I am America’s Unintended Consequences

                I am a twenty year old woman in Los Angeles.  I go to school during the day, and since being laid off of my part time job at the bank I joined a friend I met at a party doing private dancing and the occasional “call girl” activities that have allowed me to put enough money away that I can pay next semester’s tuition.  I don’t have a pimp, I’m not a drug user, I just have found a very lucrative way to pay for my needs while I get my degree in structural engineering.  My parents don’t know it, but my cousin does…you see she does the same thing in Pahrump, NV.  She works at a legal brothel, getting paid to do what I do, only she pays taxes, gets multiple drug and HIV tests throughout the year…and she doesn’t risk getting arrested for it.  I require condoms, and I pay for my own HIV test twice a year, however my clients aren’t screened, I don’t have security outside my room and I might get arrested one day if I am not sure my client isn’t an undercover cop.  The law is to protect society…but it only makes my activities illegal and puts my life in danger.  If it was legal, and someone started a brothel in Los Angeles, I would work there…but as it stands, I take my chances.  Do I have to be a call girl?  No, but I don’t have to go to school either…I made a decision and I have a plan for my future, if I can avoid getting caught for two more years.

                It was a friend who found me.  I was drugged and raped by three, maybe four guys.  They didn’t use condoms…I had my purse and rings stolen.  I can’t call the police, there is no justice for a person that breaks the law.  I have a few decisions to make…do I work while I wait the amount of time to take an HIV test?  Do I have an abortion if I’m pregnant.  Do I tell my parents?  All of these things, because I can’t be honest and legal about my part time job…because society thinks it is wrong, and women’s groups think that I care about being objectified.  I just want my degree, so I can get my career started.  My cousin makes $67,000 a year, works two weeks a month, and can look any of her customers and neighbors in the eye as a member of her community.  I hide in shadows and feel ashamed that I was brutalized, robbed and it’s somehow my fault.  Society’s rules have consequences…and I am them. 

                I’m an eighteen year old black kid in Memphis.  My father died when I was four, my mother is in prison for selling drugs.  I help my grandmother raise my younger brother and sister.  She is on Social Security and we get some help from food stamps and housing assistance…but shoes and bus fare, along with school books and my community college courses cost money.  My mom’s ex-boyfriend grows marijuana in his basement.  I make some deliveries for him, and sometimes get a kickback when my friends buy from him.  I don’t like it, but there aren’t a lot of opportunities in this economy.  I tell my grandmother I do “odd jobs” in the neighborhood, but I think she knows…I know she knows…because she approached me this week.  My grandmother has breast cancer, and I will be taking care of her after her chemotherapy starts.  My grandfather died of colon cancer, so we know what this is going to be like.  My grandmother asked me for a joint, because she knows the pain and nausea she is about to go through will make her so sick, she thinks I won’t be able to take care of her and my siblings.  She blames herself for making me a criminal…but she isn’t doing anything wrong…she just doesn’t want to suffer.  I don’t blame her.  I got the joint from my mom’s ex-boyfriend…and got stopped on the way home because I look like a guy that just robbed a convenience store six blocks away.  Society has rules, and they have consequences…I am the unintended consequences of our rules.

                I am white, male, and middle class.  I work in a warehouse for a company that sells packaging materials.  I drive a forklift, work 50 hours a week, and go to church every Sunday with my family.  I have two kids, my wife and I both drive American cars and we have an autistic child.  Most of my “extra” income goes to my child’s day care for special needs children.  He has Asperger’s syndrome, which makes him difficult to talk with on good days…and impossible to reason with on bad days.  My boss called me into his office today.  He has to cut my hours to 29/week and I am losing my health insurance and benefits because he has too many employees working full time and is mandated by law to comply with the Affordable Care Act.  I begged him, I even asked if I can stay full time and pay more from my paycheck to cover the cost…but he is penalized for every employee that is full time that doesn’t get the health insurance.  My wife will need to go find work…probably part time…then we will have to pay for our insurance or be taxed under the new law.  I was making it work before, but now…now I need gov’t assistance?  I used to have pride, but now I’m one of the 47%?  What do I tell my friends at church who will accuse me of being a drain on the system?  My wife and I aren’t bad people, my kids didn’t do anything to deserve this?  My boss said his alternative was to close and move to a different state with lower costs…or outsource to China or India for our supply chain.  Someone was bound to get screwed here, and it turns out I am him.  I am the unintended consequences of America.   

                Please, America, if you want to help…please stop making rules for society based on emotion, feelings and good intentions.  This country was founded on principles…but those principles didn’t need to be enforced, they were taught.  We have a military in all corners of the world, good people…with good intentions, imposing their will and values at the end of a gun…or drone.  We have police in the USA kicking down doors, tazing women and beating drivers who don’t comply with their orders.  We have politicians spewing hate and divisive campaign slogans meant to demonize one party while holding the other up as the only righteous way.  We have community leaders calling for war on a whole race/ethnicity.  And then we wonder why some of our children grow up and shoot a school full of children?  Every mother needs to know that her choices will have effects on her child.  Ever father needs to know that every moment he spends with his child will have effects on his child.  Every preacher at church needs to know that his words will have an effect on his congregation.  Our actions have consequences, and our teachers need to know that what they teach our children will have an effect on what the child grows up to be.  This is not a time to blame a video game…blame a parent who uses that video game to entertain their kid for an evening.  Do not blame a gun, blame the parent who doesn’t lock it away when they have children who are naturally curious.  Do not blame the color of clothes or a style of music, blame the glorification and permissive attitudes of our communities toward our youth who emulate those violent messages.   It is time to take our lives back, and it isn’t a law that will empower us to do this.  It is our actions and our efforts at home, at school and in our lives.  Be responsible…so that the government doesn’t HAVE to be.  Stop using excuses.  Be an American.
-REV

The implosion of the GOP and the changing nature of politics.

                It started with a bold prediction; Romney would win because he was electable, Obama was the steward of a horrible economy, and nothing could be worse than another four years of Obama.  What happened next may be looked at in the future as the implosion…the utter collapse…of the Republican Party.  Hyperbole?  Maybe, maybe not.   Obama had won the election, and kept  a sound majority in the Senate…while the GOP maintained a slight grasp on the House.  The people had spoken, we would rather not have the GOP back in office to continue where they left off…but we don’t want Obama and Democrats to have unfettered control of the government, lest it result in utter chaos and more unfunded liabilities.  Stalemate.  So, how does the GOP react to a rebuking of their message of Moderate Mitt?  An unabashed whack at their conservative base, who didn’t turn out the vote because of a lack of credibility in the conservative chops of the GOP leadership.  Yeah, it makes no sense…and even less when you look at the next GOP move.

                Within a month of losing the election, the Republican leadership is wavering on issues like debt ceiling negotiations, tax rates and immigration while instead focus on changing  their image as the evil wagers of war on women, minorities and the young by considering the adoption of policies meant to assuage those whom they were not waging war on by now favoring them with legislative “goodies”…which is how the Democrats won much of their support.  Some say this is a step in the right direction for a party that was admonished at the ballot box for not being “for women, minorities and students”.  History will show, however, that Republicans lost support because of their focus on issues like abortion, religion, marijuana prohibition and gay marriage.   The net result will be an erosion of the fiscal conservative base, while the socially liberal base will never believe the meager attempts at pandering…mainly because the Democrats will pander ever more.  The final picture of this puzzle is a Republican party that looks like the Democrats of the 70’s, while the Democrats look like the socialists of the 50’s…except without having to hide their Scarlett S on their chest.  Where, oh where will an American turn politically to find a party that doesn’t plunder his wealth to give to others that are willing to sell their votes?  What party will speak for someone who doesn’t want anything from their government other than the responsibilities laid out in the constitution?  The same place more than a million voters went in 2012 when they realized that the lesser of two evils is what the greater of two evils was 30 years ago. 

                Live Free…it is the slogan and rallying cry of the free man.   We don’t want anything special or from anyone else.  We know our government is a useful tool and has the authority to do what the constitution outlines.  Namely, protect its citizens from abuse and fraud, as well as provide for the national defense.  Where we differ from Republicans and Democrats is simply this; the department of education should be in the state capital, not the US Capital.  The printing of money should not be used because we need cash to pay for programs we can’t afford.  A war should be a hard fought struggle to defend this nation from imminent danger, not a social experiment to convert people to our way of thinking or a method of securing resources through force against sovereign people.  Pretty radical…compared to what we have become accustomed to hearing the role of government is.  We are not anarchists, we don’t want 50 different currencies in the USA, and we don’t want to be enslaved by a militant Islamic nation hell-bent on world domination.  Why is our choice always between made-up extremes we do not espouse?  Because if you are allowed to hear the arguments of libertarianism in a mainstream debate…you might realize that there is another way that isn’t just a degree of evil.  Live Free.  It really is that simple…and it starts with you, not FOX, not CNN and not the political parties run by millionaires who think they can tailor  their message to buy your support.  All we offer is freedom, if that isn’t enough…keep selling your vote.  My vote is free, but I am proud of where I put it.

 

-Rev

How The GOP Misunderstands Libertarians (and why they are angry)

    Kissing cousins, angry extremists, anarchists, potheads, rabble-rousers, malcontents, Obama-supporters…these are all things the GOP associate with Libertarians…but is it right, accurate or fair?  Yes and no…but possibly not for the reasons you may think.  Many people think Libertarians are a fringe offshoot from the Republicans…possibly due to the fact that some of the GOP platform has references to some of the ethos of the LP.  This is a major factor as to why Republicans hold the notion that Libertarian votes are supposed to be GOP votes, and there is true anger and fear when it doesn’t go as planned, like now.   But, to really understand the situation, a few layers need to be peeled back.  Let’s do that!

     Libertarian ethos: Force shall not be used toward any individual who is not infringing on the rights of others.  GOP usage of this idea is that business and corporations should not be hindered by extreme environmental regulations…but the gov’t still has to regulate cars, refrigerators, irons, pets, food, air travel, seatbelts, bottled water etc…as well as subsidize farmers, give foreign aid to allies and enemies, police the world, be able to kill or detain anyone, anywhere for anything, wiretapping, prohibit drugs, limit abortions, protect certain religions, prosecute crimes differently due to racial/sexual motivations etc.  You see…a simple Libertarian principle of not using force has been “compromised” by Republicans who think that the only thing worse than dealing with the devil (the extreme left), is to hold to your principles…so compromise is the path of the GOP.  If you support the Dems, you clearly support Obama and the leftist agenda…but if you support the GOP, you are supporting the leftist agenda implemented in smaller incremental installments in order to appease those on the left who demagogue and incite feelings to combat the growing problems caused by even incremental instillations of unprincipled, illogical, unsustainable, feel-good policies that have numerous unintended consequences that eventually will have to be dealt with (presumably with more unprincipled, illogical, unsustainable, feel-good policies with more unintended consequences that eventually…).  I think you get it now.  J

     So the tired refrain of “a vote for Gary is a vote for Obama” is actually the dumbest thing a Republican can say to a Libertarian, because the only reason someone has actually used their noodle and joined the LP is because they are tired of BOTH parties in power moving this country further away from the ideals of the founding fathers…and I say that with absolutely zero nostalgic feeling…just the notion that those guys set up a system to avoid our current problems by making the individual more important than the “good of the whole” by offering protections to the individual from the whole…which have been watered down and done away with by the collusion of both parties in power for the past 100 years.  All this points to the “vote for Obama is a vote for Romney” sentiment that is common among Libertarians…however there is one point that sticks in the side of argumentative Republicans stumping for Romney.  That is this: Name me one big gov’t policy the GOP has ever done away with, without substituting with another big/bigger gov’t policy?  Truth is, the GOP is not going to repeal Obamacare, without putting in another bureaucracy in its place.  In fact, Romney has already said so much…so why should we support soft tyranny when there is another option? 

          So, after establishing that Romney is just a slower form of oppression and clearly just the “lesser of two evils”, there remains another problem with Libertarians, in the eyes of the “Right”.  Personal responsibility.  Republicans love to talk about this topic, but are not as quick to follow their own advice, or hold others accountable.  Hurricane Sandy.  Lots of devastation, but nothing that a couple hard weeks can’t fix.  Our country has handled far worse.  In fact, this region is known to have pretty bad storms this time of year.  How many people are sitting in their homes without water, power, food, medical attention, etc?  Whose responsibility is it to make sure they have water? The City?  The State?  The Federal Gov’t?  The Red Cross?  There are people actually telling the public not to support the Red Cross because their charity to Sandy victims is not fast or wide spread enough to make up for what the gov’t is UNABLE to provide   Is anyone saying that we should stop paying taxes because the gov’t isn’t doing what THEY SAID they would to provide for you? .(thus, the enumerated powers limitation for the gov’t)  How much FEMA money will be spent there, paid for by the rest of tax paying Americans who don’t live in a hurricane area.  It would be like me asking the federal gov’t to subsidize my power bills for the summer months in Nevada.  Why is someone else responsible for the decisions I make?   Do I want them all to starve and die?  NO…but, when non union help arrives to assist, and they are turned away…then blame your local union bosses.  If a private citizen has a generator, stored water, dehydrated food, blankets and matches…and you don’t…don’t cry to the gov’t that you didn’t get your fair share…you simply didn’t plan for the worst case scenario…and shame on you.  But Republicans are much more likely to ration and price fix gasoline and water, than to allow the market to force prices to rise on limited resources…which is what causes demand to wane, and you have a nice controlled chaos that clearly shows how to not waste a perfectly good crisis.  No doubt, we will have federal funds create a super bunker to handle 6 million people without water…a much better idea than forcing all these short sighted, gov’t reliant morons to become better citizens and prepare themselves.  Say what you want about Mormons…you don’t see them in line at a gov’t bread line.  They are at home with several neighbors baking their own bread because they stocked up on potable water, flour and other raw materials.   You don’t have to move to Utah, become a Prepper, or go on a mission to help less fortunate…but when it starts to rain, and you don’t stop facebooking long enough to grab enough supplies to stay alive for 72 hours…then I really don’t think it is my job to give a shit…I mean, you don’t.

The American Divide (A hypothetical look at what a “United States of Liberty” would look like)

                We are at a tipping point, and like any large company or country that cannot agree on policy, future plans or who is to lead, we need to make hard decisions based ideologically as well as pragmatically.  What do we do when roughly half the country wants more government involvement and the other half is stifled and frustrated at the lack of liberty and freedom still permitted under the law?    Do you have the right, when you are in office, to restrict the rights of some people because you know best for everyone?  There is a growing vocal opposition to the unreasonable measures being taken on our behalf, and many of these measures end up just causing more damage than they are supposed to help.  What do we do?

                Can we agree that ideologically, we will never compromise with the “other side”?  As a Libertarian, I cannot abide gov’t intrusion into my personal and business decisions when I am not hurting or using force against anyone.  How does this ever get reconciled with a person who thinks that people inherently need the gov’t to show them right from wrong, to guide them when the path is murky or dark, and to limit them from hurting themselves…all the while knowing that if they fail at something, the gov’t saviors will provide for them without regard to where that funding comes from…all they know is that it is their right.  I see one way to assuage both sides, but it will take some very fine negotiating, and a few Uhauls.

                I am suggesting that at the next US Census we ask one more question, “If the constitution is not a valid document and guiding principle of the current US Gov’t, would you support a split with the Union to allow two separate and roughly equal boundaries where one would adhere to the principles of our founding documents (Yes that means getting rid of Social Security, Medicare, Obamacare etc.) , while the other pursues a more progressive gov’t with a new constitution that includes the “right” to welfare, healthcare and other assumed “rights” from the “FORWARD” mindset.   The split could be done taking into consideration land and agriculture, raw materials and mineral rights to give both sides roughly even starting points.  Passports would need to be issued so one side cannot just “abandon ship” when they go broke (guess which side that would be).  Then, and only then would both Dems and Repubs be forced to choose between sides, and they would be forced to stop nickel and diming the public into a progressive cesspool.

                I don’t want to discuss North vs South, I don’t think that is a fair or doable way to split this country, in fact the only way would be to get census data, and delve into political ideologies of local politicians and use demographics to assist.  There would be some butt-hurt people that would have to move, or adapt…it won’t be perfect, but think about it…you are a hard working entrepreneur who is being told that it is your duty, your fair share, to pay for healthcare, retirement, public schools, drug interdiction etc…and you may not have political aspirations or feelings about these issues, but you are being forced to pay for them.  How is that freedom?  How is that Liberty?  If this sounds Randian (Ayn, not Paul) I guess it sort of is, but when I am given the lesser of two evils to choose from, haven’t we just admitted that our ideology of self-reliance and individual responsibility is dead?  Shouldn’t we part ways as trading partners and friends…and let the other pursue the more radical agenda they really want, but have to drag us kicking and screaming to?  We could let the Progressive States of America invade Libya, Syria etc, and we could live with a clear conscience.  We could let NY and California dictate the policy of the PSA while Wyoming and Arizona and Texas focus on bringing as many businesses to states that embrace capitalism and free enterprise.  We could allow Oregon and Washington to  protect their trees and owls, and ban the use of combustible engines, while Colorado and New Mexico embrace legalized marijuana and the freedom to marry in a church without the gov’t checking genitals.  We could have Massachusetts and Minnesota offer free health care to bring people there, while Georgia and Ohio offer no corporate taxes, allow foreign repatriation of profits and no minimum wages to allow the accelerated job growth and prosperity…with the worker’s right to leave at any time. 

                So…which side would you be on?  Would you fight to keep the union?  Would you do so, knowing that one side is enslaving  the other  to support it, else it would fail.  Do you think it is “unfair” to allow the productive members of society to abandon the tyranny set up by the recipient class?  Would you kill to keep them enslaved?  Would you allow a peaceful split, or would you force an armed insurrection?  Yeah, heavy stuff…but so is taxation without representation…only a few hundred years ago.  Is it not the right of any American citizen to question his government and if not given acceptable answers and accountability, is it not his god given right to resist tyranny?  Are we there?  I don’t know…but the question is starting to be asked…so I imagine we may be approaching that tipping point.  Now…with this being the alternative…is a third party still “not viable”…or do you just like the path we’re on?  Decisions have consequences…and those consequences have been delayed for a century.  And those chickens are coming home to roost.   I, personally, like the idea of living in a country...a home...called the United States of Liberty.  I don't really care where it is...just not Chicago...that place is trashed already.

The Libertarian Answer to the Worst Public Schools

   Public education is the biggest joke, and failure, of the United States in the past 50 years.  Chicago public school teacher’s union just turned down $76k/yr, plus benefits and a 9 month school year because the health benefits were not as high as before, and now they would have to be judged by the test scores of their students.  The city of Chicago spends $13,000 per student, and a large part of the money going to the schools is used to finance pensions and retirement funds of retired union teachers.  The answer?  More money?  If teachers in Chicago are not embarrassed, then let’s give them a reason to be afraid.  Here is my suggestion.  Close the worst schools in Chicago…fire the teachers and use the campus to start a new school run by former military personnel. 

1)      Military veterans returning from service who go get teaching credentials with their GI bill should get together with local businesses to start a school for inner city kids who cause disruption and have a history of violence or gang activity.  The school will be staffed by former military, and offer a disciplined and safe environment for these kids to learn a trade, or even get guidance on how to be prepared to join the military when they turn 18.

2)      This school will be run with the discipline of the military, with metal detectors, random or “for cause” drug screenings, dress code, and enhanced discipline/punishment methods proven to change even the hardest badass into a compliant "student".

3)      The class curriculum will be determined by areas of interest in trades like mechanics, air/heating systems, plumbing, culinary arts, as well the basics of math, reading and military history.

4)      Cost for this will be exponentially lower than $13,000/student, and may be offset with a voucher or tax credit for families that seek this option.  Also, the local businesses can utilize the school as a feeder for employees, or just donate because they want to improve their neighborhoods.

5)      Enrollment would come from voluntary enrollment, parents who just can’t control their kids or a judgment from a juvenile court system in lieu of incarceration.

Not only is this an old idea, it has been tried and successful in the past…until we allowed our teacher unions to control the system until it decays into what it is now.  This school could be the answer to sending kids to jail to learn even worse criminal behavior, and would save our city's precious financial resources for the kids who actually want to go to school to learn…now their only obstacle is to find a way to send the current teachers to a boot camp to learn how to be decent human beings instead of whiny, greedy, spoiled and lazy role models for our impressionable kids. 

 

-Rev

A choice without a chance.

   There is a lot of talk about who is the best candidate…but very little is being said about what kind of country is best for each candidate.  In this current country, I think Barrack Obama is the best candidate, but it comes with a huge caveat…and it is that point which should be shouted…nay, broadcasted from one coast to the other.  See, we have 100 years of entitlements to manage, from unemployment to Social Security to Medicare and foodstamps…and there is only one candidate that can run all of these progressive policies.  Obama is the most qualified candidate to continue these policies that are bankrupting our country, because he is the only candidate that wants these policies and programs to expand until the system collapses and we fail as a country.  Mitt Romney can’t balance the budget either, but he is willing to keep playing this game of spinning as many plates as possible for as long as possible.  Mitt Romney won’t end Medicare, he won’t stop Social Security…he will not end his call for replacing Obamacare with his version…because he wants to be the guy who saves them for a decade…then when it all goes to hell, he can say he did his part to try and save it.  Mitt’s methods will not fix, save or help this country, because he isn’t capable of fixing the actual problem…which is the policies and programs themselves.

    Gary Johnson is not pretending to be able to fix Social Security.  He is not capable of fixing it.  He will not save it for our children.  He admits this, but he also admits what the others will not.  It is not fixable, it is a Ponzi Scheme.  You can’t fix a Ponzi Scheme.  Gary Johnson is not pretending to be able to fix Medicare.  He is not capable of fixing Medicare, because Medicare is broke and needs to be done away with.  “What about grandma?”  My answer to that is, “What about her grandchild?”  Who is more important?  There are ways, however, of fixing this country.  The answers are difficult, and they require REAL discussion and open books from Congress.  Why do we not have a budget in three years?  We don’t know where we are financially…the first thing a consultant does when he takes on a task of fixing a company is he looks at the books.  If there are no books, there is no place to start.  Gary Johnson can fix the State of New Mexico, because he knew where he started, he set a goal, and he did not lie about the issues confronting him.  If you vote for someone who allows us to work without a budget, you are making the problem worse, and delaying the eventual pain that will be worse and tougher to fix. 

   The problems that we have in this country are directly related to Woodrow Wilson, FDR and the past 100 years of compassionate government without rational limits to compassion defined and responsibly adhered to.  If our biggest budget woes are from an overreaching military, Social Security’s unfunded liabilities, Medicare and now financial investing in private companies with no payback in sight…then the answer to these problems MUST INCLUDE these problems…that is common sense.  For the Republicans and Democrats to argue that these programs cannot be touched is just their way of not admitting defeat.  Yes, I said it.  Taxes on the rich will not fix these things; Cutting taxes will not allow us to grow out of these problems…these are both lies that both sides believe because the truth that our system is broken is too difficult to believe.  Admitting failure is the first step.  We failed as a country in our effort to support everyone from birth to retirement.  It was an experiment that has lasted so long because of the individual exceptionalism that made our country the envy of the world, but we are now overwhelmed by the weight of it all.   It will end, either by our controlled dissolution, or by a fatal collapse resulting in riots and anarchy.  

    I am called a protest vote for not voting for the lesser of two evils.   You’re damn right my vote is a protest, it is a protest against myopia, corruption, dishonesty and fake patriotism.  My vote cannot be bought, traded or scared into changing.  I am right, and the alternative is another step, either big, or incrementally smaller…but still a step in the direction of failure and tyranny.  You can say what you want, but if you repeat a lie, you are still lying.  You can be compassionate and caring, but if you are willing to sink the whole ship to prove you cared about the guy who fell overboard…then you are still murdering the many to prove you are compassionate.  Mao, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini all started out compassionate…but in the end, the only ones they were compassionate to were the ones who agreed with them.

 So…here is your opportunity.  Your vote doesn’t have to be for continued failure…but it does have to represent your view of this country’s future.  If you support the way things are, Obama is the best choice.  If you support a slower approach to tyranny and ruin…Romney is your man.  If you think we need to address the real problems with real solutions…then before you vote, read about Gary Johnson’s ideas and his record.  Libertarianism isn’t about anarchy, it is about the proper role of government…and frankly, the proper role of government is not to be involved in foreign countries with our military, feeding lazy and corrupt people who are taking advantage of our safety nets, acting as financial retirement managers, or running the health care industry.  You may not like the responsibility of running your own life, but the alternative is much much worse.  We are seeing it unfold.  Don’t choose the choice that doesn’t have a chance to save our country…because closing your eyes won’t make our problems go away.  Grandma owes it to the next generation to fix what her generation and the one before her started.

-Rev 

To Take A Libertarian Seriously

      I am not the owner of multiple businesses in Nevada.  I sell meat, fish and other grocery items.  I am not affected by tax increases on “the wealthy”.  I am firmly planted in the “middle class” with all the trimmings; a Ford pickup, a house I rent because I short-sold my underwater house,  I am a gun owner, a dog owner and I don’t smoke.  Some people call me many things, but “elitist”, “nut” and “out of touch” are not among these things.  I did not go to an Ivy League School, I don’t have a law degree and I don’t bet on sports, so my gut is basically full of awful diet foods during the day, and the occasional beer and steak on a really good night.  What all this means is that you will not hear my opinions on CNN, FOX or most any talk radio stations…because I am nobody "special".  BUT, what I do have is an above average desire to make this country what we used to be, before we changed from rugged individuals with self- reliance (this is conservative speak for “we wiped off the blood on our knees when we fell off our bikes- without helmet laws, mind you!).  There is a call from seemingly every corner of this country for regulations whenever the trigger happy media has a sensational story in their sights.  If it isn’t the tragedy of a nut shooting up a theater or temple, it is the latest scare from flesh eating bacteria or Ebola.  And if there is an election going on…whoa…it is even worse.   Let me make it clear for those of you who were in a coma this past week.

     The report this week about Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is that he may not have paid taxes over the past decade.  Wait!!!  I don’t care, I’m getting to my point.  The news yesterday was from Obama’s college classmate from Columbia, Mr Wayne Root, who says nobody knew Obama at Columbia, and maybe he applied to Columbia as a foreign exchange student.  Wait!!! I don’t care about this either…we are almost there.  What is my point.  Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Candidate is being left out of the debates, and he isn’t even included in the Polling questions…and he wants to talk about undeclared wars the USA is involved in, marijuana arrests and prosecutions that fill up our jails, the government’s role in marriage, the debt and defecit that is bankrupting our country, the foreign aid we give to countries who would do us harm, the lack of energy independence and the wasting of tax money on private green energy projects the private sector KNOWS are not feasible...and so on.   Mr Romney, Mr Root and President Obama, with all due respect to your education, your knowledge of American politics and your positions in our government as “leaders”, can you kindly pull your heads out of your asses and deal with the issues that are important to us…the average guy.

 I understand that Mitt has money, and people with money can afford to find loopholes in tax codes; but Gary Johnson wants to overhaul our tax code so it is more fair to the average guy without a team of attorneys.  I understand that Obama has sealed records of his collegiate history at Columbia and Harvard…but the average guy can’t get a job to pay back their college loan.  When is your duty to your country, including the oath you take to defend her, more important than the ego-driven need you seem to have to convince the public that your opponent is a bigger ass than you are?  This notion that we must define the biggest evil, then vote for the other is driving me crazy.  It would be like me dating a serial cheater and then getting the opportunity to dump her for a gold digging woman who will bleed me dry and leave me broke.  What do I do? 

     Do we, as Americans, have so little self-esteem that we stay in a bad relationship until we can find someone less evil…not even bothering to change our patterns and look for someone who isn’t the exact same problem, or worse, that we complain about every day?  Is our desire to control everyone else’s personal decisions so strong because we are so weak in our own convictions that we need the government to make sure others live up to our standards?  Are we willing to allow our leaders to steal from us, waste our resources and outright lie to us because we fear ever having to deal with our own problems ever again?  There were days when someone running for office was considered honorable, I dare you to find an honorable person in congress now.  One without a hand in the till.  One who doesn’t take a lobby job when he loses office.  One who does not benefit from the laws he passes.  One who does his or her job with the interest of America before the interests of him/herself.  We are on a ship that is headed for a rock, the rock will not move, and we are arguing about which captain we should choose, the one who thinks we can run over the rock, or the one who does not see the rock. 

     I don’t know if Mitt paid taxes, and I don’t care…I care that he thinks we can keep this government control of our personal lives going without bankrupting our criminal justice system with marijuana smokers sitting in jail while we debate about how much money it will cost to keep Jared Laughner in prison.  I care that he thinks the government should tell two American adults whether or not they can marry each other.  I care that he thinks a war with Iran will make the Middle-East our friends.  I care that he thinks tweaking the tax code by a percentage point is going to make it fair that I am only going to get a tax break if I make less money and get food stamps.  I don’t know if Mitt is a tax cheat, and I don’t care.  I do care that his ideas are wrong for America’s future, even though he is slightly less wrong on some issues than Obama.  Not good enough.

     I don’t know if Obama got into college through a lie or loophole, I don’t care.  I care that he acts like people deserve food stamps and welfare because they tried.  If failure was a rationale for accepting government assistance, everyone who ever tried and failed would be on it.  How about wiping off the blood, selling your xbox or nike’s and try again.  When you are hungry for three days, and you can’t get a landscaping job, or a paper route, or peel shrimp at a plant downtown, or load trucks in a warehouse at night…then ask for help.  What Obama cares about is an illusion.  The illusion is that we have poor people.  The poorest people in America are fat, lazy and know they can get food, housing and spending cash from some source of government aid.  All of them?  Maybe not, but how many millions of people are getting assistance because some work is too hard for them, or beneath their threshold of dignity or effort?  I don’t care about Obama’s college grades, I care that he hasn’t gotten us out of war, and that damned Noble prize for peace is still in his possession.  I don’t care that he is black, I care that he has pandered to a base that condemns people who disagree with him as racist.  I don’t care about his trips on Airforce One with Michelle and the kids, I care that he thinks tax money should be gifted to help American companies that are  being run into the ground and will fail, but they don’t have to change their ways.  I care that Obama hasn’t decriminalized marijuana, even though he smoked a metric ton of it in his life.  I care that he hasn’t offered a lawsuit against the government's marriage restrictions on homosexuals, even though the American principle of individual freedom is supposed to be irrespective of race, creed, gender, sexual orientation…I mean come on…what makes a Democrat different than a Republican now a days?  Tax records?  College transcripts?  Why can’t we get to the issues that matter? 

     The only candidate running for President that is staying on message is Gary Johnson.  He is a Libertarian, somewhat like Wayne Root who is writing and being interviewed on every Right Wing news outlet available.  Wayne seems to think that America cares about Obama’s college transcripts…and of course this focus will surely help Mitt win as the least evil candidate getting coverage.   If the media will only cover Libertarians who play the Republican/Democrat game, then Libertarians won't ever be taken seriously…and that is where we are.  But if Gary Johnson can get into the debates, and these two “viable” candidates get into a cat fight…maybe the country will be able to see, the only person running who can actually solve any of our problems, is also the only one talking about what our REAL problems are.   

-Rev

   

I built it in SPITE of you!!!

            There are a lot of people, much smarter and savvier than I am, writing political stories, pithy missives, headlines on blogs etc., but I haven’t read a businessman’s approach to this topic in a way that SPEAKS to the business people in America.  Yes, there is anger, and there is outright hatred for the sentiment…but that doesn’t win elections, arguments or the hearts and minds of people like me that are so completely done with American Politics in the current form.  So I thought I would do it.  So put your feet up, get a bag to throw up in, and hang on…this might make you sick.

            To create a business, let alone a successful one, involves a lot of people.  Not all of these people, however, are interested in making your company succeed.  In fact, it is the “job” of many of these people to make it as hard as possible for you.  Assuming we are not talking about a business that has insider deals with a congressman, or the owner isn’t a huge donor to the president…this is what a business owner goes through.

            Loan.  In order to start any business, you must have a brilliant idea that is either new, or improves upon what is already at the marketplace.  This is a given, as we already have businesses in the world…what is special about yours?  Then you have to have money to make this happen.  Capital…or the money it takes to start the business, comes from a bank loan (usually).  A loan, in its simplest form, is risk.  You put up collateral, and you take your shot.  There is nobody in the world who is going to just give you money for nothing.  So you want to start up a company…have an idea, a plan, experience or expertise, and then you have to risk something.  That…believe it or not, was the easy part.

            Build.   Now you need to build your company.  You need raw material in the form of a building, which takes a contractor, consultant, budgeting and all of this revolves around the image you have for your company.  Are you a distributor of product, a manufacturer?  Both?  This all has costs associated.  Thank god you got that loan.  Assuming nothing went over budget (hahahahaha, some of you know how funny that is)…you have an empty building ready to go.  Now just turn on gas, water, electric, phones, internet, heat/a.c., etc.  Couldn’t be simpler.

            Open.  To open, you need inventory, logistics (trucks, drivers, boxes, etc), computers, sales staff, warehouse staff, accounts receivable, accounts payable,  customers.  This is where the rubber meets the road.  Did you hire the cheapest salesmen?  Are they go-getters if they make $8/hr?  Do you have to motivate them daily?  Commission?  Labor is expensive if you want more than uneducated illiterate seat fillers…not to mention health insurance, worker’s comp, 401K, Social Security, unemployment…yeah, now we’re talking BIG MONEY.  All just to get the place going, you haven’t cleared dollar #1 yet.

            Operations.  Maintenance of facility, vehicles, computers/internet site, inventory rotation and damages, Quality control, collecting on slow paying customers.  Are you kidding me, what happened to America being the land of opportunity…my loan is almost all used up.  Now I am going to show you why companies fail, and frequently.  We are going to add the “others” who are here to take credit for your success…even though you haven’t “made it” yet.

            Government Regulations.  Now that you are up and running, and raking in the money with your “can’t miss” business idea…we need to go over things like: Employee regulations regarding overtime, sexual harassment, posting of labor regulations etc.  Building permits, city state and federal permits, Trucking permits, safety inspections, insurances, water/EPA requirements, Storage regulations and permits, Hazard and Critical Control Point regulations, Banking regulations, Collection of debt regulations, FDA regulations, Dept. of Homeland Security and terrorism forms/regulations, USDA/USDC regulations, Customs Dept forms/regulations on importing, Immigration rules/regulations, IRS rules/regs, Weights and Measures regulations…WTF.  How much does this cost to maintain? 

            Profit.  IF you have anything left, now you can pay your greedy corporate raider self.  You greedy S.O.B., I can’t believe you make what you make.  Capitalism sure is easy, isn’t it.  Sheesh.  Hey Elisabeth Warren, thanks for “You can keep a big hunk of what’s left.”…I appreciate ALL YOU DID TO HELP.

That is one route to success.  It isn’t easy, but it is still actually doable.  Let’s examine a little bit deeper into what helped YOU get to where you are. 

            “You didn’t build that, you used roads, bridges…blah blah”…ok, I did use roads and bridges, but the taxes and fees and everything else I have gone through has paid WAY MORE THAN MY SHARE.  I mean, come on…there are millions of people using roads and bridges in this country who pay NO TAXES.  NONE, not corporate, not income…hell, they use all of this I provide and they don’t kick in one cent.  How is that fair?  Tell me, after my thousands of hours and tax dollars, am I not entitled to use the roads I helped pay for…more so than the freeloader?  And what about those who built the roads…was that slave labor?  NO, they were paid for their work…and since it was a gov’t job, they probably got WAY more than it actually would have cost…so there really is nobody in debt for this, we paid…work was done…now you want to talk about who is using the roads to provide goods and services, vs who is just using it without providing anything.  Yeah, I thought you wouldn’t. 

            If the collective built infrastructure, and we all chipped in…except for tax cheats and those who fall below what the government deems rich enough to pay taxes, then why are we trying to separate the businesses from the collective?  Why aren’t we kissing their asses for being more productive, and paying more into the kitty?  What we should be doing is lamenting those who avoid taxes.  Geitner?  You owe taxes…how dare you screw the collective society.  Charlie Rangell…how dare you?  John Kerry…you park your yacht in a state that doesn’t tax you, but you live and legislate in a place that does tax yachts.  That is beyond gross…it’s a good thing you are such a big businessman…wait, you aren’t, you married the daughter of Heinz.   You should be ashamed of yourself.  Talk about hypocrites.

            So, I didn’t do this on my own?  Well, without me and those like me, what roads would you be driving to pick up your welfare checks…or if they are mailed to you, who do you think supports the USPS, as well as the food stamps and welfare?  Not the tax cheats in congress, not the poor, and not the average family of 4 making $42k/year…because statistically after the earned income tax credit and marriage/children credit, they don’t contribute much to the government.  How about next time you want to take credit for a business that has succeeded, you take a nice long look at what it takes to make it in this country, and then ask YOURSELF why YOU haven’t made the effort to add to this country…it was a democrat that once said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.”…I think you ought to start thinking along the lines of, “What can I do to support my local business, instead of what can they do to support me.”  And the next time you think about the Stimulus packages that were supposed to repair roads and bridges, look at all the bankrupt solar companies and offshore GE, GM and other crony capitalist crooks who got that money and are telling you that we need more money. 

            Speaking of cronyism, who asked the government to bail out these companies who were supposedly in business like all of us?  Why did their failing model deserve our money?  Who made that decision for US, and why are they still in office?  Success is not the start of a company, like I said, that is the easy part.  Success is how you deal with failure, and we seem to throw money at failure, instead of letting it hurt, in order to teach a lesson and fix a problem.  I am not asking for help, I am asking for those who cheat, those who fail, and those who are not running their business properly to be left to the same fate that I would have if I did the same.  Nobody is handing me money just for trying.  I don’t want a handout, but every once in a while, just say thanks to the people who make America different than North Korea and other famous nations with roads, bridges and no success.  America didn’t make people great, great people make America.  Don’t forget it.

-REV

Crony Capitalism vs Outsourcing...

Which is worse, getting tax money with no strings attached so that I can myopically bound through fields of innefficiency and lackluster quality; or shipping jobs overseas where labor doesn't end up costing $20-$25/hour after benefits, taxes and social security?  It depends on if we are talking about "worse" for the country, a politician, the taxpayers, or the consumers.  Let's take one example and see how it goes:
   Amonix, in North Las Vegas, was given $21million to start up a manufacturing plant in N LV.  This government program, deemed an overwhelming success, gives grants and loan guarantees to companies to build plants and produce products in the USA.  The plant is closed now, about a year after opening...having laid off 700 employees and owing many companies LOTS of money.  This plant didn't close because of the EPA or IRS...it closed the old fashioned way; poor quality, lack of training and a bad business model was given oodles of money without the pesky little detail of competition and capital investment managers looking at the details of production.  Without this little oversight oversight...companies tend to fail, as the golden rule of capitalism (profit) was not the goal of the government, but employment and publicity was.   To drive this point home...let's ask Harry Reid what he thinks about the company.  Harry says that Nevada's Sunshine is on par with Saudi Arabia's Oil reserves.  And we all know that the government threw money at every Bedouin who wanted to drill for oil...oh wait, they contracted the leading oil drilling, prospecting and safety companies throughout the world to lead on this endeavor...and it's worked out pretty well for them. 
   To be fair to Harry, this program has bipartisan support, which is more of a slam on Republicans, who are supposed to understand the need for independant private businesses not being interfered with by gov't meddling because it isn't healthy for competition when the gov't picks winners in a field.  Many, though, blame the failure on one man, Brian Richardson.  You see, he died in a plane accident and the company was rudderless after that.  Another reason this should never have been financed publicly...can you see Microsoft investing in a startup that had no business plan that could be followed if the CEO died?  Would Apple loan money to a guy who had nobody in his company that could run things in his stead?  I doubt it, but at least it wouldn't be MY MONEY, it would be their risk.  Anyways, who cares if Brian Richardson died, he didn't build anything, the government did that, right Barrack?  So, yes...government is responsible for this failure. 
     Shelley Berkley was a huge proponent of tax money going to her pet projects, and she defends the stimulus waste by attacking people who have been warning us that this crony capitalism is not going to work.  After all, just because someone can see a train wreck coming, doesn't mean he is driving the train.  This leads to the charges of "outsourcing".  What does it mean?  How does it work, and is it easy to decide to do this?  It depends, again, if we are looking at this from the perspective of a union, a politician, a businessman or an investor.
    If I am a union boss, "outsourcing" is the most vile evil disgusting practice since genital mutilation and infanticide.  If I am a union boss, the only way a company can get away from my predatory tentacles is for them to move their production off shore.  Afterall, if they are not allowed to move, they have to pay for my vacations, higher wages, fewer hours, better benefits, limited disciplinary actions for fraud, theft, drug use, truancy etc.  If I am a union boss, outsourcing manufactured products is the number one thing I should fear, and fighting it is the most important thing I can do to keep what I have.
   If I am a politician, I have to decide if I want to get support from Unions or businesses.  If I have to rely on union money, I have to fight their fight...regardless of whether I agree with it, or if it is in the best interest of the American people.  My goal is to vilify businesses who don't bend to the whim and will of the unionized labor movement.  If they leave the country, or relocate to states that are not as union organized/controlled, I must lambast them as evil and against the middle class.  If they go bankrupt, I must commend them for staying in the fight for the middle class...regardless of whether or not all their employees just got laid off...the business owner did the right thing.  Maybe to help this good business owner out, I will try to get some tax money, or federal grants to give him to help bail him out and keep his business (which failed) going with taxpayer money.  It's all good press material too.
   If I am a businessman, I have to look at whether it makes financial sense to stay put and keep doing what I am doing.  If I am not making money, my company will fail, then I am at the will of the government to bail me out.  If I move, I have to deal with the bad press, but I can stay in business...or, I can get rid of all manufacturing costs by shipping the jobs to China or India, then focus just on selling my product in the USA instead of manufacturing...the Fed laws and regulations are easier for businesses to follow if they are just retailers instead of manufacturers.  So if it is too hard to employee people here, i can still stay in business if I outsource.
    If I am an investor, I have to weight a lot of other factors.  If a company gets gov't money, can I get my money out first if there is a filing for bankruptcy?  If a company is involved in heavy labor contracts and this is keeping the company from being profitable...do I want to invest before it goes belly up and voids union contracts through bankruptcy litigation?  What are my returns on investment with a company that is being run by the gov't?  What are my expansion options if their is only union labor able to be used, vs the plans for expansion if I outsource?  Can I make more profit if I invest in a plant in Shanghai vs Unionized States of America? 
    There is one certainty about the American Entrepreneur.  We will survive.  The politicians in charge can make a rule, enforce that rule, and punish people for breaking that rule...but as long as there is another way, we will find it.  You can make it impossible to succeed here, we will go elsewhere.  You can limit the amount of dollars able to be taken out of the USA, we will get foreign financing.  You can tax profits brought back to the USA, we will create offshore accounts, businesses and have partners in other countries.  You can give it your best shot...but remember that for every person you have writing a law, I have 4 lawyers and brilliant businessmen finding a way around it.  The best and brightest Americans ARE NOT IN THE GOVERNMENT.  We will win.  We are the People. 
-Rev

Where the discussion of "taxes" starts...

This country has one topic that it is 91%+ on the same side of.  It is the ONLY issue that we have this much consensus on...and it is this: We think Congress is stupid, inefficient, dishonest and too partisan to do the modest task it was assigned by the Constitution.  It must be on a level of retardation that can only be described as "Hydrocephalus" due to their incredibly large heads.  It amazes me that people can see how awful Congress is, yet the same clowns get hired to preside over the next birthday party...but all we get from this is the same huge pile of elephant and donkey crap.  What causes 91 out of 100 of us to be so displeased with our elected leaders?  Let's see:
-Many are convicted of crimes ranging from tax evasion to sexual assault, bad checks, and drug/alcohol abuse...but their connections keep them from the same consequences as we regular folk.
-The party line keeps these elected representatives from actually getting anything done.  If Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Boehner, Hoyer or any "leader" in either house of Congress doesn't want something to happen...guess what...it ain't gonna get done.  Just look at the Senate's refusal to pass a budget the last 4 years.  Raise your hands if you think that Congress should be put into a room with locked doors, and bread and water until we see white smoke from the chimney meaning we have a budget.
-Let's talk about government shutdown.  Democrats will say that if the gov't shuts down, you won't get Social Security checks, Medicare, mail, clean water and clean air will not exist.  The Republicans say that our military will run out of bullets, our borders will become unguarded and terrorists will be let go from jail.  What is the real story?  Maybe this will shine some light on the story?
             $30 million would not go to Pakistan to aid mango farmers.
             $765,828 would not go to DC International House of Pancakes to build a store and train people.
             $100-$150 MILLION every year would not go to retirement and disability benefits to dead people.
              $175 MILLION would not go to the Veterans administration for maintaining unused buildings (this doesn't count the money thrown away to make these buildings "green")
               $1.8 Million would not go to Las Vegas for the LV Museum of Neon Signs
               $800,000 would not go to Genital Washing program in South Africa
Really?  This is the stuff that isn't cut at the beginning of the discussion?  We have to have open borders, no postal service, unarmed marines and dirty water BEFORE we cut ball sanitation for South African men?  Maybe this is why 91% of people think Congress is full of crap.  You wanna discuss raising taxes, fine.  Let's discuss raising taxes.  What stupid project do we want to raise taxes in order to fund?  Is there a feral monkey species that needs sexual enhancement treatment that desperately needs our business owners paying more in taxes to fund?  Well...what the hell, as long as we can still invade Iran and make sure our illegal aliens don't feel intimidated when they vote. 

But whatever YOU DO...DON'T THINK THAT THIS IS YOUR PARTY'S FAULT!  It is those "other" guys in congress that 91% of people disagree with.  sheesh. 

Six of One, Half Dozen of the other?

                If I hear, “Why not vote for Romney, he’s better than Obama…and that’s who you should care about beating.” one more time…I’m going to scream.  Who is to say that I want Romney over Obama…for instance, Obama would only get 4 more years to wreak havoc…while Romney would have a potential 8 year disaster plan.  Advantage: Obama.  But what about all the differences…well…I see these things as “basically the same ice cream, with a different flavored topping."  Let me use some popular examples…so you can put it into perspective when deciding who you want to vote for.

                War: Obama has us in undeclared wars, along with Presidential prerogative allowing strikes in Libya, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq…and soon to be Syria, Iran and who else?  Mitt would continue undeclared wars but he also has said he is committed to stopping Iran from obtaining nuclear capabilities.  His position on his website is to seek out everyone in the world who would plot against us…continued pressure (money) given to occupied countries to buy their cooperation.  Gary would pull us out of all undeclared wars, return our troops to US soil and stop all foreign aid to countries.  Our military policy would be one of a defensive nature.  He could reduce spending immensely if we didn’t have 100+ bases in the Middle East, Japan, Germany…etc.  Let those countries defend themselves.

                Values: Obama has evolved to support Gay rights for marriage.  Although he has a storied history with drugs, he continues the war on drugs and the spending for this has reached levels that cannot be sustained…all the while drug use has not been curbed by any of it.  Obama also believes that abortion is a right, and supports the woman’s right to choose.  Mitt believes that life begins at conception and has called for Roe v Wade to be overturned.  He believes that marriage is sacred and should not be extended to gays…because it is “for the wellbeing of civilization”…meaning that as long as it is best for society, he should be able to usurp personal liberties.  Gary believes in choice until the fetus is viable out of the womb.  He believes prostitution would be safer if legalized, and since it is going on, it wouldn’t necessarily grow in popularity.  Gays are individuals, and deserve the same rights as anyone…and the role of government is not to manage marriages, nor to decide who should be allowed to love someone else.   Medical marijuana and recreational drug use are still safer than alcohol, and the federal war on drugs currently is not producing results to curb the demand for drugs.  Save the money, release the prisoners and focus on the health aspect, not the criminal aspect of drug use…we can do more by seeing drug users as people, not criminals.

                Health Care: Obama…well, he did Obamacare.  Mitt has a sticky past with this issue, we all know that he was the architect…but let’s examine his ethos and extrapolate his position.  He already thinks that  the “wellbeing of civilization” trumps individual liberty, and here are some more quotes, “health care is essential source of well-being for the individual and family”…so government intervention is ok?  “The role of the federal government is to  create a level playing field for competition.”…wow…so free market and personal liberty…again take a backseat (or roof rack) to the common good?  Mitt also believes that the wealthy should get fewer benefits (Social Security/Medicare) than those that are more “needy”…even though they contributed more than most to the system.  Gary simply believes that the answer can be found by allowing states to explore different methods and learn from other states who have succeeded or failed.  The federal government has no role in the distribution of health care services.

                Government Role in Business:  Obama believes that the government can have an active role in choosing which businesses succeed or fail, even if that means taking stake holding positions with taxpayer money and “bailing” out companies who are not fit to survive without the moneys.   Mitt wants to have “limits to regulatory costs” and “structurally change the bureaucracy” to allow more flexibility in business to endure the regulatory costs incurred by governments meddling.  Gary would eliminate corporate taxes, the government’s role is not to create wealth, jobs or winners and losers.  Government and its agencies should not meddle with business without a valid and provable infringement of the rights of others.

                Gun Control:  Obama is willing to plant guns in criminals’ hands to fabricate a reason to write more gun control laws, even if it means a few government agents protecting our border are shot and killed with those guns.  Mitt will “enforce all laws on the books” and never mentions whether he would limit the scope of the ATF and other out of control agencies without oversight by congress.  If Obama gets a law written, I assume Mitt doesn’t care enough about liberty to work to overturn it, he would just enforce laws on the books.  He has admitted that the NRA doesn’t love him…and neither should people who care about their safety enough to not wait for police to defend themselves.  Gary has stated that gun laws don’t work to combat crime, as criminals don’t follow laws.  He supports the individual’s right to defend himself, and the second amendment is there to limit the government from infringing on the rights of the individual.

                Spending:  Obama loves it…can’t get enough.  Mitt wants to cut $500 Billion/year starting in 2016?  What?  Gary wants to cut 43% of the spending in the first year to balance the budget.  These cuts would be to military, foreign aid, wasteful programs, as well as agencies that are not supporting the role of government.  States would get grants to figure out their own issues and the role of the federal government would be pared back to constitutionally designated roles. 

OK.  Those of you that loved Obama’s positions…you won’t change no matter what.  Those of you who supported Mitt’s positions…you will vote for him.  BUT, if you can read this and see that it is "Six of one, and a half dozen of the other" with Mitt and Obama…then you KNOW…It’s gotta be Gary for President 2012.

-Rev