It is time to focus on congressional races…

For the sake of America’s future, we need to focus our attention on the 2008 congressional races to insure we offset the executive branch. It will not matter who becomes president if McCain wins the nomination, both party nominees will push liberal agendas, so we must build up our defenses on the front line, congress.

If it ends up being Barrack and McCain, I vote 3rd party. If it ends up Clinton and McCain, I’m still not sure if I will have to hold my nose and vote McCain. I just don’t know yet but what I do know is that anyone who is conservative leaning, believes our borders need to be secured, taxes lowered, and more market based solutions for healthcare & social security, has no advocate in these two nominees. My guess is conservative voters will say, let them eat cake and stay home letting the country fall apart for four years, hoping a Reagan will appear on the horizon.

I watched the debate last night and the angry old man is someone I just can’t see voting for. Huckabee gets old really quick, and Paul was dissed again but I have to respect the way he kept his composure. I would have been making a stink if I was Paul, but that’s me. McCain represents what is wrong with Washington but unfortunately people seem to be fine with the status quo. Why not; there giving away the ranch with rebates, healthcare, free housing and food; heck I may just quit and get on the dole. Why work when they are giving it away.

We are in for some interesting times and I don’t know when the tipping point will come; but I will be ready to take back our country. Anyone in?

Illegal Immigrant’s rejoice!

It was a great night if you are an illegal in this country! McCain is for amnesty and the democrats, well, they could care less about our border or security. So from a presidential perspective, illegals will have a friend in the White House if McCain ends up with the nomination.

It may be me, but when I read this story about illegal’s getting tax rebates from this “stimulus” package, I almost busted an artery! This economic downturn is a result of lending money to people that couldn’t afford to pay it back; it is not about consumer spending overall. And by the way, the top 10% of wage earners are responsible for 40% of consumer spending anyway. I have been saying all along, cut tax rates for the people that pay them, and particularly our small business and corporate payroll taxes. That is where we need “stimulus”.

Illegal immigrants do not deserve a rebate and neither do the people that don’t pay taxes; that is welfare. I am sick of this pandering class of politicians that believe the government has a role in every nook and cranny of our lives.

So conservative’s better wake up and unite around Romney if we have any hope of stopping the McCain train. Huckabee needs to get out of the way and stop the ego trip. This is not a personality contest. We need an economic literate in the White House that has a chance to win in the general election. Not another pro government socialist. It is time to get back to our founding roots, and stand up for what has made this country great; individual opportunity and ingenuity. Just a thought…

Romney must stay in the race…

The results in Florida are really depressing for the future of America. McCain represents everything that is wrong with Washington DC. He is against free speech, for illegal immigration, and an angry old man. He won in Florida because the elderly know McCain will protect the status quo and that is “comforting” for seniors. We need someone that doesn’t have a history of catering his votes to lobbyists (Keating 5), and will not be willing to sell out the founding principles of our country just to be a “maverick”. He is not a maverick, he is a relic…

All you need to know about McCain…

The NY Times has endorsed Hillary Clinton and John McCain for president. Neither is a surprise but if you are a republican or conservative, there is no greater warning sign. It is a warning that if the NYT’s likes McCain, there can only be two reasons; they think he can be beat, or they believe he is the least conservative candidate. I am thinking it is the first reason.

I don’t understand how he is in the game at this point. He is being propped up by the liberal media and so far by independent voters. If he wins in Florida it will just be further validation that the Republican Party is no longer a home for conservatives. It will be time to form a new party for the former Reagan coalition.

So instead of this endorsement being a feather in McCain’s cap, it should be the only sign conservatives need to run for the hills from his campaign. Just a thought…

Hillary wants government to ruin; I mean run the economy…

This is a quote from a NYT's article, and all you need to hear from Hillary to know we can’t have a democrat in charge with a democratic congress; Hillary will “address what she called excesses in the market”. What does she know about the markets? She hasn’t worked a real day at a real job in 30 years!

Here is another “brilliant” economic observation from Hillary; “She said that economic excesses — including executive-pay packages she characterized as often “offensive” and “wrong” and a tax code that had become “so far out of whack” in favoring the wealthy — were holding down middle-class living standards.” The unfortunate thing is too many people will agree with this dribble. Just because you think it sounds good, it doesn’t make it good.

She added: “I want to get back to the appropriate balance of power between government and the market.” Balance of power with the market? Who made her Queen and what balance of power is she citing in the constitution?

This is scary stuff folks. The markets are listening to this and they will react if she has a shot at winning; negatively. If you have a 401K or any retirement fund you should think really hard about what the democrats and some republicans are saying. The only one that could pass an economics test is Mitt Romney.

On a more interesting note: The NY Giants dominated in Green Bay and the New England Patriots did what they had to do to win. The Super Bowl will be a great game for me; former NYG fan and season ticket holder, and living 15 years in New England rooting for the patriots. I just wonder what everyone else west of NJ is going to be doing Super Bowl Sunday!!!

Prediction: NYG 21 NE Patriots 28

Where is this “stimulus” coming from; and who is getting it?

The President is calling for an economic stimulus package based on “tax cuts and rebates”. Tax cuts good, rebates bad.

Congress is working on a “stimulus” plan for the poor. Bad; period.

First, the rebates are money that has to be borrowed by the government to pay out. Many of those rebates will go to people that already don’t pay Federal tax, and worse, get tax back, even though they don’t pay any tax. The only way rebates work is if you reduce government spending in the same amount. There has been talk about a 100 BILLION dollar program, so where are we getting that money if we don’t cut spending? We will increase our debt. We continue to be selfish and continue to steal from our children’s future economic opportunity.

Second, a plan for the poor is not how you stimulate an economy. You incentivize the people that invest and create jobs. The poor already have programs that continually add to the debt. Adding to that debt is not a good idea. Job creation is the economy’s engine, not increased debt and government programs. Will people have a few extra bucks to spend? You bet. But all you have done is “stolen” future economic growth by borrowing the money. And besides that, I thought this was a crisis created by mortgage defaults. How many poor people have a mortgage? (This is not a posting about the poor, it is about the economy so don’t take this as a statement of my feeling about the poor please. It is just that they have little to do with the current economic slowdown)

My last point is a comment on Nancy Pelosi’s solution below:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wanted legislation enacted within a month and said the government must "spend the money, invest the resources, give the tax relief in a way that again injects demand into the economy, puts it in the hands of those who need it most and into the middle class ... so that we can create jobs."

Sorry Nancy, if government spending was the solution to problems in the economy, why not do it all the time? Why are we talking temporary? Because it is not a solution, it will compound the problem. Cut taxes for people that pay them, and cut the tax rates for job creators. The market will react and react fast and furious.

The market wants to be confident in the direction and permanency of taxation; and if taxes go down, markets go up. It is simple for those that understand even the most fundamental economic principles. The problem is; there are very few politicians that do. Just a thought…

Why this market correction is good for us…

Let me say first, that I have a 401K, IRA’s, college funds, a home building up equity, so like you, this downturn doesn’t feel good. But it is good and here’s why.

· First, the media has been itching for a “recession” and now they can get on with the doom and gloom. They will get it out of their system, blame George Bush, get bored and move on. (Just watch the glee as they start the newscast) We the producers will go about our business and restart the economy.

· For too long banks have been giving away money with little interest in the borrower’s ability to pay it back. This availability of money drove housing prices right through the roof.

· Although the equity growth looked good on paper, we all knew that a one bedroom ranch should not cost a million bucks; anywhere in the country. (Well maybe waterfront)

· People that didn’t have the money, were given money, to become real estate “tycoons”, flipping properties and taking the profits right to the bank. Hooray for them.

· People that didn’t have the money, were given money, to become real estate “tycoons”, flipping properties and losing their shirts because their timing was bad, losing everything. Too bad for them.

· Home prices needed adjusting because it was becoming more and more difficult to enter the market once the “easy” money dried up.

· The banks and risk takers needed to learn the lesson that there is an end to every cycle, and just like musical chairs, someone is bound to lose.

· If the market is left alone, banks will lend money again to people that can afford to pay it back. People that don’t have the money to take huge risks will not be tempted with the lure of easy money. We will return to “normal” growth on sound principals and fundamentals.

· A lot of people got rich, and now a lot of people are upside down in their investments. That is the market, that is the lesson.

The biggest danger we face is the meddling of politicians in the market. Hillary “I have no practical experience” Clinton, has proposed a 90 day moratorium on adjustable mortgage rate increases. Like that will do anything but delay the inevitable. It may sound good to people that placed a bet and lost, but we don’t pay back people when they lose their life savings in a Vegas casino, we shouldn’t pay people that made bad financial decisions in the crazy housing market of the last seven years.

So let’s let all the people that made mistakes learn from them by allowing the consequences to unfold. It is not easy to see anyone suffer, but if we don’t allow the lesson to be learned, this is guaranteed to happen again.

It will not be tomorrow, but we are well on a way to a recovery but only if the politicians let the market teach its natural lesson. If the politicians want to do anything, lower our tax rates; period…

Beware of Government “stimulus” in the economy…

I heard Hillary’s “fix” for the slowdown in the economy. It is a recipe for disaster! She is suggesting freezing interest rates on private loans, promising bailouts, and rebates, to name a few proposals of hers. Rebates don’t work, long term reduction of taxes does. Politicians that try to target government money toward certain industries is a very, very, dangerous endeavor.

The best thing for the politicians to do is nothing, when it comes to the banking industry. People decided to borrow money to buy homes. Some spent the last 7 years buying and flipping properties. Each time making more money. Do we now ask for the money back that was made when times were good? How do we discern the risk takers and people that profited from the huge equity increases over the past few years from the people that made bad financial decisions? We can’t and shouldn’t. If the banking industry determines that making adjustments to loans is a good business practice, they will. It is not the governments place.

The best thing the congress and president can do for the economy is to propose a top marginal tax rate reduction to 20% for the highest tax brackets. At least make the Bush tax cuts permanent to bring confidence to the markets that taxes will not be raised when they are scheduled to go back to their original higher rates in 2009.

When the politicians start talking stimulus get ready for disaster in the economy. These weak kneed politicians are so economically ignorant that they don’t care what the impact of their proposals are, as long as it looks like they are doing something. Make the tax cuts permanent, or reduce the marginal rates even more; that is all we need from you. Otherwise shut up!

The Democrats have changed the menu at the Capitol building…

OK, call me petty, but I think congress has better things to do than to be worrying about the menu at the Capitol building cafeteria. This article describing the menu makes me sick. This is why we must get these long term politicians out of Washington DC. They are so disconnected that changing the menu to be healthier and increasing the amount of biodegradable napkins passes as important. This is extremely disappointing.

Can we talk about term limits, reducing our spending, and taking the 90 billion dollar Department of Education budget, and sending that money home to the states, along with sending these bureaucrats packing? Can we focus on something important?

If you are happy with the activities of the two parties then I pity our future. If you are not, let’s finally start looking at real change outside the two parties. That would be a menu I could choose from. Just a thought…

Ron Paul in the FOX Debate

I was very disappointed in the treatment of Ron Paul at last night’s FOX debate by the panel of questioners. He was treated with disrespect and I think it undermined FOX’s credibility in this presidential race. He was the only candidate where you could hear the contempt in the voice of the person asking the question. I have to say; it was disturbing.

I wish Ron Paul had a different outlook on foreign policy, because when I review many of his positions, he is right on target. He is on target with reduced size of government, scope of government, states’ rights, second amendment, and veteran care, strong support for military bases in this country, and a strong border security, and immigration policy. He is a sitting congressman and deserves respect, just like every other candidate on that stage.

I actually listened closer to Ron Paul because I was so irritated by his treatment from the panel. And if I had to go into a voting booth and only had the choice of Huckabee or Paul, I would choose Paul.

He has an air that he is a bit scattered and unstable, but I think that is because he gets such limited time in front of the media, so when he does, he has to hit all of his key issues. So I’m not sure anymore how “crazy” he is. I have to say, having run for office, and with a plan to run again as an underdog, I empathize with Paul’s situation. I would expect better of FOX and especially the panel that I have always had respect for until last night. They should probably apologize to Paul for their behavior. Just a thought…

Why They Want Mitt Out…

Have you noticed how Mitt is either being ignored or being encouraged to drop out? It is all Huckabee, McCain, Hillary and Barak, all the time. The media occasionally mentions Rudy’s “failed” strategy to skip the first few races and start “late” in the Florida primary. But the facts don’t support any “momentum” for any candidate.

The voters seem to be split on a number of candidates and for many reasons. But my belief is that the media elites want Mitt out because he is the most viable candidate for the republicans, and the most “lethal” for democrats. The media is going to ratchet up the stories on the “failing” economy as the season progresses, and they are going to blame it on republicans and GW. So if the economy becomes the major issue, barring any terrorist attacks, who is best suited to fix it? Will it be career long politicians or someone that has the experience of building business and managing economic issues? Obviously Mitt’s experience will be very attractive as the economic “catastrophe” that the media is creating comes to fruition.

Huckabee has a really bad record when you look beyond his family values. Mitt competes really well in the family values arena by the way. Huckabee is a tax raiser and big government advocate. As I have said before, if you like President Bush’s spending habits, you will LOVE Huckabee.

John McCain is a grumpy old man with a fantastic military record and a perfect vision for winning Iraq. That would be great if he didn’t vote against the GW tax cuts, infringe on free speech with McCain Finegold, partner with Kennedy on the Amnesty Bill, and form the gang of 17 to stop judicial nominations. Iraq is his only strong issue and it is not enough when you look at his competition. If he is the nominee, I will vote for the Unity Party candidate, same goes for Huckabee. Either one of them sends me packing to the Unity Party candidate, and I believe I speak for many conservative voters. They may not vote Unity, but they will probably stay home. That is good for the democrats.

I can vote for Rudy and Thompson but Thompson will be out within a month, and Rudy has everything riding on Florida, NY, NJ, California, and Illinois. We will see if his strategy works. I think it is one of those strategies that work well on paper but it doesn’t account for the power of the media to “mold” the race and voter perceptions.

So all of you in states that still have primaries to come; don’t count out Mitt or Rudy. And take a really close look at Huckabee beyond his smooth Clinton like (Bill Clinton like) rhetoric. McCain has failed the conservative movement more than any other republican in the Senate today next to Arlen Spector. So let’s make Mitt, Rudy, or Fred viable again, and do to the conventional wisdom of the media, what the polls in NH did for Hillary.

This is our race, not the pundits. Just a thought…

Iranian Boats Testing Attack on US Navy Ships…

The Navy should have blown these three Iranian Guard “Navy” boats, basically water skiing boats, right out of the water. No hesitation. What you see in this video is an intelligence gathering effort to see how close they can get to a US ship before being fired upon. This intelligence may not be used by the Iranian government directly, but is extremely valuable information for terrorists.

President Bush’s response in the video is disappointing. I wish he would have put the Iranian government on notice, especially in light of his upcoming visit to the Middle East, that any future move like this will end up with dead Iranian sailors; period. View the video and you be the judge…

Hillary falling apart? Crocodile tears? The female card? You be the judge...

A video of Hillary crying because she may lose. Hmmm!

In my opinion this is her lat attempt to hang on to her thrown. Is she crying for you or is she crying because she doesn’t want to lose? Is this the person you want fighting the terrorists trying to kill us? She is playing the female card; nothing else. All females should be concerned about how this could represent the "strongest" and "smartest" woman in America??? If all else fails, cry because it makes people feel sorry for you. No wonder the rest of the world wants her in charge. Very telling...

Driverless cars and your presidential candidate…

I had to take a little break from the presidential primaries and this article was just the trick. GM has announced a “car that can drive itself” and if it comes to fruition the world as we know will be over. A dire prediction? You bet, but one that is steeped in the fundamental rights we enjoy today, and why this idea is just a guise of diminished freedom for all Americans.

Please read the article first or you may have trouble making the connection here. If you think about driving as we know it today, why is it so important? I would argue because the automobile for most Americans represents freedom. Oh yeah we do need it, in most areas of the country with the exceptions of some major cities. But the car represents our ability to go, at any time, where we choose. It is a part of our personality. If we like to go fast we choose a Corvette. If we like to go camping we choose a Tahoe or 4 wheel drive vehicle. If we are frugal we pick a Ford Fiesta. But we choose what car fits our lifestyle. We choose its colors and features. The excitement of a new car is still going on today at every showroom in America. Teenage kids are dreaming of their first car. Why? Because it means freedom from their parents. The car is an integral part of the American culture and this program is socialism in disguise.

But Rich, wouldn’t it be great if we could sit back and just let the car take us where we want to go? Couldn’t it reduce traffic jams, and maybe accidents? Fair enough, not having to drive is a bonus while still having the convenience of your own schedule, but what happens when the cars become “self” driven? What bureaucracy is going to determine what the “rules” will be? And when we have adopted the idea of this technology, what happens when the bureaucracy decides when and why you can drive?

What will happen is this. It will start out with a lot of enthusiasm, especially from the elites and environmentalists. They will be pushing for this for reasons I will explain soon. People will be attracted to the thought of being able to sleep on the way to work, and having their kids carted off to their activities while mom stays home to get everything else done. It will all seem fine as the transition from free driving cars to “socialist” cars (my term) takes place. We will mostly be enamored by the technology.

But here is where the elites and environmentalists come in. Once the transition is complete, the assault on freedom will begin. There will be movements to limit the amount of driving people can do because of “environmental” concerns (just look at the lunacy over global warming). Next there will be concern about the amount of fuel we are using and an effort to limit the usage. There will be recommendations, and then laws that will ration the number of miles or hour’s people can drive. You will need to get “approved” plans before going out on the roadways, similar to how air traffic controllers control planes. There will be mandates that all cars must be “socialist” (driverless cars) and all other cars on the road will be seen as outlaws.

It will be right out of a science fiction thriller but it will be real. If the cars are driverless then why do we need different types of cars? It is just a shell with seats so there is no need for choosing a style of car, just the number of seats. It will be mandated that the cars be the most fuel efficient.

So GM, Ford, Chrysler; be careful what you wish for. There will be no need for you if we only need one type of car with the number of seats being the only difference. So as you choose your presidential choice this election, you may want to consider how they feel about the “driverless” car. If they believe we don’t need a driver, they probably feel that we may not need a voter either. Just a thought…

It’s Illegal Immigration Stup…

Last night was interesting. Some general observations:

· It is amazing how Bill and Hill try to create their own reality as if they didn’t end up in third place. There is a Santa Clause! I didn’t realize how satisfying it would be to see a Clinton lose! My son Taylor pointed out how Bill’s face looked like a tomato compared to the others on stage. We nicknamed him Bob from the veggie tales character Bob the tomato. See politics can be fun for the entire family!

John Edwards is a phony and I am sick of hearing about his "Mill Town" childhood. His house is 26,000 square feet which is probably bigger than the mill. (I do like his wife though)

· Obama proved that we are a colorblind society when the messenger does not play the race card. Mostly white Iowa democrats had no issue voting for a black American. Awesome!

· Mitt is a classy guy and as the economic and illegal immigration debate intensifies, Mitt will be the choice.


· Huckabee is a great orator but something about him feels wrong to me. Not to mention how lenient he has been with felons who commit murder and his promotion in Arkansas of tax payer support for illegal immigrants.

· McCain I did not see. Nor Thompson.

Note: Yesterday Kay Bailey Hutchison put in an amendment to a bill that would gut the 2006 border fence bill that was passed with great expectations from the American people. Didn’t hear about that in the media. Hmmm? President Bush and the other republicans are very quiet on the issue. This is an outrage and she is a TRAITOR of the American people. This is an outrage!!!

And we’re off!

It is the first official day of 2008, a presidential election year, and the leadership vacuum sound is sucking us into a rudderless future. Ahh! Starting out the New Year with such optimism! Actually, I am optimistic that we will not elect any of the current democratic field because we in America are not that left. My concern is that the republican field has potential but also a lot of risk. I like Mitt but he brings with him the baggage of dealing with one of the most left leaning states in the country. Ditto Rudy. McCain is more appealing but I completely disagree with his immigration and campaign finance positions. Huckabee is a Clinton with an R. Maybe a bit harsh but I don’t trust him; at all. Paul is a lunatic in my opinion. Thompson is dull although I could live with him as president. Duncan who?

I wish I could get really excited about a candidate but that might be too much to ask at this stage. At least there is no chance of a Bob Dole candidacy. We can thank God for small miracles! So we are off and running (pun intended) for 2008. I am excited of the things I control in my life!! As for everything else we can only do what we can to impact the outcome.

It is still early but now that the holidays are over we can confidently say; Gentleman, start your engines! (Oh yea, you too Hillary)