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Obama vs. Technology

Last weekend, President Obama gave a commencement speech in which he complained about modern technology. In an effort to clarify what the President MEANT, I've taken the time to "translate" his speech to you can know, in no uncertain terms, what his point was. Text in black is what was said, text in red is my translation:

So education is what has always allowed us to meet the challenges of a changing world.
The educational system in the United States is the greatest liberal stronghold, and helps us by brainwashing students before they have a chance to know better. 
And Hampton, that has never been more true than it is today.
We need more liberals to defeat these fascist, right-wing conservatives. They don't seem to let up.
This class is graduating at a time of great difficulty for America and for the world.
This class is graduating at a time of great difficulty brought on solely by the Bush administration.
You're entering a job market, in an era of heightened international competition, with an economy that's still rebounding from the worst crisis since the Great Depression.

You're entering a non-existent job market (unless you want to work for the government); in an era of heightened international competition that will hopefully knock America down a few notches; with an economy that I will continue to refer to as "rebounding" in hopes that you'll actually believe me. We have faced the worst crisis since the Great Depression thanks to Bush.

You're accepting your degrees as America still wages two wars - wars that many in your generation have been fighting.
You're accepting your degrees as America still wages two wars - wars that Bush got us into. Many in your generation have been fighting in these wars - thanks to Bush.
And meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content and exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank that high on the truth meter.
And meanwhile, you're coming of age in a 24/7 media environment that bombards us with all kinds of content that the White House hasn't approved, exposes us to all kinds of arguments, some of which don't always rank high on the truth meter - but many that are accurate and cause trouble for my administration. 
And with iPods and iPads; and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- (laughter) -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation.

My regime does not appreciate the free flow of information created by the iPods and iPads, Xboxes and Play Stations - none of which I will admit to caring about. Information becomes a distraction from my socialist agenda, a diversion from my big government plans, a form of entertainment by watching Biden's gaffes, rather than a tool of brain washing, rather than the means of liberalizing the entire country.

So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.
So all of this is not only confusing you because you are hearing different viewpoints than what you've heard in school; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy - it's hard to control the media, education system, unions AND the American people at the same time!
Class of 2010, this is a period of breathtaking change, like few others in our history. We can't stop these changes, but we can channel them, we can shape them, we can adapt to them.
Class of 2010, this is a period of breathtaking change, like few others in our history. We can't stop these changes - although we'll give it our best shot - but we can control them, bend them, and use them to achieve our socialist, big government agenda.
And education is what can allow us to do so.
And, thankfully, education is still our liberal stronghold, which can allow us to do so.
It can fortify you, as it did earlier generations, to meet the tests of your own time.
It can close you off, as it did earlier generations, to other viewpoints and ensure a desire for government to regulate and control all facets of your life.

An Insightful List of Clarifications From The Mind of a Right-Wing Wacko

• The new immigration law in Arizona is not new in requiring people to have "papers" - 42 states require that one carries some form of identification at all times - I.D. card, drivers license, etc. So there is nothing new about wanting people to have their "papers"-- or proof that they are who they say they are.
• People that don't live or have never lived in a border state should keep any negative opinions about the Arizona law to themselves. They don't know what illegal immigration has done to these places. They may think they know, but they have no clue. If you would like to know, e-mail me.
• I am appalled at Mayor Bloomberg -- that he would suggest that the would-be Times Square bomber was someone with a “political agenda”… possibly “against the health care bill.” Are you kidding me?! That should show everyone who the leftists actually view as the enemy -- conservatives (although the majority of Americans were against Obamacare) -- not muslim terrorists.
• I find it hilarious that the administration is conveying the idea that they somehow stopped the Times Square bomber, and saved countless lives. They didn't stop anything. The bomb didn't go off. The bomber was stupid when it came to bomb-making. So had it not been for the faulty bomb, there would have been lives lost. 
• Maybe it's just me, but I have seen much more news coverage on the oil spill in the Gulf - instead of the flooding in Tennessee. Or for that matter, no one is discussing the 11 people who lost their lives on that oil rig. But why is it that when natural disasters happen in minority areas, the media covers it 24/7, but when it's in the heartland of the country, it doesn't get the same airtime. Do white people need less help in a disaster than others do? Or does it just not accomplish the political goals the media is interested in conveying?

Obama to deliver Eulogy...

This Sunday, President Obama will be delivering the Eulogy at the memorial service for the 29 miners who died in an explosion in West Virginia. Not sure what they were thinking when they asked the world's most arrogant narcissist to express his "deepest condolences" and to honor those who died. Maybe Obama will have the eulogy written for him, and stick to his beloved teleprompter. But, if he decides to express his own sentiments, we can be sure it will quickly become a campaign speech. I am truly interested to hear if Obama can actually feign sympathy for this speech. I guess we'll see soon enough.

Tax Day: A History Lesson

April 15th. A day that most Americans would like to skip. Time to pay the government once again...and the government doesn't care whether you can afford it or not. Tax day wasn't always on April 15th in the United States. It used to be on March 15th. But so many Americans filed their taxes at the last minute and overwhelmed the IRS, that the decision was made to move it back one month and encourage Americans to file early. Yeah...didn't work. As soon as it was moved to April 15th, everyone relaxed for another month and just filed at the last minute again. 

The federal income tax first came into existence as an attempt to help fund the Civil war. The Union was able to raise 21% of war revenue from this tax. It would mark the first time personal income was taxed in this country, and it was, ironically, a fairly new idea borrowed from the British. It was meant to be a temporary/emergency tax, and it was repealed 10 years later when the government moved to a flat tax - which only lasted a year before it was ruled unconstitutional. 

In 1913, the 16th amendment to the constitution was ratified. It gave the government the permanent right to tax the income of citizens and businesses. It was passed under the guise of free-trade. The idea being that having income tax revenue would allow the government to reduce duties and tariffs, and encourage free trade. 1913 was also the year that the first form 1040 was created:

During World War II, the government started withholding taxes automatically out of paychecks, which increased revenue significantly. In 1913, the federal tax code (tax rules) was 400 pages long. In 1945, it had increased to 8200 pages. Today, the tax code exceeds 60,000 pages, and here is the current 1040 form:

The U.S. Government received $2.5+ trillion dollars in taxes for 2008. In regards to the portion from the individual income tax, the top 5% of earners pay 60% of the total. 

So there you have it - the history of tax day, in a nutshell. Some say to enjoy this day, because starting soon, the tax rate will rise, new taxes will be added, and we will look back on this year as the last year we paid low taxes. And to just say what you're all thinking -- if this is low, I'd hate to see high. But we can thank Obama, his administration, congress and all the idiots that support these criminals for the future tax hikes. There is no way to pay for Obamacare without hiking taxes and adding new ones such as the VAT. The only way to fund the deficit spending of the current regime is on the backs of the American people - and they won't flinch at making that decision. On this tax day, I will leave you with a poignant quote from Thomas Jefferson. I wonder if he knew how prophetic and applicable his words were as he penned them.

"We must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our selection between economy and liberty or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts as that we must be taxed in our meat in our drink, in our necessities and comforts, in our labors and in our amusements, for our callings and our creeds...our people.. must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live..  We have not time to think, no means of calling the mis-managers to account, but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow suffers.  Our landholders, too...retaining indeed the title and stewardship of estates called theirs, but held really in trust for the treasury, must...be contented with penury, obscurity and exile.. private fortunes are destroyed by public as well as by private extravagance.

This is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle becomes a precedent for a second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering... And the fore horse of this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression."

Just remember, as you write your check today, sign your return, or smile over a refund...the amount that we are taxed is not something completely out of our control. Taxes are certain - definitely; but we can reign in the government, limit their reach, put fiscal conservatives in power, and leave more money in the pockets of American citizens. More money in our pockets equals a stronger economy. We need to get involved this year, and change government this November...and beyond. To paraphrase Reagan -- we must starve the beast (government), so it has no choice but to become smaller. If we feed the beast, it will only grow larger and require more and more from us. We can change things in this country - but we have to act. Grumbling as you write your check doesn't change anything.

What They Aren't Getting

I know the majority of people do not want Obamacare. I know that it's a bad idea for our country, and our individual health. But I think I need to clarify a point that I've heard people making regarding the "death panels". Even opponents of Obamacare say that the issue of death panels is really a non-issue, because they already exist in some form now. That assertion is correct - in our current system, health insurance companies look at situations and decide whether to cover treatments or not - so in certain instances, they could be making a life or death decision for someone. BUT, what no one seems to point out is that in the current system, if one's insurance company convenes a "death panel", they are only deciding whether to approve or deny payment for a procedure/treatment. They are not denying the patient access to the treatment altogether. They don't have the power to do that. If my insurance company said they wouldn't pay for something that I think I needed, I have the freedom in the current system to use my own money and go get the treatment on my own. Yes, I will have to pay for it, but if it really is important to me, then that's a choice I'll be willing to make.

Now fast forward to Obamacare death panels. Government run health care is just that - health care managed and run by the government - not just the payment side, but care in general. Under Obamacare, most private health care would be put out of business. In the fully-implemented plan, private health care practices would be illegal. So if you need a particular treatment, and a death panel is convened and they decide against it, you have no other recourse. To use your own money and seek treatment on your own would be illegal. The Obamacare death panels are not deciding whether or not to pay for something, but rather whether you will receive the treatment at all.

That should concern everyone. There may already be "death panels", but they do not do the same thing as they would under Obamacare at all. So please point that out to anyone who brings this up.

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