Dear America,

a sliver.

a budget of $3.8 Trillion, operating with a $1.5 Trillion deficit, and proposing $775 million in spending cuts (fyi -- only applying to "discretionary" items, and paying no mind to items requiring immediate attention, like Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid). And can we get a rousing shout out to the Patriot Post this morning, for providing the colorful  visuals... along with the unintended consequences of the nation skipping a beat that immediately follows... or was that just heart burn...can we get a plop plop fizz fizz.

all this, with only a few years to go before the trillion dollar "Affordable Care Law" kicks in all the way! remember, we are only beginning to pay for it now, full benefits don't even start until 2014 -- who's brilliant idea was that?  for they deserve a prize, as that is just fabulous...best way to fight  the rising cost of health care, start corrupting the corruption early and often.


But never you mind...that is a long time away from now...

As the echo of a president speaking to Joe the Plumber rings in my ear..." I believe when you spread the wealth around, it's good for everybody."

If you take the time to listen to the entire five minutes spent with Joe the Plumber -- which you will have to find on your own, as my link is merely a fraction of the conversation -- you will be amazed at just how dazed and confused Obama sounds.

He spins his own weave of tax rates with catch phrases, while trying to convince a hard working plumber, that now that he's kind of made it... under his tax plan... if you go back ten years and somehow have a chance to relive it, you would have more money in your pocket now -- but since that isn't realistic, what he wants Joe the Plumber to recognize, now that he is doing so well, is that he should support a tax plan that makes him pay more for his success -- you know, to help those who are coming along behind him -- you know, "because there are two ways of lookin' at it..."

So with respect to Obama's 2012 budget, there are two ways of lookin' at it --

ONE: at least it's something, right? He's put a "freeze" at 2010 levels, whatever that really means, since we were already in the hole in 2010, one would have to wonder about that; but all in all, he has a plan, a budget (given we have been operating without one, this is a step in the right direction) and he has come up with a number -- $775 million -- in actual spending cuts.  refer back to the pretty picture above, to put that number in proper perspective.

TWO: we are doomed.

Now, it has been a tough couple of weeks around the globe, hasn't it; we have fires of unrest fracturing the entire world, as if we are falling apart.
 
So, I don't know about you, per se, but I couldn't help but get the biggest chuckle in days, while watching the O'Reilly Factor during his weekly segment with Dennis Miller; me and my girl turned to each other with eyes wide open thinking this guy is brilliant (that would be Miller, not always the case for O'Reilly).

First, I have probably said this out loud before, but Miller is smart -- so quick on his feet -- and funny -- it is hard keeping up with him half the time -- what a fireball of wit, wisdom and western culture -- his mouth should be the eighth wonder of the world, but perhaps that's just me; but when he told O'Reilly, something to the affect of, you know, a good question (for the president) would have been to ask him, at the end of the game (Super Bowl) should they have evened up the score, you know, to be fair?

No need to show a pie chart to figure that one out -- redistribution, no matter how you slice it, no matter which side of the ball you're on, does not work -- will never work -- and only keeps good decent people from actually, going to work, in more ways than one.

Redistribution of Wealth, in any form, discourages -- in fair and equal proportion -- both the creators and the takers... stifling all good deed, all the way around, as if both hands are tied behind our back; did you watch Joe the Plumber's expression over the course of his sliver in time, as he was face to face with the man who would ultimately become the next president of the United States? 

His face grew twisted, he cocked his head, he tried to interrupt when things turned to mush, as he attempted to swipe the sweat, literally and figuratively, off his brow -- looking at Obama with a face of confusion, frustration, or just plum impatience half the time, yet all the while, painstakingly trying to pay him his full respect; ugh.

Joe the Plumber, as we all know now, became the face of middle America, and his moment with Obama would be replayed and reused and retained as the quintessential argument of the campaign -- not that it made any difference.  Oh, to know what we know now.  see also yesterday's lamentations which seem to follow suit...Known and Unknown, that is the question.

And then, in the midst of all the conversation on cutting spending we have another Joe, promoting the administration's plan to "invest" $53 Billion dollars in a fly-by-night cockamamie scheme to have the government get into the High Speed Rail business -- you know, Joe, if it were cost effective in the least bit, don't you think a Carnegie or a Rockefeller would have done this already?

It's simple, there are no takers because the numbers simply don't add up; oh, and what's this...what corporation stands to gain the most with this little operation...GE.  Case closed.  next.

Which, by the way, if you have not already done so, send a letter to Jeff here.    This link connects you to The Free Enterprise Project, offered through an affiliation with Freedom Works; if you get on the email list with Freedom Works, they make it incredibly easy, and FREE, to send letters to your congressmen and women, and just about anybody else worthy.

Just before I leave you, another segment from the day, yesterday, included a preview of an upcoming John Stossel report; with him standing in the middle of an ice rink,ordering people around, meddling, encroaching on free expression, restricting the natural flow, proving to America, for the umpteenth time, unlimited government intrusion is no way to go around life (as our founders intended, of course).

The thing is, the good news and the bad news is the same news -- to live in a free country, to remain a free people, to grow a free enterprise -- it actually, and boldly, requires a system based upon the principles of freedom and liberty in order to facilitate the unlimited-ness of all possibility to take shape; yes, and likewise, a system such as this, inherently, intrinsically and emphatically requires all of its members within the group to act responsibly and account-ably to that end. [yikes, as I get Glenn Beck screaming in my ear, begging the question, "can man rule himself?"]

We have proven now, thanks to the last hundred years or so, that man cannot rule man -- that man, must rule himself, tied to Something Greater Than (whether it is God, or in principle) 'said man', or else man loses  everything, including every living, breathing hope and dream along with it;

We have proven now, thanks to the last hundred years or so, that government is not the answer to the problem, but the problem itself;

We have proven now, thanks to the last hundred years or so, that one cannot spend more than one takes in, for that trajectory is unsustainable -- and of course, a pathway wrought in fear, instability, worry, unease, disease, addiction and corruption --

...robbing peter to pay paul
...getting in deeper and deeper in over your head
...finally reaching a place of total, moral, financial, emotional bankruptcy
...for the liabilities eat us up piece by piece, one by one.

bye bye miss american pie -- for no longer would we have the ability to even talk about the pie, let alone discuss what we will take away from it; no longer is it a question as to when, how much, or just where oh where would a portion not be missed whatsoever; no longer is it a question of  who we will choose to eat it with or how much we can share, for none of it would matter anymore -- for, in a manner of speaking, we would be plum out of pie. all gone. no more.  buh-bye.

Make it a Good Day, G

Dear America song is dedicated to all the Joe's of the day -- Joe the Plumber, Joe the VP, Joe the baker and the candlestick maker, and of course, my favorite Joe of all...xx... I'll never tell...and yes, even to a brother, Joe, who just so happens to be celebrating his 44th year on this earth upon this very day -- rock on, brother.

Dear America,

"Property is the fruit of Labour...

That some should be rich shows that others may become rich

and hence is just encouragement to industry and enterprise."

Abraham Lincoln

Happy Fat Tuesday; as if we all need an excuse to live it up while we still can.

Ringing in an idea with such high flying Christian roots, in celebration of the last hurrah before a time of repentance and of showing great restraint on all levels, it seems rather fitting these days given the economic hole we've put ourselves in.

It would be one thing if we actually followed through with the work that goes along with it; but nowadays, we're just expecting bailouts, or robbing Peter to pay Paul, or spending money to make money, or we just live with some kind of warped sense of entitlement while we party down main street with not a care in the world. Whether we are dippin' into the moonshine or simply living in denial, we are pretty much messed up.

I love how the Obama administration blames Bush for everything going wrong, while they take all the credit when things go right; take the recent pronounced victory of the Obama Administration, from the crazy mouth of Joe Biden -- you know, last week when he was with Larry King...calling it [IRAQ!] "one of our greatest achievements."..

How can you go on like that, Joe, when you know darn well you wanted none of it -- you said no to the surge, wanted none of the work, and made no qualms about letting us all know how you felt -- as only you, Joe, can do -- along with your fellow Commander in Chief. Both of you wanted no piece of that strategy from the start and well past it's finish -- speaking of "the Surge"  -- claiming it will never work and ultimately would be our downfall, leaving the region in rubble and our reputation and honor in shreds.

Let's face it, Joe, you didn't want to do the work.  You didn't want to make any more of a commitment.  You didn't want to see it through and do whatever it was going to take to win.

Ah sure, but now, now Joe -- you want to take this victory home as if it were your very own and party like it's nineteen ninety-nine. Take the victory lap down Bourbon Street if you must, but at least give the credit to where credit is due -- as talk about party-san politics! This was Bush's war and Bush's strategy through and through -- you know it and WE know it. 

The Iraq Surge worked -- it was a success -- because BUSH was the determined and committed Commander in Chief who set in motion. He wasn't going to leave Iraq without a Democracy, along with all of the protections and provisions to keep it; even the exit strategy we are using today is the same as the one implemented by Bush...but why am I telling you that when you already know.

So this whole Mardi Gras thing is kind of like a shining example of America -- we party as if we have done the work already; we're letting loose as if we've already tightened our belts; we're taking credit for an accomplishment we haven't even achieved yet; we're putting on our party clothes as if the hamper is full of the sweaty and soiled Levi's after a long days work.  We're mouthing off, hooting and hollering, nipping the Jack Daniel's and acting like Joe.

We live very disconnected lives as to what it really takes to make this country work these days.

Success cannot come from nothing, or idleness; while if Joe had it his way, America never would have surged and never would have won, because America would have sat idly by and watched the victory (and Iraq) slip away.

From one of the "have nots" of England, Benjamin Franklin came to America with the sound advice:

"I have long been of your opinion,

that your legal provision for the poor [in England]

is a great evil, operating as it does to the encouragement of idleness. 

We have followed your example,

and begin now to see our error, and, I hope, shall reform it." 

This quote, found in a treasury of insight, from The 5,000 Year Leap.

The entire premise of the creation of a Federal Government in America was to safeguard the principles of a WORKING, civil, moral, and good society; whether rich or poor, the same would be true for everyone -- and that would be the teachings of personal responsibility to achieve prosperity.

"Compassion which gives a drunk the means to increase his drunkeness is counter-productive."

"Compassion which breeds debilitating dependency and weakness is counter-productive."

"Compassion which blunts the desire or necessity to work for a living is counter-productive."

"Compassion which smothers the instinct to strive and excel is counter-productive."

Again, words of reason from Benjamin Franklin via The 5,000 Year Leap.

The idea was to let the people, even the very poor, learn to do the work themselves; those in power could shape America in such a way to encourage and support people to help themselves -- which was all the federal government was ever supposed to be; that "under no circumstances is the federal government to become involved in public welfare... The Founders felt it would corrupt the government and also the poor." Adding, "no Constitutional authority exists for the federal government to participate in charity or welfare."

And now look at us.

The only reason why Iraqi's can dance if they so choose is because they have done the work; they know that from this day forward it will continue to take work and it will remain their duty to never let down their guard; as it requires the action of real effort day in and day out...lest they will lose it.

"A people must from time to time,

refresh themselves at the well-spring of their origin,

lest they perish."

don't you just love that Franklin...

But fast track back to today, even if you never liked the guy, Bush was a man of conviction.  He didn't quit; he was a leader, a man of honor in a battle he started from a place of reason and compassion and for the betterment of the people in Iraq and our country. 

We could question whether it was the best or his only option for decades -- and we will -- but the reality is, only by the actions of a fearless and tireless leader do we ever see the finish line; and bearing in mind the Olympic spirit overflowing in Vancouver today, only by this kind of effort do we ever have a chance to stand tall and wave our flag in the air as we take the victory lap round the ice.

But get a load of Joe these days, fresh off of Larry King we found him taking time off to enjoy a few days at the Olympics, sitting in the stands happy as can be, proud of his accomplishment in Iraq -- "this administration's greatest accomplishment", he said.

Refresh yourself, Joe -- look at the origins of 'your finest hour' and there you will find something which you, along with a parade of other yahoos in Washington -- will never fully understand:

"Though the earth and all inferior creatures be common [as the gift from God] to all men, yet every man has a 'property' in his own 'person.' This, nobody has any right to but himself.  The 'labour' of his body and the 'work' of his hands, we may say, are properly his.  Whatsover, then, he removes out of the state that Nature hath provided and left it in, he hath mixed his labour with it, and joined to it something that is his own, and thereby makes it his property...

He that is nourished by the acorns he picked up under an oak, or the apples he gathered from the trees in the woods, has certainly appropriated them to himself. Nobody can deny but the nourishment is his.  I ask then, when did they begin to be his?  When he digested? or when he ate? or when he boiled? or when he brought them home? or when he picked them up?  And it is plain, if the first gathering made not his, nothing else could."  From John Locke, Second Essay Concerning Civil Government, inside The 5,000 Year Leap

At what point, Joe, did it become yours, when you saw that it was done?  when the people of Iraq could vote?  when you finally felt good about a decision that wasn't yours was ultimately met with success? or did you take something that doesn't actually belong to you? 

To be able to stand tall at the podium, Joe -- it can only come with the discerning decision to make the commitment in the first place, to accept whatever laborious extra effort it may take, and follow through all the way to the end. To know the real joy, Joe -- it can only be found back behind such labor, such unwavering spirit to see it through, no matter what, no matter how hard, no matter how long it takes -- only then, from such personal attachment to the goal and the nature of creation itself, can you really feel the win. (Case in point, some of the real life stories from Olympians and what it took to get there).

The accomplishment in Iraq is not one for you to truly own, Joe -- and if I'm not mistaken, given the dynamics of effort and outcome, soil and reward -- you feel that way too. 

Tomorrow should be a pretty good day for you, after parading the transgressions claiming an honor fraudulently deemed your own, perhaps a quiet day of reflection will find you on your knees in gratitude to someone else besides the good Lord.

Make it a good Day, G

whether in Iraq or here at home...captured in one of my favorite places, The Patriot Post:

"Government is taking us a long way down the Road to Serfdom. That doesn't just mean that more of us must work for the government. It means that we are changing from independent, self-responsible people into a submissive flock. The welfare state kills the creative spirit. F.A. Hayek, an Austrian economist living in Britain, wrote 'The Road to Serfdom' in 1944 as a warning that central economic planning would extinguish freedom. ... Hayek meant that governments can't plan economies without planning people's lives. After all, an economy is just individuals engaging in exchanges. The scientific-sounding language of President Obama's economic planning hides the fact that people must shelve their own plans in favor of government's single plan. At the beginning of 'The Road to Serfdom,' Hayek acknowledges that mere material wealth is not all that's at stake when the government controls our lives: 'The most important change ... is a psychological change, an alteration in the character of the people.' This shouldn't be controversial. If government relieves us of the responsibility of living by bailing us out, character will atrophy. The welfare state, however good its intentions of creating material equality, can't help but make us dependent. That changes the psychology of society. According to the Tax Foundation, 60 percent of the population now gets more in government benefits than it pays in taxes. What does it say about a society in which more than half the people live at the expense of the rest?" --columnist John Stossel

Thank you "The Patriot Post (www.patriotpost.us/subscribe/ )"