He who defines the rules controls the game.   And we’re letting them define the rules.

Jobs.  Health care.  Economic justice.  Working families.  Income redistribution.  Fairness.

Words mean things.  Very specific things.  We on the Right tend to forget that.  By following the lead from the Left, we abdicate our arguments without even knowing it.  By using their terms, and in so doing, tacitly allowing their outrageous assertions to stand unchallenged, we surrender ground – one step, one phrase, one election at a time.

We are told the main issue on Americans’ minds in these perilous economic times, is ‘Jobs’.  The main problem is putting people back to work, dontcha know.  ‘Creating more jobs’.  And of course, this is a classic example of the cart before the horse.  It’s a tried-and-true ploy of the Collectivist to frame the problem as that which affects ‘the masses’ alongside the solution, which involves the central government.  (The people need jobs!   We’ve got to create more jobs!)   As if…in a free republic the purpose of government is to provide each citizen with a job.  As if…a job is merely this mystical anomaly that suddenly appears by fiat of a benevolent and elegant president.  As if…the very economic policies of the new administration aren’t doing everything they can to retard the growth of the economy and hence hamper and defeat the expansion of the work force.  As if…it’s not the stifling regulation, punitive taxation, and restriction of movement on business that prevents business from hiring new employees. (more…)

Last Saturday night, in what was mostly a procedural vote, the Senate approved moving forward with debate on the health-care reform bill.  The vote was 60-39, the barest minimum necessary for debate to start in the Chamber.  To listen to Harry Reid and his cohorts after the vote, you would think the Senate had just accomplished the greatest feat since the creation of man.  What they really did was nothing . . . . . yet.  (I’m sorry, maybe they did do something.  It appears they bought the vote of Senator Mary Landrieu from Louisiana with a staggering amount of pork.) 

Sometime after Thanksgiving, true debate in the Senate will begin.  The pros and cons of Mr. Reid’s bill will finally be debated in front of the American public.  But, will it be a true debate at all?  Or, will it just be a front in which enough pork will be put into the bill to get the votes of Joe Lieberman, Mary Landrieu, Blanche Lincoln, and Ben Nelson; the four Democrats who must be swayed into Harry Reid’s pack of wolves.  The same pack of wolves whose intent is ruining America under the guise of health care reform.  (more…)

I am always troubled by those in government claiming they have a moral imperative to enact this or that policy. A little digging often reveals that their motives are more self serving than moral. I am doubly troubled when those raising the moral banner tend to reject the very idea of an objective morality applicable to all men at all times.

Such is the case with liberal Democrats and their insistence that the moral laws of the universe – laws that have been with us since God breathed life into man (or as some would have it when we rose from the primordial soup) – command Government to supply every citizen (and many that aren’t) with health insurance.

But as is generally the case all we need do is scratch the surface and the truth reveals itself.

As reported in the Wall Street Journal, John Cassidy of the New Yorker lets the cat out of the bag when he writes on The New Yorker website that we must be clear about what the reform amounts to. “The U.S. government is making a costly and open-ended commitment,” Cassidy writes. “The Obama Administration . . . is creating a new entitlement program, which, once established, will be virtually impossible to rescind.” And why are they doing it? Again the WSJ quotes Cassidy: Because “ObamaCare serves the twin goals of making the United States a more equitable country” and furthering the Democrats’ “political calculus.” In other words, the purpose is to further redistribute income by putting health care further under government control, and in the process making the middle class more dependent on government. As the party of government, Democrats will benefit over the long run.” (more…)

Nidal “Gary” Hassan – All-American boy was haunted by memories of Gitmo, ‘Nam, Hiroshima INEVITABLY, ANOTHER SOLDIER SNAPS Distraught pacifist conscientious objector tormented by horrors of war, as far as you know Newsroom experts: stress, violence, stupidity, tragedy a way of life for GIs Former M*A*S*H stars say it’s finally time to disarm the military Hollywood insiders: Sean Penn early favorite for lead in planned Oliver Stone biopic

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I quit politics. 

For one thing, I can’t sleep because I absent-mindedly forgot to include three of my favorite Freedom Fighters in my Truth Tellers list, Levin, Malkin and Coulter. I love them.  If they ever find out that I forgot to mention them in my last blog, they will forever not know how much I respect/honor them.  This is giving me a headache, and making me chew off all of my new fake fingernails.  I can’t even enjoy my rented DVD Season Two Compilation of “Mad Men.”  Oh, and I love Stossel, Gallagher, Stein and Morris too! 

Okay, then I find out Gingrich is pal-ing up with Pelosi about Global Warming!  Eww!  Defector!  Oh man!  Strike him off my list.  Now!  He’s off!    

Picking leaders is painful. Voting.  If you put their name up on your car, or in your yard or tattoo it to your face, you are suddenly responsible for every move they make and every word they say.  Too much pressure. 

Thirdly, I cannot bear the hatred of the Left.  Their comments.  The look on their faces in my rear view mirror when I see them noticing my “Fox News: Truth” bumper sticker, or my “Glenn Beck” bumper sticker, or my “Okay, joke’s over.  Bring back the Constitution” bumper sticker.  Their snide glances and snaps of disgust.  I can’t take it anymore.  Hatred hurts.  (more…)

Nancy Pelosi, having renamed the Public Option, the ‘Consumer Option,’ triumphantly trotted out this morning the Hose version of the Health Care Reform Bill, now called The Affordable American Health Care Bill.   (“Affordable” – what does that mean, exactly?  Affordable to whom?)   But then Steny Hoyer proclaimed the process of crafting the bill the most open, transparent process he’s seen in over thirty years in Congress. (Really??)   And finally, the President followed up on Teleprompters to announce that finally we have a bill that will cover the 36 million uninsured, not cost the taxpayers anything extra, improve the quality of our health-care system, and bring down the costs of health care.  Speaker Pelosi assured us that this bill represents the principles of  “…opportunity, choice, competition, and innovation.”

How can you tell when they’re lying?    Their lips are moving.

They think you’re stupid.   It’s understandable that they should think that, because though they may on occasion listen to you, they never really hear you.  Hence, the only frame of reference for feedback on their incredibly absurd redistributive ideas, tax-and-spend proposals and unprecedented treasury-busting health care take-over bills…comes from their own constituents, the Democrats.  Whoops and hollers, cheers and laughter, nods, smiles, enthusiastic ‘yes-we-cans!’… as they serve up yet another heaping portion of socialist slop you’ll be expected to grab your ankles and pay for.  They think you’re stupid.

As the entire Democratic Party has now been fully commandeered by the hard Left, I wrestle daily with the following quandary:  Are they evil?  Or merely dense?  (more…)

Long-time listener, first-time blogger…

Back in April, Vice President Biden uttered dire warnings about catching Swine Flu in subways and commercial airplanes.  Per the usual pattern, the White House quickly apologized for “Amtrak Joe’s” remarks.  But now, just a few months later, the President also has declared a national emergency.  The H1N1 is spreading, and instead of 120 million expected doses, only 11 million shipped last week. In a few weeks, the vaccine may become widely available, but it hasn’t yet.  Even the Obama children reportedly haven’t received the vaccine (although I hope they get immunized if that’s what their family decides).  

Balboa Park, The United States of America

Personally, I think the Swine Flu hysteria is a bit over-hyped.  But on the other hand, I’d rather not get sick if I can avoid it.  This year is particularly important for my family because my wife is pregnant with identical twins.  That type of pregnancy comes with risks already, and the H1N1 can be rough on expectant mothers.  So, after doing our research, we decided she would get immunized at the first opportunity, which was this past week.  In the process, we saw one possible future outcome of health care “reform” – rationing.  (more…)

I have been a California resident for the past 23 years.  During that time, I have seen the best of times and worst of times.  Prior to this economic disaster, the only serious recession in those 23 years was in 1991-1992.  At that time, myself and many others in similar situations faced economic turmoil.  However, nothing comes close to what is happening now in what used to be the greatest State in the union. 

According to the most recent reports, the unemployment rate in California has reached 12.2%.  The rate in Los Angeles County is at 12.7%.  Some cities within the county such as Compton and Commerce are over 20%.  These are all far worse than the national rate of 9.8%. 

What makes these numbers even scarier is that they have not hit rock bottom according to economic estimates at both the state and federal level.  In fact, the State Government estimate of a maximum unemployment rate of 12.8% seems like it is going to be topped shortly, probably by early winter.  Is it possible that California’s unemployment rate will top the number in 1940 of 14.7% which is the highest recorded on record?  (more…)

I’ve got to be honest, this flick has me excited. I usually don’t get worked up over horror movie trailers, but the preview for this one alone chilled me to the bone. Step aside “Paranormal Activity”… There’s a new horror villain in town.

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Representative Joe Wilson shouts in the House Chamber to President Obama during a speech on Health Care Reform, “You lie,” and is forced to apologize to the President directly and compelled to apologize in the House where the incident occurred.  He chooses only to apologize to the President.  This did not make him many friends in the Democratic Caucus.  They could not bully him into a formal apology in the Chamber.  What happens next, the Democrat House votes to rebuke him in a meaningless resolution.  Of course, the vote is along party lines.

A few weeks later, Representative Alay Grayson of Florida, who also happens to be a Democrat, says while debating health hare reform on the House Floor:

“If you get sick, America, the Republican health care plan is this: Die quickly. That’s right. The Republicans want you to die quickly if you get sick.”  (more…)

On September 12, 2009, I grabbed my MiniDV camera and moseyed on over to the Tea Party protest in West Los Angeles to chat with some super-charged “Astroturf.”  I spoke with numerous varieties from a vast spectrum of turfdom including the ever-vivacious, Evan Sayet polypropylene turf with advanced Anti-Intellectual Dishonesty Guard™, and the high-performance, all-weather Sonja Schmidt turf. 

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It is now the dog days of summer and Congress is about to go back to work.  The Groundswell by the Democrats during the month of August was a complete failure.  President Obama’s approval numbers are on a steady downward slide.  And yet, the Democrats insist on passing this Obamanation that is more commonly known as HR 3200. 

The President has just announced that he will try a more formal sell to Congress on September 9th.  Will this work more than the last press conference in which he appeared to have no idea what he was trying to sell?  Will it be more successful than his appeal to religious leaders last week?  Or, will this be the final death knell in the partisan attempt at Health Care Reform?  Only time will tell. 

However, the tide has definitely turned against the Democrats.  More than 50% of the country on the whole and in some parts of the electorate, way more than 50% are against the current bill and its companion bills both in the House and Senate.  Why?  Because Republicans and even moderate Democrats cannot stomach what is contained in them. 

My last article was about the need for bipartisanship and debate in Congress.  I still feel that way but I do not see it happening.  In fact, both sides are digging their heels in and getting ready for the tug of war.  At this point, it is not about whose solution is better, it seems to be about which side will win.  (more…)

After a long day at work on a commercial shoot, I decided to unwind with a little internet and cable television. Politics and punditry are my hobby, not my main source of income, so I indulge in a little cable news and internet sites as time permits. I’ve always felt it important to see the world outside the “echo chamber” of like-minded folks, so my television sits for far too many hours on MSNBC and the Huffington Post is bookmarked on my browser.

What struck me from a few hours of watching leftist television and reading leftist gobbledygook is how far detached from reality these people are. It’s not a simple case of them having a few points wrong, or looking at things from a bizarrely biased perspective; they truly make statements and cling to ideas that have no basis in reality. As conservatives struggle to find apt metaphors to explain their opponent’s mindsets and delusions, I think I may have figured it out.

The left in our country is high.  Completely stoned out of their minds. (more…)

We’ve heard the term “Astroturf” thrown around so flippantly lately, I felt somebody needed to put it to the test. Why should Liberals be exempt from having the “special interests” card thrown at them? My hunch tells me that they appease those folks more than anybody. Well, strap on the hidden camera… It’s time to find out!

By the way, have any of you ever actually tried to think/act like a Liberal? I tell you, it’s exausting. I don’t know how Daniel Day Lewis does it. (more…)

I love words.  And, fancying myself a bit of a wordsmith, I pay particular attention to things like sentence construction, grammar, artful phrasing and syntax.  Not to mention euphemisms and/or outright verbal distortion.

We have been hearing a lot lately about a key ingredient to the President’s proposed National Health Care bill – the ‘public option.’ Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi stated adamantly in the press last week that passing a health care bill without a public option…is not an option.

Maybe I’m being paranoid, but it almost sounded like a threat.

This appears to be the lynch-pin for the president’s proposed health care package.  And though Health & Human Services Secretary Sebelius hinted that the administration was not necessarily married to the notion of the public option, she swiftly recanted her statement after having returned from the woodshed.   Apparently annoyed that people were actually paying attention to administration members’ statements, and under the cover of self-righteous snark, Ms. Sebelius flung a swipe at the media with, “…must’ve been a slow news day,” and proclaimed that there was no change in the president’s policy.  The public option was still prominently a part of the plan.  We were obviously brainless douchebags for thinking otherwise. (more…)

The biggest success of the “Spending Bill,” oops, “Stimulus Bill,” is ending. Yup, that is right; “Cash for Clunkers” is gone. Why? Because it was such a big success, the government ran out of money for the program not once, but twice. This time President Obama is shutting it down. No more money. It is finished. The official spin is that it brought the automobile industry back from destruction. Or, did it? 

In my opinion, it is just another example of a government program that did not work contrary to what I said in a prior column. To begin with, the government mistook the popularity of the program and only allocated one billion dollars of stimulus money to the bill. That money ran out in less than two weeks. Then, Congress immediately allocated another two billion dollars. That money is running out in less than four weeks. Another Big Government miscalculation!  (more…)

Unlike most conservatives, when I first heard about cash for clunkers, I got very excited.  But then I found out that it involved people turning in their used cars.  I had jumped to the conclusion that we were all going to get money if we delivered politicians to some collection center.  Just imagine getting $4,500 for dropping off, say, Henry Waxman at a junkyard where, together with fellow California jalopies like Nancy Pelosi, Maxine Waters, Barbara Boxer and Dianne Feinstein, they could be crushed and shipped off to China.  You would have to agree that would be a pretty good deal even if no money changed hands. 

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One of my liberal readers sent me an e-mail stating that the health care system in America is in terrible shape and needs a huge overhaul, which is why he was supporting Obama’s plan.  I wrote back to say that I agreed that the system needed fine-tuning, but, like Charles Krauthammer, I felt that the work consisted mainly of separating health insurance from employment and bringing about radical tort reform so that doctors didn’t have to spend more time worrying about being sued than they did about the health of their patients.  I went on to add that if I was wrong, things could always be changed, but if he and Obama were wrong, a huge federal bureaucracy would be created and you can’t kill one of those even with a silver bullet or a wooden stake through its heart. (more…)