THEY REALLY THINK WE’RE STUPID, DON’T THEY?

I’ve indicated in previous blogs that liberals really think that we regular folks are stupid and therefore, we need them to run our lives for us. Our liberal government leaders, in their push to justify the massive resistance to healthcare reform, have accused those citizens, who are taking time to attend the attend the town hall meetings and make their feelings known, of being part of an organized protest effort implemented by right wing zealots.

I’m sure some of the folks show up because of an organizer and there are probably a few “right wing zealots” involved. But so what? Were there no left wing zealots involved in protests against Bush administration policies? Were those protesters not organized? Of course, they were. This brings me back to point. Liberals think we’re too stupid to think for ourselves and make decisions for ourselves. They think that we’re not capable of showing up at a town hall meeting asking intelligent questions, and making our feelings known, on our own volition. This is sad, but true.

There is much more prosperity in a capitalistic society that there is in a socialist society. However, in a capitalist society, there are going to be some have-nots, and generally these have-nots will be folks who just haven’t tried to be prosperous or don’t want to be prosperous. The point I’m trying to make is that there will be those who “slip through the cracks” and at one time or another most of us probably thought we might be slipping through the cracks. The bottom line is that more people are better off in a capitalistic society than in a socialist society where no one really wins. This can be a little tricky when talking to a liberal because a conservative might come off as callous. It can be done, though. Of course the liberals don’t seem to care about the possibility of folks having to wait six months for a hip or knee replacement or even chemotherapy. So, who’s actually callous after all?
My congressman, Spencer Bacchus is having a town hall meeting this coming Monday at a location that’s not far from where I work. Congressman Bacchus’ district is probably one of the most conservative districts in the U.S. and most of us do not want any part of healthcare reform or socialized medicine. So, I’ll be very interested in how this shakes out. Spencer, I mean Congressman Bacchus, is against this also. Will there be liberals attending who will confront Spencer or will he be preaching to the choir?

AND ONCE AGAIN, WE LOOK TO THE GREATEST GENERATION

While a cross-section of America is attending the healthcare town halls, senior citizens who are participating and speaking out against the proposed healthcare reforms dominate. While most of the greatest generation still alive would probably not be physically able to attend a town hall meeting, much less be an active participant, I have to think that some of the participants are indeed part of the greatest generation. Many WW2 veterans joined the military when they were fifteen and 16 years old. A fifteen or sixteen year old that joined up in 1943 would be in his or her early eighties and many folks stay active well into their eighties.

The greatest generation saved this country from the Nazis, the Fascists, and the Imperialists. Now it looks like they just might save us from the socialists that have been elected to power in this country.

The only negative thing that I can say about the greatest generation is that they spawned people like me. I look at myself and think, “I’m not fit to wipe their boots.” When I was growing up, I depended on my parents, my aunts and uncles, and other members of the greatest generation for guidance and protection. Now that so many of them are gone, I find myself totally lost. I’m the adult and supposed to be responsible. What a scary thought!

They lived through the great depression and fought for our freedoms in WW2. Now they are fighting once again to preserve the American way of life. When the next crisis rolls around, they’re probably not going to be around. What will we do then?

MY NAME IS NANCY AND I’M AN ADDICT

Whether or not I’ve truly kicked the habit remains to be seen, but I’ve quit. What am I addicted to? PLASTIC! No I don’t inhale the fumes of burning plastic; I do it with the wrist. With a quick snap of the wrist the card comes out of my wallet and with another quick snap of the wrist, the card is swiped in the machine. Instant gratification! Who says I can’t have things when I want them?

Ya’ll, I was drowning in credit card debt. I started a job a couple of years ago making a really good salary; and while I was trying to limit my charges on revolving credit cards, the balances were not going down because I was only able to pay a little more than my minimums. I was also charging more on American Express. Of course, that has to be paid in full every month. So, I was having large American Express bills. Making ends meet was getting more difficult every month and I was drawing out of savings. While I stopped short of maxing out my credit cards and never got to the point that I was charging groceries, my situation was bleak. My credit never got bad because I did pay my bills on time and (knock on wood), I have never been behind in my mortgage payments.

While the only things I’m physically addicted to are carbonated beverages (I can’t go more than two days without that fizz in my mouth) and high fat/high calorie foods, I have never experienced an alcohol or a drug addiction. There are similarities between drug/alcohol addictions plastic addictions. When the alcoholic takes that first drink of the day, I’m sure he or she feels somewhat guilty, but rationalizes just this once because he/she has a stressful day ahead and needs the buzz to get through it. I have to have that pair of shoes, so I’ll charge just this once. Besides if I wait until pay day, they may be sold out in my size. The alcoholic goes on vacation and decides to imbibe. I’ll quit when I get back home. It’s time to buy football tickets and I don’t have the extra money because the tax refund I just got has vaporized. I wonder how that happened. Okay, I’ll charge them and pay extra for the next few months. Yea, right!

Another characteristic of addicts is that they tend to lose interest in things such as family, friends, house maintenance, and physical appearance. I had a friend once that loved clothes and taking care of her appearance. Then she became an alcoholic and lost interest all together in those things. As one of the planet’s most vain and shallow human beings, I can’t image losing interest in clothes and my appearance, but I have been known to go without exercising and lately I’ve been eating too much. Also, I have not been watching things too well at the house. Then last spring during a storm, a huge tree fell on my house. At that time, a water problem was discovered that, if left alone, could have meant serious problems. Luckily, it was caught and God is good. But I should have been watching stuff like that.

Another thing that I had lost interest in was my financial situation. I do have a little bit of money socked back, a lot of which is for retirement. I didn’t care about it, though. My plans were to work as a software engineer until I became too stupid; then I was going to work as a Wal-Mart greeter. When I was no longer able to do that kind of work, I would go into the nursing home under Medicaid or be euthanized, depending on the whim of the government. With all that debt, there was not much hope for a good life.

I would go to bed with this debt on my mind; then I would wake up with the debt on my mind. I would go out and laugh a lot, but in the back of my mind, there was the debt. Earlier this year, I was in New Orleans. One afternoon, friends and I were shopping in the French Quarter. We had our bags of stuff and while we were laughing and having a good time, I was really feeling guilty because I had just given my credit cards a workout. But I would think about that when I got home. In other words, a cloud followed me everywhere I went.

Also, what would happen if Mr. Right came along? I haven’t totally given up on that happening. The amount of my credit card debt would have surely turned him off even though my credit score wasn’t bad. Remember, “I married my dream girl, I married my dream girl, but I didn’t know that her credit was bad…If I had gone to freecreditreport.com, I’d be a happy bachelor with a yard and a dog.”

Today, I paid off my credit card debt by refinancing my house. I got a lower interest rate and the increase in my house payment in minimal. Buying a house and making my payments was one thing that I did do right, and when I needed the equity, I had it.

Now the hard part begins because the very last thing that I want to do is charge back up again. I make a good enough salary that I should be able to buy that pair of shoes when I see them now that so much of my money won’t be going toward credit card payments. Also, I should be able to buy larger ticket items by saving up. However, being credit card debt free is not a license to spend. I actually have enough clothes and shoes to choke a horse, so I’m not going there for a while. I’m going to the beach for a long weekend in a couple of weeks and I don’t plan to charge a thing. My hotel is guaranteed on American Express and one night is already paid for. If I keep it on American Express, I’ll have to pay it off in full when the bill comes in. If I put it on my debit card, it will be paid for right then. Either way, it’s not going to become debt and accrue interest.

Right now, the thought of pulling out a credit card to pay for something nauseates me and I’m hoping that I don’t have some sort of emergency to arise such as having to replace an appliance or the heating/cooling system. I’m holding my breath. I am incurring a small, but unexpected expense. In the back, water was backing up in one of the gutters above the deck whenever it rained hard. As a result the water was spilling out of the gutter onto the deck. My contractor, who installed the gutters when making the repairs to my house after the tree incident, checked the situation out and told me that squirrels were living in the downspout. You would think that the water would drown them and then their bodies would decompose. Well, I guess the nasty things use their butts to block the water, so it the dams up and overflows. I’m going to have to pay for having the downspout cleaned out and for guards to be installed so the squirrels can’t get in there. It’s always something.

Is this one of the best days of my life? Probably! Thanks for allowing me to share it with you.

DICTATORSHIP, HOW CLOSE ARE WE?

As close as we’ve ever been in my lifetime. A democrat has been elected president and both houses of congress are democratic. Furthermore, the democrats hold sixty senate seats therefore making it filibuster proof. As a result, a united democrat party can put through anything it wants to and we Republicans can do very little about except try to educate the folks about what is going on and make plans for a vigorous attempt to get back the house and senate in the 2010 elections.

We are not actually a dictatorship because we still have free elections. However the disdain for their constituents by certain congressional representatives is truly reeks of a dictatorship. Elected representatives are supposed to be interested in the concerns of their constituents. These are the people who put them in office and these same people have the power to kick them out of office. Have any of the democrat elected officials from the current president on down ever considered the fact that the American people just don’t want socialized medicine? Do they even care? No, they don’t care. All the democrats care about is taking control over as much our lives as possible. That’s all its about and nothing more. I’ve expressed this in previous posts and will continue to express it.
Of course, the town hall attendees are being demonized and ridiculed by the democrats/liberals who are calling them angry mobs and accusing them of organized conspiracy. Both senators from Alabama are republicans and so is my congressman; and of course, they will vote against this. However, if my representative was a democrat, I would be the first at the town hall meeting and not hesitate to make my feelings known. I wouldn’t be beyond shouting. As someone who is not a senior, but realizes that it’s coming, I am concerned about healthcare as I get older. I’m also concerned about the almost assured rationing of healthcare. Should I become seriously ill, would the feds consider me a productive enough citizen to get treatment? As a conservative, I also don’t want to see the federal government grabbing 14% of the nation’s economy and putting it under its umbrella. Yes, turn me loose in a town hall meeting and I will be passionate.

MOBSTERS AND RIGHT WING FRINGE

I guess that’s me along with middle class America. With Congress in recess, representatives have traveled to their respective districts to conduct meetings with their constituents to discuss, through town hall meetings, various issues with the proposed health care reform being the main issue.

With seventy to eighty percent of Americans happy with their current health care, lots of folks just don’t want the government messing with it. Furthermore, folks are leery of adding so much spending to what we’ve already seen in the current president’s administration. A lot of older Americans are concerned about possibly being denied medical procedures because of their age. The concerns go on and on.

Of course the far-left is doing what it can to demonize and belittle the folks. Even the White House is involved in teaching Democrat leaders how to handle angry mobs. When George Bush was being protested for the country’s involvement in the Iraqi war, not one time did he belittle the protesters. He did, however, acknowledge that they had the right to their own opinion and to make it known if they wished to do so. I also don’t recall any elected officials belittling those who disagreed with them. I’ll admit that when Cindy Sheehan and Code Pink were doing their thing, friends and I had some choice words to describe them, but we always acknowledged their rights.

Who can forget the “deer in the headlights” look on the faces of Arlen Specter and Kathleen Sebelius at their town hall meeting conducted in Philadelphia? All in all, the democrat representatives seem really stunned at the reaction of “the folks”. Except for calling them names, the dems don’t seem to know what to do.

The elections of 2006 and 2008 swept the Democrats/liberals into power and we elected as President of the United States, the most liberal individual ever to hold that office. As a result our elected officials have assumed that the American people want bigger government, more social programs, a more passive approach where foreign policy is concerned, and are willing to have their taxes raised and let the government provide them with womb to the tomb benefits. Now that people are pro-actively expressing their disagreements with the actions of the folks in power, the folks in power are shaking their heads thinking you elected us and now you’re resisting us. They may be thinking, “what did you elect me for”? “I stand for higher taxes, more spending on social programs and less spending on national defense, more governmental control, etc. You put me in office, I’m promoting all of these things and you’re balking. What gives”?

The people of the United States of America did elect these people and we’re getting what we voted for, pure and simple. How these people got elected is another story. In 2006, the Iraqi war was in a quagmire. Even though we had taken out our generation’s most brutal dictator, the weapons of mass destruction were not found. Americans were restless and wanted a conclusion to the war. So, this was a vote against Bush and the Republicans, not necessarily a vote for the Democrats. Then in 2008, the current president campaigned on change, but was very vague in stating exactly what those changes might be. This person was young, energetic, and had a nice looking family. The Republicans, on the other hand were running 70-something moderate John McCain. The summer before the elections gas prices hit an all time high and the stock market was tanking. Many blamed it on the oil companies and accused President Bush and Vice President Cheney for “being in bed” with them. While naming of Sarah Palin as McCain’s running mate seemed to give a much needed jump start to his campaign, things quickly deflated in September with the failure of some large financial institutions and the continuing decline of the Dow Jones. Things had stabilized in Iraq and the war on terror, so folks weren’t so much concerned with foreign policy; besides, we had not had an attack on American soil since 9/11. The drive-by media portrayed the economic situation as being the fault of the Bush Administration when it really had its roots in the sub-prime mortgages with Freddie and Fannie. This began in the late nineties under the Clinton administration because former President Clinton felt like everyone living in the United States had the right to a home whether they could afford it or not.

In my opinion, the Democrats were put in power because folks were overall dissatisfied with the Bush Administration and Republicans in general. They felt we were going in the wrong direction and wanted a change. Well, we got it.

An ex-boss of mine used to say that a “known evil” was better than an “unknown”. I’m not saying that the Bush Administration was evil. I was a big supporter of President Bush. What I’m saying is with McCain, we knew pretty much what we would be getting. Raising taxes on anyone would not happen; there would be no threat of socialized medicine, no out of control spending on social programs, and no “cap and trade”. Also, we would not have had the take-over of the automobile industry. This would be the case even if the Democrats had maintained control over the house and senate. This ties in with another old saying, “be careful what you wish for, you just might get it”. People were unhappy with what they had and went for the new shiny wrapped package. When they opened their new shiny wrapped package, the rattle snake inside quickly struck burying its fangs and pumping its venom. The question now is, can the greatest nation on earth free itself from the serpent’s fangs, and detoxify itself to get rid of the effects of the venom? All I can say is that these things had better get done fast or the greatest nation on earth will surely die a slow painful death.

WHAT IS THIS COUNTRY GOING TO BE LIKE IN A YEAR?

On Greta a few minutes ago, I just heard the most sinister thing that I’ve ever heard in my life. In spite of the first amendment, our country’s leaders are demonizing the folks that don’t agree with their policies. I was always told that I had a right to disagree and say I don’t like what the government is doing without fear. Well, it seems like that’s changing. On whitehouse.gov, not whitehouse.com, visitors are asked to report those folks whose speech and actions appear “fishy”. So, what is the purpose of this? Could the United States government be compiling a list of folks who don’t agree with the policies our country’s leaders are promoting?

Those of you that read my blog regularly know that I’m hung up on having my door knocked down in the middle of the night where I would be drug out of bed, never to be heard from again. Do I think the current president and his cronies can get away with something like this in the next couple of years? I don’t think so, but there are other ways to destroy a person or make their life miserable. Someone who doesn’t agree with them could easily be audited every year by the IRS. If they make a mistake on their tax return and owe a little money, the IRS could seize their assets. There are other things that the feds could do to someone who doesn’t agree with them.

A few weeks ago, I was watching the TV in a local sandwich shop while having lunch. The current president was saying that he wanted every American to get out of credit card debt and he announced the establishment of a 1-800 number that folks could call to get help if they had over $10,000 worth of credit card debt. If you make $25,000 and have a mortgage and a car payment, $10,000 worth of credit card debt is bad. But if you make $75,000, have a modest house payment, a modest car payment with no other debts, $10,000 is manageable and could probably be paid off in a year or so.

I heard on the news tonight that pretty soon the government could have access to your financial records as well as your medical records. Since this $10,000 seems to be some kind of a focus figure, could it be possible that sometime soon, the feds may sink another fang into your skin if you have more than $10,000 in credit card debt by forcing you to go to credit counseling or cutting off your credit all together. Having a boatload of credit card debt is bad and nearly impossible to pay off with the abominable rates that some cards carry. If you have a lot of credit card debt, you need to quit using them. This is something your mother ought to tell you or maybe your best friends should tell you. But do you want the federal government taking control of your credit card debt? It’s one thing for your credit card companies to lower your limits, raise your interest and minimum payments, because there are always other credit card companies that will take you on if you pay your minimums on time. But do you want the federal government involved in this aspect of your life? If you’re one of those who do not mind if the government controls your health care, I guess you’ll be okay with the government controlling your finances. And if you’re on their list of dissonants whose speech appeared to be fishy, there’s no telling what they will do to you.

A BREAK FROM POLITICS

I’m suffering from political overload and need a break. How about you? I just received my Alabama football season ticket package. There are seven game to be played in Bryant Denny Stadium, four games will be played at opponents’ stadiums, and one game will be played at the Georgia Dome, a neutral site. That game is with Virginia Tech and even though the site is considered neutral, there will probably be many more Alabama fans present than Virginia Tech fans.

I order my tickets in the spring and generally pay for them with my income tax refund or put them on plastic. I have three seats and pay $260 per seat up front for the privilege of ordering tickets. Then I purchase the tickets. By the time I get through paying for everything, I’ve spent almost $2,000. Part of the up front money is tax deductible and I sell my extra tickets to friends for regular price. I haven’t scalped tickets in a long time.

I shouldn’t have to tell you that Alabama football tickets are expensive with the cheapest ticket being $40.00 for the UT Chattanooga game. Tennessee tickets are $70.00 a piece. North Texas State and Florida International are $45.00 a piece while LSU, Arkansas, and South Carolina tickets are $55.00 a piece. I’m very surprised that LSU tickets are not $70.00 like the Tennessee tickets.

As a season ticket holder, I am required to buy all of the games in Bryant Denny and attend virtually all of the games. However, if I were buying them piece-meal, I’d probably pay $70 or a little more for a Tennessee ticket; but no way would I pay $45 for Florida International or North Texas State.

The Iron Bowl is in Auburn. Am I going to try to get tickets? I don’t know. If I do get tickets, I’m not driving my vehicle down there because I don’t want it to be vandalized and I don’t want to deal with the nightmarish traffic. We’ll just have to see as time draws nigh.

I live for football season, and eat and sleep Alabama football. We haven’t had a national championship since 1992; the year Bill Clinton was elected president for the first time. It’s been seventeen years! Can you believe it’s been that long? I’M READY!

IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU, THEY DON’T CARE

On Greta tonight, a video clip was shown of a town hall meeting hosted by Kathleen Sebelius and Arlen Specter. Sebelius, of course, is Secretary of Health and Human Services and Specter is a senator from Pennsylvania, once a Republican, now turned Democrat. It was ugly! The attendees were outraged by the health care reform legislation that is being proposed by our country’s leaders and let Sebelius and Specter know it. Both had that “deer in the headlights look” and I loved it.

The American people don’t want nationalized healthcare and they are further outraged at the costs and that the bill is being pushed through without lawmakers having read it. As I said above, the town hall meeting with Sebelius and Specter got ugly and I suspect there will be more ugly town hall meetings. We’ve already had a protest by senior citizens outside of Diane (roller-do) Feinstein’s office in California.

The Democrats have the presidency and Congress with the numbers to push anything through that they want to push through. Do they care about the American people, both insured and uninsured? NO, they do not. All they care about is grabbing everything they can and putting it under the federal government’s umbrella. They just want total control over every aspect of your life. “From each according to his ability, to each according to his need.” And the government gets to decide what to take and what to give.

I noted in a previous blog that insurance companies are now the whipping boys for our country’s leaders. Blue Cross Blue Shield is a major employer in the Birmingham, Alabama area and the current president and his cronies are out to destroy private health insurers. If BCBS goes down, this area will take a hit. Then if the current president goes after life insurers and property & casualty insurers, so many people will be hurt. It’s sinister and when I think about it, I get a knot in my stomach. What’s going to happen to me? I don’t know. What’s going to happen to everyone else? I don’t know. I don’t think anyone that works in the private sector is safe.

These people were elected to power and they will remain in power until at least early 2011. Our only hope is to fight against our current president’s policies tooth and nail and pray that the Republicans take back the House and Senate if 2010.

I’m sorry to be so morbid tonight folks, but our leaders have the numbers to do anything they want and their agenda is to totally control every aspect of our lives by transforming the United States of America into a weakened socialized country vulnerable to attacks by terrorists and rogue nations.