Tired of the System

I am tired of the system.

In 2010 and 2012, I am voting for anyone without an i next to their name.

Im tired of rich folk and career politicians deciding what is best for me.

Remember that whole "By the People For the People" thing? Well, you're not living up to your end of the bargain Washington.

I am tired of Republicans not fighting anything. Just letting everything go so in 2010 and 2012 they can just say "pfshh it wasnt us" and get re-elected.

This isnt a game Washington. This is our lives. You treat this country and the people in it like pawns in your own selfish game. You seek only to further your own self and agenda, not do the job to which you were elected: to represent the interests and feelings of those who elected you.

But the tide is changing. People are standing up and demanding actions. They are demanding to see the change that was promised to them.

Because that "politics as usual" you promised to get rid of is still alive and strong.

Thank goodness there is Glenn Beck. Someone who feels the same anger as the people and has the ability to be heard. He's not afraid to be locked up for what he says, because it is the truth as he sees it. His montra: Question with boldness. Hold to the truth. Speak without fear. It is one I have tried to adopt as my own, the best that I can.

I want to fight the system, to point out its wrongs, to help enact change that will better the country I love. But I'm getting tired and discouraged. I don't have the ability to do it all, and I want so badly to be able to. I don't know how people like Beck do it everyday AND deal with all of the hate and threats that come their way.

Maybe I'm not cut out for this. I know I'm not cut out for politics, but I thought I could fight the system- report on it and expose its corruption. Maybe not. Maybe I need a break from it for a while.

So if you don't hear from me for a while, I am not gone forever. I am just recharging. I may not be fighting the battles, but I am preparing for the war.

A Woman Without A Party

Like many Americans, I have recently been reevaluating my political stance.

No, my views are not changing.

But my party is.

I am now a woman without a party.

Ronald Reagan famously said, "I didn't leave the democratic party. The democratic party left me." And I'm feeling the same way, but about the republican party.

I was under the impression that the republican party was for limited government. I guess I was wrong. They are for limited government...except when it comes to personal issues. The party is staunchly against gay marriage and abortion. Personally, I have absolutely no problem with gay rights. How does it affect me if two people of the same gender love each other and want to spend the rest of their lives together? it doesn't. So why not allow it?

When it comes to abortion, I think it should be left up to the states, like the constitution says (the same with gay marriage). I don't like the idea of killing babies, but I don't like the idea of the government controlling people's bodies either.

However, fiscally and foreign policy, I am right with the republicans. Maybe I'm not "religious" enough for them. I dunno. For now, I'm in search of a party. I don't know if I want to continue going to College Republican meetings. They're so gung-ho for republican ideals and principles, when I no longer am.

So I am posting this note as a classified ad: Desperately Seeking Political Party. Must accept my views, even if you don't agree with them.

Spreading the Wealth One Thread At A Time

The first thread I will write about involves President Obama and his spreading the wealth. Let me refresh you on the first instance of this concept with then-Senator Obama and a guy by the name of Joe the Plumber:

Obama: Because my attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. If you've got a plumbing business, you're gonna be better off if you've got a whole bunch of customers who can afford to hire you. And right now, everybody's so pinched that business is bad for everybody. And I think when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody.

Many have argued that this is a fluke or a misstatement, or a non-issue. But I'm taking the president at his word when he says to look to those he surrounds himself with to figure out his ideals and policies. Thus, I bring to you President Obama and Social Justice!

The concept of social justice is one used mainly by the left. it is used in reference to a society that has a large gap between economic classes. The idea of social justice is to bring the lowest class closer to the highest by taking from the highest and giving to the lowest.

Sound like spreading the wealth around?

This term shows up in the mission statements of several groups the president has associated himself with, or have associated themselves with him. The Service Employees International Union, commonly known as SEIU,states in its code of ethics that it is "committed to pursuing justice for all, and in particular to bringing economic and social justice to the most exploited."

Obama has spoken at the last SEIU convention, and they openly are working with the administration and were vocal supporters of the president during the campaign.

The ever popular Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now, or ACORN, has similar goals. It says on its website that it is made up primarily of low to middle income people and says it is a non-profit, non-partisan "social justice organization."

And both ACORN and SEIU receive funding from the complex organization called the TIDES Foundation. TIDES is basically a middle-man. People give money to TIDES so it is anonymously given to other organizations. That way, people can fund whatever cause they want, but it is not known. On its site, the organizations says it aims to promote "economic justice" TIDES also believes in funding from "bottom to top and from side-to-side." That policy sounds a lot like what the president proposed, doesn't it?


So, if we do as the president says, we have learned that the president has been associated with groups that have set out to take from the rich and give to the poor. To create a more equal economic society by punishing success.This information isn't hidden. Quite the opposite, it is readily available on all these organizations websites. Their ties to the president are no secret either. Which makes it even more puzzling why no one has picked up on it yet.

The other threads are just as obvious. More on those in due time.

These Are the Times That Try Men's Souls

Things have taken an interesting turn in America.

The public that was so enamored by President Obama from around October to March has started to wake up.

They notice that the change they voted for is not the change they are getting.

They see out-of-control spending and a health care bill that is 1000 pages, that no one has read, and could potentially lead to rationing of medicine.

And they don't seem to want to take it anymore.

I've taken a cue from a fellow broadcaster and am pulling the threads. Some are threads I have gotten from him, others I have found on my own, and some are the same, I'm just pulling a little harder.

Very soon, hopefully, the entire sweater will unravel.

I have for several years now identified myself as a republican. I believed that my party was the one that would keep America safe, would shrink government, and would uphold the Constitution and defend liberty at all costs.

These days, I feel an awful lot like Ronal Reagan when he said he didn't leave the Democrat party, the party left him.

Democrats and liberals are putting our nation on a jet plain to socialism. Republicans are just sitting back, so that in two years they can say "I told you so!" in hopes that they will get reelected or claim spots from the other party.

The president is holding himself up on vacation or in the White House, surrounded by yes men, self-proclaimed communists, and schemers who seek to enact their own vision of what America should be, and seek to create and use crises to make that change happen.

I sound very much like that broadcaster I mentioned earlier, and that is intended. It is not plagiarism, copying, or imitating. It is purely the same motivation and need to bring these things to people's attentions in order to preserve the country we both hold dear.

A very wise man one said, "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is a natural manure." It is not a violent war to which he spoke. No muskets or bayonets need be used to shed this blood. No, the weapons to be used are pens and paper, cell phones and video cameras, words and ideas.

The blood that shall be spilt will not be the blood of anyone, merely the flock of politicians ripped from the jobs to which they so desperately cling. It will be the men and women who disposed of their morals, values, principles, and ideals in order to obtain what little power they perceive to have.

Unfortunately, they fail to realize that they are merely puppets attached to the strings of special interests, major companies, and the men behind the curtain. What few realize it, and did not sell their souls are few and far between, and their cries cannot be heard above the roar of the majority.

If I am right in what I believe, i cannot win. America will sink into a socialistic state where capitalism, free market, free speech, and dissent are gone. All of the ideal and work the founding fathers put into making this country the great nation it has become will have been for naught, in vain. If I am wrong? I loose credibility at age 21 and will be outcast from the journalistic world I am studying to become a part of. Oh well. I doubt anyone gave any credibility to me to begin with. And I was planning to go to law school anyway, so a change in career is not that difficult.

But you know what? It's ok. I have no problem loosing what little I have by speaking up for what I believe. For seeking the truth where no one else wants to look. For questioning the government and those in it, and for trying to preserve this nation and its founding ideals.

So, it is up to us. People like me and my fellow broadcaster. People like you and your friends. We have nothing to loose, and everything to gain. Please seek the truth on your own. Look for answers. Ask questions. Do not sit back while decisions that affect your life are made for you.

And if we all go down, it won't have been without a fight.

Town Hall Sparks Debate, Discussion

The Democratic National Party's statement that the "angry mobs" at town hall events were all taking orders from the Republican Party was proved wrong Monday night.

A standing-room-only crowd filled the Mcallister meeting rooms of the Tippecanoe County Library's downtown branch Monday night for a town hall meeting on the proposed health care bill.

Most in attendance were against the bill, sparking up conversations with those around them before the meeting began. Those who came ranged from toddlers to the elderly.

The man speaker of the even was Donn Brown, a member of the group Citizens in Action. Brown discussed how he sees the bill as not a health care bill, but a taking away of freedoms.

He started the meeting with the Pledge of Alligance, then launched into hand-raising questions such as if those in attendance believed in the constitution and if they supported the bill.

Isabel Hogue, an insurance agent, also spoke. She gave the croud a history of the insurance industry and explained how it functions. She told the crowd that a large reason for the rise in health care costs is because no one knows how much it actually costs, as all they pay are copays, saying a government-run system would just cause more hassle and higher costs.

Before the question and answer session could begin, an audience member shouted out "Do you have insurance?" to Brown, who replied that he did. The person then began yelling back, which caused Brown to tell the crowd that the meeting would end if there was disruptive behavior "like you see on tv."

The warning did not stop anyone. During the question and answer session, many who support President Obama took to yelling at those who oppose him, and at Brown. One man walked out after Brown said someone else's health care was not his responsibility and did not allow the man to continue interrupting the questions.

Near the meeting's end, Brown had Ashley Freije speak to the crowd. Freije, 21, said she had read the entire health care bill, and told the crowd some items she found of interest, such as tax hikes and information gathering techniques, that were not in the group's meeting notes.

Brown ended the meeting by asking everyone to contact their congressmen and tell them to oppose the bill. He also encouraged people to call state officials and congressmen from other states and districts.

Citizens in Action will hold another town hall meeting Tuesday night at the Klondike branch of the Tippecanoe County Public Library.

Where Have You Been, America?

Recently, I saw a commercial about government spending. The ad outlines all of the spending of the Obama administration thus far, and the estimated cost of the proposed health care bill. The commercial showed money being printed and asked the government to stop spending, because all of the money is gone.

Um... the money has been gone for a very, very long time.

I love that Americans are standing up and questioning the choices of the government, but this is not a new phenomenon. Government spending has been exceeded revenue for decades. money has been printed to supply this spending for just as long. Not since President Andrew Jackson in 1835 has the United States not been in debt to itself. The accomplishment was short lived, however, as a depression two years later caused the government to start going into debt with itself again.

Yes, we had a budget surplus under President Clinton, but one could argue it was due to Newt Gingrich and the Republican-controlled congress's policies. And I am by no means ignoring the spending of the Bush administration. I do believe some of the spending was required as a result of the attack of September 11 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but the federal bail outs and other spending during the presidency were unnecessary and too high.

Yes, I have not read any of the 1000+ pages of the health care bill, therefore I cannot argue over the bill's contents, but I can argue to the cost. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the bill could cost up to $3 trillion dollars in the next ten years. After the the $3.6 trillion dollar budget proposed by President Obama for the 2010 fiscal year, this is not a cost we can bare. New unemployment filings were up by 8,000 for the month of July, and retail sales were down 0.1% for the month. With an economy still in a recession, this bill is not a cost that America can afford right now.

You Say You Want A Revolution?

Iran held "elections" this past weekend. Initially, Mir Hossein Mousavi claimed a huge victory. However, less than 24-hours later, the Ayatollah claimed that President Ahmadinejad had kept the presidency by a 2-1 margin. This sparked outrage in the country's capital of Tehran, with massive protests. While the US has kept quiet on the issue of the election's legitimacy, the people of Iran and the other three candidates are not. In order to stop this, the country slowed and, in some cases, cut=off internet access to the country, cut off power, and limited television channels. Foreign journalists have been told to leave the country as soon as possible, and both Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah stand behind the results.

It is encouraging to see the people of Iran taking part in their country. Western stereotypes claim that Iranians are brainwashed, or simply do not care what happens to them. This weekend has shown quite the opposite. The people are tired of Ahmadinejad's "morality police" and his bankrupting the country.

This protesting comes at a price. Reports came out yesterday that police had beat a protester to death. The government rolled tanks into Tehran, and today brings even more deaths at the hands of the police. For an election that was open and fair, the government is very paranoid about the voice of the people, and are doing everything that they can to silence them. It is feared that unless the US steps in, this uprising may be silenced, or fade out. However, with Mosavi and others refusing to accept the election's results, it seems that may not happen after all. The people of Iran are helping themselves, and showing the world that they are not standing by while their country distances itself from the world.

Several websites are keeping tabs on the situation through first-person accounts, tweets, and news sources. the NIAC blog is a great source of news and up-to-the-minute information, as is the Tehran Bureau. The New York Times also has a great blog here with lots of insider information.

100 Days In,

Since President Obama feels the need to hold a press conference to congratulate himself on lasting 100 days in office (thus moving Scrubs from tonight AND most likely causing Lost to start late) I figure I should pitch in and compile my own list of the presidents fine achievements in these first 100 days.

1. He spent more money in his first 100 days than some presidents spent in their entire terms.

2. He has signed an order to close the military prison at Guantanimo Bay, releasing hundreds of terrorists onto US streets and streets of any country who is stupid enough to accept them.

3. He has given al Queda our interrogation playbook and manipulated Americans to think that a caterpillar constitutes torture.

4. He has become more attached to a TelePrompTer than I am to my own appendages.

5. He broke all codes of behavior upon meeting the Queen of England
5a. He gave the Queen of England an iPod...full of his own speeches.

6. He gave the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom dvds...that were region 1 and would not play on Gordon Brown's region 2 DVD player.

7.He bowed to the leader of Saudi Arabia.

8. He is now BFFs with Hugo Chavez

9. He has repeatedly ruined my television watching schedule with his horribly-timed press conferences and addresses to the nation. Yes, I am bitter.

Those are the most important achievements, I think. 100 days down, 1360 to go. But, you know, I'm not counting or eagerly anticipating it or anything.

Quick Question

If there is a war against swine flu, will the Obama Administration call it the "Global Struggle Against Infectious and Violent Diseases" instead of the "War on Swine Flu"?

How Far Can We Go?

The Obama administration has made the massive mistake of releasing documents outlining US interrogation techniques since September 11, 2001. Oddly enough, they have forgotten to release the accompanying documents that show the success of these interrogations. Former Vice-President Dick Cheny has been giving interviews, discrediting the administration's claims that these techniques did not work, and calling for them to own up to the memos showing the success of these techniques.

While it is an immense National Security threat to allow al Queda and others the ability to see step-by-step guides to US interrogation techniques, it is an even graver thing for the President of the United States to say that he is "open" to the idea of going after former President Bush and others in his administration for the "torture" of enemy combatants. He will not go after the people who actually did the torturing, however, because they "were just following orders."

Hmmm...we didn't fall for that trick with Nazis, but I guess it's ok when the president just wants to seek some sort of revenge on the previous administration.

I'm going to come right out and say it: sometimes, torture is necessary. It is not good, but it is necessary. Do you think that al Queda or other terror groups would think twice about using techniques far worse than the US has ever used on an American soldier they capture? No, they wouldn't even think about not using it.

And no, using torture does not make the US less of a leader or just like other countries and organizations. It merely evens the playing field. I do not believe that risking the lives of thousands, if not millions of people is worth not using every option to gain intelligence from a terror suspect. These people are not protected under the Geneva Convention. They are not fighting in an organized military, or for a country. They are rogue, evil, terrorists.

President Obama, however, does not seem to feel the same. And if something tragic does happen, I will have to begrudgingly say I told you so.

But really, the point of this is not to go after the Bush Administration (hrm...I seem to remember Candidate Obama talking about how he was looking to the future, not dealing with the past...). This is an attempt to change the focus. President Obama failed to get anything done at the G20, he is failing to fully address the economic crisis, and, most importantly, Rahm Immanuel, his Chief of Staff, is playing damage control by distracting America from the Presidents MASSIVE snafu at the Conference of the Americas and his becoming BFF's with socialist leader and human rights violator Hugo Chavez. Immanuel is killing two birds with one stone, he is getting the Bush Administration, and making President Obama look like the good guy.

America seems to be wising up though. The president's approval rating has dropped from 70% on inauguration day to 54%. 50% of Americans view the tea parties favorably, and a whopping 54% of moderate democrats view the tea parties favorably. Maybe there is hope, after all.

Tea Time

Today, thousands if not millions of Americans expressed their displeasure with the government with Tax Day Tea Parties. In my hometown of Lafayette, IN, protesters threw hundreds of teabags into the Wabash River. In my current residence of Bloomington, people gathered outside of Representative Baron Hill's office. All over the nation, people gathered, chanted, and raised signs together.

It is important to realize that these parties are not political. Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals. All stand together at these rallies to express their anger and outrage. They feel government has grown too large, that taxes have risen too high, and that we have spent enough money helping out companies that refuse to help themselves.

We have not seen something of this scale since the protests against the Vietnam War. People claim that the participants should not claim they are having tea parties, as the Boston Tea Party was held over the principle of no taxation without representation. To those participating in these parties, they feel that they are not being represented in government. And for the most part, I have to agree with them. Congress is going unchecked, as they and the president are of the same political party, so there is nothing to stop any far-left agendas from going through. I believe that while many people voted for change, they did not know that they were voting for people who were for such large expansion of government and spending.

I do have one qualm. While people complain about having high taxes, they offer no alternatives. They offer no list of government programs to cut funding for, or eliminate all together. They don't want to continue funding government bailouts, but they may not necessarily want companies to go bankrupt either.

It remains to be seen if these parties will have a lasting affect on government. ABC News reported that President Obama was unaware of the parties, so I doubt he will change any policy because of them. The parties will only have a lasting impact if the people behind them continue them. Parties, marches, anything. If they truly feel that they are being disenfranchised, then they must continue to have their voices heard, even if the mainstream media chooses to ignore them.

Pay No Attention to that Money Behind the Curtain

While everyone was focusing on the AIG brouhaha yesterday, a far more serious thing was happening. The US treasury decided to put $1 trillion in to the system by buying up its own bad debt.

This is the same as writing an IOU to yourself. They are taking a trillion dollars from one pocket, and putting it into another pocket. Nothing gets accomplished, and there is still money owed to people.

But no one heard about this, because everyone: congress, the media, the president, were focused on AIG paying :gasp: contractually obligated bonuses to its employees! Bonuses that were perfectly legal because they were promised before the February 1st deadline passed by congress!

Imagine that, a company holding up its end of the deal and fulfilling its contracts! Oh my! Sound the alarm! We need to tax these bonuses at 100% and get this money back! How dare they use the money we gave them to fulfill their contractual obligations!

What else? Oh, Fannie Mae and Freddy Mac ALSO used bailout money to pay contractually obligated bonuses to their employees. Why are people not running after them with torches and pitchforks?

Really, it's all the fed can do at this point. Interest rates range between 0 and .25%, so they can't really go any lower. The US Treasury Department currently consists only of the completely incompetent Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary, and President Obama apparently has much more important things to attend to: like appearing on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

This country is falling apart at the seems. At the G20 conference, a meeting of the top 20 industrialized nations, former Russian Prime Minister Vladamir Putin will propose changing the world bank reserve currency from the US dollar to something else. The dollar has lost all it's clout in the world. Gold rose $50 an ounce yesterday upon news of the Treasury's plan.

The rest of the world wants no part of the US dollar, because they've read a middle school history book and remember the pictures of people bringing wheelbarrows full of money to buy a loaf of bread in Germany Post-World War I. Obviously Secretary Geithner and President Obama never read that chapter. And we are all going to pay for that in the end.

Entertainer In Chief?

News reached today that President OBama will be appearing on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno this week to sell his economic policies to the american people.

Someone needs to give this guy the message that he already won and doesn't need to campaign. Is anyone else not ok with their sitting president appearing on talk shows to sell his policies? I am no OK with my president being equal to some C-list celeb pimping out their latest piece of crap movie.

Or, when I think about it, Obama's economic policies are about on par quality wise with Paul Blart: Mall Cop, so I guess this is the perfect venue for him.

Republican Hypocrisy

Yes, you read that title correctly: I'm taking on my own party. However, this is a pretty common thing, despite perceptions of me and my politics. I'm pro gay rights, pro stem cell research, and pro gun control just to name a few disagreements I have with the Republican Party. However, these disagreements are overwhelmed by my agreements with the party's platform.

That, however, is for another post. Right now my beef is the republicans and this $418-ish billion spending bill with 9000 earmarks. Guess what...60% of those earmarks are from democrats. But, if elementary school math serves me correctly, that leaves 40% of the earmarks going to republicans.

I find it almost reprehensible that republicans are stalling the bill and going on television talking about how much they are against this bill and all of the pork in it. However, as soon as it passes they are going to be completely happy to take all the earmark money they receive and take it back to their constituents.

I agree with Senator John McCain- some of these earmarks are necesary and would do good. However, they are directed to a specific geographic location. If they were nation-wide projects they would be more accepted and do more good, but as they are they are lumps of fat in an omnibus spending bill.

Don't get me wrong, I am totally opposed to this. Yes, the government runs out of money on Wednesday, but they've spend like, five years worth of money in two months. You can only print so much money before people stop using it because it's worth less than the paper its printed on, but the government doesn't seem to realize this. I am considering sending President Obama and Senator Pelosi a chapter from a world history book that talks about Germany's economic policies after World War I, so that they can see what happens when money is printed off willy nilly. I doubt it would do any good, as they can't seem to read reports about our own, current economy.

The bill is going to pass. All republicans can do is get popular support against it and hope that their hypocrisy is not pointed out. If the courts gave President Obama the power of line-item veto, maybe that would solve the problem. That, however, is a blog for another day.

Friday Grab-Bag

Let's start off with some light news: Michael Jackson is playing like, 5 shows in London this summer. Seriously, who DOESN'T want to see this train wreck? If I had the money, I would so be there.I would also be at Britney's comeback tour if I had the money. This thing looks so bad that it is amazing! Yes, I still love Britney, get over it.

Onto more serious topics. It came out today that the Obama's are having lavish parties at the White House every Wednesday. Who does he think he is, Marie Antoinette? The economy is in the sewer and he is wasting money throwing parties every week? Maybe if he stopped with the pinatas for a day, he might be able to fix America.

Rush Limbaugh announced this week on his radio show that he wants to debate President Obama on his show. Is there anyone who wouldn't pay to see this, let alone get it for free? Yes, it is kind of below any president to give in to the demands of a radio host, let alone debate them, but how awesome would a Limbaugh/Obama showdown be?

Anyone else think it's kind of cool that the government ran out of money today? How very "The West Wing," eh? Granted, the House passed an emergency spending act to get us through Wednesday, but was anyone else waiting for Obama to walk to the Capitol building all Jeb Bartlett style? That would have been kind of neat.

That's all I have for this Friday. I'm pretty exhausted from my exams this week. But never fear, tomorrow I will tackle Noah's posts, mostly because they are too long! I will embed an amazing video from this week's The Daily Show:

The Daily Show With Jon StewartM - Th 11p / 10c

CNBC Gives Financial Advice

Daily Show Full Episodes
Important Things With Demetri Martin

Political Humor
Joke of the Day

Our De-facto Leader?

I guess I should put my two-cents into the ring on this Rush Limbaugh fiasco, as everyone else in the known universe seems to be talking about it.

I never was much of a fan of Limbaugh. I usually listened to the Radio Factor during his time slot. The only talk radio other than O'Reilly I listened to was Sean Hannity. I just never had the patience to listen to people talking on the radio. Every now and then I would tune into Limbaugh if I was in the car and couldn't find a station that carried the Radio Factor, and I liked what I heard for the most part. I just always had this idea that he was too far to the right for me, so I didn't want to listen to him.

However, I started listening to him more after the election during the hour after the Radio Factor and before Hannity, and the more I listened, the more I liked. I soon became a fan of El Rushbo and of what he was saying.

Then President Obama said his now infamous "you can't listen to Limbaugh and expect to get anything done," comment, which I already addressed in a previous blog. Doing that gave Limbaugh attention and notoriety, which was probably not the intention of the comment.

Things died down a little...until Limbaugh spoke at CPAC. I LOVED his speech. It was exactly what the republican party needed to hear. He was forceful, funny, and truthful.

That is when the media anointed him the "de-facto leader" of the republican party. The party's official leader is Michael Steel, who is head of the RNC (I am a fan of his too, by the way). He was on talk shows doing damage control, attempting to reassert himself as the leader of the party. The damage, however, was done.

Limbaugh hasn't become the apparent leader of the party because he is the best or only choice. He happens to be the loudest. With a listenership of 22 million, his microphone wields immense power, and has the ability ot spread his and the party's message all over the country. He can rally republicans around his microphone, which is what the party needs. He reminds republicans that they don't need to change their message, they merely need to reconnect with their message and adapt it, not overhaul it. He is the loudest critic of the Obama administration, and has the ability to hold them accountable far more than any other opposition voice.

Limbaugh didn't choose this position of leadership, it chose him. And he has embraced it admirably.

14,000, We Hardly Knew Ya

I had to do a double take this morning when I got back from class and saw the DOW at 6,876. Seriously!!! It hasn't been that low, the news tells me, since 1997, and that's probably when it hit that mark to begin with.

Does anyone else remember that wondrous day when the DOW hit 14,000? Ahhh, good times. There was champaign on Wall Street and parties on business shows. I'm pretty sure there was confetti too.

There are none of those things now. People's entire lives have been turned upside down as the market has plummeted. Their retirements are gone, their 401k is more like a 104k, and people who invested everything they had in hopes of making it big now have nothing.

And every time President Obama gets on the television during trading hours, you can watch the DOW fall as he speaks. Try it next time he speaks. This isn't some idea that us republicans have invented, it is a fact. Thank goodness his address to the nation was at 9 PM, or the DOW may have hit 0.

But look back to when this market slide started. It was around last October, when it was pretty certain that Obama would be the next president. On this realization, the markets fell, and haven't stopped. The markets are dead scared of his economic policies, and this continued sell-off shows it.

And it is also because the administration doesn't understand the market. They think that pushing money into government to stabilize it will quell Wall and Broad, but it does the opposite. They don't want the government to come in and bail out companies, CEOs, irresponsible lenders/lendees, or the government itself. They want the government out, taxes down, and not to raise the dividend tax.

I don't think anyone in the Obama administration has taken Econ 101, or else they would see that what they are doing is causing the market crash, not the other way around. The doom and gloom rhetoric of Obama isn't helping either. No one wants to hear that things are horrible and are going to get worse. They want to hear "things are bad, but we are going to fix them."

Maybe a little positivity would go a long way to fix the uncontrolled slide of the markets. Or a few Conservative economic tactics.

It's On

My frustration with the Obama administration and the democrat controlled congress has now turned to anger.

Furious, extreme anger.

Today the Senate passed a version of the fairness doctrine. It uses backdoor FCC regulations in order to enforce a balance of ideas on radio. It isn't a conspiracy that allows conservatives to dominate talk radio.

It's the free market.

Air America, a liberal talk radio network, was launched several years ago. You know what happened?

It went bankrupt. Because no one wanted to listen.

Radio stations are in it to make money. And conservative talk radio makes money. Rush Limbaugh rakes in millions in ad revenue. That's why so many stations cary him, and why he is on for three hours every day.

But the liberals in congress want to force their views on America. It apparently isn't enough that they control broadcast and print journalism. They need radio too.

Then there is the continued line of porkulous bills.

This president has spent $36 BILLION a day since he was in office.

His spending bill has upwards of $3 TRILLION in new spending.

And yet, he stood in front of the nation Tuesday night (depriving me of new episodes of 'Scrubs', I might ad) and told me and the rest of America that we need to get out of debt and criticized the Bush administration for allowing the national debt to rise.

And he turns right around and proposes a multi-trillion dollar budget, $860 BILLION stimulus package, and the congress today passed a $490-ish BILLION spending package with 8,600 EARMARKS!

Oh, and guess what. President Obama and Vice-President Biden HAVE MULTIPLE EARMARKS IN THE BILL!

I seem to recall Obama saying something about not signing any legislation with earmarks and pork during the campaign...and yet he is PROPOSING earmarks in a bill?

Never mind the complete disregard for economic ideals. Where are we going to get all of this money? China won't loan us any money, because they know we're not good for it. Europe is dealing with its own economic issues, so they don't have any money to give us.

So, that means we are going to have to print it. Every dime.

And what does the mass printing of money do?

It devalues all of the money.

Which leads to inflation.

And the inflation that is going to come upon my generation and the generation after me looks to be the likes of which no one has seen since post-World War 1 Germany.

Remember those pictures in your history books of people taking wheelbarrows to the grocery store?

Yeah, that is what I am talking about. That kind of inflation.

What frustrates me even more is the complete lack of respect in this administration. In his speech Obama didn't try to hide his Bush-bashing. And the democrats didn't either, hooting and hollering when Obama said that they needed to take care of "the massive debt we inherited." That debt was huge way before Bush got into office, and looks to be even larger when Obama leaves in 4 years.

There is also the minimum wage increase that congress passed a few years ago. It comes into effect this year. What happens when you raise the minimum wage? Employers are forced to cut hours/employees because they can no longer afford to employ as many people at a higher rate. This does what, oh, raise unemployment. And isn't Obama about lowering it?

And what happens when all of his roads and bridges and other public works projects are completed? Those people no longer have jobs either. So they are what, unemployed again. And we are right back where we started.

I have no idea how this administration thinks it is going to cut the national debt in half by 2014. Especially when they continue to throw trillions of dollars out the window. It's time, as Glenn Beck said today, for Americans to stand up for themselves. Their government is failing them in a massive way, and wasting their money and stealing money from their children and grandchildren.

Revolution is necessary in some cases. Not military revolution, but ideological. Only 20% of americans identify themselves as liberal, and our country is being run by the most liberal congress ever. This is not representative of America.

But what do I know. It is very likely that tomorrow my blog will be removed because it isn't "fair."

"State of the Nation" Thoughts

Last night's speech is being referred to as a "State of the Nation" address, NOT a State of the Union. I thought those were the same thing, but I guess not! I am blogging the speech as it happens, so it might be a little jumbled.

First of all...I never realized how tall the president is. i mean, usually you don't see him around people, so it's hard to judge his height. But dude, he's kind of tall.

First off, I am not a fan of the biblical "day of reckoning" language here. And he is going on about responsibility, yet he is not allowing companies to face up to their responsibilities. A company had sucky policies, it should have to fix itsself, not wait for government to fix it.

And I am still confused about this college credit. Is it $2500 per year for 4 years, or just $2500 for all 4 years?

AHHH...apparently only banks need to be responsible, as Obama says we will save them, but they will be in trouble.

He says we need to have more lending...but we need to make sure we are lending to reliable people. Uncontrolled lending is what got us in this mess.

Ok...I do like his line "The nation that invented the automobile cannot walk away from it."

His budget will focus on education, healthcare, and energy. Didn't he use up his budget card with the stimulus?

I don't think any politician understands the problem with education. College is overpriced. Make it cheaper, don't send me money to pay for it. Also, let's start emphasizing the arts and english. Math and science are so emphasized that there is nothing for those who are not good at those subjects.

Ok, i do like what he said. We should encourage adults to seek higher education. And he says that dropping out of high school is "no longer an option. You are not failing yourself, you are failing your country and America needs and values the talents of all its citizens." However, I really am too lazy to do community service to get more money for college. And he is absolutely correct in saying that parents need to have a more active role in their children's education. If a parent doesn't care, the children won't care. Lead by example.

Ahhh, time for the debt. I don't like debt, this is why I do not use credit cards. And why is everyone cheering about inheriting a deficit? We shouldn't be excited about the failures of the previous administration, we should be saddened by the failures of everyone and be looking for a way to fix it. Everyone is at fault. the deficit has been around and growing since the dinosaurs roamed the earth, and it isn't showing any signs of stopping. But really, does France still expect us to pay them back that money they leant us in the Revolutionary War?

Obama says that definitively, if you make less than $250,000 a year, your taxes will not go up at all. I guess he's changed his mind from previous tax plans proposed during the campaign.

However, he is totally fine spending forever in Afghanistan, but we need to be out of Iraq...yesterday. I don't get it at all. And closing Gitmo is still a horrible idea. Where are we going to put these terrorists? How are we going to prosecute them?

It looks like we are getting to the local anecdote part of the speech, so I will bid you adieu. I am very sleepy :(

And the Soapbox Goes To...

There is one thing that annoys me more than others.

When people win awards and use that to wax poetic about their political beliefs.

Usually, there is no backlash. Sally Field is doing fine after talking about how "if mothers ruled the world there would be no GD wars" at the Emmys last year.

Michael Moore has not faired as well. After using his win for Bowling for Colombine to go on and on about his beliefs. He lost the award for his second film, and has seemingly vanished.

Last night was no exception. When the writer of Milk won for best screenplay, he used the opportunity to talk about gay rights. Sean Penn did the same thing after winning best actor for the same film.

I know that your film is about a gay rights activist, but I don't want to hear about it. You won an award, say thanks and leave. I don't tune into the Oscars to hear about the political beliefs of actors.

if someone went up there and talked about how they support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, I would be just as angry.

It's not hard. Grab Oscar. Say thanks. Leave stage.

Nowhere in there do I want political speeches.

Especially from one who goes down and hangs with Hugo Chavez.

Are You Afraid of the Economy?

Several times on this blog I have been accused of hypocrisy. I don't believe these accusations are correct, but to each his own.

However, someone else is now a hypocrite...in a HUGE way.

President Obama continuously on the campaign trail denounced the politics of fear he accused the Bush administration of using.

However...he himself is now employing fear to sell this stimulus package.

In his press conference, and his town hall meetings, the president continually speaks of the impending doom that apparently awaits if this package is not passed. Apparently, the Earth will stop spinning and a giant black hole will eat us all if this bill is not passed. At least, that is what the president would have the public believe.

However, this bill will only make things worse. Where will the money come from? No one will lend to us, so we have to print it. And that will cause inflation to skyrocket. I don't know about you, but I'm not strong enough to bring my wheelbarrow of money to buy bread.

Not even that, but there are all sorts of hidden pet projects in the bill, including a measure towards universal health care! I bill call for making all medical records electronic. This is a good thing, as it will allow doctors across the country to receive the files of their patients.

However, this measure also allows the government to approve medical procedures and disapprove procedures they do not agree with I am not ok with the federal government overriding my doctor when it comes to my medical care.

Maybe this measure will be worked out in committee. Maybe the price tag will go down. I highly doubt it though, and the doom the president says will come if this bill is not passed is sure to come if it does.

I Charge $5 An Hour

Before we get to serious matters, a question: who watches the kids when the Obama's go out?

They went to an opera or something the other night, so I started wonders...are there federal babysitters, or is babysitting part of secret service training? I hope it is the later, for I love the idea of secret service agents playing hide and seek, using their walkie talkies to help each other.

Onto serious matters. President Obama is...on the campaign trail? Did he not get the memo that he doesn't have to do that anymore?

He was in Elkhart, Indiana today. Apparently, Elkhart has the highest unemployment in the country, which is odd when you figure that my home state of Indiana is in a surplus and Governor Mitch Daniels is awesome and stuff.

But when you look at the fact that the town's entire economy revolves around the production of RVs, it isn't as surprising. Only diversified economies can survive a crisis, and Elkhart isn't one of them.

The president also took questions from the audience. One woman asked how he can expect Americans to pay their taxes if his own cabinet appointees can't. President Obama told the crowd to stop booing, and that it was a legitimate question. He again admitted his mistakes.

A man told the president that the stimulus needs to stop going to banks and companies and "straight into my mailbox." The president basically told the man that that isn't really possible.

The president touted a part of the bill I knew nothing about: a $2500 tax credit per college student for families. Now, i am all for free money, especially since my parents have a parent plus loan for me hanging over their heads. However, this doesn't tackle the problem. The problem is not that families need money for college, it is that college is too expensive.

People complain about the high cost of health care, and the high salaries of doctors. However, when you see that these doctors graduate college several hundred thousands of dollars in debt, their high salaries are a little more understandable. If you lower the cost of education, health care costs go down as well!

If college is less expensive, it also allows more people to attend. If we have a larger group of highly educated people, our country can improve greatly. However, you can run into a problem there, as people will demand better work and higher wages. But for the most part, it would improve our country greatly.

I am still not a fan of this stimulus bill, mostly because it has been completely distorted by Nancy Pelosi and her followers. Maybe the president's speech tonight will sway me. I highly doubt it, though, as I am missing an episode of House due to it, and am not happy about it.

Bad Jokes, Bad Bills, Bad Bees

I am writing this Thursday night becasue President Obama has just given a speech in front of a caucus of democrats, and I have a few things to say about it.

For starters, Obama basically yelled for the entire 20-ish minutes. Not very presidential, eh?

He also basically said Republicans needed to just get with it and vote for the package without trying to change it. What happened to the cooperation and working together of earlier this week?

And apparently if this bill isn't law by February 16 all hell is going to break loose and we are all going to die and the stock market will hit zero and the Earth will explode. At least, that's what I'm getting out of this absolute deadline.

Also, it seems the speech was not meant to be televised, as the feed was cut right afterwards, and before the question and answer session. Was this because the White House knew it would be such a strong speech and didn't want to alienate people?

The speech was also filled with many jokes at President Bush's expense and soaring rhetoric that President Obama uses to perfection to distract people from the lack of substance in his speeches.

There is so much stuff in this bill that doesn't belong. I can see the validity of honeybee research and building safe-houses for prostitutes...but it does not belong in this stimulus bill. I hate piggybacking pet projects into bills like this. it slows down the process and prevents help from actually getting to whom it is needed.

The president will be speaking to the public Monday night. Maybe that will be a less-heated appeal for their support of a $920 billion dollar "stimulus package."

Are My Missing Tax Payments In Your Cabinet?

I think Blago has found new employment.

As cabinet appointee researcher for the Obama administration.

Seriously, how can you pick THREE people who all have big tax payment issues for your cabinet?

What's worse, how can Congress approve the worst offender TO HEAD THE TREASURY!!!!

And I love the hypocrisy of Mr. "we're all gonna have to turn our thermostats down and conserve energy." According to Anderson Cooper, Katie Couric was sweating after her interview with the president, and he said the Oval Office was incredibly hot. Seriously? Get a fricken Snuggie and turn the thermostat down. Why should I conserve when he wont? And why is he spending my tax dollars on his heat. I know he's seen the commercials...you can do ANYTHING in a Snuggie!

Buuuuuut I digress. Who would have thought the easiest confirmation in the Obama cabinet would be Hillary Clinton? All the buzz leading up to the confirmation hearings was all about how foreign donors to the Clinton Foundation or whatever would create a conflict of interests, but she got through like nothing compared to these other folk.

Although, I am not surprised by these picks. Knowing the crows President Obama hung with back in Chicago, these people are nothing.


Unfortunately, this post is going to be cut short. I'm not feeling too well today and I have a stack of reading that needs done.

The Gloves Are Coming Off

I came to a realization after my last post. I finally, in that post, wrote what I wanted without fear of being too conservative, too republican, or too anti-Obama. And I liked it. I have always wanted to be one who was not blinded by ideology and thought for herself. I still consider myself that type of person, but I have worried about being pigeonholed by others as not. However, I decided today that that doesn't matter anymore. My last post sounded like a rant form a far-Right loon, and that is what I intended. I was incredibly angry about that topic and wanted to express that frustration.

So today, the gloves are coming off. I don't care how trivial, I am going to write about it. Starting with something that irritates Michelle to no end: President Obama's refusal to wear his jacket in the White House. According to those who worked there, President Bush was seen only a handful of times in eight years without his jacket, yet it seems Obama has been seen the same number of times WITH his. This is a huge deal in the cultural of the office. The lack of jacket seems to put out a feeling of disrespect for his office; that his job is not important enough for him to dress the part. When they are out with the people, I am totally find with my politicians dressing informally. But when they are in the Oval Office making like or death decisions, I want me president dressing the part and treating the office with the gravity it deserves.

Point two: I don't know if anyone has given him the memo, but the President of the United States has MUCH bigger fish to fry than changing the college football championship procedures from a ranking system to a playoff system. Seriously, how is this something for the PoTUS to be dealing with! This angers me to no end. You have two wars and a recession on your hands, and you're throwing a Super Bowl party, talking to Matt Lauer, and trying to convince the BCS to go to a playoff system! Someone is vacationing on Planet Blago.

Lastly: Calling out Rush Limbaugh. Um...doesn't the president know that by calling Limbaugh out...he gives him credibility? Yes, the point was to denounce Limbaugh and to take away his credibility, but by putting his name out there the opposite happens. Yes, he is a bit crazy at times, but Limbaugh is the loudest voice of conservative ideology and I think it's a bad idea for the president to try and take him on. Plus, it belittles the president, having him engage in a schoolyard "don't listen to him! he's a meaniehead" argument.

Well, that's all for now. Maybe Michelle will blog today...maybe not. Please leave ideas for punishments for her missing her blog Saturday, and even worse ones if she misses todays too! I'm thinking that making her listen to all three hours of Sean Hannity and blogging throughout would be pretty sweet, eh?

The REAL Barack Obama

The mainstream media chose to ignore President Obama's connection with William Ayers, self-proclaimed domestic terrorist who said he wished he had succeeded in blowing up the Pentagon during Vietnam, and to an extent they ignored his church's pastor, Jeramiah Wright. Seriously, how can you attend church every Sunday for 20 years (which he says he did) and not know your pastor was a racist, anti-American radical?

Well, the old Obama is coming out again, ready to use his deceitful political ways to gain power. If I sound a bit Sean Hannity now, it is because I mean too. This is seriously troubling to me and America needs to open their eyes to the real Barack Obama.

News has gotten out that President Obama intends to nominate a republican senator to the vacated position of commerce secretary. Now, at first glance you think, "aw, that's nice. how bi-partisan of him!" Look a little deeper, though, and the deceit rears it's head.

If the republican senator he nominates accepts, his seat will be filled by the governor of that state. The senators he is looking at...have democratic state governors. So whom will these governors nominate to fill the empty seats? You guessed it, democrats!

Now, if Norm Coleman looses his appeal in the MInnesota recount, and Obama gets a governor to appoint a democrat to a seat vacated by a republican...democrats will have a filibuster proof majority in the senate! And all of his radical agenda will pass no questions asked.

This is not new in the Obama political playbook. When he was running for senate in the city of Chicago, he put together a massive smear campaign against his opponent, who had a tremendous lead in the polls. He accused her of forging signatures on her petition for office and other things that are accounted in the book "The Obama Nation."

Wait...didn't Obama campaign on the idea of being a Washington outside...a new kind of politician...a clean, nice guy who played fair and clean?

Oh, how America was decieved. And now we will all pay the price. No wonder he wants to discredit El Rushbo...the loudest voice of truth and opposition he has to deal with, because what would happen if he was exposed as the fraud he is.

Bailout Bonanza!

President Obama repeatedly expressed his desire to have a stimulus package on his desk to sign on the first full day of his presidency.

Well, it is day eight, and still no plan.

One of the things I love most about this stimulus package is the "tax cut" it gives to people. His "tax cut" is a $500 check for individuals and a $1000 check for families. This is a rebate, similar to President Bush's stimulus package, not a "tax cut." People have bad memories of President Bush's stimulus, so by misnaming it, prehaps the president can garner support for the plan.

The plan had originally called for money to be allocated for contraception. Now, I am completely in favor of contraception, as it has loads of health benefits which I feel outweigh its pregnancy prevention. However, I do not think the government should be spending money on this, and apparently the majority of the Congress agrees, as that part was taken out of the bill.

Obviously the president and his advisors have not been paying attention while they were making their moving plans, as the last bailout and stimulus package the government threw out there has done absolutely nothing to help revive the economy. President Bush spent, spent, spent, and it did nothing to fix the economy. President Obama apparently must think the rules do not apply to him, since he is attempting to institute the same strategy.

Another part of the bill that was eliminated was a proposed $200 million to re-sod the National Mall, and $200 million for new cars for government officials. Seriously? Also, on page 147 is a $335 million dollar plan for STD education at the Center for Disease Control. What more is there to teach people about STD prevention than either don't have sex or wear a condom.

I will say that there are some good parts of this proposed bill. There is an increase in food stamps and other government services. The hope is that people will have more money to spend elsewhere if they are spending less of their money on food. This may not work as planned, but giving people on food stamps more money for food could potentially work.

This proposed bill of President Obama's is ballooning to $900 billion. Where is all of this money coming from? Why can't the government operate like people: DON'T SPEND MONEY YOU DON'T HAVE! I only spend money that I have and I get by. The bill is available for all to read and to see what is really being proposed, not just what President Obama and the liberals want to spin it to you as. I urge all Americans to research this bill and to contact their Congressmen about this horrible misuse of nonexistent funds that will drive this country further in debt.

On Stem Cells, Blago, and Editorial Pages

Anyone else think it is a bad idea for Blago to have Drew Peterson's PR guy working to better his name? I don't typically want the people who represented a man who had three wives mysteriously disappear trying to clear my name, but I don't live on Planet Blago.

Blago appeared on every television show known to man today including The View, Good Morning America, and, where I would personally recommend going when you need to restore your credibility and proclaim your innocence, a street interview with Geraldo. This guy is off the deep end, and I love it. His impeachment trial starts today, and I don't think he really cares. Despite the enormous amount of evidence against him, I am fairly certain that he believes he will be found innocent and continue his job as governor of Illinois. In the words of Hermione Granger: What. An. Idiot.

Please sit down before continuing: I am going to praise President Obama. Yes, 911 is the correct number to call if you are having a heart attack right now. President Obama has expressed his commitment to increase funding for Stem Cell research- one of President Bush's handful of pardons. I have always been a supporter of stem-cell research. I believe that this line of medical study holds huge promise, particularly in the area of Parkinson's Disease. I am no expert on the science involved, but my understanding is that stem cells can become anything. Yes, embryonic stem cells can become babies, but they can become livers and hearts and many other things, according to my understanding. Why allow a "potential" person to sit in a freezer when it could be helping to save the life of someone who is already alive? I differ from many Conservatives in that I believe in preserving life that already exists as opposed to life that may potentially exist, and I applaud President Obama for allowing federal funds for stem-cell research.

Lastly, I received yet another example of why I have been refused the position of opinion columnist for the Indiana Daily Student 4 semesters running. Today's editorial page consisted of 4, I believe, editorials praising President Obama, calling him Superman, and congratulating him on closing Guantanamo Bay. It also doesn't help my cause that the opinions editor wrote two articles a few weeks ago expressing his complete love of Hilary Clinton.

Ah, the perils of being a college conservative.

The Wonderful Planet Blago

I'm going to come out and say it: I hope Blago is governor of Illinois forever. I hope he becomes a cyborg and lives forever, because he is so darn entertaining.

His press conference today was a complete train-wreck, and I made popcorn and watched! Seriously, how can anyone trust a guy with hair like that and a mafia accent?

He held a press conference today to address his trial for various crimes including attempting to swindle a children's hospital out of money, trying to get people fired from newspaper staffs that were not kind to him, and trying to sell President Obama's senate seat. In the conference, he basically said he didn't care what they did in the trial, because he didn't believe it was lawful.

What made this completely insane press conference better was Shepard Smith's running commentary throughout. Seriously, someone needs to give Shep a late night talk show or a comedy special, because his commentary was hilarious, mocking every word Blago said.

What made it even better was that Blago took questions from the press! He never does that! And when they asked him questions he didn't like, he refused to answer them. So much for taking questions.

Oddly, he didn't quote any poets or dead presidents. A shame really.

Yes, he is possibly the worst governor in the history of the world, but Illinois should really keep him around, just for the money they could rake in from a variety hour composed of only his press conferences.

Sorry for the brevity of this post, but today was a slow news day, and I am incredibly tired.

What? You Want To Ask Me Questions?

ince President Obama's election I have told myself and others that I will support the president and hope for success. I felt it was my duty to support the president and it felt bad to wish failure upon him.

Last night this changed. I was watching an interview with Rush Limbaugh and he said something interesting. He said that he supports the president and hopes he can fix the United States, but does not want his agenda to succeed if that agenda is a far left one.

And you know what, I agree. In the spirit of bipartisanship I blindly decided to support the president no matter what. However, I forgot my values and what I believe in. Why would I support an agenda that is the complete opposite of what I believe and think is best for America? Like Rush, I hope that Obama can fix America, but I do not want a far left agenda to succeed in America. I support Obama as a person, but not his agenda.

To that end, I do not at all support what President Obama has done today. He signed executive orders today that close the facility at Guantanamo Bay within one year and define what are lawful interrogation techniques.

First off, closing Gitmo is a HORRIBLE! Idea. Intelligence shows that those who have been released and returned to their home countries end up back on the field of battle. And what does Obama want to do with those there? Send them back home! And if home won't take them, well, let's just put them in American prisons! Wonderful idea big guy.

The second hinders our intelligence gathering abilities immensely in my view. What he has defined as lawful interrogation techniques excludes many of the techniques that have gained us valuable intelligence. I'm sorry to sound like a horrible person, but I care more about getting intelligence to protect Americans than the rights and physical comfort of a terrorist.

And to top it all off, President Obama visited the White House briefing room...but didn't want to answer questions saying, "I can't end up visiting you guys and shaking hands if I am going to grilled every time I come down here." What did he expect, a tea party? I can understand his surprise, though. I don't know what I would do if the media that treated me like the messiah suddenly was a little more harsh and wanted to ask actual questions about policy and substance.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I must go listen to Hannah Montana and go into my safe zone, far away from American prisons full of al Queda and meanie press people.

JoBros, Dresses, and Terrorists, Oh My!

If I was bitter yesterday, today I am furious.

Not because of anything Obama did (although, going to balls until 3 AM is pretty impressive, I definitely couldn’t have done it. Especially since you know they were probably up at 5 AM).

No, my grief is now with his children.

While their parents were out at parties, they had a scavenger hunt in the White House to learn about their new home. Well, when they got to the last room they opened the door…

AND THE JONAS BROTHERS WERE THERE!

My dad needs to be elected president STAT so I can go on a scavenger hunt and find the JoBros or George Clooney.

I do feel for the new president though. There was a report today that he dropped his Blackberry. I feel for him, I nearly have a heart attack whenever I drop my Blackjack II. Just think about what would happen if we dropped iPhones. GAH
Although, President Obama probably wouldn’t have any problem replacing his. I would just sit in front of mine mourning over its loss.

Anyway…on to more serious matters…like that hideous dress the First Lady was wearing. Anyone who knows me will tell you, I am impartial when it comes to fashion. But seriously, poof balls? One shoulder? An indeterminable color? And the dress was not flattering of her figure at all. President Obama had it easy- black tux and BOOM, out the door. Guys really do not understand the hardships us women face in the fashion world.

And that dancing? I felt awkward just watching Obama get jiggy with it from my room. Imagine the people around him. Maybe his BFF Ellen can give him some dance lessons.

The major issues of today is Obama’s decision to halt trials in Gitmo. He wants to close the base within a year of his unsigned draft of an Executive Order. And his solution for what to do with everyone there…put them in US prisons! A wonderful idea. I really want Kahlid Sheik Mohammad in the US, the country he planned to destroy. I will definitely sleep better at night knowing a terrorist could break out of prison at any time, hit up Osama on his cell, and blow up a building. I’ve watched enough 24 to know how this stuff goes down.


Oh well, only 1,459 days to go. But who’s counting, eh?

A Bitter Republican's Expectations of Mr. Hope 'N Change

This is from the blog "Juxtapinions" which I have started with my friend Michelle. While there will be one post from each of us there every day, I will still very much be using this blog to vent my conservative frustrations. I will also be copying the posts from there over here. Enjoy!



In a few hours I must but farewell to President George W Bush. I have no qualms at all in admitting I am one of the 22% who currently approve of the job he has done as president, and I have always been in that category. I have always felt that President Bush has done what he felt was right and did the best that he could do. Those who judge him or consider him incompetent probably have no idea the pressures that the job entails and really, have no right to judge his character. I have found the disrespect shown toward President Bush over the last eight years to be completely reprehensible. He was your President. If you don’t like it, move to another country and renounce your citizenship.

To that end, I hope to not see the same disrespect shown toward President-Elect Obama. I will support him, even though I do not agree with him policies, as he is my president. The great thing about a democracy is that there are sometimes not results that you like, but you must live with them nonetheless.

And live with them I will. I wish President-Elect Obama the best. I hope with all my being that he can turn this economic crisis around and continue President Bush’s legacy of keeping America free from a terrorist attack. I hope that he can end the centuries-old conflict between Palestine and Israel. I hope he can make Iran a nuclear-free country, and I hope he can make Iraq a stable beacon of democracy in the Middle East.

Unfortunately, I do not believe that this will happen. That’s the funny thing about hope- it often falters when confronted with reality. During his campaign, Obama implied that all of the change he proposed could happen instantly. That the minute he was elected everything would be better. His acceptance speech on election night, however, negated this, and the crowd was left dumbstruck. Thus hope was confronted with reality, and change was derailed.

Like I said, I hope that Obama can change things for the better and that America can become stable once more. It is unlikely, but that’s another funny thing about hope: it laughs in the face of logic.

Sudden Realizations

Around midday last Monday, a sudden realization came to me.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as the next President of the United States.

It seems like such a long time has passed since November. I know that every day on the news there is something about a new cabinet appointment of Obama's, what dog he is going to bring to the White House (like it really matters) and his plans for his first day in office.

None of this seemed to phase me thought. It all seemed like random news bits that didn't matter. All of it showed the progression towards his swearing in, but none of it seemed that way.

That is, until Thursday and President Bush's farewell address to the nation. I will admit with pride that I am one of the 22% of Americans that approve of his job as president, and I have for the last eight years. I have, without hesitation, expressed my disgust with those wearing "Not My President" shirts or those attacking his family or character. It is fine to disagree with his policies and decisions, but he is everyone's president. If you don't like it, become a citizen of another country.

And to this end, I refuse to participate with some who choose to disrespect President-Elect Obama by calling him "Barry" or "B. Hussein Obama," as Ann Coulter does repeatedly in her latest book. I will not wish him ill or hope for misfortune to come his way.

I hope he has a successful presidency. That he brings prosperity to America and manages to turn our economic crisis around. He is my president, whether I like it or not, and whether I voted for him or not. America has spoken and, while I believe that they made a horribly wrong decision, I have to live with it. Because I am an American and believe in democracy, even when the results of it are not those I hoped for.

However, I do not wish too much luck for the President-Elect, for I am fully confident in a Republican victory in 2012! Giuliani/Daniels, anyone?