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I'm sorry this post is so belated and has little substance at all, but I've been hit with a lot of things that I must attend to. Moving along, I want to heat from me, if you have something to say and you want it published then e-mail me your article and whether or not you want your name published. I can be reached at jakestakeblog@gmail.com

Doug Hoffman understands...

Doug Hoffman is my choice for New York's twenty-third district. Now it's not like my endorsement would help Hoffman. But, Hoffman understands that our government's rising spending must stop, and he knows that corporate bailouts, and stimulus packages are wrong.

New York's twenty-third district leans to the right with 1% more registered Republicans than Democrats. The problem for voters is that the Republican has few differences with the Democrat, which has given Hoffman an edge. New York needs a change, and Hoffman might be it.

A few days ago I wrote about how the tea party movement will vote, and this special election might give us insight. Americans might be fed up with Congressional democrats but will they turn to the GOP or third party candidates?

I like Hoffman's positions on some issues, and to be honest I think he has a real chance at winning. I just hope that if he does win he doesn't relinquish his values or his beliefs in the face of party politics.

Money Matters, Mr. President

Today I tried something different, I taped the blog post for today. I'm so sorry that you have to put up with my ugly face for the next three minutes, but here you go! Please leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail with your thoughts.

The Five Things We Need

This morning I’m going to discuss five things, five facts that average Americans and members of Congress alike need to be reminded of. All but one of the following five things are arbitrary, history will show that. I’ve never tried to push the core of my personal beliefs on people, until last June when I started writing this blog. Today I might be pushing the very core of my personal beliefs, but as I said above, all but one are arbitrary.

1. America is not bad. Surprisingly, many Americans truly believe that the United States is bad, that we spread evil, and that we cause pain and hurt in the lives of millions outside of our borders. Sure, indirectly harmful things have happened to countries due to our involvement or lack thereof, but we have vastly made up for it. Due to the United States, millions of lives are being saved in Africa from HIV/AIDS. Thanks to the United States millions who would have died because of starvation or lack of medical care because of the many tsunamis over the past decade have lived. Because of the United States half the world currently lives with the ability to elect their leaders.

2. Belief in God is not a bad thing if people act courteously and kindly to other people because of their faith. This one is quite simple and rather self-explanatory. It is wrong to generalize all Christians as extreme right-wingers who believe in bombing abortion clinics and support killing left-handed people, just like it’s wrong to generalize all Muslims as terrorists who want to see the downfall of the United States. Faith, in the true teachings of Christianity, Judaism and, in most cases, Islam, creates feelings of unity, charity, and kindness for other people. That’s something that we are increasingly in need of.

3. Questioning authority respectfully is a good thing. If we don’t question authority we will never know what those in important positions are doing, and we’ll never know why they are doing it. We don’t put people into office so we can be afraid of them, it’s that simple.

4. Government is accountable to the people, and only to the people. This runs hand in hand with # 3, and it is important enough to warrant elaborating on it. It seems that our government is increasingly forgetting the important role that it’s people play in our democracy. After all, who bestows the power in this country? Ultimately, the voting public does. It is the right of the people to question their elected officials. I mean, they work for us, don’t they?

5. Thomas Jefferson was right when he said that “A Government big enough to supply everything you need, is big enough to take everything you have.” History has proven this over and over-as bureaucracy and government grow, the freedom of the individual decreases.

I hold these five things to be true, because they are true, and all but one are arbitrary. Believing these things does not hurt people or society. It only helps people and betters society. And, I sincerely hope you agree with me.

How Will The Tea Party Movement Vote?

Conservative political organizations are working to recruit members of the Tea Party movement to the ranks of the Republican Party, just like liberal organizations recruited anti-war activists to their party. There is a chance, however, that Tea Party-goers will be more inclined to join a third party. Honestly, there's nothing wrong with third parties but if tea party members vote for a third party candidate that could split votes that traditionally go to Republicans enough that Democrats could retain their congressional majority.

There are some similarities between the Tea Party movement and the political movement that supported businessman, Ross Perot for President. The problem is that there is not a big-name individual behind the Tea Parties who has large name recognition and a lot of media exposure. Someone can and probably will come out and back the tea parties, some have speculated that Sarah Palin might do it, but would she betray the GOP?

It's undeniable that some party-goers are Libertarians or Constitutionalists, and it's obvious that some Republicans became Libertarians or Constitutionalists because of the Tea Parties. Third Parties will not be able to win in 2010 and probably not in 2012, maybe not ever, but will they recruit enough votes to keep Republicans from taking the majority in Congress?

Many organizations, unrelated to the GOP, are working to build-up the conservative movement, some explicitly mean the Republican party. I have no problem with that, both sides of the spectrum do it, but it's going to be very interesting to see how the Tea Party movement evolves and how its members vote in 2010.

Foreign Energy is Inevitable Unless...

Leaders on both sides of the aisle complain about our dependency on foreign oil, but these two sides have very different approaches to ending our dependency upon the Middle East and the members of OPEC for energy. The question is who has the best plan to break our nation's addiction.

On one hand their is alternative energy-wind, solar, etc. The problem is that when you create one "green" energy job you destroy two other jobs. Therefore it is counter-productive to an economy and it is government causing people to be unemployed. There is much promise from an energy perspective in alternative sources but do we want people to go hungry?

No civilization-no nation has ever sustained themselves and existed for long by being dependent for necessary supplies on other nations, much less unfriendly nations. It's foolish to wonder why gas prices fluctuate so much when our government won't support the development of our own resources which makes us a captive market. A combination of conventional sources and a switch to natural gas could sustain our needs, because all but a handful of states produce natural gas.

Government must change its position on energy, because alternative sources will hurt our already crippled economy. It's simply foolish to wonder why prices soar when our own resources are restricted, just like it's foolish to spend all the money in the Social Security Trust Fund and then wonder where the money went. I leave you with a quote.

American environmentalists are preventing responsible development here at home while supporting irresponsible development overseas.

White House V. Chamber

We all know about our local Chamber of Commerce, but now the national Chamber, that has worked for so long to promote American business has been put alongside Fox News on the White House's enemy list. It's not surprising that the administration doesn't like the chamber considering the fact that the U.S. Chamber is against cap and trade, and in favor of offshore drilling as well as nuclear energy-very opposite the White House.

The White House has stated that their reasoning for firing upon the Chamber is for the Chamber's lobbying, but a more reasonable explanation is possible. This White House seems to expect everyone to be on their side, and when an organization or group of people come out against their agenda, why that organization is a member of the vast, right-wing conspiracy that's hiding under the President's bed!

The Chamber is totally correct in their positions on how to grow our economy. You can't keep businesses profitable and an economy growing when your tax system punishes success and growth. You can't sustain a civilization by discouraging the use of your own energy resources, much less keep costs under control, and you can't help the wage-earner in the long run by hurting the wage-payer.

The administration has declared political war on nearly everyone who has stood up against President Obama's well-intentioned but flawed economic positions. If we look back at the Nixon Administration they only hurt themselves by fighting with the New York Times, the more that Robert Gibbs, Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod attack people the stronger their enemies will become.

Is it Dithering?

Former Vice President Dick Cheney recently said that the Obama Administration is "dithering" around when it comes to making a decision on Afghanistan. Robert Gibbs, the White House Press Secretary then responded "What Vice President Cheney calls dithering President Obama views as his responsibility to American soldiers..." So in effect did Robert Gibbs say that President Obama's policy is dithering?

Aghanistan is known as the graveyard of empires, because of the number of countries that have fallen or lost power while fighting for the land we know as Afghanistan, but we're different. We can win in Afghanistan, I believe that wholeheartedly, because we are different than the countries of the past. First, our economic system is the most successful in history, and second our troops are the best equipped, best trained and hopefully they have the best commanders in history. We can win according to General McChrystal and General Petraeus, victory is our only option, because we can't allow another terrorist attack to take place here at home.

Waiting is something that can not be tolerated, waiting costs the lives of American soldiers and can put victory on the line. At the beginning of the year President Obama sent 30,000 fresh troops to Afghanistan, and he put General McChrystal in charge and told him to report back, General McChrystal did report back-in August. The President must heed the reccomendation of General McChrystal, otherwise the victory that we have been so close to for eight years may slip away.

The United States can win and we must, otherwise we have to be ready to deal with the consequences. President Obama has had plenty of time to review the information, to talk to the commanders on the ground and to get a second, third or fourth opinion, we need a decision. It's that simple.

News Or Right-Wing Conspiracy?

Lately the White House has decided that it is their prerogative to decide who reports news and who doesn't. Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod seem to think that Fox News is not a media outlet and that it should be shunned by the White House and all other news outlets.

The Wite House should be focusing on North Korea, Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan, they have no authority to say that Fox doesn't report news. President Obama and his large team of "Czars" have much more important things to focus on. When a government decides to focus its resources on something this unimportant it's really sad, and disappointing.

Unemployment stands at 10%, but apparently that's not more important than attacking Fox News, General McChrystal says that we may lose in Afghanistan without reinforcements, but that takes a backseat to shunning Fox News. Oh, and don't forget our massive debt, but that's small in comparison against the White House's feud with Fox. We have much bigger problems domestically and internationally, attacking Fox News is the most worthless thing done by this administration!

The simple fact that our government is trying to control and manipulate the media in this manner is unsettling. It reminds me of third world leaders and dictators like Hugo Chavez. Government has no place in this matter. America is very good at leading the world, and this isn't something that we want our allies to imitate.

This may seem like an unimportant issue, but throughout history the first right that is lost is the freedom of speech-the freedom of opposition. Am I saying that President Obama wants to take away our rights, of course not, I don't think he wants to do that, but it is always better to be vigilant than to allow our rights to be taken away.

Note: I've noticed that on several occasions I've missed a post,I'm looking into it because I, myself, have not missed writing a post, I think there's been a glitch.

Who's To Blame?

Every American should be concerned about our nation’s rising levels of spending. Not only does heightened spending cause debt, it endangers this country. Our national spending puts us under the thumb of our lenders, mainly the People’s Republic of China. We can suffice our energy needs if necessary, but we can’t sustain ourselves without those who lend to us. Our way of life, our quality of living, our very existence as a nation would be threatened if money was no longer lent to us.

At this point in time, the last thing that we need is for our credit rating to be lowered because that could be the last straw for China, and the beginning of major problems for us. If we can’t fund government, we don’t have dozens of basic, but non-essential services. It is scary that other countries, other governments practically own our nation.

It’s tough to explain, much less comprehend what lead us to this point of high spending. A point where one billion dollars ($1,000,000,000) funds less than an hour of government operation. Some individuals point at President George W. Bush, some point to Democrats in Congress, still others believe that a combination of both is at fault, I’ll explore both and you can decide for yourself.

Many look towards the War on Terror and President George W. Bush as the cause for America’s debt, are they right? Well the short answer is not really. The Bush administration itself contributed, with its own pen around 450 billion dollars(sans stimulus, which really that decision was made by President Obama), the rest was added by Congressional authorities as earmarks etc.

Congressional Democrats may be at fault. Since the last election Congressional spending has increased dramatically, the debt has been doubled and will soon be tripled. The legislature is entrusted with the power of the purse, but this Congress rarely pulls the purse strings shut, it seems. Whether it’s the stimulus packages to funding ACORN Congress has spent it.

Some Americans believe that a combination of Congress and President Bush are at fault for our sky-high national debt. This theory might hold water, but it is really tough to make a call on this one. Perhaps it would make sense in the fact that earmarks are added to every bill, but just because a President signed the bill doesn’t really make it their fault, because President Bush may not have had much to do with a Congressional Democrat sponsoring an amendment, President Obama, however, has significant leverage in this matter.

People can blame the debt on anyone-they might not be right, but they can still issue blame. At this point all that matters is that we get the spending to stop. We can not allow our national security to be put at risk because of this debt.

Changes on the Blog

I've been updating this site at least once a day with a new post, and occassionally I'll put a nice poll up, like the one that you can find to the right of this post. After roughly one hundred days of existence the largest and most significant changes thus far have recently taken place. Hopefully you will like these changes as much as I do.

The first of our recent reforms was the purchasing of a personal domain name, meaning the web address for this site is now http://www.jakestake.org/ . This is by far the most significant change because it is a simpler, more memorable address than the previous one. I saw it necessary to buy a separate domain name because a lot of this site's readers come through word of mouth and its important that the site address is easy to remember.

This is the only blog post for today, and I apologize for that, but I've been dealt a busy week, a great blog post is heading y'alls way in the next day or two, at the most three. As I close I just want to thank all of you for your dedicated reading, your promotion of the blog and all the help, input and comments you have given to me.

Please leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail with your thoughts on the recent changes to the blog, and any suggestions for further changes. I, again, appreciate all of you and I'll be back with normal posts tomorrow.

Charity is an Individual Responsibility

Increasingly we find that those who need help are getting it from government rather than private, individual charity. Not only does this put strain on government's alrady strained finances, but in the minds of some it is an unconstitutional act.



I personally believe that individual charity goes much farther towards helping someone when compared to welfare. First welfare is a blanket service, and second when Americans are allowed to keep their money they are the most chairtable people on earth, third asking for help is exponentially better than being told to accept a check. As I said before, welfare is a blanket service that can not conform to an individual's specific needs. Charity is much the opposite, those who work for charities are more motivated to help people than those who work for our government-that's why half the Congress doesn't pay taxes. Due to their motivation, and their willingness and ability to conform charities are much more adept at helping people.



When taxes are low, people spend more, yes, but they also donate more. When government allows people to keep more of their money Americans become the most charitable people on the planet. Often times this charitable spirit, which is very much ingrained in American culture and society allows, for private charities to be more successful than government due to better funding.



It takes a lot of courage to walk into the office of a private charity and to ask for help. This simple action is a step towards getting out of the situation that caused one to need help. Admitting that your current situation is not one that you can stay in is very important, and it shows that the individual is committed to bettering themselves, not abusing the system.




I am not against helping people, I am most definitely in favor of giving people a helping hand, that's why I want the best system responsible for helping those in need of it. Private charities have a better track record than government, and that's all that matters when judging who should be doing what. If private institutions are better equipped and more capable than they should be giving the care and attention necessary. It's that simple.

Revolution in Iran?

Recent events like the killing of five Revolutionary Guards is making me wonder if another revolution is imminent in Iran. Iran has a history of revolution, and a history of corruption that causes it. Young and old Iranians alike have raised concerns about the validity of the last election, and it seems quite feasible to say that a coup is possible.



You reap what you sow, and President Ahmadinejad of Iran has definitely sowed hatred, violence, corruption and intolerance, now he's getting what he deserves. Iran has only very briefly experienced a democracy that exemplified democratic ideals, and hopefully that will change in the near future, either by revolution or Constitutional limitations such as term limits.



Iran has, for far too long, been a sponsor of radical groups like Hezbollah and Hamas. This can't continue and hopefully won't if a coup takes place. Iran is, I'm sure, a nice place. The majority of the Iranian people are, I'm sure great people. The regime, however, is not a nice thing-it is an ugly beast that sooner or later will cause big problems for the United States, and probably for the entirety of free people.



Iran is a state sponsor of radical Islam, that can not be disputed, and it can't be ignored. If revolution takes place in Iran, that's great let's just hope that a big evil doesn't replace a small evil. While it's tough for me to imagine something worse in Iran than what they currently have, I recognize that anything is possible.

Are They Listening?

As I go about my daily routines of working, studying, and having a good time when I can, I have the chance to meet and talk with dozens of unique people everyday, and something that many of these fine people-not all, of course, have said is that they have wondered at some point in their lives if elected officials are listening to them. Each person has different justification for this thought, some don't even ponder it, they just assume that of course their representatives think as they do, but people are now wondering this question loudly-vocally and it's intriguing to know why.


With polls showing large lack of support for healthcare reform, Congresssional committees have passed the bills. This is not at all in line with public opinion. Yes, of course, Olympia Snowe might have voted the way she did because "she feels that the bill deserves to be debated by the whole Senate" but she still worked in a manner to advance the bill along the legislative assembly line., without the support of Americans. Why should we have a democracy if members of congress don't act on public opinion based on their fear of being voted out? The principle of the "people's power" is the basis of democracy and if the people's representatives don't accurately portray the opinions of the people and keep getting reelected it's not a representative democracy.

I am convinced that if George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founders of our nation were alive today they'd be sad that Congress was trying to push policies through that don't receive public support. Our system is a great one, a beautiful model for the world, but's it's ugly when representatives do not represent their constituents. A well-informed public is the most important part of a democracy, and it's my view that the people are informed and that they have made their choice.

I believe that it is a sad thing for policy to be made by Congress without the support of the people. The only exception to this may be foreign policy because the President and certain members of Congress are privy to much more information than average Americans. In terms of domestic affairs, however, the people should rule.

Absolutely Baffling

It's absolutely baffling that so many Americans disapprove of Congress, and have for years, yet most incumbents are reelected. Interesting, isn't it? According to a Real Clear Politics average of four major polls 25% of Americans approve of Congress and 66.8% disapprove.

It is foolish to think that Congress is horrible, but "my" congressman is not part of the problem, and yet that happens every two years. Over 90% of incumbents get reelected on average, and that might be one of the reasons for this mess we're in right now.

Over the past nine months this Congress has approved more spending than ever before, it has raised taxes on small businesses as well as an increased minimum wage, and one house has passed cap and trade. The time for a "change" has come, and please don't think that your Congressman or Senator is not part of the problem.

Now, yes of course some members of Congress are really not part of the problem, but that's a rare occurrence, I assure you. It's time that real representatives of the opinions of the people be given a chance in Congress, because honestly I don't think that a majority of Congress thinks like the people do, and polls show it.

Russians at American Facilities?

In a controversial agreement Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed to allow Russian officials into American nuclear facilities. This is by far a very intrusive agreement and not a very good one.

Russia is the reason that Iran has a nuclear program, I don't want them looking at ours! I don't trust Prime Minister Putin, I never have, and President Medvedev is most probably a Putin puppet. Security lies in mystery, as long as people think we have enough nukes to destroy their half of the planet, we're okay, but do we really want Russia to know our innermost nuclear secrets?

Russia has never been our best friend. Vladimir Putin has never been America's cheerleader, and Russian foreign policy has never helped the United States. In fact Russian policy has hurt us for the past ten to twenty years.

I definitely hope the Russians choose against using this option, but I know otherwise. Honestly, I really think that this agreement will cone back to haunt us in years to come.

Are Flags Offensive?

At many apartment complexes American flags are not allowed! In my opinion if you find the American flag offensive, why live in the United States? Don't get me wrong if you come here legally and aren't a terrorist, you have every right to live here, but why live under an offensive flag.

This country was founded on, and is still largely run on majority rule, and let's be honest the overwhelming majority of Americans have no quarrel with the flag. There is nothing on the flag that is wrong or that is really offensive-stars and stripes and that's it.

This nation was one of few countries in hundreds of years that did not have an insubordinate class. The flag is a symbol of that intention, it should not be something to be hated, it is something to be proud of.

I leave you with a fine quote, from an interesting person: "There's the country of America which you have to defend, but there's also the idea of America. America is more than just a country, it's an idea. An idea that's supposed to be contagious."

Did the Wage Hike Kill Jobs?

A few months ago the minimum wage was raised 70 cents and since then teenagers and minimum wage workers have felt the effects.

Since the minimum wage hike took effect teen unemployment rates have jumped. It is a simple concept, but its simplicity doesn't affect its validity: You can not help the wage-earner by hurting the wage-payer. The federal government has not cared about helping the unemployed since January. The stimulus package, that was not supposed to create jobs isn't going to do anything to help our economy now.

The Obama administrations' stimulus package isn't even spent in significant numbers until the second quarter of 2010. The stimulus package was never about helping in January, February or helping now. It has always been about helping the democrats' poll numbers in 2010. The "stimulus" exists to buy votes, and that's it.

This administration wants to keep their friends happy and to do that they'll pass as many stimulus packages as possible. I think it's obvious by the facts that the stimulus was never about helping people, it's about politics. If it was meant to create jobs we would actually be watching every bridge and every road in America getting fixed like President Obama promised-and even then the middle class wouldn't be helped much. It's time that we demand an explanation for this, if one can be provided, that is.

Is Global Warming Real?

In the past I have said that I am undecided on the issue of Global Warming, for the most part this holds true, but many Americans are re-thinking their positions on Global Warming.Vice President Gore, however is standing strong.

Global temperatures have remained steady for the past eleven years, they have not risen or fallen. This has caused many people to wonder if global warming is just a farse. If this steady trend continues the hype may begin to fade. Along with steady temperatures, the Polar Bear population has risen instead of fallen.

While I do believe that too much carbon dioxide output by human beings is dangerous, one must choose if they want to cause huge unemployment, or fight something that may not exist. Spain is the model for green jobs and has 18% unemployment. The reason for their high levels of unemployment is that to create one green job you kill two other jobs. People are going hungry and living in poverty because of a global warming that scientists can't even agree on.

I have said for years that replacing oil and conventional energy companies kills an economy, if you really want to create a "green" economy you have to transform the existing industries, Spain is an example of replacing industries. Unemployment is hovering near ten percent, we can't afford killing two jobs to create one, at least not now. It's that simple.

Feinstein wants more Troops

In a surprising act Senator Dianne Feinstein(D-Ca) has stated that she supports an increase in the troop levels in Afghanistan. Many Congressional Democrats disagree with Senator Feinstein, and honestly I'm surprised by Feinstein's position.

Feinstein is in a position to be privy to more information than most members of Congress, but she is not in line with many administration officials. Vice President Joe Biden is strongly opposed to troop increases, as are many administration "Czars". The President himself, however, has not announced his position, even though he's had weeks to think it over.

I'm not saying that President Obama doesn't have the right to think things over, but this is not something that can be drawn-out. The longer we wait, the worse the situation gets and the more troops we lose. It is my opinion that the Generals on the ground should be trusted, they earned their position through blood and sweat not votes, and I have faith in their experience.

Let's all hope that General McChrystal and President Obama make the right decision in conjunction with each other, because we can't afford to lose in the long run. It's that simple.

Longer School Year?

Lately, rumors have spread that say that President Obama would be in favor of extending the school year. But if the school year is extended, will it help any?

I sincerely doubt that a longer school year would improve our educational system. We spend more per student than every other country and we get poor test grades and poor behavior. Making people stay longer in an environment many of them don't like won't change their test grades or anything else.

Public Education is broken, it can be changed, reformed and turned upside-down, but its basic problems will remain. Overcrowding keeps teachers from giving special-needs students adequate attention, that won't change just because they spend more time at school. Bad behavior and pure rudeness is a disease in many public high schools, making students stay longer won't change that. Private Institutions have a great track record, and if students can do better there than we definitely need to make that option available.

Time and effort help you succeed, yes, but time without effort gets you nowhere. It's that simple.

Did Obama Deserve the Peace Prize?

Many people were stunned yesterday morning when they learned that President Barack Obama had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. This is extraordinary because it has been a century since a sitting President was awarded the prize, this event is not without controversy, however.

The Nobel Peace Prize is something to be cherished, and in my mind to win it one should have years of work under his belt. The Peace prize is, in my opinion, probably one of the most controversial of the Nobel awards. Nineteen times the award has gone to no one. To add to the controversy Gandhi was never awarded the Prize.

The deadline for nominations was ten days after President Obama took office. No one can do enough in ten days to warrant the Nobel Peace Prize. If the Norwegian Nobel Committee could not find a suitable candidate then why not go without a winner for a twentieth time?

I sincerely hope that President Obama earns this award in the coming years, because honestly, in his first ten days he was focused on getting his cabinet, and his stimulus through Congress-nothing else that warrnts the Nobel Peace Prize.

Is Family Important?

In the age of video games, e-mail, and instant media, is family still important, does it still matter? In some places family are just people who give you money on your birthday, but in others family is a very important aspect of life.

American society as a whole, has, for a very long time, been based on the family. In my mind family is still integral to life-I think we can all agree that family is important in most aspect of life. Now do I mean what some have called "family values"? Not necessarily, I believe, contradictory to some, that family itself, as a unit, is the best way for children to learn some things, not government institutions.

Family is the ultimate safety net for a child. Family, overall, is a supportive, constructive environment, that is relavent and is beneficial to society. Family is not evil, it offers an environment for growth and education that government and even foster or adoptive families can't beat.

So while some view family as a bad thing, I and many others understand family to be what it always has been since the beginning of man-a necessity. Family is something that must be protected, because a childvwho grows up in a nurturing family is miles ahead of a child who grows up in a broken, dysfunctional family.

Note: When I say "broken" I mean an environment where parents are screaming and fighting very openly.

Obama Plans Economic Spending

Yesterday President Obama announced that he is planning or considering to pump more money into the economy. The administration is refraining from calling this "stimulus" however.

The proposed plan would do multiple things, most importantly it would continue tax credits to small businesses so that the doors stay open and the lights stay on, but of course this an odd action, considering the President raised taxes on small businesses earlier this year. This second spending spree would also extend the 8,000 dollar credit for first time home buyers-in an attempt to fix the housing mess. The plan would also extend and/or increase unemployment benefits as well as extending COBRA health care coverage.

Not even fifty percent of President Obama's stimulus package has been spent, and he's already planning to spend billions more. Our nation has only been debt free for two years in our entire history, and the last nine months has seen the greatest levels of spending in our entire history, and plans are being laid to spend more!

The debt was doubled in 100 days, and will undoubtedly be tripled. One billion dollars funds less than fifteen minutes of government operation, we can't afford these high levels of spending. Patience is a virtue-sadly I don't have it-but then again I haven't spent more money than every President, every administration and every Congress before me.

Michael Moore

Michael Moore's new movie discusses Capitalism and often leaves viewers with a disliking of the capitalist, free-market system. The movie has been viewed as offensive by some and as true fact by others.

Capitalism is not at fault for our economic distresses, Wall Street doesn't even own a large portion of the blame. The real culprit behind our economic worries is government. Our government has created an economy based solely of service industries like banking. Through our broken tax code and other government action we've managed to outsource most manufacturing and by doing so we've created a volatile economic environment.

Production of necessary goods and agriculture give stability to an economy, they are industries that do not rely on risks to make money, they rely on the necessity of their products. Government has, however, practically killed manufacturing and most agriculture in the United States.

Capitalism is a great economic system-it's the only one with a decent track record. Capitalism with severe government intervention, however, is a volatile roller-coaster.

The Flag

Many people are very opinionated about flag burning. In fact most everyone has an opinion on it, I included. Conservatives argue that the flag represents freedom and the lives that were given to defend freedom, Liberals argue that soldiers died so people would have the freedom to burn the flag.

The Flag has represented our country on the battlefield, the conference room and more especially here at home. I have always been proud to call the flag my own. While I understand the liberal point of view, and even agree slightly, my friends on the left forget one thing. That one thing is that the most visible sign of anti-American sentiment in the mid-east is burning the American flag.

This country ensures a process of peaceful protest so that people can convey their feelings and message without violence. Therefore flag-burning is in a sense a rejection of our system. This country is partly based on respectful disagreement and flag-burning is without much respect for the other side.

The flag is not sacred to me, I do not worship it, but I honor it, and I respect it's message and the dream it conveys. The flag is special and shouldn't be burned, at least for the safety of those around the flag.

Note: Happy Birthday Sandra

Will Huckabee Run?

Many conservatives are looking to Mike Huckabee as the GOP's best candidate in 2012, but the question is, of course, will he run?

Every straw poll held since President Obama's election to my knowledge has shown Mike Huckabee to be the favorite among the Republican base. Huckabee is a former Governor of Arkansas, and now a talk show host. Huckabee might have been a virtual unknown last year, but now he has a chance at winning the Republican nomination in 2012. But then again, often times the one ahead in the polls at the beginning of the race loses in the end (Giuliani in 2008).

Huckabee has taken a Reagan-like strategy. After Reagan lost the 1976 nomination to Gerald Ford, Reagan began a huge media campaign-a radio adress, a weekly column and normally one speech a week until he officially announced his campaign. Now, Huckabee has his own talk show to get his name out.

It would be foolish to say that Huckabee doesn't have a chance at winning the Republican nomination, but it would be equally as foolish to say that he has the nomination all wrapped up. I don't agree with Huckabee on everything, but I am strongly considering supporting him for President-if he runs.

Iran Comes Clean

A date has finally been set for inspectors to visit Iran's secret nuclear facility. But of course, Iran has 21 days to do whatever they want, to the facilities.

News has arisen that indicates that Iran has the ability to create a nuclear weapon right now. We can not afford to allow Iran access to nuclear weapons. Iran has ties to Hamas and Hezbollah! Not to mention the radical rhetoric of Irananian leaders like Ahmadinejad.

President Bush told the nation countless times that Iran was developing nuclear weapons, and now he is proven most definitely correct. A recent poll said that over 60% of Americans would support military action to stop Iran from gaining nuclear weapons. The question is if military action will be necessarry.

Iran is a dangerous, destructive country, and can't be trusted. The news of their progress is very disheartening, and very scary, but we must show strength. Iran only respects strength, not weakness.

Dallas Judge Divorces Gay Couple

A Dallas Judge ruled recently that a gay couple can be divorced in the State of Texas, even though Texas does not recognize gay marriage or civil unions.

This action is puzzling, while they're is a good argument to support the judges' ruling, there is also a good argument against. In 2005 voters approved a ban on gay marriage and civil unions-that is law in Texas, this particular case did not challenge the Constitutionality of Texas' law-but the Judge said that the ban was unconstitutional anyway. Judges are supposed to interpret the law, whether right or wrong in her opinion the Judge overstepped her bounds.

Legislating from the bench is a serious problem-the judiciary is to interpret the law, and if the law is challenged they can strike it down, but Constitutionally can't replace law. Elected legislators are meant to make laws that's why we have them. If Judges start to do the same things as legislators, why should we have Checks and Balances?

This will definitely not be the last time that we hear about this case, and I am anxious to see Texas AG Greg Abbott respond.

House Votes Against Moving Detainees

Yesterday the House of Representatives voted 258-163 on a non-binding reccomendation stating that Guatanamo Bay detainees should not be moved to the United States either for trial or holding.

This is very significant, I do doubt, however, that President Obama will stop his plans to move Gitmo detainees without an actual Act of Congress to stop him. It is immensely dangerous to place terror suspects here at home. Futhermore, no person would be happy if the administration puts detainees in their state.

To add to the list of problems, our prisons are overcrowded anyway! There is really very few places to put these suspects. Furthermore are we going to waste tax dollars to move them somewhere else to do essentially the same thing-hold them? If it's wrong to hold people accountable for committing an act of war, maybe we should stop prosecuting people for murder, theft or rape.

Guantanamo Bay is the safest, most cost effective place to put terror suspects. Other countries don't always have the means or the will to detain these people, and we don't have the money to move them!


-- Posted from my iPhone

The Supreme Court and Handguns

Early next year the Supreme Court will hear a case that involves the Constitutionality of Chicago's ban on handguns and possibly gun-control in general.

Previously the Supreme Court overturned Washington D.C.'s handgun ban, so many people believe that a similar ruling on this case is imminent. Traditionally the court has found that all rights in the Bill of Rights are necesarry and must be protected so that the people have a safeguard against government.

The second amendment is a precaution against tyrannical government that must be protected. Gun ownership is not about violence, the vast majority of gun owners are responsible, law-abiding citizens who have no intentions of hurting someone, unless threatened first. Firearms are also used for providing food-people do hunt, and they do it responsibly.

The second amendment is a very American right. Few places in the world allow gun ownership like we do, and let's keep it that way. I don't believe in eroding individual rights, and I don't believe in making people dependent on the police for protection. After all the police can take up to ten minutes to answer a call.