The moment just before the pain begins!

"I'm Tired" (via Tim Lawless)

 

Worth the read!   "I'm 63 and I'm Tired"  by Robert A. Hall       I'm 63. Except for one semester in college when jobs were scarce and a six-month period when I was between jobs, but job-hunting every day, I've worked, hard, since I was 18. Despite some health challenges, I still put in 50-hour weeks, and haven't called in sick in seven or eight years. I make a good salary, but I didn't inherit my job or my income, and I worked to get where I am. Given the economy, there's no retirement in sight, and I'm tired. Very tired.   I'm tired of being told that I have to "spread the wealth" to people who don't have my work ethic. I'm tired of being told the government will take the money I earned, by force if necessary, and give it to people too lazy to earn it.   I'm tired of being told that I have to pay more taxes to "keep people in their homes." Sure, if they lost their jobs or got sick, I'm willing to help. But if they bought McMansions at three times the price of our paid-off, $250,000 condo, on one-third of my salary, then let the left-wing Congress-critters who passed Fannie and Freddie and the Community Reinvestment Act that created the bubble help them with their own money.   I'm tired of being told how bad America is by left-wing millionaires like Michael Moore, George Soros and Hollywood Entertainers who live in luxury because of the opportunities America offers. In thirty years, if they get their way, the United States will have the economy of Zimbabwe , the freedom of the press of China , the crime and violence of Mexico , the tolerance for Christian people of Iran , and the freedom of speech of Venezuela .   I'm tired of being told that Islam is a "Religion of Peace," when every day I can read dozens of stories of Muslim men killing their sisters, wives and daughters for their family "honor"; of Muslims rioting over some slight offense; of Muslims murdering Christian and Jews because they aren't "believers"; of Muslims burning schools for girls; of Muslims stoning teenage rape victims to death for "adultery"; of Muslims mutilating the genitals of little girls; all in the name of Allah, because the Qur'an and Shari'a law tells them to.   I'm tired of being told that "race doesn't matter" in the post-racial world of Obama, when it's all that matters in affirmative action jobs, lower college admission and graduation standards for minorities (harming them the most), government contract set-asides, tolerance for the ghetto culture of violence and fatherless children that hurts minorities more than anyone, and in the appointment of U.S. Senators from Illinois.   I think it's very cool that we have a black president and that a black child is doing her homework at the desk where Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation. I just wish the black president was Condi Rice, or someone who believes more in freedom and the individual and less arrogantly of an all-knowing government.   I'm tired of a news media that thinks Bush's fundraising and inaugural expenses were obscene, but that think Obama's, at triple the cost, were wonderful; that thinks Bush exercising daily was a waste of presidential time, but Obama exercising is a great example for the public to control weight and stress; that picked over every line of Bush's military records, but never demanded that Kerry release his; that slammed Palin, with two years as governor, for being too inexperienced for VP, but touted Obama with three years as senator as potentially the best president ever. Wonder why people are dropping their subscriptions or switching to Fox News? Get a clue. I didn't vote for Bush in 2000, but the media and Kerry drove me to his camp in 2004.   I'm tired of being told that out of "tolerance for other cultures" we must let Saudi Arabia use our oil money to fund mosques and madrassa Islamic schools to preach hate in America , while no American group is allowed to fund a church, synagogue or religious school in Saudi Arabia to teach love and tolerance.   I'm tired of being told I must lower my living standard to fight global warming, which no one is allowed to debate. My wife and I live in a two-bedroom apartment and carpool together five miles to our jobs. We also own a three-bedroom condo where our daughter and granddaughter live. Our carbon footprint is about 5% of Al Gore's, and if you're greener than Gore, you're green enough.   I'm tired of being told that drug addicts have a disease, and I must help support and treat them, and pay for the damage they do. Did a giant germ rush out of a dark alley, grab them, and stuff white powder up their noses while they tried to fight it off? I don't think Gay people choose to be Gay, but I damn sure think druggies chose to take drugs. And I'm tired of harassment from cool people treating me like a freak when I tell them I never tried marijuana.   I'm tired of illegal aliens being called "undocumented workers," especially the ones who aren't working, but are living on welfare or crime. What's next? Calling drug dealers, "Undocumented Pharmacists"? And, no, I'm not against Hispanics. Most of them are Catholic, and it's been a few hundred years since Catholics wanted to kill me for my religion. I'm willing to fast track for citizenship any Hispanic person, who can speak English, doesn't have a criminal record and who is self-supporting without family on welfare, or who serves honorably for three years in our military.... Those are the citizens we need.   I'm tired of latte liberals and journalists, who would never wear the uniform of the Republic themselves, or let their entitlement-handicapped kids near a recruiting station, trashing our military. They and their kids can sit at home, never having to make split-second decisions under life and death circumstances, and bad mouth better people than themselves. Do bad things happen in war? You bet. Do our troops sometimes misbehave? Sure. Does this compare with the atrocities that were the policy of our enemies for the last fifty years and still are? Not even close. So here's the deal. I'll let mys elf be subjected to all the humiliation and abuse that was heaped on terrorists at Abu Ghraib or Gitmo, and the critics can let themselves be subject to captivity by the Muslims, who tortured and beheaded Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, or the Muslims who tortured and murdered Marine Lt. Col. William Higgins in Lebanon, or the Muslims who ran the blood-spattered Al Qaeda torture rooms our troops found in Iraq, or the Muslims who cut off the heads of schoolgirls in Indonesia, because the girls were Christian. Then we'll compare notes. British and American soldiers are the only troops in history that civilians came to for help and handouts, instead of hiding from in fear.   I'm tired of people telling me that their party has a corner on virtue and the other party has a corner on corruption. Read the papers; bums are bipartisan. And I'm tired of people telling me we need bipartisanship. I live in Illinois , where the "Illinois Combine" of Democrats has worked to loot the public for years. Not to mention the tax cheats in Obama's cabinet.   I'm tired of hearing wealthy athletes, entertainers and politicians of both parties talking about innocent mistakes, stupid mistakes or youthful mistakes, when we all know they think their only mistake was getting caught. I'm tired of people with a sense of entitlement, rich or poor.   Speaking of poor, I'm tired of hearing people with air-conditioned homes, color TVs and two cars called poor. The majority of Americans didn't have that in 1970, but we didn't know we were "poor." The poverty pimps have to keep changing the definition of poor to keep the dollars flowing.   I'm real tired of people who don't take responsibility for their lives and actions. I'm tired of hearing them blame the government, or discrimination or big-whatever for their problems.   Yes, I'm damn tired. But I'm also glad to be 63. Because, mostly, I'm not going to have to see the world these people are making. I'm just sorry for my granddaughter.   Robert A. Hall is a Marine, a Vietnam veteran who served five terms in the Massachusetts State Senate.     There is no way this will be widely publicized, unless each of us sends it on! This is your chance to make a difference.   "If we ever forget that we're one nation under God,  Then we will be a nation gone under." - Ronald Reagan  "In GOD We Trust"

 

Response to Harry Mitchell's 'Yes' Vote

The reply to my *gag* representative's FB announcement that he, Harry Mitchell, will vote 'Yes' on the health care reform bill tomorrow.  Just in case he deletes my  post on his page.  HERE IS THE TEXT:

If this bill was so terrific, it would have bipartisan support and would not have required billions in political payoffs and required corrupt, accounting gimmicks, and unconstitutional processes in order to pass with the very slimmest of margins.  That is NOT how you nationalize one-sixth of the US economy. 

Representative Mitchell, do you truly believe we Arizonans should pay for the new Medicaid recipients in NEBRASKA forever?  How about us Arizonans subsidizing Medicare Advantage for seniors in Florida?  You do know you are voting on ... excuse me ... "deeming" the Senate bill into law?  Yes, that Senate bill with all its warts and corruption.  Surely you know, the 'reconciliation bill' that you will vote 'Yea' on will likely NOT get passed through the Senate. You also know this will actually raise insurance and tax rates for ALL of us.  You also must know this will add at least a trillion more dollars to the deficit over the next decade.  Surely you've seen the survey that indicates up to 46% of the America's physicians will leave the profession if this health care reform passes.

Then, the most ironic fact; the reforms that most everyone agrees are needed are not included, at all.  Those include portability, tort reform and interstate competition for insurance companies.  Most of us that have been watching closely know that this legislation has little to do with health care for Americans but instead, an expansion of government.  In actuality, health care will decline with this legislation.  If that's not enough, thousands will lose their jobs with this legislation.  Just nationalizing the student loan program for some 17 million students will begin that devastation.  Of course you know you are voting to have only one private bank in the entire country to provide student loans.   That bank in the thriving metropolis of Bismark, ND must really be special.  The sad thing is that these students are paying an additional 4% of interest on their loans beyond the government's costs in order to create funds for the Congress to use for other purposes.  Perhaps you don't know all these things; otherwise, how can anyone in good conscience vote for such a mess?

I would be glad to present and discuss the information I have that, apparently you do not have, in any place at any time with as large or small group as you desire. 

I can guarantee that you will rue the day you vote 'Yea' on this, the 'Worst Bill Ever'.  So will the American public.

Health Care Reform Letter Sent to Harry Mitchell

TO: Representative Harry Mitchell                                                                 March 11, 2010

Arizona Congressional District 5

 

FROM: XXX XXXX

XXX E. XXXXXX XXX

Tempe, AZ  85284

 

SUBJECT: Health Care Legislation

 

Please take a moment to read and consider this information.  I live in your district and operate a small business with about 120 employees.  I also provide health insurance for my employees and struggle to keep up with the escalating health insurance premiums.  Health insurance must be reformed; however, the current legislation is, without question, the wrong answer.  It will damage our heath care system while not solving the biggest issues, like rising insurance rates.

 

Today I have been reading an article from the New England Journal of Medicine, Physician Survey: Health Reform May Lead to Significant Reduction in Physician Workforce, Mar – Apr 2010 edition.  The survey of more than 1,000 doctors from this respected Journal showed only 28.7% of physicians support the current legislation and 63 prefer a more gradual, targeted approach.  So do I.  I believe you are a sensible person and have your constituents’ interests at heart and I believe that you would prefer this, too.

 

More alarming, they report that “nearly one-third of physicians responding to the survey indicated that they will want to leave medical practice after health reform is implemented.”  This is at a time when the number of physicians needs to expand by over 20% to cover us in the ‘baby boom’ generation with their increasing medical needs.

 

This is one of many significant problems with the current legislation.  The process for this legislation is deplorable.  A large majority of the country and even larger majority of this District do not support this legislation.  The ‘Cornhusker Kickback’ along with all the other ‘payoffs’ and rules manipulations to acquire support and pass this are deplorable.  I cannot believe you support this process.  Health insurance will not be reduced and more than a trillion dollars will be added to the deficit with this legislation, the accounting gimmicks not withstanding.  I am a CPA, by the way.  I’ve followed this legislation very closely. 

 

I also believe that, in your heart, you know this legislation that makes such a massive change in our country, which affects every single citizen, should not be passed without broad support across the country and across the aisle.  Eschew the political pressure; do the right thing.

 

However, when you voted on the House version of this bill, I donated a significant sum to David Schweikert for his bid to AZ CD-5 in 2010.  If you participate in this corrupt process and vote again for the ‘Worst Bill Ever’ as described by the Wall Street Journal, my wife and I will give our full financial support and will actively campaign with your opponent.  I will also continue to provide information to my employees about this legislation and its impact on our business and on their lives.  This issue is so huge that is a defining one, in my opinion. 

 

Thanks for taking the time to consider my input.

 

XXX XXXX

Tempe, AZ

2010 Census

Sending a Message with the Census 

Fully one-quarter of the space on this year's form is taken up with questions of race and ethnicity, which are clearly illegitimate and none of the government's business (despite the New York Times' assurances to the contrary on today's editorial page). So until we succeed in building the needed wall of separation between race and state, I have a proposal. Question 9 on the census form asks "What is Person 1's race?" (and so on, for other members of the household). My initial impulse was simply to misidentify my race so as to throw a monkey wrench into the statistics; I had fun doing this on the personal-information form my college required every semester, where I was a Puerto Rican Muslim one semester, and a Samoan Buddhist the next. But lying in this constitutionally mandated process is wrong. Really — don't do it.

Instead, we should answer Question 9 by checking the last option — "Some other race" — and writing in "American." It's a truthful answer but at the same time is a way for ordinary citizens to express their rejection of unconstitutional racial classification schemes. In fact, "American" was the plurality ancestry selection for respondents to the 2000 census in four states and several hundred counties.

So remember: Question 9 — "Some other race" — "American". Pass it on.

Via: http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NDAzNTgyZTM4NGRiMzUxNDk2MzljMDBlMDdlYTQxMzU=

Your hard-earned tax dollars at work.

California is going bankrupt, in not there already, because of this same problem, overpaid public sector employees.  Now the federal gov't is following them off the cliff.

 

For those balancing offers of employment from the public and private sector, first, our congratulations.  Beyond that, make the decision a little easier by reading the analysis of compensation for jobs that exists in both realms, reported by USA Today.  Not only are salaries now over 10% higher in the federal government, but the benefits package averages more than four times the benefits offered in the competitive sector:

Federal employees earn higher average salaries than private-sector workers in more than eight out of 10 occupations, a USA TODAY analysis of federal data finds.

Accountants, nurses, chemists, surveyors, cooks, clerks and janitors are among the wide range of jobs that get paid more on average in the federal government than in the private sector.

Overall, federal workers earned an average salary of $67,691 in 2008 for occupations that exist both in government and the private sector, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data. The average pay for the same mix of jobs in the private sector was $60,046 in 2008, the most recent data available.

These salary figures do not include the value of health, pension and other benefits, which averaged $40,785 per federal employee in 2008 vs. $9,882 per private worker, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.

Here are the top 10 big winners on salary by dollar difference:

Job	Federal	Private	Difference	Pct
Public relations manager	$132,410	$88,241	$44,169	50.05%
Broadcast technician	$90,310	$49,265	$41,045	83.31%
Clergy	$70,460	$39,247	$31,213	79.53%
Chemist	$98,060	$72,120	$25,940	35.97%
Graphic designer	$70,820	$46,565	$24,255	52.09%
Landscape architects	$80,830	$58,380	$22,450	38.45%
Recreation worker	$43,630	$21,671	$21,959	101.33%
Cook	$38,400	$23,279	$15,121	64.96%
Pest control worker	$48,670	$33,675	$14,995	44.53%
Laundry, dry-cleaning worker	$33,100	$19,945	$13,155	65.96%

In case you’re wondering, the worst deal on the list is for optometrists, who take an average 42% loss in salary to work for the federal government.  In that case, though, the benefits package just about makes up the difference.  Physicians and surgeons are just about at the break-even point, while lawyers only take a 2.5% loss in salary.

Why does a government broadcast technician make 83% more than one in the private sector?  Why does the government employ public relations managers at all?  Clearly, these jobs could be outsourced by contract and save the taxpayers a lot of money.

Why aren’t they outsourced?  Most of these jobs are unionized.  The SEIU and AFSCME have a grip on the federal workplace, which is — not coincidentally — why taxpayers pay double for a recreation worker, or 45% more for pest control salaries rather than just call Orkin.

VIA HOT AIR