Pelosi + gov't jets = WASTE

The next time anyone talks about your "carbon footprint", hit 'em with this.
And she has the audacity to lecture US about waste!!!!!

9/11 nine years later

I force myself to look at this at least once a year.

Never Forget.

never

And a well written piece on 9-11

Don't Be Discouraged

In these times that we are living, it can be easy to slip into discouragement or even despair. We write and/or call our representatives in Washington and our state capitals, and we are brushed off without a second thought. The majority of us object to one bill after another, but they pass anyway because "they" are so much smarter than us, and know what is best for us, even more than we know ourselves.

Well, I've been reading Laura Ingraham's new book "The Obama Diaries" which, by the way, I do recommend, and in dealing with this very topic, she helps put things in perspective.

"Consider how ridiculous you would sound:
American from 1776: "We had to fight the world's largest empire with an all-volunteer army"
American from 1814: "We had to watch the British burn down the president's house"
...
American from 1945: " We had to fight Nazi Germany and the Empire of Japan"
American from 1951: "We had to roll back the Communist invasion of South Korea"
...
American from 2010: "We had to deal with..Barack Obama and Joe Biden! And Nancy Pelosi! It was...horrible!""

Thank you once again Laura, for putting things back in perspective. In the grand scheme of what this country has been through, AND triumphed over, in the past, these politicians are certainly not insurmountable!

A Quickie

Saw this via Theo, and said to myself, "Self, there is a lot of truth in that", so thought I'd share it

What big government problem??

Congressmen are supposed to have sworn to uphold the Constitution, which pre-supposes that they have read the Constitution, or at least have an idea what it says. And it would seem that most of those who are our appointed representatives would have the general concept of limited government, that our government was set up to restrict the power of Washington over the citizenry. Right? Right?

Well, listen to what this congressman has to say.

No wonder we feel like we are becoming mere slaves of the state.

Not Too Long Ago.....

Not too long ago, I seem to remember discussions being held. And these discussions were all about the new TARP plans, and all of the wonderful things that it would for all of us. A few of us tried to point out the fallacies that were being talked about, the lies that were being told. And we were shouted down as right-wing nut jobs, tea-baggers and other assorted insults. Now here we are a year later, and all the wonderful things that were going to happen........didn't. What did happen is unemployment continued to climb, government got much bigger, the economy slid more, and deficits skyrocketed.

Not too long ago, I seem to remember discussions being held. And these discussions were all about the new health care plans, and all of the wonderful things that it would for all of us. A few of us tried to point out the fallacies that were being talked about, the lies that were being told. And we were shouted down as right-wing nut jobs, tea-baggers and other assorted insults. Now here we are a year later, and all the wonderful things that were going to happen........didn't. What did happen is unemployment continued to climb, government got much bigger, the economy slid more, and deficits skyrocketed.


Not too long ago, the housing market tanked and started to drag the economy with it. Some of us tried to point out that the biggest offenders in the entire debacle were Fanny-Mae and Freddy-Mac, both of them quasi-governmental institutions, through which several Washington insiders made great wads of money by a wee bit of book-cooking, and for their shady dealings walked away rich and free, while Freddy and Fanny took a scizillion dollar hit, which WE taxpayers were forced to make good. All of this sub-prime nonsense is directly traceable to federal rules which required banks to offer mortgages to people who they KNEW would default, rules issued directly out of Washington, with certain prominent senators standing in front of the cameras telling us how secure Fanny and Freddy were even as the walls were crumbling around them.

And now we have a new 2,000+ page law, yet another of the seemingly endless collection of bloated and unread laws emanating from the capital. This law is going to do all sorts of the wonderful things for all of us, reforming all the problems in our financial system. EXCEPT, it does nothing about Fanny and Freddy, the source of most of the recent problems. What it DOES do is set up yet another honking-big bureaucracy to help control the growth of bureaucracy ( somehow that is supposed to make sense to us!!), and grabs yet more power for the central government. Along with the over 150 new agencies already created in the health care bill, this monstrosity sets up even more agencies to oversee even more of our economic activity. And our illustrious congress follows along in lock-step, either too ignorant or too malevolent to care that through this bill, they and their positions as representatives are being castrated. No longer will congress make decisions or have any input at all. All decisions are handed over to faceless bureaucrats who staff all of these new agencies.

Considering the batting average so far with all of these bills that promised all of the wonderful things that it would for all of us, I have to admit that I am more than a little skeptical. In fact, I am sick with disgust for what these people are doing to our great country.
Sometimes I can convince myself that at least some of the people in Washington are acting out of a sincere belief that they are working for the common good, even if I cannot comprehend why they believe what they profess. But more and more of the time, I can give myself no explanation for their actions other than that they are either a part of a group of people who have completely sold out all of their beliefs for their own enrichment, financial or otherwise, or else that they really don't want our country to survive, let alone thrive, or that they are truly stupid, too stupid to see that what they are doing is driving this country down more and more. Forget political posturing here....each and every person who continues to spend not just our money, but our children and their children's money, has to be one of those choices. There is no other explanation that I can see. Common sense, let alone history or even the current happenings in Greece and elsewhere, are screaming out that this path leads inexorably and always, to the financial disaster and ruin of the country following that path. And history also shows that one of the features that gave us our greatness among countries ands cultures was the individual freedom given to every man, freedom to pursue the paths chosen, freedom to use earnings as desired, freedom to succeed and freedom TO FAIL; these are all needed to attain greatness. Now, before we can do any of this, we must be given permission, we must be guided, we must be protected from ourselves and every other potential bad thing out there in the world, and we must be babied for every hurt that we might get and be reimbursed for any of our losses by our all-loving government.
NO, NO, NO. This isn't the path to greatness, this is the path to pathological dependance, to perpetual infantilism. Being "grown-up", being an adult, being great (or trying to be great, which is probably even more important) means taking some knocks along the way, taking risks that ARE risks and either succeeding or else failing, then getting up and tying again and again. We didn't get here as a country by being coddled by "big-brother". We got here because our fathers and their fathers and grandfathers worked hard at what they did, took risks and failed, had the courage to strike out again and again, always harder, always higher. They didn't spend what they didn't earn, and were always the first to assist others who needed "a helping hand" (not charity, just a helping hand, and they knew the difference!) and they took pride in what they tried to do and took pride in the greatness of this country. Their word was better than any contract, and the government was something that was there to protect them in war, not an ever expanding power trying to control every aspect of their lives.

Maybe we should look back and learn.

A Friend

Today, I helped bury a friend. Chief Herb Faurote, of a neighboring department, died this week and his funeral was held today. This is the lot across the road from the funeral parlor, with some of the apparatus visible which were there to honor him.



This is the procession of chief's cars heading to the cemetery.All of the apparatus were behind me in this picture.

This is the cemetery itself.
Herb had been chief since dirt was young, or so it seemed, and as I spent time in the fire service, he was one of those people who was always there. In all of our work with his department, it was obvious that he put all that he had into the fire service and into his department. He will be missed by just about everyone who knew him.

I was also again struck by just how much of a brotherhood the fire service really is. Gathered here were 25 or more departments from all over the county as well as representatives from the NYS OFPC (State Office of Fire Prevention and Control), all gathered to say good-bye to one of our own. It is something that is difficult to explain to an "outsider" but really and truly does exist, a real bond of brotherhood that has to be seen and felt to be truly appreciated. I overheard a family member or friend commenting on how they were touched by the number of firefighters there and the respect that they showed to Herb. I didn't interrupt their conversation; it wasn't my place to do that. But I was answering her in my own mind: "Ma'am, you have to understand. Herb was one of us. He was a brother to each and every person that you see here in the uniform of a firefighter, even those who are too young or too new, or from so far away that they have never even met him. He had "been there, done that" with us. He had fought the dragon of uncontrolled fire that we all are pledged to fight, and usually had won the fight. But he had also tasted the defeats that we all have experienced, shared the hurt and pain, both the physical injuries and the deeper hurts that never quite heal completely that also come with the job. He was a firefighter, Ma'am and that is why we all are here for him today."

Rest in peace, Herb, you've earned it.

Too good to be true

What a great piece of history!!
Before you write it off as another "right-wing nut job' read it, and have a good laugh as you learn some interesting history

Still here

Been away awhile.....had to think long and hard about whether I'm doing anything except beating my gums saying things that everyone already knows. And of course, one has to ask also if it isn't simply egotism thinking that I really have anything to say of any import.

But when I stumble upon a link like this, I just have to share it if I can. It really touched me.

Happy Father's Day to all Dads, and thank you, Lord, for the family with which I am blessed.

All That They Said Wouldn't Happen

"Individuals who don’t purchase health insurance may lose their tax refunds according to IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. After acknowledging the recently passed health-care bill limits the agency’s options for enforcing the individual mandate, Shulman told reporters that the most likely way to penalize individuals that don’t comply is by reducing or confiscating their tax refunds."

From the Daily Caller

I am shocked, shocked I tell you, that the government would be so heartless.

health Care summary

Let me get this straight… We are trying to pass passed a health care plan written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn’t understand it, passed by a Congress that hasn’t read it but exempts themselves from it, to be signed by a president that also hasn’t read it and who smokes, with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn’t pay his taxes, all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, and financed by a country that’s broke.

What could possibly go wrong?

Compliments of Flopping Aces.

pretty well sums it all up.

He Is Risen! Alleluia!

On this Easter day, let us all remember that He died and rose again from the dead that we all might live. Keeping that in mind sort of keeps everything else in its proper perspective.

A Happy Easter to all, and a belated happy holy days to the Jewish brethren as well.

Obama Promised a Civilian Army And.......

During the campaign, Obama called for a civilian army as big as the military, and we were told that it was just retoric, nothing to be concerned about. "Nothing to see here. Move along please...." And lo and behold, buried in the middle of the Obamacare bill... is this little gem. I guess Nancy Pelosi was right....now that we passed it, we'll get to see what's in it.


Update...this MAY be a false alarm, and may be referring to the US Public Health Service. We'll see

Hope and Change

Well, in spite of the objection of 70%+ of the population, we now have a "health-care" bill. And this bill, we are told, will save everyone a scazillion dollars. Maybe someone should tell AT&T that, since they just announced a $1billion write-off caused by the health care bill, and maybe tell Caterpiller as well, since they just took a $100 million hit, or 3M who just announced a write-off of $85 to $90 million. And this is all before anyone gets a nickle out of it, since benefits don't even kick in for 4 more years. And just wait until the 14,000 IRS agents get hired and start to enforce this bill.

Just a simple point....there can be no rejection because of prior conditions. So, I can go along without collision insurance, and then when I have an accident, I can THEN call the insurance company to cover me and they have to give me the coverage? I don't think we have to be financial wizards to see that such a plan will quickly destroy every insurance company. And yet this is what will be required of the health insurance companies. So of course, they will fold, and we will then have to turn to the gummint to "save us" by covering us with their insurance.

But aside from the obvious financial hits that we ALL are going to take, there is something even more basic. Where does the government get the power to force us to buy something? Where?? This is such an onerous and oppressive law that it literally boggles the mind. This law is something we might expect to see in a socialist or communist country, not in a free country. We have never, NEVER had a law like this in our entire history. ( And before someone jumps up and says, "Car insurance", let me point out that you do not have to buy car insurance if you don't drive, and in some states you don't have to but it at all, but everyone will be forced to have this abomination of health insurance). And if the pols in DC can mandate that we buy health insurance, then what else can they mandate? After all, if they can justify 1 mandated purchase, they can mandate any and all others, right? After all, it's for our own good!!!

And just as a question.......if this program is so super wonderful, why did the legislators specifically exclude themselves and their staff from it? Is it possible, just possible, that they know deep in their cold, cold hearts, that this program is really a piece of crap, and that they are just too good to have to lower themselves down to a program that is designed for the rest of us? Just asking!


Update on the above $ figures:
The substance of the disclosures to date: ".. AT&T's announcement that Obamacare will force it to take a $1 billion dollar charge — the most alarming (but entirely predictable) bad news in a parade that, the Wall Street Journal's editors note, "includes Deere & Co., $150 million; Caterpillar, $100 million; AK Steel, $31 million; 3M, $90 million; and Valero Energy, up to $20 million."

Sometimes A Picture Says It Best (part 2)

With a tip of the hat again to Theo

Good Guys

From The Sniper.

Pretty much says it all, as far as I am concerned.

"It's Only a Parliamentary Procedure, Isn't It?"

This gentleman pretty much says it all.
The debate is over, the public has spoken and overwhelmingly does NOT want the Obama health care plan. So......they will simply ignore the public, those whom they are supposed to represent, and they will ignore the rule of law which specifically and clearly states in the Constitution that before a bill can become law, it has to pass in both houses of Congress. They will pass a bill which pretends that the health care bill was passed, and we are supposed to accept that because they say so.

NO FREAKING WAY!!!!

If they don't have the intestinal fortitude, the courage, to actually put their vote ON THE BILL, not a parliamentary substitute for the bill, then piddle on them. It simply confirms what I already knew about our supposed leaders in Washington. They are not our representatives, and they certainly are not leaders in any sense of that term. And if they do this illegal maneuvering to pretend to pass the bill, then I agree with the gentleman above. It was not legally passed; it is not legally binding. And once again, those who want to control us more and more show their true colors; if the laws of the land interfere with their plans, simply ignore it and do what they want to do. And next, the next time that the Constitution interferes with their grand plans, what other right of the public will be trampled into the mud, all in the name of progress. Remember that the Constitution and what it stands for, is the only protection that we have against a government and those who are in the government from becoming tyrants and despots. And do you really want Nancy Pelosi, or Harry Reid, or Mr Hinchey, or Mr Shumer, or any of the other professional politicians or innumerable bureaucrats in Washington, ruling your life? Do you really think that they are something special, somehow better than you at living your life? If you do, God bless you and I hope that you enjoy the life of servitude that will surely follow. If you don't, then recognize that that rule under which the government is supposed to function, the Constitution and Bill of Rights, is being ignored and sidestepped and trashed, and our very liberty is being endangered more and more every day.

It's Just Salt, For The Love Of Pete

The State is this close to going belly-up; we can't seem to find anyone who isn't up to here in corruption to lead in Albany, and we get this as a proposed law. Hey, if you want salt-free cooking, bless you...just ask for it or cook at home. Personally, I want some taste to my food and though I don't want it oversalted, I do want the cook (or chef) to be able to do his/her work without answering to some NY State Salt Policeman. As an aside, there is very little evidence that salt has any significant effect on health except for a very few salt-sensitive people. Please Mr Assemblyman, we really don't need a nanny to lead us around, and need even less another do-gooder who knows what is good for us better than we know ourselves. And you know what? If a restaurant makes food too salty, I have a very simple, non-governmental response to it. I don't eat there any more!!!!!

I Wish I Thought They Were Kidding

On the news this evening, our very own Senator Schumer (D)and Lindsey Graham (R)have presented a bill that would mandate a government employment card. Every, EVERY worker in the US must have this card to get a job. This would be a "high tech" card with microchip, stored data such as fingerprints or whatever. Of course, there is absolutely nothing that would prevent this card from being used for other things such as tracking, travel restrictions or whatever other purpose that the gov't might want to use it. And their justification? It would prevent illegal aliens from finding employment. Hey guys, here's a novel alternative instead....enforce the damn laws that we already have, and control the borders like we're supposed to. Try that approach before this hair-brained idea.

Even if yo have a warm and fuzzy feeling about our Washington politicians, consider this...we are talking here about a whole new system, which equates to a whole new bureaucracy to run it. additionally I am sure that this high tech cards would not be cheap. So in a time when we are going broke, we will spend a gazillion dollars on a whole new system.

And of course there is this little bitty problem, so minor as to hardly bear mentioning. This is a blatant invasion, or should I say ANOTHER invasion, of our privacy. In spite of what these two "leaders" in Washington may say, it is not the government's business to control my employment, nor to set up a system that could control my movement, my employment, my purchases, or anything else as long as what I do is lawful. And if you really believe that the use of such a card would not expand, I strongly suggest that you look at the history of the social security system, where that card was supposed to be used ONLY to track your ss info, and in fact it was specifically written that no one could force you to reveal that number for any other purpose. Now try not to use that number and see how far you get with any bank or other financial institution. It WILL expand!!

Another point to notice....this bill is an excellent example that in this day, it makes no difference whatsoever what political party our senators and representatives are connected to. Members and "leaders" of both parties are in the same boat, and both are working for the same goals. Those goals are bigger government, which gives them more power, and their continued occupation of their seats in Washington.

Completely different note here................I just got a letter telling me that I will be getting a letter with the census form. Who, except Washington, sends a letter telling someone that they are about to get a letter??? Maybe I am really stupid, but it seems to me that we just doubled the cost of this stage of the project, didn't we?

Observations on a Power Outage

The power has been out here at home for about 36 hrs so far, and I have to admit that it has been a learning experience. We were prepared, or at least as prepared as we could be, and the one blessing is that though we have no power, heat, or phone, we DO have water. That really makes things much easier all around.

Observation #1 We are without power for a brief time, and we know that very soon the power will be restored. It makes one appreciate much more clearly what it might be like to be in Haiti, or in northern NY during the ice storm years ago when the power was out for weeks or months at a time. And though it is dark and cold, we have a dry home to live in, and we know where our next meal is coming from, and that very soon life will return to normal for us, where those people had no idea at all what the future would hold. We must remember to count the innumerable blessings that we have and so often take for granted.

Observation #2 The line crews working for Central Hudson have my undying admiration. It is cold and slushing out (rain, sleet and snow all mixed together=slush), and they are out in that crud cutting limbs, tracing faults, and replacing lines and fuses. To each and every one of them, THANK YOU!!

Observation #3 Freeze-dried food isn't all that bad. It sure beats cold sandwiches when you are living in a cold, dark house.

Now posting as power is back on for us. Time out 60 hrs.

Haiti

We've all seen the pictures and the video clips. We have heard the number, the constantly climbing number, of dead. And it is almost so big, so horrible, that it loses its reality. It is literally almost beyond comprehension.

But sadly, it IS real. All the pain and suffering, the death and injury, is real. And once again, in spite of our problems, the USA is out in front in delivering aid and comfort. Not only is the gov't sending 100 million dollars, but its citizens will donate what is expected to be ANOTHER 100 million dollars. Even in this time of financial hardship for many of us, we once again do what is right and dig into our pockets to share with those who need our help.
And I can't help noting that the great spokesman of socialism, Mr Danny Glover, feels that we should follow the lead of Chavez and Cuba, those great demonstrators of giving......Chavez sent ONE planeload of aid, Cuba sent 20 tons. I guess in the grand scheme of things, Mr Glover really
doesn't count for a pile of doggy dung, and his stupid remarks only show how blind he is to reality. Hey Danny, it is that nasty, evil country that you so love to hate that is doing all the work for the unfortunate victims in Haiti, so how about you shut up and get out of the way, so the real humanitarians can do what needs to be done.
Cartoon from Theo..it sorta says what I was saying, only better.

Tax Law Change

In case you missed it in the mainstream media, there has been a bit of a change in the withholding tax tables this year.....and surprise, surprise, it is NOT a tax break. Rather, it is a mandatory "loan" to the government. Yup, more withheld from YOUR paycheck so our "leaders" in DC can get their fingers on it. Hey, Sen Shumer and Gillibrant and Rep Hinchey, thanks a freaking lot for looking out for us. The economy is going down the crapper, unemployment is up, so you will take MORE of our money. Great plan you have there.

And as you probably know, the "healthcare" bill will not follow the usual path of going to a joint conference committee, then reintroduction to the houses of Congress for approval. Rather a combined bill will be drawn up IN COMPLETE SECRECY then presented to both houses. If this sticks in your craw as much as it does in mine, there is a petition started up here. Since I signed it about 2 hrs ago, the number of signers has gone up by about 3,000 so people ARE responding.

Some Good Ideas, For Anytime

At the beginning of each year, we seem to feel the necessity of "resolutions" for the new year. And though I never got into that, I offer this as a pretty good list, not just for New Years, but for any time.