"The most important election of our lifetime"

"The most important election of our lifetime"...we hear this every Presidential election from both Democrats and Republicans as they regurgitate all the standard election year talking points. But the more I look at the state of this country, the more I believe THIS IS the most important election of our life time.

1/ The National Debt - This is the most important problem facing this nation, yet the least understood by the average American.  We can understand what a billion dollars is because we read about "billionaires" like Bill Gates and Warren Buffet every day (although 99.99% of us will never experience being a billionaire). But how many Americans can even comprehend a "trillion" dollars? That's 1000 billion folks...hard to comprehend isn't it? Starting with President Bush, out of control spending has resulted in a US national debt that will approach $16 trillion this year and most of our leaders, especially our President, do not seem to have a clue, much less the desire to address this problem. Why?  Because this is an election year when politicians are only interested in protecting their job and will do nothing that might cause pain to their constituents. But believe me, at this point there is no way to solve this problem without pain. 

And sadly the "pain" may be inherited by our children and grandchildren.


2/ The Entitlement Society - This is really the redistribution of income from the "payers" to the "takers". The US has always been a compassionate country; religious organizations and ordinary citizens have always led the effort to take care of people in need. But the "takers" are approaching a majority in this country - 42 million on food stamps, two years unemployment insurance, subsidized housing, free college education, school breakfast lunch and dinner, welfare that can make you rich if you have enough children, free government supplied cell phone and minutes....etc. I could go on. Don't classify me as a "right wing radical", I do feel the "unfortunate" in this country should be taken care of, but they should also be given an opportunity to improve themselves by hard work and by given the freedom to make their own way.

"Ask not what your country can do for you..." those famous words by John Kennedy have long since been forgotten in the Democratic philosophy. Barack Obama's campaign slogan should be: "Ask what the government can do for you". The Democrats know that an "entitlement society" is necessary to keep them in power or they would quickly become irrelevant. Many of these entitlement programs sadly just keep poor people "on the Democratic plantation".

There is also a very important side issue connected to the move toward becoming an entitlement society - this country is broke.  I keep being reminded of Margaret Thatcher's famous quote; "The problem with Socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people's money".

3/ Government control and regulations - A recent report by the House Government Oversight and Reform Committee says the Obama administration has imposed 75 new major regulations costing more than $380 billion over ten years. To be fair, I have done some research and during the last two years of the Bush administration, they began the "tsunami" of regulations that is stifling freedom, especially for small businesses that create most of the new jobs. We all agree that some government regulation is required but it is out of control.

Here is a small example: The Department of Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade (yes that's their name), has almost 500 employees that regulate and approve wine labels. And they are now considering the requirement to add "serving facts" that would list fat content, calories, carbohydrates, and protein data on wine labels. They recently rejected a label by a local Paso Robles winery because the wine was to be called "Antidote", which the regulators said had a "curative claim", while at the same time signing off on a label from an Illinois winery called "Liquid Panty Remover"...that's funny. But sadly these government wine label "regulators" probably make more money and get better pensions than 90% of all winery workers in the US, and they produce nothing.

But among all new regulations Obamacare is the "poster child" for government control. God help us if the Supreme Court finds it legal.


4/  The Supreme Court - Few people pay attention to this, but it is another very big issue in this important election. Several liberal Supreme Court judges are old, and the next President could appoint as many as two new judges. With a Republican President and Congress we have the opportunity to remake this as a Court that will go back to following the Constitution as the Founders intended. If Obama is reelected and can somehow increase the liberal majority on the court, in my opinion we will slowly become a socialist country with a long term prognosis of disaster.

If Republicans hold the House and take the Senate, they can stop much of the new regulations and hopefully slow down the disastrous deficit and entitlement spending, but they will not be able to repeal Obamacare (if it is found to be legal), and will not be able to nominate judges to the Court. For many of us, this Republican primary has been disappointing - not very impressive candidates; they spend their time attacking each other instead of the target - Obama and his policies. But it's time to "consolidate our forces" and get ready to attack. In my opinion, Santorum and Gingrich are just mucking things up and neither would be a good President, or have a chance against Obama. Mitt Romney may not be our first choice, but with the right VP, he has the best chance of beating Obama, which is the only thing that matters in this election.

"Mr. Bluster"

OK I'm dating myself again, unless you're 65 or older you will not recognize this picture. It is a puppet called "Mr. Bluster" from the Howdy Doody show, popular in the late forties/ early fifties. Maybe it would be best to look back at one of my older Blogs first;
http://chuckiedspeaks.blogspot.com/2010/06/its-howdy-doody-time.html

In that previous Blog I talked about the Obama "puppet" show and wondered who was pulling the strings. Well for you geezers that read this Blog, you will remember that Mr. Bluster on the Howdy Doody show was the "caricature" of a politician. Talk, talk but saying nothing. And if you don't remember Bluster, how about "Foghorn Leghorn" in the old Sylvester cartoons.

To round out the cast of the Obama "puppet show" we have our own "Mr Bluster". This Mr. Bluster has hair plugs and is known affectionately by our military as "Joe Bite Me".

If there was ever a caricature of a politician it is Joe Biden. The Obama administration has announced that they are now in campaign mode and have sent the "gaff machine" out to get things rolling.  This guy is the gift that keeps on giving to us Conservatives. During his first big parade this St. Patrick's day in Pittsburgh, home of the working man (and Biden's home state), he was loudly booed by many in the crowd...ouch.

But incredibly this VP thinks he is something special. Most people are not aware that "Joe Bluster" ran for President way back in 1988 but dropped out when it was revealed he plagiarized a speech from an English (Socialist) politician. And after that he was found to have used parts of speeches from several politicians including Robert Kennedy. His "gaffs" are famous, just Google it.

But today he outdid himself with the following quote: "Obama's mission to kill Bin Laden was the most 'audacious plan' in 500 years.” As one commentator put it today:  "That puts it above the D-Day invasion of Normandy in 1944, the surprise landing at Inchon in 1950 that turned the tide of the Korean War or, going back a bit further, George Washington's daring night-time crossing of the Delaware River before the Battle of Trenton in 1776."  The "gaff machine" keeps on giving.


But sadly Biden is more than a caricature; he is everything that represents the low 12% rating of Congress along with the many incompetent so-called leaders in DC. It is a sad commentary on the American voter that we allow this kind of  politician to rise to the level of VP of this country and be one heartbeat from being our President.

Although here is some food for thought - could "Joe Bite Me" do any worse than  Barack Obama?

St. Patricks Day "Black and Tan"

For several years I have tried to make a true "Black and Tan"; traditional beer cocktail for Saint Patrick's Day celebrations. For those that don't know what a Black and Tan is; it's a mixture of a light pale ale and Guinness, a dark, heavy Irish ale. The beauty of this beer cocktail is the "looks". If properly done the light pale ale stays at the bottom and the heavy Guinness stays at the top.

If you Google it you will get dozens of suggestions for making it - take it from me they don't work. Here is the basic recipe - pour about 2/3 glass of the pale ale then slowly (over a spoon) pour the Guinness which being heavier will float on top, I have tried and tried and the two always mix together.  Even my "pro bartender" grandson couldn't do it during his visit on St Pat day last year.

But I finally figured it out this year. First get the Guinness and Bass English Pale Ale. Prepare the glass, get the spoon ready. Mix yourself a double martini (two olives). In the beer glass pour about 2/3 of the pale ale. Then put on your favorite Opera CD. Take a sip of the martini (maybe two). Now very carefully pour the Guinness over a spoon on the pale ale so that the two don't mix as shown in the picture (but they always do, the picture is Photo shopped).

So to celebrate this day, listen to the opera, drink your martini and as a chaser have the Bass Ale/ Guinness mix and tell everyone you are a "Black and Tan" expert.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day everyone. 

The "I's" have it..

'Narcissism'; a doctrine that individual self-interest is the actual motive of all conscious action.

Maybe it's me, but does it bother you that Obama uses the word "I" in most of his speeches? Yesterday I watched him in a news conference with David Cameron, Prime Minister of England.  On the subject of Iran, Obama made the following comments: "I will never let Iran develop a nuclear bomb", and after that: "If they do not stop I will take action".  If you listen to his speeches about being the President that took down Bin Laden you would think that he was the first one out of that helicopter and personally put a bullet through Bin Laden's heart.

Yes, he is the President and the "buck stops there", but does he really believe that? I don't see him taking responsibility for anything; "It was George Bush's fault", "The economy was much worse than I thought", "I can't do anything about high gas prices", etc.

I wonder what his staff, his Cabinet, his supporters in Congress, his military leaders, think about his inability to use the word "we"?

Maybe this is a rant, but "I' think he is a narcissist of the worse kind that cannot stand for anyone else to get credit but himself. Someone once said; "To be a truly successful leader, surround yourself with talented managers, give them some direction, and then back off and get out of their way".  Having been a CEO of successful companies, I could never have used the word "I" because remembering all the great employees I was surrounded with over the years, "we" were the reason for success.      

"It's the Contraception stupid"

"It's the economy stupid" was a phrase attributed to James Carville and used by Bill Clinton in his successful 1992 presidential campaign against George H.W. Bush. If Barack Obama tried to use that slogan during this election campaign he would lose in a landslide. So his campaign needs a new slogan; how about: "It's the contraception stupid"

Stupid? No, actually clever. The national debt will be $16 trillion this year, 14 million Americans are unemployed, 42 million Americans are on food stamps, home foreclosures are higher than any time in history, and gas is approaching $5/gallon. With all of these serious problems in our economy, the Democrats and complicit main stream media have succeeded in getting the "free contraception" debate front and center.

But the debate has nothing to do with free contraception and everything to do with freedom and government control. Why should I pay for the lifestyle decisions of someone else? The argument is that it is "a women's health issue". First of all any woman can go to the local Planned Parenthood office and get all the contraception she needs (and Planned Parenthood is subsidized to the tune of $450 million annually by the American taxpayers). But let's say it is a health issue and the government should pay for it. I need to go to a health club because of health issues, should the government pay my dues?

But again, the issue is not "contraception", it is government control, more and more of it. This entitlement mentality is growing like a cancer in this country, and we simply do not have the money to pay for it. Originally it was school lunches, then school breakfast and lunch, and now in some states school breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And it didn't stop there, now thanks to Michelle Obama the schools are being told WHAT to put in those meals. What ever happened to personal responsibility, whether it is seeing that your children are fed or buying your own contraception?

But the clever Democrats have again managed to divert the argument to this stupid issue of mandated free contraception. I never thought I would say this but James Carville and Bill Clinton were right; "It is the economy stupid".