The Fine and Very Qualified

I wrote a posting a while back called “A Fine, Unqualified” with a simple premise. I compared the qualifications of our current President with previous Presidents (going back as far as Teddy Roosevelt).  There was a different posting I had planned that I had planned on calling “2 Years Later” but didn’t. Why? As fast as I felt things couldn’t get any stranger, they did get stranger to a point of disbelief. Are we REALLY hearing the things that we thought we heard? We know what we heard and can’t believe what was said. So that posting has been delayed since I’m not sure how I want to put this out.

Fast forward to this week. While the moderator was not so great, my belief is that America (in particular, Conservatives) got its first glance at some of the Republican candidates for the 2012 nomination. The televised debates gave me some decent insight into the candidates. As a whole, the candidates were considerate and made their points well. Then it hit me, why don’t I do a posting and call it “The Fine and Very Qualified” about the Republicans who (at this time) are actually running for President. The list will break down what each did up to this point.

The list is in alphabetical order:

Michele Bachmann- Three years ago, I had no idea who she was. Now if life goes the way I think, I may be moving to her state. As the vision of TARP and “ObamaCare” became reality, she was one of the earliest and loudest opponents. Pro-Life, Constitutional conservative and leader by example. It was her who brought “Gangster Government” to the masses. She became one of the early faces of the modern Tea Party. She by training is a tax attorney, earning both a JD and LL.M degree. Elected to State or Federal office since 2000. First Republican Woman elected to the US House from Minnesota (from what I understand, the state is fairly liberal). If all else fails, she beats Franken in 2014. She and her husband are also business owners.

http://bachmann.house.gov/; http://www.michelebachmann.com/  

Herman Cain- I heard Herman Cain years back but didn’t really appreciate how brilliant this man is. This man was a ballistics expert in the Navy, an business executive with some very respected companies (e.g., Burger King, Coca-Cola), made a failing pizza chain profitable in 14 months (Godfather’s Pizza) and former Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Chairman and Board member.  He has also served in leadership in various industry associations. By training, he is a mathematician and computer scientist. As you can see, Cain was ahead of the game as it relates to Health Care reform as the video shows below (if you never saw this, you need to look. He’s putting the math skills to work. This video is a MUST SEE):

http://people.forbes.com/profile/herman-cain/2151; http://www.hermancain.com/

Newt Gingrich- Like Cain, he is from Georgia. He served 20 years in political office and served as the Speaker. He was part of the “Contract with America” movement, which tried to make government small and more open. Thrice divorced, 30 years ago he could never have been elected. For some, this could be a deal breaker.

 http://www.newt.org/get-involved-now

 Ron Paul- This is one guy I can honestly say I’m not sure how to read him. Libertarian, not Conservative and there is a difference. On one hand, he’s a strong pro-lifer, pro second amendment and fiscally conservative. On the other hand, he was against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (felt it wasn’t needed) and for legalizing drugs (specifically marijuana). Doctor by training and over 10 years experience in elected office.

http://www.ronpaul.org/; http://www.ronpaul.com/welcome.php;

Tim Pawlenty- Like Bachmann, he is also from Minnesota. He served 2 terms as Governor and served in the Minnesota House (replacing Jesse Ventura in both positions). By training, he is an attorney (his wife was a Judge) but did start his political career not long after getting his law degree.  Problem- he did vote for a form of Cap and Trade, which he eventually rejected. Also served at State and local level politics.

http://www.timpawlenty.com/; http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=10512

Mitt Romney- Lengthy consulting and venture capital career before elected office. Like Cain, he lead a failing business (Bain & Company) and brought it back to profitability. CEO of the Salt Lake City Olympic committee. Served 1 term as Governor of Massachusetts. Problem- RomneyCare, which he will REALLY need to sell conservatives on him not doing that if elected President (you think after HillaryCare some would know better ). By training, Romney has an MBA and JD. Father was the Governor of Michigan.

http://www.mittromney.com/; http://www.whorunsgov.com/Profiles/Mitt_Romney

Rick Santorum- Served as US Senator for 12 years and in the US House for 4 years.  Socially and fiscally conservative. By training, he also holds a JD and MBA, having worked as an attorney, providing  strategic and business counseling, Senior Fellow with the Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington, D.C.  

http://www.ricksantorum12.com/; http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=s000059

Now my original premise from “Unqualified” was to something about past Presidents. They ALL had length experiences in at least one of three areas: military, government office (elected or appointed), or business. You take a good look at this list, you will see that each candidate had experience in at least 2 of these areas I mentioned. All of these people have not only advanced degrees but the experiences in their given areas they studied. All except Cain had finished at least 1 term in Federal office. All but Gingrich spent some time in business. Paul is the only Doctor of the current candidates. Romney is a second Generation Governor (although in a different state than his Dad). Santorum and Gingrich both have solid experience in public policy. Bachmann is well versed in tax law.

All of these people spoke clearly on what they believe. Each one during the recent debate was civil towards each other candidates. No name calling or trying to talking over each other. This was a simple but honest debate. These candidates really need to be looked at closely. The stakes are too high. If one of these people doesn’t get elected in 2012, the United States could (no WILL) face some SERIOUS repercussions such as all the taxes in ObamaCare. The 2012 election is vital since this is the way we can at least slow this madness down. At the very least, we stall the implementation of ObamaCare and its related taxes until 2014. Then in 2014, we get conservative voices in the Senate and then undo all the damage this administration has done. Now is the time to find the very conservative voice that sadly, the GOP has silenced (see former US Senator Peter Fitzgerald if you doubt me).  Please friends, pay CLOSE attention. Know who you’re voting for. Know where they stand and stand with those who speak your convictions.

 

 

Schoolhouse Rock: The Political Version

I''ve been trying to put together some stuff on what I've observed. That's still a work in progress and hope to get this right. I decided I'll put this fresh post on hold and decided to go another direction. Some of us can remember Schoolhouse Rock, a cartoon that actually was intended to be educational (while making sure the kids didn't realize it was trying to do so). Over the last 20 years or so, I have noticed that cartoons have become nothing short of an idiotfest. Hey, I'll give Emperor's New Groove and Lilo and Stich. Heck, I'll even admit to gettinf up to watch "The Terrible Thunderlizards" a while back (loved "Doc", Cutter & Squat were also good). Where's George of the Jungle & Hong Kong Phoeey when we need them? I mean some of these cartoons are just plain:
- stupid (think Ren & Stimpy)
- annoying or at least cartoons where kids probably shouldn't be watching (think South Park).
- so-so remakes (think Batman & Spiderman; Batman is actually pretty good but I think Spiderman is a bit weird without the 1960's music playing).
- just plain WEIRD (think Spunge Bob).

I decided to post some videos than may bring back some good memories. As I put these together, I know they brought back some for me. My only question is why did cartoons like these are no longer being made? As someone who can't draw very well, I might be the wrong candidate. So I decided to post a few of these classics, all of which focus on political history (in one way shape or form). I hope you enjoy them.





I think this video is VERY appropriate for this day. Did anyone think that when this was done, our country would be in the mess it's in now:




This might have been one I liked the most (has a Harry Chapin flavor)




What happened when our Founders fought back? What did we get? No more King!!

Love My Liberal Friends

I have to show some love my liberal friends!! Why? Well, God commands me to do so no matter how much I don’t agree with them. Sometimes, though, I am almost ready to jump out of my skin when I hear them speak. I might even go this far to question if they REALLY believe what they’re saying. Some of the stuff gets me to the point of having to read comments multiple times just to make sure I read what I read.



Now come on you might say. Could it REALLY be that bad? It couldn’t have been that far off base, could it? You can judge for yourself (and I COULDN’T make these up):

Scenario #1: Let’s add a tax on all alcoholic drinks of 5%. This would be regardless if it were bought in a restaurant or in the store (in other words, a selective food tax). The proposal would, in theory, raise about $90 Million dollars in revenue for schools. After watching some communications among others, I noticed an interesting trend. Of those who were for this tax, none of them drank alcohol (I no longer do). That’s my first problem with this. My second issue is that even with all the money this could raise, what’s to make me (and them for that matter) believe the money will go where it was intended to go? None- you can’t do it. Our leaders have proven that with how medicare, medicaid and social security were squandered.


Scenario #2: Person has been without health insurance for almost 12 years. Yet they think Obamacare will help them. What he doesn’t realize is that the best case scenario is that initially, his issue will be covered. Eventually, a condition won’t be covered. The best case I’ve heard on Obamacare is that at first, it will be good but within 2-3 years, the monster rears its ugly head. That’s where things get dicey because the resources will be less than they once were. I have yet to hear one person in the medical profession say this Obamacare will work. It hasn’t worked elsewhere (without half you income or more going to pay for it). So many diseases that could have been treated but weren't? Why? Resources were exhausted.

Scenario #3: Let’s reform banks. Let’s tell them how to do business. Tell them they can’t charge “A”, “B”, or “C” for anything. The problem is that the intentions were good (I’ll be generous) but the results are bad. For example, overdraft will now have fees where previously they didn’t (other than an annual fee and interest). Free checking? At this rate, that's going to be like a pink elephant.


Scenario #4: The Patriot Act. They hated the thought of Internet and phone conversations being monitored was wrong. On on side, I knew that could cross some sensitive boundaries. On the other side, our country is at war and I have nothing to hide. People were mad about having to remove their shoes before boarding a plane. That's the worst thing ever. People went through the roof with the Patriot Act. Yet now, we have FULL BODY SCANNERS in airports where the image can be made clearly (especially if you've see the negatives). Not to mention a FULL BODY PAT DOWN of any passenger using the SAME GLOVES with each inspection? So much for sanitation and disease prevention.

Scenario #5: "Stimulus" will prevent unemployment from going over 8% and then eventually drop back. Wrong and wrong. In 2008, unemployment was just under 7% but now hovering around 10%. "Stimulus" will help the economy. Wrong again. In 2008 despite 2 active wars, debt to GDP (gross domestic product) was at 65%. At the rate this adminstration is going, US debt/GDP will eclipse 100% and Obamacare hasn't even been factored in yet.

I don't want to keep rattling off my frustrations. All we can do is stop what has been put into motion then undo it. I HOPE my friends who tend to be more liberal will understand that all this "change" will push the US off the cliff. Quit punishing people for taking a risk and being successful. Liberal thinkers have as some call a "soft tyrrany" and don't even know it yet. Let's hope they wake up before it's too late. I can only try to tell them that the modern form of liberalism is not good. It takes from the liberty and freedom from the very people they think they're helping.

Revisiting Squanto

I won't rehash what I wrote last year. What am I thankful for? My wonderful family and friends. Good health. A great country and the God that made this nation possible. I thankful for all the people past and present that makes this nation great. Squanto was such as man.

The more I read about this man, the more I noticed a parallel with another great American, Fredrick Douglass. They lives, while separated by over 200 years, went down similar paths. Both were sold into slavery, and both were instrumental in our nations history. It was Douglass who had interaction with Lincoln led to the end of slavery. It was Squanto who came over with John Smith after being taken captive. In a nutshell, did anyone ever wonder how a people from England could communicate with an indigenous people? I addressed than in the previous article. What make me upset is where rich history like this is being ignored. People really miss the real story behind a great men and women in US history. It's up to me and people who agree with this article's premise to bring this history to life.

This was the post I did last year.
http://johnduncanspage.blogspot.com/2009/11/story-of-thanksgiving-modified.html

This is an article I found on him:
http://www.workersforjesus.com/f25-14.htm

I hope you enjoyed this little review of a prior post. Have a blessed and wonderful Thanksgiving!!!! Mine will be spend with my parents and extended family members. Football isn't the only reason to enjoy Thanksgiving but a very small reason. Give thanks for life, loved ones, friends, and being able to live in the greatest country in the world. Yes, I said this earlier but it's worth mentioning again.


PS-
New England over Detroit (no more than 10)
New Orleans over Dallas (no less than 14; if you eat late, this is the game you might be able to take a nice nap).

A Fine, Unqualified: The Sequal

A while back, I posted "A Fine Unqualified" discussing President Obama is unqualified to be President. The title was inspired when I heard a Pastor mentioning the we now have "a fine...qualified...African-American named Barack Obama" running for President (this was said during the primaries just before he took the lead). Now for the record, I don't hate the President (I do pray for him). I've never met him. The gist of that posting was simple. The intent was to look at our President and the qualifications of those before him. If you check it out, I explained that there were three areas where past Presidents had some lengthy experience which prepared them for office- those areas being military, business and government (via appointment or election). Each area is connected to the other two, some ways moreso than others. For example, as an elected or appointed official, you set the policies that could help business or assure the security of this nation. My feeling is that compared to past Presidents, President Obama's experiences in these areas doesn't come close to those before him.

Now, I am going to provide examples of how he's acted incompetently. An elected official make decisions that result one way (good) or or another (not good or none at all). One such example is the oil spill in Louisiana. By all accounts, that was a fluke. Sadly, many people lost their lives on this rig. What got me was the response. I am a BIG fan of Bobby Jindal, who I hope will run for President one day (if he keeps doing what he's doing). Days after, Governor Jindal wanted to get the oil spill cleaned up and actually had a plan to get it done. If you want an example of his leadership, do an engine search of his name and Hurricane Gustav and see what you find. Only one problem with this oil spill. Jindal could do nothing because it happened in the Gulf of Mexico, which is under federal control. The EPA and the White House did NOTHING but point a finger at BP. Governor Jindal faced being placed in jail if he took matters in his own hands (skimmers and other resouces to control the oil flow and stop futher spreading). Domestic and foreign vessels were ready and waiting to come help in the Gulf. One problem- President Obama refused to lift the Jones Act (preventing foreign ships operating in U.S. Territorial waters). Governor Jindal didn't speak about blaming BP because that wasn't imporatant at the time. Former President Clinton even said that emphasis of blaming BP was not the correct thing to do at that time (stop the oil from spreading, stop the leak, etc). As it relates to fault, former President Clinton said there would be a time to address that. What resulted? Over 100 days , oil spread from Louisiana to Florida, wetlands and wildlife ruined, and what's worse is that those people who could have been of help were basically ignored. What's the real shame here? A Hollywood actor (Kevin Kosner) had a solution before the leader of the free world (1). OK. Set up a fund to help the people of the Gulf. OK. Fine BP. OK. Punish BP? Check your 401k or other retirement accounts after that happened.

Here's a clip early on and other videos relating to this subject. This is an example of leadership (aka "get out of the way"): (2)


Forget about the fact that he's never run a state, platoon or business for a minute. Louis Farrakhan said something that was very interesting. Even he saw something didn't add up. While I agree with VERY little of what he says, he did make a very strong point. He asked "who selected a Junior Senate, who barely got his foot whet in the US Senate, and made him that he (from that position) could become President" of the United States (3)? VERY good question to ask. The example I mentioned here is just one. Other than running for office, what did President Obama do to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. The clip is below so you may hear what was said (he addressed a few things and you might catch some of this as curious but even HE asked a question; the quote I mentioned comes in about 1:30 mark):



How about bank/financial reform? The hope was to make banking more fair for all customers. On paper and in theory, it's not a bad idea. Here's the problem. Banks will make it up revenue in other ways from where they did before. For example, I went to my bank one day because I needed to address my overdraft protection (I did have a small balance at the time). There was either a $25.00 annual fee (it was waived if I didn't have an overdraft balance by anniversary date). I decided to keep the overdraft mainly because I used that account more as a back up. I was informed by the bank that for EACH OVERDRAFT PAID, I would be charged $34.00 to cover the payment. Now think about this (and this happens to people every so often). You go to the store, make a series of purchases, and make a mistake where your balance goes below $0.00 (for some it happens more than others). The last purchase that put you under balance was that $15.00 pizza you picked up nights before.

Before this "reform", you'd have the overdraft as a safety net, pay off the balance and all was well. Now, your $15.00 pizza just cost you $50.00 when it's said and done with an overdraft. I can't imagine trying to get credit or a loan un this "reform" as it's so called. Did I mention that banks were FORCED to make loans to people who couldn't afford to pay them. They used race as the culprit, saying minorities were being denied loans because of race. While there were some cases where that was true (if we're brutally honest), others were just not qualified to pay that loan off. The Community Reinvestment Act (4) has great intentions but somewhere down the road, someone twitsted. Now, what's the result? Mass foreclosures. Oh, did I mention the number of banks failures this year? From January 5 through March 26, 2010, a total of 40 banks failed alone. What's worse is that that number exceeds the number of failed banks (a total of 24) from June 25, 2004 (none failed from that date until February 2, 2007). The list has grow as this year has gone forward (5).  

Now health care. Several LARGE companies announced 2011 charge-offs due to the Health Care Reform bill passed. Among them are Boeing, AK Steel, 3M (you'll see more later), John Deere, Verizon and Catapiller. So much for making insurance cheaper and being able to keep your Doctors. In fact, two of these companies announced charge offs the day after it was passed. Fast forward a few months after and people are now trying to find out what coverage can be purchased, how much it will cost and what exactly will it cover. I am still a bit concerned about our Presidents comments about "go home and take a pill" as a "solution" for coverage. Fast forward to September 23, 2010- I hear people angry about how their rates went UP, anywhere between 15-30% (and in some cases, covering less than what they had before).  That's not all sadly. More large companies are either ending coverage or dramatically changed for all current employees and retirees. More companies may follow the examples below. Thnk I'm kidding? Here are some examples below:
a. McDonalds considering not to offer health care coverage to its 30,000 employees (6). Think about this. One of the most profitable companies on the planet not being able to offer health insurance to its people. Does that sound odd? I know for a fact the McDonalds has (or at least had) very good benefits (having known some people who worked for them).
b. In less than 7 days after this, 3M announces changes to retirees benefits plans. Not to mention that several Health Care providers have discontinued "Child Only" coverage plans (7).

What inspired me to close here is a woman named Velma Hart and sportscaster Steven A Smith. How is she? She is the woman who went to a CNBC Town Hall meeting and said that she was tired of defending the Obama Administration. These clips will set the table on how I feel:

Velma Hart at Town Hall (8)


Steven A Smith & Mark Levin on 2 segments (9):


About 1 year ago (10),


President Obama and this Democratic legislative majority passed a stimulus and said that unemployment rate would stop at 8% and steadily drop. He also mentioned that we would control spending. Well, as it stands now, unemployment is still hovering around 9.7% and the GDP/Debt ratio JUMPED to 98% (11), both numbers nearly doubled from 10 years prior. Our stock markets are coming back. Yes, there was a big jump in the Dow & NASDAQ. The problem is the average daily volumes are much lower than moving averages. A 5-10% drop would be bad enough but 25% (seen August to September), not good. The closer a stock stays to its average, the more stable things are (lower average means the money isn't flowing in and the obvious buyers aren't buying). I think the markets will be ok to end 2010 but 2011, should the policies this administration put into place aren't stop, things can get very ugly. Gold is at over $1300/ounce (some think it could reach $2000 or more in 2011- only time will tell us what happens).

I hate to be negative here but I'm only telling you what I see. Do you see the same thing I'm seeing? Why is it that people are missing here? Is this an illusion? I hate to think Americans still think all of this "hope and change has (and actually will) work. I only reflect on comments made by Velma Hart and Steven A Smith (listed above). They represent a growing number of people who see this Trojan horse for what it is. Mrs Hart asked a simple question- "is this my new reality"- for her and for America while we're at it. Steven A Smith dealt with the issues very directly. While he is best known as a sportscaster, he has a basic understanding of what's going on now (I think the videos prove it). Bill Clinton, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton among many who said he wasn't ready for the job. They tried to warn America but failed to listen (let's remember that the Clinton tried to do this National Health Care back in the 1990's but Republicans managed to stop it). They saw what Hannity and others saw and most of America failed to heed their warning. The next 22 days have a level of importance that many understand but some don't. We have not only the opportunity but the duty to remove the people who put these policies in place. If the powers that be remain there, the examples I mentioned are only the tip of the iceberg and the American society is the Titanic. Any questions? I didn't think so.

1. "BP oil spill: Kevin Costner's oil-water separation machines help with clean-up", Guardian.co.uk, June 16, 2010  http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jun/16/kevin-costner-oil-spill-machines
2. "CNN: Bobby Jindal Press Conference video", June 1, 2010, taken from MoxNewsDotCom's YouTube page.
3. "We Count" Conference", March 20, 2010, moderated by Tavis Smiley, taken from Keywiki YouTube page http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Zw-1Eu4v_g
4. "Community Reinvestmet Act" taken fromthe Federal Financial Institution Economic; Council: http://www.ffiec.gov/cra/
5.  "FDIC Failed Bank List" taken from the FDIC Internet site, http://www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/failed/banklist.html
6. "McDonald's Says it May Drop Health Plan", Janet Adamy, Wall Street Journal Online, September 30, 2010: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703431604575522413101063070.html
7. "The Emerging Obamacare Massacre", David Hogberg, Inverstors Business Daily Online, Octobor 4, 2010: http://blogs.investors.com/capitalhill/index.php/home/35-politicsinvesting/2108-the-emerging-obamacare-massacre
8. "CNBC Town Hall Meeting", September 20, 2010, taken from GordonWayneWatts YouTube page.
9.  "Mark Levin Show audio", July 1, 2010 radio segment, taken from the MrTimotheus85 YouTube pge.
10. "Mark Levin Show audio", September, 2009 radio interview segment, taken from theWelovesarahpalin YouTube page.
11. "The Worlds Biggest Debtor Nations", Paul Tuscano; September 30, 2010; CNBC Internet site, http://www.cnbc.com/id/30308959/The_World_s_Biggest_Debtor_Nations