainstream publications like the Wall Street Journal have called you a liar this week. They have no choice. Your lies were broadcast to the entire world long before their op-ed pieces appeared.
Your advisors told you none of these "bloggers" mattered. All you had to do was promise more benefits to more voters and then force fewer voters to pay for it all. I'm sure you did the political calculus… You believed your power to bribe and bamboozle the poor and the ignorant was stronger than the resentment you'd engender among the "rich." And I must admit… since at least World War II, that's been a safe bet in American politics.
But you forgot one critical factor: We simply can't afford this nonsense anymore…
Immediately after your speech, the price of silver went from $39 to a new high above $42. Gold went up, too.
These are signs, Mr. President, that the world is losing confidence in our currency. If our foreign creditors were to call in our debts, America would suffer an economic cataclysm unlike anything we've ever seen in our entire history. Americans now owe a total of $56 trillion. Without the Fed's money-printing, it's unlikely we could afford even the interest on these existing debts… much less the $1.5 trillion or more in debt you continue to rack up year after year by promising benefits we haven't earned.
Sooner or later, our foreign creditors are going to decide our money-printing amounts to a default, and they will stop buying our bonds. On that day, everyone who trusts you, everyone who believes in your lies, will be wiped out.
But that won't be as many people as you expect.
Almost every American knows in his heart what made this country great for the 200 years between 1776 and 1976. It wasn't the lies of our presidents. It wasn't our ability to print money and rip off our Chinese creditors. It wasn't the modern crybaby mentality of our school system or our unions. It wasn't the baby boomer's dream of a 40-year retirement with free prescription drugs. And it sure as hell wasn't a suave, made-for-TV version of Karl Marx promising everything to everyone, but with no way to pay for it.
No. What built America was her people's unwavering faith that they were free to enjoy the rewards of their accomplishments.
As our country tumbles into bankruptcy and crisis, the people are going to want their prosperity back, Mr. President. And deep down, they all know… even your most fervent supporters know… you don't have the goods. You don't have the foggiest idea of how to deliver prosperity to America because, really, you don't know anything of what America is all about.
Regards,
Porter Stansberry
With today's Digest, I am announcing my complete support for "the rich" – the class of people Mr. Obama and his ilk castigate at every opportunity. Ironically, it is these same people Obama expects to line up like sheep waiting to be sheared. My best advice? Don't get in that line.
Despite what Mr. Obama and his vast team of lawyer buddies, career academics, and professional bureaucrats believe, most "rich" people in America got that way by working hard for a long time. They got that way by taking risks, educating themselves, starting small businesses, and selling valuable services or products to their fellow citizens. They didn't inherit their wealth. They didn't rip anyone off. They didn't buy political favors from people like Barack Obama.
They got that way by working hard to achieve the original American Dream… not Obama's new "progressive" American Dream, where everyone can live at the expense of his neighbor. That's why Obama's grandstanding must be viewed in a new way. We need to realize when Obama vilifies the "rich," he is vilifying the "achievers."
Now… before you send me an angry letter, ask yourself this question: If America had the lowest corporate tax rate in the world (instead of the highest), do you think we'd have more companies located here, or fewer? If we got rid of the estate tax, which makes it impossible for successful entrepreneurs to leave their companies to their children, do you think we'd have more family businesses, or fewer? And if we taxed all people at the same (hopefully low) rate, do you think more wealthy people from around the world would want to live here, or fewer
I'll soon be publishing a report by one of the world's leading asset-protection attorneys about how you can convert your IRA into your own corporation. That will allow you to invest in whatever you like – even the things the government doesn't want you to have. This structure will also allow you to get your IRA out of the U.S. before the government seizes it and forces you to buy worthless Treasury bonds to bail them out when our foreign creditors start selling… And yes, that's what will happen.
Regards,
Porter Stansberry
Baltimore, Maryland
April 15, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Just Who Is This Man We Elected
It's just common that citizens have knowledge of their elected officials and their families, for example, that Andrew Jackson's wife smoked a corn cob pipe and was accused of adultery, or that Lincoln never went to school, or Kennedy wore a back brace or Truman played the piano. Why is it that we don't know more about Barack Obama?
Good grief... we are Americans! We are known for our humanitarian interests and caring for our 'fellow man'. We care, but none of us know one single humanizing fact about the history of our own president. Honestly, and this is a personal thing...but it's niggled at me for ages that no one who ever dated Obama ever showed up. The simple fact of his charisma that caused the women to be drawn to him so obviously during his campaign, looks like some lady would not have missed the opportunity... We all know about JFK's magnetism, McCain was no monk, Palin's courtship and even her athletic prowess were probed. Biden's aneurisms are no secret. Look at Cheney and Clinton, we all know about their heart problems and certainly speaking of the opposite sex - how could I have left out Wild Bill before or during the White House? Nope... not one lady has stepped up and said, "He was sooo shy..." or "What a great dancer!!" Now look at the rest of this... no classmates, not even the recorder for the Columbia class notes ever heard of him...
.... I just don't know about this fellow.
Who was the best man at his wedding? Start there. Then check groomsmen. Then get the footage of the graduation ceremony. Has anyone talked to the professors? It is odd that no one is bragging that they knew him or taught him or lived with him.
When did he meet Michele and how? Are there photos there? Every president gives to the public all their photos, etc. for their library, etc. What has he released? And who in hell voted for him to be the most popular man in 2010?
Does this make you wonder? Ever wonder why no one ever came forward from President Obama's past saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc.?? Not one person has ever come forward from his past.
VERY, VERY STRANGE.. This should really be a cause for great concern. To those who voted for him, you may have elected an unqualified, inexperienced shadow man. Did you see a picture called The Manchurian Candidate?.....
Let's face it. As insignificant as we all are.. someone whom we went to school with remembers our name or face... someone remembers we were the clown or the dork or the brain or the quiet one or the bully or something about us. George Stephanopoulos of ABC News said the same thing during the 2008 campaign. He questions why no one has acknowledged the president was in their classroom or ate in the same cafeteria or made impromptu speeches on campus. Stephanopoulos also was a classmate of Obama at Columbia -- the class of 1984. He says he never had a single class with him.
While he is such a great orator, why doesn't anyone in Obama's college class remember him? And, why won't he allow Columbia to release his records? NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA
Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but none remembered him.
Wayne Allyn Root was, like Obama, a political science major at Columbia who also graduated in 1983. In 2008, Root says of Obama, "I don't know a single person at Columbia that knew him, and they all know me. I don't have a classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia .. EVER!
Nobody recalls him. Root adds that he was also, like Obama, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, "You don't get more exact or closer than that." Never met him in my life, don't know anyone who ever met him. At the class reunion, our 20th reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class? Me. No one ever heard of Barack! And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was. The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say in New York, 'the macha' who knows everybody, has yet to find a person, a human who ever met him." Obama's photograph does not appear in the school's yearbook and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia, provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia. NOTE: Root graduated as Valedictorian from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University in 1983 as a Political Science major in the same class in which Barack Hussein Obama states he was.
Some other interesting questions.
Why was Obama's law license inactivated in 2002?
Why was Michelle's law license inactivated by Court Order?
It is circulating that according to the U.S. Census, there is only one Barack Obama but 27 Social Security numbers and over 80 aliases. WHAT? The Social Security number he uses now originated in Connecticut where he is never reported to have lived.
No wonder all his records are sealed!
Somewhere, someone had to know him.
Good grief... we are Americans! We are known for our humanitarian interests and caring for our 'fellow man'. We care, but none of us know one single humanizing fact about the history of our own president. Honestly, and this is a personal thing...but it's niggled at me for ages that no one who ever dated Obama ever showed up. The simple fact of his charisma that caused the women to be drawn to him so obviously during his campaign, looks like some lady would not have missed the opportunity... We all know about JFK's magnetism, McCain was no monk, Palin's courtship and even her athletic prowess were probed. Biden's aneurisms are no secret. Look at Cheney and Clinton, we all know about their heart problems and certainly speaking of the opposite sex - how could I have left out Wild Bill before or during the White House? Nope... not one lady has stepped up and said, "He was sooo shy..." or "What a great dancer!!" Now look at the rest of this... no classmates, not even the recorder for the Columbia class notes ever heard of him...
.... I just don't know about this fellow.
Who was the best man at his wedding? Start there. Then check groomsmen. Then get the footage of the graduation ceremony. Has anyone talked to the professors? It is odd that no one is bragging that they knew him or taught him or lived with him.
When did he meet Michele and how? Are there photos there? Every president gives to the public all their photos, etc. for their library, etc. What has he released? And who in hell voted for him to be the most popular man in 2010?
Does this make you wonder? Ever wonder why no one ever came forward from President Obama's past saying they knew him, attended school with him, was his friend, etc.?? Not one person has ever come forward from his past.
VERY, VERY STRANGE.. This should really be a cause for great concern. To those who voted for him, you may have elected an unqualified, inexperienced shadow man. Did you see a picture called The Manchurian Candidate?.....
Let's face it. As insignificant as we all are.. someone whom we went to school with remembers our name or face... someone remembers we were the clown or the dork or the brain or the quiet one or the bully or something about us. George Stephanopoulos of ABC News said the same thing during the 2008 campaign. He questions why no one has acknowledged the president was in their classroom or ate in the same cafeteria or made impromptu speeches on campus. Stephanopoulos also was a classmate of Obama at Columbia -- the class of 1984. He says he never had a single class with him.
While he is such a great orator, why doesn't anyone in Obama's college class remember him? And, why won't he allow Columbia to release his records? NOBODY REMEMBERS OBAMA AT COLUMBIA
Looking for evidence of Obama's past, Fox News contacted 400 Columbia University students from the period when Obama claims to have been there, but none remembered him.
Wayne Allyn Root was, like Obama, a political science major at Columbia who also graduated in 1983. In 2008, Root says of Obama, "I don't know a single person at Columbia that knew him, and they all know me. I don't have a classmate who ever knew Barack Obama at Columbia .. EVER!
Nobody recalls him. Root adds that he was also, like Obama, "Class of '83 political science, pre-law" and says, "You don't get more exact or closer than that." Never met him in my life, don't know anyone who ever met him. At the class reunion, our 20th reunion five years ago, who was asked to be the speaker of the class? Me. No one ever heard of Barack! And five years ago, nobody even knew who he was. The guy who writes the class notes, who's kind of the, as we say in New York, 'the macha' who knows everybody, has yet to find a person, a human who ever met him." Obama's photograph does not appear in the school's yearbook and Obama consistently declines requests to talk about his years at Columbia, provide school records, or provide the name of any former classmates or friends while at Columbia. NOTE: Root graduated as Valedictorian from his high school, Thornton-Donovan School, then graduated from Columbia University in 1983 as a Political Science major in the same class in which Barack Hussein Obama states he was.
Some other interesting questions.
Why was Obama's law license inactivated in 2002?
Why was Michelle's law license inactivated by Court Order?
It is circulating that according to the U.S. Census, there is only one Barack Obama but 27 Social Security numbers and over 80 aliases. WHAT? The Social Security number he uses now originated in Connecticut where he is never reported to have lived.
No wonder all his records are sealed!
Somewhere, someone had to know him.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
TYSON's.. No thanks
Yes, folks, this did happen but it was not recent, it happened a couple of years ago. I have not bought Tyson products for sometime and had also sent the company a letter expressing my views on the matter and telling them I would not be purchasing their products. They did not respond.
Yes, I know you think this is overreacting and is another example of my ‘radical’ views. Keep saying that and unless we, as Americans, begin to change our way of purchasing (expressing opinion) and thought processes as well as political views, in a VERY few years we will see who was correct. Tell your daughters they might think about purchasing Burquas and your sons to get out their prayer rugs.
d.
Subject: FW: Tyson Chicken
Tyson Foods eliminates Labor Day in favor of
Muslim Holiday !
I think that you will find this very interesting.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
How do you take over America ? One American at a time.
Tyson chicken anyone?? None for me thanks!!!!
We all need to heed this message!!!!!
TYSON FOODS ELIMINATES LABOR DAY IN FAVOR OF
MUSLIM HOLIDAY
Tyson Food in Shelbyville , Tennessee has eliminated
Labor Day as a paid holiday in favor of the last day of Ramadan
because they have 700 Muslim employees. The fact that they
have almost that many non-Muslim employees is beside the
point apparently!
I will no longer purchase any Tyson products. It's just one more
little chunk of America that's been bitten off. If you wish to join
me, then let your e-mail friends know this. If we don't stand up
for something we will fall for anything.
All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing..
This was verified http:// www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/outrage.asp
I did not believe even Snopes, so I checked it out myself:
Yes, I know you think this is overreacting and is another example of my ‘radical’ views. Keep saying that and unless we, as Americans, begin to change our way of purchasing (expressing opinion) and thought processes as well as political views, in a VERY few years we will see who was correct. Tell your daughters they might think about purchasing Burquas and your sons to get out their prayer rugs.
d.
Subject: FW: Tyson Chicken
Tyson Foods eliminates Labor Day in favor of
Muslim Holiday !
I think that you will find this very interesting.
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
How do you take over America ? One American at a time.
Tyson chicken anyone?? None for me thanks!!!!
We all need to heed this message!!!!!
TYSON FOODS ELIMINATES LABOR DAY IN FAVOR OF
MUSLIM HOLIDAY
Tyson Food in Shelbyville , Tennessee has eliminated
Labor Day as a paid holiday in favor of the last day of Ramadan
because they have 700 Muslim employees. The fact that they
have almost that many non-Muslim employees is beside the
point apparently!
I will no longer purchase any Tyson products. It's just one more
little chunk of America that's been bitten off. If you wish to join
me, then let your e-mail friends know this. If we don't stand up
for something we will fall for anything.
All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing..
This was verified http:// www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/outrage.asp
I did not believe even Snopes, so I checked it out myself:
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
The Battle Has Begun
. This is what millions of people received on Monday
The conservative right best get focused and organized because we have a fight on our hands and it started yesterday and most of us did not even know it was coming. We have to realize this man has the support of millions of federal works on his campaign staff and we are paying for them. They have at their finger tips the addresses of most Americans one for or another guess how these email get sent.
Just get ready this is going to be the fight for America. Not unlike the fight held in 1776 but fought in a much different manner.
I am removing the recipient’s name and address but he is the brother of a friend of mine. He is also a conservative so wonder just how many of these went out and to whom on Monday. We must Wake Up and Now… the battle has begun
________________________________________
From: Barack Obama [mailto:info@barackobama.com]
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:34 AM
To: jandjst
Subject: 2012
Friend --
Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign.
We're doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you -- with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.
So even though I'm focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.
We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.
As we take this step, I'd like to share a video that features some folks like you who are helping to lead the way on this journey. Please take a moment to watch:
In the coming days, supporters like you will begin forging a new organization that we'll build together in cities and towns across the country. And I'll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that's farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we've built before.
We'll start by doing something unprecedented: coordinating millions of one-on-one conversations between supporters across every single state, reconnecting old friends, inspiring new ones to join the cause, and readying ourselves for next year's fight.
This will be my final campaign, at least as a candidate. But the cause of making a lasting difference for our families, our communities, and our country has never been about one person. And it will succeed only if we work together.
There will be much more to come as the race unfolds. Today, simply let us know you're in to help us begin, and then spread the word:
http://my.barackobama.com/2012a?keycode=&email=jandjstuben@verizon.net&zip=11758
Thank you,
Barack
The conservative right best get focused and organized because we have a fight on our hands and it started yesterday and most of us did not even know it was coming. We have to realize this man has the support of millions of federal works on his campaign staff and we are paying for them. They have at their finger tips the addresses of most Americans one for or another guess how these email get sent.
Just get ready this is going to be the fight for America. Not unlike the fight held in 1776 but fought in a much different manner.
I am removing the recipient’s name and address but he is the brother of a friend of mine. He is also a conservative so wonder just how many of these went out and to whom on Monday. We must Wake Up and Now… the battle has begun
________________________________________
From: Barack Obama [mailto:info@barackobama.com]
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:34 AM
To: jandjst
Subject: 2012
Friend --
Today, we are filing papers to launch our 2012 campaign.
We're doing this now because the politics we believe in does not start with expensive TV ads or extravaganzas, but with you -- with people organizing block-by-block, talking to neighbors, co-workers, and friends. And that kind of campaign takes time to build.
So even though I'm focused on the job you elected me to do, and the race may not reach full speed for a year or more, the work of laying the foundation for our campaign must start today.
We've always known that lasting change wouldn't come quickly or easily. It never does. But as my administration and folks across the country fight to protect the progress we've made -- and make more -- we also need to begin mobilizing for 2012, long before the time comes for me to begin campaigning in earnest.
As we take this step, I'd like to share a video that features some folks like you who are helping to lead the way on this journey. Please take a moment to watch:
In the coming days, supporters like you will begin forging a new organization that we'll build together in cities and towns across the country. And I'll need you to help shape our plan as we create a campaign that's farther reaching, more focused, and more innovative than anything we've built before.
We'll start by doing something unprecedented: coordinating millions of one-on-one conversations between supporters across every single state, reconnecting old friends, inspiring new ones to join the cause, and readying ourselves for next year's fight.
This will be my final campaign, at least as a candidate. But the cause of making a lasting difference for our families, our communities, and our country has never been about one person. And it will succeed only if we work together.
There will be much more to come as the race unfolds. Today, simply let us know you're in to help us begin, and then spread the word:
http://my.barackobama.com/2012a?keycode=&email=jandjstuben@verizon.net&zip=11758
Thank you,
Barack
We The People Must Make It Stop
Found this interesting, Children of congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans. How nice! Monday on Fox news they learned that the staffers of Congress family members are exempt from having to pay back student loans. This will get national attention if other news networks will broadcast it.
When you add this to the below,just where will all of it stop?
35 States file lawsuit against the Federal Government
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50)States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
This is an idea that we should address.
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
If each person that receives this will share this with 20 people, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States."
When you add this to the below,just where will all of it stop?
35 States file lawsuit against the Federal Government
Governors of 35 states have filed suit against the Federal Government for imposing unlawful burdens upon them. It only takes 38 (of the 50)States to convene a Constitutional Convention.
This will take less than thirty seconds to read. If you agree, please pass it on.
This is an idea that we should address.
For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term, that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws. The latest is to exempt themselves from the Healthcare Reform... in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn't seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don't care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop.
If each person that receives this will share this with 20 people, in three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.
Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution: "Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States."
Our Past Speaker - Madam Elite
GOOD GRIEF ..... To me this is the essence of abuse of power... We the people deserve better than this from our elected people... And then they have the gall to talk about Wall Street being greedy...Is that not the pot call the kettle black
Really how can we the people all this to happen... worse yet where do folks like her get off with doing this... come on people lets stand up and take our country back.
We made a good start last year but the real fight will be 2012 as the Unions, welfare, illegals, government workers and all the other holding their hands out will be fighting to keep the Liberals in power. You and I have to take a stand to turn this country around. Are you ready...........?
Our Past Speaker
As a result of a Judicial Watch filing under the Freedom of Information Act, the USAF released documents detailing House Speaker Pelosi's use of United States Air Force aircraft between March 2009 and June 2010. The data are published in the Judicial Watch Verdict of December 2010, Volume 16, Issue 12.
Here are the main highlights revealed by the USAF. Keep in mind that all the data below relate to United States Air Force aircraft used by one woman over a sixteen month period.
Several of these flights included Ms Pelosi's guests such as grown children, grandchildren, various in-laws, friends, and hangers-on. Over 95% of the trips were between the west coast and Washington, DC or what we might call a commute between home and the office.
Total trips: 85 trips over a 68 week period or 1.25 average trips per week.
Total mileage: 206,264 miles or 2,427 average miles per trip
Total flying time: 428.6 hours or an average of 5 hrs per trip
Cost to the taxpayers: $2,100,744.59 or $27,715.00 per trip or $1,285,162.00 per year
Cost of inflight food and alcohol: $101,429.14 or $1,193.00 per trip or $62,051.00 per year.
On one junket to Baghdad, according to the Air Force report, she had the aircraft bar stocked with Johnny Walker Red Scotch, Grey Goose Vodka, E&J Brandy, Bailey's Irish Creme, Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier Cognac, Bacardi Rum, Jim Beam Whiskey, Beefeater Gin, Dewars Scotch, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Jack Daniels Whiskey, Corona Beer and several varieties of wine. This was obviously a very important "gubment bidness" trip.
Evidence generally speaks for itself, and in Ms. Pelosi's case it speaks the language of abuse and (evidently) a serious familial drinking problem, for in a single year she and her spawn drank an amount in excess of the net income of the average employed American! When she said, "... if the stimulus doesn't pass, five hundred million people might lose their jobs...", I thought she was unintentionally revealing her ignorance. I'm now more inclined to think she was pickled.
Even though she can no longer abuse the USAF, she can either fly on her broom, or fly Southwest Airlines, where bags fly free.
Really how can we the people all this to happen... worse yet where do folks like her get off with doing this... come on people lets stand up and take our country back.
We made a good start last year but the real fight will be 2012 as the Unions, welfare, illegals, government workers and all the other holding their hands out will be fighting to keep the Liberals in power. You and I have to take a stand to turn this country around. Are you ready...........?
Our Past Speaker
As a result of a Judicial Watch filing under the Freedom of Information Act, the USAF released documents detailing House Speaker Pelosi's use of United States Air Force aircraft between March 2009 and June 2010. The data are published in the Judicial Watch Verdict of December 2010, Volume 16, Issue 12.
Here are the main highlights revealed by the USAF. Keep in mind that all the data below relate to United States Air Force aircraft used by one woman over a sixteen month period.
Several of these flights included Ms Pelosi's guests such as grown children, grandchildren, various in-laws, friends, and hangers-on. Over 95% of the trips were between the west coast and Washington, DC or what we might call a commute between home and the office.
Total trips: 85 trips over a 68 week period or 1.25 average trips per week.
Total mileage: 206,264 miles or 2,427 average miles per trip
Total flying time: 428.6 hours or an average of 5 hrs per trip
Cost to the taxpayers: $2,100,744.59 or $27,715.00 per trip or $1,285,162.00 per year
Cost of inflight food and alcohol: $101,429.14 or $1,193.00 per trip or $62,051.00 per year.
On one junket to Baghdad, according to the Air Force report, she had the aircraft bar stocked with Johnny Walker Red Scotch, Grey Goose Vodka, E&J Brandy, Bailey's Irish Creme, Maker's Mark whiskey, Courvoisier Cognac, Bacardi Rum, Jim Beam Whiskey, Beefeater Gin, Dewars Scotch, Bombay Sapphire Gin, Jack Daniels Whiskey, Corona Beer and several varieties of wine. This was obviously a very important "gubment bidness" trip.
Evidence generally speaks for itself, and in Ms. Pelosi's case it speaks the language of abuse and (evidently) a serious familial drinking problem, for in a single year she and her spawn drank an amount in excess of the net income of the average employed American! When she said, "... if the stimulus doesn't pass, five hundred million people might lose their jobs...", I thought she was unintentionally revealing her ignorance. I'm now more inclined to think she was pickled.
Even though she can no longer abuse the USAF, she can either fly on her broom, or fly Southwest Airlines, where bags fly free.
What Life Has In Store - No One Knows So Be Ready
Cheyenne - Story by Catherine Moore
"Watch out! You nearly broadsided that car!" My father yelled at me. "Can't you do anything right?"
Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.
"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving."
My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.
Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts.... dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him?
Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon . He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.
The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.
Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing.
At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.
My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.
Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick We began to bicker and argue.
Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind.
But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.
The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered in vain.
Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article..."
I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.
I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me.
I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed.
Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hip bones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.
I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.
As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror.. "You mean you're going to kill him?"
"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy.. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."
I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch. "Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.
Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.
Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!"
Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw...
Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.
It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne . Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyennelying quietly at his feet.
Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad 's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feelCheyenne 's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.
Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.
The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life.
And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."
"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.
For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article... Cheyenne 's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter... his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father.... and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.
Life is too short for drama or petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly. Live while you are alive.. Forgive now those who made you cry.
"Watch out! You nearly broadsided that car!" My father yelled at me. "Can't you do anything right?"
Those words hurt worse than blows. I turned my head toward the elderly man in the seat beside me, daring me to challenge him. A lump rose in my throat as I averted my eyes. I wasn't prepared for another battle.
"I saw the car, Dad. Please don't yell at me when I'm driving."
My voice was measured and steady, sounding far calmer than I really felt.
Dad glared at me, then turned away and settled back. At home I left Dad in front of the television and went outside to collect my thoughts.... dark, heavy clouds hung in the air with a promise of rain. The rumble of distant thunder seemed to echo my inner turmoil. What could I do about him?
Dad had been a lumberjack in Washington and Oregon . He had enjoyed being outdoors and had reveled in pitting his strength against the forces of nature. He had entered grueling lumberjack competitions, and had placed often. The shelves in his house were filled with trophies that attested to his prowess.
The years marched on relentlessly. The first time he couldn't lift a heavy log, he joked about it; but later that same day I saw him outside alone, straining to lift it. He became irritable whenever anyone teased him about his advancing age, or when he couldn't do something he had done as a younger man.
Four days after his sixty-seventh birthday, he had a heart attack. An ambulance sped him to the hospital while a paramedic administered CPR to keep blood and oxygen flowing.
At the hospital, Dad was rushed into an operating room. He was lucky; he survived But something inside Dad died. His zest for life was gone. He obstinately refused to follow doctor's orders. Suggestions and offers of help were turned aside with sarcasm and insults. The number of visitors thinned, then finally stopped altogether. Dad was left alone.
My husband, Dick, and I asked Dad to come live with us on our small farm. We hoped the fresh air and rustic atmosphere would help him adjust.
Within a week after he moved in, I regretted the invitation. It seemed nothing was satisfactory. He criticized everything I did. I became frustrated and moody. Soon I was taking my pent-up anger out on Dick We began to bicker and argue.
Alarmed, Dick sought out our pastor and explained the situation. The clergyman set up weekly counseling appointments for us. At the close of each session he prayed, asking God to soothe Dad's troubled mind.
But the months wore on and God was silent. Something had to be done and it was up to me to do it.
The next day I sat down with the phone book and methodically called each of the mental health clinics listed in the Yellow Pages. I explained my problem to each of the sympathetic voices that answered in vain.
Just when I was giving up hope, one of the voices suddenly exclaimed, "I just read something that might help you! Let me go get the article..."
I listened as she read. The article described a remarkable study done at a nursing home. All of the patients were under treatment for chronic depression. Yet their attitudes had improved dramatically when they were given responsibility for a dog.
I drove to the animal shelter that afternoon. After I filled out a questionnaire, a uniformed officer led me to the kennels. The odor of disinfectant stung my nostrils as I moved down the row of pens. Each contained five to seven dogs Long-haired dogs, curly-haired dogs, black dogs, spotted dogs all jumped up, trying to reach me.
I studied each one but rejected one after the other for various reasons: too big, too small, too much hair. As I neared the last pen a dog in the shadows of the far corner struggled to his feet, walked to the front of the run and sat down. It was a pointer, one of the dog world's aristocrats. But this was a caricature of the breed.
Years had etched his face and muzzle with shades of gray. His hip bones jutted out in lopsided triangles. But it was his eyes that caught and held my attention. Calm and clear, they beheld me unwaveringly.
I pointed to the dog. "Can you tell me about him?" The officer looked, then shook his head in puzzlement. "He's a funny one. Appeared out of nowhere and sat in front of the gate We brought him in, figuring someone would be right down to claim him. That was two weeks ago and we've heard nothing. His time is up tomorrow." He gestured helplessly.
As the words sank in I turned to the man in horror.. "You mean you're going to kill him?"
"Ma'am," he said gently, "that's our policy.. We don't have room for every unclaimed dog."
I looked at the pointer again. The calm brown eyes awaited my decision. "I'll take him," I said. I drove home with the dog on the front seat beside me. When I reached the house I honked the horn twice. I was helping my prize out of the car when Dad shuffled onto the front porch. "Ta-da! Look what I got for you, Dad!" I said excitedly.
Dad looked, then wrinkled his face in disgust. "If I had wanted a dog I would have gotten one. And I would have picked out a better specimen than that bag of bones. Keep it! I don't want it" Dad waved his arm scornfully and turned back toward the house.
Anger rose inside me. It squeezed together my throat muscles and pounded into my temples. "You'd better get used to him, Dad. He's staying!"
Dad ignored me. "Did you hear me, Dad?" I screamed. At those words Dad whirled angrily, his hands clenched at his sides, his eyes narrowed and blazing with hate. We stood glaring at each other like duelists, when suddenly the pointer pulled free from my grasp. He wobbled toward my dad and sat down in front of him. Then slowly, carefully, he raised his paw...
Dad's lower jaw trembled as he stared at the uplifted paw. Confusion replaced the anger in his eyes. The pointer waited patiently. Then Dad was on his knees hugging the animal.
It was the beginning of a warm and intimate friendship. Dad named the pointer Cheyenne . Together he and Cheyenne explored the community. They spent long hours walking down dusty lanes. They spent reflective moments on the banks of streams, angling for tasty trout. They even started to attend Sunday services together, Dad sitting in a pew and Cheyennelying quietly at his feet.
Dad and Cheyenne were inseparable throughout the next three years. Dad 's bitterness faded, and he and Cheyenne made many friends. Then late one night I was startled to feelCheyenne 's cold nose burrowing through our bed covers. He had never before come into our bedroom at night. I woke Dick, put on my robe and ran into my father's room. Dad lay in his bed, his face serene. But his spirit had left quietly sometime during the night.
Two days later my shock and grief deepened when I discovered Cheyenne lying dead beside Dad's bed. I wrapped his still form in the rag rug he had slept on. As Dick and I buried him near a favorite fishing hole, I silently thanked the dog for the help he had given me in restoring Dad's peace of mind.
The morning of Dad's funeral dawned overcast and dreary. This day looks like the way I feel, I thought, as I walked down the aisle to the pews reserved for family. I was surprised to see the many friends Dad and Cheyenne had made filling the church. The pastor began his eulogy. It was a tribute to both Dad and the dog who had changed his life.
And then the pastor turned to Hebrews 13:2. "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it."
"I've often thanked God for sending that angel," he said.
For me, the past dropped into place, completing a puzzle that I had not seen before: the sympathetic voice that had just read the right article... Cheyenne 's unexpected appearance at the animal shelter... his calm acceptance and complete devotion to my father.... and the proximity of their deaths. And suddenly I understood. I knew that God had answered my prayers after all.
Life is too short for drama or petty things, so laugh hard, love truly and forgive quickly. Live while you are alive.. Forgive now those who made you cry.
The Operative Word Is CUT Yes CUT
FOREIGN Aid to African nations and four other small donations of YOUR MONEY. NOTE that KENYA is BY FAR the largest recipient of this money. I wonder WHY THAT IS the case? Expressed amounts are in millions. Our FOREIGN AID EXPENDITURES are about 60 BILLION annually. Do not let politicians tell you that is just a drop in the bucket. If politicians have that attitude, I suggest those moneys be spent right here in this country for health care, social security, school programs, anything but having it just being given away and then being spit on by those same countries.
Oh, yes you can do something about it, get on the phone, get on your computer, text, or even write a letter to you senators and congressfolk to express your disapproval. The ONLY thing elected officials is having their constituents turn on them for this means a ‘lost next election’.
If YOU do not do something, you can absolutely bet no one else will for too many might think just as you. YOUR opinion does matter.
My suggestion is cut this 25% a year for the next 4 years then hold it at that new level. We can not afford to borrow to send money to other nations we have needs at home. Charity begins at home. HJ
Ivory Coast — $138M
Democratic Republic of the
Congo — $213M
Ethiopia — $584M
Ghana — $175M
Kenya — $714M
Liberia — $219M
Malawi — $179M
Mali — $169M
Mozambique — $415M
Namibia — $103M
Nigeria — $648M
Rwanda — $241M
Senegal — $137M
South Africa — $586M
Sudan — $440M
Tanzania — $550M
Uganda — $480M
Zambia — $409M
Indonesia — $228M Whats this for, a communist country and muslim at that. Oh, I guess the latter explains it.
Philippines — $133M Why do we pay these folks a dime, they kicked our ass out and closed the largest U.S. Military Air Field in the area.
Vietnam — $123M Why are we giving this communist country any money?
Ukraine — $124M This money is being paid in order to allow the U.S. to use their bases in event of a conflict.
By the way the way, almost every country in the world does or has received foreign aid from the United States, and most still do in some fashion or another. Even in EUROPE over a billion a year is given away to many affluent nations.
Oh, yes you can do something about it, get on the phone, get on your computer, text, or even write a letter to you senators and congressfolk to express your disapproval. The ONLY thing elected officials is having their constituents turn on them for this means a ‘lost next election’.
If YOU do not do something, you can absolutely bet no one else will for too many might think just as you. YOUR opinion does matter.
My suggestion is cut this 25% a year for the next 4 years then hold it at that new level. We can not afford to borrow to send money to other nations we have needs at home. Charity begins at home. HJ
Ivory Coast — $138M
Democratic Republic of the
Congo — $213M
Ethiopia — $584M
Ghana — $175M
Kenya — $714M
Liberia — $219M
Malawi — $179M
Mali — $169M
Mozambique — $415M
Namibia — $103M
Nigeria — $648M
Rwanda — $241M
Senegal — $137M
South Africa — $586M
Sudan — $440M
Tanzania — $550M
Uganda — $480M
Zambia — $409M
Indonesia — $228M Whats this for, a communist country and muslim at that. Oh, I guess the latter explains it.
Philippines — $133M Why do we pay these folks a dime, they kicked our ass out and closed the largest U.S. Military Air Field in the area.
Vietnam — $123M Why are we giving this communist country any money?
Ukraine — $124M This money is being paid in order to allow the U.S. to use their bases in event of a conflict.
By the way the way, almost every country in the world does or has received foreign aid from the United States, and most still do in some fashion or another. Even in EUROPE over a billion a year is given away to many affluent nations.
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Your State's Preamble
Do you know your State's Preamble?
Be sure to read the message in red at the very bottom!
Alabama 1901, Preamble
We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..
Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...
Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe...
Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences.
Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...
Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the St ate of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble.. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..
Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity .. And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction
Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.
Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution...
Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution .
Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..
New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carol ina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carol ina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...
North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance.....
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing....
South Carolina , 1778, Preamble We, the people of he State of South Carol ina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties .
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...
Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ..
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other
Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ..
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility....
Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming , grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...
After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong! If you found this to be 'Food for thought' send to as many as you think will be enlightened as I hope you were.
(Please note that at no time is anyone told that they MUST worship God.)
GOD BLESS AMERICA !
"A prayer without Jesus' name is like a letter without a stamp - it ain't going anywhere!"
OF THE 50 STATES ONLY 10 DO NOT REFERENCE GOD BY NAME THEY DO REFER TO A SUPREME RULER ETC BUT OF THE 50 40 CALL ON HIM BY HIS GODLY NAME
Be sure to read the message in red at the very bottom!
Alabama 1901, Preamble
We the people of the State of Alabama , invoking the favor and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish the following Constitution..
Alaska 1956, Preamble We, the people of Alaska , grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land.
Arizona 1911, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arizona , grateful to Almighty God for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution...
Arkansas 1874, Preamble We, the people of the State of Arkansas , grateful to Almighty God for the privilege of choosing our own form of government...
California 1879, Preamble We, the People of the State of California , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom...
Colorado 1876, Preamble We, the people of Colorado , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of Universe...
Connecticut 1818, Preamble. The People of Connecticut, acknowledging with gratitude the good Providence of God in permitting them to enjoy.
Delaware 1897, Preamble Through Divine Goodness all men have, by nature, the rights of worshipping and serving their Creator according to the dictates of their consciences.
Florida 1885, Preamble We, the people of the State of Florida , grateful to Almighty God for our constitutional liberty, establish this Constitution...
Georgia 1777, Preamble We, the people of Georgia , relying upon protection and guidance of Almighty God, do ordain and establish this Constitution...
Hawaii 1959, Preamble We , the people of Hawaii , Grateful for Divine Guidance ... Establish this Constitution.
Idaho 1889, Preamble We, the people of the State of Idaho , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings.
Illinois 1870, Preamble We, the people of the State of Illinois, grateful to Almighty God for the civil , political and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
Indiana 1851, Preamble We, the People of the State of Indiana , grateful to Almighty God for the free exercise of the right to choose our form of government.
Iowa 1857, Preamble We, the People of the St ate of Iowa , grateful to the Supreme Being for the blessings hitherto enjoyed, and feeling our dependence on Him for a continuation of these blessings, establish this Constitution.
Kansas 1859, Preamble We, the people of Kansas , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious privileges establish this Constitution.
Kentucky 1891, Preamble.. We, the people of the Commonwealth are grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties..
Louisiana 1921, Preamble We, the people of the State of Louisiana , grateful to Almighty God for the civil, political and religious liberties we enjoy.
Maine 1820, Preamble We the People of Maine acknowledging with grateful hearts the goodness of the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe in affording us an opportunity .. And imploring His aid and direction.
Maryland 1776, Preamble We, the people of the state of Maryland , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberty...
Massachusetts 1780, Preamble We...the people of Massachusetts, acknowledging with grateful hearts, the goodness of the Great Legislator of the Universe In the course of His Providence, an opportunity and devoutly imploring His direction
Michigan 1908, Preamble. We, the people of the State of Michigan , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of freedom, establish this Constitution.
Minnesota, 1857, Preamble We, the people of the State of Minnesota, grateful to God for our civil and religious liberty, and desiring to perpetuate its blessings:
Mississippi 1890, Preamble We, the people of Mississippi in convention assembled, grateful to Almighty God, and invoking His blessing on our work.
Missouri 1845, Preamble We, the people of Missouri , with profound reverence for the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and grateful for His goodness . Establish this Constitution...
Montana 1889, Preamble. We, the people of Montana , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty establish this Constitution .
Nebraska 1875, Preamble We, the people, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom . Establish this Constitution.
Nevada 1864, Preamble We the people of the State of Nevada , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, establish this Constitution...
New Hampshire 1792, Part I. Art. I. Sec. V Every individual has a natural and unalienable right to worship God according to the dictates of his own conscience.
New Jersey 1844, Preamble We, the people of the State of New Jersey, grateful to Almighty God for civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing on our endeavors.
New Mexico 1911, Preamble We, the People of New Mexico, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of liberty..
New York 1846, Preamble We, the people of the State of New York , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, in order to secure its blessings.
North Carol ina 1868, Preamble We the people of the State of North Carol ina, grateful to Almighty God, the Sovereign Ruler of Nations, for our civil, political, and religious liberties, and acknowledging our dependence upon Him for the continuance of those...
North Dakota 1889, Preamble We , the people of North Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, do ordain...
Ohio 1852, Preamble We the people of the state of Ohio , grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, to secure its blessings and to promote our common.
Oklahoma 1907, Preamble Invoking the guidance of Almighty God, in order to secure and perpetuate the blessings of liberty, establish this
Oregon 1857, Bill of Rights, Article I Section 2. All men shall be secure in the Natural right, to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their consciences
Pennsylvania 1776, Preamble We, the people of Pennsylvania, grateful to Almighty God for the blessings of civil and religious liberty, and humbly invoking His guidance.....
Rhode Island 1842, Preamble. We the People of the State of Rhode Island grateful to Almighty God for the civil and religious liberty which He hath so long permitted us to enjoy, and looking to Him for a blessing....
South Carolina , 1778, Preamble We, the people of he State of South Carol ina grateful to God for our liberties, do ordain and establish this Constitution.
South Dakota 1889, Preamble We, the people of South Dakota , grateful to Almighty God for our civil and religious liberties .
Tennessee 1796, Art. XI..III. That all men have a natural and indefeasible right to worship Almighty God according to the dictates of their conscience...
Texas 1845, Preamble We the People of the Republic of Texas , acknowledging, with gratitude, the grace and beneficence of God.
Utah 1896, Preamble Grateful to Almighty God for life and liberty, we establish this Constitution.
Vermont 1777, Preamble Whereas all government ought to enable the individuals who compose it to enjoy their natural rights, and other blessings which the Author of Existence has bestowed on man ..
Virginia 1776, Bill of Rights, XVI Religion, or the Duty which we owe our Creator can be directed only by Reason and that it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian Forbearance, Love and Charity towards each other
Washington 1889, Preamble We the People of the State of Washington, grateful to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe for our liberties, do ordain this Constitution
West Virginia 1872, Preamble Since through Divine Providence we enjoy the blessings of civil, political and religious liberty, we, the people of West Virginia reaffirm our faith in and constant reliance upon God ..
Wisconsin 1848, Preamble We, the people of Wisconsin, grateful to Almighty God for our freedom, domestic tranquility....
Wyoming 1890, Preamble We, the people of the State of Wyoming , grateful to God for our civil, political, and religious liberties, establish this Constitution...
After reviewing acknowledgments of God from all 50 state constitutions, one is faced with the prospect that maybe, the ACLU and the out-of-control federal courts are wrong! If you found this to be 'Food for thought' send to as many as you think will be enlightened as I hope you were.
(Please note that at no time is anyone told that they MUST worship God.)
GOD BLESS AMERICA !
"A prayer without Jesus' name is like a letter without a stamp - it ain't going anywhere!"
OF THE 50 STATES ONLY 10 DO NOT REFERENCE GOD BY NAME THEY DO REFER TO A SUPREME RULER ETC BUT OF THE 50 40 CALL ON HIM BY HIS GODLY NAME
YOU SCARE ME AND A LOT OF AMERICANS WHO CARE ABOUT OUR COUNTRY
Chilling Letter from Proctor & Gamble to Obama
Who would have thought, and yet many are thinking it.
By Lou Pritchett, Procter & Gamble
A LETTER FROM A PROCTER & GAMBLE EXECUTIVE TO THE PRESIDENT*
THE LAST SENTENCE IS THE MOST CHILLING
Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America 's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to
be known as "partnering."
Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter & Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.
You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly
capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from
challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe you are both
omnipotent and omniscient.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the
Limbaugh's, Hannitys, O'Reillys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.
Lou Pritchett
*
*
This letter was sent to the NY Times but they never acknowledged it.
Big surprise. Since it hit the Internet, however, it has had over 500,000 hits. Keep it going. All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.. It's happening right now.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/youscareme.asp
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/pritchett-obama-youscareme.htm
Who would have thought, and yet many are thinking it.
By Lou Pritchett, Procter & Gamble
A LETTER FROM A PROCTER & GAMBLE EXECUTIVE TO THE PRESIDENT*
THE LAST SENTENCE IS THE MOST CHILLING
Lou Pritchett is one of corporate America 's true living legends- an acclaimed author, dynamic teacher and one of the world's highest rated speakers. Successful corporate executives everywhere recognize him as the foremost leader in change management. Lou changed the way America does business by creating an audacious concept that came to
be known as "partnering."
Pritchett rose from soap salesman to Vice-President, Sales and Customer Development for Procter & Gamble and over the course of 36 years, made corporate history.
AN OPEN LETTER TO PRESIDENT OBAMA
Dear President Obama:
You are the thirteenth President under whom I have lived and unlike any of the others, you truly scare me.
You scare me because after months of exposure, I know nothing about you.
You scare me because I do not know how you paid for your expensive Ivy League education and your upscale lifestyle and housing with no visible signs of support.
You scare me because you did not spend the formative years of youth growing up in America and culturally you are not an American.
You scare me because you have never run a company or met a payroll.
You scare me because you have never had military experience, thus don't understand it at its core.
You scare me because you lack humility and 'class', always blaming others.
You scare me because for over half your life you have aligned yourself with radical extremists who hate America and you refuse to publicly denounce these radicals who wish to see America fail.
You scare me because you are a cheerleader for the 'blame America ' crowd and deliver this message abroad.
You scare me because you want to change America to a European style country where the government sector dominates instead of the private sector.
You scare me because you want to replace our health care system with a government controlled one.
You scare me because you prefer 'wind mills' to responsibly
capitalizing on our own vast oil, coal and shale reserves.
You scare me because you want to kill the American capitalist goose that lays the golden egg which provides the highest standard of living in the world.
You scare me because you have begun to use 'extortion' tactics against certain banks and corporations.
You scare me because your own political party shrinks from
challenging you on your wild and irresponsible spending proposals.
You scare me because you will not openly listen to or even consider opposing points of view from intelligent people.
You scare me because you falsely believe you are both
omnipotent and omniscient.
You scare me because the media gives you a free pass on everything you do.
You scare me because you demonize and want to silence the
Limbaugh's, Hannitys, O'Reillys and Becks who offer opposing, conservative points of view.
You scare me because you prefer controlling over governing.
Finally, you scare me because if you serve a second term I will probably not feel safe in writing a similar letter in 8 years.
Lou Pritchett
*
*
This letter was sent to the NY Times but they never acknowledged it.
Big surprise. Since it hit the Internet, however, it has had over 500,000 hits. Keep it going. All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.. It's happening right now.
http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/youscareme.asp
http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/p/pritchett-obama-youscareme.htm
This guy is a real embarassment to us all..
WHY NO PRESIDENTIAL SALUTE BY OBAMA AT MEDAL OF HONOR CEREMONY?
This guy is a real embarassment to us all..!
By REES LLOYD
A moment of national pride took place recently in the White House when an American soldier, Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, received the Medal of Honor for bravery above and beyond the call of duty in combat in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Giunta became the first living American soldier to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. He is now one of only eighty-eight (88) living holders of the Medal of Honor.
As modest and self-effacing as he is brave, Sgt. Giunta brought further honor to himself by his humility in receiving the nation’s highest medal of valor. While he made no comment in the ceremony, Giunta said before the ceremony that he was “not at peace” with being “singled out” for the honor as so many other soldiers did so much. And after the ceremony, he said he would trade the honor in a moment if he could bring back those whose lives he attempted to save under enemy fire but was unable to save. He definitely showed that he was an American in whom America could be proud.
In contrast, there was another “first” at the ceremony involving the Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Hussein Obama, in whose conduct the nation cannot and should not take pride: As far as is known, Obama became the first President, the first Commander-in-Chief , not to salute the living recipient of the Medal of Honor after presenting the medal.
It is a tradition in the military for all military personnel, no matter how high their rank, including the Commander-in-Chief, to salute a holder of the Medal of Honor no matter how lowly his or her rank. If General David Petraeus was to encounter Sgt. Giunta, it would be the General who would salute the enlisted man, as a sign of respect for that soldier’s extraordinary bravery, but also to show respect to all those who have received the Medal of Honor.
At all gatherings of veterans of the American Legion, or VFW, or other veterans organizations, if a Medal of Honor recipient enters the room, even a National Convention involving thousands, the proceedings stop to render military honor to that holder of the Medal of Honor. All veterans rise, come to attention, and salute. It is a matter of pride, of respect, of tradition.
And, as far as is known, it is tradition that every President who has had the honor to present the Medal of Honor to a living recipient, has shown humility, respect, and national pride in that recipient by stepping back and rendering a salute.
It was missing in action in the Obama presentation. He is apparently above all that; “like a God,” as an editor of Newsweek once wrote.
Instead of rendering the traditional salute, after fumbling as if all-thumbs in trying to affix the blue-ribboned Medal of Honor, Obama, equally awkwardly, tried to “hug” the Sergeant. Yes, a “hug” for the soldier who remained at attention with eyes front in military bearing..
But a “hug” is not a “salute,” even in the Age of Obama. While there may be some comedic value in Obama’s pathetic display, it was more emetic than comedic. I didn’t write about it at the time, so as not to distract from Sgt. Giunta’s receipt of the Medal of Honor. But days have passed, and it needs to be said.
Why? Is it naught but petty carping of poor President Obama? I think not. He is the “Commander-in-Chief” who has in his power the lives of those who serve in defense of the country, which he himself did not deign to do. It is pointing out this man, this professional politician, repeatedly evidences contempt for America, for America’s traditions, and for Americans who respect those traditions.
It is as if he loathes the nation he was so desperate to lead, and be loved by, Messiah-like. It is of a piece with his constant misquoting of the Declaration of Independence by leaving out the words “endowed by their Creator” when speaking of “unalienable rights.”
Perhaps more aptly: It is of a pathetic piece with Obama’s penchant for declining to abide by the U.S. Flag Code when the Flag passes to place his hand over his heart. Instead, he drapes his arms down and enfolds his hands at his crotch Michael Jackson-style. It is now mocked as Obama’s “crotch salute.” But it isn’t funny. It is contempt by Obama for the Flag, for America.
Perhaps it is unfair to criticize this President of the United States for displaying such contempt for American traditions. Perhaps it is too much to expect an American President to salute a recipient of the military Medal of Honor when that president never served in the uniform of his country; has said that the Rules For Radicals of the America-hating socialist revolutionist Saul Alinsky are “seared into my [his] brain;” who launched his political career in Chicago from the living room of the revolutionist Weather Underground rich-brat-bombers Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn; and who sat for twenty years in a pew of the church of Rev. “God D...n America” Wright, being marinated in hate-filled, grievance-filled, self-defined “anti-white” and “revolutionary” Black Liberation Theology .
Then again, perhaps it is not too much to expect anyone who would be America’s president to at least respect American traditions, including honoring the Flag, and saluting those who receive the Medal of Honor.
(Rees Lloyd, longtime civil rights attorney and American Legionnaire, is the director of the Defense of Veterans Memorials Project of the American Legion Department of California and the Alliance Defense Fund.)
This guy is a real embarassment to us all..!
By REES LLOYD
A moment of national pride took place recently in the White House when an American soldier, Staff Sgt. Salvatore Giunta, received the Medal of Honor for bravery above and beyond the call of duty in combat in Afghanistan.
Sgt. Giunta became the first living American soldier to receive the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War. He is now one of only eighty-eight (88) living holders of the Medal of Honor.
As modest and self-effacing as he is brave, Sgt. Giunta brought further honor to himself by his humility in receiving the nation’s highest medal of valor. While he made no comment in the ceremony, Giunta said before the ceremony that he was “not at peace” with being “singled out” for the honor as so many other soldiers did so much. And after the ceremony, he said he would trade the honor in a moment if he could bring back those whose lives he attempted to save under enemy fire but was unable to save. He definitely showed that he was an American in whom America could be proud.
In contrast, there was another “first” at the ceremony involving the Commander-in-Chief, President Barack Hussein Obama, in whose conduct the nation cannot and should not take pride: As far as is known, Obama became the first President, the first Commander-in-Chief , not to salute the living recipient of the Medal of Honor after presenting the medal.
It is a tradition in the military for all military personnel, no matter how high their rank, including the Commander-in-Chief, to salute a holder of the Medal of Honor no matter how lowly his or her rank. If General David Petraeus was to encounter Sgt. Giunta, it would be the General who would salute the enlisted man, as a sign of respect for that soldier’s extraordinary bravery, but also to show respect to all those who have received the Medal of Honor.
At all gatherings of veterans of the American Legion, or VFW, or other veterans organizations, if a Medal of Honor recipient enters the room, even a National Convention involving thousands, the proceedings stop to render military honor to that holder of the Medal of Honor. All veterans rise, come to attention, and salute. It is a matter of pride, of respect, of tradition.
And, as far as is known, it is tradition that every President who has had the honor to present the Medal of Honor to a living recipient, has shown humility, respect, and national pride in that recipient by stepping back and rendering a salute.
It was missing in action in the Obama presentation. He is apparently above all that; “like a God,” as an editor of Newsweek once wrote.
Instead of rendering the traditional salute, after fumbling as if all-thumbs in trying to affix the blue-ribboned Medal of Honor, Obama, equally awkwardly, tried to “hug” the Sergeant. Yes, a “hug” for the soldier who remained at attention with eyes front in military bearing..
But a “hug” is not a “salute,” even in the Age of Obama. While there may be some comedic value in Obama’s pathetic display, it was more emetic than comedic. I didn’t write about it at the time, so as not to distract from Sgt. Giunta’s receipt of the Medal of Honor. But days have passed, and it needs to be said.
Why? Is it naught but petty carping of poor President Obama? I think not. He is the “Commander-in-Chief” who has in his power the lives of those who serve in defense of the country, which he himself did not deign to do. It is pointing out this man, this professional politician, repeatedly evidences contempt for America, for America’s traditions, and for Americans who respect those traditions.
It is as if he loathes the nation he was so desperate to lead, and be loved by, Messiah-like. It is of a piece with his constant misquoting of the Declaration of Independence by leaving out the words “endowed by their Creator” when speaking of “unalienable rights.”
Perhaps more aptly: It is of a pathetic piece with Obama’s penchant for declining to abide by the U.S. Flag Code when the Flag passes to place his hand over his heart. Instead, he drapes his arms down and enfolds his hands at his crotch Michael Jackson-style. It is now mocked as Obama’s “crotch salute.” But it isn’t funny. It is contempt by Obama for the Flag, for America.
Perhaps it is unfair to criticize this President of the United States for displaying such contempt for American traditions. Perhaps it is too much to expect an American President to salute a recipient of the military Medal of Honor when that president never served in the uniform of his country; has said that the Rules For Radicals of the America-hating socialist revolutionist Saul Alinsky are “seared into my [his] brain;” who launched his political career in Chicago from the living room of the revolutionist Weather Underground rich-brat-bombers Bill Ayers and Bernadine Dohrn; and who sat for twenty years in a pew of the church of Rev. “God D...n America” Wright, being marinated in hate-filled, grievance-filled, self-defined “anti-white” and “revolutionary” Black Liberation Theology .
Then again, perhaps it is not too much to expect anyone who would be America’s president to at least respect American traditions, including honoring the Flag, and saluting those who receive the Medal of Honor.
(Rees Lloyd, longtime civil rights attorney and American Legionnaire, is the director of the Defense of Veterans Memorials Project of the American Legion Department of California and the Alliance Defense Fund.)
Well, here's "The Change". How do you like it?
Well, here's "The Change". How do you like it?
IT HAS ONLY BEEN 2 YEARS!
Two years ago January, Barack Obama was inaugurated as president of the United States . Are you better off today than you were two years ago? Numbers don't lie, and here are the data on the impact he has had on the lives of Americans:
January 2009 TODAY % chg Source
Avg. retail price/gallon gas in U.S. $1.83 $3.104 69.6% 1
Crude oil, European Brent (barrel) $43.48 $99.02 127.7% 2
Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel) $38.74 $91.38 135.9% 2
Gold: London (per troy oz.) $853.25 $1,369.50 60.5% 2
Corn, No.2 yellow, Central IL $3.56 $6.33 78.1% 2
Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL $9.66 $13.75 42.3% 2
Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb. fob $13.37 $35.39 164.7% 2
Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall 7.6% 9.4% 23.7% 3
Unemployment rate, blacks 12.6% 15.8% 25.4% 3
Number of unemployed 11,616,000 14,485,000 24.7% 3
Number of fed.employees ex.milit 2,779,000 2,840,000 2.2% 3
Real median income (2008 v 2009) $50,112 $49,777 -0.7% 4
Number of food stamp recipients 31,983,716 43,200,878 35.1% 5
Number of unemployment on assist 7,526,598 9,193,838 22.2% 6
Number of long-term unemployed 2,600,000 6,400,000 146.2% 3
Poverty rate, individuals (2008 v 2009) 13.2% 14.3% 8.3% 4
People in poverty in U.S. (2008 v 2009) 39,800,000 43,600,000 9.5% 4
U.S. rank in World Eco Rankings 5 9 n/a 10 Present Situation Index (curr = 12/10) 29.9 23.5 -21.4% 11
Failed banks (curr = 2010 + 2011 to date) 140 164 17.1% 12
U.S. dollar versus Jap yen exc rate 89.76 82.03 -8.6% 2
U.S. money supply, M1, in billions 1,575.1 1,865.7 18.4% 13
U.S. money supply, M2, in billions 8,310.9 8,852.3 6.5% 13
National debt, in trillions $10.627 $14.052 32.2% 14
Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history. Over 27 times as fast! Metaphorically, speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane 27 times faster . . . it would be doing 1,755 MPH! This is a disaster!
Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC; (13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury
IT HAS ONLY BEEN 2 YEARS!
Two years ago January, Barack Obama was inaugurated as president of the United States . Are you better off today than you were two years ago? Numbers don't lie, and here are the data on the impact he has had on the lives of Americans:
January 2009 TODAY % chg Source
Avg. retail price/gallon gas in U.S. $1.83 $3.104 69.6% 1
Crude oil, European Brent (barrel) $43.48 $99.02 127.7% 2
Crude oil, West TX Inter. (barrel) $38.74 $91.38 135.9% 2
Gold: London (per troy oz.) $853.25 $1,369.50 60.5% 2
Corn, No.2 yellow, Central IL $3.56 $6.33 78.1% 2
Soybeans, No. 1 yellow, IL $9.66 $13.75 42.3% 2
Sugar, cane, raw, world, lb. fob $13.37 $35.39 164.7% 2
Unemployment rate, non-farm, overall 7.6% 9.4% 23.7% 3
Unemployment rate, blacks 12.6% 15.8% 25.4% 3
Number of unemployed 11,616,000 14,485,000 24.7% 3
Number of fed.employees ex.milit 2,779,000 2,840,000 2.2% 3
Real median income (2008 v 2009) $50,112 $49,777 -0.7% 4
Number of food stamp recipients 31,983,716 43,200,878 35.1% 5
Number of unemployment on assist 7,526,598 9,193,838 22.2% 6
Number of long-term unemployed 2,600,000 6,400,000 146.2% 3
Poverty rate, individuals (2008 v 2009) 13.2% 14.3% 8.3% 4
People in poverty in U.S. (2008 v 2009) 39,800,000 43,600,000 9.5% 4
U.S. rank in World Eco Rankings 5 9 n/a 10 Present Situation Index (curr = 12/10) 29.9 23.5 -21.4% 11
Failed banks (curr = 2010 + 2011 to date) 140 164 17.1% 12
U.S. dollar versus Jap yen exc rate 89.76 82.03 -8.6% 2
U.S. money supply, M1, in billions 1,575.1 1,865.7 18.4% 13
U.S. money supply, M2, in billions 8,310.9 8,852.3 6.5% 13
National debt, in trillions $10.627 $14.052 32.2% 14
Just take this last item: In the last two years we have accumulated national debt at a rate more than 27 times as fast as during the rest of our entire nation's history. Over 27 times as fast! Metaphorically, speaking, if you are driving in the right lane doing 65 MPH and a car rockets past you in the left lane 27 times faster . . . it would be doing 1,755 MPH! This is a disaster!
Sources:
(1) U.S. Energy Information Administration; (2) Wall Street Journal; (3) Bureau of Labor Statistics; (4) Census Bureau; (5) USDA; (6) U.S. Dept. of Labor; (7) FHFA; (8) Standard & Poor's/Case-Shiller; (9) RealtyTrac; (10) Heritage Foundation and WSJ; (11) The Conference Board; (12) FDIC; (13) Federal Reserve; (14) U.S. Treasury
On Federal Spending & Debt
On Federal Spending & Debt - By Family Research Council
Fiscal Irresponsibility: 28 Facts on Spending and Debt
“We cannot mortgage our children's future on a mountain of debt. It's time to put an end to the runaway spending and the record deficits - it's not how you would run your family budget, and it must not be how Washington handles your tax dollars.”
- Sen. Barack Obama, October 1, 2008
“Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. American has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.”
- Sen. Barack Obama, explaining his vote against raising the national debt limit, March 20, 2006 -
1) On March 18 the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) saw the President’s submitted Fiscal Year 2012 budget as causing $9.5 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. That is more debt than the federal government accumulated from 1789 to 2010 combined.
2) Under the President’s budget CBO estimates that the national debt held by the public—40 percent of GDP before the recession—would soar past 87 percent of GDP in a decade.
3) Senate Democrats opposed H.R. 1, the bill that was passed 235-189 by the House of Representatives, sought to only cut $61 billion from the current budget. All 56 Democrats in the Senate opposed the legislation despite $61 billion would only be 1.6 percent of the $3.8 trillion in federal spending this year.
4) As of March 16, 2011, the official debt of the United States government is $14.2 trillion ($14,232,849,993,955) which amounts to a $45,500 “birth tax” for every child born in America this year or $121,091 for every household.
5) Under President Obama: The debt started at $9.986 trillion and escalated to $14.2 trillion, a 38 percent increase over two years.
6) In 2006, Senator Harry Reid and then-Senator Barack Obama both voted against increasing the debt limit.
7) The last time the public debt decreased was in the mid-1950s.
8) The federal government is borrowing more than 42 cents on every dollar it spends.
9) All spending after July 27 of this year is borrowed spending.
10) The U.S. government's debt ceiling has been raised seven times since the beginning of 2006.
11) If you spent one dollar every second, you would have spent $1 million in twelve days. At that same rate, it would take you 32 years to spend $1 billion dollars. But it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend $1 TRILLION dollars.
12) A trillion $10 bills, if they were taped end to end, would wrap around the globe more than 380 times. That amount of money would still not be enough to pay off the U.S. national debt.
13) There are one million millions in a trillion
14) At his current annual salary of $42 million, basketball superstar LeBron James would need to work 23,809 years to earn $1 trillion.
15) One trillion is more stars than there are in the entire Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy contains approximately 400 billion stars, but some estimates vary by as much as 200 billion stars.
16) One million seconds will pass in the next 12 days. One billion seconds will take 32 years. One trillion seconds will pass in 31,688 years.
17) A trillion seconds ago, civilization didn’t exist. A billion minutes ago, Trajan was emperor in Rome. A million hours ago, it was 1895, and Grover Cleveland was President of the United States.
18) You could spend $10 million a day and it would still take you 273 years to spend $1 trillion.
19) How big is $14 TRILLION dollars? 14 trillion $1 bills, laid end to end, side to side, would pave every interstate, highway, and country road in America—twice.
20) Since 1946, spending has averaged 19.7 percent of the economy, and tax revenue has averaged 17.7 percent of the economy. While tax revenues are predicted to remain near historic levels of the economy, spending is projected to rise to more than 80 percent of the economy.
21) According to Stanford Economist John Taylor, simply to balance the budget in 2019 would require an immediate 60 percent tax increase across the board.
22) CATO estimates that if you add in the more than 100 government trust funds, revolving accounts and special accounts as well as public and intragovernmental debt and implicit debt (representing the unfunded obligations of programs such as Social Security and Medicare) the real national debt is $119.5 trillion, more than 900 percent of GDP.
23) Today, almost half (47 percent) of our public debt is owned by foreign sources, more than a 240 percent increase in the last 20 years alone. China owns more than any other nation - 29.2 percent of our debt.
24) With the interest we pay to China on our debt, China can afford to buy 3 new Joint Strike Fighters every week – with $50 million per week left over.
25) In just the last three years, the promises that Washington can’t afford to keep have grown by 80 percent, from 2008 to 2011.
26) Recently a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found nearly 10 percent of all Medicare payments are fraudulent or otherwise improper, and the government isn’t doing enough to stop them. The report estimates that the federal government is losing $48 billion on the improper payments.
27) The Government Accountability Office released a 345-page report combing the federal catalog of government programs to uncover what it said was evidence of waste and duplication that cost taxpayers, by Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-Okla.) estimates, over $100 billion each year.
28) Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow Veronique de Rugy, using data from the United States Department of the Treasury and the GAO to examine recently reported improper payments within the federal government. Since the implementation
Fiscal Irresponsibility: 28 Facts on Spending and Debt
“We cannot mortgage our children's future on a mountain of debt. It's time to put an end to the runaway spending and the record deficits - it's not how you would run your family budget, and it must not be how Washington handles your tax dollars.”
- Sen. Barack Obama, October 1, 2008
“Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here.’ Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. American has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.”
- Sen. Barack Obama, explaining his vote against raising the national debt limit, March 20, 2006 -
1) On March 18 the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) saw the President’s submitted Fiscal Year 2012 budget as causing $9.5 trillion in deficits over the next 10 years. That is more debt than the federal government accumulated from 1789 to 2010 combined.
2) Under the President’s budget CBO estimates that the national debt held by the public—40 percent of GDP before the recession—would soar past 87 percent of GDP in a decade.
3) Senate Democrats opposed H.R. 1, the bill that was passed 235-189 by the House of Representatives, sought to only cut $61 billion from the current budget. All 56 Democrats in the Senate opposed the legislation despite $61 billion would only be 1.6 percent of the $3.8 trillion in federal spending this year.
4) As of March 16, 2011, the official debt of the United States government is $14.2 trillion ($14,232,849,993,955) which amounts to a $45,500 “birth tax” for every child born in America this year or $121,091 for every household.
5) Under President Obama: The debt started at $9.986 trillion and escalated to $14.2 trillion, a 38 percent increase over two years.
6) In 2006, Senator Harry Reid and then-Senator Barack Obama both voted against increasing the debt limit.
7) The last time the public debt decreased was in the mid-1950s.
8) The federal government is borrowing more than 42 cents on every dollar it spends.
9) All spending after July 27 of this year is borrowed spending.
10) The U.S. government's debt ceiling has been raised seven times since the beginning of 2006.
11) If you spent one dollar every second, you would have spent $1 million in twelve days. At that same rate, it would take you 32 years to spend $1 billion dollars. But it would take you more than 31,000 years to spend $1 TRILLION dollars.
12) A trillion $10 bills, if they were taped end to end, would wrap around the globe more than 380 times. That amount of money would still not be enough to pay off the U.S. national debt.
13) There are one million millions in a trillion
14) At his current annual salary of $42 million, basketball superstar LeBron James would need to work 23,809 years to earn $1 trillion.
15) One trillion is more stars than there are in the entire Milky Way galaxy. The Milky Way galaxy contains approximately 400 billion stars, but some estimates vary by as much as 200 billion stars.
16) One million seconds will pass in the next 12 days. One billion seconds will take 32 years. One trillion seconds will pass in 31,688 years.
17) A trillion seconds ago, civilization didn’t exist. A billion minutes ago, Trajan was emperor in Rome. A million hours ago, it was 1895, and Grover Cleveland was President of the United States.
18) You could spend $10 million a day and it would still take you 273 years to spend $1 trillion.
19) How big is $14 TRILLION dollars? 14 trillion $1 bills, laid end to end, side to side, would pave every interstate, highway, and country road in America—twice.
20) Since 1946, spending has averaged 19.7 percent of the economy, and tax revenue has averaged 17.7 percent of the economy. While tax revenues are predicted to remain near historic levels of the economy, spending is projected to rise to more than 80 percent of the economy.
21) According to Stanford Economist John Taylor, simply to balance the budget in 2019 would require an immediate 60 percent tax increase across the board.
22) CATO estimates that if you add in the more than 100 government trust funds, revolving accounts and special accounts as well as public and intragovernmental debt and implicit debt (representing the unfunded obligations of programs such as Social Security and Medicare) the real national debt is $119.5 trillion, more than 900 percent of GDP.
23) Today, almost half (47 percent) of our public debt is owned by foreign sources, more than a 240 percent increase in the last 20 years alone. China owns more than any other nation - 29.2 percent of our debt.
24) With the interest we pay to China on our debt, China can afford to buy 3 new Joint Strike Fighters every week – with $50 million per week left over.
25) In just the last three years, the promises that Washington can’t afford to keep have grown by 80 percent, from 2008 to 2011.
26) Recently a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found nearly 10 percent of all Medicare payments are fraudulent or otherwise improper, and the government isn’t doing enough to stop them. The report estimates that the federal government is losing $48 billion on the improper payments.
27) The Government Accountability Office released a 345-page report combing the federal catalog of government programs to uncover what it said was evidence of waste and duplication that cost taxpayers, by Senator Tom Coburn’s (R-Okla.) estimates, over $100 billion each year.
28) Mercatus Center Senior Research Fellow Veronique de Rugy, using data from the United States Department of the Treasury and the GAO to examine recently reported improper payments within the federal government. Since the implementation
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