I saw this on a reply thread for a blog out there:

Let me get this straight……we’re trying to pass a health care plan… written by a committee whose chairman says he doesn’t understand it,… passed by a Congress that hasn’t read it …but exempts themselves from it,… to be signed by a president that also hasn’t read it …and who smokes, …with funding administered by a treasury chief who didn’t pay his taxes,… all to be overseen by a surgeon general who is obese, …and financed by a country that’s broke.

What could possibly go wrong?

Interesting indeed!

For too long we have been too complacent about the workings of Congress. Many citizens had no idea that members of Congress could retire with the same pay after only one term; that they didn’t pay into Social Security; that they specifically exempted themselves from many of the laws they have passed (such as being exempt from any fear of prosecution for sexual harassment) while ordinary citizens must live under those laws.

The latest is to exempt themselves from the health care reform that is being considered…in all of its forms. Somehow, that doesn’t seem logical. We do not have an elite that is above the law. I truly don’t care if they are Democrat, Republican, Independent or whatever. The self-serving must stop. This is a good way to do that. It is an idea whose time has come.

Ask each person contact a minimum of Twenty people on their address list, in turn ask each of those to do likewise. In three days, most people in The United States of America will have the message. This is one proposal that really should be passed around.

Proposed 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution:

Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and/or Representatives; Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and/or Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States

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Listening to: Theory Of A Deadman – Bad Girlfriend
via FoxyTunes

• You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
• You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
• You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
• You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
• You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
• You cannot build character and courage by taking away people’s initiative and independence.
• You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

……..Abraham Lincoln

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Listening to: Weezer – Pork & Beans
via FoxyTunes

Just in case some of you young whippersnappers (& some older ones) didn’t know this. It’s easy to check out, if you don’t believe it.

Be sure and show it to your kids. They need a little history lesson on what’s what and it doesn’t matter whether you are Democrat or Republican. Facts are Facts!!!

Our Social Security

Franklin Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the Social Security (FICA) Program. He promised:

• That participation in the Program would be Completely voluntary. (No longer Voluntary)
• That the participants would only have to pay 1% of the first $1,400 of their annual Incomes into the Program. (Now 7.65% on the first $90,000)
• That the money the participants elected to put into the Program would be deductible from their income for tax purposes each year. (No longer tax deductible)
• That the money the participants paid would be put into an independent ‘Trust Fund’ rather than into the general operating fund and would only be used to fund the Social Security Retirement Program and no other Government program. The fund would have covered Social Security payments for 100+ years. (Under Johnson the money was moved to The General Fund and Spent.)
• That the annuity payments to the retirees would never be taxed as income. (Under Clinton & Gore up to 85% of your Social Security can be taxed)

Since many of us have paid into FICA for years and are now receiving a Social Security check every month and then finding that we are getting taxed on 85% of the money we paid to the Federal government to ‘put away’. You may be interested in the following:

Q: Which Political Party took Social Security from the independent ‘Trust Fund’ and put it into the general fund so that Congress could spend it?
A: It was Lyndon Johnson and the democratically controlled House and Senate.

Q: Which Political Party eliminated the income tax deduction for Social Security (FICA) withholding?
A: The Democratic Party.

Q: Which Political Party started taxing Social Security annuities?
A: The Democratic Party, with Al Gore casting the ‘tie-breaking’ deciding vote as President of the Senate, while he was Vice President of the US.

Q: Which Political Party decided to start giving annuity payments to immigrants?
A: That’s right! Jimmy Carter and the Democratic Party. Immigrants moved into this country and at age 65 began to receive Social Security payments! The Democratic Party gave these payments to them, even though they never paid a dime into it, in order to get their votes!

Then, after violating the original contract (FICA), the Democrats turn around and tell you that the Republicans want to take your Social Security away!

And the worst part about it is uninformed citizens believe it! (Thanks, Ron!)

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut.

After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, ‘I cannot accept money from you , I’m doing community service this week.’ The florist was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a ‘Thank You’ card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, ‘I cannot accept money from you , I’m doing community service this week.’ The cop was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a ‘Thank You’ card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, ‘I can not accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’ The Congressman was very happy and left the shop.

The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And THAT, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it. (Thanks, Ron!)

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Listening to: Kiss – Strutter
via FoxyTunes

DEA officer stops at a ranch in Texas , and talks with an old rancher. He tells the rancher, “I need to inspect your ranch for illegally grown drugs.” The rancher says, “Okay , but do not go in that field over there,” as he points out the location.

The DEA officer verbally explodes saying, ” Mister, I have the authority of the Federal Government with me.” Reaching into his rear pants pocket, he removes his badge and proudly displays it to the rancher. “See this badge? This badge means I am allowed to go wherever I wish…. On any land. No questions asked or answers given. Have I made myself clear? Do you understand? ”

The rancher nods politely, apologizes, and goes about his chores.

A short time later, the old rancher hears loud screams and sees the DEA officer running for his life chased by the rancher’s big Santa Gertrudis bull……

With every step the bull is gaining ground on the officer, and it seems likely that he’ll get gored before he reaches safety. The officer is clearly terrified. The rancher throws down his tools, runs to the fence and yells at the top of his lungs……

” Your badge. Show him your BADGE ! ”
(Thanks, Ron!)

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Listening to: Little Feat – Texas Twister
via FoxyTunes

OLD VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed.

The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION

The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.

CBS, NBC , PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast.

How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, “It’s Not Easy Being Green”.

ACORN stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, “We Shall Overcome”. Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.

President Obama condemns the ant and blames President Bush, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the Pope for the grasshopper’s plight.

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity & Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the Government Green Czar and given to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper and his free-loading friends finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around them because the grasshopper doesn’t maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again.

The grasshopper is later found dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous and once peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses bringing the rest of the free world with it.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
Be careful how you vote in 2010.
(Thanks, Ron!)

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Listening to: Blues Brothers – Sweet Home Chicago
via FoxyTunes

Saw on a discussion board:

How can you tell if your kid will be a Democrat?
One sure sign is when he grabs your wallet and says “MINE!!”.

A lot of Americans have become so insulated from reality that they imagine America can suffer terrorist attacks without any inconvenience to themselves.

Pause a moment, reflect back, and take the following multiple choice test. (These events are actual events. They really happened! Do you remember them?)

HERE’S THE TEST

• 1968 Bobby Kennedy was shot and killed by:
1. Superman
2. Jay Leno
3. Harry Potter
4. A Muslim male extremist between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1972 at the Munich Olympics, athletes were kidnapped and massacred by:
1. Olga Corbett
2. Sitting Bull
3. Arnold Schwarzenegger
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1979, the US embassy in Iran was taken over by:
1. Lost Norwegians
2. Elvis
3. A tour bus full of 80-year-old women
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• During the 1980’s a number of Americans were kidnapped in Lebanon by:
1. John Dillinger
2. The King of Sweden
3. The Boy Scouts
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1983, the US Marine barracks in Beirut was blown up by:
1. A pizza delivery boy
2. Pee Wee Herman
3. Geraldo Rivera
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1985 the cruise ship Achille Lauro was hijacked and a 70 year old American passenger was murdered and thrown overboard in his wheelchair by:
1. The Smurfs
2. Davey Jones
3. The Little Mermaid
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1985 TWA flight 847 was hijacked at Athens , and a US Navy diver trying to rescue passengers was murdered by:
1. Captain Kidd
2. Charles Lindberg
3. Mother Teresa
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 was bombed by:
1. Scooby Doo
2. The Tooth Fairy
3. The Sundance Kid
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1993 the World Trade Center was bombed the first time by:
1. Richard Simmons
2. Grandma Moses
3. Michael Jordan
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 1998, the US embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by:
1. Mr. Rogers
2. Hillary Clinton, to distract attention from Wild Bill’s women problems
3. The World Wrestling Federation
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• On 9/11/01, four airliners were hijacked; two were used as missiles to take out the World Trade Centers and of the remaining two, one crashed into the US Pentagon and the other was diverted and crashed by the passengers. Thousands of people were killed by:
1. Bugs Bunny, Wiley E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and Elmer Fudd
2. The Supreme Court of Florida
3. Mr Bean
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 2002 the United States began to fight a war in Afghanistan against:
1. Enron
2. The Lutheran Church
3. The NFL
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40
• In 2002 reporter Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and murdered by:
1. Bonnie and Clyde
2. Captain Kangaroo
3. Billy Graham
4. Muslim male extremists mostly between the ages of 17 and 40

And now we can add: In 2009, 31 people wounded and 13 American Soldiers murdered on base at Fort Hood by a Major who was….. You guessed it – A Muslim male extremist between the age of 17 and 40

No, I really don’t see a pattern here to justify profiling, do you?

So, to ensure we Americans never offend anyone, particularly fanatics intent on killing us, airport security screeners will no longer be allowed to profile certain people.

Instead we conduct random searches of a 80-year-old women, little kids, airline pilots with proper identification, secret agents who are members of the President’s security detail, an 85-year old Congressmen with metal hips, and a Medal of Honor winner and former Governor Joe Foss, but leave Muslim Males between the ages 17 and 40 alone lest we be guilty of profiling.

As the writer of the award winning story “Forrest Gump” so aptly put it, “Stupid is as stupid does.” (Thanks, Ron!)

I am posting this for all my readers and that includes conservatives, liberals, and everybody in between. Even though we disagree on a number of issues, I count all of you as e-friends. The proposal is to promote a “Congressional Reform Act of 2009.” It would contain eight provisions, all of which would probably be strongly endorsed by those who drafted the Constitution and the Bill of Rights (but not the incumbents).

I know many of you will say, “this is impossible.” Let me remind you, Congress has the lowest approval of any entity in Government, now is the time when Americans will join together to reform Congress – the entity that represents us.

We need to get a Senator to introduce this bill in the US Senate and a Representative to introduce a similar bill in the US House. These people will become American heroes.. Please add any ideas on how to get this done.

Thanks,

A Fellow American

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Congressional Reform Act of 2009

• Term Limits: 12 years only, one of the possible options below.
  • Two Six-year Senate terms
  • Six Two-year House terms
  • One Six-year Senate term and three Two-Year House terms
• No Tenure / No Pension. A congressman collects a salary while in office and receives no pay when they are out of office.
• Congress (past, present & future) participates in Social Security. All funds in the Congressional retirement fund moves to the Social Security system immediately. All future funds flow into the Social Security system, Congress participates with the American people.
• Congress can purchase their own retirement plan just as all Americans.
• Congress will no longer vote themselves a pay raise. Congressional pay will rise by the lower of CPI or 3%.
• Congress loses their current health care system and participates in the same health care system as the American people.
• Congress must equally abide in all laws they impose on the American people.
• All contracts with past and present congressmen are void effective 1/1/10. The American people did not make this contract with congressmen, congressmen made all these contracts for themselves.

Serving in Congress is an honor, not a career. The Founding Fathers envisioned citizen legislators, serve your term(s), then go home and back to work. (Thanks, Ron)

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Listening to: Puddle Of Mudd – Control
via FoxyTunes

Is the federal “Cash for Clunkers” a success? I, for one, think not. Let’s look at facts:

• A vehicle at 15 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 800 gallons a year of gasoline. This kind of vehicle (provided it isn’t too old!) qualified for the “Cash for Clunkers” program.
• A vehicle at 25 mpg and 12,000 miles per year uses 480 gallons a year. A large percentage of the cars sold get an average of 25 mpg overall.
• Looking at the previous two facts we can determine that the average “Cash for Clunkers” transaction will reduce U.S. gasoline consumption by 320 gallons per year. Simple subtraction. Wonderful!
• The “Cash for Clunkers” program claims to have sold 700,000 vehicles. Again, simple arithmetic tells us that saves 224 million gallons a year. Great!
• Using current refining techniques, that equates to a bit over five million barrels of oil per year, which is about one quarter of one day’s U.S. consumption. Awesome!
• Five million barrels of oil at the current rate of $75 per barrel costs about $375 million. That’s annually saving $375 million. Excellent!
• The cost of the “Cash for Clunkers” program was $3 billion. Yeah, we all knew that.
• We paid $3 billion this year to save $375 million annually? WTF?
• At that rate it is 8 years to the break-even point and that doesn’t include the fact that many of these “Cash for Clunkers” cars would have been replaced well before those 8 years were up. Huh?
• The 8 year break-even point is determined WITHOUT the interest on that $3 billion that we will HAVE to pay because we didn’t have the money in the first place. If the interest is even an extremely low 2%, that creates an extra $60 million (2% of $3 billion) the first year in interest alone. That pushes the 8 year break-even point even further out. No, I’m not doing the compound interest on this to find the exact break-even point.

And here’s the kicker: the $4500 you got from the government if you took part in the “Cash for Clunkers” program is taxable. That’s right. You got $4500 in “free money” to help you pay for a car, but you were taxed on that car for the full amount. (Who knows how much the car was marked up while the “Cash for Clunkers” program was going on.) Plus, the $4500 will be counted as income so you’ll be paying applicable Federal, State and Local Income Taxes on it. Plus, it is possible that the $4500 will kick you up a tax bracket as well!

So after all that, tell me how great the “Cash for Clunkers” program was.

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Listening to: Weezer – Undone
via FoxyTunes

I recently asked my friends’ little girl what she wanted to be when she grows up. She said she wanted to be President some day. Both of her parents, liberal Democrats, were standing there, so I asked her, “If you were President what would be the first thing you would do?”

She replied, “I’d give food and houses to all the homeless people.”

Her parents beamed with pride.

“Wow…what a wonderful goal!” I told her, “But you don’t have to wait until you’re President to do that. You can come over to my house and mow the lawn, pull weeds, and sweep my yard, and I’ll pay you $50. Then I’ll take you over to the grocery store where one of the homeless guys hang out, and you can give him the $50 to use toward food and a new house.”

She thought that over for a few seconds, then she looked me straight in the eye and asked, “Why doesn’t the homeless guy come over and do the work, and you can just pay him the $50?”

I said, “Welcome to the Republican Party.”

Her parents still aren’t speaking to me. (Thanks, Ron!)

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Listening to: Little Feat – Texas Twister
via FoxyTunes