THOUGHTS!

You know, when a person hasn't written for a long time it is really difficult to try to decide where to begin when going back at it. It sure isn't because of a lack of things to write about because with all that is going on around us I feel overwhelmed by it all.

No sense starting at the bottom and working up. No, I resumed my writing today by first penning a letter to our president and then to resuming my activities on this blog. In my letter to the president I tried to outline my formula for moving this nation out of this gutter of despair. I suggested that he do the following:

a) immediately work to ensure the enactment of HR 25 (Fairtax) and the accompanying repeal of the 16th amendment.

b) use the unspent portion of his stimulus to issue debit cards in the amount of $1,000 to every US citizen and ensure the cards could only be used for the purchase of new goods and services.

With the elimination of capital gains taxes, estate taxes, payroll taxes, etc. it goes without saying that business would have a very inviting atmosphere in which to accelerate. By restricting the use of the government issued debit cards to new goods and services people couldn't use the money to pay off existing bills but would use the money for new goods and services; thereby new tax revenue would be guaranteed immediately. Using the $1000 per person figure I noted above, that would yield about $70 billion in taxes as the populace began spending their money. Hey, it's better than building a tunnel for turtles, frogs and any other assortment of little wee-beasties. I believe there is at least half of the original stimulus money that is unspent. If my math is right that would be 300 million persons times $1000 for a grand total of about $300 billion. I also explained that the enactment of HR 25 would immediately initiate a prebate program that would help some families with their medical costs and would enable many to enroll in a catastrophic coverage insurance program further reducing mandates and financial burdens on America's already overtaxed citizens.

Since I'm throwing all those figures around, let me share one more with you. There is so much talk of the trillions of dollars of debt this nation has. Most people have no concept of what a trillion is. Congressman John Linder of Georgia once described a trillion dollars on the House floor in the following manner: (sorry, but I have to paraphrase here)

If you would have started a business on the day Jesus Christ was born and began losing a million dollars per day, each and every day, from that point in time until right now (2010), you would have to go another 700 plus years before reaching a trillion dollars. How's that for putting things into perspective??? Give you a better idea of what a trillion really is?? It did for me!

How time flies. It was a year ago this month that Rick Santelli first broadcast the notion that perhaps we should have a "tea party". Do you remember that? He was in Chicago. Who would have thought that the "tea party movement" would have grown to what it is so far. Talking about watching history in the making!!! I'm glad to have been involved from the onset and to have attended some of the events. At times I'm sure we all feel despair and hopelessness, but this provides us all the opportunity to be involved....and I strongly encourage it.

I'll tell you what.....if and when I get a response from my letter to the president I'll let you know here...just don't be holding your breath in the meantime.

UPDATE

I guess if you stay in law enforcement long enough you come to the realization that it really
is in your blood. Before I retired I told my wife many times that my career, law enforcement, was my mistress. In keeping with that notion I have added a feed that you can find about
half way down the left column. That will keep you updated about current events in the law enforcement community. It is constantly updated by officer.com and if you want to check
out their site just CLICK HERE!

One of my buddies that I was in Vietnam with evidently read this blog and saw my note above about growing my own tobacco. He could also remember the cigarettes that we received. Here is what he emailed me:

"Fast Freddie-

I remember.  I believe they were called SP packs and had 10 cartons of cigarettes,
candy, shoelaces, toothpaste, pen and paper, soap,etc in them.   We got them in the
mountains.  None of us smoked menthol so we traded the KOOL and Salems for rice,
nukmam (??), fish, etc.; whatever the ARVNs had to trade with us.  It made the
C-Rats taste better with that stuff in it.  I remember leaving cans of C-Rats                                             
open so that the real rats would eat them and leave us alone.  I always                             
slept with something on my face so the rats wouldn't bite me.  Folks would not
believe how big those rats were.                            
 
Later.  Oh, I have not smoked in 30 years.  We used to take the powder out of our
M-16 rounds and put the nose of the bullet back on and shoot the rats in the bunker.

God bless<><> Rory

Well, within the past hour I was out in my
greenhouse  transplanting some of my little baby tobacco plants.
I was so meticulous that I was giving them water as I
transplanted them one spoon at a time.
                               

All the while I kept drifting off to a news article I read two
nights ago.  That article indicated that there may be another
two dollars per pack of tax coming.  I swear it has no end.            
For all you non-smokers, you need to be concerned as well. 
No one will be escaping this madness that is swirling around                               
us all.  I feel sometimes as though I am in a beaker and                    
this mad scientist government is conducting one giant social
experiment with us all.
                              
The same night I read about the likelihood of additional
cigarette taxes I also read that millions of our tax dollars
are being used studying alcohol use by Chinese prostitutes                               
and training the prostitutes to drink responsibly on the job. 
Read the complete article by going to the following link:                


http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=47976


Every time I decide to post something and initiate a little
research some new decision by our leaders propels me in a
different direction. I started researching the SCHIP                     
program the other day and particularly was interested in how I                  
am now, through that program, providing health care for some                         
illegal aliens.  Where does it all end?  My research was                    
ended as I got caught up in the Pelosi v CIA mess.  If our                   
direction does not change soon, we are all doomed for an          
existence that we never imagined for Americans.

I can recall someone telling me years ago, "To know and to not
do is to not know".  Well, isn't that where we are?  Our
president speaks and says that we can not continue living               
with debt and yet he is taking us all down a road of debt              
and despair that we will endure for years.  It's the old                                   
Elmer Gantry thing ...you know,"Do as I say,not as I do"!                



Washington politics exhausts me.  As I've said on numerous
occasions, they are so far removed from middle America that
they can no longer represent middle America.  I sometimes                         
am not sure if I can afford a pound of hamburger and they           
have no idea of the cost of that hamburger.  Or my electric        
bill.  Or student loan. Or the exorbitant taxes.  Or the lumber                
for a repair job.  Or a six pack of Bud Lite.  Or the car                       
repair. Or the dentist bill. Or a new pair of shoes.  I could    
go on and on but alas, there is no point in it, is there?                   


The government (if it were responsible) should see to it that
people are able to keep more of their earnings so that people
could
manage their own affairs.  The government needs to rein in its
spending habits.  Quit spending money that is not there!!  I
have needed to get a load of gravel for my driveway for                     
several years but have not done so.  Why?  Simple. I have to                        
prioritize based on the money I have available to me.                      


If I have to do that, then I think it is reasonable that others
do the same.  Individuals as well as government entities.                              

Government should lift up its people by providing opportunity,               
not giving a hand-out.  My congressman sends out a little                     
newsletter that must make him feel really good about his efforts              
in Washington.  He brags about how much money he was able to                 
secure for our district and I damn near vomit each time I read                  
those newsletters.  I don't think he is wise enough to realize                  
he is really stripping the spirit from the soul of his                 
constituents.  I think some really want to keep people down                                              
so they can feel good when patting themselves on the back              
and declaring what a great job they have done.

Our founding fathers warned us that we would have to protect
that which they created for us all.  I urge everyone to stay                
involved and to communicate with your representatives, even                  
if they are not representing you.  People, en masse, is the                  
only hope to preserve that which was begun more than two                      
hundred years ago.