War On the Middle Class

     Our government has been raging war on the working middle class.  For the last 100 years this country has gradually implemented Progressive ideas that have increased the size of government and moved us towards socialism.  I know people don’t like to hear that word, but by any definition, that is where we are headed if we don’t make some changes.  As government gets bigger and bigger, we lose freedoms and the middle class is the big loser. 

     How are we doing?  The United States became the #1 world economy in 1872 when we surpassed Great Britain.  China will surpass us this year.  We are losing jobs when major corporations move overseas due the fact we have the highest corporate tax rate in the world.  The profits from overseas operations do not come back to benefit our country. 

     Some people blame high wages for companies leaving, but that is only partially true as U.S. wages now are 20^th in the world.  The working middle class is growing poorer and smaller every year, as they have become the principal supporters of the welfare class, which is growing larger and living better than anytime in history.   I believe in helping the poor, but we need to help them with jobs, not handouts.  Our urban areas are in decay, with second and third generations that have never known anything but welfare.  This is enslavement. 

     The political elite, the politically connected, and the super rich will continue to live in luxury.  This is always the case in any socialist, bureaucrat controlled society.  Look at the stock market recently.  The rich are getting richer and the working middle class takes the hit.  In recent years, the essentials like food, gas, and utilities are all more expensive while wages are lower.

     I was fortunate to be raised in the 1950s.  I think this was a great time in our history.  WWII was just over.  This generation is sometimes called the greatest generation in our history, and for good reason.  This generation put God, family, and country before personal gain or partisan politics.  They believed in hard work to get ahead and provide for their families.  Capitalism fueled the economy, and not the government.  The standard of living for this country increased dramatically during the 50s.

     What has happened?  Too large a percentage of our population has become so self-absorbed and politically correct that we have a serious problem.  We must all work to turn this country around now.  The following is a totally politically incorrect statement supposedly written by a retired U.S. Marine. 

“A coalition of Blacks, Latinos, Feminists, Gays, Government Workers, Union Members, Environmental Extremists, the Media, Hollywood, uninformed young people, the “forever needy”, the chronically unemployed, illegal aliens, and other “fellow travelers” have ended Norman Rockwell’s America.”

The point is that all these special interest groups are voting for a powerful federal government that will give their self-centered group special considerations.  They are not putting God, family, and country first. 

Our veterans are a special interest group that put their life on the line to protect our freedoms and ask for nothing except what they were promised.  Some of these veterans are denied health care so some bureaucrat can get a bonus.  What is wrong with this picture?

Anyone that says they are for the working middle class and advocates a government controlled economy is just blowing smoke up …  We can help the people that work for a living and the future of this great country by simply reducing the size of government, eliminating government debt, and passing the Fair Tax.  These simple changes will cripple the political elite and give this country back to working America. 

The solution is simple and very workable if we eliminate the partisan politics of the political elite.  Get the facts and vote. 

Charlie Wilson's War

     I just finished reading George Crile’s Charlie Wilson’s War.  It was not a light read.  It gave a much different picture than the movie staring Tom Hanks.  Charlie Wilson was a US Congressman from Texas from 1973 to 1986.  He quickly earned an appointment to the House Appropriations Committee.  He knew that controlling the money gave him the power. 

     In the movie, Wilson was portrayed as a hero who almost single handedly caused the fall of the Soviet Union.  In actuality, He was a womanizing drunk.  You can’t hold that against him, after all he was a politician. 

     Wilson was a lot smarter than many politicians today.  When he got in trouble, he did not try to cover it up, and instead, he admitted his sins and asked for forgiveness.   The voter’s of the Texas second congressional district always forgave him.  He also took care of the people in his district with federal money. 

     Wilson became a powerful member of the House because of his seat on the House Appropriations Committee and the fact that he would vote for almost any and all government spending any of his colleagues wanted.  He did make it clear he wanted their vote in return when he wanted something.  This practice is what has led to the spending and debt problem we face today.

     Wilson was raised during the cold war.  He had served in US Navy, and considered the Soviet Union and communism to be the greatest threat to the US and the world.  He was committed to fight communism in any way he could. 

     Wilson worked with a rogue CIA agent, Gust Avrakotos, to fund, arm and train the Mujahideen in their war with the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.   The plan also involved working closely with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.  Pakistan was essential as a supply route and they made a fortune from the US for their involvement.  (They still do.)  Wilson talked Saudi into matching US funds for the war effort. 

     This operation reached 90 million US dollars in 1989.  The Mujahideen were supplied and trained with all kinds of new weapons for a Jihad war with the Soviet Union.  The Mujahideen were a warrior culture, but we trained them in modern gorilla warfare.   Afghan fighters, who had never seen a flush toilet, were trained to bring down Soviet Hind helicopters with ground-to-air missiles.

     This was a new kind of war and Charlie Wilson claimed victory.  The cost of the Afghan war may have played a role in the collapse of the Soviet Union.  The Mujahideen and radical Islamics around the world credited the victory to Allah with no consideration for the billions America and a Saudi Arabia had contributed. 

     Wilson died in 2010, so he lived to see 9/11.  Did he ever question his partnership in the Islamic Jihad war?  Jihad does mean death to infidels, and there is no distinction between Americans and Russians.  Did we help turn Afghanistan into a haven and training center for radical Islam?

     After 9/11 we invaded Afghanistan to capture or kill Osama bin Laden.  Was he ever in Afghanistan or was he always living comfortably in Pakistan?  Isn’t Pakistan our ally that we send millions of dollars to every year? 

     Afghanistan is a country of Islamic warlords.  The British tried to invade Afghanistan in the 19^th century and were beaten back.  The Soviet Union was beaten in   Afghanistan.  Now we are so ignorant of history that we think we can win a war in Afghanistan after we trained and armed them.  Is Russia giving them support just like we did?

     Our involvement in foreign countries may be well intentioned, but have bad consequences.  We need to step back and look at history. 

Prompt Justice

     The Sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees that all citizens “… shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial …” for any criminal prosecutions.  This is an important part of our civil rights. 

     Should the citizens of this great country also be assured that elected officials and appointed government bureaucrats will also be held accountable for criminal acts in a speedy and public manner? 

     How much incompetence, corruption, cover-ups, and scandals have we had in recent times?  We have had;

·       Black panther voter intimidation

·       Fast and Furious

·       Obama Care

·       EPA regulations specifically denied by Congress

·       Benghazi

·       IRS targeting conservative groups & individuals

·       DOJ targeting news reporters

·       NSA invading our privacy

·       VA failing to care for our veterans

·       Five dangerous terrorists exchanged for a possible deserter

·       Consumer Financial Protection Bureau invading our privacy

·       Failure to secure our borders

·       Growth in government and loss of personal freedom

·       Increasing government spending and debt

     The list goes on and on.  It is hard to keep up.  The lame steam media does a terrible job covering the news.  I do have to defend the lame stream media to some extent as they are all hurting for ratings, and much of the public is more interested in celebrities and sports than what is happening in government that will actually affect their lives.

     There is no question there is incompetence and/or corruption involved in all of the things I have listed above, and no one has been held accountable in any way.  Criminal charges should have been brought and people should have gone to jail. 

     Deny, cover-up, delay, and hope it goes away seems to be the standard operating procedure for much of our government.  Eric Holder is our Attorney General and he has been held in contempt of Congress for withholding information.  Of course, he has not been held accountable. Months and years have gone by and we have never learned the facts or who truly is responsible for any of these scandals.  The media loses interest or moves on to the next scandal. 

In the Black Panther case of voter intimidation, individuals were actually convicted, but before sentencing the Department of Justice dropped the charges.  How can this happen?

     In rare instances, low level bureaucrats are actually convicted and sent to jail for their crimes.  The sentences are typically lenient and they are usually well compensated for their silence.  Sometimes they are pardoned on the last day of an out-going President’s term.  Interesting? 

     Is it time for real change and prompt justice?  Corrupt and/or incompetent elected officials and appointed bureaucrats must be held accountable in a speedy and public manner. 

     I admire, commend, and am thankful for all the entrepreneurs and hard working Americans that continue to make this country great in spite of the government.  Let’s give them a little help.

House vs. Senate

     President Obama recently said he was going to legislate immigration reform because Congress was not doing the job.  I am strongly opposed to any President using executive orders to legislate, but he may have a point.  Just where is the problem in Congress?  Let’s take a look at the facts.  Here are some bills that have been passed by the house.

H.Con.Res.1 - H.Con.Res.72 - H.Con.Res.96 - H.J.Res.70 - H.J.Res.71 - H.J.Res.72 - H.J.Res.73 - H.J.Res.75 - H.J.Res76 - H.J.Res.77 - H.J.Res.79 - H.J.Res.80 - H.J.Res.84 - H.J.Res.85 - H.J.Res.89 - H.J.Res.90 - H.J.Res.99 - H.R.3 - H.R.5 - H.R. 6 - H.R.7 - H.R.10 - H.R.42 - H.R.43 - H.R.126 - H.R.180 - H.R.235 - H.R.253 - H.R.255 - H.R.271 – H.R.272 - H.R.273 - H.R.291 - H.R.298 - H.R.301 - H.R.311 - H.R. 313 - H.R.330 - H.R.338 - H.R.356 - H.R.357 - H.R.367 - H.R.384 - H.R.412 - H.R.444 - H.R.503 - H.R.507 - H.R.520 - H.R.570 - H.R.592 - H.R.624 - H.R.627 - H.R.634 - H.R.668 - H.R.671 - H.R.674 - H.R.697 - H.R.701 - H.R.723 - H.R.742 - H.R.749 - H.R.756 - H.R.761 - H.R.801 - H.R.807 - H.R.850 - H.R.863 - H.R.876 - H.R.882 - H.R.841 - H.R.885 - H.R.890 - H.R.899 - H.R.930 - H.R.938 - H.R.967 - H.R.982 - H.R.992 - H.R. 993 - H.R.1033 - H.R.1035 - H.R.1038 - H.R.1062 - H.R.1067 - H.R.1068 - H.R.1073 - H.R.1095 - H.R.1098 - H.R.1105 - H.R.1120 - H.R.1123 - H.R.1157 - H.R.1155 - H.R.1158 - H.R.1162 - H.R.1163 - H.R.1204 - H.R.1206 - H.R.1211 - H.R.1216 - H.R.1232 - H.R.1233 - H.R.1241 - H.R.1256 - H.R.1281 - H.R.1300 - H.R.1341 - H.R.1376 - H.R.1391 - H.R.1405 - H.R.1406 - H.R.1410 - H.R.1411 - H.R.1423 - H.R.1447 - H.R.1458 - H.R.1459 - H.R.1501 - H.R.1513 - H.R.1526 - H.R.1542 - H.R.1564 - H.R.1580 - H.R.1582 - H.R.1613 - H.R.1660 - H.R.1671 - H.R.1679 - H.R.1684 – H.R.1707 - H.R.1742 - H.R.1791 - H.R.1797 - H.R.1813 - H.R.1814 - H.R.1846 - H.R.1864 - H.R.1865 - H.R.1871 - H.R.1872 - H.R.1874 - H.R.1896 - H.R. 1897 - H.R.1900 - H.R.1919 - H.R.1949 - H.R.1960 - H.R.1961 - H.R.1963 - H.R.1965 - H.R.1992 - H.R.2009 - H.R.2011 - H.R.2061 - H.R.2072 - H.R.2083 - H.R.2112 - H.R.2126 - H.R.2166 - H.R.2189 - H.R.2197 - H.R.2203 - H.R.2216 - H.R.2217 - H.R.2218 - H.R.2231 - H.R.2259 - H.R.2274 - H.R.2279 - H.R.2337 - H.R.2353 - H.R.2374 - H.R.2397 - H.R.2413 - H.R.2449 - H.R.2481 - H.R.2527 - H.R.2530 - H.R,2531 - H.R.2548 - H.R.2565 - H.R.2575 - H.R.2600 - H.R.2609 - H.R.2640 - H.R.2641 - H.R.2652 - H.R.2655 - H.R.2668 - H.R.2672 - H.R.2719 - H.R.2728 - H.R.2754 - H.R.2768 - H.R.2769 - H.R.2824 - H.R.2844 - H.R.2848 - H.R.2879 - H.R.2919 - H.R.2942 - H.R.2954 - H.R.3008 - H.R.3096 - H.R.3102 - H.R.3110 - H.R.3174 - H.R.3189 - H.R.3193 - H.R.3205 – H.R.3211 - H.R.3212 - H.R.3223 - H.R.3301 - H.R.3308 - H.R.3309 - H.R.3329 - H.R.3350 - H.R.3361 - H.R.3362 - H.R.3366 - H.R.3375 - H.R.3448 - H.R.3468 - H.R.3470 - H.R.3472 - H.R.3474 - H.R.3509 - H.R.3521 - H.R.3530 - H.R.3548 - H.R.3578 - H.R.3584 - H.R.3590 - H.R.3610 - H.R.3628 - H.R.3675 - H.R.3682 - H.R.3695 - H.R.3765 - H.R.3786 - H.R.3811 - H.R.3826 - H.R.3964 - H.R.3973 - H.R.3998 - H.R.4002 - H.R.4005 - H.R.4015 - H.R.4028 - H.R.4031 - H.R.4058 - H.R.4080 - H.R.4092 - H.R.4118 - H.R.4138 - H.R.4167 - H.R.4194 - H.R.4199 - H.R.4225 - H.R.4228 - H.R.4261 - H.R.4268 - H.R.4278 - H.R.4292 - H.R.4323 - H.R.4360 - H.R.4366 - H.R.4386 - H.R.4412 - H.R.4413 - H.R.4414 - H.R.4435 - H.R.4438 - H.R.4453 - H.R.4457 - H.R.4486 - H.R.4487 - H.R.4573 - H.R.4587 - H.R.4631 - H.R.4660 - H.R.4681 - H.R.4745 -   H.R.4801 -  H.R.4810 -  H.R.4870  - H.R.4899

     I believe that is 291 bills.  These bills address every situation existing in this country today.  What do they all have in common?  They have all been passed in the House and they all are stuck in the Senate with no action taken on them. 

     I am not saying all these bills are good bills.  I don’t even know what some of them are.  What I am saying is that these bills should be put to a vote in the Senate.  If voted down, fine.  If passed, the President must sign them or veto them.  The Senate can also amend the bill, pass it, and send it back to the House, but we must follow the process.  Harry Reed and the liberal political elite refuse to take any action.  This is total negligence in my opinion, and should be criminal.  But, even if it were criminal, our present Department of Justice would do nothing.   

     The biggest joke is the President saying Congress is not doing its job and blaming the Republicans in the House.  This is just political propaganda for the gullible and uninformed.  Any idiot can see that the Senate is obviously the problem, and the situation must be corrected.  Maybe it can be corrected this fall with our votes. 

Shut the Gate

     I was raised on a farm in Iowa.  If a gate was left open or there was a hole in the fence so the cows got out, we first shut the gate or closed the hole in the fence so no more cows got out.  Then we thought about what to do with the cows that had already gotten out.  Our government does not seem to have this kind of common sense when dealing with our border security. 

     The Constitution specifically says that national defense and securing our borders is the responsibility of the federal government.  The President is the Commander and Chief of the military, and the executive branch is specifically responsible for securing our borders.  Congress is responsible for passing laws regulating immigration and the President is responsible for enforcing those laws.  We have the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS), U.S. Customs, and the Border Patrol, and they are not doing the job.  What is the problem?

     This problem lies with our government and the partisan politics of both parties.  I don’t believe we have had a single President enforce our immigration laws or make a serious attempt to secure our borders since President Eisenhower in the 1950’s.  After WWII, he knew the dangers of not having a secure border. 

     There is a lot of talk about immigration reform.  It is an absolute joke.  The objective always seems to be political to get votes.  New immigration reform legislation has zero chance of working if we do not secure our borders first.  Securing our borders cannot be just one part of any new immigration legislation.  We have been down that road and made that mistake before.  The securing the borders portion of the law never happens and/or is never enforced. 

     President Obama recently used an executive order to give illegal minors an education and a road to citizenship.  This is not an option under current immigration law passed by Congress.  I have a problem with the legality of executive orders like this.  Our Supreme Court seems to agree with me as they have ruled against the administration twelve times.  Sometimes the vote has been unanimous.  This is amazing considering two appointments were obviously Progressives and faithful Obama supporters.

     President Obama explained his actions as, “the right thing to do.”  Really?  What could be expected to happen? 

     Our southern border has been overrun with woman and children from central and southern America.  The estimate is 47,000 children so far this year.  I find it hard to believe the White House was stupid enough not to anticipate this problem, which has reached crisis proportions and will get worse if not corrected quickly.  Illegal aliens are being bussed and flown to other states for processing at great taxpayer expense.  They are then given a date to report for extradition.  What idiot thinks they are going to show up on the specified date for extradition?  The facts are that less than 25% are ever deported and those usually come right back.

     As this flood of illegal aliens tie up all our DHS, INS, Customs, and Border Patrol personnel; we have created an open door for other illegal aliens, drug dealers and terrorists.  President Obama will now ask Congress for more than $2 billion to process all these illegal immigrants.  Was an open door policy the intention of the White House in order to grow government even bigger?  I hope not. 

     Don’t forget about all the people that are being exploited and even dying during the trip to our southern borders.  Don’t you feel better and safer since we “did the right thing?” 

     We must secure our borders.  That may mean using our military.  The military may do a lot more good securing our borders than some of the places we send them now. 

     Immigration reform that deals with people in this country illegally must only be addressed after the boarders are secure.   Any talk of immigration reform prior to securing our borders and enforcing our existing laws is pure partisan politics and only perpetuates the problem.