Living in the land of fruits and nuts

"Yes, folks, there is a monster on the loose. It is called socialism. It is evil incarnate. With the help of organizations like Education Minnesota, socialism has blinded our youth. Black is white and up is down. Now socialism, the form of government which as killed millions throughout history, is looked upon as superior to our constitutional republic." 

A few decades ago, when California seemed to have a monopoly on nuttiness, the Golden State was often referred to as the "land of fruits and nuts". It earned that title, and wore it proudly. I had often wondered how this very beautiful and productive state had allowed itself to run off the rails so completely. I did not realize back then, but I do now. Socialism. They were the first in the country to trade in our republic for more of a socialistic slant.

Just like an out of control virus, contagion has spread across our great country. Not all places - some are immune from this disease. Immune? How? By staying true to the country our Founders left us. By adhering to our wonderful founding documents. But other locations, like New York, New England, Illinois and (sadly), Minnesota have caught this dread disease. 

Watching what the Minnesota House is passing this session is like watching a smorgasbord of nonsense. But it is not nonsense, as with only a couple of weak-kneed Republicans in the Minnesota Senate, all this nonsense will be signed into law. Taxing Timmy already has his pen ready. Sky high gas taxes, higher license tabs, higher metro sales tax, red flag gun laws, and on and on and on. Soon, if we allow this bunch of misfits to remain in power, we will have totally ruined our government schools and allow fourth term abortions.

What scares me to death, and should also scare every other red blooded American, is socialism. We are within a whisker right now, of losing this great republic to socialism. Just listen to the Democrat candidates running for President. They sound like they are running for office in the former Soviet Union. If this country elects a socialist like Sanders, and have a complacent House and Senate, it will be game over.

History has shown the path from socialism to worse, is a quick slide down a slippery hill to communism. Next stop after communism is getting stuck with a brutal dictator under totalitarianism. In a matter of a few short years, America can go from the world's good guy, to a bad ass with no boundary.

When I see what is happening right now to our country, I am reminded of the Steppenwolf song from yesteryear:

America, where are you now?

Don't you care about your sons and daughters?

Don't you know we need you now,

We can't fight alone against this monster...

Yes, folks, there is a monster on the loose. It is called socialism. It is evil incarnate. With the help of organizations like Education Minnesota, socialism has blinded our youth. Black is white and up is down. Now socialism, the form of government which as killed millions throughout history, is looked upon as superior to our constitutional republic. 

We are in deep trouble right now. Our country, our state, is on the precipice of disaster. We need to fight this monster on the loose. To lose, is to lose everything.   

Wanna work at WalMart???

"There it is folks. WalMart is starting has joined this march to the future and will soon be followed by many more. Looking for a job at WalMart? Better have your skills updated. The future seems to have crept up on us overnight. Least wise, it seems that way."

The other day on the news, an employment expert was trying to prep the citizens (especially the ones looking for employment) what the job scene was going to look like in the future. Before you get too cozy and think he was talking about a future 30 years from now, I should tell you the future he was talking about starts in 2022 - about 2 1/2 years away. What he said was some information I had heard before, and then something with a new twist.

With as much good press as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) has received, this expert said not to put too much emphasis on it. Huh? Oh, he said STEM was important, but not the golden fleece it once might have been. He said the key to success will not only be your education pedigree, but also how much you can learn at your current job. In particular, how much you can learn at your current job about emerging technologies. Bottom line - staying nimble and flexible will be the key to a good future.

He went on to then say the obvious - something we have heard now for the past few years. Many of the jobs which will exist in the near future do not exist right now, and we need to be trained and able to fill them. Then he hit the real shocker. The next few years could as soon as 2022. Again - that is right around the corner.

Case in point. In the business section of Sunday's paper, was an article about WalMart. How it is changing right now. We know that some change is happening, as recently our WalMart has more self checkout lanes than manual checkout lanes. Anyhow, WalMart is going to dive head first in the AI pool. AI? Yes, AI will have many applications in our brave new world. WalMart will be using one just one of them. And it will eliminate some lower skill jobs at WalMart and replace them with more tech savvy ones.

WalMart wants to have a series of cameras in the ceiling of each store. These cameras will be tied in with the store's central data processor. The cameras will be scanning each of the products for sale, see how many have been sold, how fast they sell, and the AI will kick in. It will take over the ordering of more product when needed. AI will take JIT (Just In Time) supply chain management to a whole new level. Oh, and look for more automation in resupplying those shelves when needed. Translation = if you are looking for a lower skilled job to have at WalMart, good luck with that one.

This would not be a post from the Bird if it did not contain a wee bit of politics in it. One more time - Hello! Governor Walz? Are you awake sir? This brave new world of how we need to educate our young people is happening right now - on your watch. You have to get your head out of the past and embrace the future. Simply throwing money at a broken government school system which seems to only want to sexualize our kids, is not going to cut it. We need to reclama our education system, and NOW!

There it is folks. WalMart is starting has joined this march to the future and will soon be followed by many more. Looking for a job at WalMart? Better have your skills updated. The future seems to have crept up on us overnight. Least wise, it seems that way.

The Health and Human Services Debacle

"Hey Minnesota! You got the government you deserve. You voted for these misfits. You want the adults back in charge? Sorry. You will have to wait until 2022 for another shot at Governor."

Wow! Shiver me timbers, as Popeye would say! I thought our education funding was the biggest mess in town. Education is still the biggest (dollar wise), but this Health and Human Services Bill, which is now being "debated" in the heavily controlled DFL House, is a real hot mess. How hot? Red hot.

And how in the would did it get to this point? Malfeasance by the Democrats, and benign neglect by the Republicans (in years past). This year however, the Republicans have rediscovered their backbones, and are making a heroic stand against this 1,000+ page POS omnibus bill.

It has been proven over and over and over again, that programs within Health and Human Services (in particular the CCAP boondoggle), are ripe with fraud. The Republicans are finding out just how deep and wide this fraud fissure is. And it is shocking. Tons of hard earned tax dollars are being stolen, right under our noses. How is the DFL responding? One DFL law maker (I can't remember her name, but it does not matter, as they are all the same) said, "Oh come on. There is some degree of fraud in everything."

I like that line. Next year when I do my confiscatory state income taxes, I am going to claim two more dependents. If or when I get caught by the Minnesota tax collectors, I will use that line. "Oh come on! There is some degree of fraud in everything." But it will not work. The tax collectors will take my money as they need it to dump it into fraudulent programs like CCAP - where fraud is willingly tolerated. 

Some in the DFL have told the minions who believe in the garbage they spew, to eliminate fraud from this department could cost hundreds of millions of dollars. To that I respond in a full throated voice - RUBBISH! Hey Taxing Timmy - let me manage that department for a year. I will take care of the fraud, and the people who tolerate it. The careerists might think I would be heavy handed, but that is tough toenails. That is the kind of management we need right now. With the pansy management we have, the fraudsters are having a field day. And why not? Free money is free money.

Then this Hortman gal has the temerity to hide all this nonsense in a gargantuan bill which is the polar opposite of transparent. It is a mess, and an expensive one at that. It has the DFL label all over it - costs going up and fraud left un-addressed. Speaker Hortman should be fired on the spot for doing this! Oh, that is right. This is the government, where nobody gets fired. The entropy created is just tolerated and the dollars keep flowing down into the quagmire.

A real Governor would have agency heads in place who could and would fix this. Taxing Timmy does not have a clue on what to do - except hire cronies and then ask for more money to put into this sinkhole. And Speaker Hortman is a joke. How she got to be where she is deserves to be the 9th wonder of the world.

Hey Minnesota! You got the government you deserve. You voted for these misfits. You want the adults back in charge? Sorry. You will have to wait until 2022 for another shot at Governor. Last year for Governor, you passed up the best person in the state. Passed him up for a taxing carpetbagger from Nebraska. Why? You tell me.  

Why are conservatives death on taxes?

"Here is the deep, dark secret. Taxing Timmy knows we have enough money in this state. Huh? Then why in the Sam Hill is he asking for so much more? More is the operative word. There is never enough money in the eyes of the statists."

Shocking answer - they are not. Seriously. Conservatives are not idiots. They know it takes some money to keep the ship of state afloat. Then what is it? Why do they always seem like "Doctor No" all the time? Tighter than bark on a tree? Good grief, their counter to the Governor's 20 cent a gallon tax is zero. No meeting in the middle? No negotiation? What up?

In the last two Governor races, when Jeff Johnson was running for Governor on the Republican ticket, he knew this state was awash in money. Plenty of money to do plenty of things. The problem is that so much was misspent or misappropriated, it appeared to some like the state was broke. In fact, the first thing Jeff wanted to do when elected was to look at every single government program, no matter the size. He would look for redundancy, need, and efficiency. He knew he could find a king's ransom in misspent cash in just doing that alone.

What is my point in bringing this up? Democrats are very, very good at asking (or demanding) more money from the taxpayers. They are lousy at managing the money they have. They are not only inept, but also crooked. They love playing the "pea under the walnut" game. Moving money around where it is not suppose to be. Hiding, deceiving, lying. Why are they ALL like this? It is in their DNA.

Some experts think the money which is WASTED in our welfare programs through FRAUD, waste and abuse is 20%. Others think higher. That is a huge number. So while we cannot "afford" to allow senior citizens to not have their Social Security taxed (like most states don't), we pour money away like water on welfare. And DON'T get me started on the Somali issue! That is almost criminal on how much tax money we spend there!

Here is the deep, dark secret. Taxing Timmy knows we have enough money in this state. He really does. Huh? Then why in the Sam Hill is he asking for so much more? More is the operative word. There is never enough money in the eyes of the statists. They think your money is THEIR money. Everyone is worried this country is going to slide into socialism. Heck - this state is already there!

So just remember this when you watch the stork dance going on in St. Paul. BOTH SIDES know we have enough money. It is just the Republicans who are not liars. Democrats? They are slithering snakes in the grass. Dishonest brokers. Flat out liars. They should be, but are not, not never will be, ashamed.

How to get rid of those nasty guns!

"2020 will be one of the most, maybe the most important election in our history. And it will be until 2022 and 2024. Every two years, the socialists will take another run at us."

Many of us have seen this for years. Only now it has reached a crescendo. The nut balls who live on the Left, want to take your guns away. Why? The Second Amendment. In the eyes of many on the Left, this was a big "oops" that somehow made it into our Bill of Rights. Should have never been written the way it was. It should have only addressed that militia thing, and not the right for citizens to bear arms. So the goofballs on the Left, who will be running for President in 2020, are falling all over themselves on who will be the biggest gun grabber. 

Who has my vote right now for the plan to be the biggest gun grabber? Kamala Harris. She is a nut ball of the highest order. Before the gun issue, some history. She has had many family disputes with her parents every time she proclaims she is Afro-American or black. Her mother is from India, and her dad is from Jamaica. So they bristle at that. At best she should say her race is "mixed". And she is a social climber. She dated Willie Brown years ago (when Willie was old enough to be her father) to get some choice political positions.

Back to the gun grabbing. She recently announced that her plan for gun control was simple. She was going to give Congress 100 days to come up with comprehensive gun legislation, and if she did not like the product they produced, or if they did not come up with anything, she was going to do it herself.

By the way, that tearing sound you hear right now is our Constitution being shredded. Never mind Kamala, what you want to do is illegal under our system of government. But don't worry - our former "mixed" President, Barrack Obama, would do it all the time.

This gal is something else across the board. She recently revealed that when she was a DA in California, while she was throwing the book at poor folk for smoking an occasional joint, she enjoyed toking up herself. It gave her "joy". So NOW she is open to legalizing weed. What about all the folks she locked up for also trying to get some of that "joy"? Who cares. Tough toenails for them 

Folks, this is just one of the nut balls who wants to ruin our country and take you guns away once he or she becomes our next President. But, what about the candidates who are running who are more moderate? The new Democrat Party will get rid of them in short order. They don't fit anymore. And the "new order" (AOC types) which are trying to take control? They will get rid of guns because they have either never been taught history, or were taught faux (revisionist) history.

2020 will be one of the most, maybe the most important election in our history. And it will be until 2022 and 2024. Every two years, the socialists will take another run at us. Bottom line? Stay prepared, stay informed, and stay on the front line. I would like to say this will become easier, but I don't think it will be. 

"Onward Christian Soldiers..."

"One final thing. Just as described in Ephesians 6, 11-18, we need to put on the Armor of God. We are all going to need it. Evil will come in many forms, and we need to be prepared for it."

"Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus, going on before! Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe, Forward into battle, see His banner go." 

Remember this song from Sunday School? It was probably the only one we sang which I did remember. As a kid, I had no idea what it meant. When I got older, and read about Richard the Lionhearted, I thought it was about the Crusades. But then as an adult, I have come to realize it means so much more.

First and foremost, anyone who has read the Holy Bible knows how this story ends. But until that time, when Jesus returns as the Lion of Judah, evil will continue to wage war against the children of God. As Jesus predicted, there would be hatred and persecution against His followers, long after He ascended into Heaven. Yes, there would even be death. Sometimes by having Islamic Terrorists blow up innocent people for doing nothing more than worshiping their God on a Easter Morning. 

Back to the song. What does that really mean today, for us to become Christian soldiers? First off, we must be armed with the truth. Evil, always has a tranche of lies to deceive people with. Having the truth of the Word beats any lie that evil has - anytime, anyplace, any day. But the way I see it, there is more to this story.

The Christian Church has been a target all over the world. The Christian Church is the Bride of Christ. Jesus knew it would be of the highest importance to have a vibrant, in the Word, teaching and preaching church. We cannot stand by and watch these churches being desecrated and/or destroyed. We must stop this by using any means possible. The way I see it, having churches destroyed, is not a turn the other cheek issue. This is the battle of good against evil. This is where Christian soldiers must be just that. 

One final thing. Just as described in Ephesians 6, 11-18, we need to put on the Armor of God. We are all going to need it. Evil will come in many forms, and we need to be prepared for it. Remember - our Jewish brothers and sisters, Christians and the Christian Church are the main targets. Plus - this evil knows no bounds. 

"Onward Christian soldiers, marching as to war..." Gear up folks. What we saw in Sri Lanka might just the beginning of something terrible. We all need to be prepared, be strong, and be resolute. And most importantly, stay close to God the Father.

On the edge of darkness

"Folks, these are brutal people. Plain and simple. If you have not done so as yet, read up on the Armenian Genocide. Some call it the forgotten genocide as it was masked by World War I. But it was horrible beyond belief." 

Yesterday in church, we prayed for the victims of the Easter Morning bombings in Sri Lanka. I am sure many other congregations did also. The death count is now up to almost 300, with 500 still hurting - some critically. Not all the victims were nationals. Some were from other countries. Some were Americans. And now the State Department is pretty sure who the culprits were. Islamic Terrorists. Anyone shocked? I sure am not.

This is going to be an uncomfortable thing to say for some to hear. The Christian Church is under attack. Worldwide. By Islamic Terrorists. I remember hearing an expert on terrorism speak on Islamic Terror a few years ago. He said the good news is only 10% of the one billion Muslims are radicalized. The bad news is 10% of one billion is 100 million. That is a huge number. And many want to exterminate Christians - especially the Christian Church. It seems the "religion of peace" is not that at all. In fact, they are taking us to the edge of darkness.

What is the solution to this vexing problem? Keep turning the other cheek? Not hardly. They are trying to destroy the Christian Church, which is the Bride of Christ. Pat people down at the door? Check purses and backpacks? Metal detectors? Encourage carry permit holders to come armed to services? But here is the issue. The cowards behind the masks see the churches as the softest of targets. Low fruit on the tree for evil people practicing evil ways for an evil belief. I know what some of my patriot friends are saying. Enough is enough. Time for action.

Was Sri Lanka the end of the violence, the beginning of a more daring version, or just a continuum of what we have been seeing in Europe and Africa? If someone bombed a Mosque in the Twin Cities (even with no casualties), the lap dog media would be screaming about that for months. But with all the churches in Europe desecrated or burned? The pilgrims in Africa slaughtered? Crickets. In the eyes of the far left media, Christians are just getting what they deserve.

Folks, these are brutal people. Plain and simple. If you have not done so as yet, read up on the Armenian Genocide. Some call it the forgotten genocide, as it was masked by World War I. But it was horrible beyond belief. So what will it take to stop these people? A new Richard the Lionhearted? The return of Jesus? Or is it us. Just asking. Patience for this crap is running very thin right now. 

   

The future of our blue marble

"I like living on this blue marble. I like exploring different places, seeing different things. Most of us are like that. It is in our DNA to be explorers. And now we are ready to explore beyond our home planet. Exciting times await for our decedents."  

Blue marble? Yes, Earthlings - I am talking about Mother Earth. Gaia as some New Agers call her. And this is NOT about losing our precocious planet to man-made global warming, whatever that is. No, this is a story about where we have come from, and where we might be going in the next few (thousand) years. So hang on tight.

In 1903, mankind discovered it could "slip the surly bonds of Earth". In other words, the Wright Brothers took flight at Kitty Hawk. In that short period of time from 1903 to present, we have broken the sound barrier, landed on the Moon, and are now planning a mission to Mars. Not bad for a bit over a century.

When Edgar Mitchell was alive, he was on the lecture circuit quite a bit. Sometimes talking about the reality of ET's on other worlds, sometimes talking about the future of our world. I saw one interview when he was talking about the future of Earth, and we might not have a very long future at that. Meaning our sun is at its halfway point. In another two billion years or so, the sun, as well as all its planets will not be here. So we need to get going on finding another "Earth" we can move to.

That was almost amusing. I just pointed out how far we have come in a bit over a hundred years. How about the next hundred? I bet we will have bases on the Moon and Mars as well as exploring interstellar space. How about a thousand years after that? I can't even imagine. My thinking is by the time our sun gives out, and if we have not killed ourselves, mankind will be spread all over the galaxy - maybe further. 

I like living on this blue marble. I like exploring different places, seeing different things. Most of us are like that. It is in our DNA to be explorers. And now we are ready to explore beyond our home planet. Exciting times await for our decedents.  

Maundy Thursday thoughts on the Church

"The Churches in Minneapolis have the chance to really be the change agents we need. To not only stem the number of killing abortions, but to also bring some of the almost 100,000 East Africans to Christ."

Today is Maundy Thursday. It is a Holy day in the Christian faith. Not on the same level as Good Friday or Easter, but maybe it should be a notch higher than what it is. It is when the Last Supper took place. The event which gave us the Holy Sacrament of Communion. It is when Jesus went to pray in the Garden of Gethsemane. And - it is when the Roman Guard took Jesus which was the start of the Passion.

It was important to Jesus to have a vibrant Church once he was no longer here. The Bible refers to His Church as the Bride of Christ. It was to be the grouping of His followers that were deep in His Word. It was to be a place of worship, fellowship, training for evangelism, and mercy. So, in the year 2019 A.D., how is Christ's Church doing? 

First off, I need to say this. I love the Christian Church. I believe it to still be the Bride of Christ. Anything I have to say, will be said out of love. That being said, I have some deep concerns. And I will start with (gasp!), abortion. With the exception of the Catholic Church and a handful of others, the Church as been somewhat mute on this most important issue. I pray and I hope that the Church will come alive as a total body to condemn this murder of the unborn. Pastors need to be reminded of how important this issue is. One of the reasons we have lost over 50 million innocent souls since 1973, is the silence of the Church. We need the Church to be roaring like a lion on this issue!

Now here is one which might make some flinch. Towards the end of Matthew 28, Jesus knew He would not be here much longer. So he gave his Church the Great Commission. And right now, in the City of Minneapolis, we have the chance to practice the Great Commission - big time. We have tens of thousands of newly arrived immigrants from East Africa who have NEVER heard the true story of Jesus Christ. Bottom line? The mission field just got dropped off at our front door. No more traveling halfway around the world into danger. Nope - the mission field is right in front of our noses. Okay Church - let's go! 

I won't go any further, but I think you get the picture. The Holy Bible is not like a Hallmark Movie. It is crystal clear on some very important issues. Like, nobody comes to the "Father, but through Me". Or, "Who so ever denies Me in front of people, I will deny that person in front of the Father." There is nothing in the scripture I have read which deals with PC. It is all as real as real can be.

The Churches in Minneapolis have the chance to really be the change agents we need. To not only stem the number of killing abortions, but to also bring some of the almost 100,000 East Africans to Christ. Some might read this, and think I am insensitive. Others might say this is something which is long overdue in being addressed. Time to choose People of God - time to choose. The stakes could not be higher.





  

The rise of the robot

"The robot phenomenon is not just an American thing. It will be world wide. Hiding you head in the sand will not work well. Ignoring it, like Tim Walz is doing, only offers disservice to the kids he is supposed to be serving." 

When I was back at the University (almost too many years ago to count), I remember taking a class on minimizers and maximizers. It was one of those "duh!" theories, but interesting to listen to anyhow. Of course the maximizer was more likely to go on to become a Captain of Industry. Bold, hard charging, alpha type personality - leave no stone un-turned. The minimizer on the other hand, was just get by. Do the absolute least amount of work to get a barely adequate job completed. Some of us in the classroom flinched when we went over that definition!

Today, minimizers, either by choice or life circumstances, are going to be challenged should they be doing menial work which is repetitive. Challenged by whom? Immigrants, either legal or illegal? Nope - robots. And not just a few robots, legions of them.

In 2016 a study came out done by McKinsey and Company addressing this subject. How different job categories would be affected by automation. The bottom line is in fifty years, probably most jobs with probably have some aspect of AI and/or robotics involved. But between now and 2025, if you are hanging your future working in the fast food business, agriculture, manufacturing, warehousing, mining or retail, get ready for a jolt. You have better than a 50-50 shot of being replaced by a robot. 

I know some are now saying, "Okay Bird - you have addressed this before. So what?" Here is the "so what?" Education. There is not one beating heart in the press corps who is challenging our new "education" Governor on his education plan. All he wants is more money to train our youngins for yesterday's skills. To end up with a BS (not Bachelor of Science) degree, with no job, and tens of thousands of dollars in debt. Our young folks need to be trained for jobs which do not even exist as yet. In other words, we need to train our children to be nimble. To be out of the box thinkers. To be critical thinkers. And to be maximizers.

We do have a small segment of the school age children who are being taught that way right now. Home schooled kids. Some charter schools. Some private schools. Montessori Schools. Guess who is not? Government schools. Many government schools, especially in the inner city, are no more than failure factories. They can't even get some kids up to being minimalists.

The robot phenomenon is not just an American thing. It will be world wide. Hiding you head in the sand will not work well. Ignoring it, like Tim Walz is doing, only offers disservice to the kids he is supposed to be serving. 

One final thing. The other day while at Sam's Club, they had just finished upgrading their checkout lanes. Now 80% of the lanes are self checkout. The ones which are still staffed by people, were very empty. This is just one small sign of things to come. Change is in the air. Time to embrace it.      

The Columbine Mystique

"We might have dodged a bullet today folks - literally and figuratively. The only casualty we have is a dead young women and a grieving family. She died for what? We have no answers except the Columbine Mystique."

The Columbine High School shooting. It started shortly before noon on April 20, 1999. That is when the Columbine mystique began. Or was it? Some think it started on April 20, 1889. Why then? It was the birthday of Adolph Hitler. And one hundred years later was the Columbine shooting. What do these two dates have to do with each other? We might never know. That secret might have died with Dylan Kiebold and Eric Harris.

Truly seduced by the dark side, Kiebold and Harris became the personification of evil. They fell into the Goth culture, dark music, and worst. The fact they should become infatuated with Adolph Hitler, was the next logical step for their sick thinking. They ventured so far off the edge of reality, when the shooting started, they showed their true colors. They targeted mostly athletes, minorities, and Christians. Then similar to Hitler, once the killing was over, they killed themselves.

Today, a young woman from South Florida died in a park in Colorado. She made quite a splash in her last days of life. For some reason, unknown, or not understandable to normal folks, she wanted to imitate, or do something similar to the horror which happened twenty years ago. She bought a pump action shotgun, got on a plane, and headed for Colorado. When the word got out she was headed for Denver, a massive manhunt started. Then - 500,000 kids got the day off of school. Then for reasons not known at the time of this article, she was found dead in that Colorado park.

Do you understand all of this? I sure don't. And the kids who have graduated from  Columbine High School over the years sure don't either. In fact - many are feeling a bit snake bit. Why here? Why us? Columbine will forever be equated with one of the worst mass shootings in American history. The saddest part is what happened today might not be the final chapter in the Columbine Mystique. There might be another, then another, then another. Why? Logic has no answers, and evil has no bounds.

We might have dodged a bullet today folks - literally and figuratively. The only casualty we have is a dead young women and a grieving family. She died for what? We have no answers except the Columbine Mystique. Or there could be one more answer. When we take God out of the equation, evil is quick to fill the void. Stay close to God folks. It is our best answer to fighting evil. 

Strange Days

"If you think these are strange days, picture a world where we have a President Sanders. I know, I know - very scary. But even though I am convinced Trump will be re-elected in 2020, it will not be a cake walk."

People of Earth! Or, should I be more specific and say, "People of the United States!" These are indeed some strange times to be alive. Why? The inmates are truly running the asylum. This person who somehow got elected in CD 5, has made a cottage industry out of saying some truly outrageous things in her young tenure. The most recent was her slap at the 9/11 attacks. Her punishment by the people? Fundraising went through the roof. She is now ahead of all other Minnesota Congressmen or women with over $800,000. SMH big time.

In 1984, when Minnesota's own Fritz Mondale was running against Ronald Reagan, he made the misstep of telling the people, "You are darned right I am going to raise your taxes." He said this while running against one of the biggest tax cutters in American history. The rest is history. Except for the hayseeds in Minnesota and the statists in the District of Columbia, Ronald Reagan "ran the board" in 1984. One of the most lopsided elections in our history.

Why bring this up? Bernie Sanders. This soon to be 79 year old socialist and atheist from New York/Vermont. Should he get the nomination from the Democrats, he will be running against Donald Trump, our present day tax cutter. And just like Fritz Mondale did in 1984, Uncle Bernie is telling EVERYONE he is going to raise their taxes. Why? He needs money to pay for Medicare for all. Even though we will be paying Swedish type taxes, in return we will be getting Canadian style healthcare. Once the minions get used to VA type healthcare, everyone will be happier than clams!

Why are these such strange days? The Democrats have emptied out the cupboards for this election. Every fruit and nut is now running for President. It is the biggest collection of misfits since the bar scene in Star Wars. I never thought I would see candidates running for President which would make Carter, Clinton and Obama look almost normal. 

As goofy as parts of this country are right now, I remain convinced that the adults will want to be in charge again in 2020. Donald Trump will get re-elected, and the Republicans will keep the Senate and take back the House. Should that happen, this could be the last chance for the Republicans to show they can govern. To fix this healthcare mess. To really fix our income tax mess. To keep this roaring economy roaring. 

If you think these are strange days, picture a world where we have a President Sanders. I know, I know - very scary. But even though I am convinced Trump will be re-elected in 2020, it will not be a cake walk. Every citizen, every patriot, will need to be part of the team. As trite as this saying may have become, the republic depends on it.

  

The most dangerous of times...

"Some say we are in a new cold war right now. We may be. We are also in a period of asymmetric warfare, with enemies who are right here among us."

It started before the last shot was fired during World War II. One of our allies in this long and bloody war, was starting to show its true colors. And those true colors were that of oppression, conquest and brutality. Kind of like the enemy we had just defeated. This was the beginning of the decades long Cold War. This was the war, the period of time, which stretched from 1947 to 1991. It was a time when humanity was often only minutes away from annihilation. It was truly, a most dangerous time.

A while back on the History Channel, I saw a very good segment on the Cold War. Because it was so long, and so much happened in the background, it really became part of our landscape. So long as it stayed cold, it was easy to ignore. That is, unless you were one of the Cold Warriors who served during that time. Yes, even though we had flare up with hot wars with Korea and Viet Nam during that time frame, many who served during the period of 1947 to 1991 were Cold Warriors. And I was one of them.

When I was serving, I said more than once, the only thing worse than serving during the Cold War, was serving with a high level clearance. Normally, when there is strife between countries, the average citizen only sees the "iceberg". Meaning, 90% of what is going on is happening where you don't see it. Where you are not aware of it. You only see the 10% which is being reported. Having a high level clearance allows you to see more of the 90% - more of what is unseen to the average citizen - and that can be very un-nerving. 

Some day, I am hoping that everything which happened during the Cold War will be declassified. Why? I think it is important for all to know just how close we came to the edge. And yes, that happened more than one time. When people think about nuclear close calls, they think about the Cuban Missile Crisis or the Berlin Air Lift. Yes, they were close calls. But that was not all of them. Basically, it is a miracle that we made it through that period for the most part, unscathed. Truthfully, it was NATO and the Soviets, playing with matches in a room filled with TNT.

It was a blessing the Cold War ended with a whimper instead of a bang. At the end of the day, NATO just out spent and out tricked the Soviet Union. Besides all of which, that stubborn thing called freedom was making its way under the iron curtain. It was time for this monolith to break down. For the Berlin Wall to come down. Thanks in part to millions of cold warriors, and the courageous leadership of Ronald Reagan and Lady Thatcher, in 1991 the Cold War joined the dust bowl of history.

Some say we are in a new cold war right now. We may be. We are also in a period of asymmetric warfare, with enemies who are right here among us. Will we ever be able to live in a time of peace? Where there is no war, be they hot or cold? I hope so. For our kids, our grand kids, and those who follow. 

Free Education for All!

"She is one of millions of young folks who were either so careless, or apathetic while in college, they ran up huge debts. Now what? Many running for President (including Mayor Pete), think YOU should pay for these misdeeds."

Mayor Pete (last name unpronounceable), launched his Presidential drive this weekend. Oh, the Dems are excited about this guy! First all, he is a first. If elected, we will have our first, First Man (he has a husband). Plus, he is a vet, and from a red state. He does not have many nutty ideas like the other socialists have - except one. He thinks we should offer debt forgiveness for college debt to all. Sounds good - unless you are a taxpayer.

This is yet another prime example of the difference between the Left and the Right. The Left will promise many things are "free". The Right on the other hand, know there is no such thing as a "free lunch". At the end of the day, someone has to pay the freight - and that someone is most often the taxpayer, or the national debt. 

I could not help thinking about an article in the hometown rag this weekend. Some 39 year old Special Education teacher was crying in her soup. "I felt compelled to teach, to guide our young people." So she got her undergrad degree in Education and then a grad degree in Special Education. "When I graduated and started working, I was shocked my debt was so high. I could not make the payments." To make a long story short, this highly educated woman, had no clue of how much debt she was racking up. Now it is in the six figure range, with no plans to repay it.

She is one of millions of young folks who were either so careless, or apathetic while in college, they ran up huge debts. Now what? Many running for President (including Mayor Pete), think YOU should pay for these misdeeds. My feeling? If anyone should chip in a bit, it should be the colleges. It is after all, their fault for not counseling these snowflakes on the facts of life.

By the way - this is not chump change we are talking about. To give debt forgiveness to everyone who has student debt would cost this country $1.5T. I guess that is okay. That is mere chump change compared to the almost $100T the Green New Deal will cost. 

Back to the teacher who is buried in debt. "I can't afford a house, I can't have kids. I am 39 years old and don't know what to do." Good flipping grief! And this is who is teaching our kids? Don't worry about taking personal responsibility. Let Big Brother take care of you. And this ladies and gentlemen, is a prime example of why we are in deep do-do today.    

Unfit to serve; enemies of the people

"In 2018, the Democrats promised if they took control of the House, they would be agents of change to fix America's problems. No, no, no - of course they are not just going to investigate - they are here to solve problems. Let the record show what they in fact have been doing."

If you live on the Left side of the street, or if you are a Democrat (or socialist, or progressive, or statist, or whatever), this one might hurt. In fact, it might even leave a mark. But after seeing how the Democrats have acted in office for the past few months, they don't deserve a modicum of respect. In fact, I will go as far to say this - they are unfit to serve in any capacity. And (this is the part which is going to hurt), they are acting as if they are an enemy of the people. 

They have all sworn allegiance to bring down the 45th President of these United States. Why? High crimes? And what exactly are those crimes? The only high crime he has committed is the unforgettable and unforgivable act of beating the beloved Hillary in November, 2016. That is it - everything else is simply BS.

But - as they would say in a Star Wars movie - "The hatred runs deep in these creatures." How deep? They are willing to sacrifice our southern border, and all the unsolvable problems which go with it, just to jab at our President. Flood our country with illiterate peasants, drug runners and traffickers. But here is the issue. And I will make this crystal clear. They are not hurting the President. He lives in a big house, protected by many professionals with guns. Life goes on for him, and he continues to work to solve other problems this nation is facing. But for the good people in the border towns - that is a different story.

I don't know how the final chapter is going to read in this book - the book on the southern border - but my guess it will end poorly. The media, the 9th Circuit, the Lefties - they are all ganging up against the good citizens who live on the border. The elitist snobs from the Bay Area or the East Coast, could give two poops and a holler about these hayseeds down there, the ones on the border. But the President cares. And he is getting zero help from the Democrats in fixing to fix it.

The Democrats are so blinded by their rage, they don't understand what they are doing to themselves. They are playing right into the President's hands for 2020. In 2018, the Democrats promised if they took control of the House, they would be agents of change to fix America's problems. No, no, no - of course they are not just going to investigate - they are here to solve problems. Let the record show what they in fact have been doing. 

Yes, they are unfit to serve. And (if pains me to say this), quite a few are out and out STUPID! I mean, did some of them get out of third grade. For us on the Right, 2020 cannot come soon enough. Kick these morons to the curb and get the adults back in charge. Until then, it is the President against the Lefties in saving the southern border. 

The worst thing ever...

"As far as the perp is concerned, the dark corners of my mind would like to do to him what he did to the boy. But this is where I must remember my faith. And that is the hard part. Justice, not revenge."

We were out driving around yesterday when the news came over the radio. Neither my wife nor I could believe what we had just heard. An act so heinous, so heartless, so awful, how in the world could someone have done this? Yet someone did. A grown man, with a long rap sheet, grabbed a young boy and threw him off a ledge - to land on an unforgiving surface three levels below at the MOA.

This is where usually I have to temper my words. Was this a hate crime? Since the perp was black and the young boy was white, should it qualify as one? If the shoe were on the other foot, the press certainly would have been clamoring for this to be a hate crime. Or was it this more of the cancerous disregard for children's lives? We are seeing this with the recent trend for fourth term abortions. We are on the slippery slope of abortions turning into infanticide, and then turning into homicide. 

Or was this guy just high on khat or some other kind of drug? Was he mentally unbalanced? Or was he just the personification of evil? In any event, this perp is now behind bars, awaiting charging, and the boy is fighting for his life in a hospital. Could anything have been done to prevent this? Banning the perp from the MOA for his past misdeeds? And how does that work? With the number of people coming through the doors at the MOA, it would probably be easy for him to slip in. 

This is where the bad side of me starts to come out. The dark side. The part of me that wishes I had been there with a loaded gun. I am sure I am not the only one thinking that thought right now. Could I have taken a shot to save that young boy? I would like to think I could of, but I probably would have froze. I would have been too stunned by what I had just seen. 

Really, there is not much anyone could have done. Why? Nobody would have expected it. Not in a thousand years. Now we will. We will keep our kids and grand kids tethered tighter to us when in a crowd  or a strange location. We will look at strangers with a jaundiced eye instead of trust or benign indifference. A deed such as what happened yesterday will be indelibly printed on our memory for years to come. The evil which visited the MOA has caused a blot on our humanity which will remain for a long, long time.

All we can do now is pray for this young boy. Pray for complete recovery. The chances of lingering aftereffects due to a TBI are too horrible to think about. As far as the perp is concerned, the dark corners of my mind would like to do to him what he did to the boy. But this is where I must remember my faith. And that is the hard part. Justice, not revenge.     

Is it time for the Fair Tax?

"Monday the President will be in state to rally with us against business killing taxes and regulations. Smart move on his part. The good people of Minnesota will be ripe for tax protestation on April 15th. Change is in the air. Let's just hope it is the right kind of change."  

This is probably a good time to ask this question. Unless you knew you were getting oodles of money back from overpaying your taxes, this is the week you probably filed and paid. And chances are, you are not a happy camper right now. Besides the fact that our government servants don't know spit about how to manage our money, the fact we are overtaxed, rubs many the wrong way. Why? The basic unfairness of our taxes. Both on state as well as federal. So what do you do with an unfair system? Replace it with a Fair Tax system.

I mean, these socialists who are trying to take over our government, want to take our unfair tax system and make it even more unfair. Like a top rate of 70% or higher. Or like Elizabeth Warren said, "Let's go after people's wealth." So first we take the income, and then go after whatever wealth is left over. Then on the news this morning, some nut ball on the Democrat side running for President, wants to strip companies of their profits and give every person in this country $1,000/month. Huh? Welcome to crazy town folks.

The Fair Tax however, is just that. Not an income tax, it is a tax on what you consume. The more you consume, the more taxes you pay. The reverse is also true. The IRS goes away. April 15th becomes just another day again. The down side? The goods we buy would be more expensive. The up side? The wages you make would be 100% yours - no taxes withheld.

Me? I would love to see the Fair Tax initiated along with a balanced budget amendment. Why conflate the two? Our finances in the federal government are a mess right now. Zero discipline. That is why we have a national debt of over $20T and headed for $25T. We tax too much and spend too much. We are breaking the backs of the taxpayers so we can waste the money collected, and print more of what cannot be collected.

Monday the President will be in state to rally with us against business killing taxes and regulations. Smart move on his part. The good people of Minnesota will be ripe for tax protestation on April 15th. Change is in the air. Let's just hope it is the right kind of change.    

And we live here why???

"'And we live here why?" Oh, please don't ask me today! Besides feeling cold, I am feeling fleeced by the feds as well as the state. Why don't you ask me again in June why I live here. I might give a more civilized answer." 

This is a perfect morning NOT to ask that question! Why do we live here? Certainly ain't the weather! For the umpteenth year in a row, our young spring has been spoiled by a major hay maker of a snowstorm, bringing snow, wind, cold and everything else bad. And to make matters worse, it happened during the week many of us are doing our taxes. Not a good combination!

So lets forget about the weather, as even though some nut balls say we are responsible for man made climate change. Bottom line - we can't do anything about the weather. It is after all, just weather. But since I am finishing up my taxes today, let's talk about Minnesota taxes. Like, why in the world has Minnesota been voted the least tax friendly state? Lets peel back that onion just a bit and take a look.

Here are Minnesota's tax brackets:

$0 to $37,850                        5.35%

$37,851 to $150,360             7.05%

$150,381 to $266,700           7.85%

$266,701 and up                   9.85%

Some might look at these brackets and say, "Those are not so bad - I don't make over $250K". Yes, but some folks do. Especially small business owners. And the real hurt for most of us is in the middle two brackets. They are way higher than most states for the same amount of money. Bottom line? Unless you are dirt poor or a immigrant from East Africa, we tax the socks off of most everyone. 

Our sales tax is 6.875%, unless you live in Minneapolis, where it is 8.025%. Minnesota's corporate tax rate is 9.8%, which is the third highest in the nation. Then you wonder why businesses are fleeing this state in droves. Our gas tax is 28.6 cents a gallon, which is over the nation's median gas tax. If Taxing Timmy gets his way, our gas tax will inflate to 48.6 cents a gallon, which would be the 4th highest in the nation. And even when you die, your money is not safe. Minnesota's inheritance tax rate in 2018 for anything over $2.4 M is 16%.

The normal person would look at our tax picture and say "Holy Molly! We need to do something!" That is what a normal person would say. An abnormal person like Taxing Timmy, would say, "This state is under taxed. We need to raise taxes across the board so we can pay for (get ready for it) INVESTMENTS. So, once Timmy gets done with us, we will no longer be the least tax friendly state in the union, we will be the least tax friendly state in the galaxy.

"And we live here why?" Oh, please don't ask me today! Besides feeling cold, I am feeling fleeced by the feds as well as the state. Why don't you ask me again in June why I live here. I might give a more civilized answer. 

The Demise of MN CD 5

"The Republicans have run some very good people in the past, only to get rubbed out by the socialists, statists, and progressives. There was a time, and many of us older folk remember it, this area of town thrived. It was good politically as it was balanced."

Cringe worthy. Embarrassing. Disgusting. Fool hearty. The words could go on and on and on to describe the mess in Minnesota's CD 5. For reasons which escape me, this district decided to elect a Somali Muslim gal with a big mouth and not much intellect behind it. Deciding she does not want to be out-gaffed by this Puerto Rico gal from New York (AOC), she is turning the state of Minnesota into even more of a national embarrassment than it usually is.

She is not smart enough to be subtle - not by a long shot. Nope, she just lets it all hang out. Wears it on her sleeve. Just in the short time she has been in Congress, we have found out she does not like Jews, Israel, or the American way. She does not believe in the evil of 9/11, and pays homage to CAIR. In other words, to many of us who have been observing her, she acts as a Manchurian Candidate, in every sense of the word.

She left the Minnesota State House in a whirlwind of questions and issues. Allegations of misconduct were swept under the rug. Allegations of her marrying her brother to get fraudulent immigration status have never been fully answered. In other words, every place this woman has been, has ended up with some kind of dirt on it. 

Who do I feel sorry for? The good folks in CD 5 who were either hoodwinked into voting for her, or did not vote for her at all. Now they have a real lemon representing them in Congress. And what do people outside of CD 5 think of this once fine area of the state? Lost. Gone for good. 

The Republicans have run some very good people in this district in the past, only to get rubbed out by the socialists, statists, and progressives. There was a time, and many of us older folk remember it, this area of town thrived. It was a good place to live. It was politically good as it was balanced. Now it is a combination of Little Mogadishu and Little Moscow. It is truly the land of the lost.

Will we ever see decent representation out of CD 5 again? How about CD 4? All other districts in our state have hope for a brighter future. But CD 4 and 5? I will use one of my former Russian terms - Guhor - "all is lost and/or in darkness".