Something to keep in mind when you vote in November!

Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn’t know this. It’s easy to check out, if you don’t believe it.  Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what’s what and it doesn’t matter whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts!!!
Social Security Cards up until the 1980s expressly stated the number and card were not to be used for identification purposes. Since nearly everyone in the United States now has a number, it became convenient to use it anyway and the message was removed.

Our Social Security 

1.) That participation in the Program would be 
Completely voluntary, 

No longer Voluntary 

2.) That the participants would only have to pay 
1% of the first $1,400 of their annual 
Incomes into the Program, 

Now 7.65% 
on the first $90,000 
  

3.) That the money the participants elected to put 
into the Program would be deductible from 
their income for tax purposes each year, 

No longer tax deductible 

4.) That the money the participants put into the 
independent ‘Trust Fund’ rather than into the 
general operating fund, and therefore, would 
only be used to fund the Social Security 
Retirement Program, and no other 
Government program, and, 

Under Johnson the money was moved to 
The General Fund and Spent 

5.) That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income. 

Under Clinton & Gore 
Up to 85% of your Social Security can be Taxed 

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are 
now receiving a Social Security check every month — 
and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of 
the money we paid to the Federal government to ‘put 
away’ — you may be interested in the following: 

A: That’s right! 

Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. 

Can American elections be bought?  I don’t mean in the traditional sense of buying votes and bribing people for their votes, I mean in the sense of raiding the US Treasury to give benefits to people in exchange for their votes.

That is the subject of an editorial in Friday’s Washington Examiner.  The Federal Reserve points out in a recent report that there are “widespread signs of deceleration” in our economy following a “burst” of growth in the last quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010.  The burst of growth was triggered by the Obama stimulus spending, unfortunately special interests like unions and public employees were the only people who were stimulated by the stimulus.  At the same time the government reports that Americans are spending less.  They are tightening their belts and hunkering down because they don’t know what will happen next. 

The editorial explains:

“According to the Heritage Foundation’s 2010 Index of Dependence on Government, the number of Americans receiving a government check jumped nearly 14 percent in 2009 – the largest single-year increase since 1970 and 49 percent higher than in 2001. In May, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reported that the portion of personal income Americans received from private sector paychecks declined to a record low of 41.9 percent, while income from government programs climbed 17.9 percent.   And with nearly half of American wage earners now paying no federal income taxes, the burden of increasing levels of government spending on housing, health care, welfare, education and other entitlements is being borne by a shrinking pool of taxpayers.”

The bottom line here is that more people have become dependent on the government while the number of jobs in the private sector is shrinking.  At the same time, fewer people are paying taxes and have any interest in what the tax rates are.  In plain English, as fewer people ‘have skin in the game’ in the rate of taxation, there is nothing to stop Congress from raising taxes on the people who do pay them.

The editorial mentioned a relevant quote:

“Alexis de Tocqueville prophetically warned, “The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public’s money.””

The question will be whether or not the public will agree to be bribed.

I hate writing about September 11.   It reminds me of things I would rather forget– my daughter who was living in lower Manhattan at the time and couldn’t get home from work, her friends who worked at Cantor-Fitzgerald who never came home at all, my nephew, working on the set of a television series in Brooklyn who watched the towers fall and wondered if his brother was in them (thankfully, he wasn’t), and finally, sitting in a friend’s house waiting for a phone call from her daughter who worked in the second tower.   That call never came.

It’s nine years later and where are we?  Our military family member is doing another tour in Afghanistan, having been there before and having seen Iraq.   Our National Security head refers to the events of September 11 as ‘man-made catastrophes.’   It hasn’t yet occurred to our government that we not only need to make the border of our country secure, we need to know who is coming across it.  The last two attempted terrorist attacks have been stopped due to sheer luck and incompetent terrorists.  And there are probably about the same number of people in the world who hate us and wish to do us harm as there were on September 10.  It’s just that on September 11, we became aware of them.

I don’t know how you deal with the terrorists (who seem to be Muslims) without offending in some way those Muslims who are not terrorists.  I suspect that when we dealt with the Germans in World War II by bombing Dresden we might have offended Germans who did not support Hitler.  However, had the Germans who did not support Hitler had the courage to remove him from office, that bombing would never had occurred.  You will notice that even after the horrific events of World War II, German is a contributing member to world society.  The ugly that was in their country in the 1930’s and 1940’s is gone (or at least not in control of the country).  Meanwhile, we have set up constitutions in both Iraq and Afghanistan that recognize Sharia Law.  Have we not learned anything?  First of all, Sharia Law and democracy are incompatible.  Second of all, do we as a free nation want to institutionalize discrimination against women.  We are supporting the ugly that gave us September 11.

As I remember the many people impacted by the events of September 11–both that day and since, I need to remember the sacrifices of the people who uphold our laws, protect our freedom, and help keep us safe.  The policemen and firemen who died that day and the military men and women who have served overseas since that day are our heroes.  We need to remember them today and every day and be thankful for the price they pay and have paid for our freedom.

Ed Morrissey at Hot Air posted an article yesterday about a statement by HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.  Evidently the Obama Administration is trying to combat the negative opinion that people have about Obamacare.  It is understandable that they would want to do this, but the method is a bit questionable.

According to the article, Ms. Sebelius stated that she would not allow insurance companies to blame any rate increases on the new law: 

“There will be zero tolerance for this type of misinformation and unjustified rate increases.

“Simply stated, we will not stand idly by as insurers blame their premium hikes and increased profits on the requirement that they provide consumers with basic protections.”

According to the article:

(In a letter  to the insurance lobby,) “she warned that bad actors may be excluded from new health insurance markets that will open in 2014 under the law. They’d lose out on a big pool of customers, as many as 30 million people nationwide.”

Please remember as you vote in November, that this is the face of the Democrat Administration we now have in office.  We cannot change who our President is until 2012, but we can elect a Congress that will hold him and his administration accountable. 

The Congressional Budget Office has already released numbers that show Obamacare will increase the cost of healthcare and health insurance.  Massachusetts, which has had statewide healthcare and health insurance since 2006, has had increases in health insurance premiums every year since the law was enacted.  Are the insurance supposed to lie about the cause of the increases in their premiums?

I have no problem with the Obama Administration claiming that the extra cost is worth it–I expect them to do that–it’s their signature legislature, but I do have a problem with their trying to muzzle anyone who dares to tell the truth.

Yesterday’s Washington Post reported that Capitol Hill employees owed $9.3 million in overdue taxes at the end of last year.  The article stated that 4 percent, of the 18,000 Hill workers owe money.

The article reported that:

“The average unpaid tax bill is $12,787 among the Senate’s delinquent taxpayers and $15,498 among those working in the House.”

I strongly suggest ‘you do not try this at home.’ 

The article further stated:

“IRS debt among government workers has surfaced repeatedly as a political issue over the years, most recently when Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) introduced legislation this year to fire federal workers who owe back taxes unless they have entered into a payment plan. Eight Republicans co-sponsored the bill. No Democrats have signed on, and some have said firings would reduce the government’s prospects of being paid.”

This is further evidence that we have created a ‘political class’–a group of people given the power to make laws but not having the obligation to live under the laws they create.  The President, Congress, and federal workers are not under Social Security.  Thus, where is their motivation to make sure it remains solvent?  Obamacare has all sorts of benefits to government workers that the rest of us will never see.  For the ordinary citizen, non-payment of taxes is a serious problem, leading to large fines and possible seizure of assets. 

The cure for this is simple.  First of all, term limits would force legislators to live under the laws they pass.  Secondly, it’s time to begin to consider carefully how you vote in November.  A vote for any Democrat is a vote to continue the perks of the ‘political class.’  It’s time to vote out the members of Congress who have been there for more than six years and start again. There are exceptions to this idea– Paul Ryan, and Eric Cantor are good examples.   I am sure there are others, but my point is to remind you to please vote carefully.

I don’t support the burning of the Koran by Reverend Terry Jones of Florida, but I find the protests from the Muslim world somewhat puzzling.

The Drudge Report posted a link to a 2007 article at associatedcontent.com about attacks on Christians in Gaza City after Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement defeated the Palestinian Authority. 

According to the article:

“Father Manuel Musallem, head of Gaza’s Latin church, told the AP that Muslims have ransacked, burned and looted a school and convent that are part of the Gaza Strip’s small Romany Catholic community. He told the AP that crosses were broken, damage was done to a statue of Jesus, and at the Rosary Sister School and nearby convent, prayer books were burned.”

The article further states:

“Father Musalam additionally told The Jerusalem Post that the Muslim gunmen used rocket-propeled grenades (RPGs) to blow through the doors of the church and school, before burning Bibles and destroying every cross they could get their hands on.

Again, I don’t support the burning of the Koran, but it seems to me that this whole ruckus is a little blown out of proportion.  Maybe we need to take a closer look at a religion that threatens violence against our country and its citizens if a person representing only himself exercises his right of free speech.  Meanwhile that religion is quite comfortable destroying churches, books, and artifacts from other religions.  (Remember the Taliban blowing up the Buddahs in Afghanistan in March of 2001.)

The recent history of Muslim crimes against Christians and Jews speaks for itself.  My question is simple, is Islam compatible with freedom?

In reporting on the unemployment figures released for last week, Bloomberg.com reported today that:

“For the latest reporting week, nine states didn’t file claims data to the Labor Department in Washington because of the federal holiday earlier this week, a Labor Department official told reporters. As a result, California and Virginia estimated their figures and the U.S. government estimated the other seven, the official said.”

So the statement that “applications for U.S. unemployment benefits declined more than forecast last week, easing concern that employers will accelerate firings as the world’s largest economy cools” is based on guesswork.  The real numbers are not in play.

Two questions.  Will the real numbers ever be published?  Why publish anything if you don’t have reliable information?  I am truly amazed at this report.

CNN Money is reporting today that many of the people who received the first-time homeowner tax credit will have to repay the government. 

The article reports:

“Those who bought properties during 2008 were to deduct, dollar for dollar, up to 10% of the home’s purchase price or $7,500, whichever was less. The catch: The money was a no-interest loan that had to be repaid within 15 years.

“Had they waited to buy until 2009, they could have gotten a much sweeter deal. Congress extended the credit and made it a refund rather than a loan.”

Wow.  Would I be mad if I had taken the credit in 2008!  It gets better.  The Inspector General is reporting that the Internal Revenue Service is having difficulty determining which taxpayers are under the 2008 program and are required to pay the money back and which taxpayers are under the 2009 program and not required to pay the money back.  Gee.  Organization is a wonderful thing.  Are you sure you want to turn your medical care over to these people? 

The article also mentions:

“The inspector general reported that 1,326 single people listed as dead by the Social Security Administration claimed more than $10 million in credits. The IRS threw out 528 of those 1,326 claims, saving $4 million.”

It is also reported that more than 4% of the 1.8 million homebuyers who received the credit, had incorrect purchase dates recorded by the IRS.  The mistakes on the purchase dates were in both years–some taxpayers would incorrectly be asked to pay back the tax credit and others would not be asked to pay it back when they should be.

The bottom line here is that the program is a mess.  Hopefully the Inspector General and the IRS can clean up the mess and sort out who owes what.  However, my heart goes out to the people who did not realize that they would have to pay the money back and did not plan to do that.  The bottom line here is that money from the government generally comes with conditions.

Today’s Wall Street Journal posted an article about President Obama’s recent efforts to rally the Democrat race before the November election.  I would like to comment at this point that I don’t think that Obama wants the Democrats to retain their majority after the November election.  If the Republicans succeed in shooting themselves in the foot and not gaining majorities at least in the House of Representatives in November, chances are that President Obama will be a one-term President.  If the Republicans win in November, it is possible that President Obama will serve two terms.  Why?  If the Democrats retain control of the House and Senate, the President has no one to blame for things that go wrong.  This man’s political stategy is to blame the other guy.

The article details the President’s plan to improve the economy:

“The speech was billed as a major policy address to kick-start a flagging economy. The president formally announced three proposals the White House had hinted were coming: $50 billion in infrastructure spending, expanding and making permanent the lapsed research tax credit for business, and a measure allowing businesses to write 100% of their investment costs off their taxes through 2011.” 

The speech also included attacks on the House Minority Leader, John A. Boehner (R., Ohio).  The President criticized the Republicans for opposing the administration’s economic plan.  In response, the Republicans have sought to emphasize, not dodge, their opposition to what they see as the failed policies of the Democrats. 

The article concludes:

“Asked why Republicans are pulling ahead of Democrats in current campaigns, Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a potential rival to Mr. Obama in 2012, said Republicans “in a very unified fashion have opposed bad policy. And the public appreciates it when a party fights against what it knows is bad policy.”” 

Sometimes ‘no’ is the right answer.

ABC News posted a story today on some statements made by Imam Faisal Abdul Rauf, described in the story as “a Muslim imam behind a proposed cultural center two blocks from New York’s Ground Zero.”  OK, right there I have problems.  The landing gear of one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center buildings fell through the roof and the building in question, causing it to be condemned.  Doesn’t that make it part of Ground Zero?  Next, cultural center?  What culture is that?  Is that the moderate Muslim culture or the Wahabi Muslim culture?  How do we know?

The article quotes Imam Rauf:

“If we move from that location, the story will be that the radicals have taken over the discourse,” Rauf told CNN. “The headlines in the Muslim world will be that Islam is under attack.

“There is a certain anger here [in America], no doubt,” he said later in the interview. “But if we don’t do this right, anger will explode in the Muslim world. If we don’t do things correctly, this crisis could become much bigger than the Danish cartoon crisis [over images depicting the Prophet Mohammed], which resulted in attacks on Danish embassies in various parts of the Muslim world. And we have a much bigger footprint in the Muslim world.”

This is a truly amazing statement.  It sounds remarkably like a threat.  Also in the interview, Imam Rauf voiced his displeasure over the Florida pastor who is burning the Koran, saying it would feed into the radical Muslims in the world.  Does anyone else see the road we are going down here?  If the Bibles are not burned because of fear of the ‘Muslim street’ and the Mosque is not moved because of fear of the ‘Muslim street’, are we not setting a precedent?  Notice that the Imam has no fear of American reaction to building the Mosque at Ground Zero.

I hope both the Pastor in Florida and the Imam will reconsider what they are doing.  Both actions create unnecessary strife.  If either one of these people truly wants to advance their (stated) cause, they need to reconsider their actions.  Both actions are a slap in the face to many innocent people who deserve better.

Pajamas Media posted an article yesterday by Christian Adams (a former Department of Justice attorney) concerning the enforcement of Section 8 of the “Motor Voter” law.

The article states:

“Motor Voter struck an important balance — it sought to increase voter registration, as well as ensure voter integrity. Welfare offices and motor vehicle offices became voter registration centers. But the law also required states to conduct list maintenance to ensure ineligible names don’t pollute the voting rolls. Dead people, ineligible felons, and people who moved away must be removed from the rolls by state election officials.”

The article further states:

“The decision of the Holder DOJ to ignore the integrity provisions of Section 8 is deliberate and corrupt. In November 2009, political appointee Julie Fernandes told the entire assembled DOJ Voting Section that the Obama administration would not enforce the list maintenance provisions of Section 8. Section 8 “doesn’t have anything to do with increasing minority turnout,” Fernandes said. “We don’t have any interest in enforcing that part of the law.” End of story.”

What does this mean to you and me?  Motor Voter provides a private right of action–Americans can bring lawsuits against states and voter registrars who are allowing dead and ineligible voters to taint the voter rolls.  I don’t know how many Americans are willing to do that, but there is also one other way to counter this problem (although not quite so direct) .  Voters need to vote out of office all people connected in any way to the Obama Administration–and do it by large enough majorities so that dead voters cannot make a difference. 

We need to vote Republican in November; then we need to hold the Republican’s feet to the fire to clean up some of the mess in the Obama Justice Department.  Remember, any vote for a Democrat is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid do not represent the views of America.  If you want to see Washington cleaned up, we need new people.  In all honesty, there are only about ten Congressman I would like to see re-elected.  The rest of them need to go!

As a teenager, I remember looking forward to the arrival of TIME Magazine into the house every week.  I was a rather typical teenager and was not necessarily aware of everything that was happening around me, but TIME was a way that I could read about some of the current events and the history behind them.  I was too naive back then to know if TIME had a bias (during the 1960’s), but either things have changed or I have become more aware.

The cover story on the September 13th issue of TIME Magazine is titled, “Why Israel Does Not Care About Peace.”  Scott Johnson at Power Line posted an article yesterday about this cover story.  According to Power LIne:

“(Karl) Vick (who wrote the article at TIME) argues that the Jews are so obsessed with making money that they don’t much care what happens in the future: “You see, Vick has discovered that the rather worldly Israelis, after stealing their land from Arabs, don’t much care for the hard negotiations that the Obama administration is now engaged in (‘big elemental thoughts’), not when it is a matter of — yes, making money[.]””

My initial reaction to that kind of thinking would be to say that Israel is not the one raining rockets down on innocent civilian populations, but Bret Stephens in yesterday’s Wall Street Journal (not linked–it is subscriber content) has a better reply:

“Nearly every Israeli has a child, sibling, boyfriend or parent in the army. Nearly every Israeli has been to the funeral of a fallen soldier, or a friend killed in a terrorist attack. Most Israeli homes and businesses come equipped with safe rooms or bomb shelters; every Israeli owns a gas mask. The whole country exists under the encroaching shadows of Hezbollah in Lebanon, Hamas in Gaza, and the prospect of a nuclear Iran. How many Americans, to say nothing of Europeans, can say the same about their own lives?

“Yet when it comes to scoring cheap shots against the Jewish state, Time is not the sort of magazine to allow the obvious to disturb a prejudiced hypothesis. Can the magazine point to equally pointed cover stories about internal Palestinian affairs and what, perchance, they mean for the peace process? I checked: It last did so in April 2002 with a largely sympathetic portrait of Yasser Arafat “All Boxed In” by an invading Israeli army.”

I am really sorry to see TIME Magazine go down the path of anti-Semitism.  I have fond memories of the magazine from my youth. 

Today’s Washington Post posted a story about the closing of the last major GE factory making ordinary incandescent light bulbs in the United States.  The remaining 200 employees at the plant will lose their jobs.  Incandescent light bulbs have been a target of the ‘global warming’ movement and will not be sold legally by 2014.

The article reports:

“Rather than setting off a boom in the U.S. manufacture of replacement lights, the leading replacement lights are compact fluorescents, or CFLs, which are made almost entirely overseas, mostly in China.”

Whoops.  The irony here is that CFLs were developed by American engineers in the 1970s, but because they require more hand labor to manufacture, none of the major brands make CFLs in the United States–labor is cheaper overseas. 

The article also reports:

“The company (GE) developed a plan to see what it would take to retrofit a plant that makes traditional incandescents into one that makes CFLs. Even with a $40 million investment and automation, the disparity in wages and other factors made it uneconomical. The new plant’s CFLs would have cost about 50 percent more than those from China, GE officials said.”

What the article does not mention is the fact that breaking a CFL bulb has complications.  According to the Environmental Protection Agency these are the steps to be taken after breaking a CFL bulb:

Before cleanup: air out the room

Cleanup steps for:

• Hard surfaces
• Carpeting or rug
• Clothing, bedding and other soft materials

Disposal of cleanup materials

Future cleaning of carpeting or rug: air out the room during and after vacuuming

Do you really believe that the majority of Americans will be aware of or follow these directions?  I may be out in left field here, but I suspect the accidental breakage and improper disposal of CFLs will do far more damage to the environment that continuing to use incandescent bulbs would ever do.

Today’s Boston Globe posted an article by Jeff Jacoby on the race in the Fourth Congressional District in Massachusetts.  This is the District currently represented by Barney Frank.  Representative Frank has been in office since 1980.   There are both Republican and Democrat Party primaries in the Fourth Congressional District this year.  In the Democrat Primary, Rachel E. Brown is running against Barney Frank.  It is interesting that according to WKYC.com:

“Questioned at a town hall last year about the “Nazi policy” of health care reform, Frank told the speaker who made the comment that talking to her was “like talking to a dining room table.”

“Fast forward to this year and the questioner, Rachel Brown, is challenging the 15-term Democrat’s re-election bid.”

I like that.  Congratulations to a lady with spunk!

In the Republican primary, Sean Bielat is running against Earl Sholley.  Earl Sholley has run unsuccessfully for the State Senate four times.  He is in his 60’s.  Sean Bielat is the favorite in the primary. 

The article in the Boston Globe reports:

“Bielat is a whip-smart 35-year-old Marine, a successful business manager, and a first-time candidate for Congress out to topple the 29-year incumbent whom many consider the face of liberal Washington arrogance.”

Sean Bielat represents the political journey of a lot of people in Massachusetts.  The Globe reports:

“…he’s a former Democrat: As a Georgetown undergrad in the mid-1990s, he interned at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee in Washington. But his views shifted — slowly at first, during four years of active duty in the Marines (he remains a major in the Marine Corps Reserve), then more decisively at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard.”

At the Kennedy School, he began his journey toward conservatism.  He found himself debating the accepted ideas at the School and forming his own political philosophy. 

The article concludes:

“Issues aside, it would be hard to imagine an incumbent and challenger more dissimilar in style and personality than Frank and Bielat. The incumbent is a political lifer; the challenger believes in political turnover (“two or three terms, then up or out”). The incumbent is notoriously peevish and rude; the challenger is sunny and courteous. The incumbent prides himself on not suffering fools gladly; the challenger knows that he can learn even from people he disagrees with.”

If you are interested in bringing financial sanity to Washington (whether or not that is possible is probably fodder for about twenty more posts!) and ending the reign of Nancy Pelosi, I strongly suggest a vote for Sean Bielat in the Republican Primary and in the General Election.  Barney Frank has been in Washington too long and is responsible for too much damage to all Americans by his actions regarding Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  If you believe America can recover financially from the current recession, vote for Sean Bielat.

The Kansas City Star posted an article on Saturday about the Taliban’s attempts to reimpose Sharia Law on Afghanistan.

According to the article:

“President Hamid Karzai is under pressure from the Ulema Council of Afghanistan, the religious body composed of the clerics and preachers from across the country.  They see the implementation of Sharia (Islamic law) as a way to stop the growing insurgency in the country.  They seek bans on some programs run on some private TV channels, and during an intense parliamentary debate this year, many members called to non-Afghan serials aired on those channels un-Islamic.

“Early in August, more than 300 members of the council called on Karzai to revive Islamic punishments such as stoning, amputation and execution for various crimes.  Islamic clerics have deep influence in the traditionally conservative Afghan society.”

There are a few things in play here.  One of the things I learned when I recently attended an information seminar regarding terrorism was the relationship between Sharia Law and democracy.  In Islam, democracy must yield to Sharia Law.  To support democracy over Sharia Law is in violation of ‘true’ Islam.  The Council wants Sharia Law because it is part of their practice of Islam (also because it puts them in control).  They cannot, in the context of their interpretation of Islam, accept democracy as law.  The Council is essentially on the same side as the Taliban.

One example of what is happening is cited in the article:

“Mohammed Tariq was looking after his uncle’s music shop one recent afternoon when two bearded men with turbans pulled up on a motorcycle to deliver an ominous warning.

“”Where is your uncle?” one of the armed men demanded of the 14-year-old boy. “Tell him to shut down this shop. If he doesn’t, we will blow it up.””

The owner of the shop cleared the music cassettes from the shelves and stopped selling them.

This is thuggery in the name of religion.  There are Afghans who love music and regard it as part of their culture.  If they remain free to enjoy music, we may have a hope of bringing peace and freedom to Afghanistan.  Otherwise, we are trying to establish stability while our supposed allies are attempting to make sure they rule with an iron fist.  It doesn’t sound promising.

Today’s Jerusalem Post posted an article today about the peace talks Washington is hosting between Israel and the Palestinians.

First of all, if you have read this blog for a while, you have heard my favorite quote regarding the Palestinians:

“Walid Shoebat, a former PLO terrorist has stated, “Why is it that on June 4th 1967 I was a Jordanian and overnight I became a Palestinian?””

The ‘Palestinians’ made no claims to any of the land they now swear is theirs while that land was in the hands of Egypt and Jordan. 

Anyway, the Jerusalem Post reports:

“Just four days after meeting with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday threatened again that the Palestinians will pull out of the direct talks if the construction freeze in the settlements, due to expire later this month, is not extended.”

Later in the article:

“Abbas said that he made his position clear to US President Barack Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Netanyahu during last week’s launch of the direct talks in Washington.

“Abbas stressed that he would not make any concessions to Israel.”

So why are we having these negotiations?  Israel refuses to ban building in its own capital city (would we put a ban on building in Washington to pacify another country?), and President Abbas says if you don’t stop building, and give me the 1967 borders, I’m not negotiating.  What is the world is that?

The Palestinian state that now exists is a failed state.  Any money received from a well-meaning international community goes to rockets and weapons–not to infrastructure.  The economy is run on a ‘favoritism’ basis–if you know the right people and do the right thing, you prosper.  It is not unlike Chicago under Al Capone.

Again, President Abbas,  if you truly want peace, acknowledge Israel’s right to exist, stop teaching hate to your children, prosper your country within the boundaries you have, and stop sending rockets into the civilian population of Israel.  The land you have now prospered when the Israelis ran it–there were greenhouses and other ways for people to make a living.  If you are not willing to work to build the land you now how into a viable state, give it back to Israel–do not simply assume you are entitled to more of their land.

This article was written by Ann Green, one of the participants in the Marlboro Labor Day Parade yesterday.  Ann was part of the group supporting Marty Lamb.

This year getting angry isn’t enough.  Listening to political soul-mates on talk radio isn’t enough.  This year even voting isn’t enough.  Neither is it a good idea to use the Scott Brown “miracle” as an excuse to sit back and hope that lightening strikes twice or to look at encouraging polls and become complacent.  It’s time to leave your political comfort zone and get involved.

I’ll leave it to other columnists to elaborate on how much is at stake this year; this is a call to action.  In Massachusetts, we have the dishonor of having a complete contingent of left wing to far left wing Democrat congressmen (and one woman).  They have helped bring us endless spending and entitlement programs, soaring unemployment rates, socialized medicine, self-destructive foreign policy, the inequitable treatment of our ally Israel, and suicidal tactics for dealing with terror threats and porous borders.  Those concerned about an obesity problem in this country need look no further than the increasingly corpulent federal government. 

My congressman Barney Frank has been in office for almost 30 years.  Like many in government, he has never held a private sector job.  He lives in a fantasy land where his constituents are a lower form of human, failed programs like his pets Freddie and Fannie can be propped up by an endless supply of government funding, defense spending is the only spending that can be cut, and all Republicans are greedy, evil and racist.  He recently told a group of Young Democrats to “give us more authority.” 

In honor of July 4^th this year I reread the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.  These documents make it very clear that the overriding goal of the Founding Fathers was to restrict the power of government over the states and the individual.  “Governments are instituted among men,” the Declaration states, “Deriving their just powers from the Consent of the Governed.”  The preface to the Bill of Rights goes further: “The Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added.”  The focus is not on what rights people have, but on what the government cannot do, a critical distinction.  The ship of state has sailed way off course.

Certainly you’ll vote.  But you can do so much more.  Research the candidates in your state and congressional district if you don’t already know who to vote for, and pick up the phone.  Call the campaign office and ask what they need.  You can donate money.  It doesn’t have to be a lot; if a lot of people donate a little, it will add up to a lot.  Help raise money.  Respond to blog posts and news articles with brief, fact-based (no name-calling!) comments which support your candidate and include contact information.  Write letters to the editor in the local paper.  Put up a yard sign and slap a bumper sticker on your car; name recognition is key for challengers and new faces.  Make phone calls.  Hold a “meet and greet.”  Hold signs for your candidate at public events and on primary and election day.  Work in the campaign office.  Stuff mailboxes with campaign literature.  Volunteer to drive people to the polls for the primary and for the final election. 

For the first time in my life, I’m more than superficially involved in a campaign, two in fact.  I’m working for Sean Bielat, a Marine and businessman who is running against Frank, and Marty Lamb, a close friend, attorney and small businessman who is running against Jim McGovern in the 3^rd  Massachusetts district. 

The Founders never envisioned a ruling class of legislators-for-life. We voters are the only ones who can return our nation to the one envisioned by the Founders, a United States governed by citizen legislators who, after a short term in office, return to their families and to their private sector jobs.  Ask yourself, what would Thomas Jefferson do?

John Hinderaker at Power Line posted an article yesterday about the Florida church’s plan to burn the Quran.  He made some very interesting points that I had overlooked.

Although Mr. Hinderaker agrees with General Petraeus’ statement that burning the Quran is a bad idea and will cost American lives, he wonders, “Still, is it not highly problematic when a senior military officer warns American citizens against exercising their undoubted First Amendment rights?” 

The article points out:

“What gives rise to this dilemma, of course, is the fanaticism of radical Muslims, who have, indeed, responded violently to real or perceived slights to their religion. There is no parallel phenomenon with other religions. The Taliban blew up ancient statues of Buddha without worrying for a moment that Buddhists would react violently. Saudi Arabia destroys Bibles as a matter of policy, but it never occurs to the Saudis to fear mobs of rampaging Christians–or even Congressional disfavor in this mostly-Christian nation.” 

Mr. Hinderaker is a lawyer and sees this event from a lawyer’s perspective:

“Radical Muslims want to establish a zone of protection around Islam that insulates it against the critiques to which everything else–not just other religions–is subject. If that isn’t the laying of an important foundation stone of sharia, what is it? And if there is one religion that is uniquely exempted from scrutiny or criticism, is it absurd to say that that religion is “established” in the constitutional sense?”

Mr. Hinderaker concludes:

“In the end, our way of life is simply incompatible with the precepts of radical Islam. There is no way to reconcile the two. Rather than start down the road of self-censorship, our government officials, including the military, should stand up for American freedoms.

“Finally, an interesting question: how is this controversy similar to, and different from, that over the Ground Zero Mosque? Both involve actions that private citizens have a right to take, but arguably shouldn’t. It is a worthwhile comparison, but that is a post for another day.”

I think the church in question is doing something very foolish.  They might be making a point, but they are putting American lives at risk.  However, this discussion is further proof that freedom and extreme Islam are not compatible.  If the goal of the extreme Muslims is to set up a worldwide caliphate, what better way to start than to begin to limit the freedom of speech and expression in ‘free’ countries?  Because of the actions of a few overzealous church goers in Florida, we are opening the door to that possibility.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that General Petraeus has stated that the planned burning of Qurans on Sept. 11 by a small Florida church could put the lives of American troops in danger and damage the war effort.  I totally agree.

The article reports:

“Hundreds of Afghans attended a demonstration in Kabul on Monday to protest the plans of Florida pastor Terry Jones, who has said he will burn copies of Islam’s holy book to mark the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Afghan protesters chanted “death to America,” and speakers called on the U.S. to withdraw its troops. Some protesters threw rocks at a passing military convoy.”

Burning Qurans is simply not smart or constructive at this time.  Admittedly, the current wave of terrorism seems to be rooted in extreme Islam, but burning Qurans is not the way to solve the problem. 

Unfortunately, the church involved has other ideas:

“Mr. Jones, head of the 50-member Dove World Outreach Center in Gainesville, Fla., said in a statement that “We understand the General’s concerns. We are sure that his concerns are legitimate.” Nonetheless, he added, “We must send a clear message to the radical element of Islam. We will no longer be controlled and dominated by their fears and threats.””

Do they understand that they are putting American soldiers in danger?  I realize that there is some overreaction on the part of some Muslims to anything they consider a slight against Islam.  I am not saying we should give in to that, but I think we have to think about the consequences of our own actions.  Until the moderate Muslims take over the religion of Islam, there are going to be certain problem areas.  I recently watched the South Park episode that involved Mohammed where Comedy Central cut a few frames out of the show because they did not want to offend Muslims.  I did notice that they have not done that for any other group.  I also do not regard it as a coincidence that the Times Square bomber was planning to set off his bomb close to the offices of Viacom, the parent company of Comedy Central. 

I think we need to let our military deal with the problem of militant Islam.  We need to be vigilant as citizens, but we don’t need to stir up the pot–the pot is stirred up enough already.

During the end of August, I visited California for a family reunion and some time with my daughter and granddaughters.  During that time I drove through the Central Valley, formerly the breadbasket of the world.  What I saw was disturbing.  Farmers in California have been denied access to a major water supply (to protect a type of fish) by a judge citing the Endangered Species Act. 

An article at Newsbusters in March of 2009 stated:

“Farmers don’t have access to this water that runs right through the center of their farmland.  It is being allocated to the delta smelt, a little fish protected by the Endangered Species Act.  Conservations say the smelt are dying in the irrigation pumps, so a judge ruled they must be shut off for much of the growing season.”

A letter to the editor at the Herald and News in July 2009 stated:

“Thousands of people have also become unemployed or lost the ability to farm, which adversely affects both local and national economies.

“In addition to the California drought, there has been court-ordered protection of a 2-inch smelt fish that has stopped the pumping of water from the delta that is necessary for agriculture in central California. If it is listed as an endangered species, it’s likely that California agriculture, which supplies a third of the nation’s food supply, will be permanently changed.”

Needless to say, there is some serious anger on the part of the farmers about the water shut-off.

These are some of the signs we saw driving north on our way to a family reunion in Santa Rosa.  As food prices rise and we import more food from China, I hope some of our leaders at various levels see the folly of this policy.  We drove through miles and miles of dust bowl where there used to crops that fed people and provided jobs.  It was sad.

Now for the real reason for the trip to California!

I hope everyone had a good summer.  Now it’s time to get back to work and elect the leaders that will bring prosperity and jobs back to America.

It was a beautiful day for a parade.  There was a great turnout, and everyone there had a good time!

The Hill posted an article yesterday stating, “Labor groups will be invited to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to talk about an alarming shortfall in state employee pension plans that some believe could lead to a new government bailout.”  Just what we need–another bailout.  The article also pointed out that nearly half of all union members work in the public sector.

Well, I decided to take a look at how unions spend some of their money.

According to Heritage.org:

“The union movement spends much of this money on politics. In election year 2008, AFSCME spent $63 million on political campaigning and lobbying. That was 32 percent of its overall budget and well more than the $39 million it spent representing its members.[4] In 2009, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) spent $29 million on representational activities and $47 million on political campaigning and lobbying.[5] The amount spent on politics represented 25 percent of the AFL-CIO’s budget.[6] The AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) just announced their intention to spend $100 million on electing sympathetic candidates in this year’s midterm elections.[7]“

Footnotes in the above paragraph:

4.  U.S. Department of Labor, “Office of Labor-Management Standards,” AFSCME National Headquarters LM-2 Report, 2008, File No. 000-289. Database at http://www.unionreports.gov(August 26, 2010).

5.  U.S. Department of Labor, “Office of Labor-Management Standards,” AFL-CIO National Headquarters LM-2 Report, 2009, File No. 000-106. Database at http://www.unionreports.gov(August 26, 2010).

6.  Ibid. The AFL-CIO national headquarters spent $189.5 million in 2009.

7.  Sam Stein, “Major Unions Pooling Resources for $100 Million 2010 Effort,” The Huffington Post, August 25, 2010, at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/25/major-unions-pooling-reso_n_693940.html (August 26, 2010).

Just for the record, AFSCME is the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.  Don’t you think that the $63 million they spent on campaigning in 2008 might have helped their pension fund?  Why should the American taxpayer have to bailout a pension fund for a union that spent its money on pollitics (to elect people who would support the American taxpayer bailing out their pension fund)? 

It’s time for a change.  It’s time for a mental readjustment.  We need to get back to the point where people were actually responsible for their actions and had to face the consequences.  We cannot continually bail out people who have spent their money for something other than their financial responsibilites.  We need to make sure pensions in the public sector are in line with pensions in the private sector.  Working for the government should not put you on the gravy train for life.  We have to begin acting like grown-ups (horrors!).

It is no surprise that the majority of the union money spent on politics goes to the Democrats.  The union leadership has taken out massive bank loans (see rightwinggranny.com article of September 3) to try to prevent a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives this November.  Why?  How many Republicans have voted for bailouts?

If you are interested in fiscal sanity, you need to vote Republican in November.  Any vote for a Democrat is a vote for Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  As long as they are the Congressional leaders, the runaway spending will continue.  If our country is to survive in a form that we recognize, the Democrats need to be voted out of office this year.  Even at that, they may do considerable damage during a lame duck session (Cap and Trade, increased taxes, and card check have been discussed as possibilities), but if Republicans take the House, they can undo some of the damage to our economy.

For one idea showing how to restore fiscal sanity to the government, visit the website for Paul Ryan’s Roadmap.  There are a number of good ideas to balance the budget out there.  This is one of them.  Please study the issues and vote carefully!

Yes, I oppose the building of a mosque at Ground Zero.  I consider the building in question part of Ground Zero because some of the landing gear from one of the planes involved in the attack landed on the roof of the building and damaged the top two floors of the building.  That said, I will support the building of a mosque at Ground Zero as soon as Saudi Arabia, Iran, Dubai, and other countries in the Middle East allow the construction and operation of Christian Churches in their countries.  The street goes both ways.

Today’s New York Post posted an article on its website about the purchase of the building where the mosque at Ground Zero is planned.  The building had been owned by the Pomerantz family since the late 1960’s.  New York developer Kevin Glodek offered $18 million cash for the building in 2007. 

According to the article:

“Glodek and his partners wanted to build a 60-story condo tower with retail space on the Park Place site, had inked a purchase agreement and even had keys to the existing building, according to sources and documents obtained by The Post.”

Then at the end of 2007, Kukiko Mitani, whose late husband, Stephen Pomerantz, owned the property, went silent and the deal disappeared.  Prospective mosque builder Sharif El-Gamal paid $4.8 million for the property (sweetening the deal by offering a job as a property manager to Sethian Pomerantz, a son of the family).

The article states:

“Neither Mitani nor El-Gamal responded to requests for comment.”

I have no idea what actually went on here, but it does look a little odd.

The American Thinker posted an article yesterday on what has happened to the complaint against the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) filed with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) by the Right To Work Foundation. 

According to the article:

“…To meet their ambitious fundraising targets, Service Employees International Union bosses are now threatening to fine any local affiliate that doesn’t meet its PAC contribution requirements.

“The only problem with this racket is that FEC guidelines explicitly prohibit organizations from collecting PAC funds by threatening members with financial reprisals.  SEIU bosses aren’t exactly hiding their intentions, either–they actually wrote this fundraising provision into the union’s constitution at their annual convention.”

How did they avoid legal problems even though they were doing something illegal?  The article explains:

“Although the FEC dismissed the Foundation’s complaint in April, Foundation attorneys were only notified of the decision 23 days after the fact. Adding insult to injury, the FEC finally got around to releasing the reasoning behind its dismissal in August, 111 days after the original decision was made.

“Coincidentally, all FEC appeals must be filed within 60 days of any ruling.  By delaying its announcement and only releasing its reasoning until well after the window period had expired, the FEC effectively made it impossible to appeal the decision to federal court.”

What is this really about?  Why is the SEIU willing to break the laws regarding campaign funds in order to elect Democrats?  It’s about money (I guess it usually is).  Card Check would take the secret ballot out of unionization of companies and force companies into collective bargaining very quickly.  Increased membership by the unions would shore up an underfunded pension fund that the taxpayers may have to bail out eventually anyway.  The Obama Administration showed the unions favoritism in the Chrysler bankruptcy deal when it paid back unions before preferred stockholders.  By funding Democrat campaigns, the unions can be sure that their thuggery and illegal activities will be overlooked.

If you care to support continuing union thuggery, vote Democrat in November.  Even if you feel that your candidate is above this sort of behavior, as soon as an elected Democrat votes for Nancy Pelosi in the House of Representatives or Harry Reid in the Senate as their leaders, they are endorsing a continuation of this sort of behavior.

The Democrats will try to buy the election in November because their poll numbers are so low.  Don’t be fooled by glitzy adds and smear campaigns, check everything you hear.  Do your own research and draw your own conclusions.  Happy voting.

It has been said that Jews are the canary in the coal mine of western civilization. When they start to be abused and mistreated, it is a sign that a poisonous atmosphere has developed that threatens all of society.

John Hinderaker posted an article at Power Line yesterday expressing concern about the rise of anti-Semitism in Europe.  Part of the problem is that Europe has a growing Muslim population that has not assimilated into the European culture.  Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is part of that particular Muslim culture. 

However, anti-Semitism in Europe is not totally a Muslim thing.  On Thursdday, Karel De Gucht, the European trade commissioner, was interviewed on a Belgian radio station.  This is an account of the interview:

“On Thursday, with the Middle East peace process in the news, Mr. De Gucht picked yet another fight. Jews, he told Belgian radio, have a “belief” that they are “always right.” He described his frustration at debating the Middle East because “it is not easy even with a moderate Jew to have a conversation.”

“He continued: “Don’t underestimate the power of the Jewish lobby in the capital. That is best organized lobby in the states. And they have an influence on politicians, Republicans and Democrats.””

This is his apology, issued later:

“I gave an interview yesterday to the Flemish radio. I was also asked about the Middle East peace talks. I gave my personal point of view. I regret that the comments that I made have been interpreted in a sense that I did not intend. I did not mean in any possible way to cause offense or stigmatize the Jewish Community. I want to make clear that anti-Semitism has no place in today’s world and is fundamentally against our European values.”

I am sorry he believes that Israel is so difficult to deal with.  When Hezbollah stockpiles weapons in southern Lebanon under the watchful eye of the United Nations, hiding them in residential areas so that Israel would have to kill civilians to destroy the weapons (see Boston.com today) and kassam rockets are launched into Sderot, Israel, from Gaza on a regular basis, Israel has a right to be concerned about her security.  When many of her neighbors have pledged to ‘drive her into the sea’, Israel has a right to be concerned about her security.  When one of her neighbors wants to claim half of her capital city as their capital, Israel has a right to be concerned about her security.

Anti-Semitism is not a healthy thing.  All problems are not the fault of the Jews–that was the kind of logic that Hitler used.  All of us need to be careful not to fall into that trap.