Beer Summits and Border Guards by Chris Holmes

These are probably the last few days that the current brouhaha over Obama’s “Stupidly” assessment can stay atop the flagpole. But, just before we take it down, let us have a last look at the heart of the issue. The president’s statement seemed a knee-jerk reaction that revealed an inherent suspicion of “abuse-of-power.” This is not surprising when you consider that this was probably an issue frequently addressed while he was a Chicago Community Organizer. My best point of reference (vicariously) was having proudly edited Cooley High, an urban drama in Chicago’s Cabrini Green projects. It’s on DVD.

Possibly because the aggrieved Henry Louis Gates Jr. is a University Professor (literary critic, educator, scholar, writer, editor, with "distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities"), a familiarity with college protests comes to mind: The ‘60s Jerry Rubin mantra ''Never trust anyone over 30,'' and the ‘70s “Question Authority” (ascribed to Timothy Leary, although Benjamin Franklin is quoted: "it is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority").

Is it possible that after a long return trip from China, Gates flashed back to his student advocacy sentiments? What I don’t understand is why this was such a prominent issue for our president.

“Law and Order” seems little more than an episodic TV show to most young people these days, but these are the underpinnings of our society. Professor Gates should be fully aware that the police were there to protect and serve him and all residents of his community. President Obama, as our Commander In Chief, should be aware of the total “Law and Order” family he resides over. I would think the president has been fully schooled by now on proper police procedure, what it is like for a law enforcement officer to answer a “possible break-in is in progress” call. What does a cop do when responding? Come to the door with weapon in hand? Or maybe just ring the doorbell assured that serious problems do not happen in this neighborhood? Such a dust-up over “image.”

In trying to imagine Mr. Gates state of mind, I have to substitute an image of either a movie producer or director for Gates’ academic stature (welcome to my world). Correctly or not, I can imagine him blustering at the cheeky effrontery of a uniformed officer not understanding his “Don’t you know who I think I am” attitude (God, I hope I’ll be able to work in this town again). Come on, why do we aspire to a higher status if it does us no good (good restaurant seating aside). As for Police Sgt. James Crowely, I learned my “question authority” lesson years earlier; it is a “no win” to get pissy with armed officers with an empty back seat. This matter was resolved before cameras (but after rehearsals), over beers anyway. Oh yes, did anyone check with MADD to see if alcohol added to this equation is advisable?

There was another “possible break-in” assignment that didn’t end in an arrest, didn’t catch the president’s eye, and will not end in a “beers with buddies” scenario. It was not in the power corridors of the North East. At 9:00pm, July 24, in southern California, Robert Rosas, a 30-year-old, married father of two young children, was killed while responding (alone) to a suspected border incursion near Campo, a rugged town, in southeastern San Diego County. Mr. Rosas was an officer of the U.S. Border Patrol. How sad that his call could not have ended simply with a cheeky “Stupidly” assessment. He was shot in the head and body multiple times by his own government-issued weapon and was dead by the time backup agents arrived.

I am mystified that I did not hear any direct comment from President Obama on the cold-blooded killing of Robert Rosas while securing our international border. Janet Napolitano got the call to show respect to the fallen DHS agent, making a short, yet effective statement.

There appears to be an inequity in how Border Patrol agents are treated. Take the cases of former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean who were sentenced to 11 and 12 years respectively, for pursuing and ultimately wounding what was believed to be an armed illegal alien. After a couple of years in prison, President Bush pardoned the two on his last full day in office.

Although agents are issued weapons, it seems they are severely limited in their use. The DHS rules of engagement are something to the effect of only firing in self-defense. Thus Agent Rosas had his very own weapon taken from him in an apparent scuffle and was killed by it. Why not issue air powered paint-ball guns that they can at least shoot (marking their perpetrator). Do you think we could man our army in Afghanistan with that operational mind-set?

Ask any players in the Bosnian war (or any of the other regional wars) of their opinion of the U.N. Peacekeepers, or observers. You simply do not shoot at them and they can do nothing to stop any actions they saw. They were loved for always leaving behind those great Toyota 4x4s when they high-tailed it home.

If the White House ‘meet and greet’ were to get a little awkward, may I suggest a little biographical filmic relief to accompany those beers: “A Man for All Seasons” (6 Oscars, and one of my favorites, on DVD). As Mr. Gates is of "distinguished intellectual achievement in the humanities” and Mr. Crowely is a man of law and order, they will enjoy this treatise on human dignity, and indignity. President Obama might enjoy this film as well, as Sir Thomas More penned the tale “Utopia” (the imaginary island or nation), Greek pun ou-topos [no place], describing political pacts of the imaginary island country.

And how about a shout out, Mr. President, to all the men and women of the combined Armed Forces, FBI, DHS, National Guard, Coast Guard, CIA, local police, and all others that put their life on the line for our “law and order” society on a daily basis?

Now, go see a good movie, and walk a mile in someone else’s shoes. Then, talk it over with a friend over a nice, cool beer.

© 2009 by Chris Holmes. Permission to copy will be given freely upon request.

Business as Usual by Ira Scwartz

For the last several months, I have been reading numerous political blogs available on the internet. Most are eloquently written and usually point out the bad points of one political party or the other. The Democrats didn’t fulfill this campaign promise or the Republicans were really responsible for that disaster. I noticed that while both sides are quick to blame each other no one ever comes up with a solution that will benefit not just their political party but all Americans.

Our constitution proclaims rather loudly, “WE THE PEOPLE of the United States”. It doesn’t say “We the people of the United States that are Republicans or Democrats or Liberals or Conservatives.” It lumps us all into one group, the United States.

There was a reason for this. Our founders knew it would take the country as a whole, working together, to achieve the impossible; to achieve the birth of a new nation. But sadly the fire that propelled our forefathers to greatness seems to have long since burned out. Today our political leaders seem to be more interested in pushing their own agenda or working to get re-elected then actually doing what they were elected to do, represent the people.

It is not all their fault; we the people must take most of the blame. Our complacency over the years has allowed this to happen. In the absence of directions from us, they, like unsupervised children, have gone off on their own. When questioned, they tell us not to worry, they know what is best. Then they smile condescendingly, pat us on the head and plod forward, barely breaking stride as they continue preaching the same rhetoric. The political tabloids and so called news programs joke, “its politics as usual in Washington.” But you know what…that’s not funny anymore.

This country was founded “by the people and for the people” and we the people need to remember that. Each and every one of us is responsible for what this great country of ours says and does. After all we elected these people to speak on our behalf, trusted them to look after our concerns. So how do we get our country’s leaders to listen? It’s really very simple. All of us need to start paying attention again; to get involved again. All of us need to stop thinking of ourselves as red states or blue states, Democrats or Republicans, liberals or conservatives and start thinking of ourselves as Americans.

All of us need to get to know our representatives, check their legislative history, and see what they’ve been doing in our names. If we’re not happy with the way they’ve been representing us we need to let them know it. If they don’t listen we need to replace them with someone who will. The power has always been in our hands, all of us just need the will to use it. We need to reignite in all of us that spark our founding fathers knew so well. To participate as one in the journey forward our nation is taking in this new century. Then, and only then, can we all tell our leaders that “business as usual in Washington” is no longer acceptable.

©2009 by Ira Schwartz

Ira Scwartz is a writer working and living in Los Angeles. He has written for tv and film and has had two features produced.

Obama’s Report Card

It has been six months since the Administration took office and the far left have taken complete control of the government. Has our capitalist past been improved upon? Or, is the socialism we have had thrust upon us making us worse off? Has the foreign policy of appeasement and apology made the world a safer place? To put it more simply, are you better off now than you were six months ago? Unfortunately, the answer is not only “no,” but “much worse.”

When the President took office in January, the entire world was full of “Hope.” The far left and moderates that put him there were hoping for “Change.” Well, they got the change, but I do not think they were “hoping” to get the type of change they got.

Foreign Affairs

After three trips abroad, the President may have made a lot of friends, but he has not done much to make us safer. Iran has continued its nuclear program unabated and continues to threaten both the west and Israel. North Korea is testing missiles and nuclear bombs and nobody does anything about it. Obama apologizes for American arrogance in the past and then cannot get the EU or anyone else to agree to his foreign policy or to spend more money on their own domestic stimulus plans.

In Russia, he speaks, declares the meetings successful, but nothing happens. Then, in a video that was not played at all by the liberal media in the United States, none of the Russian government officials shake his hands. In fact, they snub him.

Pakistan came very close to falling to the Taliban and is still fighting them off. That was not a typo, Pakistan, not Afghanistan. We have increased our presence in Afghanistan, but we still can not make any inroads. In fact, the past few months in Afghanistan have been the bloodiest from an American standpoint in years. The Taliban grows stronger and stronger each day. Maybe we need a Bush like surge in order to finally end the quagmire there?

To give the President some credit, we have begun our withdrawal of troops from Iraq. This appears to be working as there has not been any major incidents since the withdrawal began. Iraq has not fallen to the radical groups and the government seems to be stable. However some troops should stay just to maintain the peace and calm that is currently in that country.

Grade: D

Domestic Policy

The stimulus package that is costing taxpayers almost 800 billion dollars is a failure. That is a fact. Actually, it is such a failure that the President’s numbers are tanking probably almost exclusively because of this. His approval rating has dropped nine points in two weeks to under 56%. He now has the tenth lowest approval rating over all presidents at this point in their presidency. As we all know the stimulus package was passed with the President’s usual statement that it had to be done now. The economy could not wait. A crisis was about to occur.

It was promised in order to get the stimulus passed, that unemployment would not go above eight percent. It is now at 9.6% and easily on its way to over ten. In fact, the latest estimates say ten is not even a top figure. Jobs have not been saved. They are being lost at an alarming rate. There are even allegations that Obama’s office is keeping economic statistics from the American people so that his health care plan can pass. If Americans knew the true numbers on the economy, healthcare would be dead on arrival. But to listen to the President last night, the stimulus has worked. I do not know what figures he is looking at, but they definitely are not the same ones the general public is seeing.

Keynesian stimulus plans do not work. As I have said before in this column, a stimulus did not work in the Great Depression. It did not work in Japan in the 90’s and it will not work now. Recessions are cyclical as are growth periods. Time will end this recession and nothing else. The only difference now is that when this one ends our future will be laden with more debt than anyone could have imagined on November 4, 2008, when this president was elected. And, the Federal Reserve will be stronger and have more control of the economy as a result therefore.

At the current pace, the Federal Debt will be doubled in less than eight years. It took 43 Presidents to get the debt to ten trillion dollars. Obama will double it in less than eight. The current deficit of 1.3 trillion dollars is more than the last five years of Bush’s deficits combined. And, last night in his sales pitch on healthcare, Obama says that this year’s deficit is inherited from President Bush. Who is he kidding?

Obama is now losing his own party members. The so called “Blue Dog,” Democrats are running from him. Maybe it is out of fear because of the “Cap and Trade,” debacle. Maybe it is out of fear for deficits. Actually, it is out of fear for their jobs. If you were a Democrat from a conservative Southern or Midwestern State what would you do now? We have the worst case of “Tax and Spend” in American history.

Oh, I’m sorry; to correct myself so far it has just been Spend. The Tax portion has not hit yet. At some point, one of these spending sprees is going to break its own back and then the tax increases will come. And, when they come, mark my words, it will not be just the rich that are going to feel them in their pocketbooks.

“Cap and Trade,” has some of the largest penalties for capitalism in the history of the United States. If you pollute, you will pay. Thank God this bill looks like it is dead in the Senate. And, thank God, the aforementioned Blue Dog Democrats are killing this proposed health care plan as well.

Everyone in this country would love to have a health care plan that guarantees health care to everyone; that stops insurance companies from denying coverage based upon pre-existing conditions and that stops doctors from over treating. But, a single payer system will not work. It will ruin the best medical care in the world. And, that assumes that someone actually figures out how to pay for it.

Of course, Obama wants the “rich” to pay for it. Keep the lower classes covered without having to pay. Make the rich, evil capitalists pay for health care. Make them pay for everything. That will make life fairer.

Grade: F

After all, isn’t that what this is all about? This is about making life fair. It is socialism pure and simple. Since January 20, 2009, the government has taken over the insurance, banking and automobile industry. We are regulating whatever industries we have not taken over. And, now we want to create the biggest bureaucracy in the history of mankind; a government run health care industry.

It is time to stop. Life is not fair. There will always be rich. There will always be poor. Is it fair for one child to be born on the Upper East Side of Manhattan with rich parents? Is it fair for another child to be born into poverty in Calcutta? Is it fair for the Far Left Liberals to take away all of the incentive for personal improvement and gain that have made this country different from India and the European Socialist countries. No. It is not fair. And, hopefully 2010 is coming quickly so that all of the Far Lefties can be sent into retirement. That includes specifically; Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Chris Dodd, Barbara Boxer, and Barney Frank.

Oh, by the way, I sent a letter to Barbara Boxer this week saying that I was against the health care plan and that she should not vote for it under any conditions. This is the response I received:

Dear Mr. DeMartini:
Thank you for writing to me about the need for health care reform. I am committed to enacting comprehensive health reform that controls rising health care costs and ensures high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans.
Congress recently passed a budget that lays out some basic principles for health care reform: making health care coverage affordable, guaranteeing Americans a choice of health plans and physicians, investing in prevention and wellness, improving patient safety and quality care, and making health care reform fiscally sustainable.
As the number of uninsured Americans grows rapidly, more people are suffering and forgoing needed care. It is estimated that more than 45 million Americans are without health insurance, including 6.7 million people in California.
Escalating health care costs are hurting our families and our economy. In order to put our economy on a sound path to recovery, we must address the costs and inefficiencies of our health care system. As we move forward in the debate on health care reform, I will continue to fight for common goals of constraining costs, expanding access, and improving quality.
I look forward to working with the Obama Administration and my colleagues to enact legislation that will put these principles for health care reform.
Again, thank you for writing to me. Please feel free to contact me again about this or other issues of concern to you.
Barbara Boxer
United States
Senator

She did not even read my letter. This woman should be the first to be put into retirement when she is up for reelection.

© 2009 Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be given freely upon request.

Congressman Won't Read What They Pass By Chris Holmes

Ocassionally from this point forward, I may have guest commentators write material for this blog. Today, a Motion Picture Editor who is a close friend of mine would like to put his two cents in on the fact that our Congressmen are passing bills that they seem not to be reading. Chris has been editing since the 1960's and has edited films ranging from "Five Easy Pieces" to "Rocky 2." His most recent job was at Sony running their DVD Editor's Cut Series.

So, Chris, take it away.

I live on the West Coast.... okay, glamorous Hollywood. I'm beyond retirement age and have now been unemployed for 18 months. A confluence of industry strikes, a pock marked financial landscape, and an Indy film market that's all but lost has left me unemployed for what is probably the longest time in my career. Beside deciding whether it's really advisable to relocate to Michigan (the new promised land for jobs), I've now got to find a proper way to scold my Senators and Congressman for not reading - maybe at all - the bills they seem compelled to vote on even before they are in print. Such bills are usually well over 1,000 pages.

Can somebody offer a little help here? I'm just another Worker Ant looking for the proper Ant Hill to network with, and I don't have time to be watching over these so called Washington Representatives some 2,500 miles to the East, up the Potomac. How do we put a little fear into our elected Congressmen and Senators so that they will, at least, do what we had expected of them: To totally read and digest each and every bill they vote on regardless of how many pages the legislation may be. What percentage of these folks do you imagine have studied law, passed the bar, and established themselves in their chosen field before deciding to represent the public? I'm thinking more than 90%.

Can't we, at the point of origin, the local voting booths, include some employee standard that they agree to read each and every page personally, initialing it, before they actually cast a vote (in block-step, or not). Hey, most of us would do it in our mostly mundane jobs, why not them?

This shouldn't need to be done at the national level. These people walk door to door shaking our hands in our cities, towns, communities while campaigning. If we make them commit during their campaigns, they would be happy to. Maybe, it's time!

Let me ask you, if not not now, when?

© 2009 Chris Holmes and Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be freely given upon request.

Obama's Next Folly - Healthcare

President, it has to happen today, Obama is up to his tricks again. In February, the stimulus bill had to be passed immediately or disaster was waiting. “Cap and Trade” had to pass immediately or another crisis would occur. Now, it’s time for healthcare. The House must pass a health care bill this week or the American people will be in for another disaster.

So, Obama asks and Congress obeys! Here we have another 1,000 plus page bill winding its way through the House of which I am sure almost no member of Congress has read. Just get it done before anyone knows what’s going on. Make it happen fast! That appears to be the logic behind the President’s legislative agenda. If you get the ball rolling, pass it and sign it before anyone reads it.

We all know how much good the February stimulus bill did; none. If anyone had a chance to analyze it and the pork associated with it, it would have never passed. It looks like “Cap and Trade” may be dead in the Senate. People must have read it and told their Senators to make sure it dies. I guess things did not move fast enough for the Administration.

Now, let us look at the health care bill. The rich are in for it again per the Democrats. The Democrats are proposing that the top income earners will see their income taxes increase in order to pay the approximate one trillion dollars that this bill will cost our future generations. The top tax rate would go up by 5.4%. This would be on couples earning more than one million dollars. The smallest increase would be on couples earning more than $350,000. They would get an additional tax bill of one percent of their income.

If you analyze those tax raises carefully, you will see that President Obama is now breaking one of his most vocal campaign promises. If you remember way back to last November, he preached to his loyal followers that “no one making less than $250,000 would get a tax increase.” Well if you do the math, an individual earning $175,000 will get a tax increase of one percent. You may ask how I came to this figure. Well, if couples earning $350,000 are getting taxed at a higher rate, an individual (single person) would be taxed at $175,000. That unfortunately is the way the tax code works.

The bill additionally states that any individual without medical insurance would be forced to pay a penalty of 2.5 percent of his/her income up to a cap of the cost of medical insurance. In Southern California medical insurance for an individual runs approximately $6,000 per year. So, someone making $250,000 per year would be paying $6,750 per year more in taxes. How did I get to this figure? Let’s not forget that one percent tax increase.

However, there is another break of the ultimate campaign promise here. The middle class wage earner making $50,000 per year would be penalized $1,250. You can call it a penalty or anything you want, but it is a tax. So, now the anointed one is proposing to raise taxes on the real middle class. This is not someone making $250,000 per year. It is not even close. To someone making $50,000 per year, $1,250 per year in additional taxes is a real blow. And, on top of it, the poor soul still would not have health insurance.

But, that not the real shot below the belt which is the penalty on employers for not providing health insurance. This proposed penalty is 8% of a worker’s wages. That means every company that does not provide health insurance will pay a penalty to the US Government in the amount of $8,000 per $100,000 of payroll.

Talk about messing with the middle class and the employment rates. Again, Obama and his economic geniuses are killing employment in this country. Do you think any business is going to absorb this cost?

If the company chooses to give health insurance, they will be forced to pay approximately $6,000 per employee in Southern California. This $6,000 would come from only a few places; one, the employee’s pocket, two, the consumer’s pocket, or, three from employees losing their jobs to pay for this mess. Companies are working at small enough margins as it is now with the economy in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. They are not going to absorb this kind of loss. Of course, the proponents of the bill are saying that there will be a small business exception to the requirements and penalties. How that will be defined in the final bill is anybody’s guess?

So, who will benefit from this plan? You may say the poor and uninsured. The poor already have access to health care. They just show up at emergency rooms and get treated or they qualify for Medicaid. So, it’s not them. It’s not the middle class. We already looked at that. It’s not the rich, since they are paying for it. It’s not the business owners since they are getting burned again. Who? NO ONE.

Yes, a large portion of people who are not insured will be under this plan. That is true. But, they will be paying for it either in the form of higher taxes or lower wages. Some people making less than $250,000 per year cannot afford that. In fact, as I said above, the poor soul making $50,000 per year cannot afford to lose $1,250.

To put it simply, this plan is a joke and should be killed this time before it even gets to the Senate. So, get your pens out and start writing your Congressmen again. If enough people complain about this crap going on in Congress, it might actually stop.

As an aside, I had lunch today with a fellow entertainment industry Republican, Michael Mandaville, and he had an interesting analysis of this health care bill. In the movie industry, people are hired usually for short periods of time during the course of a production of a film. On a union picture, most people have insurance, but not all. On a non-union film, almost no one has health insurance.

Under this proposed health care plan, a catastrophe will happen to the entertainment industry. Let’s say for arguments sake that 30 crew members on a film have no insurance. These 30 people will work an average of approximately three months on a film. If you figure that the average cost of health insurance is $500 per month, the budget of the film will go up $15,000 per month to cover these employees. Over the course of three months, that is an additional $45,000 added to the cost of making the movie. Say goodbye to film making in the United States. Whatever is still here, will be gone. (And, this whole analysis is based upon low budget movies. On a high budget movie, you could be talking an additional cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars).

Well, that’s about if for now. Until next week . . . . . .

© 2009 Frank T. DeMartini. Permission to copy will be freely given upon request.

“Cap and Trade” is Dangerous

The American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009, more commonly known as the Cap and Trade Bill is dangerous for the country and potentially disastrous for the economy. I cannot say this more simply. This bill which is designed to lower emissions and stop global warming will do nothing except raise the average Americans’ expenses and cause the loss of many American jobs.

The bill passed in the House last week by a margin of less than ten votes. The vote was mostly among party lines. However, many Democrats sensing its disastrous consequences actually voted against it. In fact, if it were not for eight liberal minded Republicans, the bill would have failed. It is going to the Senate shortly and must be stopped there at all costs. As for those eight Republicans, I suggest they start looking for employment themselves.

Global warming is allegedly caused by the burning of fossil fuels. This Cap and Trade bill is supposed to lower emissions caused by such energy sources. It is the dream of former Vice President Al Gore who has made a mini-industry out of global warming and who does nothing personally to stop it. This typical Democratic hypocrite burns more carbon based fuels than 10 average Americans and yet he claims that we, as a country, are not doing enough to stop this potential disaster to the planet. I wonder when the last time he flew on a commercial airline was. But, that’s another column completely.

“Global Warming” is a rather controversial subject. There are many reputable scientists that believe it is the next major ecological disaster. In fact, some go so far as to say that it may lead to the extinction of the human race. However, there are other reputable scientists who say that it does not even exist. In fact, there was some controversy in the last two weeks about whether the EPA had suppressed a report that denied the existence of global warming at the request of the President. If that report is to be believed, then it is quite clear that the current President will do anything to get his agenda through Congress.

The liberals in control of Congress are using their substantial majorities to ram this “groundbreaking” clean air legislation through at a time when a bill that will stunt economic growth is not in the best interests of the country. As you know, President Obama said during the 2008 election, we are in the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Of course, Vice President Biden, just last week, said that the stimulus was not working because the economy was worse off than the Administration believed. How you can reconcile those two statements is pretty much beyond me. But, again that is the topic of another column.

Why is this bill a disaster and how will it stunt economic growth? The answer is very simple, but first an explanation is required about what exactly “Cap and Trade” means. This bill will put serious limitation upon carbon and other types of emissions. Businesses which pollute will be penalized for their pollutants in the form of higher taxes. However, those businesses that are exceeding the emission allotments (“caps”) will be able to buy or “trade” tax credits earned by the non-polluting companies in exchange for cash or other forms of remuneration. Hence the phrase, “cap and trade.”

On its face, this may seem like a good idea. But, what will happen in reality? Companies that pollute will have a few choices: one, meet the standards and pass the increased cost onto the consumer; two, buy credits from companies that do not pollute and pass the increased cost onto the consumer; or three, shut down in the United States and move their business to another country that does not have such regulations. In all three circumstances, the United States population suffers, either by increased costs or loss of employment.

How is this good for our country? Its not! How is it good for the world and the environment? Again, its not. Sending companies to foreign nations without any restraint on emissions will most probably increase the carbon based pollutants and not lower them. Accordingly, the whole bill is a sham. The only thing it will do is appease the liberal tree huggers that believe we are destroying the world.

So, here we are faced with a bill that will increase costs to the consumer and cause the loss of jobs in the United States. Just the thing we need in a time of the worst economic turndown since the Great Depression (which is not as bad as the Administration thought). This bill should be voted down and voted down quickly.

There are other reasons why this bill is a disaster. How about the fact that this 1,000 page “novel,” had approximately 300 pages added to it the day before its passage in the House so that the authors of the bill Reps. Henry Waxman and Edward Markey, both Democrats, could buy the additional votes they needed to get the bill passed. These three hundred pages that were added were earmarks pure and simple. Additionally, I can guarantee you that almost none of the House members read the entire bill. Maybe, a handful actually glanced at it. In all seriousness, how can anyone read a “novel” like this overnight? I must admit, I have not read it either. But, I have, at least, read summaries.

Based upon the above, it is imperative that you all call your Congressmen and Senators and make sure this disaster is stopped dead in its tracks before it causes whatever progress is being made by the ill advised stimulus package to cease. A double dip recession and/or another stock market crash will make this the worst economy since the Great Depression and that can be worse than anyone has thought. Nest week, maybe I will talk about Obama’s next disaster, health care!

©2009 by Frank T. DeMartini. Permission will be freely given to copy upon request.

Independence Day

July 4, 1776. One of the greatest days in the history of the human race. For this is the day, that the founders of this country executed the Declaration of Independence and declared themselves free from the British Empire. It is a day that we should be reverent about and a day in which we should remember those who have fallen in order for the ideals of the founding fathers to be upheld.

It is a day that the whole world admires whether they be Western or whether they be the people rebelling in Iran against the tyrannical regime in power. It is a day that the South Koreans think of whenever they fear the Communist empire to the north. And, it is a day that all people throughout the world who want to be free cherish and remember.

At this point in 2009, there are many things wrong with this country. Whether they be from the depressed economy or whether they be in the war we are waging against terror. However, at this time of the year we should always remember that we live in the best country in the world and that we should strive to live the ideals that the country stands for.

In the words of Thomas Jefferson in the immortal document that started it all: "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness."

It is based upon these principles that we exist. I wish you all a happy and healthy holiday weekend. And, may you all take a few moments to remember this great country and those who have given their lives for these continuation of the ideals of the founding fathers.