Fear and (Self) Loathing

Many of my friends have days that may classify as "bad hair days" or days when they just don't feel they look their best - though we on the outside think they look just beautiful.  It is one of those things that can be hard for others to see - that lack of confidence or when your inner voice is your toughest critic.  Sometimes your "self-talk" is very negative.  

I know, you see, because for most of my life I have felt what can hardly be described as anything other than self-loathing.

How does that happen?  How does a girl grow up to hate the very image of herself in a piece of glass?  To hate the thought that someone ~ anyone, somewhere has an (unflattering) picture of her.  In my mind, they are all unflattering - all capturing some large or minute imperfection.

It comes slowly, built on day by day as one listens to those who purport to love her.  They tell her things that they say are "trying to help"...."we only want the best for you"....

"You shouldn't eat that.....don't wear those pants, they make you look fat....no one will love you if you are bigger than a size 10.....you won't keep a man.....your hair looks awful that way...those thighs have got to go.....I think you should just have salad tonight......your stomach is sticking out.....turn around - do you see that bulge....I wouldn't wear shorts if I was you....thank God you are at least smart....don't go sleeveless....you have panty lines.......don't wear knit - it clings to your fat.....you'll never look like  ____ (enter best friend's name)......why would you think to order that......maybe you shouldn't eat tonight...."


I could go on for pages....chapters even and all with the same message - you don't measure up (no pun intended) and so, you are not lovable, not cute, not good enough.  Not even your family loves you....


I'm not sure when it started really.  It seems like Dad was always telling me I needed to diet or Mom was always cooking something "low-fat" for me.  I guess it probably started at puberty when I started to develop curves.  Now, I will be the first to tell you that kids can be mean ~ but they aren't your family and you can go home and get away from them.  I couldn't get away. Ever.


I developed full-fledged bulimia in senior year of High School.  I never did throw up though - I abused laxatives - seemed easier to hide.  Throughout that year, I did anything I could to be a "single-digit" size.  It didn't work.  So, I started eating every other day.  Still no luck.  I would go down to the basement for HOURS each evening to exercise.  I would do 100 leg lifts, 200, 500.....I measured my waist, hips, legs, arms EVERY day....I was so afraid that I would never get a date if I couldn't get thinner.....

What no one ever told me was that I have a body type that tends toward athleticism and an hour-glass figure.  The classic beauty of Marilyn Monroe or Doris Day with feminine curves was in my future, not the androgynous, flat-chested look of a cover model.

Through my twenties and into my thirties, I would obsessively measure body parts and feel sick fear with what the tape measure said.  Pregnancy was pure Hell on earth as I had no control over what was happening to my body.  Though I did stop using laxatives so the baby would be healthy.  I did 30 - 40 minutes of sit ups during my pregnancy with Marcos until the doctor ordered me to stop in the 7th month.

After he was born, both motherhood and the  onset of my auto-immune disease, Progressive Hashimoto's Thyroiditis caused me to step back and take a look at my life.  I started to see things differently and understood that I had some serious baggage in my life.  Part of my journey back was realizing that if I stayed where I was and listened to my "family" tell me how unlovable I was, I would never be the Mom that Marcos deserved.  

That inner resolve to do better for him is part of what drove me to move to Texas.  I was afraid my family would give him his own baggage to carry through life and I wouldn't allow that to happen.  I took the "bull by the horns" and moved to Houston and then to Dallas and made a life for Marcos.


Through the grace of God, I met David and we fell in love and built a family.  I still have fear ~ that I may pass on poor self-esteem to my kids, that others will see through the veneer of self-confidence to what is hiding inside - a scared, shy woman who is afraid no one will like her because she is bigger than a size 10.....

It's been 10 years since I married David.  I still have those feelings of low self-worth - though some days I think my face looks pretty okay for a 43 year old woman.....some days I like my hair...I'm working out again ~ for me.  Not to be a certain size, but to be stronger and more flexible.  


My goal for this anniversary is to go out to dinner with my husband and for me to feel good when we have our picture taken.


I'm gonna reach that goal.

 

The Valley of Haters. NOT! ~~ Reprint from Darrell Ankarlo 5/5/10

“We’ll bring you to your knees!”

“Bigots…haters!”

“We’ll put a million people in the streets.”

“When we’re through with you, Arizona will be bankrupt!”

Just a few of the threats and vicious words I’ve heard from the innocent and loving protesters upset that our state dared to act on an issue that has made one of our cities (Phoenix) the number one kidnap capitol in the country and number two in the world!

We have militia from a foreign country engaged in shootouts with police a few miles from my home and close to a million “undocumented people” shutting down hospitals and nearly collapsing our welfare system. In fact as I write this, five illegal aliens just ambushed a police officer an hour from my home. They used AK47s. Imagine this on your cul du sak…it may be coming.

Arizona is all over the news because finally our state says “enough is enough” and has stopped waiting for the federal government to do something we all know it won’t do. I mean, come on, those supposed “representatives of the people” knew about and allowed Wall Street to come within inches of bankrupting America.

Can we really expect them to address their open door policy to modern day slavery?

In Arizona, for example, a brick layer used to make close to $20 an hour. Now he’s lucky to make $9 or $10 an hour because illegal aliens—usually working in groups—offer to beat any price. Many contractors have been paying illegal laborers $4 or $5 an hour under-the-table which pushes U.S. employees out of their jobs at an alarming rate. And, more often than not, if you’re illegal and complain or get hurt on the job, the boss threatens to call the police so the employer has full control. All of this has been happening in cities across the country as corporate America and Washington say nothing! Keep stock holders and voters happy at any cost.; This is modern day slavery.

Our Legislature decided they would take matters into its own hands. It’s called “state’s rights” kids. We fought a civil war over this very issue. But, instead of being celebrated our state is a pariah as people are calling for boycotts of everything that is Arizona (including Arizona Tea— which is and always has been made in NY!).

Our new state law is similar to a federal law, one that is rarely enforced. It says you CANNOT break into and steal from our resources—or export your criminals to a state already struggling. So why all the marches, cancellations and outcry now? Because our state is the first finally willing to stand and fight.

“But no person is illegal!”

Those are the words I hear whenever immigration comes up. Though I agree that we are all created equal in God’s eyes, I also know many of our military’s servicemen and women, including one of my sons, serve in part to preserve a thing called sovereignty. That’s a big concept – which I don’t have space to go into here. However, you can read more about it in last year’s book Another Man’s Sombrero which describes my trip into Mexico and how I sneaked back into America—without papers. It took me six whole seconds to get back!

So, Ankarlo, what would you do? Obviously, we have an immigration system that needs some major work so let’s demand that Congress put it on the burner along with their health care and Wall Street games. Next, we put 10,000 border patrol and national guardsmen at the key entrances—fully trained and armed. Then, to avoid the “show me your papers” argument we use a passport system.

Everywhere that I have traveled internationally I have not only carried a passport but have been asked to show it multiple times. I guess I should have pulled out a protest sign and yelled “Hater and Bigot!” Carry your passport. If you don’t have it on you, you have 24 hours to produce it. If law enforcement believes that you are here illegally you can be detained until someone can provide it for you. People caught making illegal passports, drivers licenses etc would be treated as terrorists or traitors, depending on citizenship.

“What does an illegal alien look like?” Here in the U.S. there are illegal aliens from at least 51 nations so it can be difficult to tell. However, when a group of people stand at the local Home Depot and none can speak English, you have a bit of a clue that it’s Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the study. Thus, our new law says the police can investigate. Oh, and they can also cite/arrest the guy in the pickup who slows down to ferry his new slaves off for a day’s labor.

Almost one seventh of our state’s population is here illegally and since our state is nearing $2 billion in debt one has to assume the cheap labor and unpaid hospital visits just might be having an impact but Arizona is backwards for daring to do something about it! Bullcrap!

Until a federal government finally realizes what an impact its flaccid response is having on our independent state (and California, New Mexico, the great Republic of Texas and at least 23 other states) we’re going to abide by a system our forefathers built into a national Constitution—we are going to use our State’s Rights to save ourselves!

By the way, just this week three houses were raided in two days here in Phoenix; one had 69 people in it. Two crack downs were done at the same time with almost 100 people arrested, detained or cited—over 90 percent of them were here illegally. You’re smart so do the math and then you’ll understand our anger and confusion. Anger because we’re feeling this open door policy first hand and confusion because so many still don’t get it.

---------

Darrell Ankarlo is a 32 year broadcast veteran and author of two books:  What Went Wrong with America and How to Fix it and Another Man’s Sombrero.  Find out more at www.ankarlo.net.

My son has been racially profiled!

You know, it is somewhat funny, the story behind this issue.  When my 1st husband and I found out we were having a baby, we wanted to raise him as both a New England-er and a Southwestern-er so that he would know the heritage of the parts of the country that his parents came from.  He was of Mexican and American Indian descent and was born in Arizona and I am Scotch-Irish, Italian and American Indian and was born in the Boston area.

After he was killed and my son was born, the hospital, the Navy, Social Security office and a variety of other bureaucracies were insistent that I racially identify my son. Was he "white"; "Hispanic"; "Indian"....  Well, that got my red-head in an uproar.  I checked "Other" and filled in "Human".  No amount of phone calls would change my mind.  That was it.  He was of the "human" race.  (I can be a little stubborn)

When I moved to Texas, his last name was more common than in New England.  His beautiful skin tone became even more 'coffee-and-cream' colored and his hair, unlike mine, didn't bleach out lighter in the hot Texas sun.  As he has grown up, his features have come to resemble my husband's so much that it takes the breath away from those who knew his father.

When he went to Middle-School, he came home one day with paper-work for me - and he was quite angry.  I asked what was wrong and he slapped the papers down onto the table.  The principal (who has since been replaced) had sent home papers that needed to be filled out in order to exempt my son from ESL classes.  They had (erroneously) assumed due to his name, that he would need to be in ESL classes in order to help him along.  Not only that, I had to explain myself if I wanted him out of those classes!  They also sent home information on getting immigration assistance!! Upon calling the school and identifying myself as "My Son's Mom", I was asked if I needed a bi-lingual speaker on the phone.  ~ You can bet I adjusted their thinking.  :-)

 My oldest son, child of an MIA/KIA US Sailor, had been pigeon-holed and racially profiled as "Hispanic" and potentially illegal or having illegal parents who needed consular aid.  He constantly rails against this assumption and he gets quite irritated that people assume he supports illegals and "Mexican causes".  My son is very conservative - more so than I am when it comes to the illegal issue.  There is no 'gray' for him.  It is black and white - if you are illegal, you need to leave. He has no issue showing his school ID, license or military ID.  He would rather do that than have illegals run rampant in the streets.

Like his father, he is vehemently against illegal immigration as he feels it lowers people's perception of Hispanics, especially those of Mexican descent.  It also causes suffering in the form of human trafficking that is abusive and exploitative of people who, in many cases, can't protect themselves.  Many Hispanics he has crossed paths with have dissed him for his stand, but he does not waver.  He feels being American is a privilege ~ and he is proud of the sacrifice his father made.

Immigration is great.  Immigrants built this great country.  We need immigrants who come here legally to help us grow into the next century and beyond.  We don't need illegal aliens making a mockery of our system and the ethnicity of our people. We don't need liberals who support open borders and 'sanctuary cities' profiling our children. 

My son deserves better than being profiled by the left as 'sympathetic' to their cause.  My husband damned well deserves better than a legacy that requires his son to be harassed by liberals as 'not Hispanic enough'.

Whose Country is This Anyway?

With the support of 70 percent of its citizens, Arizona has ordered sheriffs and police to secure the border and remove illegal aliens, half a million of whom now reside there. 

Arizona acted because the U.S. government has abdicated its constitutional duty to protect the states from invasion and refuses to enforce America's immigration laws. 

"We in Arizona have been more than patient waiting for Washington to act," said Gov. Jan Brewer. "But decades of inaction and misguided policy have created an unacceptable situation." 

We have a crisis in Arizona because we have a failed state in Washington.

What is the response of Barack Obama, who took an oath to see to it that federal laws are faithfully executed? 

He is siding with the law-breakers. He is pandering to the ethnic lobbies. He is not berating a Mexican regime that aids and abets this invasion of the country of which he is commander in chief. Instead, he attacks the government of Arizona for trying to fill a gaping hole in law enforcement left by his own dereliction of duty. 

He has denounced Arizona as "misguided." He has called on the Justice Department to ensure that Arizona's sheriffs and police do not violate anyone's civil rights. But he has said nothing about the rights of the people of Arizona who must deal with the costs of having hundreds of thousands of lawbreakers in their midst. 

How's that for Andrew Jackson-style leadership?

Obama has done everything but his duty to enforce the law.

Undeniably, making it a state as well as a federal crime to be in this country illegally, and requiring police to check the immigration status of anyone they have a "reasonable suspicion" is here illegally, is tough and burdensome. But what choice did Arizona have? 

The state has a fiscal crisis caused in part by the burden of providing schooling and social welfare for illegals and their families, who consume far more in services than they pay in taxes and who continue to pour in. Even John McCain is now calling for 3,000 troops on the border.

Police officers and a prominent rancher have been murdered. There have been kidnappings believed to be tied to the Mexican drug cartels. There are nightly high-speed chases through the barrios where innocent people are constantly at risk. 

If Arizona does not get control of the border and stop the invasion, U.S. citizens will stop coming to Arizona and will begin to depart, as they are already fleeing California.

What we are talking about here is the Balkanization and breakup of a nation into ethnic enclaves. A country that cannot control its borders isn't really a country anymore, Ronald Reagan reminded us. 

The tasks that Arizonans are themselves undertaking are ones that belong by right, the Constitution and federal law to the Border Patrol, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Homeland Security. 

Arizona has been compelled to assume the feds' role because the feds won't do their job. And for that dereliction of duty the buck stops on the desk of the president of the United States. 

Why is Obama paralyzed? Why does he not enforce the law, even if he dislikes it, by punishing the businessmen who hire illegals and by sending the 12 million to 20 million illegals back home? President Eisenhower did it. Why won't he? 

Because he is politically correct. Because he owes a big debt to the Hispanic lobby that helped deliver two-thirds of that vote in 2008. Though most citizens of Hispanic descent in Arizona want the border protected and the laws enforced, the Hispanic lobby demands that the law be changed.

Fair enough. But the nation rose up as one to reject the "path-to-citizenship" – i.e., amnesty – that the 2007 plan of George W. Bush, McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama envisioned. 

Al Sharpton threatens to go to Phoenix and march in the streets against the new Arizona law. Let him go. 

Let us see how many African-Americans, who are today frozen out of the 8 million jobs held by illegal aliens that might otherwise go to them or their children, will march to defend an invasion for which they are themselves paying the heaviest price. 

Last year, while Americans were losing a net of 5 million jobs, the U.S. government – Bush and Obama both – issued 1,131,000 green cards to legal immigrants to come and take the jobs that did open up, a flood of immigrants equaled in only four other years in our history. 

What are we doing to our own people? 

Whose country is this, anyway? 

America today has an establishment that, because it does not like the immigration laws, countenances and condones wholesale violation of those laws. 

Nevertheless, under those laws, the U.S. government is obligated to deport illegal aliens and punish businesses that knowingly hire them.

This is not an option. It is an obligation. 

Can anyone say Barack Obama is meeting that obligation?

Reprinted from WND - Patrick J. Buchanan - 4/27/10

Happy Earth Day

I know - raised eyebrows.  After-all, I make no bones about the fact that I am conservative and so that must make me a dirty capitalist who wants to burn Mother Earth, right?  Wrong.

I believe that we should drill early and often to develop new oil fields for domestic production. At the same time, I believe that we should do whatever we can, in the private sector, to develop new energy sources that are renewable and have less impact on the environment.  Why then, should we drill?  Because destroying our economy in order to punish energy use will not build the new technologies we need.  Because it will take 30 - 50 years to develop the right combination of new energy and delivery systems to make those new sources (Not corn ethanol) viable and available.


I believe that we should all try to be more mindful of our own impacts on the planet.  For me, that means recycling and compost gardening.  I am learning more all the time about compost and organic gardening.  I think growing a garden and sharing the surplus with others as you can is a great way to feel closer to the Earth.  I think getting your hands dirty is great stress relief.

I believe we, as consumers, can impact companies and whether or not they use renewable methods for packaging, manufacturing and materials with our purchasing power.  We don't need the government to tell us what kind of products we can buy - like light-bulbs or toilet paper.  Less government means more variety of responses to helping the planet.

I believe that the enviro-nuts who keep extolling us to live in caves and "save the planet" are way too impressed with their minute impact on Mother Earth.  The earth is magnificent.  It has been here for billions of years without us and will continue to be here for billions of years until the sun burns out.  Earth needs our respect and care; it doesn't need our meager efforts to "save" her.  We try all this "regulation" at the federal level and UN level to cut carbon dioxide (want to cut CO2? Stop exhaling) and the volcano in Iceland spewed more CO2 out in one week than mankind has in decades.  Earth doesn't care about our efforts - she is more powerful than we ever thought to be.

So, Happy Earth Day; be kind to the Earth; learn more about our wonderful planet; plant a tree.  Be smart.

Are you a HENRY?

What, you may ask is a HENRY.  HENRY stands for "high earner, not rich yet".  I will not lie, I am a HENRY. I aspire to be rich.  It is a goal of mine.  You may ask why.  Why would I want to be one of the "evil rich". 

Well, first of all, I don't see that rich people can all be categorized as "evil".  If you work hard and choose to save and scrape and have money, who has the right to tell you that you are evil?  When does the fruit of a man's labor become "evil profits"?

Second, I like to help others and the more disposable income I have, the more people and animals I can help.  I can sponsor more children around the world like we do through Catholic Charities.  I can donate more of my time like I do to my church.  I will be able to own land so I can help more horses and animals that need rescue.  I can choose where more of my dollars go to help more of those in need.

Third, I want to be able to leave a good life to my children and grandchildren.  If I am willing to bust my butt working hard to build a business and a chunk of savings, I can give more opportunities to my family.  Most Americans aspire to give their children a better life - whether that is through an education, a family business or the freedom to chase a dream, that is the choice of the person who is building that empire.

We have heard for some time that "profit is evil" and that "rich people are greedy".  Well, baloney.  There are plenty of people, poor, middle class and rich that are not nice, that are greedy and that don't care a hoot about others.  On the opposite side, there are plenty of rich people who do care a lot.  Bill Gates is one.  John Hunstman is another.  Being rich doesn't make one evil.  Neither does being poor make one virtuous.

When does a company become "evil"?  There is a point that profit becomes questionable by reasonable standards.  When a company pays its CEO so much money and then turns around and cuts benefits for the workers to the bone or lays off innumerable workers just so they can pay that CEO more; that raises a red flag.  But, you know what?  Those public companies that do act in that manner answer to their shareholders, investors and consumers.  Just as the companies in the 1980's that divested of their investments in South Africa to protest apartheid, so too can YOU the consumer protest this type of behavior.  It may not  solve the problem overnight, but eventually, the company will get the message.

So, what is wrong with being rich and having to pay more in taxes because "you can afford it"?  That goes against the grain of everything America offers through our meritocracy.  Punishing the rich for being successful is a double edged sword.  As a business owner, I love rich customers.  They buy more products.  When they buy more, I make more money that I can then use downstream in the economy.  When you cripple the rich with vengeful taxation policies, you actually hurt the workers in the economy.  When the rich cut back on expenditures, the companies that make the products that are no longer purchased suffer.  They lay off workers, and the whole spiral continues downward.

Ultimately, rich people and profits are not evil.  They are what drive our economy and what grow jobs.  I hope there are more rich people in America and someday, I hope to be one.  For now, I remain a hard working HENRY who still pays way too much in taxes.

Conservative vs Liberal

This has been circulating for a while but it deserves reprinting:

Conservative vs Liberal

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn`t buy one.

If a liberal doesn’t like guns, he feels that no one should have one.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn`t eat meat.

If a liberal is a vegetarian, he wants to ban all meat products for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy.

A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly leads his life.

If a liberal is homosexual, he loudly demands legislated respect.

If a black man or Hispanic is conservative, they see themselves as independently successful.

Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation.

A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels.

Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church.

A liberal non-believer wants any mention of God or religion silenced.

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or may choose a job that provides it.

A liberal demands that the rest of us pay for his.

Some generalizations but pretty close to the truth from what I see these days…

Drill Baby Drill? Not so much.

Amazing subterfuge today once again from the "most transparent administration ever". [Cough]  Met this morning with somewhat surprising news, perhaps you felt hopeful?

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.
The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.

If this was the actual truth from Obama's mouth, the right and all Americans would have much to celebrate.  Sadly, as usual, with the Obama administration, nothing is as it seems.  Here's the  catch, via the American Energy Alliance:

“One major flashpoint in the negotiations has been whether to share drilling revenue with states and to allow states to opt in or out of drilling along their coastlines. It was unclear late Tuesday whether Obama endorses revenue-sharing for states. “It appears the Northern Atlantic and entire Pacific Coast will now be under a de facto ban” for drilling, said Patrick Creighton, a spokesman for the Institute for Energy Research. Even if drilling is ultimately allowed in part of the Atlantic, Creighton said, revenue sharing is an essential incentive for states. The administration’s plans could meet resistance from at least 10 Senate Democrats representing coastal and Great Lakes states who last week raised concerns about “unfettered access to oil and gas drilling” that could jeopardize fishing, tourism and military exercises. The Interior Department retooled the current schedule of offshore leases governing 2007 through 2012 after a federal appeals court last April ruled that the second Bush administration had not done a sufficient environmental review of expanded drilling off the Alaskan coast.

GOP Rep. Mike Pence adds:

“As usual the devil is in the details. Only in Washington, D.C., can you ban more areas to oil and gas exploration than you open up, delay the date of your new leases and claim you’re going to increase production.
“The President’s announcement today is a smokescreen. It will almost certainly delay any new offshore exploration until at least 2012 and include only a fraction of the offshore resources that the previous Administration included in its plan.
“Unfortunately, this is yet another feeble attempt to gain votes for the President’s national energy tax bill that is languishing in the Senate. At the end of the day this Administration’s energy plan is simple: increase the cost of energy on every family in America and trade American jobs oversees at a time when millions of Americans are looking for work.”

So, as it stands we remain tied to the Middle East and the oil whims of OPEC.  How completely disappointing - and yet how typical of Obama.

Here's your ice cream

From a teacher in the Nashville area

"We are worried about 'the cow' when it is all about the 'Ice Cream.'

The most eye-opening civics lesson I ever had was while teaching third grade this year...
 
The presidential election was heating up and some of the children showed an interest.  I decided we would have an election for a class president.
 
We would choose our nominees. They would make a campaign speech and the class would vote.  To simplify the process, candidates were nominated by other class members.
 
We discussed what kinds of characteristics these students should have.
 
We got many nominations and from those, Jamie and Olivia were picked to run for the top spot.  The class had done a great job in their selections. Both candidates were good kids.

I thought Jamie might have an advantage because he got lots of parental support.
 
I had never seen Olivia's mother.

The day arrived when they were to make their speeches. Jamie went first.  He had specific ideas about how to make our class a better place. He ended by promising to do his very best.  Everyone applauded and he sat down.

Now it was Olivia's turn to speak.  Her speech was concise. She said, "If you will vote for me, I will give you ice cream."  She sat down.
 
The class went wild. "Yes! Yes!  We want ice cream."  She surely would say more... She did not have to.
 
A discussion followed. How did she plan to pay for the ice cream?
 She wasn't sure.
 
Would her parents buy it or would the class pay for it.
She didn't know.
 
The class really didn't care.  All they were thinking about was ice cream..
 
Jamie was forgotten. Olivia won by a landslide…
 
 Moral of the Story:  Every time Barack Obama opened his mouth he offered ice cream and 52 percent of the people reacted like nine year olds.  They want ice cream.

The other 48 percent know they're going to have to feed the cow and clean up the mess."

This is the ice cream Obama promised us!

 

Remember, the government cannot give anything to anyone that they have not first taken from someone else.

Health Care Bill Becomes Law

Wow.  Not sure I would have called this a year ago.  I really thought we would be able to make the will of the American people known and this boondoggle would go the way of the dodo.  It seems obvious to me that while there are some reforms that were clearly needed with regard to health insurance, this takeover was not a good approach.  Let me be clear, I am very much against the new law, and I want to explain why because I am NOT all about letting children die on the streets.

First, of course people in America should have access to good health care.  There are laws in place to assure citizens that those in need of care will be taken care of regardless of their insurance status or their ability to pay.  What does that mean?  No one in need can be turned away from an Emergency Room.  Hospitals that are public (County or State financed) cannot turn away patients on the basis of insurance status or ability to pay up front in cash.  

Does this happen?  I have friends and family members in multiple states who have had cancer or other life threatening illnesses who had no insurance and no savings who were cared for very well or whose lives were saved despite their finances.   So, yes, America takes care of her citizens.

Second, people in this argument have constantly confused health care with health insurance.  ALL Americans have access to health care.  Period.  Most Americans get health insurance through their workplace as a benefit.  Most have co-pays and premiums so this health insurance is not free.  Nor should it be.  

Medical care is given by highly educated and trained individuals who spend many years learning their craft and spend a lot of money on education.  To make this service free would be ludicrous to the time and money it takes to become a doctor or other medical provider.  Plus - what kind of care would you get from someone who worked for free?  I mean, McDonald's pays people and they can't even get your lunch order correct.  Would you want someone who wasn't paid at all removing your spleen?

Third, the Bill which became law today is an absolute disaster.  Are there some good things in this Bill?  Yes, there are.  Is the Bill a good piece of legislation?  No, not at all.  Why?

• Pg 22 of the HC Bill MANDATES the Govt will audit books of ALL EMPLOYERS that self insure.

• Pg 30 Sec 123 of HC bill - THERE WILL BE A GOVT COMMITTEE that decides what treatments/benefits you get.

• Pg 42 of HC Bill - The Health Choices Commissioner will choose your HC Benefits for you.

• PG 50 Section 152 in HC bill - HC will be provided 2 ALL non US citizens, illegal or otherwise.

• Pg 58HC Bill - Govt will have real-time access to individuals finances & a National ID Healthcard will be issued.

• Pg 59 HC Bill lines 21-24 Govt will have direct access to your banks accts for electronic funds transfer to pay premiums.

• Pg 95 HC Bill Lines 8-18 The Govt will use groups i.e., ACORN & Americorps to sign up individuals for HC plan.

• PG 102 Lines 12-18 HC Bill - Medicaid Eligible Individuals will be automatically enrolled in Medicaid.

• pg 124 lines 24-25 HC No company can sue GOVT on price fixing. No "judicial review" against Govt.

• Pg 145 Line 15-17 An Employer MUST auto enroll employees plan.

• Pg 126 Lines 22-25 Employers MUST pay for HC for part time employees AND their families.

• Pg 149 Lines 16-24 ANY Employer with a payroll 400k & above that does not provide health insurance pays 8% tax on all payroll

• pg 150 Lines 9-13 Small business with a payroll between 251k & 400k that doesn't provide health care insurance  pays 2- 6% tax on payroll.

• Pg 167 Lines 18-23 ANY individual who doesn't have acceptable HC according to the Govt will be taxed 2.5% of income.

• Pg 170 Lines 1-3 HC Bill Any NONRESIDENT Alien is exempt from indiv. taxes. (Americans will pay)

• Pg 195 HC Bill -officers & employees of HC Admin (GOVT) will have access to ALL Americans financial /personal records and bank information.

• PG 203 Line 14-15 HC - "The tax imposed under this section shall not be treated as tax" Yes, it says that.

• Pg 239 Line 14-24 HC Bill-  Govt will reduce physician services for Medicaid. Seniors, low income, poor affected.

• Pg 241 Line 6-8 HC Bill - Doctors, doesn't matter what specialty you have, you'll all be paid the same.

• PG 253 Line 10-18 Govt sets value of doctor's time, professional  judgment, etc. Literally value of human life.

• PG 265 Sec 1131Govt mandates & controls productivity for private HC industries.

• PG 268 Sec 1141 Fed Govt regulates rental & purchase of power driven wheelchairs.

• PG 272 SEC. 1145. TREATMENT OF CERTAIN CANCER HOSPITALS - Cancer patients - rationing of care.

• Page 280 Sec 1151 The Govt will penalize hospitals for what Govt deems preventable readmission.

• Pg 298 Lines 9-11 If doctors treat a patient during initial admission that results in a readmission -Govt will penalize the doctor.

• Pg 317 L 13-20 PROHIBITION on ownership/investment. Govt tells Drs. what/how much they can own and if they can invest in a practice or hospital.

• Pg 317-318 lines 21-25,1-3 PROHIBITION on expansion- Govt is mandating hospitals cannot expand as the hospital board deems fit.

• pg 321 2-13 Hospitals have opportunity to apply for exception BUT community input required from groups like ACORN.

• Pg335 L 16-25 Pg 336-339 - Govt mandates estab. of outcome based measures. HC the way the government wants.

• Pg 341 Lines 3-9 Govt has authority to disqualify Medicare Adv Plans, HMOs, etc. Forcing people into Govt plan

• Pg 354 Sec 1177 - Govt will RESTRICT enrollment of Special needs citizens.

• Pg 379 Sec 1191 Govt creates more bureaucracy - Telehealth Advisory Cmtte.  HC by phone.

• PG 425 Lines 4-12 Govt mandates Advance Care Planning Consult. Senior Citizens end of life counseling

• Pg 425 Lines 17-19 Govt will instruct & consult regarding living wills, durable powers of atty. Mandatory

• PG 425 Lines 22-25, 426 Lines 1-3 Govt provides apprvd list of end of life resources, guiding you in death

• PG 427 Lines 15-24 Govt mandates program 4 orders 4 end of life. The Govt has a say in how your life ends

I could go on, but 2700 pages is a lot.

Not enough for you?  Here is an article from "Investors Business Daily" that lists 20 drawbacks of the new law:  http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/capitalhill.htm

The point is, this Bill which is now Law is a disaster of a train wreck moving slowly towards us.  Hopefully, Texas will successfully sue on the grounds that the Law is unconstitutional.  I hope your state is successful too.

 

2010: An Odyssey

Well, I am astounded at where we are.  2010 - we used to say that year when we were kids like it was a fantasy - and now we are here.  I want to share my New Year's Resolutions for 2010 - because I believe that if they are spoken - or posted - in public, they are more real.

2010 New Year’s Resolutions

1. I resolve to let me hair grow without cutting it myself in frustration - not even the bangs.
2. I resolve to buy, prepare, serve and eat more healthy foods this year - allowing even less processed food in the house than in 2009.
3. I resolve to fit in at least 30 minutes of exercise 4 x's weekly for myself this year.
4. I resolve to focus on being the best Mom I can be for my boys.
5. I resolve to be a better wife (and friend) in 2010 - and attempt NOT to get cranky at DT's corny humor - or what passes for humor in his mind.
6. I resolve to NOT get my "political" hackles up when the current administration does something stupid (daily). I will simply breathe deeply and count down to 11/2/2010 and 11/6/2012 with happy anticipation.
7. I resolve to work actively and daily towards my personal business goals while continuing to be the best Project Manager I know how to be.
8. I resolve to be spiritually and mentally open to personal growth this year; appreciating those in my family and my life for what they bring to our relationship - not what I want them to bring.
9. I resolve to look for the joy in life's little miracles daily.
10. I resolve to keep my resolutions and when I falter to start over again with a glad heart for the opportunity to learn more about myself.

 Happy 2010!

Tiger Woods issues are NOT Headline News

Why do we imbue sports figures and other "celebrities" with such unrealistic values? We, as a culture make these men and women into larger than life figures and then, when they show that they are human and not immune to the temptations of our materialistic world, we crucify them in public.

Do we do this because we are looking for modern day "heroes"? Do we do this so that we can make them into the people we wish we were? Do we just want a departure from the actual important stuff going on in the world? I don't know. What I do know is this: the smut that this engenders in the press doesn't qualify as "headline news".

Leave their personal, bedroom issues where they belong - in THEIR bedroom. Watching someone's marriage fall apart in the media simply cheapens us all.

No Freaking Way!

I cannot believe that Pelosi and crew passed this stinking sludge of a Healthcare Reform Bill.

Do people not get it? Healthcare is 1/6th of our GDP - a full 17% of the economy. The government is now looking at nationalizing that part of our lives. What does that mean?

The health bill that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is bringing to a vote (H.R. 3962) is 1,990 pages. Here are some of the details you need to know.

What the government will require you to do:

• Sec. 202 (p. 91-92) of the bill requires you to enroll in a "qualified plan." If you get your insurance at work, your employer will have a "grace period" to switch you to a "qualified plan," meaning a plan designed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. If you buy your own insurance, there's no grace period. You'll have to enroll in a qualified plan as soon as any term in your contract changes, such as the co-pay, deductible or benefit.

• Sec. 224 (p. 118) provides that 18 months after the bill becomes law, the Secretary of Health and Human Services will decide what a "qualified plan" covers and how much you'll be legally required to pay for it. That's like a banker telling you to sign the loan agreement now, then filling in the interest rate and repayment terms 18 months later.

On Nov. 2, the Congressional Budget Office estimated what the plans will likely cost. An individual earning $44,000 before taxes who purchases his own insurance will have to pay a $5,300 premium and an estimated $2,000 in out-of-pocket expenses, for a total of $7,300 a year, which is 17% of his pre-tax income. A family earning $102,100 a year before taxes will have to pay a $15,000 premium plus an estimated $5,300 out-of-pocket, for a $20,300 total, or 20% of its pre-tax income. Individuals and families earning less than these amounts will be eligible for subsidies paid directly to their insurer.

• Sec. 303 (pp. 167-168) makes it clear that, although the "qualified plan" is not yet designed, it will be of the "one size fits all" variety. The bill claims to offer choice—basic, enhanced and premium levels—but the benefits are the same. Only the co-pays and deductibles differ. You will have to enroll in the same plan, whether the government is paying for it or you and your employer are footing the bill.

• Sec. 59b (pp. 297-299) says that when you file your taxes, you must include proof that you are in a qualified plan. If not, you will be fined thousands of dollars. Illegal immigrants are exempt from this requirement.

• Sec. 412 (p. 272) says that employers must provide a "qualified plan" for their employees and pay 72.5% of the cost, and a smaller share of family coverage, or incur an 8% payroll tax. Small businesses, with payrolls from $500,000 to $750,000, are fined less.

What part of these provisions are you okay with?

For those who foolishly thought this was "free" healthcare - how's it working for you now?

We the People are coming......

Got this letter today and I have to say, I could have written it myself (except that I am not a 53 year old grandparent...) Please read this and consider if you feel the same....

______________________________

I'm a home grown American citizen, 53, registered Democrat all my life. Before the last presidential election I registered as a Republican because I no longer felt the Democratic Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. Now I no longer feel the Republican Party represents my views or works to pursue issues important to me. The fact is I no longer feel any political party or representative in Washington represents my views or works to pursue the issues important to me. There must be someone. Please tell me who you are. Please stand up and tell me that you are there and that you're willing to fight for our Constitution as it was written. Please stand up now. You might ask yourself what my views and issues are that I would horribly feel so disenfranchised by both major political parties. What kind of nut job am I? Will you please tell me?

Well, these are briefly my views and issues for which I seek representation:

One, illegal immigration. I want you to stop coddling illegal immigrants and secure our borders. Close the underground tunnels. Stop the violence and the trafficking in drugs and people. No amnesty, not again. Been there, done that, no resolution. P.S., I'm not a racist. This isn't to be confused with legal immigration.

Two, the TARP bill, I want it repealed and I want no further funding supplied to it. We told you no, but you did it anyway. I want the remaining unfunded 95% repealed. Freeze, repeal.

Three: Czars, I want the circumvention of our checks and balances stopped immediately. Fire the czars. No more czars. Government officials answer to the process, not to the president. Stop trampling on our Constitution and honor it.

Four, cap and trade. The debate on global warming is not over. There is more to say.

Five, universal healthcare. I will not be rushed into another expensive decision. Don't you dare try to pass this in the middle of the night and then go on break. Slow down!

Six, growing government control. I want states rights and sovereignty fully restored. I want less government in my life, not more. Shrink it down. Mind your own business. You have enough to take care of with your real obligations. Why don't you start there.

Seven, ACORN. I do not want ACORN and its affiliates in charge of our 2010 census. I want them investigated. I also do not want mandatory escrow fees contributed to them every time on every real estate deal that closes. Stop the funding to ACORN and its affiliates pending impartial audits and investigations. I do not trust them with taking the census over with our taxpayer money. I don't trust them with our taxpayer money. Face up to the allegations against them and get it resolved before taxpayers get any more involved with them. If it walks like a duck and talks like a duck, hello. Stop protecting your political buddies. You work for us, the people. Investigate.

Eight, redistribution of wealth. No, no, no. I work for my money. It is mine. I have always worked for people with more money than I have because they gave me jobs. That is the only redistribution of wealth that I will support. I never got a job from a poor person. Why do you want me to hate my employers? Why ‑‑ what do you have against shareholders making a profit?

Nine, charitable contributions. Although I never got a job from a poor person, I have helped many in need. Charity belongs in our local communities, where we know our needs best and can use our local talent and our local resources. Butt out, please. We want to do it ourselves.

Ten, corporate bailouts. Knock it off. Sink or swim like the rest of us. If there are hard times ahead, we'll be better off just getting into it and letting the strong survive. Quick and painful. Have you ever ripped off a Band‑Aid? We will pull together. Great things happen in America under great hardship. Give us the chance to innovate. We cannot disappoint you more than you have disappointed us.

Eleven, transparency and accountability. How about it? No, really, how about it? Let's have it. Let's say we give the buzzwords a rest and have some straight honest talk. Please try ‑‑ please stop manipulating and trying to appease me with clever wording. I am not the idiot you obviously take me for. Stop sneaking around and meeting in back rooms making deals with your friends. It will only be a prelude to your criminal investigation. Stop hiding things from me.

Twelve, unprecedented quick spending. Stop it now.

Take a breath. Listen to the people. Let's just slow down and get some input from some nonpoliticians on the subject. Stop making everything an emergency. Stop speed reading our bills into law. I am not an activist. I am not a community organizer. Nor am I a terrorist, a militant or a violent person. I am a parent and a grandparent. I work. I'm busy. I'm busy. I am busy, and I am tired. I thought we elected competent people to take care of the business of government so that we could work, raise our families, pay our bills, have a little recreation, complain about taxes, endure our hardships, pursue our personal goals, cut our lawn, wash our cars on the weekends and be responsible contributing members of society and teach our children to be the same all while living in the home of the free and land of the brave.

I entrusted you with upholding the Constitution. I believed in the checks and balances to keep from getting far off course. What happened? You are very far off course. Do you really think I find humor in the hiring of a speed reader to unintelligently ramble all through a bill that you signed into law without knowing what it contained? I do not. It is a mockery of the responsibility I have entrusted to you. It is a slap in the face. I am not laughing at your arrogance. Why is it that I feel as if you would not trust me to make a single decision about my own life and how I would live it but you should expect that I should trust you with the debt that you have laid on all of us and our children. We did not want the TARP bill. We said no. We would repeal it if we could. I am sure that we still cannot. There is such urgency and recklessness in all of the recent spending.

From my perspective, it seems that all of you have gone insane. I also know that I am far from alone in these feelings. Do you honestly feel that your current pursuits have merit to patriotic Americans? We want it to stop. We want to put the brakes on everything that is being rushed by us and forced upon us. We want our voice back. You have forced us to put our lives on hold to straighten out the mess that you are making. We will have to give up our vacations, our time spent with our children, any relaxation time we may have had and money we cannot afford to spend on you to bring our concerns to Washington. Our president often knows all the right buzzword is unsustainable. Well, no kidding. How many tens of thousands of dollars did the focus group cost to come up with that word? We don't want your overpriced words. Stop treating us like we're morons.

We want all of you to stop focusing on your reelection and do the job we want done, not the job you want done or the job your party wants done. You work for us and at this rate I guarantee you not for long because we are coming. We will be heard and we will be represented. You think we're so busy with our lives that we will never come for you? We are the formerly silent majority, all of us who quietly work , pay taxes, obey the law, vote, save money, keep our noses to the grindstone and we are now looking up at you. You have awakened us, the patriotic spirit so strong and so powerful that it had been sleeping too long. You have pushed us too far. Our numbers are great. They may surprise you.

For every one of us who will be there, there will be hundreds more that could not come. Unlike you, we have their trust. We will represent them honestly, rest assured. They will be at the polls on voting day to usher you out of office. We have cancelled vacations. We will use our last few dollars saved. We will find the representation among us and a grassroots campaign will flourish. We didn't ask for this fight. But the gloves are coming off. We do not come in violence, but we are angry. You will represent us or you will be replaced with someone who will. There are candidates among us who will rise like a Phoenix from the ashes that you have made of our constitution.

Democrat, Republican, independent, libertarian. Understand this. We don't care. Political parties are meaningless to us. Patriotic Americans are willing to do right by us and our Constitution and that is all that matters to us now. We are going to fire all of you who abuse power and seek more. It is not your power. It is ours and we want it back. We entrusted you with it and you abused it. You are dishonorable. You are dishonest. As Americans we are ashamed of you. You have brought shame to us. If you are not representing the wants and needs of your constituency loudly and consistently, in spite of the objections of your party, you will be fired. Did you hear?

We no longer care about your political parties. You need to be loyal to us, not to them. Because we will get you fired and they will not save you. If you do or can represent me, my issues, my views, please stand up. Make your identity known. You need to make some noise about it. Speak up. I need to know who you are. If you do not speak up, you will be herded out with the rest of the sheep and we will replace the whole damn congress if need be one by one.

We are coming. Are we coming for you? Who do you represent? What do you represent? Listen. Because we are coming. We the people are coming.

Had it!

I am reprinting a letter to Mr. Obama from a concerned citizen below. I wanted to reprint this because I think everyone who is honestly disgusted with the behavior of our "reader-in-chief" should have every opportunity to share his/her views with the public.

Mr. Obama:

I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.

You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America. You are responsible to the citizens of the United States. You are not responsible to the people of any other country on earth.

I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about, if not the consideration of the people of Europe? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?

Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics, at least until you came along, and the principles governing this country come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?

Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia. You didn't show Great Britain, our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve, yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia. How dare you, sir! How dare you!

You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans, but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey. You offended our dead and every veteran when you gave the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you?

I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.
You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers, yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation; Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.

Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million - not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now.

What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members - on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises those lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't!
I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.

I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.

God Bless America

Global Warming or Global Farce?

I find it interesting that President Obama is meeting to “tackle” global warming on the same day that leading scientists are also meeting to discuss the impact of reduced sunspot activity and the correlation between reduced sunspots and ice ages.

This winter, Dutch canals froze for the first time in nearly two decades. The last time consistent freezing of those canals was witnessed was during the Little Ice Age of the 1600s. Humans, the only species so arrogant they believe they can change planetary heating and cooling. Global Warming is Absolute nonsense. CO2 is no more a pollutant than O2, which rots food & causes things to burn at an accelerated rate. CO2 is needed for plant life, that's why we can feed the world & according to forestry groups, we have more trees now than a century ago.

Coal produces around ½ of the nations electrical energy requirements. If cap and trade passes, electric energy costs will significantly increase. What effect would that have on people on fixed incomes or the poor? The implementation of the mindless energy strategy of this Administration is likely to be quite cruel to those folk.

By the way, the vast majority of CO2 in the atmosphere is naturally occurring. Humans produce an average of 1 kg/day in the process known as respiration. With around 6 billion of us that is 6 billion kg/day; do you think Obama and the democrats should perhaps tax breathing?

The Earth's been cooling since 1999. There is actually more ice on the West side of the continent than at any time in our history. Global Climate Change is happening. The climate on this planet changes constantly and has for four billion + years. I do not believe some fool who is profiting from it.

Let's go green like Spain! They have spent $500K per green job and now have 17% unemployment. Is that the goal of this Administration and the foolish Congress? I certainly hope not – Americans are not stupid and we are watching Washington's actions.

Congress has Trashed the Constitution

While I do not here defend AIG’s actions, or the plan to pay out large bonuses, I am most concerned about the suspension of the rule of law that HR. 1578 proposes. By taxing a group of people without benefit of trial and after the fact; Congress is in conflict with the Constitution it has sworn to uphold and protect. The sections of the Constitution that are in question lie in Article 1 and deals with ‘Ex post Facto’ law and ‘Bills of Attainder’.

A bill of attainder is an act of legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a trial. Bills of attainder are forbidden by Article I, section 9, clause 3 of the United States Constitution. H.R. 1578 does punish a group of people without benefit of trial and it is in conflict with the laws of our nation.

An ex post facto law or retroactive law is a law that retroactively changes the legal consequences of acts committed or the legal status of facts and relationships that existed prior to the enactment of the law. H.R. 1578 seeks to punish a group of people after the fact and it is in conflict with the laws of our nation.

Passage of this bill or any other aimed at punishing people for making income is very bad for our country and not in keeping with the legacy of the United States of America. Please stop and think on the repercussions of these actions.

Who will the next group to be targeted for punishment through taxes? Who will decide what amount of income is egregious and worthy of punishment? How low will the next income bracket be that is offensive? It is a slippery slope we stand on. We as a people must watch our step.

Celebrate Freedom

The Texas Independence Day Celebration

Texas is the only state in the Union that was ever an independent country. We Texans have hung on to that Independence. We've always been loud and we've always been proud of who we are: Texans! Therefore we celebrate!

March 2, 1836 dawned, frigid and gray; cutting winds blew through glassless windows. Texians - as they styled themselves - huddled close, pulled blankets tight, and gave birth to a dream. At the Town of Washington, fifty-nine representatives voted into existence a sovereign nation: the Republic of Texas. Tennessean George C. Childress had drafted the independence document. In word and spirit it borrowed heavily from Thomas Jefferson'' original 1776 declaration. No matter.

Anglo-Celtic Texians proudly embraced the values and traditions of their founding fathers. "The same blood that animated the hearts of our ancestors in '76 still flows in our veins," one frontier preacher affirmed. Still, not all the delegates were of that blood. Four Mexican residents signed the declaration on behalf of their Tejano constituents.

The delegates could not have picked a worse time to declare independence. To many contemporary observers, such confidence appeared reckless.

As delegates brazenly declared Texas independent, the artillery of Mexican dictator Antonio López de Santa Anna hammered the walls of the Alamo. Just four days later his troops would assault the crumbling fort and wipe out every rebel defender. At the same time, General José Urrea's division swept northward through the coastal prairies. He would subsequently capture the entire rebel command of Colonel James W. Fannin, Jr. following the Battle of Coleto on March 19. Acting upon Santa Anna's orders, Mexican troops executed Fannin and the majority of his Goliad garrison, some 342 men. The twin defeats at San Antonio and Goliad generated panic among Texian settlers who fled toward the Louisiana border. The "Runaway Scrape" they called it. To declare independence amid all this chaos seemed more than unduly hopeful. Indeed, to most it resembled a fool's errand.

On April 21, General Sam Houston's vengeful army swept the Mexican camp at San Jacinto and the skeptics recanted. On that momentous afternoon, enraged Texians slaughtered 650 Mexican soldados and took another 700 prisoner. Most important, the following day Texians captured President-General Santa Anna. At San Jacinto Texians won a great victory, but only with the capture of the Mexican dictator did the battle become decisive.

The date is not a state holiday; public schools do not let out; newscasters rarely recall the event. Those who love Texas remember. Always.

Now, would you now join me in the Pledge of Allegiance and the Pledge to the Texas Flag.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America; and to the Republic for which it stands one Nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

Honor the Texas Flag. I pledge allegiance to thee: Texas, one and indivisible.

Budget Process

Barak Obama has submitted his first ever US budget today. It is a REAL shocker. $3.6 Trillion dollars of spending. Many of those programs are worthwhile endeavors or sound very nice in theory. Let's break that down in reality. Barak Obama said that this budget will be paid for by raising taxes on ONLY those households that make over $250,000 a year or corporate entities. Well, I am here to burst that bubble with some cold hard numbers.

If the government raised taxes on those households that make over $250,000 a year to tax 100% of their income (and IF Paul Revere did not ride down the road shouting "The tax collector is coming") ; the government would collect $1.3 trillion dollars. That leaves $2.3 trillion in unfunded expenditures. Let's put that in terms we can all understand.

Let's say your family has $100,000 of income per year. Let's then say that you spend $163,000 in the course of the year. Would your bank cover $63,000 in overdrafts? Would they loan you the extra $63,000? What about next year? Could you spend that $63,000 (or more) of "unfunded expenditures" over and over again without any repercussions? THAT is what this budget does. 63% of the spending (and that is ONLY in my 100% taxation example) is NOT funded by tax dollars collected. That is not fiscally responsible.

I have some suggestions for our erstwhile elected leaders in their budget process for FY 2010. Perhaps this is new to some of those elected leaders or perhaps they have simply forgotten how to budget in the real world. Hopefully, this will spark some common sense.

When starting with a new year's budget, you need to identify the amount of money that will be available for expenditures. Take the sum of taxes collected in the last year that you have data for - say 2007. Now, since we all know we are in a "recession", subtract oh, say 10% from that number for contraction of incomes (and thus taxes collected). This should be a good number to start with for estimating purposes. This is the sum total of money that you have to spend. Whatever budget you come up with, you cannot exceed this number because then you will be spending money you don't have.

Now, identify all the items that you have in your expense listing that are necessities. This is not "like to have's" or "wish list" items. This is items that if you don't pay, bad things happen. For instance, the light bill for the Capitol, salaries of the military force, rent or mortgages on federal buildings. So, detail that list of items that were paid in that last year you have data from and determine if there have been any inflationary increases (like energy bills). Subtract those amounts from your available funds.

Now, make a list of all the things you spent money on last year that weren't absolute have to's and determine if there are cuts you want to make to this list or increases that must be made for any reason. This would be items like International Support for instance; are there any cuts you can make in these items. Is there any items that you want to grow? Subtract the amount you decide will be spent on these items from the available funds. What you have left is your "discretionary funds". This is money that you can spend on new programs or raises for salaries or other items that you want to introduce or to pay off debts that have been incurred.

Make a list of all the outstanding debts that are left over from other year's budgets. This is your unfunded liabilities list. Some of the "discretionary funds" need to be applied to these items so that you can start to "balance" your debt load. You cannot simply add new programs without making some inroads into paying these debts. Determine what debts will be paid and subtract those amounts from your available discretionary funds.

Now, identify all those new items you would like to put in place. Things that are the "nice to have's"; "want to have's"; "wish list" etc go on this list. Prioritize these items in order of importance or desire. Add up the totals for these new programs and see if they will fit into the budget. If they do, great. If they do not have the funds to cover the spending, you have to do one of two things - cut some of these new programs from the list or make cuts in other budget items.

Once you decide what will be in your expenses list and what will not, add them to your list of expenditures and subtract the amounts from your available funds. Note - remember you cannot go below zero and you should plan to have a small amount left over (say 5%) for reasonable and unexpected expenses. (This is called SAVINGS)

Folks, this is not hard. All US households do this process in some form or another all the time. (Granted some do this better than others) You cannot just shoot pie-in-the-sky budgets into the air and think that you can spend money you don't have and have no hope of ever paying for.

This is called FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY. Let's entreat our elected officials to apply some.

Racism Cuts Both Ways

Yesterday some cowardly anonymous poster commented on a blog post that I wrote almost two years ago about Illegal Aliens and my thoughts and feelings on that topic. The poster asserted that I am racist because of my belief that illegal aliens harm America and need to leave the U.S. to go back where they came from.

Well, I wanted to clear up a couple of points for Mr. Anonymous.

First - my son is Hispanic. His father, who died in service to this great country, was Mexican and Native American. I could not love my son more if I lived twice as long. I am proud of him, his heritage and his father.

Second - I - through my family have a mix of heritages in my background - Gaelic, Italian, Native American and I welcome the history and traditions of all of those ethnic parts. But, at the foundation of it all, I am American and I deeply love my country.

I have heard many arguements about Illegal Aliens. These arguements try to pull the heartstrings and make you empathize with individuals who "just want a better life" or who "work hard at jobs no one else wants". That is baloney.

This is America. The land of opportunity. If you want the opportunity to live here; be proud of the country and come here legally. Learn the language and become American. Love your roots and history but, if you want me to stand with you - love the country you want to build that future in - or leave because we don't need detractors.