Border Bothers

Does anyone believe for a moment that if the flood of Mexican nationals illegally crossing the US border every day were potential Republican voters rather than potential Democrat voters that the Democrats and their activists would hesitate to close the border and do the "impossible" - round up 12 million illegals and deport them? Conversely, do you believe that the jelly spined Republicans would be attempting to stop the Mexican tsunami? That is problemo numero uno (a little Spanish lingo there) in the immigration debate. Washington refuses to do anything serious about it because both parties want to court illegals as a voting bloc.

Meanwhile, Phoenix suffers as the 2nd highest kidnapping city IN THE WORLD. Which is one reason in a long list of why they took the drastic step of passing their own immigration law in the face of a heedless, heartless, hear-less federal government. Vigilantism is almost always a result of government failure to dispense justice. It just happens that in this case, the vigilante is a state government rather than an individual or group of individuals. The way things are proceeding, it could soon be a group of states instead of just one as even Pennsylvania is considering adopting the Arizona law. Wouldn't that signal to ANY reasonable and normal person that SOMETHING is wrong???

I read a disturbing article recently about Legal Immigration. The companies contracted to handle the incoming mail applications are paid by the piece but there is no oversight by the former INS now the USCIS (US Citizens & Immigration Services) Department to ensure they are actually getting the services for which they pay. And naturally no company or individual would ever take advantage of that little loophole /sarc/. Backlogs for immigrations/visas grew into years as mail waits to be processed and USCIS's budget exploded. In its infinitely insignificant "wisdom" Congress responded by increasing the cost of applications for Green Cards which created even more backlog since more people applied to get in before the rate increase took effect. No doubt more unionized employees will be hired to process mail and still there will be no oversight so taxpayers suffer even more money lost to corruption. In spite of all that (and much more that I haven't covered) we still process in about 1 million LEGAL immigrants every year.

To add further insult to the US's immigration woes, a UN 'rights' commission (ho boy!) decided that Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona (LONG MAY SHE REIGN!!!) is a worse threat to human rights than president Imapoopykakahead in Iran, Infidel Castrati in Cuba, Huge-o Chav-a$$ in Venezuela, and the original camel humper himself: Mummar Kaddafi in Libya. Really? Good thing I'm not governor of AZ or I would show them what a violation of human rights is.

Mexico is a dying nation. It suffers from the twin ills of terrible Iberian Imperialism and Catholic Communist Economics (more on that some other time). It was born corrupt and it will die corrupt. Like a loved one in denial, the Beltway crowd and the American left don't want to see that unless they quarantine the victim, the 'cancer' will spread to us as well.

Still Too Much Going On

The speed with which the Regime and its useful idiot partners are dismantling the Constitution and the nation is startling. We are either going to be nannied to death or completely ignored depending on the situation.

WHERE'S FEMA?

Nashville is drowning but you wouldn't know it. While at least 18 people have perished in West Tennessee flooding, the B-HO has yet to declare it a disaster area. Damage estimates have already topped the $1,000,000,000 (Billion) mark making this one the most expensive non-hurricane disasters in US History. The MSM and even Fox News relegate it to the TV news equivalent of the back pages because the Phoenix Suns wearing "Los Suns" jerseys is apparently more important. In spite of all this, Nashvillians have risen to the occasion. Looting is minimal or non-existent in stark contrast to Democrat run/Third World New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. No FEMA is probably a good thing since they were taking away people's guns and leaving them to be looted and raped in NO. I suppose one of the lessons we can learn from this - especially if we apply the "Katrina standard" that was glued to a much more engaged and concerned George Bush - is that Barrack Obama hates white people.

OIL, OIL EVERYWHERE

Speaking of being 'engaged', the B-HO took eight days to get anything going after the BP oil rig burned and collapsed into the Gulf of Mexico. I guess he was practicing the Saul Alinsky principle of not letting a crisis go to waste. Nope. He let it become a full-blown disaster. Of course, this now can let him backpedal on his promise to open more oil exploration and drilling off-shore. OPEC is already passive-aggressively slowing production as noted by the recent climb in gas prices. If the Regime takes off-shore drilling off the table we could be in for a long summer of high gas prices. The last oil shock helped bring about the current recession. Another oil shock this summer could send the economy into the abyss by the end of this year. I shudder to even mention what that could look like. Official unemployment might reach 15-18% while actual unemployment could reach or exceed 25%. We haven't seen numbers like that since the Great Depression. Watch gas prices and be ready for a spike. You might want to pack away a little extra food as well; or convert to Mormonism...

SEDITION!

Though I have not been to or officially joined the TEA Party movement, I am a huge supporter of it. I have adopted the Rush Limbaugh approach by calling the Obama Administration a Regime. In the eyes of Stalinist reporter Joe Klein, this is enough to label me as seditious! The diminutive in stature and intellect "journalist" may have a point. However, I don't recall him reaching for a dictionary to look up sedition when people were talking about the Bush "Regime". Nor did he consult Mr. Webster when a play and book about killing then sitting president Bush were released. Nope, that didn't rise to his definition of sedition. Instead, people of all races and socio-economic levels PEACEFULLY yet angrily protesting against massive and further government intrusion into their lives fits. Talk show hosts advocating peaceful revolution at the ballot box in November of 2010 and 2012 also fit.

I like to call Obama the Kenyan Katastrophe as a tweak on the liberal nose. I don't know for certain if he was born in the US or not but until solid evidence is produced I will take him at his word on that (little else though). I call his administration a Regime not because I believe the election was illegitimate somehow (let's face it, a cracked vase with big daisies could have beat McCain in 2008) but because the Congress, Senate, and Administration are running the nation as if they were some sort of ruling junta. They are elected to respond to the will of the people even if they think the people are wrong. They have acted counter to our wishes on small occasions without too many repercussions but on large issues - you know, like taking command of 1/6 of the American economy! - they HAVE to be guided by our will or suffer the consequences. To paraphrase Patrick Henry: If this be sedition then let's make the most of it!

NANNIES

The FDA thinks it should tell us how much salt we can have. Never mind that its own RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) has been shown to be less than the amount needed for optimum brain function. Virtually everything we do is now regulated. We get tickets for not wearing a seat belt. Yeah, I know, it saves lives. If you believe in Darwinism then those who don't wear seat belts will help strengthen the gene pool by eliminating themselves from it and leaving smarter people in later generations. We can't drive and use cell phones anymore - though most people couldn't seem to do both. They were most likely stupid people that would have not been alive anyway had there not been seat belt laws! There are disclaimers and tags on almost everything we buy. Small parts may cause a choking hazard (DUH!). Plastic bags covering TVs and computers are not toys (REALLY?). Don't eat the little bag of Chiclets you find in most boxed items that says DO NOT EAT (and here I thought they sent bonus food with my new stereo!). We are warned that knives are sharp, not to put our hands or feet under a running lawn mower, and more. Then we are told what speed to drive. Except in towns and residential areas, speeding is less about safety than it is about revenue generation. Just as the instant replay has made NFL officials worse and more stupid, more regulation and warnings on everything make people more and more stupid.

...AND FINALLY AT LEAST FOR THE MOMENT

OK, this isn't nearly as big a deal as the other stuff. Rather than refute the anti-Arizona race baiters and the terminally aggrieved like the racists at the National Council of La Raza (the Race), I'm merely going to mention how the law affects me personally. I am and have for some time been a semi-closeted fan of the lovely and talented Colombians singer Shakira. However, her recent decision to involve herself in a battle that is (1) no concern of hers and (2) something she hasn't done any fact checking about forced me to make a moral choice. Shakira lost. I unlinked her from my Facebook account. (Z OK, so it IS a BIG deal!) I'm sure she's heartbroken and will be repenting her error any moment...aaaaaaaany...moment...OK, maybe not.

Interesting Tidbits?

FRESH FOOD FETISH

Last week while watching Bones, I was momentarily annoyed by a PSA for "Green Week" from the world's most irritating and foul-mouthed chef - Gordon Ramsey. Amazingly, without cursing once in 30 seconds, Chef Ramsey informed us that we should be buying fresh foods rather than frozen food because processing and storage of frozen foods takes ten times the amount of energy used to process and store fresh foods. Seriously? Who do these people think they are? Frozen food is probably one of the greatest miracles of the modern age.

Don't get me wrong, I prefer fresh food. The freshness of my food isn't the issue here. This is about the agenda hiding behind the green movement. GE's agenda to move jobs to China and gobble up more of the light bulb market has pushed the incandescent light bulb toward extinction in spite of the dangers found in CFLs. So what would be the purpose of pushing us all toward mostly if not all fresh food?

Dependency. Most fresh foods last less than a week; perhaps two if you buy those funky preservation bowls seen on late night TV. Frozen food can last over a year depending on how well it is packaged. Canned food can last several years in spite of the expiration dates printed on them. People living mostly on fresh foods will never have more than a few days worth of food in the house in case of an emergency which means they will quickly become dependent on others - especially the government - should there be even a modest interruption of the food supply. Think about that the next time you're in the freezer aisle and grab an extra bag of something frozen.

STAND WITH ARIZONA

The new AZ illegal immigration law is causing quite an unnecessary hub-bub among the leftists and race hustlers. The law was crafted very carefully and underwent a number of drafts to ensure it would pass Constitutional muster (provided anyone on the courts still follows the Constitution). The law basically restates Federal immigration law and forces AZ police officers to actually follow said Federal laws! What a concept! Yet, if you listen to the media, the race hustlers, and the charlatans posing as intelligentsia, you'd think that the Grand Canyon State was burning crosses in people's yards and raising swastika flags over the capitol building.

Aren't the people who protest that Arizona is becoming a Nazi state the same people who want the police to pull over people for not wearing a seat belt? The leftist totalitarians hate freedom when it applies to people going about their daily lives. They want us ticketed for using cell phones while driving. The same people are limiting how much salt we eat and, in part of California, outlawed toys in a Happy Meal! These people just pushed a bill into law that makes us have to 'show our papers' to prove we have health insurance! But it isn't 'Nazi' when it is 'for our own good'.

Arizona is desperate. Phoenix is the kidnapping capital of the US. People living near the borders are afraid to leave their homes for long lest they return to find (those "otherwise law abiding") illegal immigrants rummaging through their refrigerators. Illegals recently killed a rancher on his own property near the border. In spite of all this, Congress refuses to take up the issue SO CLOSE TO THE ELECTION! And the Feds refuse to tighten the border. So Arizona will have to do it themselves and endure the bullying by the media and groups like La Raza, an openly RACIST group seeking to conquer the US Southwest. Support Arizona however you can. They are on the right track.

GO HOME CHARLIE

Florida's governor Charlie Crist was running far behind his GOP opponent for US Senate, Marco Rubio. Rather than gracefully step aside of the popular, young, and charismatic Conservative, Crist, seeing the reigns of power slipping from his grasp, chose to cut ties to his party and run as an independent. This doesn't seen to have helped him according to polling data; nor has it helped the Democrat candidate. Unless some nasty scandal breaks or Rubio makes some huge gaff, he is probably assured of a Senate seat in November. Meanwhile, Crist has demonstrated that he is a power monger - which is the best reason not to vote for him whether he has a D, an R, or an I behind his name. Pack it in Governor Crist. The people of Florida and the US are on to you and we will not support you any more.

I'm a Tenther, She's a Tenther, He's a Tenther...

...wouldn't you like to be a Tenther too?

Once again the left is down to name calling. Those of us who question the origin of the B-HO are derisively called Birthers. If we don't like higher taxes and bigger government, "luminaries" like Anderson Cooper call us Tea-baggers - interestingly enough a derisive term for homosexuals (I notice the radical 'gay' groups haven't squeaked a protest about the use of that term like they do if someone on the right uses a homosexual slur).

The latest attempt to demonize the right is to call those of us who oppose Obamacare 'Tenthers'. Naturally the left would find the 10th Amendment to the US Constitution and those who uphold it as a defense against big government offensive to their centralizing, corrupt power-grabbing goals. But this is doomed to fail as a marginalizing tool before it ever starts. Like the early Americans who co-opted the term and tune Yankee Doodle as a badge of honor, we Tenthers will do the same. Like the commercial where young men and women proclaim that they will not be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we should not be ashamed of our belief in the Tenth Amendment which simply states:

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

That's pretty straightforward!

Were we to fall to the level of the left, I suppose we could called Empress Pelosi and crew "Commerce Clausers" since they continually beat the American taxpayer over the head with their intentional misinterpretation of that little line on a daily basis. But unlike them, we understand where the Commerce Clause fits into the original intent just like the 10th Amendment. The Commerce Clause states: [The Congress shall have power] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian tribes. The word among means between. It was included to keep the States from charging tolls and taxes when products crossed their borders as they had done under the Articles of Confederation and that's about it.

Before the days of blogging the state of Washington raised their cigarette taxes outrageously and then threw a tantrum when people living near the borders - especially with low tobacco taxing Idaho - were crossing over to buy cigarettes. The state sent troopers to spy on people buying cigarettes just across the line and issue tickets to them on returning to Washington. This is a CLEAR violation of the Commerce Clause because the product is legal in both states as long as the buyer is 18 and a state cannot penalize its citizens for buying elsewhere no matter their motivation; especially tax avoidance.

The state of Idaho long ago tried to violate the Commerce Clause in a less onerous manner by adding a line on their income tax form where you were supposed to calculate the amount of money you spent out of Idaho and pay the state sales tax for that spending. I don't recall anyone ever admitting to spending money out of state and believe it has since been removed. But it was an innovative try on their part!

The Tenth Amendment is becoming one of the last barriers to complete government control over our lives and it is currently at odds with the expansive abuse of the Commerce Clause as used by the Left. Stand up and proudly broadcast that you are indeed a 'Tenther'! I know I am.

Eat the Rich

Here in Washington State certain groups are attempting to pass an income tax on individuals, through Initiative 1077, making more than $200,000 or couples earning more than $400,000. One of the leaders of this modern day witch hunt is the father of 'His Majesty' Bill Gates; William Gates Sr (my first thought was: He's still alive???). The populist argument in favor of this attack on the wealthy is that it will reduce middle class and small business taxes.

Regarding the Middle Class, it will come in the form of property tax relief. The supporters claim a 20% reduction in state property taxes. That may be true but they conveniently omit the fact that only 10-15% of your property tax bill is levied by the state. The rest is local. So you will get relief of 20% of 15% of your tax bill. For the math impaired, 20% of 15% is a whopping 3%! That's $30 on a $1000 property tax bill. Try not to spend that all in one place! Small businesses will see a similar 'savings'.

In return for that, all we have to do is cannibalize the people in WA state who create our jobs. Bill Gates Jr. employs nearly as many people as the gubbermint. Boeing has quietly been sending jobs to states with less onerous tax burdens and what makes anyone think they won't accelerate this process as more of their high income officers start taking a hit on their personal incomes?

Of course, like any other increase in taxes, this will have the opposite of its desired effect and REDUCE revenue to the Treasury. I-1077 will head us in the direction of California rather than Texas and the few states that are not in fiscal trouble. Even if, in the unlikely event, I-1077 did increase revenue, there is no precedent that demonstrates the morons in Olympia will spend the additional revenue wisely by reducing the state's deficit.

All around the nation we are seeing attempts to eat the rich. Much of this is being pushed by socialists and other anti-capitalists attempting to direct populist outrage against government mismanagement of OUR money toward wealthy people who mismanage THEIR OWN money. Oregon just passed an income tax on the rich. Why don't we in WA wait for a year or two and see what happens in Oregon before we throw our own rich in the cooking pot? Better yet, why not reduce state spending?

So Much Going On

April usually turns my attention from politics to something more important: baseball. Though I haven't annoyed my keyboard much lately I am still keeping a weather eye on the B-HO and his cronies.

There has been a recent row over Joe Klein (columnist at Communist Stooge Time Magazine) who accused Glenn Beck and Sarah Palin of sedition on Chris Matthews' show. Another guest chimed in adding Rush Limbaugh to the list for calling it the Obama 'Regime'. This blatant attempt to chill Free Speech comes from the very people who demanded 'regime change' (preferably violent) when George W Bush was president. In fact, the left called Bush's two terms a regime more than 6500 times from 1/20/01. Additionally, they trotted Bubba out to further attempt to chill free speech on the 15th anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing. You may remember that he blamed Limbaugh directly for the actions of Timothy McVeigh.

Lesson: When Republicans are in power, dissent is the highest form of patriotism but when Democrats are in power dissent is seditious.

Feeling his oats after destroying American health care, the B-HO is targeting Wall Street for submission to the "Soviet Central Committee" this week. His willing accomplice in this scheme is Goldman Sachs. You may remember from previous posts the lengthy tentacles Goldman has in our government (across the political spectrum). Without warning the SEC slapped charges on Goldman - conveniently at a time to keep it from getting into the news cycle until after the weekend. The White House claims it had 'no idea' this was coming but by Monday, a Google search of "Goldman Sachs SEC" brings up a SPONSORED LINK to the B-HO's website (not the White House website). I'll let you draw your own conclusion there. In addition to that suspicious little tidbit, an article in the Washington Examiner today reveals the fact that Goldman has donated 7 times the amount of money to Obama as Enron did to George W Bush! Where is the MSM on that? They wouldn't let us forget that Enron donated a paltry $151,000 (inflation adjusted) to his campaign. Goldman dropped 7 digits into Barry's coffers. If Obama gets his "reform" passed look for Goldman to pay a small SEC fine while their competitors are destroyed by said "reform". Remember back in 2008, Hank Paulson (former Goldman bigwig) advised Bush not to intervene when Lehman Brothers collapsed and they were Goldman's main rival...

To distract us from that, the Regime has the FDA out trying to regulate how much salt can be added to our food - for our health naturally! Who do they think they are?

Both of these are being used to distract us from the Idiot of Economics, Paul Volcker floating the VAT trial balloon for the Regime recently. The VAT (value added tax) should be slapped from the lips of anyone who utters it as a legitimate idea. A VAT could double the prices of some goods overnight for consumers. Unlike a sales tax which is only charged at the retail level, a VAT is added to an item at EVERY LEVEL of production!

As an example, let's look at the wheat for a loaf of bread. A farmer grows the wheat, harvests it and sells it to the flour mill. The government charges VAT because the farmer has 'added value' to the wheat. The flour mill grinds it and sells it to the bakery triggering a second VAT because they 'added value' by milling the flour. The bakery mixes the flour into batter with other ingredients (all charged VATs) to make bread. They sell it to a retailer creating yet another VAT. The retailer finally sells it to you triggering the final VAT in the system. At every level of production the seller has had to charge the buyer more because of the VAT and the buyer has passed on that cost to the next seller which means that the consumer ultimately pays for each and every VAT back to the farmer who grew the wheat. In the real world (or at least Europe where the VAT is everywhere) the result has added 100%+ to the cost of an item depending on what goes into it and the VAT rate. This is unlike a sales tax where most if not all wholesale (pre-consumer) transactions are exempted. Most consumers cannot absorb even a small VAT and it would kill any economic recovery - even the phantom one we're being told is going on right now.

Whiffing at Soft Balls

I saw enough of the Washington Nationals Opener on Monday to witness Obama mocking the sport, the fans, and tradition when he donned a White Sox cap for his ceremonial first pitch. I mainly tuned in to hear the crowd reaction to him which was mixed at best (not a good sign for him considering it was in the liberal bastion of Washington DC) and the boos overpowered the cheers after he added the sullied Southsider chapeau. Not too long afterward he made his way to the booth where a fawning Rob Dibble pitched him what news industry insiders call a 'soft ball' question. In fact there could hardly be a potential softer ball question than was served; but Obama managed to strike out on one pitch.

Dibble: Who are some of your favorite White Sox players? (They don't get much easier for a president.)

Long awkward pause (come on Barry - can you even name a guy on the field below you - considering that they HAVE THEIR NAMES ON THEIR BACKS????) STRIKE ONE.

Obama: You know, blah blah blah, I like a lot of Cubs players too... (Really? Can you name any of THEM? Carlos Zambrano? Derrik Lee? Ryne Sandberg? I'd even give you credit for Evers, Tinker, or Chance.) STRIKE TWO.

Obama continues: ...blah, blah, blah, Cominskey Park, blah, blah... (Cominskey? Don't you mean Comiskey? You know named after the infamous late owner of the White Sox who wouldn't even pay to launder their uniforms?) BALL ONE - since I've heard a lot of people who aren't worthless 'presidents' add the extraneous 'n' to Charlie Comiskey's last name.

Obama continues: ...blah, blah, White Sox play blue collar baseball (Huh? What the H*ll is blue collar baseball? For that matter what the H*ll would be considered white collar baseball? Their minimum wage is almost what you make a year, moron!) ...blah, blah Steve Bartman blah, blah... (Wait! He actually threw a name out there! Granted it is only the most (wrongly) maligned name in Chicago history but the man never played major league baseball. And it STILL has nothing to do with the White Sox.) STEEEEERIKE THREE! YOU'RE OUTTA THERE!

By today, everyone with internet knows the name Mark Beuhrle (whether or not you can spell it) for his cool between the legs play to get an out at first on Monday. Fans know other names like new White Sox SS Omar Vizquel or pitcher Jake Peavy. Even if you don't know any modern White Sox, you can always fall back and punt (sorry to mix sports metaphors) with a classic line: I've always liked Shoeless Joe Jackson and think he got a raw deal in the "Black Sox Scandal". Anyone who knows baseball will nod vigorously in agreement giving you at least a "walk" to first - though you may have to endure a lengthy monologue that rehashes the 1919 Black Sox Scandal and a detailed recap of Joe Jackson's stats for the World Series. But alas for 'glorious comrade leader' he couldn't even come up with that!