The people in power in Washington want desperately to stay there.  Many put their political affiliation ahead of the welfare of the country.  Which is why the people of America should stop supporting parties and focus on individual candidates.  If you look at the layers of party giving and the expenses of running a national party we are wasting big bucks by donating to organizations like the NRCC, NRSC, RNC and other local and special interest party groups.  This does not include the Democrat groups many of which only change the first initial and function in the same manner as the Republican groups. Each one is a drain on the political capital available to candidates to run, and a threat to independent thought i Washington. Why would I say that we should stop giving to the political parties as a whole.

Let's look at the election of 2010.  While the parties raised record funds there was a wave of Republican wins.  The Republican party took credit for all the money they spent. But most of this was fueled by voters being upset with the way the current administration is spending and seizing control of the individual freedoms we are granted by citizenship.   The Tea Party and 9/12 groups where part of this movement.  They went to town hall meetings and challenged the politicians on votes and educated the public where they could on the run away government spending and controls that were being enacted.  Many young first time Senators and Representatives were elected and sent to Washington to correct the errors made over the last two years.  But the process of corrupting these men and women began even before we elected them.  The "party" waved money under their nose and in some cases gave them big campaign boost with ads against the competition.  The end result is a great big financial anvil over the head of each and every one of them for the next election.  The "party" says vote our way or we won't endorse (read: give you money) the next election.  In the case of the House of Representatives that window of opportunity is less than one year.   Having to crank your machine every two years means you better toe the line of the "party" or risk empty coffers next time, and most assuredly a challenged primary from somebody who will do the parties bidding.  This pressure causes even the folks with the best intent to fall in line with the party.  read more »

With everything going on around the world the President of the United States and his team have spend countless hours figuring out that Jared Loughner should not have been able to buy a gun.   The President went so far as to publish an Op-Ed in of all places the Arizona Daily Star.  In his opinion piece he does what he always does tell us people will disagree but we should not listen to them we should listen to him.  He is the only one looking out for us.  The gun lobby does not care about you and the anti-gun lobby wants nobody to own guns.    Here is a link to his Op-Ed.  It is too long to post here.

http://azstarnet.com/article_011e7118-8951-5206-a878-39bfbc9dc89d.html

This must be a good thing because the Huffington Post wasted no time trumpeting the announcement of the conversation the President wants about guns.  But the very first paragraph has to be false.  Here is how the HuffPo article starts.

The Obama administration has conducted informal discussions with groups from both ends of the gun-policy spectrum, including law enforcement and gun-rights organizations, and is set to hold formal meetings as early as this week in an effort to chart out a set of new firearms policies, administration officials say.

Both sides?  When asked if he was going to meet with the Presidents team to discuss this issue the head of the NRA Wayne LaPierre had this to sayto the New York Times.  read more »

Over the last few weeks some things have happened that make me wonder exactly what Eric Holder and President Barack Obama believe.  I will start with the Health care reform.   It is well-known that 2 judges have ruled this act unconstitutional.   The President and the DOJ like to cite that many more were thrown out.   But why were they thrown out.  Many were thrown out for lack of  "Standing".  In other words the court (Judges for the most part) ruled that the people who filed the complaint had no right to sue the government as they were not effected by the law.  This might be the most ludicrous decision a judge could make (and partisan)  as this law at its core effects everyone who is a United States citizen and possibly some who are not.

A few  of the cases listed as upholding the law on the DOJ's web site were specifically about the Medicare or Medicaid provisions where unconstitutional.  Even Judge Vinson in Florida ruled against the states on this matter.  In his very detailed ruling he states that Medicaid being a voluntary program any burden placed by the federal government upon the states give them the choice to "opt out".  Therefore all any case dismissed on this grounds is a wash in my eyes.    Here is the statement of the DOJ on the Washington DC District court ruling.

“We welcome this ruling, which marks the third time a court has reviewed the Affordable Care Act on the merits and upheld it as constitutional. This court found – as two others have previously — that the minimum coverage provision of the statute was a reasonable measure for Congress to take in reforming our health care system. At the same time, trial courts in additional cases have dismissed numerous challenges to this law on jurisdictional and other grounds. The Department will continue to vigorously defend this law in ongoing litigation.”

In 2008 a largely white country elected a mixed race President.  This man was a one term Senator from Illinois.  The man's campaign slogan was hope and change.  He said more that once that he was going to fundamentally change America.   This President took his election as a mandate from the people to make his changes.  Sadly the thing he naively or deliberately overlooked was his election was not a mandate for his plan.  It was a backlash against the economic meltdown and the Government bailout of business.  Many voters understood that this was wrong.  Some voted for Obama to retaliate against the Republican President and his party.  The people who formed the Tea Party were angry before the election but choices where limited.  Faced with the potential of no conservative on the ballot a group of Libertarian met and raised over 6 million dollars for Ron Paul.  The date December 16, 2007.  Which completely blows the Presidents argument that the Tea Party is solely about his policy and somewhat about his race.   Which he told a writer who is publishing a book on African-Americans in the White House.

Mr Obama is obviously one prone to knee jerk reactions.  Let's look back at Cambridge his attack on the police.  They acted stupidly he said.   Then he found out his buddy the radical professor was dead wrong and decided to attempt to level the field by having the beer summit.   But what is the basis for his reaction.  Do we all know the phrase "Children Learn what they live"?  My parents had that on the wall of our kitchen.  And Everyday my parents showed us that hard work and honesty pays.  We had seven children and guess how many of us are contributing to society?  All seven.  We may not agree politically but we definitely believe in working hard to get what you want.  I sincerely don't believe that Mr. Obama ever got this lesson.  It seems that what he was being taught was that we need to level the playing field.  We need to make everyone the same.  Here is an excerpt from the book.  This is how he feels about race taken to a simple level.  read more »

I am appalled by the blatant ignorance of Constitution within this administration .  In 1999 Bill Clinton became the first President to ever be held in contempt of court.  Well he has been joined by another Democrat President who does not believe in our Constitution.

The level of contempt for the courts that this administration may be unprecedented.   Many people will remember the President calling out the Supreme Court in last years State of the Union Speech.  He challenges the court's decision in a decision to allow corporations to get involved with election spending.  This may be the first time a President called a decision by the Supreme Court wrong during the State of the Union Speech.  It shows the level of contempt this President has for what is an equal in the governing of this country.  Executive, Legislative and Judicial all given power to check and balance each other.   Lets watch one more time Justice Sam Alito's reaction to this major breach of decorum.

Then after calling a moratorium on drilling in the Gulf of Mexico a federal judge ruled that it was unconstitutional.  What did the Administration do?  They have continued the course.  Ignoring the Judge.  As a matter of fact the judge has held them in contempt.  This from the Heritage Foundation.  read more »

As a union member for almost 30 years I am really torn by the standoff in Wisconsin.  I can tell you my international and parent union have already weighed in on the issue by going to Madison and speaking to the masses assembled.  They in the style of any organization that depends on us giving them money.  Immediately went to the defense of the workers and made up a story about the fake crisis that the Governor created.  This is fascinating since that is the mantra of the leftists in this country.  Never let a crisis go to waste.

Let me start by saying that I feel it was wrong for people who say they care about our kids to close the schools for days to go protest this issue.  From my perspective this could cause more damage to their cause than anything else they could have done.   The majority of people see this and wonder what the real priority is.  The answer is that they will protect everything  they have at any cost.

In the entire time I was an active member of the union, I never once got a contract based on Collective Bargaining.  Never in 22 years was one contract with a major city actually negotiated.  There were proposals and counter proposals.  But due to Binding Arbitration often one side or the other stonewalled and forced arbitration.  The city at one point won big concessions during this process and my benefits were cut back big time.  Yes it hurt but we adapted and we kept  doing our jobs.  Where we ever sick?  Sure we got sick but we certainly never got sick enough to march on City Hall while we were sick.   Here is the rub, all of this was being done by Democrats.   Not the so-called Evil Conservatives. How cushy is my retirement?   I only get a COLA if the pension fund earns more than a certain percent.  This has happened once since implemented and it was done as a one time payout.  So no raise for the rest of my life.  My medical gets covered for 5 years after I retire.  I can defer but the cost would have to be equal to the cost at the time I retired.  I deferred and how many years do you think I will get when I do finally need it?  I do not feel sorry for anyone who has lifetime medical facing the potential of losing it.  Yes they negotiated it.  Not they may have to lose it through that same format.  Life is tough huh?  read more »

Who can forget the very blatant attempt by the NJEA to indoctrinate children into believing they are the only ones who know what is good for them.   Look at this website.  Who is it geared for.  Certainly not adults.  Stick figures and crayon fonts.    This site is set up to make our kids turn on our values and tell us the teachers are right.    This sickens me.

Now on to the State of Wisconsin and the protests there.  The teachers who so very much care about our children called out sick from their classrooms and some of them as shown in this video below took the students to the Statehouse in Madison to protest the cuts.   Listen to the kids.   They do not even know why they are there.

Well this move sure beats the snot out of New Jersey teachers weak website.   These teachers took kids who had NO IDEA why they were going to a protest.  If I was the parent of any of these kids I would immediately file charges against the teacher for kidnapping.  If the kids did not know why they were there what are the chances that the parents even knew the kids were not in the classroom.  More importantly how many parents support the teachers position?  read more »

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post wrote an opinion piece on the proposed republican budget cuts.  Milbank published the following today.

Boehner the budget hawk shifts his course

By Dana Milbank
Tuesday, February 15, 2011; 8:00 PM

"So be it."

That was House Speaker John Boehner's cold answer when asked Tuesday about job losses that would come from his new Republican majority's plans to cut tens of billions of dollars in government spending this year.

"Do you have any sort of estimate on how many jobs will be lost through this?" Pacifica Radio's Leigh Ann Caldwell inquired at a news conference just before the House began its debate on the cuts.

Boehner stood firm in his polished tassel loafers. "Since President Obama has taken office the federal government has added 200,000 new federal jobs, and if some of those jobs are lost in this, so be it," he said.

"Do you have any estimate of how many will?" Caldwell pressed. "And won't that negatively impact the economy?"

"I do not," Boehner replied, moving to the next questioner.

Well, Mr. Speaker, I do. I checked with budget expert Scott Lilly of the Center for American Progress, and, using the usual multipliers, he calculated that the cuts - a net of $59 billion in the last half of fiscal 2011 - would lead to the loss of 650,000 government jobs, and the indirect loss of 325,000 more jobs as fewer government workers travel and buy things. That's nearly 1 million jobs - possibly enough to tip the economy back into recession.

There is some science out there that nuts and more specifically walnuts can help your health with Omega-3 and unsaturated fats.  Both of which have been determined to be good for your overall health.  And Diamond foods is shouting on it's labels and web site.  In fact  Diamond Foods is not the only walnut group shouting the praises of this tiny dynamo.  The California Walnut growers association pretty much dedicates a section of its site to health professionals talking about the health benefits of the nuts. Have a look, http://www.walnuts.org/walnuts/index.cfm/health-professionals/ .

Now on to what the FDA said.

FEB 22 2010

WARNING LETTER

VIA OVERNIGHT MAIL
Michael J Mendes, President and Chief Executive
Diamond Food, Inc.
1050 S. Diamond St.
Stockton, California 95201
Re: CFSAN-OC-10-11
Dear Mr. Mendes:
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has reviewed the label for your "Diamond of California Shelled Walnuts" products and your website at www.diamondnuts.com. Based on our review, we have concluded that your walnut products are in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the Act) and the applicable regulations in Title 21, Code of Federal Regulations (21 CFR). You can find copies of the Act and these regulations through links in FDA's home page at http://www.fda.gov.
Website
Based on claims made on your firm's website, we have determined that your walnut products are promoted for conditions that cause them to be drugs because these products are intended for use in the prevention, mitigation, and treatment of disease. The following are examples of the claims made on your firm's website under the heading of a web page stating "OMEGA-3s ... Every time you munch a few walnuts, you're doing your body a big favor.":
• "Studies indicate that the omega-3 fatty acids found in walnuts may help lower cholesterol; protect against heart disease, stroke and some cancers; ease arthritis and other inflammatory diseases; and even fight depression and other mental illnesses."
• "[O]mega-3 fatty acids inhibit the tumor growth that is promoted by the acids found in other fats ... "
• "[I]n treating major depression, for example, omega-3s seem to work by making it easier for brain cell receptors to process mood-related signals from neighboring neurons."

There is a story of two very progressive hacks by the name of Lautenberg and Menendez they want more choo choo trains that go fast.  But it seems they could care less what the state they were elected to represent thinks and will do whatever they want.  They sat in a dark room with Amtrak and hatched a deal to use Amtrak's (read as Federal Money) to get the ball rolling on a commuter tunnel between New York and New Jersey.  They and an Amtrak official made a big deal out of the announcement and even talked about high-speed rail.  Noting that the infrastructure of the current tunnels and bridges was too old to support high-speed rail.  For the life of me I could not figure out how Amtrak was going to pay for the tunnel and high-speed rail.

That quandary was answered today when VP Joe Biden (who regularly rides the trains we pay for) announced that even though we are trillions in debt and running the biggest deficit on record they found a little bit of money to help build more really fast trains to get Biden to work faster. Reuters  reports it this way.

By David Warner

Reuters

updated 2/8/2011 3:59:12 PM ET 2011-02-08T20:59:12

PHILADELPHIA — Vice President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced an ambitious $53 billion U.S. program to build new high-speed rail networks and make existing ones faster over the next six years.