Scott Walker and Tom Barrett went head to head in the recall election in Wisconsin yesterday and, after all the media exposure and speculation, the results are in. Governor Scott Walker, as well as his Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, retain their jobs. The polls closed at 9 ET and by 9:45 it was already being called a win by Walker. This is all great news, but the meaning behind this victory goes way further than just a winner and a loser.

     Scott Walker, a Tea Party backed candidate, won his election to Wisconsin Governor with a policy in mind. He campaigned on that policy, so people knew his plan and still he won. His plan was to get public-sector employees to contribute just 6% into their own benefits package. The unions, of course were completely against this, as it wasn’t the norm. Why should union employees make any sacrifice, even though it meant the state going even deeper in debt. The unions screamed that teachers, police and firefighters would lose their jobs right and left in Walker’s effort to get the state back on its feet.

     The results of Gov. Walker’s policies helped the state of Wisconsin. The unemployment rate in the state dropped a full point and the state deficit of over a billion dollars went to a surplus. The problem to the unions was the fact that affected union membership dropped from over 50,000 to around 29,000 members. This was the main reason the unions launched the recall effort. petitions were sent out and signed by such notable union supporters as Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck (not sure where exactly Goofy stood on this issue), and Adolph Hitler. The courts allowed all the bogus names and the recall was on. Union members from all across the country, many paid for their time, to protest in the streets, as well as the state capital building.

     The Tea Party came to the Gov. Walker’s defense after he stood up to the unions. The policies employed in Wisconsin by Walker were shared by the Tea Party and they were working. This was a glowing example that the things the Tea Party stood for would not only work in Wisconsin, they demonstrated that they would work on the national level. The Tea Party’s philosophy to a candidate is that in tough times, if they follow through with their principles, they will have the candidate’s back; cross us and we’ll have your a**. Walker stood his ground and maintained his principles and his position, so the Tea Party backed him, as did 57% of the state voters.

     So, with the results of the vote, what do we take from it? First, the demise of the Tea Party is greatly exaggerated. It is alive and well and endorsing candidates who share our values. It is still grassroots and is actively involved at every level of local, state and federal government. While the Occupiers, promoted by the lame stream media, the socialist party, the communist party, the Democratic National Committee and this administration, are out there creating chaos, the Tea Party has been furthering its policies and goals to return liberty to America.

     The second thing to take from Wisconsin is that We the People are no longer going to bow to the thuggery of unions. Despite the fact that union members were out there at the polling places in an effort to intimidate the vote their way, those who saw the benefits of Scott Walker’s policies, voted against the unions (and those aforementioned groups backing them). Chicago politics as usual is over!

     Next, the Lame Stream Media is an embarrassment. From the very beginning, they were heart and soul behind the unions and their liberal policies. They touted how mighty the unions were and that they would overcome all obstacles to win this election.  They extolled that as Wisconsin went, so too would the general election! This past week, they started getting worried about polling information they got, but not always distributed. Last night, the alphabet networks went from supporters crying while saying that democracy is dead to a network re-running the Queen’s jubilee that happened earlier that morning. No wonder their ratings are going down. People aren’t watching CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC, etc, because they are getting information elsewhere. They are getting unbiased news and the lame stream media is revealed as the embarrassment they are. They should learn from this or fade into obscurity! To the guy who was crying about democracy dieing, I say LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC!

     Lastly, conservative values, as well as family values matter to the majority of people. The free-wheeling, spend-fest that is politics today took a major hit last night. Politicians, whether they have a R or a D behind their names should take notice. We the People are tired of the same old thing in Washington, DC. There are tough decisions ahead of our country. If you are not going to make the tough decisions to correct the current course, get out-of-the-way or we will vote you out-of-the-way. Continued can kicking is no longer an option!

     Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, DNC chair, said a few weeks ago that the Wisconsin election was ” a dry-run for Obama”. Although, now she’s walking that statement back, I think that, for the reasons I’ve just mentioned, things may not be looking bright in the White House today. I hope not!

     Last night, the evening before Memorial Day, Chris Hayes, on his MSNBC show, Up with Chris Hayes, made a statement that totally enraged me. He said,” I feel uncomfortable with the word hero because it seems to me so rhetorically proximate to justifications for more war. Um, and, I don’t want to obviously desecrate or disrespect anyone who has fallen, and obviously there are individual circumstances in which there is genuine, tremendous heroism, you know, hail of fire, rescuing fellow soldiers and things like that. But, it seems to me we marshal this word in a way that is problematic.”

     To be honest, I never heard this live and, in fact have never heard of Chris Hayes. I  am not a faithful MSNBC follower. I have listened, disgustedly, to the video of the segment. This morning, when I heard it, I went on a rant on Facebook and Twitter and several other sites, but then started thinking again as my blood pressure returned to normal. I began to think about the statement.

     What he said is despicable!  When he said it is even more so. To begin his show the evening before Memorial Day, with the comment that he feel uncomfortable calling the fallen soldiers heroes is disturbing. Memorial Day is the day set aside to honor those who lost their lives in uniform in the defense of our country. Our freedoms, those that haven’t been trampled by this administration, were bought with the blood of these heroes. I have absolutely NO problem using the word to describe such men and women. The First Amendment gives Chris Hayes the right to express his opinion. Those in uniform all take the oath to defend the Constitution from enemies, both foreign and domestic. Of course, that freedom doesn’t exempt Hayes from the repercussions of what he says.

     His show on MSNBC has advertisers. If people agree with what Hayes says, fine, continue to watch the show. If you object or disagree with the viewpoint put forth by Chris Hayes, perhaps you should let his advertisers know how you feel. Personally, if my company had an ad on his show, I would have pulled it on my own by now.  If the advertiser agrees with this viewpoint, I wouldn’t want my hard-earned money to go to support them. That’s called capitalism, something the liberals apparently hate.

     Now, on to MSNBC. They have had a decline in their viewership in recent years. The fact that they have such people hosting shows may be an indication of why. Again, I’m not even sure where MSNBC is on the satellite programming I have, so, I’m already not a viewer. However, the MSNBC hierarchy may need to decide if they stand by what Hayes espouses. If they do, fine, keep things just the way they are. I can almost guarantee the viewership they now have, they will shortly miss. If the network disagrees, they may have to take serious action. Can they be associated with such anti-American sentiment? We’ll see.

     Now, since MSNBC is the mouthpiece of Barack Obama and the DNC and their liberal agenda, the question arises; are these also the views of this administration. In recent news articles, I’ve seen that Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are both vying for the military and veteran vote. If MSNBC agrees with Chris Hayes and speaks for this administration, doesn’t that mean the administration sides with Hayes? If so, how can any self-respecting member of the Armed Forces, whether past, present or future, cast a vote for Obama? A vote for him would be a vote for MSNBC and a vote siding with Chris Hayes. It would be a vote against the very valor of the men and women who have ever worn a uniform.

     I’ve already decided where I stand on the issue. I stand with the military. I stand in praise of those who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the defense of our country and our Constitution. Where do you stand?

     The long weekend is almost here. Traditionally, this is the start of the summer season. Pools start to open and people are using their three day weekend to travel to the beach or the mountains. Stores are offering sales for their wares. Grills are warming up for the steaks, hamburgers and hot dogs. Boats on trailers are behind the pick-ups heading to the lake. Race fans are gearing up to head to the tracks. Everyone is thinking what a good time this is.
     Some will remember that Memorial Day is more than a day to party, shop or play. They will remember there is a solemn occasion, honoring those men and women of our Armed Forces who paid the ultimate price for their country, maintaining the rights and freedoms we so often take for granted.
      Memorial Day began on 5 May, 1868 when General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic issued his General Order No. 11, proclaiming flowers be placed at the headstones of the veterans, Union and Confederate, at Arlington National Cemetery commencing 30 May, 1868. This was an effort to honor the war dead of the Civil War for their sacrifices while attempting to bring the nation back together. After World War I, it was changed from honoring Civil War dead to those who died serving in all wars. In 1915, Moina Michael wrote a poem:

We cherish too, the Poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies
That blood of heroes never dies.

     She then conceived to wear red poppy flowers on Memorial Day in honor of those who died in the service of their nation during war. This was picked up in 1922 by the Veterans of Foreign Wars and they continue the sale of artificial poppies today.
     Many Americans today have forgotten the meaning of the day and the headstones of veterans in many cemeteries are ignored and neglected. Proper flag etiquette for the day has been forgotten. The flag should be flown at half-staff until noon, then raised to full-staff. Fewer and fewer towns and cities hold Memorial Day parades, and those that are held, people don’t know that, as the flag passes, they should stand and place their right hand over their heart, remaining that way until the flag passes.
      Even though the importance of Memorial Day wanes for many, there are those who continue honoring those who gave all. Every year, on the Thursday before Memorial Day, members of the 3rd Infantry Division goes to Arlington National Cemetery, placing flags on each grave, then stand guard over the graves until after the day of honor.
     During this weekend, take the time to remember why we have these days off. On Memorial Day, at 3PM, observe a moment of remembrance, in your own way. Take the kids to the veterans cemetery in your town, perhaps placing flags on the graves, and teach the meaning of the day. Those veterans who died in the service of their country, our country, who defended us and our freedom, deserve the honor. Freedom isn’t free!

     In today’s mail, I received a note from The Mitt Romney campaign wanting my help/ money, since I was such an important Republican. I felt compelled to explain my position to him. Yes, I am a registered Republican, but I’m more than that. I am a conservative and a Tea Party member. I believe the proper path we should be following is laid out by the United States Constitution. I believe in my right to bear arms as explained in the 2nd Amendment. Being Jewish, I know the Constitution guarantees me freedom of religion, not freedom from religion as the liberals demand. I am a combat veteran, having spent 25 years in the United States Marine Corps (1968-1993) and I am a strong supporter of those who have served in the military, both past and present. My son now serves, as does a step-son. Most importantly, I believe this is the most crucial election of my life. This election will determine the fate of the United States of America.

     The past three years, five months have been tough. I am a small business owner, running a home remodeling company. The economy has stood in the way of prosperity. When you add the regulations put in the way by the federal and state governments, things get downright ridiculous. Homeowners are afraid to do anything. So, business isn’t great. When Obamacare kicks in, the prospects will be even worse.

     The country isn’t faring any better. Unemployment in still too high at 8.2%, although the actual numbers would be closer to 15% or more if this administration weren’t lying to the population. Inflation is rising. Food costs more. Fuel costs more. Right after the election, the cost of energy will, as Obama explains it, necessarily skyrocket as his EPA regulations hit the coal industry over the head.Of course, about that same time, his healthcare takeover and Taxamagedden hit the country itself. This last weekend, Obama was hosting the G8 conference and he’s telling German Chancellor Angela Merkel to stop talking all the austerity stuff and start a stimulus program. Germany, being just about the only EU country with any money left, isn’t really all that enthusiastic about hosting the continued partying of the rest of the countries. Spend, spend, spend is the only plan Obama  has for the future of our nation. Why shouldn’t he  propose the same to Europe!

     So, Governor Romney, this is a snapshot of the situation as I see it. I could go much deeper, but you are a busy man. You want my vote in November, you have it. There’s no way I could vote for Obama for so mant reasons. But, for this great country, if you want to campaign as a conservative, govern as a conservative. I heard the perfect phrase at a Tea party Rally a couple months ago, although I forget who the speaker was. He said,” If you are doing what you are supposed to do, we’ll have your back; betray us and we’ll have your…” You can guess the rest. I understand you plan to run a positive campaign. I think that’s great. But rrealize, your opponent has nothing positive to run on. All he can do is smear you and your time at  Bain. You will have to answer all the lies and misrepresentations. Basically, the things you did with Bain Capital, America needs.

Great news! On Monday, 23 April 2012, the President declared the “War on Terrorism” over. I thought that was fantastic. Then, I thought again. I didn’t see any giant headlines on the front page of any newspapers, like when World War II ended. I didn’t see any dancing in the streets. Then, it occurred to me; he said it was over, not who had won. Surely, the Lame Stream Media wouldn’t miss such an occasion to praise Obama!

Well, we did get Bin Laden! Obama said that we have killed most of Al Qaida, but didn’t I hear something about a spring offensive just a week ago in Afghanistan? I’m sure there was an attack or two against our embassy there. Attacks against our troops continue. Is it possible we gave a peace, and no one noticed?

No, let’s look at a few more facts. For several months, the administration has talked about negotiated release of prisoners from Guantanamo. We’ve also heard of negotiations with Al Qaida and the Taliban to cease hostilities. We are supposed to be out of Afghanistan in a combat role by 2014, I think, although staying on in a support role for another ten years, at least. Karzai wants us out of Afghanistan, but is more than happy to receive the $2 billion military aid the administration is offering. Pakistan is already trying to forbid US operations on their soil. It doesn’t sound like we’ve won a lot on the ground.

It sounds more like the administration is trying to capitulate to Al Qaida and the Taliban in a continuing string of foreign policy debacles, and, I believe it is all related. It all started in 2009 with the uprising in Iran after the fraudulent elections. The administration chose to virtually ignore the revolt against the Ayatollahs and Ahmadinejad. With a little non-military support, the whole government of Iran could have been overthrown. But the administration couldn’t be bothered in supporting this, so we lost an opportunity to change the dynamics in the area. Of course, a few months later, we see the Muslim Brotherhood causing the fall in Tunisia. We become embroiled diplomatically in the uprising in Egypt, and afterward, the country goes to the Muslim Brotherhood, as they get the majority of seats in the government there. Now, they are calling for the military to get out of the way so they can consolidate their position and totally control the country. We spent money and munitions on the turmoil in Libya and, again, it’s the Muslim Brotherhood moving into the vacuum. Throughout the period, the administration has been out front saying the Brotherhood isn’t interested in controlling governments and how good they are. The administration has either been terribly wrong on everything or they have been secretly aiding and abetting the Muslim Brotherhood in their takeover of influence.

Domestically, the administration is busy declaring American citizens terrorists. Tea Party members are terrorists. Veterans are terrorists. Anybody who opposes the administration is a terrorists. Fast and Furious was an operation designed to make the case that since gun-loving Americans are so irresponsible with their firearms as to sell them to Mexican drug cartels, we need to outlaw the 2^nd Amendment, a move hugely popular with the United Nations and our enemies everywhere. They failed miserably in the operation and got discovered. However, the assault on the right to bear arms continues. I don’t see the Department of Homeland Security being downsized any time soon. It’s a good thing the administration is releasing prisoners from Gitmo; they may need the room for the Americans they deem to be terrorists!

So, while Obama is running around the country declaring the war on terror over, there is still a lot to be concerned about. With all the lawsuits for discrimination being put forth by CAIR, judges on the bench ruling in favor a sharia law, and such groups as the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas and Hezbollah, not to mention the government of Iran, supporting the re-elect Obama campaign, it appears to me as if the struggle has just taken a new direction, with the primaries and general election still to be won. The other option is the complete surrender of our country to the Brotherhood!

Yesterday was the seventeenth of April, and, because of Emancipation Day Monday giving the American taxpayer two extra days, my taxes are off to the Treasury. What better day to discuss the subject of Obama and his taxes? For the last couple of months, all you hear from Obama is “fair share” or “millionaires and billionaires” or some such nonsense. He campaigned with the premise that Americans making less than $250,000 per year wouldn’t see a tax hike, but many of the policies debunk that promise. Since government produces nothing, taxes are how they fund things, so they are a necessity. Do they hurt the economy or help?

Politicians, other either party affiliation, love to spend money. Obviously, that money has to come from somewhere, especially since the government creates nothing toward the economy. To avoid a complete failing of the economy, liberal politicians scream that they need to raise taxes. It is their mantra! The problem is that history shows that as you raise taxes, you lower the revenue coming into the Treasury. The Reagan Presidency showed that lower taxes actually increases revenue. The economy improves , businesses grow and hire more people and produce more products. This results in higher revenue despite lower tax rates. That alone shows that tax hikes hurt the economy.

The Tea Party followers say, “The government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem.” When Obama came into office, the economy was in decline. He spent $787 billion on his stimulus plan, designed to put Americans back to work, but the unemployment rate rose to over 9%. Some of that money went to funding alternative energy sources and we continue to lose money on that proposition. The government bailed out Chrysler and General Motors, telling us those companies would pay their loans back. We lost money on that deal also, although Obama touts it as a success. If this is a success, we can’t afford too many more of those. Then, along comes Obamacare, with more taxes or fees, depending upon whom the argument is being broached. You have the payroll tax argument, which is actually a misnomer, since the cut is actually coming from a taxpayers contribution to Social Security. Social Security is going bankrupt, so let’s speed it up about 2%. Every problem that comes up, through no fault of Obama’s (so Obama tells us), the call goes out to raise taxes. There are those who don’t pay their fair share.

To this clarion call, let me say there are quite a few flaws. First, as of April 1^st, the United States has the highest corporate tax rate in the world. This means companies find it more expensive to do business. As companies move to more company-friendly countries, the Treasury receives less revenue and Americans lose more jobs. Of course, Obama will blame that well-publicized corporate greed! He is oblivious of the fact that if the government lowered the corporate taxes, it would be in a company’s best interest to stay, or for a foreign company to come to America, there would be a larger requirement for workers, resulting in more revenue to the Treasury. Anyone see a pattern developing?

Secondly, in order to be included in the top 1%, you only need to make $380,000. That group, the reviled of the Occupiers, paid more than 38% of all federal income taxes, while earning only 20% of the income. Those in the top 10% (making $114,000 or more) paid 70% of the taxes. On the other end of the equation, the bottom 50%, making less than $33,000, earned 13% of the income, but paid only 3% of the taxes. It’s obvious that Americans pay enough money to the government in the form of taxes. In return, we watch as the government wastes our money on stupid stuff, like the GSA party or the long list of solar companies that have failed after receiving billions of dollars! There’s that spending problem again.

Still, the liberal call for higher taxes continues. In response, the American taxpayer will be hit hard next January, 2013 by a huge “Taxmageddon”, to the tune of $494 billion! That includes, among other things, the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 Bush Tax cuts, the payroll tax cut, the patch of the Alternative Minimum Tax, the ability for businesses to fully expense capital investments, and the tax cuts from the 2009 stimulus. Add to that the arrival of the new taxes from Obamacare, then tack on the increase of the death tax, up to 55%, while the exemption falls. Obama is on the campaign trail, constantly, saying we need to tax the millionaires and billionaires, that they aren’t paying their fair share. Yesterday, Eric Cantor (R-Va) called him out, saying that if there was a disparity in the tax rates of the “rich” and the middle class, why not lower the rate of the middle class. Sounds good to me!

In the long run, as long as the politicians at federal, state and local levels decide that the spending must continue at a rate far outpacing the level of income, we will have them calling for higher taxes. The government under Obama has squandered our resources in so many ways. In the three and a half years he’s been in office, he has wracked up over $5 trillion in deficit spending. Currently, our national debt is rapidly approaching $16 trillion. With his programs unstopped, by the end of 2016, the debt will be close to $21 trillion. Put another way, our grandchildren’s taxes have already been spent, two generations early. Stop the madness now!

  Tuesday night, I returned home from an engagement and turned on the television. Sean Hannity’s Great American Panel came on and I saw Bob Beckel begin to talk. He said,” President Obama is the greatest economic president since…” I have to admit, I didn’t hear who Beckel said after that (I think it was FDR) because the blood pounding in my head obscured my hearing. It really doesn’t matter who Beckel said Obama was the best since. I adamantly disagree! Obama is the worst president on economics since the founding of this great country. I hear Obama every so often, usually daily, talking about how we need to raise taxes on “millionaires and billionaires”, and currently he’s out touting his Buffet Rule. It’s about time everyone knew the truth.

Let’s start by talking unemployment numbers. Last week’s employment numbers came out and, although it rose some, they weren’t as good as had been expected. It was, however, good enough to lower the unemployment numbers from 8.3 to 8.2%. How could that happen, you ask? The Obama administration is redefining the number to make it appear better than it really is. What they are doing is removing those people who have given up on finding a job from the count. To illustrate, in 2008, the workforce stood at 145.5 million people. Today the workforce is 141.5 million people, a loss of 4 million jobs. Those people do not get counted in Obama’s numbers. If everyone who was unemployed or underemployed ( those who are working part time, but want to work full time) were counted, the unemployment numbers would be closer to 17%. Remember that unemployment in the ’30’s was 25%.

Something else to remember, when Obama took office, the unemployment rate was 7.6%. He told us his stimulus package would keep that number from reaching 8%. We, the People spent the $787 billion, which was more like $812 billion, and the unemployment number went over 9%. His answer is always to spend more money! We need to raise taxes! Well, the government has a spending problem, not a revenue problem! That being said, let’s take his Buffett Rule. His argument is that Warren Buffett pays less taxes than his secretary. That’s comparing apples to oranges. Since Buffett’s income is solely off investments, taxed at 15%, and his secretary, supposedly making $60,000 a year ( seems kind of low for a personal secretary having worked there so many years) pays 30%. First, she needs a better tax professional, if that’s true. Of course, we are only taking Obama’s word for that, since she’s not making the tax forms public. Then again, we are only talking about percentages. Fifteen percent of Buffett’s investment income is much greater than the secretary’s taxes, even if it were at 30%. But Obama wants to close that perceived gap by raising the taxes on investments. That’s going to affect a lot of people. Do you have stocks? Do you have mutual funds? Do you have a retirement package? You would be affected! But, since Obama said during his campaign and has affirmed many times after that he wouldn’t raise taxes except on millionaires and billionaires, you can afford it. When he says millionaires, of course, he means starting at $250,000 ( translates to anyone that works).

Since we are speaking of the Buffett Rule, an interesting fact was brought to my attention. If the tax rate on millionaires and above actually were implemented, it would only result in $5.3 billion. On the other hand, if there were a cut across the board in government spending of just 1%, the resulting savings would be over $33 billion. Which of these make more sense?

Right now, the national debt stands at $15.6 TRILLION! The entire European debt stands at $12.7 Trillion. The Obama administration states that what is happening in Europe won’t happen here. Well, it not because of any policy changes by this president. Every year since his took office, he has had a deficit over $1 trillion. His own Treasury Secretary has said that by 2027, the US economy would cease to exist. Still there is no move to stop the spending. What the national debt means is that every person in the United States owes $49,925. Stated differently, every taxpayer owes $137,974 (remember those 4 million people no longer counted in the work force?).

So, how do we get out of this quagmire? We need jobs! Look around and Obama isn’t anywhere to be seen. However, he can definitely be felt! Since he came to office, his administration has put in place over 100 major regulations that have choked trillions of dollars out of the economy. The EPA’s new rule on power plants would cost nearly $800 million per year, according to the Brattle Group. They say that by 2015, it will cost us $120 billion! Everything is being regulated or controlled by the government at a massive expense to the American taxpayer!

Now, I must admit that I am not a graduate of Harvard. I do believe I received a good education at the University of Southern California. I’m not an economist. My degree was in history. Still, over the years, I have learned quite a bit through experience. I know how to budget, basically, what goes out can’t exceed what comes in. This is something the Obama administration and both houses of Congress are completely unaware of. Obama puts forth a budget so ridiculous that two years in a row, it didn’t even receive a single DEMOCRAT vote. The Senate leader doesn’t think the government needs a budget! That’s ludicrous, not to mention in direct violation of the Constitution. The answer is to cut, cap and balance. To do this, we need to get to the polls and vote accordingly. We need to put the most conservative people into the White House, the House of Representative and the Senate. We need to do the same at the state and local levels. To see our alternative, look to the violence in the streets of Greece.

      Over the past few days, our President has been on a tear across the country making more than a few gaffes, if not outright lies. His slam of the Supreme Court over Obamacare and the resulting slap-down from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has caught the most attention, so I’ll forgo that, at least for a while. The statement that most offended me was where he told America that capitalism doesn’t work and never has. I’m sorry, but that statement couldn’t be more blatantly erroneous.

     When the Europeans first came to this continent, it was capitalism that aided the further growth in population. The crops grown here, beyond what was needed locally, went back to Spain, France and England. They, in turn, sent more goods for use here. More people came to America for a better chance at life, increasing the workforce here. This went on for two hundred years until it was determined that we no longer needed or could tolerate the abusive rule of King George III of England. Throughout this period, capitalism worked and continued to work.

     After the American Revolution, the country grew. The Framers of the Constitution, in limiting the power of the government, caused the continuation of capitalism, and the young country thrived. The government never told it’s citizens what they could or couldn’t do, what they could grow in their fields, or what they could build in their shops. The whole concept of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”, to Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, John Jay and the other Founding Fathers, meant that everyone had the opportunity to better themselves, not limited by government but only by themselves. The word, capitalism, never appears in the Constitution, but they are mutually supporting.

     The years that followed the birth of America brought diversification and creativity. Industrialization came into being. Railroads were built to carry people and goods across a growing country. Factories sprouted next to the tracks. Capitalism provided jobs building the tracks and the factories. People went to work in those factories making the goods that went by rail to the shops where people bought them. Industrialization was one of the major reasons for the victory of the North during the Civil War. As the country grew, business opportunities grew. At the turn of the century, Henry Ford brought us mass production and the assembly line.

     It was about this time that the progressive movement began, headed by Theodore Roosevelt and, later, Woodrow Wilson. Still, capitalism continued working, despite the progressive’s interference. We went to war in Europe and returned victorious. We brought back ideas and improved upon them. Our factories were busy and people were working. The Roaring Twenties were here. Life was good in America.

     The crash of the stock market in 1929 hit America hard. People lost approximately $4o billion and, although there were some gains, by 1930, it wasn’t enough, and the country joined the rest of the world in the Great Depression. Almost 9000 banks folded, resulting in a lack of confidence in the economy. People stopped buying and, as a result, businesses had to lay-off their workforces. The unemployment rate rose to 25%. To add insult to injury, the “dust bowl” followed and crops failed. Although all of this was going on, it did not come from a failure of capitalism. The social programs of the United States, the so-called New Deal, was not the solution that brought us out of the depression. In fact, similar programs in Germany, along with a megalomaniac leader, brought us to a second world war. If the government in America had stayed out of the way, capitalism would have pulled us out of our woes. It ended up doing it anyway, only at the start of the war.

     Since World War II, the United States has become a world superpower. Capitalism has further built the economy and infrastructure of the country. We have harnessed nuclear power for peaceful purposes. We won the Space Race, putting men on the moon. Our inventions are everywhere, making life easier and more efficient. During the same period, socialism has failed and toppled many governments. A week or so ago, our President stood at the border of North and South Korea and looked north through binoculars. He looked amazed. The sight is astounding. It is like looking back in time. Satellite imagery shows the same thing. South Korea is alive and vibrant, while, at night, few lights show in North Korea. This is a stark demonstration of how capitalism works.

     So, Mr President, capitalism has worked since the birth of the country throughout its history. I have yet to see any of your policies that have worked, unless bankrupting the country is your goal. The only thing hindering it are the regulations your administration has used to strangle it. My suggestion is to get out of the way and let capitalism continue to work. Capitalism beats Obamanomics every time!

     Over the weekend, it was brought to our attention that a tape of George Zimmerman’s call to a 911 operator aired on the Today Show had been doctored. They claimed that they had launched an internal investigation regarding the incident. I’m sure we will hear more from this investigation, which would be like a traffic cop investigating an accident he himself had been involved in. Actually, it’s more likely they are deciding how best to paint this deliberate attempt to sway opinion to make NBC appear less biased than they, in fact, are.

     The tape in question was taken from the recording of Zimmerman’s call reporting a suspicious person in a neighborhood in which he was a neighborhood watch person. After telling the operator about a suspicious person, Zimmerman was asked by the operator if the person was white or black, to which Zimmerman responds,” He appears black”. All this was edited out to appear as if Zimmerman volunteered the information, making him appear a racist.

     Now, let me say, I think what happened to Trayvon Martin is a tragedy. I also think we should wait until we have all the evidence before us before we do anything. In this, the media is failing miserably. We have NBC doctoring tapes, contaminating a potential jury pool. We have Al Sharpton, an employee of MSNBC, and Jesse Jackson out advocating for violence, unreported by the Lame Stream Media. We have the New Black Panthers putting out a contract on George Zimmerman, dead or alive, unreported by the Lame Stream Media. To their credit, the NAACP has denounced the calls to violence. We have a newspaper that has invented a new race, the white Hispanic. We have another network showing video of Zimmerman in the police station and saying he didn’t look hurt or bloody, not telling viewer that he had been cleaned up before getting there. Most of the Lame Stream Media uses a picture of a little boy of 12, instead of the 6’2″ man of 17.

     As I said before, in an effort to get the news out, the real information, the media has failed us miserably. The purpose of journalism has always been to inform the public. With a very few exceptions, they aren’t doing that. Their integrity has been traded for a liberal agenda. If something hurts their cause, they don’t report on it or they misrepresent it. They would rather just repeat what they’ve been told to say by their ideological elite than actually do investigative work.

     I imagine nothing will come out of NBC’s investigation of itself. Still, I believe they should be held accountable. How are we, the People, supposed to believe anything the Lame Stream Media says? Maybe we shouldn’t trust them! Perhaps we should suspend NBC until the outcome of the investigation, until they re-earn our trust!

John was walking down the road. He wasn’t sure, but the sunny day didn’t seem as bright as it once did. It might have been just his imagination. His clothes were dusty and disheveled and he was tired.

He looked at others on the road. All of them appeared to be in the same shape as he. Most of them were on foot, although several were on bicycles. Cars had fast become a thing of the past once the price of gas had reached $12 a gallon. Of course, it was hard to find anyway, because no other country wanted to sell their oil to foreign countries. Then again, pumping the gas from the pump was next to impossible now that electricity companies could not get coal to generate electricity. The government had banned the use of coal as being too dirty. Their plan was to substitute solar energy but the solar farms couldn’t generate enough power. So many families had to do without. Doing without had become a way of life.

As he continued down the road, he listened. It was eerily quiet. The people around him were quiet as they had nothing to talk about. There were no car sounds, no motor sounds.  Above him, there was only the occasional plane flying, taking some government bureaucrat somewhere to do something, he was sure. The airlines had gone out of business, so they were absent from the air. Private planes were gone as well, as they were just too expensive to fuel and maintain.

But then again, planes indicated there was a place to go. The economy had tanked to virtually nothing. The banks, which had gone to the financial aid of Europe at government insistence, had crashed once country after country defaulted overseas. The viewpoint of the Europeans that more and more people required fewer and fewer people to pay for more and more for less and less return had collapsed the European Union. That same view had permeated the population of the United States as socialism took hold of the country. Europe’s collapse led to the collapse here. Companies that had measured their histories in centuries ceased to exist. Unemployment soared to near 50%, although the government said it was only 18%. Since the first of April, 2012, The United States had the highest corporate tax rate in the world so Asian money that could help deigned not to interfere. In fact, the Chinese considered a large percentage of things American to be hers already, so much debt had the United States accumulated.

The government had used an executive order signed a couple of years previously, in 2012, to nationalize companies and farms by declaring a national emergency. Why those in the now defunct Congress hadn’t seen the possible abuse potential, John still didn’t understand. The government had used one provision to press a large number of people into labor camps, at no compensation. They worked the factory lines and the farmland, yet production was nowhere near where it was before the collapse.

Finding out what was happening was difficult in times like these. The internet had been the first thing to be terminated. The government deemed such a high proportion of the content to be anti-government that it had to be shut down. Of course, they had to deem the Constitution invalid and then disband Congress first. To be honest, they had been dismantling the Constitution for many years and Congress had effectively been by-passed for almost as long. News was fed to the masses by government newspapers put out once a week. There was no television and no radio as there was very little electricity to run them. The White House Press Secretary handed out a statement of weekly news, mostly propaganda it was said, by radio to state government centers and then it was disseminated to the papers. No variances were allowed. But then, the media had been willing accomplices for a decade before the collapse and no journalistic integrity remained.

John continues to walk, although to where he still had no idea exactly. He’d had a wife and a home, both gone now. His wife had gotten ill and the government patient health panel had deemed her not to be worthy of health care. Well, there were few doctors anyway, and those still in employed in government service were quacks. More patients died as a result of their doctors than from the disease. After his wife’s death, the government determined it a waste of space for him to have his home to himself, so they turned it over to a group of twenty-somethings so they could rest comfortably after their college indoctrination. So there he was on the road, dusty, hot and tired. As he walked, he wondered how he could have been so complacent back in the early ’10s.