My Words Are Unnecessary

“The Constitution only gives people the right to pursue happiness. You have to catch it yourself.”
— Benjamin Franklin

“Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There was never a democracy that did not commit suicide.” — John Adams

“But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever.” — John Adams 

In 1794, when Congress appropriated $15,000 for relief of French refugees who fled from insurrection in San Domingo to Baltimore and Philadelphia, James Madison stood on the floor of the House to object saying:

“I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents. The government of the United States is a definite government, confined to specified objects. It is not like the state governments, whose powers are more general. Charity is no part of the legislative duty of the government.” — James Madison

"But with respect to future debt; would it not be wise and just for that nation to declare in the constitution they are forming that neither the legislature, nor the nation itself can validly contract more debt, than they may pay within their own age, or within the term of 19 years."
-- Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789

"Excessive taxation will carry reason & reflection to every man's door, and particularly in the hour of election." -- Thomas Jefferson

"Here comes the orator! With his flood of words, and his drop of reason." -- Benjamin Franklin

"I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I traveled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer." -- Benjamin Franklin

"They are of the People, and return again to mix with the People, having no more durable preeminence than the different Grains of Sand in an Hourglass. Such an Assembly cannot easily become dangerous to Liberty. They are the Servants of the People, sent together to do the People's Business, and promote the public Welfare; their Powers must be sufficient, or their Duties cannot be performed. They have no profitable Appointments, but a mere Payment of daily Wages, such as are scarcely equivalent to their Expences; so that, having no Chance for great Places, and enormous Salaries or Pensions, as in some Countries, there is no triguing or bribing for Elections." -- Benjamin Franklin

"Such will be the relation between the House of Representatives and their constituents. Duty, gratitude, interest, ambition itself, are the cords by which they will be bound to fidelity and sympathy with the great mass of the people." -- James Madison

Don't Let Up!

The phone lines on Capitol hill have been "melting" according to several news sources. People are calling in and letting Congress know what they think of these corrupt ploys to pass health care reform. Looks like the "vote" will be this Sunday. Keep calling, keep e-mailing.

But I have to tell you to not let up - and I don't just mean about health care. Now, Obama is turning his attention to immigration reform. We're seeing shades of McCain and Kennedy's failed attempt to pass amnesty a few years ago. I can assure you, Obama has no intention of letting this immigration reform fail this time. It's the same crap: illegal aliens can be "put on the path to citizenship" by paying a fine, doing some community service, and learning some English. Then they are in.

This is so ridiculous and counter-productive in our current economy (and I'm against it regardless of the economy)! Last time immigration reform was being debated, the economy was still going strong; and the pro-amnesty crowd's biggest argument was that "illegals do the jobs that Americans won't do".

Fast forward to our current economy, where, as Reid put it last week, "ONLY 36,000 people lost their job today". He was touting that number as a good thing - but we all know that a lot of people (American citizens) are out of work, and need a job. Obama, himself, knows that jobs are what Americans are worried about - that's why he urged Congress to pass the "jobs bill" as soon as possible to help create more jobs for the unemployed.

Look at what our President of HOPE and CHANGE is doing. On one hand, he is trying to create jobs for unemployed Americans to put a dent in the unemployment numbers. On the other hand, he is pushing for immigration reform that would legalize tens of millions of illegal aliens, and suddenly create more competition for our currently unemployed citizens. So those who see no need to respect the laws of our country - who sneak over the border, take jobs getting paid under the table, steal social security numbers, show up at emergency rooms and expect tax payers to cover their treatment, drive without licenses or insurance - those people will be granted citizenship and the right to now TAKE THE JOBS THAT AMERICANS NEED.

How does that make any sense? This immigration reform has to be stopped before it has a chance to gain any momentum. Tough thing is, this is not a simple blue vs. red issue. Many Republicans have the wrong view on this issue - one of them being the co-writer of the bill, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina! So don't let up yet! Keep fighting this health care bill, but don't let them sneak in this immigration reform - let Congress know that none of this is gonna fly!

**Edited to add: Seriously, these people deserve amnesty?!

Calling All Americans!

OK, I pretty much always have an opinion about politics. No surprise there. But my opinions usually only go as far as my husband, family or close friends, and this blog.

But today, I'm taking my political opinion one step further.

I am calling Congress, and giving them my opinion about them and their health care bill that they are jamming down our throats.

I challenge you to do the same.

Maybe you don't normally care too much about politics. Maybe you usually rely on others to object so that you don't have to. Today, take it upon yourself to tell Congress what you think.

This health care bill is not just a bad idea because it funds abortions. It is wrong on many, many other levels. This bill MANDATES that each of you buy health insurance (regardless of whether you want it or not). This bill will massively raise your taxes, and your health insurance premiums. This bill will ultimately give the government control over your health care - they will make the decisions on who is worth treating, and who is not. And since private health insurance companies will no longer exist, you will not have other options if the government denies your treatment.

I've heard many people mention that it's OK if this bill passes now, because it will seal the fate of all the Congressmen who voted for it, and they will lose their seats in the mid-term elections. Then the bill will just be repealed by the new Congress. I hope that is true. BUT, if this bill passes now, the tax increase will be immediate. So even if it is ultimately repealed, you will still have a tax hike to deal with in the meantime.

Anyway, PLEASE call the Capitol before Thursday (3/18).

History does not remember those who merely thought about how wrong something was. It is only those who take action and make their opinion known who are acknowledged.

Take action, NOW.

Here is a toll-free number you can try:
877-762-8762

You may have better luck trying the local number (which will cost you):

202-224-3121

Here is a list of congressmen to target.

By the way, if you are lucky enough to get a hold of a congressman, and they tell you that they are "undecided", don't let them off the hook - that is simply a ploy to avoid your rage. They've had a year to decide, and being undecided on such a crappy bill is as bad as voting for it. Don't let them play that game with you. Good luck! And if you are able to get through, be sure to comment here and let me know how it went!

Pelosi's Suicide Voters

Last week, Nancy Pelosi made it clear that the house needs to pass the Senate's healthcare bill regardless of the consequences come November. She basically said that they need to pass the bill because it's what Americans need - regardless of the fact that the majority does not WANT it.

This brings up an interesting analogy.

There is another group of people that take harmful actions because of a cause. They do not consider the harm to themselves or others - the cause is king. These are usually educated, intelligent people. Almost always, they inflict this damage to accomplish a political goal.

What group is it? Suicide bombers.

I submit that there is very little difference between the mentality of suicide bombers, and Nancy Pelosi's congressional democrats. She is telling them to choose the cause (government take-over of health care) over their voters and their jobs. She tells them to ignore the consequences of their vote, because the cause is king. It's debatable, but these house democrats are likely well-educated and slightly intelligent. And going down in flames to pass the Senate health care bill is inflicting damage on Americans - all for a political agenda.

While researching the profile of suicide bombers, I came across this article. The author ends the article with this:

I am convinced that terrorists are very shrewd politicians with very clear agendas,” said Pedahzur. “The question we must then consider is how do we minimize their followers and support?”

Make no mistake - this administration is full of very shrewd politicians, and Pelosi is carrying out a very clear agenda. The question is whether the house democrats will choose to be suicide voters, or hold themselves accountable to the American voters that put them in their position.

Of course, we can't ignore the big picture question. What do we do to minimize the support of the democratic party? They may be digging their own graves with this health care take-over, but the most effective thing we can do right now is look for a CONSERVATIVE leader that can effectively take on Obama in 2012. It's great that the democrats are floundering while in power, but it's pointless if we don't have someone to straighten things out when the American people kick Obama and his cronies out of office.


For now, we'll simply watch and see if the suicide voters strike.

Obesity in the Desert

Michelle, Michelle, Michelle.

Side note: what do you call the First Lady? Is she "First Lady Michelle"? "Madame First Lady"? "Michelle, ma'belle"? "Anti-obesity Czar"?

You have opened up a whole new world to me. Food Deserts. I didn't even know they existed until you explained it to me! Actually, when I heard the term, I pictured my home town - it's literally a desert, and we had food...thus, it's a food desert. Then I thought maybe the term referred to the depressing situation where your town only has a few low-end, low-quality restaurants to choose from. Wrong again! You enlightened me that food deserts are areas in this country that do not have a grocery store close by. And based on your comments, it sounds like you think that having to take a cab, a bus, or a train to the store is just too far. Does that mean that the only people that don't live in food deserts are the ones who are within walking distance of a store? Wow! We are a solid 15-minute drive from the nearest grocery store...so we must be in the Sahara of Food Deserts!

Obviously, I find this "food desert" idea to be humorous and umm...WRONG. Mainly because of your proposed solution to the food desert issue. Your solution is typically liberal - have the government pay out millions of tax payer dollars to provide incentives for companies to build in the food deserts. What's another $400 million when we're so buried in debt already?! I'm sure we can look forward to a food desert tax at the grocery store soon. Here are my problems with your program, Michelle:

1. Having the federal government interfere with the free market by spending millions to bring in stores to "underserved areas" is simply another example of the government interfering with the private sector. Like it or not, grocery stores are built in places where it is beneficial to the company's bottom line. If there is an untapped area that has profit potential to a store, they will build there. If the area is not populated enough, or has a systemic crime problem, the economic incentive doesn't exist, and the company will look for another location.
2. Talking about "food deserts" really conveys the idea that people have had NO role in choosing where they live. It suggests that they were placed there - regardless of their preferences. If the distance to the nearest grocery store is really interfering with your life, you should move to an area that serves your needs better. Everyone has that option.
3. Mrs. First Lady, if you are interested in combating childhood obesity, then you shouldn't be trying to eliminate food deserts - you should be trying to create more of them! Common sense would suggest that the more limited ones access is to food, the smaller their waistline. Having a grocery store within walking distance of most kids would result in many of them using their allowance to buy the dreaded sodas and candy bars that they can't get at school any more. Save our children! Create food deserts!

All humor aside, this is yet another example from this administration of the underlying issue in this country: lack of personal responsibility. Once again, no one should have to face the consequences of their decisions. My husband and I moved to a different neighborhood last year. We did our research on the area, and we knew that we would be about 15 minutes from town. We still chose to move to the neighborhood, because we were willing to trade a little convenience for the peace and quiet of being in a more rural setting. When making our decision, we never thought that it should be the government's responsibility to make sure we had a grocery store nearby. We made sure that we would be satisfied with our new location "as is". The free market will take care of providing services where they are needed. Our freedom is that we can choose where we live - be it a food desert, or a food oasis. It's our choice, and not the government's business.


Every time we abdicate individual responsibilities to the government, it grows stronger and, in turn, more able to seize those freedoms that we treasure.