Cap and Trade

So I went to the gas station to fuel up and I notice all of these posters on the pumps about Cap and Trade. They say if Cap and Trade passes, the price of gas will go up 77 cents a gallon. That's around $12 more each fill-up for me. Naturally, I'm pissed. I've heard the rhetoric from Obama that Cap and Trade will cost no more than a postage stamp for American families each year. The Heritage Foundation has calculated the actual cost at about $1,870 per family of four. (That's all energy costs - not just gas costs.)

Then I go home and get the mail and find a flyer from my Rep. Ralph Hall. In it, he discusses why he voted against Cap and Trade:

"The Waxman-Markey bill (Cap and Trade) mandates that by 2050 Carbon Dioxide levels in the US by reduced by 83% below 2005 levels. These emissions levels are comparable to those of 1907 when the primary mode of transportation was horse-back.

According to Chip Knappenberger of the World Climate Report, this cap on carbon emissions would do little for the environment. Knappenberger reported that the temperature increases would be lowered merely hundredths of a single degree Fahrenheit over the next 40 years."

Thanks Congress. When people are losing their jobs en masse, businesses are tanking, families are struggling, you jokers want to increase our energy costs??!?! I think the question here is are you working for us or against us???

Socialized Medicine Makes Me Sick

I'm psyched that more and more people are coming around and realizing that the Dems Universal Healthcare Plan is simply BAD NEWS. Even more encouraging stats came out today.

I got a raging sinus infection this week. I'm no wuss but I thought I would have to call Sigourney Weaver to kill the alien that was about to burst from my forehead. I got a doctors appointment (I LOVE my doctor.) and went and sat in the waiting room for about 30 minutes to see her. As I suffered through each minute, I thought, my God, what will this be like when we're all on this mandatory public health plan. Sitting in a waiting room for hours and hours like they do in Canada and Great Britain.

I got called in to see my fantastic doctor. She spent as much time as I needed talking to me, examining me, counseling me on the medication she was prescribing me. With the public health plan, this poor woman wouldnt have this kind of time. She'd be churning out people like an assembly line, throwing government approved medicines at us. Knowing my doctor, she'd refuse to provide that type of care and she'd have to apply her talents some other field of business.

Next I went to the pharmacy. It was packed. I waited with about 10 other people for 25 minutes to get my prescription. I knew it would be 10 times worse with the public health plan.

I thought to myself, what if it wasn't just me, standing here in misery, wanting so badly to get my medicine, go home, go to bed and get better. What if I was here with a sick baby who was suffering and crying and begging to feel better as we sat in the waiting room for 6 hours waiting for treatment.

Furious, I called Harry Reid, one of the idiot Democrats who is still trying like hell to push this public plan through (despite the will of his constituents) and I gave his voicemail a piece of my mind. This is America. What the hell are they doing trying to force us all into health plans that we dont want. Plans that will cause our quality of care to decline considerably (just ask Great Britain) and for what - so illegal immigrants get free healthcare, so that people who choose tricked out tires over health insurance will be covered, so people who sit on their butts all day while I go to work dont have to pay???

Ludicrous. Call your reps and give them a piece of your mind. Start with dimwit Harry Reid. Here's his #: 202-224-3542.

More of Our Tax Dollars Flushed - Thanks Congress!

The Pork Report - from BigGovernment.com

Grateful Dead archive receives $615,175 federal grant; “The ultimate goal… is that everyone will have a Grateful Dead experience”

Renovation project at the Bill Clinton presidential center will receive $2.5 million of federal stimulus funds

North Carolina Department of Transportation spending $1.2 million of federal stimulus funds to renovate a lighthouse and another $3 million to paint a bridge

Congress approves $250 million increase in its own budget.

More...

Great quote

"It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master."

- Ayn Rand

This guy is my hero! Thanks!

Democrats vs. American Business

Banks are bad. Oil companies are bad. Insurance companies are bad. Drug companies are bad. That's the Democratic party line.

Since all these companies are bad, doing bad things, let's just have the government run them. You know, since the government never does anything bad. Hey, what a minute...

I am so sick and tired of hearing about how a company trying to make money is evil. When a company produces a product or service in America, every single American has a choice to purchase it. No one is forced to. Americans are free and they have the right to make a choice about whether a product or service is right for them.

Insurance companies for example - Insurance companies provide the service of insuring you or your property. They work with you to create the insurance package for you and you can say yes or no. You can choose to go with that company, another company OR to stay uninsured. Yes, there are people who choose to be uninsured. And they have the RIGHT to be.

In a recent town hall meeting in Montana, after being questioned about why he's vilifying insurance companies, Obama said that some insurance companies have said that they needed to take on more customers before they could make some of the drastic changes he is demanding of them. He made it sound like that was evil. Obama, this is a company, not a lollipop-gumdrop-kumbuya-not-for-profit-money-bin. These companies have to do what they can to stay in business, to keep their employees employed, to provide their customers with the services they were promised. Not only that, but they have a right to make a profit. Gasp! The Dems think a company making a profit is evil.

If an insurance company has bad practices and does evil things, they lose customers to another insurance company who is not doing those things. It's called capitalism. This goes with any business. If a person cant get a loan at one bank, they go to another bank. If the trainers at one gym are jerks, I go to another gym. It's competition in the FREE MARKET. And this free market allows Americans to have an abundance of choices - choices about healthcare, health insurance, checking accounts, motor oil, prescriptions, cereal, tampons, milk - EVERYTHING. That's what makes our quality of life so great.

And the Democrats want to kill that.

Enjoy freedom? Thank a soldier! Today and every day.

YOU MUST WATCH THIS - Daniel Hannon Talks Universal Healthcare on Glenn Beck

Can't Read the Bill? Can Conyers Read at All?

Um, well John, aren't you a lawyer? Oh and if you need a refresher on what you should be doing in your job as a Congressman, there's a great program called SchoolHouse Rock that you might want to watch.

Palin Power Hour

Unlike a lot of Republicans of late, Sarah is actually representing conservatives. Here are some excerpts from the Sarah Palin Power Hour, courtesy of our friends at Urban Conservative.

"You have such important jobs reporting facts and informing the electorate and exerting power to influence. You represent what could and should be a respected, honest profession that could and should be a cornerstone of our democracy. Democracy depends on you. And that is why our troops are willing to die for you. So, how about — in honor of the American soldier — you quit making things up. (cheers and applause) And don’t underestimate the wisdom of the people."

"We must value and live the optimistic pioneering spirit that made this state proud and free, and we can resist enslavement to big central government that crushes hope and opportunity. Be wary of accepting government largesse. It doesn’t come free, and often accepting it takes away everything that is free. Melting into Washington’s powerful, caretaking arms will just suck incentive to work hard and chart our own course right out of us — and that not only contributes to an unstable economy and dizzying national debt, but it does make us less free."

"Please, let’s not start believing that government is the answer. It can’t make you happy or healthy or wealthy or wise. What can? It is the wisdom of the people and our families and our small businesses and industrious individuals, and it is God’s grace helping those who help themselves. (whistles and cheers) And then this allows that very generous voluntary hand up that we’re known for enthusiastically providing those who need it."

The press called it "rambling". Have they listened to their own newcasts lately?

Great Cartoon!

We dont need Republicans like Mark Sanford

So Gov. Mark Sanford has written a letter apologizing to voters for his affair. And yet he hasn't resigned. He asks the people of South Carolina to "trust God in his larger work of changing me, and from my end, to work to becoming a better and more effective leader."

Sorry pal, you stopped being an effective leader when you disappeared for a week and no one could find you. Effective leaders think in the best interest of their constituents and act accordingly. Like Blagojevich before you, you've turned that office into a circus...and it looks like you are enjoying being ringmaster.

Thank a Soldier for Another Wonderful Day of Freedom

This video features a song by the extremely talented Mike Corrado. He is a Marine and an amazing musician. Thanks to "Jordanxxx" who made this video.

Happy Birthday America! Happy 4th to everyone!

Only Dead Fish Go with the Flow

Argh! **Teeth Gnashing** Has everyone had a lobotomy? I'm screaming at FoxNews. Sarah Palin is dropping out because she can't take the heat? Please! This woman ran on the principles of being a true conservative and an efficient and effectual governor. As she stated in her speech today, since her VP campaign, the attention that she has garnered and the sheer volume of attacks that she has endured have eaten up time (not just for her but for her entire staff) and money (not just hers but $2 million of the Alaskan taxpayers money). By no fault of her own, she has been rendered a less effective and efficient governor than she was before she became the superstar that she is today. And true to her word, she is stepping down to allow the Lt. Governor to continue the incredible work that she began 3 years ago. The problem is that we are so used to politicians being these self-serving, incompetent, impotent, spendaholics that when someone like Sarah Palin makes a move that is in the best interest of her constituents, we call it "not being able to take the heat."

Government Circumventing Checks and Balances? This is scary stuff people.

America: The Cause of All the Worlds Problems

Hey, did you know that everything bad that has ever happened in the world is America's fault? No kidding! I didn't know that either until Barack was elected president and told me. Turns out that it goes way beyond supplying Mexico with guns and consuming all their drugs. It goes beyond being arrogant and harming great nations like Cuba and Venezuela. Our negative impact on the world goes back to biblical times. Did you know that it was actually the United States, and not Ramses II, who enslaved the Hebrews? Bet you didn't know that the United States was organizing Crusades against Muslims in the 11th century, 200 years before Christopher Columbus discovered the New World. Are you aware of the fact that America is directly responsible for the spread of the Bubonic plague across Europe? All true - just ask some of our leaders.

Let Them Drink Tea!

By this point, you'd think that there was nothing the media could do that would surprise us anymore. It's no secret that their collective brain views Obama as the second coming and that all the real estate between New York and L.A. is populated by banjo-picking hayseeds. They no longer hide their agendas like they once attempted to do in the interest of preserving some semblance of journalistic integrity. Their opinions and goals are now clearly spelled out. So then why was I so surprised at how the liberal media viewed the tea partiers? Why was I surprised when they called us "racists" and "hicks" and "puppets of FoxNews?" Why was I surprised when they started using teabagging jokes about us in their newscasts?

At first, I was pissed. I sat down, cracked my knuckles and got ready to type up some hatemail to all those so-called news networks. But then I realized something. When a person starts throwing out those kinds of labels, it's because they have nothing else intelligent to say. It's like a kid arguing with another kid on the playground and then calling him "Fat."

By calling all the tea partiers "racists" and "hillbillies", you don't have to do the work to investigate the true reason behind the protests. These journalists could have spent some time actually listening to people and comprehending this activism but that would take too much time and effort. It's easier just to slap some derogatory label on the whole thing and hop back on a plane to the Hamptons.

To Marcus and Dasy

Our hearts are broken for decorated Navy Seal, fellow Texan and American Hero Marcus Luttrell. On April 1st, some fiends went on a dog-killing spree and killed his beloved therapy dog Dasy with a 9 mm. Marcus had been given Dasy as a a gift to help him recover from his injuries as well as the traumatic experiences he endured during his mission in Afghanistan. (For details, read his book: Lone Survivor - linked at right). He even named Dasy after his three fallen comrades. Marcus expressed that his bond with the 4 year old yellow labrador was so strong that he felt she was his daughter. As someone who loves their dogs like children, I cannot begin to imagine how he feels. I encourage everyone to say a little prayer for Marcus and for Dasy. I will also say a prayer that those dog killers die in jail.

Biden the Blowhard

It's fairly easy to see why Obama's handlers never let Joe Biden talk during the campaign. If Barack has a tongue made of gold, then Joe's tongue is, well, horse manure. According to a recent news article, Biden stated that he chastised then President George W. Bush on more than one occasion.

"I remember President Bush saying to me one time in the Oval Office," Biden told CNN on Tuesday, "'Well, Joe,' he said, 'I'm a leader.' And I said: 'Mr. President, turn and around look behind you. No one is following.'"

In 2004, on HBO's Real Time with Bill Mahar, Biden said "When I speak to the president - and I have had plenty of opportunity to be with the president, at least prior to the last election, a lot of hours alone with him. I mean, meaning me and his staff," Biden said on HBO's "Real Time with Bill Maher" in April 2006. "And the president will say things to me, and I'll literally turn to the president, say: 'Mr. President, how can you say that, knowing you don't know the facts?' And he'll look at me and he'll say - my word - he'll look at me and he'll say: 'My instincts.' He said: 'I have good instincts.' I said: 'Mr. President, your instincts aren't good enough.'"

Hmmm. Well, numerous Bush aides, former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer and Former Advisor Karl Rove have all disputed these assertions. Rove even commented "It didn't happen." Rove, a FOX News contributor, said in an interview with "On the Record, "I hate to say this, but he's a serial exaggerator. If I was being unkind, I would say liar, but it is a habit he ought to drop."

Candida P. Wolff, Bush's White House liaison to Capitol Hill, said the only meetings she remembered between Bush and Biden also included other lawmakers. She said such meetings were held in the Cabinet Room or the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, not the Oval Office, and certainly did not last for "hours."

This is not the first time the veracity of Biden's assertions has been challenged. In 1988, he dropped out of the presidential race after being accused of plagiarizing British Labor Party leader Neil Kinnock. The Washington Post also cited "the senator's boastful exaggerations of his academic record."

Last year, liberal Slate magazine recalled that "Biden's misdeeds encompassed numerous self-aggrandizing thefts, misstatements, and exaggerations that seemed to point to a serious character defect."

Also last year, Biden came under fire for telling a questionable story about being "shot at" in Iraq.

"Let's start telling the truth," Biden said during a presidential primary debate sponsored by YouTube in July. "Number one, you take all the troops out -- you better have helicopters ready to take those 3,000 civilians inside the Green Zone, where I have been seven times and shot at. You better make sure you have protection for them, or let them die."

But when questioned about the episode afterward by the Hill newspaper, Biden backpedaled from his claim of being "shot at" and instead allowed: "I was near where a shot landed."

Biden went on to say that some sort of projectile "landed" outside a building in the Green Zone where he and another senator had spent the night during a visit in December 2005. The lawmakers were shaving in the morning when they felt the building shake, Biden said.

Wow. How's that for transparency. You think this guy's gonna be honest with you when the going get's tough?

Or is it that Obama is just as full of crap, only he's much better at saying it?

Meant to Be by Ryan Scott Bomberger