It depends on what the meaning of "is" is...

 

 

"Love him or hate him, the fellow was an unusually good liar..."

 

I was listening to some of my favorite lefties on MSNBC recently. They were rubbing their hands together and getting all lathered up by what they thought was a fatal move by a ranking Republican. It seems that Darrell Issa got fed up and called a spade a spade. He accused Jay Carney of telling lies. In fact, he called him a "paid liar".

Someone needs to tell Chairman Issa that in the world of newspeak, we don't talk frankly like that anymore. We now use euphemisms . The correct terminology today would be something like "I think Mr. Carney possibly might be at variance with the truth." Or he might say, "Quite often, the facts are not on the side of Mr. Carney". But to come right out and call Jay Carney a "paid liar" for not telling the truth? Good grief Darrell, get a grip! These are the new days of vernacular limited warfare!

We have come a long, long way since the plain speaking days of Will Rogers. We now have artists of sophism, such as our beloved 42nd president. Not only could he lie, he could make some woman swoon while doing it. When asked a direct question, he became the "Prince of Parsing." Who among us could ever forget the quote for the ages in his perjury trial - "It all depends on what the meaning of 'is', is." Or when he was questioned about Monica - "I did not have sexual relations with that woman (pause) Ms. Lewinsky".  Oh yes, sweet Bill was a master of para-language and meta-communication. Wink, wink, nudge, nudge. As the song goes, "Nobody does it better" than Bill Clinton.

Back to today. Are lies being told by the Administration on the wide variety of scandals? Duh! Is Jay Carney lying about many of them? He is either "at variance with the truth", or incredibly stupid. Oh, to bring back the old days of saying something like "You sir, are a liar!" No, to do that today would be an "overreach", and the voters would throw you out in the next election.

I guess my job will be to dig out my Webster's Dictionary and brush up on my lexicon. Since we now know "there is no there, there", we should be okay. We will practice the art of many words saying very little. We will never be tied down to anything as our words will be so vague, they could mean just about anything. I am ready to join this new world. I will close with this statement:

The plentitudious man, he should sit here, John pleonastically said in a sesquipedalian manner.

Even though that sentence is grammatically correct, not one person will know what the Sam Hill you are talking about. Welcome to the world of newspeak....
 

 

It is a mad, mad, mad world...

 

 

What - me worry?

 

 

 

This is for all those people who happen to be a little long in the tooth. Those who grew up reading a magazine called Mad. A magazine with a forlorn anti-hero named Alfred E. Newman. The tag line for Alfred was always "What - me worry?" I think the author of Alfred's apathy and ignorance could have been looking ahead decades to many of the people who walk our land today. Rome is burning, Nero is playing his fiddle - however, very few seem to give a damn. Welcome to our mad, mad, mad world. 

 

Here we sit. Stuck in neutral. The huge bill, which was going to be the signature piece of legislation during the first term of Barrack Hussein Obama, is disintegrating right before our eyes. The ironically named Affordable Care Act has picked up some unwanted baggage in the past few days. Consider the following:

• It was reported that the cost for health insurance for men in California is going to increase over 140%.
• It was reported that the average cost of annual health insurance for a family will be $20,000 and therefore, over 3 out of 4 families will not be able to afford coverage.
• A recent headline was a 10 year old girl dying of cancer was refused treatment. When Kathy "SillyBus" was asked about it, the reply was "some live, some die". Cold, very, very cold.

Do you want to talk about the economy? Every time one of our low or no information citizens are asked how things are going, the reply is "Holy cow, have you seen the Dow?" The real story is this - thanks to Ben and the boys in the Federal Reserve, we have inflated the biggest bubble yet in the stock market - and some smart people think it will get even bigger before it pops. The housing market is improving, but the standards are once again being relaxed by the lenders (thanks Fanny and Freddie). In other words, some people are being given loans who shouldn't be. This is what caused our financial mess in 2008. It may take years to once again let our houses rise to "normal" levels - we should not force any growth beyond that - and lend money to people that can pay it back.

What our Administration SHOULD be focusing on for the next two years is simple - fix the ObamaCare mess before it ruins the country, and (as you promised you would) focus on the economy. We are smart enough to know we don't need gimmicks for either of these. Pixie dust and smooth talk will not work - we need real solutions, and we need them quickly. We are six months away from 2014 when the real teeth of ObamaCare really start to bite. Already we have seen enough to know what is coming is bad - real bad.

My advise to the president is this - stop acting like Alfred E. Newman when the country is faced with real problems. You wanted this job - you campaigned hard for it (some say you still are) - so now lets get to work. What? Me worry? Yes, Mr. President, you should. As with the rest of us, we should all be very, very worried.

What is a Republican these days???

 

 

 

"Is the Grand Old Party still Grand?"

 

There sure has been quite a bit of chatter as of late concerning the Republican Party. It seems to me the party has become somewhat bifurcated - the "Tea Party" faction which wants the party to get back to its roots, and the "RINO" faction which long for the not so old days of "reaching across the aisle" and back room dealings. Many on the "RINO" side think the "Tea Party" folks are a bunch of wackos - by the same token, many on the "Tea Party" side think the "RINOs" are just a bunch of Democrat "light", "Rockefeller" Republicans. What a mess.

I am now going to say something very, very unpopular. There are very few Republicans today that can wow my socks off. There are many fine people - however, I use one measuring stick when I judge someone's politics. And that yardstick is the size and cost of government.

The measuring stick that makes the most sense to me is the National Debt Clock. Until this clock stops spinning forward, we are still in trouble. Even "gut wrenching" budgets proposed by the likes of Paul Ryan and Rand Paul, let the Debt Clock continue to spin forward (albeit not as fast). I am still waiting for someone to come forward with a budget which shows a five year projection with the Debt Clock becoming smaller than it is today.

Now the Democrats will say the only reason the Debt Clock continues to grow is a shortfall of revenue (dog whistle talk for not taxed enough). This is why I say a TRUE conservative will "right size" the government in accordance with our founding principles. We need to rediscover states rights with the Federal Government responsible primarily for the defense of the union. Once the Federal Government is "right sized", doing only what the Federal Government is suppose to do, the cost of government (our Debt Clock), will stopping spinning forward, and then start spinning in reverse.

The bottom line is this - I don't give a damn about Republicans and Democrats who are so similar in behavior, only the initial behind their names separate them. As a conservative, I will vote for whichever party most closely reflects the conservative principles I believe in. Please don't try and pull at my heartstrings, I am a big believer in compassion - just not performed by the Federal Government.

This next election season, when a candidate knocks at my door, that person needs to be prepared for tough questions. Unlike the press, I will not ask what the favorite color is or what kind of under ware is preferred. My question will be very simple - how will YOU do your part in "right sizing" our government - whether it is federal, state or local. A true conservative will know exactly how to answer this question - lets hope Republicans do also.



 

 

 

 

Cognitive Dissonance

 

 

 

 

 

Cognitive Dissonance- psychological conflict resulting from incongruous beliefs and attitudes held simultaneously

Back in the day, when I (along with many of us) took basic psychology, we learned about an odd term called cognitive dissonance. I have been thinking about that term as of late - not with people, but with our economy. Recently I posted an article on being disconnected - the disconnect between Main Street and Wall Street. In this article however, I want to go a bit deeper.

The Stock Market - In May 2013, the DOW hit 15,000 and since then has set many daily highs. Some analysts are saying the DOW could hit 20,000 or maybe even 22,000 before a major correction.

This is good right? Maybe, if you forget it is a "bubble". Now is where the dissonance comes in:

Medicaid - According to Families USA in February 2013, Medicaid provides health coverage for low-income children and adults, medical and long-term care coverage for people with disabilities, and assistance with health and long-term care expenses for low-income seniors. More than 58 million people rely on Medicaid services today, and millions more will qualify for Medicaid when the provisions of the Affordable Care Act take effect in 2014.

Ouch! 58 million people is a whole bunch of people! Since this partially funded by the states, this is what the governors have been complaining about with a very loud voice.

Disability - According to the Daily Caller in April 2013, the number of Americans enrolled in the Social Security Disability program hit an all-time high of 8.9 million in March 2013, up about 7.4 million when Obama took office in January 2009. Some of the rise in disability payments can be explained by America’s growing population and the dismal employment environment generally.

It seems from the untrained eye that the 7.4 million increase in the past four years is higher than what the demographics say it should be. Is it that this is an easy way out of working for some?

Food Stamps - According to a CNS News report in April 2013, the most recent Supplemental Assistance Nutrition Program (SNAP) numbers on the number of households receiving food stamps show 23,087,886 households participated in January 2013.  The most recent information from the United States Census Bureau puts the number of households in the United States at 115,310,000. If you divide 115,310,000 by 23,087,866, that equals one out of every five households now receiving food stamps.

One out of five? Come on! Either we are getting to be a very poor nation or the SNAP program has become somewhat of a fraud.

The National Debt - $16.850T is the National Debt in June 2013. Even with cuts and sequester, it is still projected to be over $22.3T in June of 2017.

Holy fright and good night! That is a whole bunch of money to pay back to someone! However, we keep being told "no worries, mate".

GDP - The GDP in the last two quarters was 0.4% and 2.4%, respectfully. The growth rate in India for the same two periods was 4.5% and 4.6%, respectfully. Most economists agree the ideal GDP growth rate is more than 2%, but less than 4% to have steady, healthy growth. In the past 4 years (16 quarters), the quarterly growth rate in GDP has only been between 3 and 4 percent only 3 times - one of those barely over 3% (3.1) and the other barely over 4% (4.1).

Well, there you have it from my perspective. The stock market is going crazy due to many factors. We must remember one of the reasons is the Fed pumping zillions of dollars into the economy. When you can buy a car for zero interest and can refinance your home for 2.75%, you know we are living in a financial fantasy land. However, the real numbers for the rest of the economy tell a much different story - the story of economic cognitive dissonance.

A Rich Heritage

 

 

"This is like déjà vu all over again..."

Yogi Berra

 

Oh boy - here we go again. I hate to keep going back to the Clinton Administration, but once again, I must. For those who think Eric Holder, our scandal plagued Attorney General looks familiar - well he should. In the Clinton Administration he served under Janet Reno as deputy attorney general - and this is where the story starts to get interesting.

This is really this story of a very bad man named Marc Rich. Many have not heard of him or forgotten the name as he screwed this country for a ton of cash and then flew the coop. He was a commodity trader (like George Soros) and a convicted tax cheat (like Tim Gartner). In any event, before he was wearing strips, he and his wife were HUGE donors to the Clinton camp as well as the DNC. He came to attention of the Justice Department under Janice Reno, and her young leftie named Eric Holder strongly suggested to President Clinton to pardon this man.

On the last day of his administration, President Clinton (under the strong and unyielding advise of Eric Holder) pardoned Marc Rich. In no time flat, Mr. Rich (along with his millions) were on a plane to Switzerland. Gone and forgotten by most - however, not by me.

How big of a travesty was it to release this guy? First off, he was guilty as sin - the biggest tax cheat ever convicted in our country. If Clinton had waited one more day to pardon him, the new president (G. W. Bush) for sure would not have. Rich would still be doing time in some supermax federal pen. However, because Rich had given soooo much to the Democrats, young Mr. Holder felt he was due his reward.

This came up in Holder's confirmation hearing for AG. I really thought it would sink him - it should have, but did not. In this country, you either obey the law or you don't. If you don't obey the law, you are what is called an "outlaw". Holder has shown over and over again he has no regard for our law. He is as guilty of obstruction today as he was during he Clinton Administration.

Bottom line - this guy needs to go, and go now. He is not worthy of being the top cop in our country. If Obama still backs him after the AP mess, the voter suppression issue, and the IRS intrusion, they both should go. We deserve better.
 

Mesmerizing

 

 

 

Mes·mer·iz·ing - The state of  being spellbound

 

Like many of us, Friday evening we finished supper and went downstairs to see if there was anything good on the tube. This is always tough in the summer time as the "barren wasteland" of television even is worse than normal. As the television came on, I thought at first they were showing reruns last week's terrible storm that just about wiped out Moore, Oklahoma. No, it was something looked even worse - a mesocyclone producing at least one  multiple-vortex tornado, bearing down on the metroplex of Oklahoma City.

 

As my wife and I watched, we were mesmerized - spellbound. It was a disaster in the making. As I was watching this behemoth approach a population area of over one million people, I questioned what was wrong with me. I was the same way the week before when the tornado hit Moore - glued to the live feed coming over the television. I am not an adrenaline junkie, I am not a modern day Fiorello LaGuardia. However, there is something about seeing events unfold which are terrifying and terrible at the same time. It is live action with no script. It is real life, life and death unfolding in high definition on our large plasma televisions.

We watched in horror as the most prepared city in the country, the home of the National Weather Service, came unglued when the monster system approached. Many of the locals did exactly what they were not suppose to do - they went out, got in their cars, and tried to escape using the freeway system. In no time flat, both major freeways in town became parking lots from the panicked population. In fact, I think the scariest part of the entire episode was when many of the folks could not see the rain wrapped tornado and drove west on I-40 - directly in the path of the approaching twisters.

As bad as this storm was, and it was bad, it could have been so much worse. If a twister the strength of the Moore storm traveled up the traffic jam on either I-40 or I-35, the scene would have been horrific. The death toll would have been one for the history books. Fortunately, that did not happen. Hopefully, we can do a "lessons learned" from this close call to ensure if there is a next time, more people do the right thing.

Last night after dinner, the television was again turned on. Summer reruns galore - however, no live feed on killer storms like the night before. Truthfully, I could not have handled another night like Friday - my heart was is my throat for over two hours. On the summer nights this year when we are not on the road or enjoying our back yard, I think Netflix will be the tool of choice. If things turn out badly in a show, I know it is just make believe and nobody was hurt or killed. At my age, that is all the mesmerizing I can handle.

No fire in the belly...

 

 

"I want it so bad, I can taste it..."

 

 

It has often been said that if you want something bad enough, wild horses will not keep you from your goal. What we have seen in the past week in the Sixth District of Minnesota typified just the opposite. Here is a "plum" position, with high visibility, in Congress of the United States. Michele Bachmann has for sure become one of the most well know members of the entire body during her tenure. Mr. Graves, who came close to unseating her last election, was loaded for bear this time around - or so we thought.

I will admit I am a huge fan of Michele Bachmann. As a long time resident of the Sixth, I was proud to have her represent me. However, not all thought that way. Like many people who really "put themselves out there", Michele not only picked up loyal supporters, but also detractors. In other words, her negatives were starting to get higher than what they should be to keep winning elections in a solid red district.

When Michele Bachmann threw in the towel for another term, it was just a matter of days before Jim Graves did the same. First thought which came to my mind - no fire in the belly. He did not want the job - he just wanted to be a "spoiler" for Michele. What little respect I had for this man went right out the window. My feeling is this - Mr. Graves knew in this district the Republican bench strength is high - and he wanted no part of it. There are at least two people that I could name which would have spanked Mr. Graves and sent him back to St. Cloud as a loser once again. However, I would have respected him for at least trying.

So where do we stand in June of 2013? First off, even though I will miss Michele Bachmann, those shoes will be filled by another solid Republican. Truthfully, I can't remember in this district when I was represented by a Democrat. However, the senate seat and the governors position is another matter. To have any chance in this very blue state of Minnesota, we need people to run for those seats who have fire in the belly burning at a very high temperature. Both of these races are going to be tough to win. It is going to take candidates with vision and how to articulate that vision to take them back. Otherwise, it will just be a repeat of the last senate election.

That is my feeling on the landscape from where we stand in the summer of 2013. Time is of the essence. Passion must be strong. Liberty in our state is the prize for winning - more tyranny will be the consequence of losing.