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Now if a little coordination could be effected so that Heritage Days, the Duke Alexis roundup at Camp Hayes Lake and the Stratton Fall Festival could be scheduled at different times it would be possible to support all three events and enjoy them all. Surely the last weekend in September can't be that sacred for all three communities that we end up detracting from each other's big fall festivals.
I just received my annual bill for airplane insurance and was surprised to see nearly a ten percent decrease in premium. My broker writes for AIG, the large company that has made recent news for being "bailed out" by the U.S. Government to stave off bankruptcy. It would seem that an increase in premium would be in order to help cover the company's losses but then maybe it wasn't the privately owned aircraft insurance division that was the big loser for the huge AIG Company. Anyway, thank you taxpayers.
Current news is of a Ukrainian cargo ship hijacked by modern day pirates near Somalia. One crewman dead, the Captain "ill" and the remaining 20 crewmen held hostage for a $20 million ransom. The ship is carrying a load of Russian made tanks bound for Kenya. It is feared that if the ransom demanded is not paid the pirates may have a new set of modern war making equipment for wreaking more devastation on the poor people trying to live in that already destitute country.
The hijacking illustrates the ongoing penalty being paid for President Bill Clinton's cut and run was strategy after the battle of Mogadishu. There is a lesson for the Democrats, especially their Presidential Candidate Barack Obama, who yet profess to cut and run in Iraq. The hard lesson is that once our troops are committed the only honorable and lasting outcome of a battle is complete victory. Some people never learn!
Speaking of governmental planning as a solution for everything, and consistently failing, we are watching an attempt to cure a financial crisis that is yet a work in the making. Root causes of the debacle can be traced back to Representative Barney Frank Chairman of the House Banking Committee and Senator Chris Dodd like Committee Chairman in the Senate whose efforts to provide "affordable" housing for everyone. They exerted influence on lending institutions to make loans that were risky and most likely to fail. Then they did what they could to get the packaged loans sold to quasi-governmental organizations to hold until the mortgage was paid off. Both those named and a whole lot of their fellow travelers took bribes from Fanny and Freddie in the form of "campaign contributions" to vote against any attempt to provide oversight and prevent the impending "train wreck"! Actually all worked well when the price of housing kept rising and the new owners looked good on paper but then the housing bubble burst. From here it looks like all the profit will have gone to private investors and all the losses will accrue to the government. Thank you again, Mr. American Taxpayer.
Anyone who has farmed for a living and especially one who tried to make a go of it during President Jimmy Carter's years of incompetence and double digit interest on operating money will know that no one in government is smart enough to run the American economy. Joe Stalin, Fidel Castro, Mao Tse-tung and every other Communist government has failed economically yet our left wing Democrat leaders are like the moth that can't keep away from the candle flame. They can't help themselves from playing with fire and attempting the impossible. Do they honestly think that they are smarter that all the failed leaders who tried before and failed miserably? Hopefully the majority of American voters have read enough history to keep from voting into office those who insist on socializing and ruining this wonderful country. Hopefully indeed!
That is the way I see it.
Since we're handing out lessons, here's one for our next leader: Don't use lies to justify going to war and perhaps we can avoid another situation like Iraq.
Commonsense2,
I agree with your article except paragraph #5. The American indian wasn't anymore native than were my Irish ancestors. We all immigrated from another continent. Mine from across the ocean, the indian from across the frozen tundra of northern Alaska.
Jim
kudos to commonsense2!!! Although I believe we would have some areas of disagreement, that was one the "BEST" response articles I have read in some time. Yes, WE are to blame for the current financial peccadilloes.
*** In the interest of full disclosure, I voted for GW in the 2000 election, not the 2004 election however. I'm a married with two kids middle aged white guy. I miss my community and I am concerned about its future. ***
With the introductions out of the way, I want to say that I take exception to Dick calling out the Democrats as the reason for the economic issues we are all facing. The truth is, WE Americans, are to blame. Not all but most of us were all caught up in the "good times" - lots of credit, home prices were skyrocketing, employment was high, money was flowing, crime was down - times were good!!!
Then POW, the party was over, living beyond our means, came to an end -- seems all good parties come to an end and most of the time with a hangover the next day! Well....., welcome to the hangover, the party is over and blaming one party for the economic issues WE are facing is not using this medium of communication in a constructive or educational manner. I say we, because we are all in this together, like it or not, we are all on the hook for fixing this problem.
Now comes the education - the party to blame for this economic mess is every American that participated in the party over the past decade and threw all sense of responsibility, accountability and rationality to the wind. Sobering to think we could be at fault, at fault for not taking responsibility for our own actions, at fault for thinking the politicians were at fault thus transferring accountability from us to them (question: if a politician would have said that we Americans need to be fiscally responsible and take care of our future or we would suffer the dire consequences, do you think you would have voted for him/her?) and finally, at fault for lacking rational thought, after all parties last for ever, right?
So what next? Below I have listed my 5 ideas -- I encourage you to offer your five….
1) Immediately start saving our money and paying off debt (both citizens and our government). To do this, it will take sacrifice, we will need to put off the wants and focus on the needs.
2) Stop rewarding politicians that tell us that we can lower taxes while increasing spending (example - the 2 wars, social programs, etc.). If we can't balance our family's budget using this spend more and earn less approach, how can we believe the government when they tell us they can?? For once I want a politician to tell me that it is going to be tough, taxes will need to go up, but the end game is to be free from foreign countries that finance the American way of life. WE, need to focus on our future, have an end goal in mind and have the fortitude to follow through.
3) Stop asking for more assistance and start demanding that community and charity take a larger role in our lives (this means that you and I hold each other accountable in the effort to make our communities a better place). On a personal note - I remember when my single mother worked and I needed help with school -- a family friend offered to tutor me in the evenings for free (because she knew my Mom couldn't afford to pay for a tutor). My Mom didn't even need to ask, this woman saw a need and knew she could make difference - People, it doesn't cost a thing to create a better community…
4) Stop dividing people into groups, republicans, democrats, independents, etc. Here's a novel idea, just accept that we are all different and that we don't need to always agree. But, when it comes to issues that deal with the common good of all Americans, we owe it to our family, friends and community to find a compromise.
5) Adding on to 4, we need to start embracing our cultural differences. With the exception of the Native Americans, we are all immigrants -- don't forget that, ever!!
Like I said above, I encourage and challenge you to share your five ideas with us using this communication medium. If you don't have any ideas, asking your neighbors and friends for their ideas and thoughts on how we can do better. Take the time to educate yourself on the issues, listen and learn from each other, and don't forget to hold each other accountable for their role in the community.
P.S. - To educate myself on Dick's assertion and blame, I Googled "Home ownership is a right and not a privilege". Below is what I found -- just educating myself and holding Dick accountable for his use of this communication medium.
These are quotes from our President GW and seem to complicate Dick's comments. Also, the attached link has a political add from GW - I encourage you to read the quotes and watch the ad -- this is not Democrat propaganda -- this is from GW himself.
5/6/04: "Thanks to being the most productive workforce in America, and I might say, thanks to good policies, this economy is strong and it's getting stronger. … Home sales were the highest ever recently. That's exciting news for the country."
8/28/04: See, I love an ownership society. It's a hopeful society. It's a society that provides stability in times of change.
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/09/19/bush...