Our pugilist POTUS

 

 

 

"He swears he will go out kicking and screaming. No surrender or compromise with the loyal opposition. Only trench warfare looms in the offing..."

Well it is here again. The year sure has gone fast! What is it you ask? The State of the Union speech of course! The night when Netflix and Amazon Prime score big on ratings. Some people will watch the speech. Mostly political pundits or the dwindling cadre of "true believers". Many (like myself) will be binge watching Dark Skies or something on that order.

Besides all of which, the "high points" of the speech have already been leaked. It is a grab bag of leftist goodies (like most years). Only this year, they don't stand a snowballs chance in (you know where) of passing. Then why go to all the trouble of proposing them? Simple - he is itching for a fight. They only group POTUS hates worse than ISIL are the Republicans. This speech will be an excellent opportunity to show the masses he is a "man of the people" while the Republicans remain married to Wall Street and the one percent class.

The problem is many lemmings believe this dribble. Many Democrats in Congress are fabulously wealthy and have strong ties to Wall Street. Hillary Clinton is a multi-millionaire and has a strong connection to Wall Street. They will stand and applaud when POTUS suggests things which will constitute a major threat to our fragile and healing economy. 

Like what you may ask? Raising the capital gains tax for one. Because Professor Obama never really worked in the real world, he does not understand that investors invest because the gains they can make will be taxed more gently than ordinary income. If we raise the capital gains rate, there will be less investment. Less investment means less growth. If you want more growth, you lower the tax on capital gains. Simple concept. I learned it my first year in business school.

Then there is changing the taxing rules on inheritance. You know - after you pay taxes on money you have saved to pass on to your heirs, the government wants to tax it again. After all, it is not "fair" that you should have money, saved through discipline and hard work. All money belongs to all the people. Gosh - that almost sounds like Communism. Oh well, I might be getting ahead of myself.

Now I am going to say something which might shock some of my friends. First let me set the table. I am NOT in favor of Pre-K for every child. The jury is still out on the long term positive effects of Pre-K. I am however, fully supportive of grades 13 and 14. And I say that with two caveats. First, only if the curriculum is solid and not something squishy like Common Core. We must stop the graduation of kids who have very little knowledge. If you talk to most colleges, they will confess many of the kids walking in the door are in no way prepared for college. They must start out with remedial classes.

Second, these additional two years will not be "free". Kids must work part time to chip in. This is how real college works. You pay to go, you work to help get money to pay for school. If POTUS would frame this idea with those caveats, he might get some support from the other side of the aisle. If not, this proposal will also be DOA.

One more thing (and trust me, I could go on for pages). If POTUS really wants to hit a home run tonight, spend a good part of the speech talking about the growing threat of radical Islam. What he and our government are going to do to keep us safe. Be specific. The threat is very real. Leon Panetta said the other day he expects a Paris type "hit" in the United States in the next couple of months. People need to know that they are safe, that their government is on top of things.

Well that is it. That is what I would like to see. What I know we will see is a guy coming to the end of his second term, just itching for a fight. Not with ISIL, but with fellow Americans. I have to sign off now. It is time to start my binge watching on Netflix. 

Innocence lost (reprise)...

 

 

 

"As bad as we thought it was, it was so much, so much worse..."

What have we wrought? Not us (US) so to speak, but the human race? We kill, destroy, kill and maim, and no one seems to know our name. How bad is it? See either Lone Survivor or American Sniper to get an idea of the answer. And that answer is not pretty. We confront evil in its most primitive form. And we expect our young boys and girls to go into the pit of hell and fix it.

We have been down this road before. Any war in which we have needed to send our young people to fight. World War I, World War II, Korea, and Viet Nam. There are also others, only not as large. In each of these conflicts, our young people have seen a side of humanity which is anything but humane. Many of our young people have come home scarred. If not physically, then emotionally. They found out the adage "war is a dirty business" to be so true, and then some.

As much as I would like all wars to end, and our brave peacekeepers to come home safe and sound, I am not that naïve. Today we face a new evil which knows absolutely no boundaries. As brutal as the Axis juggernaut was in World War II, this group of ideological zealots are worse. Much, much worse. Soon the United States, as well as the rest of the free world, will need to make a choice. Do we commit our young men and women to fight a ground war against this evil, or watch it slowing capture more territory while exterminating those who live there.

Part of me wants to just bomb this group into the stone ages. If there is collateral damage, then so be it. But I know that would be the wrong answer. The innocents who live there no more deserve to die under our bombs than they do under the knives of the butchers. And who are the enemy? Many are nameless and faceless and wear no uniform. They conscript old men, young men, women and even children. Some are innocent, some are not. The ones who are not innocent can be as deadly as any soldier on the battlefield. 

My belief is 2015 is going to be a critical year in the War on Terror. How we will fight it, if we  fight it, and then who will fight it. They enemy has taken asymmetrical warfare to the furthest extreme. To win this, we are going to have to know their tactics in order to counter their tactics. We are going to have to get in the mud with them. We are going to have to capture, not kill more of the leaders. We are going to have to keep Gitmo as well as the rendition centers open and packed full of captured terrorists. We need to get the Hague involved in trying some of these monsters for war crimes. For what they have done to children, to babies, to anyone.

Asking young people to sacrifice their lives and/or their innocence is a hard thing to do. For any leader. But we are fighting an enemy, an evil which knows no bounds. An enemy who wants very much to come to our shores and take care of the "great Satan". An enemy who will not accept our surrender, only our heads. This gathering menace is real. It is coming. It may already be here. We need to wake up before the sleeper cells do.

    

Freezing to death in Minnesota

"Freezing to death? In 2015? Can that actually happen? Yes it has, and will continue if we don't stop it..."

Whenever I get into a spirited discussion with someone on hunger, I am reminded that hunger is a huge problem for many within our country. That being said, we don't have the same problems with hunger as some other countries do. In other words, nobody actually starves to death in this country. I dare say that if someone was found in any metro area who had starved to death, it would make the national news.

And why don't people starve to death in this country? The answer is quite simple. In this country, we are awash with food. We have enough food to not only feed our people, but also a good portion of the world's population. Even though we have many who do not get enough food, or the right types of food, everyone gets enough to live on. So as far as food is concerned, this country does not have a resource problem (like many countries do), we have an allocation problem.

Dying from exposure in this country is quite another matter. Yes, it does happen. In 2015, people in many cities are still dying from exposure. Living on the streets, hypothermia can set in and be deadly. Hypothermia is a condition where a person's core drops below 95 degrees. The longer the core stays below that temperature, the more deadly hypothermia can become. Confusion can set in. A person can actually start shedding clothes instead of adding clothes. If it goes on long enough, the body cannot sustain life. The heart simply shuts down.

How can someone die hypothermia just feet from a heated building where the temperature is a comfortable 72 degrees? Are there not warming centers for people who are homeless? Yes there are. However a nagging problem which plagues many homeless people is untreated mental illnesses. People on the street are extremely vulnerable. Not only to freezing to death, but also disease, robbery and violence.

My youngest daughter works in street outreach. The organization she works for is committed to finding people who need help the most. Getting these people off the street and lined up with the services they need. It is not an easy job - it is being on the front lines of combating homelessness. But she loves it. She is good at it. And she has a huge heart for people who have no home but the streets.

Nobody is immune from homelessness. There by the grace of God, go we. Our job is simple - to care for these people. To help these people. They are us - pure and simple, they are us. It is time to make a stand. Not one more person will freeze in our town. Period.

A very secret war...

 

 

"What happens in Africa always seems to receive the short end of the news cycle..."

This past week or so, the attention of the world has been focused on Europe. What happened in Paris, the close call in Belgium, and suspected terror cells in Germany. As the saying goes, it "sucked the air" out of the news cycle. What little air was left, was spent on covering the carnage in Syria and Iraq. However, there is another war going on. It does get some press, but often not nearly enough. It is just as brutal as the ISIL conflict in Syria and Iraq. And just like Syria and Iraq, the bodies keep piling up.

I am addressing the lawless slaughter which continues today in Nigeria. The slaughter which is orchestrated and performed by the radical Islamic terrorist group, Boko Haram. Similar to their ISIL cousins in the Middle East, this blood thirsty group will stop at nothing, and kill anyone who gets in their way. Men, women, children and babies are all fair game. They have been especially hard on the Christian population. Churches have been burned and innocent people killed while worshipping. This is an outrage of the highest order. The United Nations, which usually does nothing, should have put "Blue Helmets" all over Nigeria. They should be putting an end to this carnage. But they will not. The United Nations, as well as the rest of the world, remains a passive bystander. And people continue to die.

This is not the first time parts of Africa has burned and nobody did anything. Some remember 1994. It was a year in human history none should be proud of. In Rwanda, during a 100 day period between April and July, mass genocide of historic proportions took place. This event had nothing to do with radical Islam, but it was just as brutal.

Members of the Tutsi tribe and moderate Hutu tribe were hunted down like animals. They were hunted by the majority Hutus. Many weapons were used to perform this attempted mass extinction, including machetes. The world had a front row seat to the horror unfolding in Africa. And we did nothing. During that 100 day period, somewhere between 500,000 and 1,000,000 people died. Nobody will ever know the exact number. Many who did not die were left maimed or disfigured. And where was President Clinton and our military at that time? Focusing on a tin horn dictator in the Balkans. We ignored genocide in Africa in an effort to dethrone Slobodan Milosevic in Bosnia.

Now don't get me wrong - Milosevic was a bad man and brutalized his people as well as neighboring countries. But he was "chump change" compared to what was going on in Africa. In April of 1994 when the African carnage first started, we should have done an immediate pivot. We should have left the Balkans and gone into Africa. The Hutus would have been no match for our modern day military.

Bill Clinton did say in later years he had regrets. Regrets that we did not do something to save innocent people in Africa. Regrets? Mr. Clinton, you can tell that to the tens of thousands of people in Rwanda living without limbs. Or to the children forced to grow up as orphans, living in extreme hardship. As far as I am concerned, our failure to act, to help stop this carnage, is an ugly stain on our history.

Today were are once again spectators rather than protectors. We watch helplessly as thousands upon thousands of innocents are taken prisoner or executed by this lawless group called Boko Haram. For what they have done to innocent men, women and children, they deserve the same fate as ISIL. The United Nations as well as the United States can no longer afford to be feckless in the face of human slaughter. We are better than that. We always have been better than that. And we should be now. 

The name which shall not be spoken!

 

 

"For the Obama Administration, the only name which is more taboo than Lord Voldemort, is Radical Islam..."

Today is my daughter's due date for our first grandchild. Like a true Minnesotan, I believe he has gotten wind of how cold it is here, and has opted to spend more time in his Mother's comfortable tummy. It may be comfortable for him, but it is certainly not for my daughter! I have been given permission to disclose the sex of my grandson. However, not his name. His name has been picked out for months now, but it is the name which shall not be uttered outside the confines of the family (or close friends). I tease my son-in-law by saying my grandson's name is more secretive than Lord Voldemort's name from the Harry Potter series.

As much as I would like to say my grandson's name in public, that is nothing compared to the lid put which has been put on the term Radical Islam by the Administration. Whenever pressed about our ever growing terror threat, Josh Earnest has more dance moves than Fred Astaire. He, along with everyone in the Justice Department, State Department and even the Defense Department, have come up with non sequiters to describe our terror threat. The avoidance of this most obvious term goes from foolish to ridiculous.

More and more people are now asking the very important question - "why?" My theory is similar to others being brought forward. The terrorists are off script. They are a nuisance. They are nothing more than hold overs from the failed Bush Administration. Putting it another way, if we just ignore them, maybe they will go away. Not using their proper name is a good start.

Here is the truth as I see it. The terror threat today is just as dangerous as it always has been. Maybe more so. We need to call a spade a spade. They are Radical Islamic terrorists. We need to stop droning the bad guys, and capture more. We need to keep Gitmo and other rendition facilities open. Hang on - We also need to resume water boarding and other enhanced interrogation techniques. I really don't care if a bed wetter or two does not like this. These terrorists deserve no quarter. They behead children. They stomp babies to death. They bury people alive. It is time to send in Jack Bauer to get some real intelligence. We need to find out what is in the works. What mayhem the bad guys are planning for us and our allies in Europe. 

Tom Ridge once said the War on Terror is tricky because "we have watches, but they have the time". This a problem we cannot just wish away. The bad guys are not going away. We need to tackle this head on. We start by telling the American people that the War on Terror is not over. We are at war with Radical Islam. Period. Say it over and over again.

Europe is starting to get the message. They are taking stronger measures to fight this threat. They are tracking citizens who have recently returned from Syria and Iraq. Tracking those who might have been radicalized in the ISIL battlefield. Good. We need more, much more of that. They enemy is no longer at the gate folks. The enemy might be inside the tent. Time to get going. Time to get serious.    

Conceding Minnesota

"Most were born here, raised here and worked here. Now it is time to leave..."

Shhhh. If you listen closely, you can hear it. It is the sound of footsteps, many footsteps leaving Minnesota. And these are not just ordinary people. These are the people who have been "pulling the wagon" (so to speak) for years now. Some are people who have worked here all of their lives. Some others have started businesses here. The finally have had enough. And they are leaving. And leaving fast.

Even your humble author is considering relocation. If not year round, then part of the year (like a snowbird). I will confess that part a potential relocation has do with the uninhabitable weather in this state. The other reason is the one which is driving many out of this state - the back breaking tax structure and lousy business climate.

Yesterday, I attended a meeting to learn more about the tax structure in other states. It was put on by a neighboring state of Minnesota. A state who has stopped drinking the Kool Aid, and woken up to what is happening. A state which is using common sense in luring not only businesses, but also people looking for a better life. A better life by having more left in their paychecks.

This last election in Minnesota was the deal breaker for many. If I offend by what I am about to say, I apologize in advance. We re-elected a Governor who is imminently unqualified to hold this high office. He was not qualified the first time around, and that is when his health was better. He is now on some kind of medication which makes him look and sound bad, real bad at times. The man who ran against this sitting Governor last election (whom I supported), was 100 times more qualified for this job. However, the blueness of this state took over, and trumped common sense. We voted once again for the status quo.

Minnesota's loose and open welfare laws continue to draw people here by the thousands. And many are unskilled or no skilled lower income people. Not only from neighboring states, but also from abroad. Yes, the story of "Moneyapolis" has traveled worldwide. And where does all this money come? The money to dish out all this welfare to the masses? That is right - you and I. We use the tax code to punish the producers. To fleece the successful. And now, many are saying "enough!" Yes, Atlas is starting to shrug, and the wagon is too full to pull.

The sad part of this exodus is that nobody seems to care. I know some of the people who have left. Good, solid citizens. Patriots. Smart people. Many at first did not want to leave, but were forced to by our rapidly changing climate - and I am not talking about the weather.

I am going to be working with my state reps to make sure this issue receives the attention it deserves. I am on the cusp right now. It will not take much more to make me an expatriate of Minnesota while still remaining a patriot of this great country.

And who is our new John Galt?

 

 

 

"At some point in time, the makers, the producers in our society are going to take one final vote - with their feet..."

By now, most have read Atlas Shrugged, seen the movie(s), or both. A timeless piece of fiction, which is looking more like non-fiction all the time. It is a book about the real people who keep the country moving. It was about those people deciding to say "enough is enough". The movement to pick up and leave was led by a visionary named John Galt.

I have thought quite a bit about Atlas Shrugged as of late. For the past few decades, we have been like frogs in water which is starting to boil. Both parties have let us down. There are a precious few in either party that truly believe in the sanctity of our Constitution. Of true freedom. Of liberty. There are minions however, who believe in either riding in the wagon, or at least holding on to the sides. Should this continue, soon the "wagon" of our economy will be unmovable. The makers will continue to be outnumbered by the takers. Some of the makers will leave. All will appear to be lost. That is, until our version of John Galt steps forward.

We need a John Galt right now like nobody's business. The engines which power our economy, the entrepreneurs, are becoming an endangered species. Why? Somewhere along the line, the central message in our Constitution became twisted. Rather than knowing our country guarantees everyone equal opportunity, the new think being sold by the statists is our country should guarantee everyone equal outcome. To put it in the common vernacular, it is not fair if someone succeeds and others do not. The statists want to fix that.

Most Conservatives know that way of thinking is killing the country. Everybody is entitled to everything. Where does the money come from to do conduct such a massive giveaway? Why the people who produce of course. The makers. Tax the wealthy. Eat the rich. Occupy Wall Street. A bunch of populist crap. As Margret Thatcher once said, "The problem with welfare is sooner or later you run out of other people's money." Well Madam Thatcher, that day might soon be here.

We need a John Galt that can tell people the truth and why it is important. Money does not grow on trees and Santa Clause and the Tooth Fairy do not exist. We have had our fill of charlatans, liars and peddlers of snake oil. Empty promises backed up with no money, only debt. At one time, this country only offered one thing - and that one thing was more value than gold. Opportunity. Unfettered opportunity. Small limited government on the sideline doing nothing but "plowing the road" for the makers. 

Who is going to be our John Galt? I don't know. All I know is this. He better show up before long, or Atlas Shrugged is going to turn into 1984.