911?   The event that changed America.  The event that woke some of us out of a slumber.   The horrendous event of premeditated murder of innocent civilians on our soil, right here in our own backyard.  That was 5+ years ago, and how have we changed as a nation?  What has changed?

Sure our military went in and temporarily defeated the enemy in Afghanistan, and removed a murderous Islamic dictator in Iraq, and the battle goes on.  Before that day in September, what did we know as a country about Al-Quaeda, or about radical Muslim groups.  Not much.  The FBI and the CIA knew, and some members of congress knew, the White House knew about this organization of terrorists who had previously made attacks upon American interests abroad and right here.  The WTC was previously bombed in 1993.  In 1988, a New York bound flight exploded in mid air killing 259.  A US embassy destroyed in 1983. In Tehran, radicals attacked our embassy and took 66 hostages, later they were all released.  There were other attacks I did not mention, but this should have been enough to stir some sort of retaliation that had lasting effect to suppress further attacks. Since 911, the world wide attacks on freedom loving societies have increased, and The President has tried to make clear that we are at war against an enemy called radical Islamic fascists.

What else have the America public become aware of since that day in 2001?   The huge unmanageable illegal immigration migration from Spanish speaking countries to our south into virtually every town across the country.  What was known before 2001?   Or, a better question,  what was made public before 2001?  Did we hear the estimated numbers?  Sure, we all knew by just observing the scene around us that there "seemed" to be a lot of Mexicans working at those dirty jobs.   But, were we really aware of how large the problem had become?  Not I.  Nope.  Did not hear it.  Did not see those reports.   Could you have estimated that there were double digit millions of illegal aliens living and working in the shadows and nobody was doing anything to stem this tide.

Now here we are in 2007, and these two problems continue to escalate.   The so-called war against terror continues to expand.   There has been some very positive results of our military actions, but there still remains that old BUT.   There is more to do.   It is no way near being over.   There are too many 'expert' voices deciding what action to take to determinant  a closure, if a closure is possible.  The invasion from the south continues to boost the numbers of illegal aliens living and working while hiding from the ICE, and INS, and DHS, while conflicting voices conflict on the best approach to settle the sticky political problem. 

Government moves slowly, and most of the time we welcome and delight in their inaction, and certainly we do not want the feds to rush it and make a premature or an impulsive decision to drop bombs, or grant wholesale amnesty just to quiet the critics and/or satisfy the special interests.  But, golly gee whiz, it sure is hard to wait while these things escalate as they have been.   So, perhaps now IS the time.

These two, if not stopped, could be the demise of western values as we have known. 

Remember the democrats, as part of the so called 100 hour project, vowed to keep the house working five days a week.  Broken vows already, and they just got started.  A new direction for america......integrity.  Where have we heard all this before?   Life as usual in Washington.   Drudge has the report.

Now here's a couple of articles that touches the heart, and shows that the spirit of Christmas is alive and well in America.   The Kanasas City Mystery Santa  hands out $100 bills to down and out shoppers. And another story. 
$50 bills given to bus passengers    And to think that elements in the country wish to destroy this spirit.  

What a privilege it has been to be an American.   But then, leave it to the media, the poll takers and politicians to try to come up with an analysis of  why Americans give.  "It is ingrained in the American character to believe we are the hope of the world."   Americans give because of tax deductions, the government encourages giving.  Americans give because of guilt of having so much, or is it just generosity.   Why do Americans give at a rate 4 times that of Britain and Germany?  To the pollsters, it's a complex answer.    "It seems then, we give because we are good. The part of the American character that is hopeful and generous — while flawed, while not perfect — is fundamentally intact."

So, why do you give of your hard earned income?   Do you volunteer time to a charity?

  A response to  “Raising the minimum wage is good for all”

by Ruben Navarrette,  a Jan 5th opinion in major newspapers.

I take exception to Rubens article.  The first thing that caught my eye of discernment was the identification of the person quoted as the expert witness that Ruben uses to justify an increase in the minimum wage.  It was none other than a lawyer and labor consultant, Beth Shulman, who used be an official of a large labor union, the United Food and Commercial Workers Union.  Guess what folks.  Most all union contracts are indexed to the minimum wage laws, among other indexes.  So, when the minimum wage goes up, the union wages go up.  Now this is how Beth gets paid her huge fees, by being an advocate for the passage of legislation to increase the minimum wage.  Do you see self-interest there?  Would you suspect she could not be independent, unbiased and impartially informative?

Now who are these people working at this $5.15 per hour?  Even the big Mac starts their numerous floating employees off higher, as do most employers do now because of competition.  I said floating employees, meaning that their likelihood of being at the same job in a year is very slim; they move on, they quit, they get promoted just for doing a decent job and showing up to work on time, all the time.  These are entry-level positions, and no one is expected to make life long careers as a clerk at Taco Bell. “Skills like how to interact with coworkers and customers have to be learned on the job, and minimum-wage jobs provide inexperienced workers the opportunity to learn these skills.” James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation.  Jan 2, ’07  

Mr. Navarrette could have done some serious research before writing this, and why he did not, I don’t know, but Beth used him.  For the democrats, it’s votes acquisition; it’s support and monies from the unions.  There is some excellent substantial educated research material available on the web for anyone to look into.  Look to the Heritage foundation for one.  www.heritage.org   A Jan 2^nd article at heritage reads: “Minimum wage supporters seek to help poor, disadvantaged workers get ahead, but the minimum wage is not an effective anti-poverty tool. First, it is poorly targeted. It affects the employment of all minimum wage workers, not just the poor. Most minimum wage earners do not come from poor families. A majority are between the ages of 16 and 24, and less than a fifth live below the poverty line.   Suburban teenagers and college students working part time make up a substantial portion of the minimum-wage workforce.”

Another one of Beth Shulman comments quoted by Ruben was about the worth of an hours pay for an hours work.

“It’s not worth $5.15 per hour.”  “It’s not one’s skills (that determine the wage) or even the job itself, it’s whether you have any power to change the working conditions in that job.”  Let that sink in a bit.  It’s not the skills.  It’s not the job.  It’s the power to change.  Right out of a union manual.   First of all, some basic economics are needed to clarify this issue.  The job belongs to the employer, who has his capital investment at stake.  The employee does not own the job, but is a hired agent to do such and such for this amount of money.  The employee will lose nothing by leaving.  The employer can lose everything by not taking care of the product or service and the customers served.

The job is worth the value that the employee adds to the product or service.  And it is the employer, and his/her customers who determine the value of an hours wage.  If customers are willing to pay more, the value of the work increases.  If not, the value of the job goes down considering all else stays the same.  Simple economics.

Go ahead read some of the findings at Heritage and know that the end result of an increase means fewer jobs, fewer opportunities to learn entry-level skills, and more unemployment for those without skills and/or abilities.  It also can change the mix of employees.  Who is hired?  Older less skilled full-time people will get canned, the disadvantaged will get the axe, and more part-time younger workers will be hired to fill those shoes.  Facts, plain and simple. 

The current proposal is to raise the minimum to $7.25 over two years.  A small increase now, another raise next year and the balance the year after that.  Most workers will only see a modest increase in their pay now, the employers will have time to access the results, make adjustments in time for the next increase, and the end result will also see an increase in the price of that product/service for all of us.  Nobody wins.  If $7.25 is good, why not get it up to $9.00 per hour right away.  Or $15.00, then these working poor could really afford that second large screen TV.

Think outside the box with me for a minute.  What would happen if the minimum wage laws were cancelled altogether?  No minimum wage requirement whatsoever.  Zero. Nada.  Zilch.  Let the employer determine the wage completely based on his assessment of the value of a job to him and his customers.  And let the employee negotiate with the employer for an acceptable wage to both of them.  What do you think would happen?  What effect would competition among the restaurants, retailers, and factories have upon the wages?  Oh, the cries would be about suspected coercion between them all.  Don’t believe it.  Someone would break out of the pack quickly, raise the wage and hire all the good workers from the competition getting an edge.  It happens all the time now folks. 

No, a forced raise in the minimum wage is not good for all.  

 

As I See It Now.

 

 

 

New rules of the House passed today.  Hold your applause.

The summary is below, or you can read the entire resolution here.

ENDING THE K STREET PROJECT

Prohibits Members from threatening official retaliation against private firms that hire employees who do not share the Member's partisan political affiliation.

LOBBYIST GIFT BAN

Prohibits Members and employees from accepting gifts from a registered lobbyist, from an agent of a foreign principal, or an entity that employs or retains these lobbyists and agents. Under the current gift rule, Members and employees may accept gifts valued less than $50 (and a total of $100 per calendar year) from these lobbyists and agents.

LOBBYIST TRAVEL RESTRICTIONS/ONE-DAY TRIPS 

Prohibits Members and employees from accepting travel reimbursements from a registered lobbyist, from an agent of a foreign country, or from an entity that employs or retains these lobbyists and agents

NEW TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE REQUIREMENTS 

Members and employees will be required to obtain a certification from the entity paying for the trip declaring that, except as permitted for universities and one-day travel, lobbyists did not plan, organize, request, arrange, or finance the travel.

CORPORATE JET BAN

Prohibits Members from using official, personal, or campaign funds to pay for the use of privately owned airplanes. (Members will still be able to charter commercially available airplanes.)

ETHICS TRAINING

Annual ethics training to Members and appropriate employees.

COMMITTEE NAME CHANGES  No big deal.

HOLDING VOTES OPEN

Prohibits the Speaker from holding votes open for longer than the scheduled time for the sole purpose of changing the outcome of the vote.

CONFERENCE PROCEDURE  No big deal.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY

Prohibits the House from considering budget resolutions or amendments to budget resolutions that contain reconciliation instructions increasing the budget deficit.

EARMARK REFORM

Requires committees of jurisdiction and conference committees to publish lists of the earmarks, limited tax benefits, and limited tariff benefits contained in all reported bills, unreported bills, manager's amendments, and conference reports that come to the House floor. These lists will be electronically available to the public

Now don’t get all that excited that these new rules will be the catchall and end the special interest groups and the lobbyists influence on the House, or that it will bring a new brand of civility to the house of representative.  There are loopholes.  And, they have already been found.  Gee, imagine that. 

Being a conservative, I’m more than a bit upset with our republican house leadership of the past, the Dennis Hasterts, who really are the ones to blame for this democratic take over, by his allowing the corruption and the massive spending of the past 6 years.  It cannot all be blamed on the war against terror and the expenses related to that war effort. 

There are some good rule changes here and time will tell just how well they will be followed and enforced.  You know the track record of the feds enforcing rules is not all that good, but we can hope though.   You’ve heard what they say about a fence along the southern border: “someone can always find a way to circumvent a fence”, it’s not the end all”.   Guess what?   “Rules are made to be broken”.   And these will be broken too. It’s not like a football game with referees watching every play with the authority to throw a red flag.  Penalty 10 yards.     Did you see any thing like a $10,000 fine for breaking a rule written in these changes?

Nancy and company is just getting started, so let them have the rope and do their own tying of the knots. 

As I See It Now.

 

Just as expected, the democrats are making their first move to transform and take America into a deserved different direction, a more progressive, tolerant, diversive, and global community of satisfied, safe and secure prosperous populace.  And now, even President Bush seems to have signed on to this.

The first step: raising the minimum wage rate from 5.15 to 7.25.

So says Nancy.  “The Democrats will move to increase the minimum wage within the first 100 hours of the new session.” According to a Chicago Tribune story: “A report this month by the Economic Policy Institute found that more than 6 million minimum-wage workers would see immediate pay raises by boosting the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour”.

Can you see these teen-agers planning what to do with all that immediate extra cash? That’s a boost of $2.10 an hour. Wow. For those 20 hours I’m working at Taco Bell, I’ll bring home an additional $42. Man, I sure can use that. What is not being told also is that the increase will take 2 more years to get to $7.25. When the kids figure this out, then the bubble will be broken and they’ll realize only an additional $14 for those 20 hours of work, but then the boss might just reduce his/her hours by 3 to maintain the margin of profit, or lay off his/her friend, and also raise the price of that taco by 25 cents. Gee, maybe it’s not such a big deal for these kids after all.

But the unions love it, as most of their wage contracts are indexed to the minimum wage. So when the minimum goes up, everything else goes up and up, except for one accompanied fact, employment goes down. Oh, what a tangled web these politicians weave. But it makes good news, the lefty press eats it up, and they can all feel better for helping the unfortunate ones struggling to make a living on the minimum wage. If you’d like to read further on who it is that works for the minimum wage see: Characteristics of Minimum wage workers from the US Dept of Labor.   Now, wait a minute here.    That Chicago Tribune story quoted the Economic Policy Institute saying over 6 million workers would benefit.  The Dept. of Labor in their statistical estimates of 2005 say less than 2 million would receive the increase.  Which is correct?  Nobody knows.  Will you bet the higher number gets the show?  Sure sounds better. 

Those on the receiving end think the unearned mandated increase is great till the hours are cut, or the lay-off comes along.  And here we are with a 4.7% unemployment rate, the lowest in a very long time.  These people on the minimum could find a higher paying job by applying some skills and good work habits.  These are boom times.  The economy is busting out of its seams, the market is reaching new highs, and the democrats do not like it, so do something to kill it so when 2008 comes around, the cry will be to boost the economy Bush and his cronies killed.

The politicians don’t want to really upset the apple cart by doing it all at once, so they figure they have to gradually increase the minimum to make it more acceptable and tolerable to those small businesses affected by having to pay it out. To those receiving the boost, it’s deceptive. And the media goes along with the democrats, arm in arm, printing out sad stories of a single mom with 4 kids who can't make it on the minimum.  Or, the teen ager who can't afford gas to get to school on time or a nice formal to wear for the prom.  On and on.

On a side note. Do you see a similarity here in the way our taxes are raised? But then we are told it is only going up a just a little bit and only for those who can afford it.

Well, why not raise it all at once? Skip the two-year deal. Why is $7.25 the magic number? Why not an even number like $8.00 hour? If $7.25 is good, won’t $9.35 be even better. Hey, let’s not hold back any. We’ll make it $23.55 an hour. Then all these people “living on the minimum wage” would be able to buy those wide screen TVs, monthly cable, or even the satellite, perhaps get a cell-phone.  Oh, they already have two of those.  And that single mom, she don't know who the daddie(s) are.

See Additional info on minimum wage increases.

Again, it’s only as I see it.

The Patriot Post,  Founders' Quote Daily is a great service available to anyone.  I enjoy getting their daily quotes, have many of them bookmarked for future reference.  Today's quote of James Madison is relevant to what is happening between Christians, Jews and the Muslims.  "Religious bondage shackles and debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize, every expanded prospect. "  1774

Do any of you wonder whether Islam is a bondaged religion?  You should be convinced that it is, if by no other observation, by their treatment of women.  Is there any wonder why the countries where the government, or the majority is Islamic, are third-world poverty stricken countries.  No freedom.  The people are in bondage.  Gee whiz, living somewhere and having to stop work, stop play, stop producing etc and pray five times a day, and this is not  considered a bondage?  This is like being in shackles with a long chain.  It certainly does not further the productivity of the workforce, the innovators to create, the scientists to experiment, the poets and artists to rhyme and paint while the mood is there.  "....debilitates the mind and unfits it for every noble enterprize." 

Do any of you wonder whether Christianity is bondaged?  If you do, you've been reading the works of the wrong people, listening to the secular progressives who view adhering to the tenants of any religion as stupidity.   The atheists, the darwinists, the progressives have been picking on Christianity for some time now and have made it a national liberal crusade since headlines in the mid 60's read "God is Dead".  No, Christianity is not bondage.  If you've been going to one of those churches with a list of do's and do not's a mile long, then get out of there quick.  Those churches are still around, but they do not correctly portray the messages of Jesus as contained in the new Testament.   John 10:10  "I have come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly".  John 8:36 "If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."   The shackles are gone, the mind and spirit are set free.    Wow.

Freedom rules.  Freedom has allowed America to become the greatest country ever.  That free spirit granted to Christians has allowed the greatest scientific discoveries of any time.  That free spirit, and yet remaining a religious spirit, has created more industrial innovations in America over the past 50 years than over 1500 years previously.   That free spirit enabled Martin Luther to nail his thesis on the doors setting in motion the protestant reformation.  But, along with that freedom comes responsibility and accountability.   You will not answer to any man, but only to God when the time comes. 


As I See It Now.


 

Compassionate conservatives really are really really more compasionate.  A new book is out:  "Who really cares... " by Arthur Brooks, a Professor of Public Administration and Director of the Nonprofit Studies Program at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. Now there's a title to put after your name.   "My book explores four areas of our culture that lead people to give, or not: religious faith, attitudes about the government’s role in our lives, the source of one’s income, and family."  "Most surprising is that the least privately charitable group out there tends to be secular conservatives, who give and volunteer even less than secular liberals, and far less than religious conservatives. For example, secular conservatives are only about half as likely as religious conservatives to volunteer."   So he was quoted in an interview for NRO

That's not surprising to conservatives, only to the media, democrats and secular progressives, who scream the most, and label the compassionate conservatives as being stingy.  You've heard it.  Gee again, the old adage is right again: "It takes one to know one".  When the left scream about conservatives being stingy, about being against helping the poor with a new government hand out, they assume that is so, because that is how they feel, and that is who they are.  A government hand out is not charity, except to liberals. There is another saying: "The truth hurts", and again and again the liberals will continue to deny all of this by providing another hand out.

"What’s vastly more interesting is what Brooks’s data says about America. Our charitableness is a distinct cultural artifact. America’s simply a lot more generous than most other countries. Not counting government aid, we give, per capita, three and half times more than the French, seven times more than Germans, and 14 times more than the Italians."

"Let us be clear: Government spending is not charity. It is not a voluntary sacrifice by individuals. No matter how beneficial or humane it might be, no matter how necessary it is for providing public services, it is still the obligatory redistribution of tax revenues. Because government spending is not charity, sanctimonious yard signs do not prove that the bearers are charitable or that their opponents are selfish. (On the contrary, a public attack on the integrity of those who don’t share my beliefs might more legitimately constitute evidence that I am the uncharitable one.)"  Here

I just thought this was something to crow about as the new year gets under way.

Was this event publicized anywhere in the main media over the past week?   It should have been.  With the help of our volunteer forces in Iraq, a new radio station opens for broadcast.  Gee, good news out of Iraq.

"This is a great day for Balad Ruiz and its people," said Mayor Mohammed Maroof Al-Hussein, city mayor. "I think this is a new stage for our city and a new way to serve our people. "This is a free station," he continued. "The people can say what they want, they can speak freely."  With the help of the 5-73, civilians will now be able to hear news and get more information in their homes other than what terrorists want to put out, said the mayor." 

This web-site: "Operation Iraq Freedom" lists all of the official press releases from Multi-National force, Iraq.  Just for curiosity: of the 50 releases since thursday last week, 41 would have been considered 'good news', 2 of the remaining were news of Iraq civilians being killed by insurgents.  Make your own conclusions.

I enjoy reading his articles on WND and today's was very appropiate for the new year start. 
He recalls his on stage fights with Bruce Lee

A few lines from the article...

"....a New Year's resolution to finally obtain some lifelong goal.

Whatever the case, don't let the Goliaths in your life intimidate you, even if they do! Don't fear them, or admit defeat, even if they've dominated you before. I've failed many times in my life, but God has even used those to bring other successes."

"I don't know everything that 2007 holds in store, but I do know this: I will forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements.

Lee similarly said, ''I am happy because I am growing daily and I do honestly not know where the limit lies. To be certain, every day there can be a revelation or a new discovery. I treasure the memory of the past misfortunes. It has added more to my bank of fortitude.''

Or as the Bible says, ''I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.''

A good word for a new year"  

Yes.  Yes.  I needed that because of my earlier post today.

"About 170,000 Wisconsin state tax booklets were mailed out with the recipients' Social Security numbers on the address label."   Now how can this happen?   And the democrat state rep said: "Somebody must have screwed up."

It goes from a heart warming story of our great military (previous post) to people in the government just not doing their job properly.    Tax mailing has Social Security number visible

"Revenue officials haven't determined whether the inadvertent disclosure violates any state law or regulation".   If these Revenue people do not know that, they should be fired and the person who allowed this to happen should be fired immediately.   Oh, there may be loophole in their somewhere.  Oh yes, it's the printers fault, the fault of the private company that applied  the labels.  And where does the printer get the information to put on the labels?   From the Revenue department, who else.   But, they are not looking within for blame.   No, No, that might just harm their public image, so blame it on the printer. 
How do you think the media would treat this if it was Wal-Mart sending out material with your debit card number printed on the outside for everyone to see ?  

"Many people want the government to protect the consumer. A much more urgent problem is to protect the consumer from the government." - Milton Friedman

Read this story of a Marine who lost both legs, and about the navy corpsman known as 'doc'  who saved his life, but later,  the corpsman lost his own.  "The sergeant with no legs sat inside the cemetery, thinking about how this homecoming was supposed to happen." 

It's a long article but well worth the time and  .......  have some tissues available   Builds your faith in our men and women volunteers fighting this battle against Islamic fanactics.  God bless them all.

At this time of year numerous accounts of the best of, worst of, funniest of, most outrageous of, and most successful of the year, among others are written about.  The summary of the year you should not miss.  Front pages, magazine covers, headlines and special one hour documentaries will all have their own take.  Time came out with the person of the year, and guess what, it’s You.  No, you did not win the lottery.  My analysis is just too simple, but there is a point.  The party that lost is us.  We lost.  America lost.  The enemies won.  Oh, but the enemy has yet to be defined.  The politicians have skirted around the question.  The media won’t admit it.  The leftist intellectuals don’t see it.  President Bush has tried, but failed to define who it is that is trying to destroy America, but because of this political correctness thing, he lacked the gumption to name the enemy.    He named a tactic the enemy uses, and that is “acts of terrorism”, but that is not the enemy.  It’s what the enemy uses to win.

But, if the enemy cannot be identified, then how can he be defeated.  First a definition of terrorism: “The unlawful use or threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized group against people or property with the intention of intimidating or coercing societies or governments, often for ideological or political reasons.”  Now that covers a diverse range of territory, a bunch of acts ranging from, a neighborhood gang intimidating teenagers to join the gang or else, to the ACLU throwing lawsuits around to see where they stick, to weepy wimpy atheist mothers calling the school board about a religious song being sung at the ‘holiday’ pageant, to gay lesbian activists filing lawsuits because they desire to be boy and girl scout leaders, to Mexican border jumpers demonstrating in the May day parades, and the Islamic radical fanatics threatening the take over this country and the elimination of Jews from the middle east.  These are acts of terrorism.  But these acts of violence, intimidation, and coercion do not define the enemy.  But, can they be defined as acts of war?   You betcha.  Still yet, who is our enemy?

It seems that there has been only one group in the country that has the enemy in their sights, but lack the capability to use real live ammunition to take them out.  That group is the labeled ultra right wing nut cases like me, and most of the other bloggers, pundits and columnists around here.

Admittedly, there are some politicians that get it, but most do not, or wish not to, for fear of being labeled along with the likes of the right wing radical fundamentalists.

The mold grows while two parties played on in 2006.  The illegal immigrants and the Muslims.   

A problem always starts in small ways like a mold, and unless it is immediately identified and ‘nipped in the bud’ it continues to grow and grow until it becomes unmanageable.   Those lacking the insight into what allowing it to grow to maturity would bring, then ignoring it, refusing to acknowledge that it exists, later learn that it is too late and the house must be renovated or destroyed.  But then, after the house is destroyed, to make it more acceptable to explain away the lack of identification and immediate removal, they have welcomed the destruction of the house as enlightenment in this progressive age, determining that the house was no good to begin with and we will be better off with this new house, updated codes, advanced construction methods, new materials, and better trained workers.    The progressives end up actually condemning previous life before the problem mold took over.

Such it has been in the situation with the invasion from the south.  The illegal invasion from the south is an invasion of our lands by uninvited intruders (not guests).   It could have been identified and stopped years ago.  But now it is at that unmanageable stage.  It is not immigration into the country that is the problem, as we welcome the ones who patiently immigrate legally and wish to assimilate into American society.  America has been built on this principle.  No, this is the overwhelming illegal unmanageable numbers of Spanish people streaming in from the south.  And now it is an invasion, and this invasion has a life of it’s own, a mold inside the wall of the house.  The winner here is definitely the Spanish invasion of American lands. Now the leaders are friends with it as they wish to legalize the illegal and call them guests.  They win, the rule of law looses.  This situation has been growing for many years and is nearing maturity, unlike the second party to win in 2006.

This second party to play on in 2006 is an invasion from the east.  This moldy problem is in its beginning stages of growth where it becomes identifiable, but the speed of development here resembles the growth of mold on bread, quickly seen as something to trash right now.  Their intent is to eventually instill Islamic laws (sharia), slowly at first, as part and parcel of our laws, separate but equal, and then when their numbers increase, to demand that Muslims have the right to be judged by their own religious laws, and not by American laws.  Dual courts. It is a religious holy war jihad attempt to infiltrate, terrorize, intimidate and coerce until sharia is the rule of law.  These attempts must be stopped now.  We have already seen the attempt to overthrow an American tradition by Keith Ellison, the first ever Muslim Senator, demanding that he be allowed to swear his oath of office on the Koran.  It’s a moldy beginning.  We witnessed the six imans evacuated from an airliner, claiming profiling ‘while Muslim’, then demanding payment, (to finance a trip to Mecca) and a special prayer room in the airport.  Part of the tactic.  Not a violent use of terrorism, but terrorism just the same.  There was a story of the mosque in Michigan allowed to sound the call to prayer five times a day over their loud speakers, while Christian church bells are being silenced across the land.  Mosques are growing in America.  How many more Muslim names are now being seen throughout the land?   Yet, our leaders are not identifying this mold as a problem.

The concentration has been on the war against terror in Iraq and neglecting the holy war against western values here at home.  It’s a double front and Islam must be stopped at both ends.  Right here in Tulsa, a moderate Muslim cleric spoke up and criticized Islam, was threatened and banned from the Mosque. According to sharia law, it is apostasy and blasphemy to speak ill of Mohammed.  To be fair, he was reinstated.  No freedom of speech allowed for these fellows.  No toleration for diverse opinions for these.  No, submit or be considered an infidel.  That’s the law according to Mohammed.

In 2006, America has lost a years battle of the war.  How will the country fare in 2007?  Unless our leaders wake up and recognize this mold and spray some good old bleach in and around, the moldy stuff will grow and grow until the house is destroyed.  The Muslim will to fight the jihad is greater than our will to resist.  And the progressives are saying we are all better off with a more diverse and tolerant population, but they refuse to acknowledge that asking a Muslim to be tolerant is like asking a mold to quit growing. 

How many tolerant Muslims are out there willing to commingle into America rather than take it over?   We are waiting to see some action.  In the meantime the mold grows.

 

“Give me liberty or give me death”.  Patrick Henry and the American way had its beginnings.  Americans have been willing to risk life to live free with liberty.  How many Muslims are willing to risk life for freedom to live in the greatest country ever?   More freedom. More opportunity. So much more than Islamic intolerance is available for anyone right here in the land between the seas.  Yet, in 2006 some unidentified molds are gaining territory.

"All that is required for evil to triumph is for a few good men to do nothing."
Edmund Burke

As I See It Now.

I’ve written about this in a previous post, but I feel it’s time again to update it when all this hullabaloo with the Swift Company employee arrests surfaced.  The company was having problems determining if an applicant was legally entitled to work in the USA, even though they were using the government program (EEVS Pilot Program) to verify information and identification before hire, but they still had thousands of illegal aliens working there.  So, what’s wrong with the program?

You know, it’s hard for me to understand how our government, as large as it is, with as many techno savvy people working there, can not come up with a simple to use, fool proof computerized system for an employer to verify the numbers and name that an applicant supplies, as being accurate.   And therefore, the employer can put Joe Blow to work.   Come on now, the Social Security Administration can keep track of every penny I’ve earned over the last 40 years from how many different employers, and how many different address I’ve had (13 of them).  Certain facts do not change; like that nine digit SSA assigned number, my birth certificate name, sex and date of birth.  The IRS is able to recite to the even dollar how much I’ve earned and how much taxes I should pay based on those earnings.  And when I submit the tax return with amended deductions I claim, they are able to adjust the records and send a refund electronically in two weeks.  So what’s the difficulty Washington?

Reason with me now. Look at some current realities.

Let’s take a no small company like, Wal-Mart, and examine their computerized inventory database.  I do not have direct knowledge of this, but can reasonably imagine the system they might be using to keep all that merchandise rolling into their thousands of stores, in thousands of markets, each market having somewhat different merchandise needs, each store different in size (Sam’s Wholesale, Super Duper, Neighborhood).   At the point of sale, the item is scanned, the UPC is recognized, and not only printed on my sales receipt as record of my purchase, but is also  recorded in their sales register database for the store manger, the regional manager, and the department buyer for sales figures broken down by item, by department, and as many ways as they wish.  These product sales figures can then be used as a negotiating tool to be used for purchasing additional product at a lower cost, or deciding to cut item from inventory.  Would you think that the many departmental buyers would know what items are selling, how many, where, and how fast, and that they do not have to wait 6 weeks for that information to reach their computer screen?  How quick can you click a mouse?  All of that information just because of numbers on each and every product coming in and going out of the stores.  The number, the UPC, not only provides the item name, but provides the size, the color, the ingredients if necessary, the manufacturer and/or distributor, and when it was shipped, how many, retail price and item cost etc and etc.  Tell me you techno people, if I’m close to it. 

And you tell me that our government cannot come up with a similar system.  It’s just numbers folks.  In this case a social security number, associated with names, date of birth, sex, addresses, and phone numbers.  It’s already in the system. Hundreds of millions of names, numbers, dob, sex and addresses etc.  And probably a confessed racial identity for affirmative action purposes.

Now, all the government would have to do is to set up a web page where any employer in the country could use at their leisure, but mandatory before hiring anyone, just as it is mandatory to file tax returns and get licenses to do business.  All an employer needs is access to a computer, their own or at the local library with www connection.  Every employer is the country has already been assigned a unique ID number.  Enter the employers ID number, the Social Security Number, Name, Date of Birth, Sex, Address, Phone Number as supplied to employer by the applicant.  Four of the items must match the database for the person to be hirable: number, name, dob and sex.  The photo on drivers license or another photo ID with name, sex, dob satisfies visible identification and is so recorded.  Bingo, it passes the test.  A confirmation letter is thus generated with supplied information that the employer can print, copy to applicant and save for paper trail.  Could possibly be finished in a matter of minutes.  With the information supplied, the feds know who is working where.  They know anyway, now it’s just now updated.  You can start work tomorrow, see you later, or I’ll have to wait a few days and let you know.  So, if and when someone tries to forge documentation by using a deceased identity, or the number does not match name, dob, or sex, then a red flag goes out, the feds know the employer, the applicants provided address, and someone soon knocks on the door with arrest papers.  The alien with forged documentation is gone.  Duplicates are double checked with first employer.  If address provided is different to government records, it sends a signal for an update of the record. When a person dies, the number is flagged, the associated information is so noted, and the number is not used again for many many years.  It’s already required to report name changes, as in marriage situations etc.  Let’s see now, the SSN has *** ** **** nine digits, that covers one less than 1 billion people.  999,999,999.  Our current population has a way to go yet.  Hey, if that bothers them, add another digit or two. 

Now someone out there is calling this infringement of privacy.  Come on get real.

These illegal aliens could not get work.  The word would be out, do not come over. 

Now, don’t tell me it cannot be done so quickly.  If I can log into one of those credit reporting databases (Experian, Equifax or TransUnion), enter my personal information, and get a credit score within minutes then, this can be done too.  How many millions of records do they keep up with?  Do we consider them safe and secure?  If Amazon can keep my personal information including my credit card number encrypted in their database, verify that information while the order is processed, and then physically pick the item from the warehouse, package it and have it shipped to arrive within 5 days, safe and secure, then this can be done too.  Do we fear hackers would get the information?   Mostly we fear dishonest government employees.  If many hundreds of local SSA offices around the country currently have access to numbers, names, dob, sex, addresses and all the other data in my personal file at the clicks of a mouse then this can be done too.   Privacy right concerns?  Bull.  Safety of information concerns?  Bull.  So what is it Washington?  Why not? 

All right perhaps just a smidgen simplified, but you get the basics.  But, simplicity does not sustain politics and bureaucracies.  The only problem is getting the SSA working in conjunction with DHS and ICE forming one database system used by all 3 agencies with just that basic information.  Just pass a law and make the agencies comply.  You got three months, get to work.  I retired from a city government position and I know first hand the turf problems that develop between bureaucrats, between agency heads, between section supervisors etc.  It’s their baby.  It’s a threat to their security.  Each agency has classified information and all that has to be protected, right?   Now wait a minute, all that is needed is SS#, name, dob, sex, address and phone number.  That’s all.

Too simple they’ll say.  You just don’t understand the complexities involved.  Sure I do. 

Wal-Mart and Sears and Target, and Home Depot figured it out, as did Amazon and those numerous credit card companies.  I’ve yet to have a numbers problem with any of them.  The problem is that any committee of thirteen sitting around a teak conference table can come up with excuses of why it won’t work, why it can’t be done, or how many could possibly be harmed and turned away and lose two days pay and the kids won’t have food to eat.  Or, how do you prevent a government employee from taking the disk home at night to sell?   And then retire to Aruba.  Or, the feds would scrap the entire concept because of the possibility a transvestite changed his sex, was turned down for the job, and the ACLU could sue. 

It’s how the system works, and you know “the complexities of something this large can be very complicated, something you couldn’t understand.”  Would someone up there in either party please stop the nonsense.   Deal or No Deal? 

 

 

As I See It Now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not the total problem, but the American people as a whole can be blamed for the political mess that’s going on in Washington now, along with it’s past performance, that has brought the country to it’s present condition of political corruption, greed, turmoil, division, resulting with the peoples general dissatisfaction with the government.  On December 10^th, CBS news presented the conspiracy theory again. “According to a July poll conducted by Scripps News Service, one-third of Americans think the government either carried out the 9/11 attacks or intentionally allowed them to happen in order to provide a pretext for war in the Middle East. “  Why do so many Americans get caught up and quickly believe these conspiracy theories?  Is it totally the work of the left-wing groups like Michael Moore, Moveon, DailyKos, and others who have perpetuated these myths?   Has it been the mainstream media continual barrage of presenting the worst portrait of America, always the bad news getting the headlines?   A combination.  But still.

Here I am writing this and I get the same news and broadcast programs, and those web-sites previously mentioned are open and available to me also, but I don’t succumb to any of this crap.  Here you are reading this, and you are probably part of the choir, and you haven’t been taken in by the voices of the hate America first crowd.  And there are millions more like you and me throughout the sea to shining sea who, have not been taken in by the conspiracy theories.  How come we have not fallen through the cracks?   I wish I could come up with a very detailed intelligent answer of the ages, but I can’t.  Only a hypotheses, and a simple one at that.

Those 33% of Americans that believe in the 911 conspiracy may also believe that Jimmy Carter may have a screw loose in his old age, but he is right about Israel being the major reason for the middle east conflict.  They may also believe that Senator Ted Kennedy did stumble away from his girl friend and allowed her to drown, but he is also a great senator and a reputable voice to behold.  They may also believe that Al Gore, even though he stretched it by claiming he invented something, he would have been a great president because he has a big heart for saving the environment.  These same 33% of Americans may also believe that the ACLU is really interested in protecting the civil rights of ALL Americans.  These same people probably only get their news from the mainstream in bits and pieces, sound bites here and there, a once in awhile 60 minute investigation, a breaking news headline cutting in on their favorite primetime series or from a coworkers rant during a coffee break at the office, factory, store or the mutual walk to the car after work.   In other words, they do not care more than that. 

And that is my hypotheses.  They do not care.  They do not care to be informed, to read some, to investigate, to look further for validation, to be skeptical of the broadcast news.  These are Americans.  And, they also vote. So where do you think this third part of America get the information to make an intelligent decision in the voting booth?  The coffee break.  It’s America folks, and the bulk of this countries citizens have not cared enough.  Sure it’s hard to manage all the details and demands of daily life and still find time to be informed about what’s happening on the other side of town, state, and country.  Voices of the media coming at us from all directions warning us of the next outbreak of E. coli, how the ice cap is melting and New York will be under water, an ‘experts’ advice on how to protect your children from a possible fall from unsafe playground equipment, about the truck that turned over on I-35 backing up traffic for 3 hours, and the 10 O’clock special report about the sexual habits of gorillas in captivity.  With all of this coming at us, who has time to care? 

That’s my hypotheses.  Because most American citizens have not cared enough to get informed.  It is work.  It does take time.   And that is why Washington is out of hand.  We are the problem, and most politicians like it and prefer it this way too.

But now with the expansion in the last couple of years of the www, news you can use is easy to get, is easier to filter, is easier to comprehend, is so much more informative, and a 5 second sound bite can be expanded to a 3 minute read.  We the people should not be the problem much longer, and politicians don’t like that either.  It just may call for accountability.

 

Which brings up another related issue.  Should the country adopt a civics test one must pass before being allowed to vote?  

 

 

 

As I See It Now.