Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Decline and Fall of America

Most Americans remain unaware of what’s taking place right under their noses. They continue to go through the motions of living completely ignorant that their very existence is, on a daily basis, being altered. Interestingly enough, William F. Buckley Jr. asked in an essay, “If you lived in a declining society, could you know it?”

By the time the Roman Empire died in 476 AD, few noticed, few cared and few stood up to do anything about it. If you look at America today, we can find strikingly similar events that eventually collapsed the Romans.

Our values are being corroded – daily. One needs only to look at the latest poll on gay marriage’s approval. Marriage, its definition, need not be altered, but it is being altered b/c our children are now indoctrinated to believe gender does not define marriage. Dorothy Kelley Patterson, in her note entitled, "The Home in the Heart of Scripture," says: "At the dawn of creation, God’s first institution was not the church but the home. The garden paradise was prepared, and the entirety of God’s creative handiwork was accomplished in the preparation for man. Throughout Scripture is found concern and careful direction in timeless principles governing this primary institution which binds a man and a woman together as one to engage in spiritual ministry, including companionship, dominion, procreation, and worship. This institution we call the home" The forces of humanism and secularism in America have launched an all-out offensive against the traditional institution of the home. Threats to the traditional American home are coming from all sides. Homosexual marriages are becoming more and more common, and the Gay Task Force is pushing for adoptive rights for "gay" couples. Check out II Timothy 3:3.

On the Personal Responsibility front we find higher and higher taxes to further the ‘redistribution of wealth’. This notion became part of the American way of life with the New Deal and the Great Society. The result has been an excessive burden of taxation on the middle, working class of Americans. Check out II Thessalonians 3:10.

Bill O’Reilly way back in 2004 spoke about morals. See if anything has changed – or if it’s escalated: Bill said: First, secular forces have destroyed any rendering of Judeo-Christian philosophy in the public school system.  Many teachers are now ordered not to make value judgments on behavior and not to push any specific moral standards.  Thus children receive little if any moral guidance in class. Second, with the rise of single parent homes, more and more American kids wind up unsupervised for long periods of time, left to the television set or the computer, where harmful material comes at them like rain in a thunderstorm. Third, major corporations now traffic in sex and violence to an extent never before seen in this country.  Americans spend more than $10 billion a year on porn every year.  And violent video games gross billions more for corporations. Fourth, peer pressure to actually reject immoral behavior is virtually non-existent in many places.  The code of silence about bad behavior is an infectious disease among Americans. ….America is lacking a strong moral compass.
Check out Galatians 6:7.

Our very principles are being altered – is anyone noticing? The Founders asserted America’s independence by claiming that certain truths are self evident, according to the “laws of nature and nature’s God.” They designed a political framework for our nation based on liberty, equality, and a limited government that derives its authority “from the consent of the governed.” But do our founding principles endure in their true form today? In these tumultuous times, as government grows ever larger and more intrusive, many Americans fear their country has veered off course, in a direction inconsistent with our founding ideals.

In We Still Hold These Truths, Heritage Foundation scholar Matthew Spalding argues that due to the decline of civics education and the rise of the entitlement state, knowledge of our founding principles has declined. This is of course the case and we witness it as the WH professes that our founding principles are outdated and that our Constitution is a living breathing document, and Obama in his speeches leaving very pertinent lines out from the Declaration of Independence when he quotes it. Check out Proverbs 6:16-19.

We have allowed a huge injustice to happen and we have ultimately, as a society, turned our back on America’s true principles. Feeling nauseous? Unfortunately, we have betrayed ourselves with our silence and years of apathy. In Deuteronomy 28:1-5 it is written
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.  In 15 it is written “But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God or be careful to do all his commandments and his statutes that I command you today, then all these curses shall come upon you and overtake you. 16 Cursed shall you be in the city, and cursed shall you be in the field. 17 Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 18 Cursed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. 19 Cursed shall you be when you come in, and cursed shall you be when you go out. We have been duly warned.  
Thomas Sowell is on youtube speaking about dismantling America. Take the time to watch it. The moral of the story is this: WE’RE IN TROUBLE. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SDLBqIubCs&sns=fb
You already know the answer to what ails us. We must cut from our lives political correctness and fear not as we speak out every day on the injustices, attacks and corruption of our morals, values, principles, and personal responsibility. The government will try with all their might to make our nation believe what they are pushing is the new norm. We must stand vigilant in defying their disdain for all that is good.

The decline and fall of America rests in our hands. There is only one way out and we are the ones that must take the lead.

I ask God to Bless America and to bless YOU for all that you do. I ask that he gives each one of you reading this the courage and words necessary to do our part in keeping our Republic alive and directing America away from its fall from grace.






Wednesday, March 16, 2011

What Would YOU Do?

Last night I found myself watching the ethical dilemma series What Would You Do? This show is disturbing on many levels – but it’s a good reality check. There comes a time in everyone’s life where a decision must be made that has the potential to have both a positive and negative repercussion attached to it. We see this in politics quite often. Today, let’s see where our moral compass, not as a nation lands, but where we personally land.

If you bumped your car into another car, but nobody saw you do it, would you leave your name and address?

You’re having lunch with three people you respect and admire.  They all start criticizing a close friend of yours, not knowing she is your friend.  The criticism is distasteful and unjustified.  What do you do?

A co-worker tells you in confidence that she plans to call in sick while actually taking a week's vacation. You are approaching a huge deadline and need him on the job. What would you do?

Those are kind of easy but Lisa Ling says America can be inspiring and beautiful – it can also be dark and ugly. Let’s see if she’s right.

You’ve just been elected to the Senate. You are spending your days trying to learn the ropes and the players. Your schedule shows a full day but you just received word that a debate is taking place in 15 minutes. You franticly begin researching the topic. A colleague comes in and says “Don’t worry about that – it’s already decided we’re voting yes’. Do you stop reading about that bill to carry on with your original jam packed schedule?

You are pro-life but your colleagues are not. They are willing to co-sponsor one of your bills for your no vote to defund Planned Parenthood. Your bill is important to all of your constituents. What would you do?

Before you were elected to office, you hometown (which you now represent) was receiving Federal Aid to improve downtown. This caused tons of excitement for tourism was going to go up and more jobs would be seen. You ran on the promise you would not take a dime in Grants b/c you knew the government has a spending problem. Time to vote – What would you do?

The left’s horrific rhetoric and fear mongering has started a political culture war. Both the right and left represent passionate people and both sides are referring to the other as untamed beasts. You, on the other hand, understand both sides – do you speak up or do you go with the status quo?

A little harder?

Politics is an ugly business but politicians and their backers are in the game to make a difference. It is the ‘difference’ some seek that we have an issue with. That issue leads to arguments, passionate arguments, because politics matter.

This morning as we read more news from Washington’s players, the unions and pundits alike, pointing fingers at each other and spewing more rhetoric, keep in mind 2 things. First, politics has always been ugly:

§  In 1800, Thomas Jefferson hired writer James Callendar to assail incumbent president John Adams’ weight and sexuality.  He did so with a vengeance.
§  Davy Crockett publicly accused Martin Van Buren of wearing a lady’s corset (you can’t make this stuff up), thus impugning his sexuality.
§  It’s all but certain that Rutherford B. Hayes stole the presidential election of 1876, which was initially won, both in the popular and electoral votes, by Samuel Tilden.
§  The 1828 election between Andrew Jackson and John Quincy Adams featured Adam’s supporters attacking Jackson’s wife’s morality and suggested bigamy, and Jackson’s supporters calling Adams a “pimp” and claiming that his success as a diplomat was due to his ability to procure women for other ambassadors during negotiations.

Secondly, before you pass judgment, ask yourself one question: What would you do? Don’t concern yourself with what they should do. Put yourself into their position and circumstance and then pen a quick letter and let your representative know. Passion is everywhere and as such we must act and react from reason and intelligence. The best way to do that is to answer the question What Would YOU Do. 

Monday, March 14, 2011

Ignorance Is Bliss

On Friday, the NLRB (union controlled) ruled that a threat of physical violence by pro union supporters is NOT coercive – RedState has the complete story. Sharia4America has plans, online, to take down OUR Statue of Liberty and replace it with something they find less offensive. Al-Qaida has new magazine out for women that mixes beauty and bomb tips. A woman admitted in Wisconsin to writing and sending two death threat emails to Governor Walker and Republican Senators as well as their families. Her name is not released and she is not arrested.

But even more troubling than any of the aforementioned is Obama’s early and aggressive outreach to our kids for his 2012 re-election. He told students last week that and I quote, “We are so interested in figuring out how to get your ideas, your input, your energy’. He was speaking to student leaders from Cleveland State and nearby schools. This is not the first time and it won’t be the last. In truth, the WH has plans of at least 100 roundtables this Spring with our kids.

Why is this troubling? Well, for one thing, college kids ‘know’ everything. Just ask them. They’ve had some time away from the nest, been indoctrinated by the left as to a new and unfamiliar way of looking at things and have bought it hook line and sinker. Obama and his followers are different than most of the student’s parents – Obama uses Twitter, Skype, and Facebook, he even has a blackberry. Their parents are concerned with paying the bills, their professors are concerned with worldly things such as Global warming and leveling the playing field by ‘getting the rich’ and ‘giving to the poor’. Their professors are also busy educating our children that they know more than their parents – think Al Gore and Van Jones.

I wonder if Obama will tell the kids he targeted their aid to college – think Pell Grants. I wonder if he will tell the kids that those Stafford Loans they have, may if he gets his way, be accruing interest while they are in school rather than deferring the interest until after they graduate as has been the norm. I wonder if he’ll tell the kids he’s trying to get their country to be beholden to the government through a redistribution of wealth. I wonder if he’ll mention that he’s taxing to death the very places where their parents work, and perhaps they will be unable to attend college next year. I wonder if the kids he’s courting know any of this.

TPReview broke the story that the ISI surveyed more than 30,000 college freshmen and seniors, from 85 colleges and universities, over the past five years, to determine their levels of civic literacy. (Civic literacy is defined as proficient knowledge and understanding of America’s core history, key texts, founding principles, and enduring political and economic institutions.) The results are based on responses to a test made up of 60 straight-forward multiple choice questions, many of the questions drawn from such sources as the U.S. Citizenship Exam and the National Assessment of Education Progress (NAEP) high school civics test.

The study’s results (posted at http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/2007/summary_summary.html) are astonishing. Given the astronomical cost of college today, one assumes that a typical college student at a typical school will depart campus with more knowledge of American history, government, foreign affairs, and economics than he or she had upon arrival. One would be wrong.
The average grade for freshmen was 51% – and for seniors 54%, a mere 3 percent increase over the course of four years of college. Both were, of course, F's.
The Founders feared that an ignorant citizenry would be swayed by demagogues, leading to the collapse of our democratic constitutional republic. Their hope of course was rooted in the belief that knowledgeable Americans would keep a mindful eye on their elected representatives.
Today our students, the future’s political leaders, businessmen/women, taxpayers, are being kept ignorant and pushed into a leftist view of the world. Coincidence? I think not. Unless things change, they will lack the ability to fulfill the essential role of informed citizens.
Bottom line: College makes you more liberal. On the other hand, actually knowing things seems to make you more conservative – and we know the government doesn’t want more conservatives running around.
The saying goes that ignorance is Bliss. I wonder if the government coined that phrase.
It’s time to get to the kids and shake them out of their liberal inspired bliss. The children are our future; they must be awakened with some cold hard facts based on history, politics and economics. We’d better make sure they know more than what Obama and his buddies are spoon feeding them on our dime and quick.
We need to put our thinking caps on and come up with a game plan to get to the kids. We MUST show them the light – we must educate them with the Truth and Fact. Any and all ideas are welcomed. 
Ignorance is not bliss - it’s our demise.






Sunday, March 13, 2011

WE ARE NOT THE PROBLEM


Back in April of 2009 Department of Homeland Security’s Janet Napolitano sent a report to all law enforcement officers in the US advising them to keep an eye on US military veterans because they are likely to become terrorists. Do you remember that? Military Veterans likely to become terrorists- Hold that thought for a moment.
Terrorist is defined as a radical who employs terror as a political weapon, usually organizes with other terrorists in small cells, often uses religion as a cover for terrorist activities.
Terrorism is defined as the systematic use of terror especially as a means of coercion.
To date, the Tea Party, anti-abortion, anti-gay marriage citizens, aside from Veterans, have been labeled ‘likely to become terrorists’. In fact, the Southern Poverty Law Center published last year their report titled Rage on the Right. We were lumped together with neo-Nazi, Patriot militias, and nativist extremists. To be considered by SPLC as an extremist group the group must be engaged in highly confrontational actions, using hate speech and support violent tactics. Hmm.
In 2009 the DHS Office of Intelligence and Analysis report titled: Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate fueling resurgence in radicalization and recruitment.
Extremism is defined as an ideology or political act far outside the perceived political center of a society; or otherwise claimed to violate common moral standards.
Within that report, conservatives were identified. That put us in the arena with groups such as ALF, ELF and Stop Huntingdon. Rightwing extremism is defined (within the report) as
Rightwing extremism in the US can be broadly divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups), and those that are mainly antigovernment, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration. (THIS is on page 2 of their report if you’d care to fact check it).
 On page 7 of the same report we have this (U) Disgruntled Military Veterans. DHS/I&A assesses that rightwing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize returning veterans in order to exploit their skills and knowledge derived from military training and combat. These skills and knowledge have the potential to boost the capabilities of extremists – including lone wolves or small terrorist cells – to carry out violence. The willingness of a small percentage of military personnel to join extremist groups during the 1990s b/c they were disgruntled, disillusioned, or suffered from the psychological effects of war is being replicated today.
By now you get the picture that WE are the problem not the incompetent and corrupt politicians, officials, department heads and their friends.
Recall the definition I supplied of terrorism and extremism. Now let’s consider some facts shall we:
If the new health care law is so great, then why is the Obama administration allowing so many organizations to opt out of it? According to the Department of Health and Human Services, more than 1000 organizations have received Obamacare waivers so far.
Back in 1913, the federal tax code was a whopping 400 pages long. Today the federal tax code is approximately 70,000 pages long. 
Barack Obama and the Federal Reserve keep trying to convince us all that we are in an economic recovery and yet the number of Americans on food stamps has surpassed the 44 million mark for the first time ever.
The "entitlement mindset" that permeates not only the U.S. government but also much of the voting public was clearly displayed recently when a union protester in Wisconsin asked a counter rally activist the following question: 'Why do you have a right to your money?' Politician Howard Dean echoes this thought by publicly declaring that it is the 'job of the government' to redistribute wealth.  
I don’t know about you but I’d say these few examples could be defined as extreme.
But the crème de la crème are the two letters coming from Obama’s union buddies in Wisconsin. The first to Republican Representatives with direct threats to their lives and the second to business owners to ‘support collective bargaining’ or else. IF these are not examples of terrorism w/implied coercion or the act of a terrorist, I don’t know what is.
The truth of the matter is our government and their friends no longer believe they are answerable to our laws or to We the People, but is very much answerable to ‘some’. Make no mistake - what we are witnessing is a runaway and unlawful federal government and its allies that are damn close to destroying the United States of America. Their unconstitutional actions are countless. Obama’s Press conference last week should have been more than enough of a wake up call.
Rush summed it up best: Obama says the Republicans want cuts in the budget that he won't accept, and Obama said he's tired of people using the budget to advance ideological and political objectives.  Can you believe the outrage that somebody would do that?  He totally opposes using the budget to advance anybody's ideological objectives.  He only says this when the Republicans are in charge of writing the budget, by the way.  His whole budget, all of it, every dime that we don't have that he spends is about advancing his totalitarian agenda.
On Craig’s List a message was uploaded during school hours on Friday, supposedly from a teacher in Michigan that threatens Tea Party’s children. While no one knows if in fact this is from a teacher – look at this threat: So you Tea Bags want to take away my hard earned blue ribbon bennies. Well guess what you scum sucking Tea Bags, I got your kids all day long in my classroom and with just a few slick questions I know who the little tea bags are! And you think you'll have the last laugh HA-Ha-ha. Yup, we’re being held captive by a select few.
So, what do we do? John Sutherland from The Post and Email wrote this Sunday about the Retaking of America and What we can do to help. Most of his piece covered what I wrote about on Saturday – America needs you and please consider running for a representative position. But what he ended his piece with was perfect and thus I’m sharing: 'None of what I’m suggesting will be easy, but then again, neither is slavery to a communist government easy or comfortable.  We Americans have done an excellent job of creating the most successful and beneficial country on the face of the planet, but while we were working and supporting our families, our churches, and our communities, our enemies have sneaked into our camp and have been eating the fruits of our labor and destroying the future of our children.  This criminal action by our enemies must be reversed, and will be reversed, when we patriots retake America'. 
WE are not the problem - WE are the answer!
So, good luck to us all and God Bless America!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

Courage Needed

Daily I write about the trials and tribulations Americans are being forced to endure. Much like when Washington crossed the Potomac, we are facing perilous times.

I could give you figure and fact as to how each facet of our lives is being manipulated, but you are the choir, you know these things already. And you know these things because you read books and history and you do your homework.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve lost friends and family due to your awakened state, for there are those that wish to stay in the dark, their lives are hard enough without us spreading more doom and gloom, no matter the fact that what we tell them is based on reality.

We are called extremists, conspiracy theorists, and even domestic terrorists yet all we long for is the good old days when a moral compass ruled the land. We write letters, send faxes, forward emails with ‘Read to the End’, but nothing seems to make a pertinent difference.

The question becomes ‘why’ and what is the answer?

We are not of the ilk that will take it to the streets. We will not call out of work to go to Albany or Washington and demand to be heard. We will not destroy anything to get our way. It’s not in us b/c we know it’s wrong.

We are believers in the Republic – believers in the power of our vote – believers that something will change. But what do we do if nothing changes and we continue on the spiral declining path we are on?

Today we have many representatives that have forgotten their campaign promises – those that seek more power and re-election vs. what they’re being paid to do and that of course is preserving all that was good and clean in America and correcting the corrupted path we are on.

I get myself in tons of trouble just about weekly calling out representatives who have back tracked on their campaign promises. Many even go out of their way to ignore me in public – which I find humorous. I’m just a mom after all. But you see, they are so accustomed to speaking with people that have no clue that they think they can always get away with it.  

I liken them to my children. When one of my kids misses curfew, I say nothing that evening. In the morning, I let them think they got away with it. Then, I question ‘what time did you come in’ and watch the dance begin. In the end they know they are busted, but they will do their damnedest to make me believe, I am the one with a broken clock.

Our politicians, on both sides, have yet to learn that we, We the People, are grown ups and can handle the truth. We may not like it, but as they have been elected to represent US, they owe us the courtesy of telling us the truth, every day, every time. But 9 times out of 10, that truth may hurt their re election dreams so they resort to lying or pretending that we’ve misunderstood.

Principles matter.

Courage matters. 

As we leave the security of our homes each day we must put on a badge of courage. Courage is defined as the quality of mind or spirit that enables a person to face difficulty, danger, pain, etc without fear. We must have courage in our convictions at all costs and armed with our armor of truth, we can be fearless as we speak with the sheeple among us.

The fight is no longer a Tea Party fight – the fight is a taxpayer versus taxeater fight. Together, we can bring about the changes we seek – smaller, limited government, fiscal responsibility and common sense legislation.  But it will take courage. The saying goes something like this All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. The question becomes what are YOU doing?

I was sent this paragraph and reference it here for it speaks to America’s need – its real need.  People of character must step forward to run for seats both locally and nationally. Citizens of character everywhere must vote for them, work for them and pray for them. Good looks and money and a fancy education are not enough anymore. We need candidates who tell the truth, and who are not afraid to face the music. We need candidates who cherish the Constitution and personal liberty. We must end the character and leadership deficits that we have today. We must not linger. We must do it now.

Do some soul searching this weekend and contemplate your own stepping up to the plate to win back America by becoming a potential candidate, be it on your school board, town board, Party Committee, or County Legislature. You already possess the necessary armor, now you just need to put on the badge of courage.

Give this some serious consideration won’t you? America Needs YOU.







Thursday, March 10, 2011

Our Best Interests

This morning in the Washington Post is the headline ‘Congressional freshmen include dozens of millionaires, financial disclosures show’. The piece states that the ‘members of this year’s freshman class in Congress are far wealthier than the people they represent…’ I find that most intriguing for a number of reasons.

Money talks as they say – so the bigger the purse the better the campaign right?
Not necessarily.
How about the bigger the purse the smarter one is?
Not necessarily.
How about this - those with the biggest purses are the best lawmakers to represent us?
Not necessarily.

So why is it when someone says they are interested in running for a political position – the first question asked is ‘how much money do they have’?

Maybe we should start asking some deeper and more pertinent questions – such as to their character. Perhaps starting with their fiscal and policy beliefs and why they believe what they believe. If someone campaigning says they are ‘for this’ and ‘against that’ we need to make sure they are REALLY for or against it. Sadly, this hasn’t been the overwhelming case.

Many that have been elected recently have now turned the page on their campaign promises. Terms of ‘I won’t hurt those with dirt under their fingernails’ is heard – referring to the unions, ‘You’ve misunderstood’ when in fact we’ve misunderstood nothing but have called them out on their shortcomings and about face from their promises. Many more say ‘you simply do not understand’ when in fact we more than understand.

We the People are a smart bunch and getting smarter each day. It is in our best interest to ask the tough questions, call our representatives to the mat when they break their promises, and be diligently watching – all of them - regardless if you ‘love them’ or don’t.

We need to make sure that every piece of legislation they sign on to, or vote for, or won’t take up is done in the name of our best interests, not their best interests.
Stay alert, stay focused, our nation is at risk.






Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Mandate Relief?


I’m about to step on a lot of toes but the truth must come out if we are to have any chance of survivability. Here’s what’s taking place in New York State, if I understand this correctly (which I think I do) – right now. Governor Cuomo put out a budget calling for a 2% tax cap. Obviously most want a tax reduction but we can discuss that at another time. We were told he would look into the unfunded mandates.  He put together a team to redesign mandate relief and their first shot at it is severely lacking to attack what is plaguing NY. If this team can’t figure that much out - we’re in BIG trouble.

Filled with broad proposals (the time for broad is long gone – we need specifics), the findings prohibit new unfunded mandates (good) and seek ways to limit the unfunded mandates that are passed down to local governments and schools, but not in a significant way.  Their recommendations thus far do not seek repeal of the Wicks Laws. If you’re not familiar with Wicks here’s the skinny: It’s a law that requires multiple contractors on public construction projects. Their proposal does seek some reforms such as eliminating a study requirement for projects and establishing regionally negotiated project labor agreements with the unions but it MUST go farther.

Their report doesn’t even acknowledge the Triborough Amendment at all. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!  This Amendment 100% gives an unfair advantage to unions during labor negotiations by letting them continue step raise increase and longevity increases even when the contract expires.

Recently it was brought to my attention, that as our New York towns are financially sinking many of our Representatives have been backing laws requiring municipalities to pay ‘prevailing wages’.  Now, this is becoming a HUGE problem and here’s why: Suppose a town building needs a roof (many need some type of improvement). By law, any work needed by a municipality or school MUST pay prevailing wage.

Prevailing Wages work like this: (I was sent this example and I’m using it for ease of understanding)

If a union worker works more than 6-8 hours per day (depends on the work title and union) they are entitled to their normal hourly rate plus 1/2 of the hourly rate.
For simplicity say $20.00 per hour and on OT $20.00 plus 1/2 or $30.00 per hour.
The other part of the Prevailing wage is the Benefits portion. These are FIXED Costs like Insurance (Health, Life etc). These rates are constant. They do not change. If a worker works OT he does not have to pay an increase in his Insurance rates. HOWEVER........The Unions are now requiring that the company that hires their men pay double the hourly benefits rate. So if we fix the Benefits rate at $10.00 per hour and use the previous example here is what we have with the old and newly approved Prevailing Wage:

Old   $20.00 HR Wage + $10.00 Benefits = $30.00 per HR normal work day
         $20.00 HR Wage plus 1/2 for OT= $30.00 plus Benefits @ $10.00 = $40.00 HR OT

New   $20.00 HR Wage + $10.00 Benefits = $30.00 per HR normal work day
         $20.00 HR Wage plus 1/2 for OT= $30.00 plus Benefits @ $10.00 x2 = $50.00 HR OT

Okay - Most of this you probably know all that but I’d like to introduce you to A00103.  This Bill fines municipalities which fail to enforce prevailing wage paid by contractors on public works projects 10% of the project costs to be paid to the department of labor for apprenticeship training programs. Sponsored by Michael Montesano (District 15) and co-sponsored by J. Saladino (District 12), G. Finch (District 123),  ROBERT CASTELLI (DISTRICT 89), E. Stevenson (District 79), N. Rivera (District 80), A. Rais (District 9), and M. Miller (District 38) I have to ask just one question – who’s side are these representatives on - The taxpayers or the unions? 
 
What needs to be done is do away with the requirement for municipalities and schools to do business with the unions! WE CANNOT AFFORD THEM! I know, I was dreaming for a second.
However if Cuomo is serious about addressing the unfunded mandates he better get his team to understand that many of the prevailing wage titles require that the company hiring the worker pay double the benefits portion when working overtime. THIS money is not going into the union workers pocket – it’s going to the unions who in turn contribute to political campaigns. 
 
Oh wait….NOW I GET IT.
 
 
 


Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Christianophobics



This morning as I was reading the newspaper I saw an ad for an Easter Egg Hunt. As I read it, I found myself smiling. I suppose I was smiling because it represented a sense of normalcy for me, it represented something good and pure, it represented many happy memories.

As I turned the page, the smile disappeared. A new show is in the works on ABC – Good Christian Bitches. I read what the show is about – aside from the title the plot seemed harmless enough on the surface – but we know better. Nothing is ever as it seems.

The next page spoke of Sharia coming to America. The truth is, it’s already here. Ask your children if they attend school with a Muslim child. If they do you will quickly learn that in your school there is a special place reserved for that child to go and pray – each day. Their schedules have been organized to accommodate their prayer breaks. Judeo/Christian prayers will not be heard in the schools however.

As I was reading the article I remembered two things that happened recently – Molly Norris, the Seattle cartoonist was forced to change her name and go into hiding for drawing a cartoon about Mohammed. In Kansas and Michigan, Christians were arrested for handing out gospel literature on public sidewalks of Muslim neighborhoods.

I also recalled President Obama’s appointments of anti-Christian homosexual activist Kevin Jennings as the safe school czar; pro-abortion advocate Kathleen Seblius’ appointment to Secretary of Human and Health Services and Chai Feldblum, pro-homosexual and anti-religious liberty judge who nominated for the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

The Federal Department of Homeland Security Issued a report, I believe last year, that labeled conservative Christians as ‘extremists and potential terrorists. Do you remember that?

HBO’s program Curb Your Enthusiasm aired an episode where the main actor urinated on a painting of Jesus. I’d label that extreme but HBO has yet to apologize.

Obama himself censors the Declaration of Independence when he quotes it. Why?

I could go on but you get the idea. There’s a common thread at play here – we are being portrayed as the crazy, not –normal citizens. The President, the press and TV producers alike have become a tool of oppression for Christianity for morals for good and as such America is fast becoming a post-Christian nation. That frightens me.

In Losing our Religion: The Liberal Media’s Attack on Christianity by S.E. Cupp, the author argues that the New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, Newsweek among others ‘mock, subvert, pervert, corrupt, debase and extinguish the Judeo-Christian ethic and back believers into a dark, morally void corner of American society.” That rings so very true.

The left’s attacks include efforts to remove Christian symbols from public places, denying citizens the right to mention the name of Jesus in public, causing Christian teachers to deny their own basic religious freedoms for fear of lawsuits.

What is it about morality, individual liberty and free enterprise that frightens so many among us? Why do some try to erase all vestiges of Christianity from our social conscious?

We live in a world where normalcy and good are not in vogue. The attack on Christianity is a real and present danger to one of our bedrock principles. The principle under attack is no less than public acknowledgement that the source of our liberty is Divine Providence.

Did you know that the Liberty bell that hung in Philadelphia on July 4, 1776, was named for the biblical inscription from Leviticus 25:10 and emblazoned around it were the words:
 “Proclaim liberty throughout the land, to all the inhabitants thereof.”

Our historical past proves that Thomas Jefferson, the man that originated the expression ‘Separation of church and state’ understood those words to mean freedom OF religion, not freedom FROM religion. If you visit the Jefferson Memorial, you will witness the source of our liberty the founders knew all too well – the words “God, who gave us life gave us liberty.”

Judeo Christians are not supposed to be politically correct – we are to speak the truth. The truth is we are surrounded by christianophobics. Yes – I’ve taken some liberty and created a new word! We’re living in a world where we ignore the persecution of Christians in the Muslim world and Muslims decry that we suffer from Islamophobia and many jump on board to correct the supposed errors of our ways. I have a newsflash for those jumpers – under sharia it is the non-Muslims who suffer and are persecuted. BIG difference!

WE are the only hope of ensuring that America does not become a post-Christian nation.
Pledge to be silent no more.


Monday, March 7, 2011

Time to Wake Up

Amnesty for illegals.
Sex education for our children.
Millions to mosques.
Millions to Haiti
Millions to prisoners who were illegally searched.
Foreign aid to 150 countries.
Record unemployment.
Corporate bailouts.


We all know some facts about the above tag lines. So today, we’re going to discuss something less well known: Homelessness and Hunger in the United States of America.

Gerald Celente, the CEO of Trends Research Institute, is publisher of the Trends Journal which forecasts and analyzes business, socioeconomic, political, and other trends, and is renowned for his accuracy in predicting future world and economic events which can send a chill down your spine. 
Celente said that by 2012 America will become an underdeveloped nation, that there will be a revolution marked by food riots, squatter rebellions, tax revolts and job marches, and that holidays will be more about obtaining food, not gifts.
"We're going to see the end of the retail Christmas... we're going to see a fundamental shift take place... putting food on the table is going to be more important than putting gifts under the Christmas tree," said Celente, adding that the situation would be "worse than the great depression."
"America's going to go through a transition the likes of which no one is prepared for," said Celente, noting that people's refusal to acknowledge that America was is even in a recession highlights how big a problem denial is in being ready for the true scale of the crisis.
At the end of 2010 Optimistic economists believed that the housing market would recover if the economy stabilized and started to improve. They predicted a better housing market in 2011 for a variety of reasons, but the numbers seem determined to prove the economists wrong. 

According to a new survey released by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the number of people experiencing homelessness and hunger has increased in the past year.

The survey, which encompasses twenty-seven major cities found that the overall number of Americans who went homeless in 2010 increased by two percent. More than half of the cities saw an increase in the number of families and individuals experiencing homelessness. The number of families who went homeless rose by nine percent, and the number of individuals who went homeless increased by 2.5 percent.

Since the early 1980's, the U.S. Conference of Mayors has studied the extent of hunger and homelessness issues in cities throughout the U.S., as well as efforts cities are making to address these challenges
Every city surveyed reported that requests for emergency food assistance increased over the past year, and those requests increased by an average of 24% across the cities. Among those requesting emergency food assistance, 56% were persons in families, 30% were employed, 19% were elderly, and 17% were homeless. Unemployment led the list of causes of hunger cited by the survey cities, followed by high housing costs, low wages, poverty, and lack of access to SNAP/food stamps.
Nearly 14 million children are estimated to be served by Feeding America, over 3 million of which are ages 5 and under.

According to the USDA in 2010, over 17 million children lived in food insecure (low food security and very low food security) households and that number is on the rise. 20% or more of the child population in 16 states and D.C. are living in food insecure households.  The states of Arkansas (24.4 percent) and Texas (24.3 percent) have the highest rates of children in households without consistent access to food. 1,063,864 households (14.2%) in Florida are food insecure.

The Washington Times reported in January that one in six Americans now relies on Feeding America for food and groceries. Some 37.9 million people -- one in eight Americans -- receive food stamps to help buy food at latest count.

I could give you more horrendous facts like how much the federal government has spent producing things in languages other than English but you get the idea. Our government seems hell bent on sending millions overseas, taxing business either out of business or out of country, amnesty for illegals etc. while AMERICANS are going hungry each day and night.

Can someone, anyone, explain this rational – because I can’t.

George Washington long ago urged that the US must "Act for ourselves and not for others," by forming an "American character wholly free of foreign attachments. Americans must push the notion to their representatives, that right now, we MUST put AMERICANS first! They need to stop playing around with our money, stop playing partisan games and get back to the business of making America great! That means less government, fiscal responsibility, and a moral compass focused on America.





Sunday, March 6, 2011

One of the most intelligent pieces I’ve read in quite sometime

If every school principal gave this speech at the beginning of the next school year, America would be a better place. 

To the students and faculty of our high school:
I am your new principal, and honored to be so. There is no greater calling than to teach young people.

I would like to apprise you of some important changes coming to our school. I am making these changes because I am convinced that most of the ideas that have dominated public education in America have worked against you, against your teachers and against our country.

First, this school will no longer honor race or ethnicity. I could not care less if your racial makeup is black, brown, red, yellow or white. I could not care less if your origins are African, Latin American, Asian or European, or if your ancestors arrived here on the Mayflower or on slave ships.

The only identity I care about, the only one this school will recognize, is your individual identity -- your character, your scholarship, your humanity. And the only national identity this school will care about is American. This is an American public school, and American public schools were created to make better Americans.

If you wish to affirm an ethnic, racial or religious identity through school, you will have to go elsewhere. We will end all ethnicity-, race- and non-American nationality-based celebrations. They undermine the motto of America, one of its three central values -- e pluribus unum, "from many, one." And this school will be guided by America's values.

This includes all after-school clubs. I will not authorize clubs that divide students based on any identities. This includes race, language, religion, sexual orientation or whatever else may become in vogue in a society divided by political correctness.

Your clubs will be based on interests and passions, not blood, ethnic, racial or other physically defined ties. Those clubs just cultivate narcissism -- an unhealthy preoccupation with the self -- while the purpose of education is to get you to think beyond yourself. So we will have clubs that transport you to the wonders and glories of art, music, astronomy, languages you do not already speak, carpentry and more. If the only extracurricular activities you can imagine being interesting in are those based on ethnic, racial or sexual identity, that means that little outside of yourself really interests you.

Second, I am uninterested in whether English is your native language. My only interest in terms of language is that you leave this school speaking and writing English as fluently as possible. The English language has united America's citizens for over 200 years, and it will unite us at this school. It is one of the indispensable reasons this country of immigrants has always come to be one country. And if you leave this school without excellent English language skills, I would be remiss in my duty to ensure that you will be prepared to successfully compete in the American job market. We will learn other languages here -- it is deplorable that most Americans only speak English -- but if you want classes taught in your native language rather than in English, this is not your school.

Third, because I regard learning as a sacred endeavor, everything in this school will reflect learning's elevated status. This means, among other things, that you and your teachers will dress accordingly. Many people in our society dress more formally for Hollywood events than for church or school. These people have their priorities backward. Therefore, there will be a formal dress code at this school.

Fourth, no obscene language will be tolerated anywhere on this school's property -- whether in class, in the hallways or at athletic events. If you can't speak without using the f-word, you can't speak. By obscene language I mean the words banned by the Federal Communications Commission, plus epithets such as "Nigger," even when used by one black student to address another black, or "bitch," even when addressed by a girl to a girlfriend. It is my intent that by the time you leave this school, you will be among the few your age to instinctively distinguish between the elevated and the degraded, the holy and the obscene.

Fifth, we will end all self-esteem programs. In this school, self-esteem will be attained in only one way -- the way people attained it until decided otherwise a generation ago -- by earning it. One immediate consequence is that there will be one valedictorian, not eight.

Sixth, and last, I am reorienting the school toward academics and away from politics and propaganda. No more time will devoted to scaring you about smoking and caffeine, or terrifying you about sexual harassment or global warming. No more semesters will be devoted to condom wearing and teaching you to regard sexual relations as only or primarily a health issue. There will be no more attempts to convince you that you are a victim because you are not white, or not male, or not heterosexual or not Christian. We will have failed if any one of you graduates this school and does not consider him or herself inordinately lucky -- to be alive and to be an American.

Now, please stand and join me in the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag of our country. As many of you do not know the words, your teachers will hand them out to you.

Thank you Dennis Prager!