Everything this White House does between now and November must be viewed through the prism of re-election.  The White House cares no more about women, than it does about the unemployed poor, but it desperately wants their votes.  We’ve seen the start of massive vote buying in the Administration’s $25 billion dollar shake down of the mortgage banking industry.  That money won’t help anyone long term, but it will keep them in their “underwater” homes at least through the election.

Similarly, the Komen attack no doubt orchestrated by the Progressive Left looks ingenuous at best.  It is hard to understand why such a tempest was raised over $680 thousand dollars from an organization that is funded to the tune of $363 million by our Federal Government.  As I argued in my previous post, this is about the right of an organization to distribute its assets in any why it sees fit.  The highly vocal outcry from the Left is pandering to women and women’s groups, and has nothing to do with any interpretation of “women’s rights”.

Now we have the Obama camp trying to beat the Supreme Court by preemptively initiating elements of Obamacare.  Attempting to force religious institutions to provide health insurance to its employees including contraceptive benefits was only the first round of the misdirection.  Everyone is now giggly about Obama’s apparent “compromise”, which does nothing but force insurance companies to offer free contraceptive benefits to employees who are denied at work.  It is not much of a stretch to see this expanded to all health insurance policies.  Watch the other hand:  All employers and employees who pay health insurance premiums, will be paying for contraception coverage regardless of religious or social beliefs.  Further, this sets the stage for eventual government funded abortions as a part of Obamacare.

All of this is just the latest round of Obama’s re-election strategy of “dividing to conquer”.  The more he can divide us and pit us against one another, while pandering to special interests and voting blocks, the better his chance of getting another four years to complete the carnage of his “fundamental change”.  Nothing that comes out of this Administration is as it seems.  We need to ask why political events are happening at this particular time, what is really happening and where is it going to lead?

During the next nine months, Conservatives will be facing a political enemy like none before.  We can’t be confused or sidetracked by all the crap that will come our way.  We can’t be diluted by disputes within our own ranks, and we can’t be misdirected by the bobbing and weaving of our opposition.  Most important, we must not lose sight of the ultimate goal:  Removing Obama and his Socialist cronies from office.

This election will not be about social issues, or foreign relations or even the economy.  It will be about how we and our children will live in America for the next 50 years or more.  It will be about a social structure and belief system that made this Country great, and allowed it to become the most powerful, successful society on the face of the earth.  It will be about the rewards and consequences of success and failure and our reliance upon innovation, ingenuity and risk.  Ultimately, it will be about living our lives under the thumb of a government that can’t control its own avarice or thirst for power.  Government did not make this Country great; the freedoms of its people did.

Originally posted on 02/11/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

As a charitable organization, Komen has a fiduciary responsibility to its donors.  How many people who have given to Komen for breast cancer detection, treatment and research had any idea that some of their contribution went to Planned Parenthood?  I know it is hard to believe, but not everyone supports all the activities conducted by P.P.  Additionally, these “pass through grants” as they are called, ended up at third party facilities since P.P.  doesn’t actually offer sophisticated on site screening, counseling or treatment for breast cancer.  When a donation passes through three entities before it is used, the money trail becomes so murky, it is difficult to determine its effectiveness.

It is hard to understand why Komen was funding P.P. in the first place, since basic breast exams are such a small part of their operation.  It seems odd to me that P.P. and its vocal supporters would protest so loudly over a relatively small sum, most of which went to others that actually provide the service.  Why wouldn’t Komen directly fund the service provider instead?  Unless P.P. needs that money for something else, and with their alleged track record of shaky accounting practices, that may be a legitimate concern.

Critics of Komen say that loss of P.P. funding will hinder “women’s health services”.  I believe that is ingenuous at best.  There is more at stake here than free or low cost general health services largely available from most county health centers.  An article on Slate.com says some interesting things about Planned Parenthood’s relationship with abortion and the other services it provides:

…providing abortions is part of the mission of Planned Parenthood, and they do make it a priority. It’s a necessary service, after all.  I think some times that point gets lost in all the discussion of the 97 percent of their services that aren’t abortion. The other reason I suspect these regulations would harm Planned Parenthood’s ability to keep as many clinics open to offer non-abortion services as they currently do is that a complete shut-down of abortion services would create a cash flow problem for them.  Abortions are 3 percent of the actual services Planned Parenthood provides, but they constitute a larger chunk of their income, around 15 percent nationally. Which makes sense; abortions simply cost more than Pap smears and birth control pills, and Planned Parenthood provides a huge chunk of all the abortions in the country…

I am not a strong pro-lifer.  I don’t want to make a woman into a criminal because she is forced to make the most horrible, gut-wrenching decision of her life.  I want modern, safe facilities available for those who choose that option, as there is no point in turning a lousy situation into a double tragedy.  I personally find abortion morally repugnant, but acknowledge occasional necessity.  However every time I see my children, now in their 20′s, I am reminded how unique and truly precious the life of every child is.  Each aborted child is a lifetime of incredible human potential unfulfilled.

Having said that, to me regardless of moral position, this is a matter of private charitable organizations and their right to do as they wish with their contributions, their responsibility to their donors and their response to coercion by political pressure groups.  Beyond that, my advice to those who can’t find it in their hearts to shed a tear for the 1.2 million yearly unborn in this Country:  If you don’t like how Komen distributes its grants, shut up and send your contributions elsewhere.  I’m sure they will do fine without you.

Originally posted on 02/05/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

Forty seven percent of Americans pay NO income tax.  There are a few very wealthy among that group, but it is largely people living on the public dole.  They don’t care about how tax money is spent since they have no skin in the game.  All they worry about is when the next check will arrive from Uncle Sam.  If my rich uncle sent me $500.00 each month, you can be darned sure I would have to pay taxes on that income.  I think it is time to acknowledge that the phrase “fair share” means everyone pays something, no matter how little.  It is time to make everyone participate in solving this Country’s problems.

I am also tired of the President vilifying the wealthy in this Country because they legally pay low tax rates.  Charlie Rangel and his Congressional associates set those rates so they would pay less tax themselves.  It is unlikely they will change anytime soon, so Obama needs to get over it.  Attacking the rich guy down the street with torches and pitchforks won’t get you a job, or feed your family, but hard work and perseverance will.  If the President thinks that Warren Buffet is paying too little, he needs to ask Congress to adjust capital gains tax rates, and endure the consequences when he does.

Speaking of Rangel and Buffet, how about making them pay their fair share?  Charlie Rangel was censured by Congress for among other things, not declaring income from his rental properties and failure to pay taxes on that income.  Buffet is still fighting with IRS over a billion dollars in back taxes his companies owe going back to 2002.  Warren needs to stop challenging others to cover more of the debt, and start writing his own checks.

Finally, Government employees!  An article in Yahoo Finance points out that thousands of Federal employees and retirees owe billions with a “B” in unpaid back taxes.  What’s that all about?  You can see the list here.  Over 279,000 owe a total of $3.4 billion.  Notable are the 36 employees in Obama’s executive offices, 476 in the House of Representatives and 217 in the Senate.  In addition, 27,807 employees at the US Postal Service owe $283,365,996 and 2,841 employees at Health and Human Services owe $37,327,491.  Mr. President, someone in DC needs to get their own house in order before coming to the hard working taxpayers of this Country demanding that they pay their “fair share”.

Originally posted on 01/29/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

Ironically, the people hurt most by Obama’s lack of experience and ability are those who voted for him, but now feel duped and lied to.  The economy didn’t get better.  The world still hates us, maybe even more than before.  There are more people on food stamps and welfare than ever.  The President makes unilateral decisions without the advice and consent of Congress, and has surrounded himself with advisors Czars and appointees of questionable qualifications and ethics.

People who were poor before his election are still poor now and no one has rescued anybody from their own personal Katrinas.  But these very voters are now in the position of staying with the evil they know, instead of changing to an evil they don’t know.  They are not about to vote for a candidate with unknown performance ability, because they got burned badly the last time they did.

In order to get that voting bloc, Republicans need a candidate who can instill confidence and good will in the American mood.  We don’t need anyone to tell us what is wrong with this Country.  We can all see that with our own eyes.  We need a cheerleader of sorts, personable, confidant and collected.  We need a candidate who makes us smile rather than worry about their motives and “Anybody But Romney” is not necessarily that candidate.

I am not banging the drum for Romney here.  Rather, I am warning that whoever the Right eventually chooses, had better be a candidate who can not only carry the Party faithful and Tea Party fringe, but also dig into the ranks of the disillusioned Left and huge bloc of independents who really shape election results in this Country.

I like Cain, Bachman and Paul for their fiscal conservatism.  I admire Gingrich for his knowledge of history and government.  I like Perry for his straight talk even with the occasional senior moment.  Conservatives have given each their day in the sun and now Santorum seems to be the man of the hour.

The perfect candidate is a fantasy.  The search for and insistence upon perfection will end in failure.  “Anybody But Romney” is a manifestation of that search.  Romney may not be the one to beat Obama, but if that is the case somebody better tell me who is, and do it soon.

Originally posted on 01/08/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

Apparently, a female park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park was shot and killed by a suspect running from the law.  It was pretty much in cold blood, as she didn’t even get a chance to get out of her vehicle.  All they were stopping him for was to ask him to chain up his tires.  I believe he was found dead today in the snow, a likely victim of hypothermia.  Good riddance!

Judging by photos of the suspect on line, he was some kind of gun nut posing with large weapons and questionably large bullet magazines. He was the suspect in a shooting in Seattle where at least four people were injured, and apparently only stopped shooting when someone at the house returned fire.

Now let’s look at a Liberal biased media take from an Associated Press article posted today which said in part:

The shooting renewed debate about a federal law that made it legal for people to take loaded weapons into Mount Rainier. The 2010 law made possession of firearms in national parks subject to state gun laws.

Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision to allow loaded weapons in national parks.

He called Sunday’s fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. He hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today’s political climate.

Yeah, see this makes so much sense to me because I know if only it were illegal to take those weapons into Rainier National Park, this mad dog killer would have clearly stopped at the check point and surrendered them to authorities.

I am no gun nut.  I have never owned a gun and probably never will.  However, I believe that wide spread LEGAL gun ownership is not a bad thing, and actually has some benefits.  One thing I know for sure is that no law written has ever stopped a lawless person from carrying out their intended crime.  Anyone who believes otherwise, or thinks you can eliminate gun crimes by making them unlawful is a fool.

One more thing: Please don’t use the tragic, senseless murder of a young mother of two in an attempt to vindicate faulty, irrational thinking or to forward a screwy political agenda.  Shame on you!

Originally posted on 01/02/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

Ladies and gentlemen of the press.

Over the last two weeks, allegations have come to light accusing me of harassment toward some of my past employees.  These allegations are being driven largely by an attorney for one of those employees.  My remarks today are addressed primarily to him, and to any other attorney who may consider following his path.

In today’s business world, when claims are raised of harassment, slight or insult in the workplace, many companies offer cash settlements to avoid costly and lengthy litigation even if the claims do not appear to be valid.  An amount is determined that is sufficient to make the complainant “all better”, and in return the company requires a confidentiality agreement that legally binds all involved parties to non-disclosure of any details of the alleged misdoings.

This is common, and happens more than you know because most people move on with their lives and careers.

So my question today is this:  What do you want from me?  As an attorney, you know neither I nor your client may legally discuss these charges, their validity or their resolution.

Are you trying to shake me down for more money in return for your client’s continued silence?

Or has your sense of civic duty compelled you to inform the public of my possible unfitness for office?

If we want to talk about past indiscretions, we might also mention FDR’s not so secret mistress, President Obama’s experience with cocaine and Bill Clinton’s escapades both before and after assuming the Presidency.

So I ask again:  What do you want from me?

I am running for the Office of the Presidency because I love this County, and I love its people, and it is killing me to see them suffer under the rule of fiscal incompetence.  It is killing me to see our standing in the world crumble from misdirected or non-existent foreign policy.  It is killing me to see the worldwide chaos that is a direct result of lack of leadership in this greatest Country the world has ever known.

That is what is important right now.  That is where we need to direct our attention.  That is what we need to be talking about.

And you ambulance chasing lawyers, need to crawl back under the rocks you came from.

Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen.

Originally posted on 11/05/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

Herman Cain immediately comes to mind.  I have been a Cain supporter since the first time I saw him speak.  In spite of his obvious financial success and status, he brings from his background, a strong set of middle class values and common sense.  I wish however, that we were hearing less about his “999″ tax plan, and more about how he will bolster his lack of political and foreign affairs experience.  The details of his tax plan are almost irrelevant since no President can change something this large without significant tinkering by Congress.

The more time Cain spends explaining and defending his plan, the less time he has to convince Conservatives and Independents that he has the vision to tackle all the elements of the Presidency.  We all know that revenue from taxes is important, but the control of spending is far more critical at this time.  I would save the large initiatives for after Inauguration Day, and then let them stand or fall on their merits.

As for the rest of the candidates in the field, they need to keep sight of the prize.  Trying to destroy each other is counter-productive and only gives the media and Liberals ammunition to marginalize the Conservative cause.  ABO (Anybody But Obama) isn’t going to work, and I believe it is about time that some of the other Republican candidates start to honestly assess their own strengths and true likelihood of defeating this incumbent.  It will soon be time to back away, and lend their full support to those most prepared and likely to prevail against Obama.

Like America, the Republican Party will find its strength in unity.  In the debates as well as their campaigns, the candidates need to “circle the wagons” to display agreement and unity of purpose with a positive, hopeful message to the American people.  There is no time to provide fodder for detractors.  Rather, we need to see a clear message of recovery, prosperity for all and a sane economic future for our children.  I want to hear a broad governing philosophy that moves America in the right direction.

The candidates need to stop bickering about minutiae and instead provide us with a change of mindset in Washington that will restore this Country’s greatness and guarantee its growth and power for years to come.

Originally posted on 10/22/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

The right of assembly and petition is guaranteed by our Constitution.  OK, fine but I think there is an implied requirement that you at least know what it is you are protesting.  If you merely want to pitch your tent downtown because you slept through your senior year in high school, and you can’t fill out a job application, or the President has convinced you that you are entitled to other people’s property, I hope it wasn’t a really good tent, because it is about to disappear.

In the 60′s and 70′s, I was involved in protests against the Viet Nam war.  At no time, did I ever disobey the law, destroy property or advocate the destruction of our Government.  I was and am a Capitalist.  I wanted to be rich someday, and I am still working on it, but I always recognized that success came from hard work, not from a hand out.  This rag-tag army of malcontents largely has no idea why they are there, are badly misinformed and worst of all are acting as useful fools for bigger ideological entities.

There are many groups and individuals who are backing this movement in the hope that it will destabilize our Government and political structure.  Their perverted thinking requires the total trashing of our system before they can install their own brand of “socially fair” society.  We see connections to George Soros, SEIU, Organized Labor, The Working Families Party (ACORN), various anarchists, socialists and the American Communist Party.  The actual amount of involvement is uncertain, but their fingerprints are all over these civil disobedience events.

Recent news indicates that many of these urban squatters have never seen the inside of a voting booth.  Moreover, they spout “democracy” fully believing that term means occupying and trashing public spaces, and shouting down anyone with whom they disagree.  In its truest sense, democracy means mob rule.  That is the kind of “democracy” we saw in Cairo, and now it has been replaced with what?

America was not founded upon, nor has it survived over 230 years on mob rule.  If these people want to affect change they need to go home, take a shower and get ready to vote.  It is well past time to clean up the trash, and leave the parks to the pigeons.

Originally posted on 10/13/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

Today across America, citizens of this great Country are participating in memorials to the events of 9/11/2001.  Clearly for many, ten years have not erased the scars, or lessened the sadness.  For many, there is a need for a gathering of strength and fellowship, even in sorrow.  The American people seem to come out on the other side more powerful and resolute and in this case with the understanding that this battle is not only for our way of life, but for life itself.

If the 9/11 attacks taught us anything, it was that we have an insidious ideological enemy that is constantly probing our weaknesses.  Our civility kept us from imagining that anyone would ever do such a thing.  Our bloated bureaucracy kept us from connecting the dots of intelligence information.  Our free and open society kept us from scrutiny of unusual airline passengers.  Those who wish to harm us, know our vulnerabilities all too well, and continue to watch us today.

This year’s events in the Middle East are the direct result of lack of U.S. support and influence in that area.  In the past couple years internationally, this Administration has gone to lengths to apologize, acquiesce, and abandon many, who if not strong allies were at least friendly to the United States.  We now find ourselves dealing with unstable packs of militant mobs, in unstable areas, with unknown long term leadership or goals.  What is happening there is not over, but only beginning.

If left unchecked, the entire Middle East will become a base of operations for those who wish us harm.  This Administration’s support of “democracy” in the region is short sighted and naive.  In its truest sense, democracy is mob rule.  The faction that is loudest, best organized and most violent will seize control.  From all indications, that will not be in the best interest of America, or the rest of the world.

9/11 taught us one more thing:  The passengers on three of the planes, who sat quietly waiting for a peaceful resolution, were done.  The passengers of Flight 93, who together mounted a fight, conquered an unspeakable evil and made a difference that they will never know.  The lesson is clear.  Our enemies feed upon our weakness here and abroad.  Hopefully the next Administration will believe in the power of our citizens and will work to restore our strength in the world because in the absence of a strong America, there is chaos.

Originally posted on 9/11/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

Some of my customers are government entities.  Local government housing projects are administered by city, county and federal agencies that buy construction and maintenance materials from me.  Many have told me that they are facing impending rounds of layoffs due to budget cuts.

At the same time, some of my private sector customers tell me that they are looking for good employees to fill a slowly increasing need.  The obvious solution here is for laid off public employees to actively seek employment in the private sector.  Now we know they won’t get the same benefits and pension, but if they possess a useful skill set, they will find work.

In my opinion, this could well be a stepping stone to moving our labor force where it needs to be: back to the private sector.

In addition these various government housing authorities and the like, should contract construction and maintenance back to the private sector where the work can be done quicker and at a lower cost than by their public counterparts.  It does not require three overlapping agencies, two levels of supervision and a public union employee to fix a toilet.  One good plumber and a few parts will do fine.  The resulting increase in business for local small companies will drive additional hiring and additional growth.

Clearly we need a relaxation of regulations that are anti-free market and that put business at a competitive disadvantage.  We need to restore confidence for consumers and providers to spur an increase in activity. Most importantly, we need to tip the scale of spending from the public to the private sector.

Contrary to what Liberals insist, a reduction in the size of government is not the end of the world.  If released public workers actively seek and fill private sector jobs doing what they were doing but off the public payroll, it could start our economic engine moving in the right direction again.

Originally posted on 9/4/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com