This is an Impressive Ad!

This is an Impressive ad, I think it is safe to say that this is going to be a a hotly contested election!

I think there may be a few Catholics that are more aware of the stakes due to ObamaCare

A Rant that YouTube Wouldn't Allow Me to Post

I just watched a favorite posting on YouTube. What blew me away was the following comment made by a poster to the site. I tried to comment on his insanity but the site didn't let me post. The poster used the id of [jdrobertstri] and here is what he posted.

Yes, i believe in all those values. I got sick over the eight Bush years of the tyranny of Wall St., the expansion of federal government, the contempt for the middle class, the stupid military decisions wasting lives and treasure. That's why I voted for Obama.
I think George Washington would agree. And Thomas Jefferson would be no friend of Dick Cheney, believe you me.

Here is my reponse to Robert.

Wake up! You speak of the "the expansion of federal government". What do you think the Stimulus Bill, ObamaCare, Auto Industry takeover, and now the Wall Street takeover. I suppose I probably shouldn't bring up the fact that the deficit under Obama has MORE THAN TRIPLED!!!

Next you mention "the contempt for the middle class". Here is a quote for you that demonstrates "CONTEMPT AND DISDAN"; This statement was made at a fundraiser for RICH CALIFORNIANS about the Pennsylvanian middle class.

"...they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations."

Following that you speak of "stupid military decisions wasting lives and treasure." Let us consider the stupidity of how Obama handles the military as we watch all the dear sacrifice in Iraq and Afganistan get flushed away by a man who arrogantly dressed down the advice of his serving Generals. This is the man who has brought TERRORISTS to our heartland to be tried with all the rights and privileges of our citizens!

And then you have the audacity to say, "That's why I voted for Obama." Dude! Wake up and open your eyes! You are dreaming and it appears you think it is a good dream. Sadly, it is a NIGHTMARE for the rest of us liberty loving patriots!

And if that wasn't enough you go on to say, that "I think George Washington would agree." ARE YOU KIDDING?!?!?! Obama is a similar type of tyrant that George Washington was fighting against. King George was TAXING and curtailing the liberties of the colonies, that is the reason for the original Boston Tea Party. Open a real history book for once in your life and READ!

You compound you ignorance by stating "Thomas Jefferson would be no friend of Dick Cheney, believe you me." Let us consider Thomas Jefferson. He once stated,

"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Here are a few quotes of Cheney's to compare:

"Direct threats require decisive action. "

"There comes a time when deceit and defiance must be seen for what they are. At that point, a gathering danger must be directly confronted. At that point, we must show that beyond our resolutions is actual resolve."

"We must be prepared to face our responsibilities and be willing to use force if necessary."

If you aren't convinced try these quote from dear old Tom!

"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."

"Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty."

In the end it is clear to any student of history and especially that period of time in which our Great Nation was concieved of and brought forth, that there is a strong likelihood that Dick and Tom would have been friends than the other way around. You are yet again wrong in your assertions. So forgive me if I soundly state that I DO NOT BELIEVE YOU!

As a parting shot I simply state that you are not paying attention to the policies of Barrack "Insane" Obama.

An Excellent Discourse on Life, Liberty and Property

This video presentation is the best explanation of what our founding fathers meant by their insertion of "Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness," into the Declaration of Independence.

Furthermore, it was plainly understood by those who ratified the Constitution that "happiness" was the pursuit of "property". If you disagree with t...his assertion try this historical resolution that was adopted in the Article I of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, which was adopted UNANIMOUSLY by the Virginia Convention of Delegates on June 12, 1776. and written by George Mason, is:

"That all men are by nature equally free and independent, and have certain
inherent rights, of which, when they enter into a state of society, they cannot,
by any compact, deprive or divest their posterity; namely, the enjoyment of life
and liberty, with the means of acquiring and possessing property, and pursuing
and obtaining happiness and safety."

Clearly the men who wrote the Constitution understood the importance of property. Sadly the theift of property is the name of the "Socialize Everything" Crowd at the head of the Government.

I had several responses that I believe added to the facebook thread and its value:

Brandon Koller: That sentence would denote not that happiness = property, but
that each person should have the means to gain adequate property to support
one's happiness.

John Royce: I believe it more accurately put that one is free to purse to the
extent they are able the means to gain adequate property to support one's
happiness.

Paul Cargile: Furthermore, owning property insures freedom.

At the end of this is the concept that property is somehow critical to freedom. This is a simple assertion that holds great power if you care to do a bit of digging into the connections between Life, Liberty (Freedom) and Property.

The Problem with Senators...

As many of you know I call my wayward junior Senator on a monthly basis to express my disappointment with whatever it is he is doing wrong this month. Well in true clueless electronic fashion Mark’s has sent out a form letter that completely ignores the core issues I brought to his staff's attention.

I called to express a concern that the current bill was going to bankrupt us and to make it absolutely clear I opposed the PUBLIC OPTION that has since been added to the bill. Yet in true democratic form, ignoring the hewn cry, form around the nation, by educated and concerned doctors and citizens. However, this is a representative republic so I understand the insanity that is going on in Washington at break neck paces, bad pun intended. In the Democrats rush to prevent the people from discovering the truly horrific nature of this PUBLIC OPTION, lies a the clearest evidence that this has little to with health care and much to do with the insanity of their desire to limit personal liberties and freedoms..

Below is the form letter, followed by my response to his form letter, not that he will ever bother to listen to his constitution-loving constituents.

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October 27, 2009

Dear Mr. Royce: Thank you for contacting me about insurance and health care reform. I appreciate you taking time to share your thoughts regarding plans in Congress to address the complex issues of insurance and health care costs. I believe health care should be accessible and affordable for all Americans. The need for insurance and health care reform is great. Medical costs are out of control and now tie up one-sixth of the national economy. More than 133,000 Alaskans are uninsured - nearly 20 percent of our population. The cost of their uncompensated care is passed on to those with insurance. This means Alaska families, on average, pay an additional $1,900 a year in premium costs due to this "hidden tax" and insurance premiums for individuals are $710 higher than they should be. Health insurance reform would provide Americans the security of:

• No discrimination for pre-existing conditions,


• No exorbitant out-of-pocket expenses, deductibles or co-pays,


• No cost-sharing for preventative care,


• No dropping of coverage for seriously ill,


• No gender discrimination,


• No annual or lifetime caps on coverage,


• Children continue to be eligible for family coverage through age 26,


• Insurance can't refuse renewal because someone became sick.

Health care insurance reform is essential for small businesses. Even a middle-of the-road version of health reform could save America's small businesses $800 billion over the next 10 years - money that can be used to innovate, increase productivity, hire more workers and pay better wages. There has been great progress towards a solution on insurance and health care reform. Three committees in the House of Representatives came together to introduce combined legislation. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the Senate Finance Committees have passed their bills. Senate leadership is currently merging the two Senate bills to produce a version to bring before the full Senate. Again, thank you for contacting me. I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to make health care affordable, and will keep your comments in mind as I do so.

Sincerely, Mark Begich U.S.
Senator

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Honorable Senator Begich (and fellow Toastmaster), While I agree that there a problems that need to be addressed with the system. I STRONGLY DISAGREE with the PUBLIC OPTION! It is always a BAD FINANCIAL decision to employ government! It is always a BAD LIBERTY decision to employ government! What is called for is LESS GOVERNMENT, not more! Your last term as mayor is a perfect example that you could choose to profit from experientially. Consider the long-term contracts that have now burdened the city, (and I am a biased commentator as I am an IBEW member). They have saddled the current set of city leaders with the inescapable necessity of layoffs. That is due in no small part to your choice to enter into a more government solution to the situation. Yes, anytime you increase wages to a government employee; regardless of the overall number of jobs (unless you reduce the total number of employees sufficiently to account for the increased costs,) you are engaging in a big government solution. I know you are philosophically interested in "helping the little guy" as you see the situation. However, in this case your "help" is costing the little guy his job. In this economy it is always better to have a job albeit underpaying than no job. Your actions have hurt the economy as well because with each individual who gets laid off it decreases the amount of public sector disposable income that gets transferred back to the private sector. The transfer is to be understood as money that was originally removed, (by means of implicate threat,) from the private sector that is now returning in a much skewed fashion. You speak admirably of the need to reduce the cost of health care and I am sure you believe what you say. However, it is this very PUBLIC OPTION that you are advancing that is going to have the chilling effect upon the overall effectiveness of what is without argument the best health care money can buy. This is why so many foreign nationals come to the United States to receive the “latest care techniques”. Your blind party allegiance is not "helping the little guy". It is quite simple the reason the "little guy", like myself is in trouble in the first place. Think for a minute what would happen if I had an additional 10K in disposable income through out the year, without the corresponding increase in "legalized plunder" from the governments both local and federal. Would I need the free lunch program for my 5 children? Would I need a subsidy to buy milk? Would I need assistance with my heating bill in the winter? Would a subsidy be needed to help me winterize and improve the energy rating of my house? The answer to every one of those questions in my family's case is NO. Sir, I STRONGLY DISAGREE with your insistence that the PUBLIC OPTION is to my families benefit. Regardless of the "savings" in the short-term it is a destructive system that will only deliver long-term increases in cost and decreases in service. I have seen what rampant inflation does, when I lived in the Ukraine in the post Soviet era, and it is crippling! That is not a non sequitur, either, because when government runs out of funds to pay for an entitlement program it has two choices, stop the program or print more money. When the government runs into difficulty paying for this PUBLIC OPTION which the GAO and other agency reports have clearly shown it will. What will be Washington's response?

Senator, you and I both know that Washington's wheels will empower the Federal Reserve to print more Dollars which will only decrease the value of existing Dollars. Increasing the overall cost of healthcare purchased with those dollars. This is the unintended consequences of your best intentions of "helping out" with medical costs is a devalued US Dollar, which will more and more resemble the currency used within the popular board game Monopoly. This will spiral a little more out of control with every “good intentioned helping hand” offered to assist “the little guy”. The net result is decrease in the affordability of the goods and services we take for granted in this the Greatest Nation ever to rise from the myriad mists of history. Your job as a Senator is to look at the TRUE LONG-TERM COSTS, not the political short-term needs of any one ethically challenged political colleague, regardless of their status within your chosen political party. Remember you ran saying you were a man of principle compared to Uncle Ted. The only question now is: Are you going to live up to that promise or are you going to play politics as usual. I urge you to BE A REAL MEN OF PRINCIPLE, who STANDS FOR TRUE LIBERTY, as our Founding Fathers envisioned it! Sincerely an Annoyed Constitution-loving, Union Member and Independent Super-Voter, John Royce

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Yes this was a long post, the moral of which is call and write your Senators and Representative(s), regardless of your perceived effectiveness. It is our sacred responsibility to utilize our dearly purchased freedoms to maintain the cause of LIBERTY!

Time to Get Back to Work!

I have a diverse set of correspondence that I keep across many political boundaries, due to my belief that we can "agree to disagree" as Oliver North was so fond of saying.

Anyway some might think that based upon my questioning of President-elect Obama's birth certificate that I would be angry or devastated by the outcome of yesterday's election. You would be correct in the assumption that I am not happy to see a socialist at best and possibly even a Marxist elected to the Presidency of the United States. Yet the reality is that if I had not lived in the former Soviet Republic of the Ukraine I would likely have succumb to his infectious rhetoric and platitudes. However, knowing that a man who walks and talks redistributionism is in reality an American Soviet. Thus, I was not fooled. But that is a discussion for another day. The purpose of this post is to address a feeling that I have incountered on several discussion boards today that can be summarized by the following post:

The United States was born of rebellion. The United States will be born again by rebellion. Benjamin Franklin cries out to pick up our arms and cleanse this land of tyrants. The time for talk is nearing an end.

Anglo-Saxon culture, conservative Christian culture, and the Republic must survive at all costs. We the people must rise up and crush the abomination which is the United States of America. We have become a monster that King George on his worst day could have never imagined. The beast must fall lest it devour us all!

This is a very impassioned view of the current political realities that many of the individuals who our President-elect Obama maligned for "clinging to God and their guns." He was wrong to adopt that view as I believe those who believe a second revolution is needed at this point. I will detail why I feel this way in the response I posted to counter my anonymous friend.

I am a Patriot to the core. I am a Constitutionalists in my political stance. However, I do not believe that now is the time for blood spoken of by Ben Franklin! I believe that now is the time for the approach suggested by Newt Gingrich's American Solutions.

If the nation ever revokes the Constitution that will be the day that we as true patriots will be called upon for the use that the second amendment was established to protect and defend this free nation. Until that day we have a peaceful framework within to work out our differences. And furthermore it is our DUTY AS PATRIOTS to utilize that framework to our nation's greatest benefit.

Therefore, I say we rally to the cause of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness; for our God, our Country and our Families! We must stand united in purpose and engage our ideological adversaries and persuade them with long suffering that the cause in which we find ourselves is just. That my fellow conservative Americans is what we must do.

We must honor the founders and their vision. We must fight the good fight each day and be logical and passionate in our defense of Life and Liberty. If we do so the Pursuit of Happiness is assured to all. Not it is the pursuit not the guarantee of such a state.

We have a long battle ahead of us. Educate your children to be Constitutionally literate. Furthermore, help the to become astute and savvily aware of the lures and lies that are used to promote the corrosive socialistic influences that are always present in a society. And most important is to help them recognize the REALITY of our situation. Idealism is important but becoming an ideologue is deadly in all its forms as it removes the ability for an individual to speak to one another.

All that needs to be done for evil to prevail is that good men do nothing -- Edmund Burke