Having been forced into retirement a decade before I had planned, I find myself with a lot of time on my hands.  Besides writing novels, and I have written seven to date under the name of J. L. Kane, I love to read and listen to talk radio and television and the news channels.  Our Constitution has provided us, along with the sacrifice of so many men and women in our armed forces, with so many liberties and freedoms, that it is hard to imagine that anyone, who loves being an American, would abuse those hard earned gifts.

And yet, there is a truly dishonest division among those who purport to report to us the "truth," such that the public, at least those of us who can read and understand English, are often misled by what we read or hear or even see.

For example, our President, who came to office on a campaign of truth and transparency, has fooled a lot of people, mainly those who actually believed in his rhetoric.  Rather than truth, we have been fed lies and fabrications.  Rather than transparency, his administration is as opaque as the deepest depths of the oceans.  Instead of men and women who love the America, which our short history and sacrifice has given us, he has filled his cabinet and his advisory staff with men and women who want to see America changed into a Banana Republic, where pure Socialism is the rule of the day.

Take for example Mr. Obama’s appointment to head medicare.  Rather than let the Senate question Mr. Donald Berwick, Mr. Obama made a stealth appointment of Mr. Berwick while Congress was in recess.  Of course, this is all quite legal, but one has to question the reason behind this appointment.  Mr. Berwick believes that those of wealth must "share" with those who have not attained that level.  Mr. Berwick believes in all of the talking points of a socialistic society, as does our President.  And yet, what have "you" heard about this stealth appointee from our "neutral" news outlets?  I have heard nothing!

This new appointee, Mr. Donald Berwick, has been described as a one man "death panel," and he now controls the reigns of Mr. Obama’s new national health care plan.  Has there been any learned discussion about this conflict of interests?  None!  As a matter of fact, just how much has the press explained to you about that 1000 page plus health care plan?  Nada!  Nicht! Nothing.  However, given the fact that Medicare consumes a very large portion of our gross national product, come 2014 and you will rue the day you allowed this monstrosity to pass.  It is all part of the overall plan to socialize our society so that we conform with the other middle class nations of the world.

How much have you gleaned from your favorite news outlet about the Black Panthers and their rabid speech in front of a polling location?  Perhaps you are not interested in their views on "crackers" or "white babies."  If this were the 1960’s, the FBI and the Department of Justice would be arresting and indicting people today.  And yet, another Obama appointee, the head of the Justice Department Eric Holder, seems to have a problem with reverse racism.  He is doing nothing about this obvious case of discrimination ( see the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments to the Constitution) and voter intimidation, and has been, most likely, told by his superior that nothing will be done now or in the future.  After all, a 10% minority still remains a powerful voting block for the 2010 and 2012 elections.  After all, isn’t this how Jesse Hi – Jackson operated to fund his Rainbow Coalition, with intimidation and threats against major corporations?  And by the way, where has Jesse been lately?  Speaking of Jesse, where has the Rev. Al been?  They have been told to shut up and let the big dog eat.

Speaking of voting blocks, why not just give the millions of illegal aliens, now in this country, who have found our borders to be as porous and the minds of Liberals, amnesty?  Why protect this nation from illegals, when allowing them to enter and become American citizens virtually guarantees another viable voting block for the upcoming elections?  And yet, how often do you hear those left leaning talking heads and the liberal press discuss the hazards and threat to the American way of life, as a result of this failure to protect our borders.

Oh yes, I listen to Rick Sanchez on Rick’s List (unlike my liberal friends, I try to hear both sides of an issue) talk about this nation and how it was built on the backs of immigrants.  Well, just to inform Rick, this nation is no longer living at the end of the nineteenth and early twentieth century.  As I have stated before, we are all descendants of immigrants.  However, times and nations evolve.   Times change, America has changed, and we no longer are an immigrant seeking nation, and certainly not those  of the illegal status.  Be reasonable Rick.  Just because we had slaves in the mid nineteenth century does not mean that we should have them today.  Get it through your thick liberal head that just as the Supreme Court has overruled past Stare Decisis, and I mean very bad past holdings, with the changes that have evolved over time, America must accept the fact that what once was may no longer be.  Article I states that Congress has the "duty" to legislate as to immigration.  It does not have the non – duty to sit on its ass, and it certainly does not have the duty to allow one or more of its border states to be over run with illegals.

Oh yes, we hear a lot about the Arizona immigration law, and how it is preempted by Article I of our Constitution, but do we ever hear the honest truth about the consequences of the inaction by the Obama administration and his lackey head of homeland security ( pardon the smirk)   Janet Napolitano, as to the threat to our way of life?  Of course not.  After all, most of us are just trying to scrape by.  We voted with our wallets in 2008, and that is where our concerns are now – the economy stupid.   Why read or listen to facts when we can be swayed by obfuscation amidst the smoke and mirrors of this administration?

Of course, we hear a lot about the Gulf oil spill, for which neither BP nor this nation were prepared.  That in itself is a demonstration of incompetence on both sides of the ocean.  But how much do we hear about Mr. Obama’s shutting down operations of the hundreds of other wells in the gulf?  Nada!  Nicht! Nothing!.  And yet, we sit helplessly by as our needs for natural gas and oil are filled by unfriendly nations who will, in the end, win an advantage over us, an advantage that Mr. Obama certainly seems to be hoping for, in his continuing failure to lead.

Mr. Obama was in my home town of Las Vegas yesterday, trying to raise money for that hapless Senate majority leader Harry Reid.  Mr. Obama should never go anywhere to speak without a teleprompter.  He hemmed and hawed through his speech to 3000 blind sheep, and this was billed, by the press as a major turnout for the President and our lack luster Senator.  However, how many photographs has the press put out of the opposing demonstrators, who demonstrated their distaste for both men just outside the "invited guests only" reception?  By the way, how many photos of the Searchlight, NV tea party gathering have you seen.  I can tell you with 100% certainty that the crowd at this "for all citizens without regard to race, religion or party affiliation" anti – Reid gathering made the Obama – Reid crowd in Las Vegas look anemic.  As to the Searchlight photos, you have seen none!

I find it very interesting that my Democrat friends, and I do have Democrat friends, have been very quiet over the  last 8 or so months.  I even have begun to detect an sense of shame in their tone.  It seems, however,  that no matter what the subject matter of discussion is, they always seem to find their way back to George W. Bush.  It appears that they just cannot seem to get over it, and yet, despite the  poverty of leadership demonstrated by Mr. Obama, they, in their blind faith in liberalism and their party, cannot quite admit that they were fooled in 2008.  I mean they were really fooled by a consummate actor.  Well, acting is fine on the stage and screen, but it takes a true leader to run this nation, and brother, we have certainly not elected a true leader.  And yet, that rabid 40% or so just won’t admit their stupidity and admit that perhaps, they made a major mistake in the voting booth.

I hope, if you are not in fear of retaliation by friend or enemy, that you will begin forwarding this blog to others.  Our national reserves are running low, and there are others, of a less kind quality, who wish to overtake us or perhaps worse, destroy us.  Then again, if you are like most of the left leaning news outlets, this blog has never been written.

JLK

Posted via email from Celsius Heat

You know things are not good when Europe, which boasted of a strong Euro for so many years, is now looking to the U.S. dollar and gold for a safe haven. The Euro, the currency of those debt ridden nations such as Greece, Portugal, Italy, Spain, is tanking, as those economies are failing, due to intolerable debt. By turning to the dollar, these nations actually believe that they are secure. The truth of the matter is that since Nixon unlinked Gold from the dollar in 1971, the United States has been printing a fiat currency with abandon, while at the same time, borrowing from investor nations, so that there is nothing backing our dollar and our treasury bonds but the full faith and credit of the United States. Personally, as an investor, I have little faith in either.

As a result, precious metals, such as gold and silver, along with other commodities and other tangible investments, have been rising to record highs. As a result of our out of control spending and borrowing, America is traveling the same road as Europe has been traveling. We are just not as far along on that road to hell.

There are nations in Europe, such as Germany, whose economic condition is still sound, but as such, Germany is being called upon to bail out the debtor nations to an extent which may cause the Germans to balk. If this happens, then the European Central Bank will begin to print Euros just as we have been printing dollars, for the last 60 years, and it would not surprise me to see the rioting in Europe increase and spread to the U.S. The demise of the European welfare state, a form of government which the liberals have been trying to create here in America since our government took over our education system, is inevitable. Unfortunately, that same educational system, which has made most Europeans socialists, is at work here in the U.S., as demonstrated by our election of President Obama.

If you were born after 1970, you probably do not realize that you were born into bankruptcy. Your federal government has planned, since your birth, to take every cent you make for use in this welfare state. However, the current economic patterns across the world are finally allowing the young blind statists, educated by a system which praised big government and downplayed individualism and entreprenurialism , to realize the error of their ways. The welfare states corruption and ill devised plans are too enormous to hide.

Other nations have suffered the same fate. Just look at Chile 1970’s, when socialism, hyper inflation and annual price increases of 150% or greater led to rioting, a military coup and the death of the president of Chile. Argentina, at the same time, had prices rising at 5000% per year, and that was with government instituting price controls. Rioting by both the poor and the middle class were the result. Brazil has no middle class – you are either rich or your are poor, and that is the direction being taken by this administration, as we continue to spend and borrow beyond our means.

I realize that what I am saying is drastic, but were it not for the precedent of prior national examples, we might not recognize all that is occurring around us. Just because we have been top dog for the last century does not mean that we have a right to remain at the top. Sooner or later, the end result of all these government spending and borrowing programs, in addition to the billions we are spending on nation building in war torn nations, which may never be democratic no matter how much we try, is going to come back to haunt us. You think that we could never go the way of the Soviets. You believe that our Constitution can protect us from any abrupt changes in our system of government. Do not kid yourself. We are what our elected officials make us out to be, and so far, this administration is doing little to impress me with their vision.

JLK

Posted via email from Celsius Heat

The President, after the scheduled meeting between the two men, may do nothing about the issue or he may reprimand the General and send him back to the field, or he may fire him for insubordination. The basic problem for the President is that McChrystal stated the obvious truth as to our war effort in Afghanistan, and Mr. Obama cannot deny the truth. We are not winning the war, and if anything, we are slowly having our life’s blood sucked from us, in much the same way the Soviets did when they fought the same enemy.

Our troops are fighting a defensive war with one hand tied behind their backs, and General McChrystal understands the obvious – we are not going to win the war by the time that Obama has called for a pull out of troops in one year. He knows it and thanks to Mr. Obama’s decision on this dateline, the enemy knows. Unfortunately for Obama, although the war is being run according to the plan devised by McChrystal and accepted by the President, with fine nuanced tweeking done to the plan by the President which demands that Afghan civilians be spared or protected, by tempering the offensive nature of our men on the ground, it is the President and not the General who has placed our troops in harms way. If I knew the enemy was going to pull out in one year, I would hold back and wait. Why use all my forces up when time is on my side? That is what Obama’s interference with the war effort has done.

War is hell, and the one’s who usually pay the biggest price are civilians. Unfortunately, our President, a man with no military experience, and need I say little experience at the requirements of his executive position, is trying to wage a war that cannot be won under his terms. His apologetic attitude, to the other nations of the world, for past harms done by the United States, has tempered his ability to wage a complete war with victory as the final goal. When we pull out in one year, if his plans are carried out, we will have done nothing insofar as our goal to destroy the enemy.

The problem for the President however goes much deeper. While McChrystal can say to hell with it and hand in his letter of resignation, knowing he did his best under the circumstances of an inept Commander and Chief, Mr. Obama has a more serious problem to face. The war plans call for an attack on Kandhar Province, in the near future, an attack which General McChrystal has sole responsibility for insofar as preparation and planning. His resignation or firing would set back those plans and thus have a serious effect on the pull out date. With the General goes his staff, leaving no one in the field who understands the current plans of war. Bringing a new commander would take time, and time is one thing Mr. Obama does not have.

In addition, pulling the commanding General from the field requires his replacement almost immediately, and Obama has been reluctant to do anything of an emergent nature “almost immediately.”

Finally, firing General McChrystal or accepting his resignation again would demonstrate to the U.S. voter just how weak their President is, from the standpoint of accepting truthful criticism about his administration, when that same administration is now bogged down and seemingly helpless amidst the BP oil disaster. It would make Obama appear to be a person who may be suited for the neighborhoods of Chicago, but certainly not the White House.

Were I McChrystal, if the end result were simply a reprimand, I would not go back to Afghanistan unless the President and those in his administration, who are in charge of the civilian aspect of running this war, agreed to allowing our troops to fight in the same manner that our troops did in Europe in the last great war. Civilians died, property was destroyed, cities were turned to ash, but we won the war. Unless we are allowed to fight a full war, there is no sense in us even being in Afghanistan, and certainly no sense for McChrystal to return to that country just to have himself used as a target for the civilian administration of this President. I would bring our troops out and increase our own border security, where it is needed the most. If the cruel Soviets could not beat the Afghans, our tempered forces stand no chance.

Thus, the problem being faced tomorrow is not being faced by General McChrystal and his staff, but rather the President and his staff. Once again, our President is being called upon to act Presidential. Chances are he will once again screw it up.

JLK

Posted via email from Celsius Heat

By contrast, Katrina was a non event. In addition, Katrina was the equal result of natural causes and man made causes. The man made causes were the misconception that people can live, without fear, below sea level, and that man can predict what is needed, in the way of dikes and barriers, to hold off acts of nature. We are no more able to predict and prevent natural disasters and planetary changes than we are able to prevent volcanic eruptions. So much for Mr. Gore and his global warming. And yet, President Bush was burdened with the full measure of the disaster, despite the fact that the damage was done before anyone could have done anything about it.

Perhaps his administrations reaction was slower than those affected would have desired, but in the end, it was enough. As a matter of fact, give the stupidity of those going back to rebuild in an area which is bound to be flooded again, one wonders whether the taxpayer should have been strapped with the costs. Perhaps the area, especially the 9th district, hit so hard with flood waters, should have been permanently placed out of bounds for future housing. How many times must a man be stung by the same bee before he takes responsibility for his actions?

In the case of the Gulf oil spill, the entire disaster is man made. The fault goes all the way back to the Clinton administration. In, I believe 1995, President Clinton signed the deep water drilling act, thus allowing for drilling for oil in deep waters, whereas, until that time, drilling only was allowed in shallow, more accessible water. Unfortunately, the act did not contain any oversight as to just such a disaster as we are now experiencing, nor did the then President ask specialists in the field how to lessen the chances of just such a disaster. After all, we live on oil, so oil was the bottom line. Nothing was done to remedy this error in the Bush administration, as more and more deep water rigs were constructed. And now President Obama is faced with the task of ending this disaster, while at the same time, having absolutely no idea how to do it.

Yes, the slanting side wells, being drilled by BP, will eventually relieve the pressure on the leaking well head, and the leak should stop, but this will take months. By then, of course, if not already, the Gulf of Mexico will have been destroyed as far as wildlife and all of the other benefits of this environment.

This is the nature of big government which takes on more than it can handle. This is just another example of the Obama plan for a socialized big brother type of government. His stimulus packages have done nothing to lessen the burden on the economy, and, as far as I am concerned, we are in much worse shape today than the day he took office. Now you won’t hear this from his defenders on the left. It has become quite clear to me that once on the left, most remain their, even as their world is being destroyed around them. Perhaps this is why so may old Soviets want their old Communistic system back.

This is the nature of government which has determined that it knows more than the individual. This is the nature of government which feels that should control all aspects of our lives. Big government is merely made up of individuals who, in mass, make massive decisions which more often than not, turn out to be detrimental to the individual. This is the nature of big government which works hand in hand with big business, where the bottom line is the only line, and no plans are made for the unpredictable..

This Gulf oil disaster points out that not only is big government incapable of making “all” decisions, as to our lives, but also points out the truth in the matter of Obama’s inexperience and incompetence in leadership. The man is paralyzed. He reminds me of a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. Meanwhile, the longer he sits staring at those headlights, reminding us that eventually he will “kick some ass,”, the Gulf continues to die a slow but predictable death.

I don’t totally blame Mr. Obama. He simply bit off far more than he could chew. I also blame the left for allowing a candidate to run for the office of President with the credentials offered up by Mr. Obama. His current problems were not unpredictable. The man had no more experience at running the nation than I have. Being a neighborhood organizer, especially in one of the most corrupt political systems in the nation, along with two years of being an absentee Senator from Illinois, did not nor do not for Presidential timber make. And yet, 52% of this nation believed his rhetoric and voted for him. Now 100% of us are paying for that error in judgment.

That 52% is as much at fault for the Gulf oil disaster as is BP. No, a President cannot do everything. That is why he has a cabinet and advisors. And just look at who Obama chose for these tasks. Again, experience and competence are wanting. And yet, the press is not yet ready to give us the true story about this man and his mismanagement of the country. I feel terrible for the folks whose lives are changed forever because of this spill. I feel just as bad for the 10% who will never find work in this nation because of big government decisions. I feel just as bad for the retirees who lost all of their savings as a result of poor government banking oversight. I feel just as bad for the soldiers who will die because our foreign policy continues to be mismanaged. I feel just as bad for those whose health care needs will not be met in the future because of our new health care policy. Finally, I feel bad for those who have given their lives in the past to preserve our freedoms and liberties, only to see them being destroyed by a totally different view of how this nation should face its future.

To simply sum it up, I feel bad for America. The collective “we” made a mistake in electing Obama, just as we have made mistakes with past presidents. As a result, better decisions concerning national and international policy are being dismissed in favor of bad policies, policies which will haunt this nation for ever. As for the haunting of the Gulf coast, despite what Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen tells us, despite what BP tells us, despite what President Obama tells us, the Gulf coast is ruined for “decades.” That, my dear reader, is the quintessential glimpse at the result of big government trying to do too much – trying to speak when it should be listening and trying to go beyond the bounds of our Constitution. Perhaps we can begin to remedy our mistakes in November, but don’t expect miracles. The brainwashing by the left will take years to overcome, if at all. One can only hope that we can rid the nations capital of all those Manchurian Candidates.

JLK

Don’t be so high and mighty to believe that illegal immigration is not a problem. Just look at California, if you want an example. With a city such as San Francisco claiming to be an immigrant sanctuary, and Los Angeles being another hot bed for illegals, the state of California is bankrupt, in part by trying to provide basic services for these individuals and their burgeoning families. Illegal immigrants pose a major threat to our national economy. And who will have to bail out the State of California? You and I !

Immigration policy did, at one time, work for America. We are all descendants of immigrants. My great grandparents came to this country from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century, and were processed, according to the “law,” at one of the entry ports on the East Coast. Even if you descended from those who came here on the Mayflower, you are still the descendant of an immigrant. The only true Americans are the Native Americans, from whom we stole this land.

Having said that, there is a major difference between the immigrant migration of the late 19th and the early 20th century. America was an open land of opportunity, with a need for population, trades, skills and people. A lot has changed since 1900 to 2010. We are a nation of 300 million citizens and we stretch from coast to coast. We are not exploring new territories, nor are we in need on an influx of new citizens. Our capitalistic system has done quite well with the natural birth rate of our own, and our federal and state governments have been able to provide services to our citizenry, based on both need and tax revenues. Illegal immigration, in the millions, is upsetting this balance, and in addition, provides our enemies with a means of inserting themselves into our country, in order to perform future acts of terrorism.

Arizona is not the first state to recognize the error of Washington’s ways, but it is the first to act. Its law does not violate Article 5 of our Constitution, in that the Supremacy Clause only pertains to Federal Law which is in conflict with State law. Hell, we have no Federal Law covering this area of need. Congress and our President, despite campaign promises, have merely sat back and allowed an influx of aliens, hoping to create another voting block to keep the liberals in office. The pattern of liberals in this nation is as clear as clear can be. Create a voting block of individuals who depend on the Federal government for health care, jobs, housing and all of the other entitlements and pork, which Congress can provide through legislation, and you once again have a “dependency” created, a dependent voting block which will fear moving in the direction of the center or right, for fear of losing their welfare check. The liberals have done this with other “minorities,” ever since slavery ended with the Civil War. If we are too blind to see the politics of the matter, than we deserve to have all that we have worked for “redistributed.”

Thus, despite the drawbacks of the Arizona law, which will encroach on the civil rights of true American citizens, Arizona had to do something. No, this is not analogous to the Nazi regime demanding proof of Aryan purity, by the examination of “one’s papers.” Yes, there will be a degree of profiling based on ethnic and other characteristics, and that will, in and of itself, be violative, at times, of the civil rights of “our citizens,” to a necessary degree, given the Federal Government’s failure to act in this matter. However, just as I have less or no civil rights in Iran, or Turkey or Russia or any other country, of which I am not a citizen, illegal immigrants do not have the same civil rights as an American Citizen. If they did, this nation would be in chaos, as far as homeland security is concerned. An illegal immigrant is, in truth, violating our borders and whatever federal and state laws which cover immigration policy, and, as such, are subject to search and seizure.

And while I am sympathetic to the needs and desires of citizens of other nations to make a better life for themselves in America, the inscription of the Statue of Liberty no longer means what it meant when our nation was young. We are no longer in need of ” your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free….” We simply cannot afford them. We have other nations to use as examples, such as Great Britain and France, to show us what happens when there is unbridled immigration without regulation and law. Great Britain is no longer what it was in its glorious past, nor is France. Both are a shell of what was. If America does not act, its future will be no different than these to past powers.

Why has Arizona discovered that which our own Government has failed to understand? Arizona did not pass this law just to protect itself. It passed this law as a slap in the face to the Obama administration, saying ” if you won’t act, then we will.” Hopefully, even the liberals, who now control Congress, can understand this reality check, and perform their duty as demanded by our Constitution to provide our citizens with an Immigration policy which is both good for America and fair to those who desire to become American citizens.

JLK

For example, our United States Mint has convinced millions of collectors/investors that purchasing mint material, in the form of commemorative silver dollars and state quarters is a good investment. Take it from someone who has seen the results of such advertising. These “products” are lousy investments, and the buyers of same lose 50% or more of their investment almost immediately. Look at the United States Post Office. It recommends the purchase of sheets of newly printed stamps for collectors/investors. Those stamps are never going to be worth more than face value, and in many instances, one can purchase them years later for less than face value. Doctor, heal thyself.

Those are merely two examples of our own government trying to make money off of the gullible public. Now it is going after other scoundrels who have tried to do the same.
Have you ever purchased a diamond? Well, if you have, then you have been taken far worse than a Goldman Sachs could ever take you. Diamonds are a commodity whose price is totally controlled by a consortium which knows that if the truth about the quantity of diamonds ever was released, no one would buy one. Diamonds are not rare. The consortiums have, in storage, millions of the beautiful rocks. However, they also know the rule of supply and demand. Buy a diamond and you immediately lose up to 75% of your purchase price. Why isn’t President Obama trying to reform the diamond market? Why? Because he can’t.

Over twenty years ago, Merrill Lynch sold a Washington State municipal bond to unwary customers, (WHOOPS Muni Bonds) knowing full well that the source of that bond’s funding was going to default. Why would it sell an investment, and allegedly a low risk one at that, knowing that it was doomed to fail? Because Merrill Lynch owned a great deal of the bonds and wanted to get them off their books. Well, Goldman Sachs owned a lot of toxic mortgages and did not want to keep them in inventory any more than Merrill Lynch wanted to keep the WHOOPS bonds. Yes, a class action suit ensued, which returns about 20 cents on the dollar, but no new government regulations resulted. As a matter of fact, I am now sitting with files concerning class action suits against multiple insurance companies for much the same reasons – cheating the public out of their hard earned money. Every business in the United States tries to make a profit off of you. It is your job to protect yourself, and not going running to Senator Dodd, who doesn’t even have enough common sense to understand his own home mortgage. How is he going to help you by regulating Wall Street.

When you purchase a commodity or an investment, you bare the risk of its maintaining or losing its value. Many investments, such as diamonds, rare coins and stamps, antiques, art etc. all have tremendous markups, which place the buyer in a negative position for sometimes decades or longer. Is Mr. Obama going after the antique or rare stamp market? Of course not. To do so would destroy most markets in those items which are purchased with the idea of increasing value over time.

When we purchase a product of Wall Street, we are not purchasing a new car with a warrantee. Even with the Warrantee, a new car purchase is perhaps one of the dumbest purchases one can make, given the loss in value as soon as you drive it off the lot. We are purchasing a product created by Wall Street, in order to make money for Wall Street. We are throwing the dice, hoping that the product we are buying will grow in value, as it represents a sector of the economy or perhaps, in the case of toxic mortgages, the housing market. The seller is the street and you are the buyer. The seller does not have a guarantee that his product will sell. That is his risk, especially if he is the market maker of the product. The buyer – you, does not have to buy. However, if you do wish to buy, it is up to you to do due diligence research, even if it is of a minor amount, to satisfy yourself that you are purchasing a reasonable investment. The greater the expected return, the greater the risk. Would you walk into your local jewelry store and buy a diamond ring without asking for authenticity papers? Believe me, you, as smart as you think you are, cannot tell the difference between a diamond and a cubic zirconium at first glance. If you think you can, then you deserve to purchase most of the junk that Wall Street has created over the decades.

If you are risk adverse, stay away from Wall Street, because nothing sold on Wall Street is guaranteed to make you any money, any more so that it guarantees you that you won’t lost your entire investment. If you are risk adverse, buy United States Government Paper, accepting even then that at the horribly low rates of return offered today, inflation will eat up any gains you receive even to the point of putting you in the loss column

If Mr. Obama and his lackey Congress plan to place restrictions and restraints on Wall Street, then why not place the same restrictions and restraints on every market, present in America, where the seller sells a product for more than it is worth and the buyer purchases it hoping to make money through his purchase? If that were the case, very little other than food and fuel would be sold, because every other commodity purchased entails a profit for the seller and a loss for the buyer.

Therein lies the error of this administration. It believes that we, you and I, are unable to fend for ourselves, and only through government oversight and statute, can our lives be made better. That, my dear reader, is the same belief that brought us world dictators of the recent past and present. I believe the numbers will prove me correct. More Americans have died as a result of actions taken by the U.S. Government than by actions taken by our many diverse markets. More businesses have failed because of over taxation and regulation than because of a poor product. When you over regulate the markets, markets fail, simply close their doors, or, as in the case of the foolish 18th amendment, go under the table into the black market. We the people can take care of ourselves without big brother looking over every transaction we take part in, and the last thing we need is an already corrupt Congress tying the hands of our economy any more than it already has.

JLK

One would expect some warming of the Earth’s weather pattern, between ice ages. After all, when a glacier age retreats, as our glaciers surely have, a warmer age would naturally be expected to ensue. What goes up has to eventually come down and visa versa. One wonders what Mr. Gore would have been preaching some ten thousand years ago, had he been able to spout off about the changing weather pattern of a glacier covered Tennessee. He, as most elitist liberals believe, believes that he and his ilk alone are all wise when it comes to the “facts of life,” surrounding us. In truth, Mr. Gore and his followers have made hay while that proverbial sun has shown and thank goodness, for his reputation, that the sun has been doing its warming job.

That proposition is more than made clear by the current volcanic eruption in Iceland. Was it predicted by those who study such matters? No! Is the course of its eruption predictable? No! Can we do anything about it? No! As a matter of fact, the Earth’s natural weather patterns and natural activities are beyond man’s ability to have any effect. We are simply pawns when it comes to natures amazing spectacles. Having accepted that fact, one must now question what overall effect mankind has on his environment and the health of the planet, versus those natural phenomena which occur unexpectedly.

Consider this question: just how much carbon dioxide has this eruption ejected into our atmosphere, as compared to world industry in the last several decades? Just how much air pollution has resulted from the smoke and ash ejected by this volcano, as compared to what man, across the planet, has produced in the last several decades? Mr. Gore and his disciples actually believe that you and I control the air we breath and the water we drink. We do, to a very small degree, when compared to the natural phenomena that occur everyday across the planet, but in no way will changes in our life patterns make a major difference in our environment. When, after millions of years, changes in our solar system bring about a mass extinction of life on this planet, and those changes will occur whether we want them to or not, all we shall be able to do is merely sit by and watch it happen, unless of course, we happen to have been transported to the Planet Mars by one of Mr. Obama’s NASA plans.

I have nothing against government regulations which are meant to improve our environment. The Clean Air and Water Acts of past administrations are a step in the right direction. Regulations which maintain safe foods for our citizens are sensible and necessary. Sensible use of nuclear energy is appropriate, given our dependency on foreign fossil fuels. However, our government does not always know what is best for us, and too often uses its position of power to make life less acceptable than had it done nothing. Over regulation in areas in which we have no control, or such little control that industry and business suffer from said promulgation of law, is an attempt at God making and we have never been very good at that. I suppose that is why Mr. Gore has not been in the spotlight lately, especially as Europe’s economy has been struck down by an act of God. It’s hard to stand in the limelight when you have real competition.

JLK

I am caught between accepting this giant spending proposal as strategically worthy, versus wondering if the man has not lost his mind. Yes it is true – by partnering with the Russians on the International Space Station, we have strategically placed ourselves in a position of space neutrality, insofar as the use of space, as a strategic weapon is concerned, assuming, as I must, that there are no old Russia satellites, loaded with thermonuclear weapons, orbiting our globe as a holdover from those Cold War years. In addition, I believe that the space station should be maintained for scientific purposes. Having acknowledged that, there is little else to be said for supporting a continuing NASA.

The idea of space travel and exploration, as Mr. Obama has espoused, is a pipe dream started by President Kennedy. The conquering of space sounded good in his speeches, and our ability to keep up with the Soviets did indeed assist us in bankrupting the Soviet Union and ending the Cold War. However, anyone who pays attention to the reality of space exploration must understand that “our” exploration of space is a total waste of our money, at the very time when we are living on the grace of the Chinese and others.

First of all, let’s take the talk of sending a space ship to Mars, as did Mr. Obama. Mars, like Earth, is rotating around the Sun. Our moon, on the other hand, revolves around the Earth. Thus, a space mission to Mars is nothing like sending a crew of astronauts to the moon. To reach Mars, our space ship would have to be launched at a precise time according to the Martian orbit around our Sun. If the timing is off, the space ship and the planet will not cross paths. The ship and the crew would have to spend 8 months or longer in space to reach Mars, and then assuming that the ship and crew were still functional, and that is not a given, make a dangerous decent onto the red planet. And for what purpose? To say that we did it? That is about as wasteful as all the other programs that our President has proposed to date.

Let’s look further into Mr. Obama’s plans for space travel. Sending unmanned probes, throughout our own solar system, may be interesting. Of course, we are not talking about a 250,000 mile trip to our moon. The planets of our own system are much greater distances away. Our space ships may attain a speed of about 30,000 miles per hour. Thus, it is easy to understand the 8 month journey to Mars, and that does not take into consideration the return trip.

However, beyond our own solar system, distant galaxies, where, and there is no doubt in my mind, life forms do exist, are “light years” away. A light year is the distance that light can travel in one year. Thus, space exploration requires speeds approaching or exceeding the speed of light, given that distant object in our cosmos are light years away. At the speed of light, the human body mass would simply turn into energy, much like the crew of the Starship Enterprise. Fiction on TV does not make for fact in reality. There is no way that the human body can travel at such speeds, at least insofar as current technology is concerned.

Secondly, space travel subjects the space ship and its passengers to the radiation of outer space, to the objects strewn into our cosmos by the creation event, and by the mere physical deprivations of the body, created by the weightlessness of outer space. All of these phenomena are lethal to the present day human, when prolonged space travel is concerned. And what about the mental status of a man kept in weightless space for years at a time?

Finally, and this is more psychological than physical, what would we humans do if we found extraterrestrial life on some distant planet? We can’t even get along with each other here on Earth. How do we expect to get along with aliens from another solar system?

The idea of space travel, being the first to orbit the earth, being the first to step foot on our moon, the international space station – all of these were, in their time, interesting, science probing missions, and given the time and distances involved, obtainable through current technology. However, spending our tax dollars on science fiction space missions, when we have all the problems we face right here on earth, makes no sense, unless, of course, one is looking for rhetorical statements by which to cause a star gazing public to willingly give up their own Earth bound security for the improbable questions of outer space. Spending 6 or 7 billion on such matters makes no sense, and is just one more step to bankruptcy. I can say this with deep sincerity. You, I, our children, our grand children and great grand children and so on and so forth, will “never” travel into outer space, at least beyond our moon. And, if we can’t afford it, who can.

Remember, it was the cost of the space race, created by the late President Reagan, which forced the old Soviet Union to give up its Cold War battle with the U.S. Well, the same fiscal problem may befall us, given the fact that we are no longer the manufacturing giant of yesterday. We are a nation dependent on the good will of others, and their willingness to buy our debt. If I were a lender, such as China, I would want to see something more than pipe dreams of space travel coming out of the mouth of the leader of the very nation into which I was investing my money.

Once again, this administration is taxing heavily and spending unwisely, or at least that is how this writer sees it.

JLK

Obama might expect a reaction, both by North Korea and by the State of Iran, as far as a slowing or discontinuing their nuclear programs, as a show of gratitude for the bilateral action of the two super – powers. If that is what he expects, his naivete is greater than imagined. Neither rogue nation gives a damn about how many nukes we or the Russians have. Their only concern is to have a nuclear weapon(s) of their own, with which to challenge or threaten their neighbors. North Korea covets South Korea and Iran wants the State of Israel to evaporate. Never has an American President show such a cold shoulder to our only true ally, in the middle east, than this one has shown to Israel. The American Jewish Community should have its collective head examined for giving Obama 90% of their vote. Israel will rue the day the man was elected.

It is not just this recent action, by our President, that concerns me. It is his entire focus, manifested by his first year plus in office. We are worse off now than when he came to office, both from a domestic and a foreign relations standpoint, demonstrated by America’s dissatisfaction with his socialistic trends and by the attitude that foreign nations have assumed, when it comes to respecting his office. He has turned the U.S., and mainly himself, into the butt of humor, both here and abroad.

I (we) are not who he wants us to be. That is, I (we) do not wish to become simply one of 300 million other pawns of a big brother form of government. You have no idea how many new commissions, committees and job descriptions have been created by his new health care legislation. That is not the kind of employment that America voted for when it elected the great job creator Obama. Those are the jobs of a man who wants big federal government at a cost of lost of states rights and at a cost of higher taxes and less liberty to the individual. Obama is the sort of President that encourages discord and the growth of anti – government groups, when his entire campaign was based upon bringing us together as a nation. His is the sharp in our Sonata, the flat in our Symphony. He is the atonal sound in our harmony. But, we elected him and we, thus, must put up with his socialistic leanings until we can simply vote him into past history. He is not America.

Now you will never hear this from the main stream media, whose job apparently is to protect the President by spreading a false gospel through what are supposed to be “news” programs. That is why the executive branch and Congress are coming down so hard on Fox and on the conservative talk show hosts. Therein lies the only source of what is really going on in Washington.

By signing this new treaty with Russia, Obama has become our Chamberlain. Unfortunately, we do not have a parliamentary form of government, and thus cannot hold a no confidence vote and remove Obama from office. We are thus stuck with him for another 2 1/2 years. Had Chamberlain remained prime minister for another 2 1/2 years, after his Munich disaster in appeasing Hitler, Great Britain would have been a conquered nation by the end of the war. We are facing another Munich, given the outstanding disputes with other potential rogue nuclear powers, and with Eastern Europe still in a state of flux. Sadly, we cannot elect a Winston Churchill for another couple of years. By then, the damage may not be repairable.

JLK

States Attorneys General have already filed suit, in Federal Court, stating that this law is unconstitutional, using the Tenth Amendment and the Commerce Clause as their argument. I agree with the Attorneys General. If the Supreme Court finds precedent in past Commerce Clause holdings, most of which are relevant to the FDR and LBJ administrations, then this court can and will find any attempt to grab giant portions of our economy, for the benefit of the Federal Government, constitutional. Given the overly general phrasing of Article I, Section 8, which gives Congress the power to “lay and collect taxes…..and provide for the general welfare…,” along with the “necessary and proper” clause, it is hard to imagine the Obama Administration using this as an argument to support its sweeping grab at our economy, and yet, that is exactly how this will be argued. Finally, if the high court cannot read into the 10th Amendment that this new law exerts unconstitutional powers over ” the powers….. reserved to the states respectively, or to the people,” then we the people are in for a very trying time as long as Obama and the Liberals control the Executive and Legislative Branches of government. Interestingly, I suspect that the powers exerted by this new law shall have no effect on the freedom and liberty of the members of Congress or the Executive, who seem to find ways to escape the wrath of their own powers.

It goes without saying that there is no “right to health care.” Not only was health care never considered by the writers of our Constitution, health care has always been a privilege to be earned, along with all of the other privileges of a Capitalistic society. Despite what Obama would urge us believe, there is already federal law which protects those without health insurance, even to the point of providing health care to non citizens, ie., undocumented aliens or illegals. Despite such law costing our health care system more than it should bare, it is obfuscation to claim that 30 million humans in the U.S. are without access to health care. As a matter of fact, most of that burden is borne by both the states and by the medical community. The burden is not on the federal government, and neither the states nor the medical community has asked for federal legislation to be considered in this area, especially legislation as sweeping as our new Health Care Law. This new legislation was not meant as a measure of kindness or welfare to the so called 30 million. It was written with another purpose in mind.

In reading the Commerce Clause, as to how the lack of health insurance has impaired or blocked interstate commerce is beyond me. To begin with, of those stated 30 million without health insurance, a large percentage do not want health insurance. As a young healthy individual, being forced to buy health insurance is analogous to forcing me to buy flood insurance here in the desert. I do not interpret the Commerce clause in that manner. In addition, forcing small businesses to purchase health insurance for their employees will do more to impair commerce than augment it, as many small businesses will either shut their doors, or simply pay the “fine,” which is just another term for tax, while, at the same time, compensating for said tax by raising prices or laying off employees. The Commerce Clause was written to encourage business growth and thus commerce between the states, not to force business to close for reasons of federally increased overhead. The Commerce Clause, while interpreted by various Supreme Courts, in ways which only demonstrate the fact that the high court does bend with the political waves, which flow during stressful periods in our nation, has generally held that certain business practices “impairing interstate commerce,” or ” detrimental to the health and welfare of the common worker,” based on certain “commissions” of business, are unconstitutional. Now the court is being asked, by the Liberal Congress, to find that the same clause is worded so as to hold that “omissions,” on the part of business, are interfering with interstate commerce. Only a devoted socialist could believe that the lack of health insurance impedes interstate commerce, but that is exactly the argument of our government as to this suit.

Viewing this law as simply another “tax,” the “people” are being forced to pay for something that many of them will never see and what is worse, pay for a service which, in many cases, will be withheld from them, given the fine wording in the law which defines when “health care” will be deemed necessary or not efficient in its use. It is quite evident that the so called “Tea Party Movement” is supported by the same type of individuals that opposed the British tax laws some two centuries ago.

As far a a piece of legislation meant to “spread the wealth,” it should have been apparent, and obviously was not, to most citizens, that Obama has been and continues to be an avowed Socialist. As a short term member of the Senate, his voting record was the most liberal of any member of the Senate. While I have never understood the mentality of Socialism or its big sister Communism, I appreciate the fact that there are those, both here and abroad, who believe in Marxism or Lenin or in Mao. These people want a level playing field for everyone, despite talent and hard work being the means by which success is attained in a Capitalistic society. Obama’s idea of a society is that of the novel “1984″ but without, as yet, the police state mentality. However, each step taken by those of this economic bent is incremental, and what are small fines for non compliance today, can and will become stiffer fines and imprisonment tomorrow. A foot in the door is all these Socialists and Communists need before they begin politicizing the courts, taking powers from the states and the people, and imposing their own view of society on society. Social engineering is exactly what their goal is, and once that train is allowed to leave the station, it requires a civil revolution to stop it in its tracks.

Europe is a perfect example of a Socialistic train that has gone too far to be stopped. If America wants to become another Europe, it shall have its chance in future elections. But it is well to remember one fact. The level playing field always has its own “high ground,” for those who are more equal than others. The fact that Congress has not availed itself of the new law is an example of this truism. The level playing field is always going to be a target of some super power who wants to go beyond the simple wealth distribution / everyone is equal society, to one in which the society becomes a source of slavery. One can look at the old Soviet system, or the current Red Chinese or North Korean system, to realize that there is but one final end to the desires of a Socialistic government. Only in freedom and liberty is there the strength to fight off the oppressors who lay in wait for signs of weakness, before attacking their prey. America is now showing those very signs of weakness, in allowing its so called representatives to usurp the power of the people. While I disagree with some of the tactics of the far right, in voicing their disagreement with the current administration, if we continue to allow that door to be opened even wider, by the voices of the far Left, we shall have lost any opportunity of taking America back to the moderate nation of liberty and prosperity for which it was intended.

JLK