Where did this number come from?

This week, the Obama panel on swine flu said that 90,000 people would die this season from swine flu, and that 1.8 million would be hospitalized. Up to 300,000 will require intensive care which would tie up all the hospital beds. As soon as those numbers came out, my bunk detector went off. Especially when the chairman of Obama's panel said, "It's going to stress every aspect of our health system." There was no basis given for those numbers. Mr. Essie May and I decided Obama was using scare tactics to try to get his health care passed. Or that when all those people don't die, he can come back and say, "MY administration saved over 90,000 lives with OUR vaccine."

Sure enough, the next day, the CDC made a statement that they didn't think this would be any worse than a regular flu season. So who do you believe -- the politician trying to get his way and become our messiah, or the CDC?

"Half of Americans could get swine flu." The Dallas Morning News; August 25, 2009; p. 5A.

So that's what he meant!

Remember way back there when Michael Jackson was on trial for child molesting and he did that sickening video with the little boy sitting next to him? He said that it was all "very innocent, have a little milk and cookies . . ."

This week, as the investigation into his death continues, it was reported that the pervert referred to propofol, the anesthetic drug that killed him, as his "milk." Now we know what he meant!

"Singer's death ruled homicide." The Dallas Morning News; August 25, 2009; p. 4A.

Interesting Statistic

Did you know that since 1960, 75 Texas midwives have been convicted of fraudulently registering Mexican-born babies as U.S. citizens? Did you know that there are another 250 midwives on the State Department's "suspicious" list?

A group of immigration attornies and the ACLU filed a federal lawsuit because the State Department was using extreme caution in granting passports to these people with questionable citizenship status. According to the lawsuit, the government has "effectively reduced to second-class citizenship status an entire swath of passport applicants based solely on their being of Mexican or Latino descent and having been delivered by midwives in nonhospital settings in Sowthwestern border states." And what, may I ask, is wrong with that?

One example they use is Anna Karen Ramirez. She was born in 1989 in Hidalgo. Her Mexican citizen parents came to Hidalgo for the sole purpose of having her on U.S. soil, then they hightailed it back to Mexico where she has lived ever since. Under such suspicious circumstances, the State Department reasonably denied her request for a passport. She sued. And while the lawsuit was pending, she voted in the U.S. presidential election. And we wonder how Obama got elected!

"Midwived bring citizenship questions." The Dallas Morning News; February 11, 2009; p. 3A.

How many blacks does it take . . .

We have literally gone "diversity" crazy. I am so sick of that word. How many times have you read of someone having to go through diversity training because of some completely innocent remark that was twisted by a racist activist? The major cause of the housing meltdown which has put our economy in such peril and led to the election of an incompetent to the White House was in the name of diversity. In the name of diversity, qualified people are denied jobs and other opportunities which are awarded to minorities less qualified.

The popular trend now among acitivists and politicians is to force charitable foundations to meet diversity targets in their giving and on their staffs. In the forefront of a national trend, in 2008, the California Assembly passed a bill that required all California foundations with assets of over $250 million to report the race and sex of their grantees' board and staff members and the race and sex of their own board and staff members as well. That means if I'm a billionaire living in California, and I decide I want to give away some of my money, and I form a non-profit foundation through which to funnel that money, I'll probably have to put some blacks and hispanics on my board, and I'll have to give a percentage of my money to minority causes. You know what I'll do? I'll just keep my money and not give any of it away! That's a very simplistic explanation, but the core of it is sound. In the name of diversity, these meddling politicians will dry up charity.

"Forcing patrons' hands." The Dallas Morning News; February 8, 2009; p. 1P.

Coming soon to your neighborhood!

Don't you long for the days when schools were named for heroes? George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, Mirabeau Lamar, William B. Travis, Davy Crockett, Robert E. Lee -- the list goes on and on.

In Dallas, DISD trustee Ron Price wants to change the names of two schools -- one to Barack Obama and the other to Sonia Sotomayor. The library in the Obama one would be named the Michelle Obama Library. He says, "I want my kids in my district to be able to go to a school named after somebody they actually know something about." From my observations, I have to agree with him on one point -- most of the kids today know nothing about George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, Sam Houston, Jim Bowie, Mirabeau Lamar, William B. Travis, Davy Crockett, Robert E. Lee --

"Schools may be named for Obama, justice." The Dallas Morning News; August 7, 2009; p. 4B.

Just how drunk are you?

Sarah Longwell is the managing director of the American Beverage Institute. She wrote a letter to the editor of The Dallas Morning News. There have been several fatality accidents on Dallas freeways recently caused by drunken drivers going the wrong way. The News had run an article describing possible solutions to the problem. Sarah took exception to requiring ignition interlocks, devices that require a breath analysis before a car can be started, for first time offenders.

She says people "driving one sip over the legal limit shouldn't be punished with the same severity as the high-blood alcohol concentration repeat offenders." So, I guess if you're drunk, and you head the wrong way on the freeway and kill someone, you're not guilty if it was just that last drink that put you over the limit. Unfortunately, the victim isn't any less dead. The victim doesn't care if the drunk was a "marginal, first-time offender" instead of a "hard-core drunken driver." Driving drunk is driving drunk -- one sip over the limit or a 12-pack over the limit.

"Don't throw the book at sippers." The Dallas Morning News; August 7, 2009; p. 22A.

You deserve a break today --

Parkland Hospital has had a McDonald's on the premises for years. They recently closed it down and opened a restaurant offering healthier meals. Meg Hillert of Dallas doesn't like it.

She says, "The poor are forced to sit for hours to see a doctor and are now being punished for enjoying a burger." Meg has the entitlement attitude so prevalent in society today. I look at it entirely differently. We are providing the poor the opportunity to see a doctor they can't afford in a hospital funded by the taxpayers. They should be grateful instead of whining about how long it takes. Beggars can't be choosers, you know. And I seriously doubt when the decision was made to close the McDonald's that the scene included a bunch of Snidely Whiplash characters laughing in glee as they made their dastardly plan to punish the poor.

Then she says, "Why don't we . . . take out the buttered popcorn and candy in the movie theaters and replace them with carrots and celery sticks?" That's quite simple. Movie theaters can sell whatever they like. You can buy it or not. Parkland Hospital can sell whatever they like. You can buy it or not.

Then she says, "We need to fix health care by cutting costs of the pharmaceutical companies, the insurance companies, the doctors, and the hospitals. There are also too many tests and unnecessary medical visits." We're talking about a county hospital here -- most of those people pay no insurance, pay no hospital or doctor bills. That's why they're going to Parkland. Too many tests and unnecessary medical visits? How does she know?

Meg should go get a Big Mac and chill out!

"Don't poor deserve Big Macs?" The Dallas Morning News; August 7, 2009; p. 22A.

Who's really organized?

Obama and the Democrats have been complaining that the tea parties and the protesters at the health care town hall meetings are "organized." That doesn't bother me, because all those people, organized or not, are expressing their true views. What does bother me is hypocrisy.

This is an actual Craig's List posting:

Work to Pass Obama's Healthcare Plan and Get Paid to Do it! $10-15 hr.

Now is our chance to make health care work. America’s health care system is broken. Health care costs are spiraling out of control, throwing families,
businesses and government into financial crisis. Families are worried
their health coverage won’t be there when they need it. Our country can’t
afford to wait for health reform that keeps costs down and protects
consumers. We can’t wait for affordable, dependable health care. We’re
fighting for health care that will protect families’ financial health, lay out a
clear path for all Americans to afford health care, and improve patient safety and quality care. You can work for change. Join motivated staff around the country working to make change happen. You can make great friends and money along the way. Earn $400-$600 a week.

Who do you think is paying these people? And how do you think these people are working to get this bill passed? Do you think they may be some of the ones showing up at the town hall meetings with the sob stories? The bottom line here is some people will say anything, true or not, for $400-$600 a week.

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/lac/npo/1320138750.html

Getting Your Piggy Shot

If you get all your flu shots this year, you'll have to go to the doctor three times. The swine flu shot shouldn't be taken any closer than four to six weeks after the regular seasonal flu shot. Then you have to go back for a second injection on the swine flu shot.

I'm not so sure I want to take the swine flu shot, anyway. At this point, it's still being tested and is in the experimental stage. How can they know in just a few weeks what the possible side effects are? There probably won't be enough vaccine anyway. I heard on the news this morning that there will be 65 million doses available by October. Let's see -- about 300 million Americans -- that leaves 235 million out in the cold. It could turn out that those 235 million are the lucky ones. Think I'll skip the shot this year.

Paris News funnies:

A recent headline in the Paris Newsless proclaimed: "Mmm . . . popcicles . . . tastes like wisdom." Leave it to them to have both a spelling and a grammar error in five words!

Then there was the guest editorial writer who used an oak tree overrun with vines as an illustration. She said, "The vines rap all around the tree." Can't you just see the tendrils dancing around making gang signs and holding those microphones in that gangsta' style?

I don't think they really want a debate.

The Democrats are upset about all the people showing up for their health care "town hall meetings." They are so used to these things being attended only by the people who agree with them, that they don't know how to handle those who disagree with them. The White House has promised them that they will use force if "any individual lawmaker is criticized in television advertising."

Harry Reid (he who says income taxes are voluntary) said, "These are nothing more than destructive efforts to interrupt a debate that we should have, and are having. They are doing this because they don't have any better ideas."

Harry is wrong on at least two counts here. Harry doesn't know the meaning of the word "debate" any better than he knows the meaning of the word "voluntary." A debate requires opposing views. He doesn't want an opposing view. And the Republicans do have better ideas -- no government health care, health savings accounts, tax rebates for insurance premiums, and a host of other options.

These are "organized" protests, claim the Democrats. Even if they are, so what? Our founding fathers did a little organizing, too, when they had that tea party in Boston Harbor! And if the people showing up at these town hall meetings don't reflect the will of the country, then why are Obama's poll numbers dropping?

"Handling the protests." The Dallas Morning News; August 7, 2009; p. 8A.

Do you think she really wants to work?

There was an article recently in the paper about a couple who have fallen on hard times. They worked in the RV industry, and both were laid off eleven months ago. "What if we don't have cash to buy milk, eggs, bread or diapers," he asks. "What if our unemployment benefits run out?"

I usually can't resist reading these things, because I just know that one day, they'll have a legitimately needy couple featured. However, this wasn't the day.

The first thing that bothered me was that when they went to the food pantry for some free food, he sent her in and he stayed in the car. The lazy oaf shouldn't be forcing his wife to go beg for food. They then went to the Salvation Army to get help on the electric bill. That free food must be pretty good, because he's gained 40 pounds in the eleven months he's been unemployed. Of course, that could be because he spends his days sitting in the recliner and playing solitaire.

Then she says she's behind on her K-Mart lay-away. The article doesn't say what she bought, so I'll just bet it wasn't a necessity.

We then get a little background on this poor couple. He made $53,000 a year -- not a tremendous salary, but certainly enough to live fairly comfortably on. The article says, "After work he was the man at the bar with the thick roll of bills . . . buying round after round for himself and his friends. He took his son on a fishing trip. He took his family out to eat and told them to order whatever they wanted." He saved nothing. He said his objectives had always been to "cover the rent, eat an occasional steak, feed and clothe their children, ride his dirt bike, fish, golf, play poker, buy lottery tickets and drink Bud Light." Sounds like part of his problems are due to his own lack of foresight.

He doesn't even have a game plan now. His look for work has been that he "walked into this place or that place looking for work, unnanounced visits that resulted in nothing." Wonder why? He heard about an RV plant that was hiring, but he wanted more information before he wasted any gas chasing rumors. Yeah, right.

Remember how he wondered if they would have enough money for milk, eggs, bread, and diapers? Well, gosh darn if they don't have enough money for Marlboro Lights. And instead of peanut butter and jelly which I'd be eating before I begged for food, the wife is sitting at the Subway eating a foot-long. While she's eating, she gets an email on her Blackberry. Wonder where the money for that service comes from? Maybe that's why they can't buy milk and eggs and diapers for the baby.

The message on the Blackberry is that a chiropractor needs a bookkeeper and she can come in for an interview. Even though she's offered the job, she turns it down -- it's only 28 hours a week and no benefits, she says. Well, if my unemployment benefits are running out, I'd say 28 hours beats zero hours. And I can tell you that at least twice in my life, I've been offered jobs by customers/clients I interacted with at places where I worked. Having even a part-time job exposes you to contacts and opportunities you don't get when you sit at home in the recliner playing solitaire.

Then, I have to wonder why these people have so much trouble budgeting their money. Between the two of them, they're taking in $34,216 a year in unemployment benefits. Again, that's not a tremendous amount of money, but it should be enough to live on.

If they want me to cry a river, they're going to have to come up with a better example than this one.

"What if we never find jobs?" The Dallas Morning News; August 8, 2009; p. 17A.

The Beginning of Clunkergate

Well, Essie May gets the prognosticators award. It seems the problems with Cash for Clunkers are beginning. Dealers are worried that they've not received their money on these cars. It's put them in a cash flow bind, because that's their $4500 per car tied up. Add to that the problem of storage -- they have to keep those old cars on the lot until they get their money.

Sam Pack of Sam Pack Ford in Dallas says they've sold 200 cars and have more than a million dollars tied up in the program. Despite the government promise of payment within ten days, Pack has received no more then $9000 in reimbursements. Some dealers are so frustrated he said, that they're "stretching on their trades so they don't have to go through the administrative process and deal with the reimbursement issue." If the dealers are turning down money because it's too burdensome to get it, this program must be truly a nightmare. Another argument for keeping the government out of our health care!

Here's the really scary quote from the article I read. Drew Campbell is the president of the New Car Dealers Association of Metropolitan Dallas. He said of the massive amounts of money area dealers have tied up, "We're just having to trust in Obama."

Heaven help us!

"Dealers wonder: Where are our 'clunker' checks?" The Dallas Morning News; August 7, 2009; p. 1A.

It's a good job if you can get it.

Obama's making sure his little darlings get to be world travellers before his four years is up. So far, they've been to Russia, France, Africa, Massachusetts, and this week they're touring the national parks. And not only the little darlings get to go on these trips, but Michelle's mama, and assorted other family members get to go, too. Good work if you can get it!

"Obamas to visit national parks." The Dallas Morning News; August 8, 2009; p. 9A.

Clueless or Deceitful?

Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius is heading up damage control for Obama's failing health control plan. She answered some questions the other day -- and not quite truthfully.

Will Medicare benefits be cut? No, she says. But then she says that they will save money by eliminating "unnecessary" procedures and hospital readmissions. Who decides what's unnecessary? The government, of course. That translates to a cut in Medicare benefits. Who decides whether a patient should be readmitted to the hospital? The government, of course. That translates to a cut in Medicare benefits.

Will health care be rationed? No, she says. She says insurance companies already ration care. That may be true, though I've never had my company tell me I can't have a procedure done. However, let's concede that that's the case. Now, if I don't like my insurance company, I can go shop for another one. When Obama care goes into effect, I won't have that option anymore. Now, if my insurance doesn't pay for a procedure, I can pay for it myself. Much of that will be eliminated under Obama care. That means I can't get the procedure at all if the government says no. The brother of Obama's closest advisor, Rahm Emanuel, advocates using a point system to decide who should receive care and who should not. Ezekiel Emanuel says in his book, "Services provided to individuals who are irreversibly prevented from being or becoming participating citizens are not basic and should not be guaranteed." Sounds like rationing out the old folks and the really sick ones, doesn't it?

I don't think we should take a chance on this thing. We might just jump from a fairly comfortable frying pan into a flaming conflagration.

"Palin: Obama plan evil." The Dallas Morning News; August 8, 2009; p. 7A.

Pigs fly; snow forecast for hell.

I've often said the day I agree with Al Sharpton pigs will fly and it will snow in hell. It's happened.

He is part of a national campaign against the "stop snitching" culture. That's where one black doesn't turn another one in. The specific case referenced was a little 9-year-old girl shot in a drive-by. Everyone in the area developed a case of blindness -- "We didn't see nothin'." The Reverend Al told them, "You are traitors to your race and denigrating our community."

I have to wonder if Al would be encouraging them to turn in the killers had the little girl been white. I think he probably wouldn't have cared then. So maybe pigs haven't sprouted wings and there are still no snowmen in the devil's domain. I don't think it's a case of me agreeing with Al Sharpton as much as, in just this one instance, Al agrees with me.

"Won't snitch on a killer? You're a coward,." The Dallas Morning News; February 9, 2009; p. 15A.

It's time for an Essie.

Well, it's time to award an Essie, the award given on the basis of sheer stupidity. The Essie this time goes to an unnamed 17-year-old boy. He and one of his buddies jumped an 8-foot fence and turned on a large oil-field pump -- the kind you see in the fields going up and down -- so he could ride it. I guess he thought it was mechanical bull. At any rate, he became entangled in the moving parts, and they had to amputate his arm to free him.

His mother asked that his name not be released. I don't blame her.

On a side note, people are already blaming the oil company for lax safety. I think I'd have a bit of a clue I was supposed to stay out if I encountered a locked, 8-foot fence. Just one more reason this kid gets the uncoveted Essie!

"Teen loses arm after he's tangled in pump." The Dallas Morning News; February 10, 2009; p. 3A.

Who needs a doctor?

I mentioned in an earlier post that the Obama care bill would set up numerous government boards and agencies to control our health care decisions. One of these boards is charged with "identifying medicines and procedures best suited for various conditions." Gosh, I thought that was what my doctor was for.

Thomas Sowell is right when he says that the debate is not about health care, it's about health control.

"All sides set to sway public on health bill." The Dallas Morning News; August 3, 2009; p. 6A.

Told ya' so!

Remember the other day when I wrote that Clunkergate was coming?

One of the stated purposes for the rebates was to put more fuel efficient cars on the road. Well it seems that at least some of the cars being funded through the rebates are getting less than 20 mpg. You, as a taxpayer, are paying for Hummers, Cadillacs, and Lexus vehicles. Doesn't it kind of chap your buns that you are buying cars for other people that you can't afford to buy for yourself?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090813/ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/us_clunkers_not_so_green

What are people thinking?!!

Aren't you glad we've become an enlightened society? Earlier this year, gays and lesbians held a "Queer Kiss-in" outside the Dallas Museum of Art. About 30 of the perverts showed up and engaged in such antics as kissing games with candy, blowing bubbles, and offering passers-by "free queer hugs" and chocolates.

We can expect nothing else from people who thumb their noses at society and at God. The really disturbing part to me was the grandmother who just happened to pick the day of the kiss-in to treat her daughter and her two grandchildren to a trip to the museum. The daughter, Erin Smith, said she thought it was cute. "They gave my son candy," she said.

How sad! We've sold our souls and the souls of our children for a piece of candy!

Incidentally, they complain that what goes on in their bedrooms is none of our business. I'll concede that point, but I'm here to say that the minute you take it out of the bedroom and into the public street, it becomes my business!

"Gays, lesbians hold 'Queer Kiss-in.'" The Dallas Morning News; February 8, 2009; p. 10B.

Obama's Grasp of the English Language

In reading the past few weeks about the Gates/Crowley/Obama controversy, I am left with the impression that despite how much Obama is heralded as a great orator, he actually doesn't have a very good grasp of English.

For example, he said that the Cambridge police acted "stupidly," yet he insists he didn't intend to malign them. I don't know about you, but if somebody said I acted stupidly, I wouldn't think he's being complimentary.

Then, in trying to extricate himself, he said that the arrest was an "overreaction," but that "Professor Gates probably overreacted as well." If Gates "overreacted," then the arrest was legitimate and not an "overreaction."

"I obviously helped to contribute ratcheting it up," the president said. Besides being redundant, the words here are all wrong. He didn't "help" anything. He obviously stirred the pot is what he meant, but "help" and "contribute" sound so much more positive, don't they?

"I think I unfortunately gave an impression that I was maligning the Cambridge Police Department . . . and I could have calibrated those words differently." What sort of impression were we supposed to get from "they acted stupidly"? Does "I could have calibrated those words differently" mean "I stuck my foot in my mouth, but you'll never hear me admit I was wrong"?

Incidentally, he wasn't going to retract his statement (if you can call this a retraction), but after he talked to Michelle, he had changed his mind. Or, rather, she changed his mind.

"Obama clarifies his comment on arrest." The Dallas Morning News; July 25, 2009; p. 1A.

It's all about standards.

When George Bush was President, as a sign of respect for the office, he allowed no one to enter the Oval Office without a suit and tie. Obama works in shirtsleeves. Just one more sign of the declining standards of our country.

I agree with Andrew Card who said, "There should be a dress code of respect. When you have a dress code in the Supreme Court and a dress code on the floor of the Senate, floor of the House, I think it's appropriate to have an expectation that there will be a dress code that respects the office of the president."

On the other hand, when the President is Barack Obama, it's a little hard to summon up any respect.

"Bush aides speaking ill of Obama." The Dallas Morning News; February 7, 2009; p. 4A.

Do we get butter and jam with that?

Newspaper funnies from letters to the editor:

"Most people are aware that pit bulls can be vicious, but the Rhodesian ridgeback is a large African dog that was bread to hunt lions."

"Some dogs don't belong." The Dallas Morning News; February 7, 2009; p. 14A.

We have to explain it?

Nancy Pelosi wants to end the Bush tax cuts early. She says, "I don't want them to wait two years to expire. Because they have to prove their worth to me as to how they grow the economy, how they create jobs."

Well, Ms. Pelosi, it's like this: when people have money in their pockets, they will spend it on things they desire. When they go to the local stores and spend their money, the local stores have to hire employees and buy inventory. When the local stores buy inventory, they keep the factories in business. When the factories are in business, they hire employees whom they pay. When those people have money in their pockets, they buy things they desire. When they buy the things they desire, more local stores and more factories are needed. And on and on it goes. When the government takes that money, people don't have it to spend. So the local store doesn't do much business, and they lay off the employees they have. Then those people don't have money to spend, so they don't buy. And the local stores have no need for inventory they can't sell, so the factories slow down. And when they slow down, they lay off employees who then can't buy the things they desire. And on and on it goes.

And to top it off, this hypocritical "prove it" remark comes from the woman who wants us to buy the health care pig in a poke.

"Pelosi seeks quick end to tax breaks." The Dallas Morning News; January 19, 2009; p. 4A.

Hmmmmmmm!

Do you know who gave $10 million to the MLK Memorial planned for the National Mall? General Motors. Think stupid things like that had anything to do with them going bankrupt? If they wanted to make donations to causes like that, fine and dandy with me, but they shouldn't expect the taxpayers to bail them out when they do!

http://www.examiner.com/a-715896~King_memorial_inches_closer_to__100M.html

Clunkergate is Coming.

When the government interferes to help one segment of the population, they will inevitably hurt another segment. The government has no money of its own. Every dollar it gives away must be taken from a citizen's pocket. And the repercussions most often go far deeper than the dollar they took.

Take for example the Cash for Clunkers program. People get $3500 to $4500 to turn in their old cars which will be scrapped. Good for the auto industry, says Obama. Good for the citizen who needs a new car, says Obama. Good for the environment, says Obama. But is it?

The program started out with one billion dollars, but quickly grew to three billion dollars. With approximately 130,000,000 individual tax returns filed each year, that roughly figures to an extra $25 per return. Well, that's not so bad, you say. But it doesn't end there.

"Clunkers" is a misnomer in this situation. Most of these cars are still running. I heard on the radio today that mechanics are hurting, and they're blaming this program. One mechanic said his business is down 25% this year, and he attributes it to the fact that people were waiting for this program to kick in, and they weren't getting their cars repaired. All those cars turned in will never darken the door of a mechanic's shop. And that means mechanics won't have as much money to spend, and they'll be laying off their helpers.

The scrapped cars will never be a low cost alternative to those who can't afford a new car. Their loss will, in fact, drive up the cost of the used cars that are still marketable. And that hurts the poor family who can't afford a new car even with a $4500 trade-in.

Good for the environment? Where do you suppose all these scrapped cars are going to end up? In a landfill somewhere? What about all those batteries and all that gunky old oil? What about that anti-freeze in the radiator? How about all those hydraulic fluids? And where are all those tires going to end up?

Then there's the fact that a lot of these people are going to be like the "victims" of the housing crisis. They're being encouraged to buy cars they can't really afford, and I guarantee at least some of them will default on their loans. Then instead of having an old car that's paid for and runs, they'll have no car and a bad credit rating. Then the banks will have a bunch of used cars to go with all the foreclosed houses they have. And I suppose we'll have to bail them out of that. Maybe they could offer a special - "Buy a car and we'll toss in a house for free!"

And we all know how fraud-prone government programs are. I predict that in a few months we're going to have Clunkergate. Some unscrupulous car dealer will be found selling the cars he scrapped, or there will be sales of cars to customers who never existed, or any number of schemes to get that $4500 per car.

The bottom line is, when the government gets involved, it does a whole lot more harm than it does good!

How many really need insurance?

I saw some updated figures this week on how many people actually fall into Obama's category of people who can't get insurance. It's far lower than most people realize when you filter out those who can afford it but don't buy it, non-citizens, and those who qualify for medicaid/CHIPS but haven't signed up - around five million instead of the 50 million figure that keeps popping up. Recent polls show somewhere around 85% of the American people are satisfied with their health care coverage. So why are they messing around with it? The only thing I can figure out is control. Think about it -- the estimated cost of this plan conservatively is a trillion dollars. If I put all my zeroes in the right spots, that's $200,000 per uninsured person. We could buy insurance for all those people for ten years for one tenth that amount. So why is our government insisting we all need their program? It has to be control. There is no other reason.

It's all about the money - Part II

The octonut has signed agreements for each of her 14 children to earn $250 a day to star in a reality television show. The children will earn a total of about $250,000 over three years. Now we know why she had all those kids.

"octuplets' mother signs TV contract for children." The Dallas Morning News; July 26, 2009; p. 6A.

It's all about the money.

There are a lot of things that bothered me about the Henry Gates arrest, but they're not the things that seem to bother our esteemed (Haha!) President.

The first thing that bothers me is that Henry Gates automatically assumed that the officer who arrested him for being disorderly was a racist. The party guilty of racial profiling was definitely NOT the officer.

The second thing that bothers me is that the media assumes that if the caller who reported the break-in gave the race of the suspected intruders, she was a racist. Not so -- a description of suspects is relevant, and you can eliminate or include a whole bunch of people in one fell swoop with the race of the individual(s).

The third thing that bothers me is that Obama shot off his mouth without knowing the facts. He automatically assumed that Crowley and not Gates was the racist. More racial profiling.

The fourth thing that bothers me is the arrogant, condescending attitude of Gates who says he wants to take advantage of this "teaching" moment. What he needs to take advantage of is a "learning" moment! He says he hopes the Cambridge police department will "choose to work with me toward that goal." Kind of like he worked with them when they were investigating a possible burglary?

The fifth thing that bothers me is that it's all about the money. Gates says he's going to make a documentary on his arrest to tie into a larger project about racial profiling. Wonder how much he'll make off that and the subsequent speaking engagements?

"Arrested scholar ready to move on." The Dallas Morning News; July 26, 2009; p. 5A.

The Last Days

It seems lately every time I pick up the newspaper, the scripture that in the last days, "people will be without natural affection," comes to mind. How can people do the things that they do to their children?

Three of Abneris Santiago's children were found locked in a nasty motel room bathroom. They were literally starving and at least one has been sexually abused. Authorities say that the children are so malnourished that when they were fed, they couldn't keep the food down. Abneris is described as obese. The children would be there still if Abneris's brother hadn't become concerned and driven down from his home in Ohio. But Abneris is a good mother. She cleaned the broken toilet every day so the children "would be in a clean place." Well, let's make her mother of the year!

Since the original story came out, the boyfriend has said that he had to do what he did. These children, ages 6, 10, and 11, were dangerous, he said. They were rapists, he said. He had to protect people from them, he said. Bless his heart!

Abneris was so afraid of the boyfriend, that she didn't call police even though she left the motel daily to work in a barbecue restaurant. That's her story anyway. I figure it's because she didn't want the police to find her marijuana stash. But she had to smoke it, she says, in order to cope with the situation. She said she knew she had to get out of there before "something really bad happened." Well, we can all breathe a sigh of relief that nothing bad happened to those kids before they were found!

By the way, what do you want to bet they have a Lone Star Card? And what do you want to bet they're not citizens?

"Starved, but not able to eat." The Dallas Morning News; July 21, 2009; p. 1A.

We don't have enough government agencies!

I've posted several times on Obamacare -- its unfulfillable promises, its high cost, its rationed services. One thing I've not mentioned is the number of agencies it creates. How many of you think we need more government agencies? I don't see any raised hands out there!

This is not a complete list, but if Obamacare is passed, these are a few of the agencies and boards that will be created:

• Health Choices Administration
• Health Insurance Exchange
• Health Insurance Exchange Trust Fund
• Government Health Plan
• Bureau of Health Information
• Health Benefits Advisory Committee

In looking at all this, the Congressional Budget Office has said that the bill will cost us more and dig us deeper into debt. And we can assume it will cost even more than they estimate -- look at the "Cash for Clunkers" program. One billion dollars was budgeted, but when money ran out this week, Obama promised the program would continue. At what cost? That doesn't seem to concern him. Let's just bill the taxpayers some more!

"Dems are trying to fix the wrong things." The Dallas Morning News; July 21, 2009; p. 11A.

Even the Democrats don't like him!

Obama's in trouble. As his poll numbers drop lower by the week, Democratic governors and congressmen are distancing themselves from him and his catastrophic health care plan (and I don't mean catastrophic in the usual medical insurance context of the word). Even if they don't say it in so many words, I'm sure many of them agree with Republican Michael Steele who said that Obama is "conducting a dangerous experiment with our health care." The Mayo Clinic does, as they came out with an official statement criticizing the plan.

Every American over the age of 50 should be terrified of what they're doing. It's they who will suffer the most under this plan -- a plan that deems senior citizens of no productive value. Obama took issue with Senator Jim DeMint who said that if they are able to stop this plan, it will be Obama's Waterloo. In response, Obama said, "This isn't about me." He's right there -- he's exempted himself and his family from Obamacare! It's about the ordinary American citizen who will be denied choices in his own health care -- who may even be denied health care completely if he's too old!

Yes, people are waking up. They're deciding they don't like the messiah they elected.

"Dems say tax hit in plan goes too far." The Dallas Morning News; July 21, 2009; p. 1A.