Want a good laugh...or cry

Yes, there really are those who remain in deep, deep denial who actually think four more years of an Obama admin would be blissful. Please say it ain't so. 

PROFESSOR: OBAMA SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO RUN FOR A THIRD TERM

Read it and weep! http://www.thecollegefix.com/post/15481/

Articulate Argument Against Common Core, Delivered by a High School Student Nonetheless

Fed up with Healthcare.gov, check out ehealthinsurance.com

I just spent 15 minutes signing up my entire family with the folks at ehealthinsurance.com and it was easy. Even better, the cost to insure my family of four (medical and dental): $391 per month. The ehealthinsurance customer service reps were friendly, the website worked (sorry, healthcare.gov!) and it only takes 48 hours to find out if you are approved.

Many naysayers of online private-sector insurance are quick to bemoan "pre-existing conditions" as a reason to not try the private route. Okay, I might give you that, maybe. The uninsured individual with pre-existing conditions is a serious issue. However, I strongly maintain that Obamacare is not the right approach or solution. If you are someone with pre-existing conditions that make some private insurance hard and/or impossible to get, a free-market solution would be the better and ultimately more affordable approach.

The pre-existing and insurance cost debacle wasn't a scenario that one party (Democrats) wanted to tackle and the other (Republican) didn't. Rather, it's the portability, tort reform and pre-existing conditions approaches of the latter party that simply weren't considered in 2009 when healthcare reform became the hot button issue.

With the president having his lowest approval rating numbers to date and a country that doesn't philosophically align with socialized medicine (let's call it what it is already), Obamacare has taken a public beating and rightfully so.

Government determining what healthcare you get and how much you will pay isn't the answer. Healthcare is a very personal and private issue. Contrary to what many in the mainstream media and far-left would have you believe, healthcare isn't a right, it's a service and profession that tens of thousands of professionals spend years and years paying into higher education for to become general practitioners/internists, specialized doctors and surgeons, and nurses among other healthcare roles.

As a reminder, these healthcare certifications and roles do not come without a cost, and that is what we as individuals and families choose to pay for. Some make healthcare a high priority, some don't and that's the beauty of individual choice and freedom.

Are there costs to society for those who smoke, sure. And, there always will be. I don't know about you, but I'd rather pay those costs than relinquish my healthcare decisions to Uncle Sam.

If you feel the same, are fed up with big government solution healthcare.gov, and are wondering if private online options still exist, check out ehealthinsurance.com, a private-sector alternative with, even better yet, a site that works!

Better Late Than Never...

Thank you Ashton for sharing the truth about hard work and true success with today's teenagers.

Obamacare: A US "Breaking Bad" Moment

I am not a huge "Breaking Bad" fan, it's a pretty rough TV show and concept to digest. But with the finale behind us, I see many comparisons between this popular show about addiction and impending Obamacare.

I do know bad and deceitful, and the short- and long-term nightmare that is projected from fully implementing Obamacare is bad. As I recall my brief time living in England and being distraught about having a simple vaccine in a London teaching hospital, I can't imagine what turn the U.S. healthcare system takes next if the law's individual mandate is not delayed or defunded by Congress today.

With more students opting out of healthcare professions due to Obamacare and more businesses dropping employees hours to ensure they don't have to pay for healthcare and/or not hiring more employees at all, I am flabbergasted at the rhetoric and stubbornness coming from Washington and Democrat leadership.

So many in the media (and in the GOP including former presidential candidate Jon Huntsman and Salt Lake Tribune Cornflakes source) are criticizing Senators Cruz and Lee for hurting the GOP Party's chances in future elections when they are, in fact, the only souls in the GOP Senate caucus right now standing up for all Americans including the middle class. 

Huntsman says we must accept the partisan-forced ACA as a done deal, I think that mindset is a big mistake. It's not parts of the bill that are bad, it's the whole 2,700-page enchilada and its subtle deceptiveness regarding freedom of choice and cost woven throughout.

Some Americans choose to sign up for health insurance and some don't. Some go to doctors to prevent sickness and some don't. Do we really want Big Brother walking us to the doctor's office or deciding what service we can and can't get? Because, that is what's coming if we roll over and allow Harry Reid to usher in Obamacare come hell or high water, which he has threatened to do. 

Senator Ted Cruz may have made enemies on both sides of the aisle in D.C. but he made a friend of me and hopefully of millions of other Americans who are able to see through the legislative healthcare travesty that is Obamacare. It's good to know there still are a few political crusaders left willing to put life and career on the line for what is right. 

I don't know about you, but six years of being on an economic roller coaster is enough for me. If Obamacare doesn't get defunded, we might as well say "adios" to this country's superior healthcare system and choice. 

I, like most GOP and Democrats who agree Obamacare is a train wreck, don't advocate doing nothing, (our healthcare systems needs an overhaul), just not this. 

NOBAMACARE!

No way, no how I keep hearing. The American people have spoken but are our politicians listening?! I sure hope so but sometimes it doesn't feel that way.

Contrary to left-wing media diatribe, the country is not evenly divided on this issue but you wouldn't know it if you opened your morning paper. Even in Utah, a conservative state by design, the main daily continues to spout off about Utah Senator Mike Lee and how "insane" he is for pushing a budget that doesn't include funding for Obamacare - how could that be?!  

Where's that sacred civility I keep hearing my left-leaning friends nattering about? Still waiting.

I will tell you how that could be - it's because most of the nation and a majority of America's small businesses are saying HELL NO! I've looked under the covers and this law sucks. Think about it, if Obama's cronies and lobbyist friends don't want to abide by the law, should you?

The new healthcare law was JAMMED down our throats via a Democratic partisan vote back in the first term when no one wanted it. It never passed with bipartisan support and now businesses and individuals are running from it in droves.

Why would they be running you might be thinking, isn't this new healthcare law about a better healthcare environment for all including easier access to medical treatment, more doctors, and better insurance options and better facilities and innovation? Nope, I am afraid the writing on the wall says it's not.

In fact, if you dig a little deeper across the 2,600-plus pages of the biggie-sized ACA, there are so many subtle red (run away now) flags it's dizzying. For instance, take the section on "school loans" (why is this even in ACA again?) that determines what money is given to what student depending on what type of medical practice they choose to specialize in (ouch!). Or, how about the part that ensures businesses are forced to pay fines if they choose a different healthcare plan for employees that doesn't meet Obamacare standards (when did we decide Washington gets to determine voluntary benefits programs?)... and then there are the attacks on American individuals and their current plans, which are either being eliminated or premiums are doubling, because they don't meet Obamacare lofty standards (wait, I can't keep my current healthcare? Why? Didn't you say I could keep my plan if I liked it?! Yeah, they lied.).

The ACA, it appears, is not so affordable after all. If you don't believe me, check out more facts before you throw torches at folks like Senators Mike Lee and Ted Cruz who are OVER taking it lying down and at least have the guts to throw themselves on the line despite the mighty backlash that is the Obama admin. and their minions.

If you are like me, sick of watching the country divided and stuttering economically at every turn (NO 7.4% unemployment shouldn't be the new norm, don't kid yourself), then sign the petition that DEFUNDS this incredibly bad reform law and give let's give smart healthcare reform for all Americans a real try.

Check out www.defunditnow.com and sign the petition along with millions of other Americans including me who know we can do so much better.

Syria: To Strike or Not to Strike

Yes, I do believe, unlike some of conservative media personalities, that the United States should strike. But, there is one major caveat for me if we do. The United States must not strike without a definitive plan and mission in place that's honestly communicated to the American people on a level that won't jeopardize the mission.

Now more than ever, Americans need to to know why we should strike and send our soldiers in harms way. The President needs to share his mission expectations without press secretary hyperbole and innuendo.

Will we embolden the wrong coalitions if we strike? How many embassy workers are at risk? Who really benefit from the strike? Will it be the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda, both, or the democratic, freedom loving Syrians who want to see their country modernize and progress.

While I have weighed this debate over and over in my mind, even at one time supporting the idea of not striking, the recent videos and photos of dead, bagged children and young Syrians lying side by side on death row has convinced me that all civilized, peace-loving nations who can, must get involved to remove Assad and his deadly regime immediately.

What truly frustrates me is how politically calculated President Obama and his trusty advisors have been on the Syrian issue (not to mention other issues: IRS, NSA, Benghazi, and the list goes on). In recent days, I have heard: we must strike...no we will wait on Congress (so I can blame GOP in Congress if my Syrian proposal fails)...we are not sure of the outcome [but hey, what difference does it make now - sound familiar?].  

Look, while no one is saying it out loud (well, maybe a few are), I feel confident the Benghazi debacle was and remains connected to Syria. It's kind of a duh?! Oh, if Americans would only embrace the facts with open eyes, hearts and minds. 

Obama needs to put a viable Syrian "use of force" proposal in front of the military, Congress and U.S. allies — a proposal the civilized world can get behind and support. It must include a definitive endgame, the mission must be clear and Obama must get Americans behind him, even those who don't inherently trust him like me.

The United States is a noble country, albeit seemingly morally and ethically devoid right now, and always has been despite the past and present bad citizens and politicians who have shaped history for the worse. If we go into Syria, we must triumph, there is no other choice.

I listened yesterday to the guest host on the Glenn Beck radio show. He was right, we can't let ourselves get fatigued. It's important to get out and enjoy family, friends and local surrounding and stay fresh and vigilant. While it is critical that we all stay engaged in this battle because our freedom and liberties are at stake, it's essential to stay lucid.

It is true, this fight against terrorism and radical Islam is thoroughly exhausting and at times feels hopeless. Our children are the light and hope, and should always remain the reason that we as a nation and individuals never give up the noble fight that is for and has always been about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

O'Reilly Throws "PC" Caution to the Wind

I sometimes struggle with Bill O'Reilly. Not because I don't respect him as a historian and TV personality, but it seems like he, at times, really tries to give give the benefit of the doubt on many issues I feel so strongly he should not. I suppose that's how freedom of speech goes, and that is a good thing.

However, O'Reilly blew me out of the water last night when he decided to throw caution to the wind on the issue of "racism" telling off the African American elite and laying the groundwork in the simplest of terms on why blacks in America continue to struggle while their elite counterparts appear to flourish. 

Are there pockets of white racists in America. Of course there are, and shame on them. But, if you really dig deep and look at the facts and current statistics, it's clear that neither the Obama administration nor big talkers like Al Sharpton, Rev. Jesse Jackson or Louis Farrakhan are driven to actually solve the problem and improve life for the people they supposedly care about so much.

In fact, it seems almost like that these same supposed preachers of civil rights actually get off on exacerbating the "racist divide" for their own profit. For that matter, I've not heard any of these men or many of the elite African Americans contributing on Fox News and other major news cable networks talk about the real problems and dismal cultural statistics African Americans face in so many of America's inner cities and rural counties with the exception, of course, of Star Parker. 

In an ironic twist, I suppose we need to thank Mr. Bill O'Reilly for setting the racism record straight. It's clear Bill would like to see life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness improve for all Americans including African Americans. If you don't believe me, just watch as O'Reilly challenges President Obama and the Black Caucus to sincerely address the race problem once and for all perfectly defining the problem in a way that even the low information voter should understand.

MSNBC Hardball Host Chris Matthews Goes Off on Obama Admin Lack of Accountability

Like Matthews had to tell any of us this...most of us who did their research knew this would be the eventual fallout even before Obama was elected. But, still the video is worth watching. Just feels good.

 

You Go Kid! Kyle MacKinnon Brings Back Pledge of Allegiance to Wellesley Middle School

A breath of fresh air amidst so much politically correct garbage these days. Gives me hope and makes me believe the generation coming up is smarter than we know.

8th grader leads Pledge of Allegiance back to Wellesley Middle School

by By bbrown | Published: May 28, 2013 in The Swellesley Report

Students at Wellesley Middle School, starting today (Tuesday, May 28), have the option of reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to start the school day.

Most 8th grade students, in response to a survey orchestrated by classmate Kyle MacKinnon as part of a yearlong effort to bring the Pledge back to the school, indicated they wanted the option to say the pledge, and now every classroom is outfitted with a flag.

MacKinnon was inspired to bring the pledge back to WMS (it’s unclear when it went away) after an old and worn American flag was replaced in the courtyard at the urging of a former WMS student. MacKinnon’s mother, Beth, says “Kyle realized that it would be really  great for the students to recognize and respect the flag.  Bringing back the Pledge of Allegiance was the perfect solution.” She credits “the countless hours” that Principal Mark Ito put in working with Kyle to make the student’s effort succeed.

The principal, who says the Pledge had not been recited during his roughly 10 years at the school as a teacher and administrator, met with Kyle multiple times throughout the course of the school year. “Not knowing the outcome, I wanted it to be a learning opportunity about initiating a request, researching/polling, proper steps, communicating with appropriate parties,” Ito says.  “I wanted to focus on the process more than the outcome. I believe Kyle gained much along the way.”

Here’s Kyle speech from Friday, before the Memorial Day Weekend, at a school assembly:

I first came up with the idea to get the Pledge of Allegiance in Wellesley Middle School when the old American flag was replaced in the courtyard.  Someone had seen that the American flag in front of the school was in need of replacement.  At first I didn’t think much at all about the event.  After a little while a question had developed in my mind….”Why would we replace our American flag but not properly show it our respect?”  At that point I knew I wanted to do something.  I talked with some members of my family and discovered that I should work with the faculty of WMS and bring back the Pledge of Allegiance.  I started emailing Mr. Chisum the principal, at the end of 7th grade.  2 or 3 months later it was summer vacation.  Mr. Chisum then moved to the high school, and Mr. Ito became principal of WMS.

This year I worked very hard to make progress on my mission.  My first big step was when I sent out a survey to all of the 8th grade students.  95% of students said they would feel comfortable saying the Pledge at any time.  If you don’t want to say the Pledge of Allegiance that’s okay because you always will have the choice not to say it.

I really want students at WMS to understand what the Pledge and the flag really mean.  I see the Pledge as a way to give back to our country and to respect it.  Think about what you can do in America every day and how fortunate we are to live here.  America protects you from people who don’t think we deserve what we have, and would want to take it away from us. But most importantly it gives us our freedom, freedom which people have protected for generations and even sacrificed their lives for.  We have many brave men and women that help protect our country’s values so that we can always be free.  We need a way to say thank you, I am in your allegiance.  When we say the Pledge of Allegiance, we are not saying that America controls us, we are saying that we are proud to be American.  Even if you were not born in this country or maybe you have dual citizenship, you are a citizen of the USA and as a citizen we have duties.  One of them is showing respect for our country.  I think that over the years people have lost the realization of how great this country is, and by saying the Pledge every day, starting now, we will come to a deeper love and understanding of our country, the United States of America.    

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,

And to the republic for which it stands, 

One nation, under God, indivisible,

with liberty and justice for all.

Separately, Wellesley High School began reciting the Pledge of Allegiance during morning announcements following April vacation.

Superintendent David Lussier says it’s actually state law to recite the Pledge at school, so when students at the high school and middle school noted its absence, the schools worked to re-introduce it. “For me, the issue has far less to do with complying with the law and much more to do with supporting values related to citizenship,” he says.

Benghazi, AP, Fox, CBS, IRS...What's Next?!

Many in my circle are calling Obama's second term: The Age of Soft Tyranny. Frankly, I am not so sure it is all that soft. The idea of what's next isn't just kind of scary to me, it feels closer to evil.

Over the past several weeks and months, it has come to the nation's attention that our DOJ might be fibbing. I find it funny how no one, not even many of the GOP politicians going on Fox and other network opinion shows almost nightly, have the guts to come out and call it like it is: that the Eric Holders, WH staffers (can you say Jay Carney) and the Obama's of the world are willing to lie and spin to achieve their progressive socialist agenda. It's just that simple. 

So it appears the IRS has made tax-exempt status requests for ONLY Tea Party / conservative groups a tad <wink> more difficult to obtain for maybe 100s of conservative groups...and possibly hundreds more.

As the most powerful "non-partisan" agency in government, the IRS and its Cincinnati-based, allegedly low-level scapegoats appear to have taken sides. Adding to the "you have to be kidding" factor: Lois Lerner's ability to testify at her council's recommendation and take the "Fifth" all in the same breath.

SERIOUSLY, THIS HAS TO BE A SICK JOKE! 

While the IRS scandal certainly made fundraising in 2011 and 2012 (who knows just when it all started) just a tad easier for Democrats and progressive left-wing ideologues who supported Obama, it was an egregiously and likely illegal tactic that we can only hope will haunt Secretary Timothy Geithner, Doug Shulman, that other acting IRS guy Steven Miller who just resigned, and Lois Lerner (currently on "PAID" leave) until the end of time (or their careers, whichever comes first).

To me, it remains kind of comical how mainstream media has become so uppity all of a sudden. They don't appear to mind so much the cover-up and mysteriously changing Benghazi talking points or how obliterating to liberty, not to mention illegal, oppressing those who differ in opinion can be. But boy, when it comes to spying on journalists and their parents and friends, watch out, the media wakes up! Sort of.

I suppose mainstream might wake up at some point. At this point, it's still a unknown. Who knows, maybe the ABC networks are trying to figure out how to smooth over the scandals with the "court of public opinion" on behalf of Obama yet again. Been done before. Or, maybe this internal attack on journalists will become a day of awakening for all media. While I have friends that are more cynical, I am still an optimist with the hope that "objective journalism" will make a comeback sometime before 2030.

Scandal and outrage, the underpinnings of today's soft tyranny movement, seem to remain on the radar — let's just pray the IRS, AP/Fox/CBS and Benghazi are more than just fleeting headlines for the families of those murdered who served this nation with honor and our entire country's sake.

Requesting Smart Preservation of Salt Lake City's Sugar House (NO Streetcar on 2100 South & 1100 East)…What’s Left of It!

We acknowledge the forecasted population growth for the Wasatch Front, the increasingly poor air quality, and need for a thoughtful public transit system. But the questions also beg: Do Sugar House residents need to be solely responsible for the entire East Bench’s reduction of car pollution? Why have bus routes been reduced along other local east/west corridors? Why do the large buses carry so few passengers; why not use smaller buses? And why isn’t there a proposal to turn the UTA fleet into low emission-only transportation? 

Where is the residential and transportation impact study that our neighbors are requesting before a streetcar route is approved?

Little more than one month ago, the fate of our dear neighborhood was decided at the Sugar House Community Council (SHCC) April meeting by about 24 SHCC trustees and government representatives. No prior notice was given for the straw poll they held that night. So, a few of us turned out at the Board of Trustees meeting on May 7 to express our concerns.

Sugar House is special. But don’t tell that to the SHCC trustees who told us not to clap or express our opinions outwardly during the meeting’s 20-minute “Public Comment Period” where a few were granted permission to talk about the biggest concern to address our community in months…which wasn’t even on their agenda!

We were supposed to have known about the agenda. “Don’t you receive our newsletters?” exclaimed SHCC 1^st Vice Chair Judi Short.  And, “Everything’s posted on our web site.” 

By clicking on the “SHCC Development Map” pinhead posted on the SHCC’s main page, what one does find is a mere mention of the “Sugar House Streetcar, developer SLC/UTA;  to run along the old rail line along Sugarmont Ave. The streetcar will run from the 300 W Trax station and end at McClelland St.”  Who knew it was supposed to end?! News to those of us thrust into a street-against-street fight to keep the ill-conceived extension beyond McClelland off our front lawns.

The Sugar House Master Plan (SHMP) specifically calls out “policies” by which we entrust our SHCC to uphold.  Among these is “Evaluate methods to preserve and enhance the character of residential neighborhoods in Sugar House.”  The SHMP also defines a “gateway” as a prominent entrance, important since they provide visitors and residents alike their first visual impression of the community.  The SHMP also states that “gateway streets (defined by the SHMP as 1100 East and 2100 South) should be visually uncluttered, their views unobstructed,” and that “overhead power transmission lines along streets in gateway and vista areas should be removed.”

Ms. Short and her gang of trustees are quick to tout the benefits a streetcar will bring to the businesses along both 1100 East and 2100 South.  Has anyone checked out the Sugar House Business District Proposed Boundary Map?  It ends at 1300 East abutting Sugar House Park, and to the north along 1100 East goes no further than Hollywood Ave.

And, what will happen to Sugar House Park?  Where will the funds come from to maintain this over-used and well-loved swatch of greenery due to the increased crowds the streetcar is expected to bring? Questions it appears many who live on 2100 South are asking but the Salt Lake Tribune chooses not to: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/56268756-82/east-streetcar-1100-route.html.csp. 

Shame on the Salt Lake Tribune Op Ed editorial staff who support one route over the other, baiting Sugar House residents off of one another.   

How are any of the current streetcar proposals consistent with the current SHMP? Unless of course there are plans in the works to change the SHMP…maybe we just haven’t received our meeting notice from our respective councilmen yet?

Needless to say, there’s federal grant money that we don’t want to slip through the City’s fingers. It seems for this reason alone—because at the end of the day it really is all about the money—that we’re making such a hasty decision.

The Boston Marathon Bombing: Dennis Miller is Right, Asking "Why" is Superfluous

Dennis Miller summed up exactly how I was feeling about all of the confused media questions and reports over the last 48 hours.

As part of his O'Reilly monologue, he mentioned tonight that the question "why did it happen" was superfluous. Miller is so right on. There is no amount of explanation or context that can ever justify the evil that occurred on the afternoon of April 15, 2013 in Boston on a sunny day at the end of one of the largest global sporting events of the year.

In fact, when innocents like the little boy from Dorchester MA are killed and maimed no matter whether it takes place here or overseas, there is NO justification.

As someone raised just outside of Boston along the marathon course, I know well the excitement and challenge of the 26.2-mile race that so many people around the world spend years to qualify to run in and train for. It's a huge achievement and sadly the joy of this year's race was snuffed  out in an instant for so many regardless of what capacity they may have participated on Monday.

As the smoke clears and we find out more, I can say without hesitation that when we do find out who committed this evil act of violence against innocents that I certainly hope and pray justice is served to the full extent of the law. What I fear is that like 911, President Obama and his AG will find a way to somehow circumvent the definitions of "terrorism" and "war crimes" and move those finally charged with this heinous war crime through our criminal court system.

I hope this is not the case.

While I fully believe in the U.S. judicial system and the idea of "innocent until proven guilty," who ever is found guilty and is behind this despicable and horrific act of terror (whether they are liberal, right-wingers as so many mainstream media would like to believe, or a lone-wolf al Qaeda operative), in my opinion deserves nothing less than ... there are no words for what I am thinking. Seriously, I am that angry.

To all in Boston who experienced the horror of terror on Monday, my prayers and deepest sympathies are with you and your families. God bless all of you, God bless America.

Remember, Congress has a 13% Approval Rating. And, Now We KNOW why!

This is the guy

I got it right!!! Yeah me!

So I get my daily WND breaking news alert this afternoon. While I fully acknowledge WND is more right leaning than left leaning, I just had to take a guess. The WND headline was so tempting: 

Guess which 'news' channel ... isn't news

Guess what?! I was right, it was MSNBC! 85% opinion, 15% news.  

Even more fascinating yet slightly unnerving and somewhat distressing was the narrative holding up the headline. 

Like: 

The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism just released its State of the News Media 2013 report, which discovered that while CNN and Fox News can be expected to give audiences about a 50/50 mix of news and commentary, the left-leaning MSNBC dishes out a whopping 85 percent opinion to only 15 percent news.

Or: 

“Given the current liberal approach at nighttime at MSNBC,” the Pew study stated, “it’s hard to remember that back in 2007, the prime-time airwaves were split between liberals (Keith Olbermann and, to a lesser extent, Chris Matthews) and conservatives (Joe Scarborough and Tucker Carlson). Now, Al Sharpton, Rachel Maddow and Ed Schultz are linchpins in an ideologically reconstructed liberal lineup.”

And how about:

Brent Bozell, president of the media bias watchdog Media Research Council, commented on the study, saying it demonstrates MSNBC’s claim to be a “news” channel amounts to “a farce.”

“Pick any Orwellian nickname you want: the Ministry of Truth, the Department of Agitation and Propaganda, but don’t dare call MSNBC a news organization,” said Bozell in a statement. “No legitimate news outlet spends 85 percent of its airtime pushing leftist commentary. Pravda would be proud.”

YadaYadaYada:

I suppose none of this comes as much of a surprise to anyone who reads any of the major dailies (with the exception of WSJ) today or watches the news on TV or online. 

Well, at least we right-of-center folk can take a smidgen of satisfaction and maybe even some cover too knowing that the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism has seen the light or at the very least sifted through and exposed a portion of today's cable news charade. 

Of course, CNN rated higher than Fox when it comes to "factual" reporting still has me scratching my little old noggin. How about you? 

Pseudo Conservatism Doesn't Sell

Dear Friend,

I have heard a million times how the Republicans need to be more current and use Twitter etc. more. I disagree.

The younger generation just does't like what Republicans are selling. The brand is damaged beyond repair. The next wave for the youth is Libertarianism. An old coot like Ron Paul who probably doesn't even own a cell phone, is a hit on college campuses. Why? Because the younger generation likes what he is telling them. It's the words, not the method of transmission of those words.

On the left, Obama and the movie industry are both going to have the same problem as Republicans are currently having going forward. Too many of their base - old 60's liberal coots - dying off and no chance of keeping relevant with the youth who are fast going to switch to the next thing which is more of a laissez-faire system of governing that will look a lot like Libertarianism. I predict its going to be a shock to the liberal system how UNCOOL the Obamas become in this second term. 

Having MOOCH-ELLE hand out the Oscar Sunday night was the liberal left's clumsy attempt to try to offset that and remain relevant, but how many college students were actually watching the Oscars by the four hour mark? Moreover, how many cared if Argo won? No one even saw Argo! And as for the dinosaur movie industry, having the perceived cool and hip Family Guy host - while wearing a muzzle - was also a vain attempt at relevance. He failed, no shocker there, its a no win job these days. Sort of like being a Republican trying to sell a brand of pseudo conservatism to a bunch of people who stopped listening a long time ago.

Yours truly,

JH

Thank you "JH" for the humorous, clever and serious commentary — GOP it's time to stick to conservative principle that works and reset the communications and outreach strategy. This doesn't mean using Twitter more, it means use it more effectively.  

S.B. 71 Diminishes Importance of Parents on Early Childhood Development Regardless of Income Level

It's true. There's no substitute for good parenting, not even a top-tier, private preschool. 

And, just because you might not be in the top tax brackets doesn't mean you can’t find or take the time to instill values as well as age-appropriate counting and language skills on your child.

Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing preschools (not all of them anyway) or what proposed S.B. 71 could do for a small segment of Utah's very young children (3 and 4 year olds). Both my children attended preschool and they loved it (most of the time). The difference, and why I believe I can argue my "I'll take parents over preschool any day of the week" point regardless of the fact I sent my two children to preschool, is that I never once felt it was the job of the preschool teacher to parent my children. 

That's my job and my husband's job, and the theme of this post. 

As I read and fumed over the recent Salt Lake Tribune Op Ed in support  (no surprises here) of more pre-K funding for at-risk children or S.B. 71, I took a moment to reflect on what this legislation could mean for Utah and our future. 

While the Op Ed opens with some unfair and "out-of-context" jabs on former Congressional candidate Cherilyn Eagar, it goes on to further diminish the incredibly important role of the parent by insisting SB71 doesn't go far enough and recommends state-funded preschool programs should be a mandate for all pre-K children. For the record, the Op Ed cites "stacks of studies" in support of this legislation but doesn't provide the source links to any of them. 

It then gets better. The Op Ed makes the following sweeping generalization: 

"...Few parents of any religious background have the expertise — or the time and patience — to teach young children the basic principles of language and numbers, the understanding that can help put them on the same academic level as their classmates." 

Are you kidding me?! Just playing and talking with children doesn't count? Trips to the grocery store? Counting eggs? Come on, it doesn't require a Harvard degree to instill basic, age-appropriate language and number knowledge on a 2, 3 or 4 year old. Does it? 

How in the world do proponents of SB71— private/public funding for low income, at-risk preschool children—connect the dots between these preschoolers (i.e., those spending their school hours drawing, counting bugs, painting and making macaroni necklaces) and their need for and future financial impact on Utah's special education programs?  

I suppose the other question looming in my mind when it comes to S.B. 71 is: when is enough, enough? Where do we draw the line between parental accountability and the educator's and state's role? The last time I checked, private and public pre- and elementary schools were places where you sent your children to learn. It seems, however, that the state and unwieldy Federal government believe they must infiltrate the family for fairness purposes. I am not sure why any Utah resident would be okay with this.      

What I can say for sure is that this pervasive "cradle-to-grave" attitude doesn't bode well for Utahns or the rest of our country for that matter. It will lead to more bureaucracy, it already has. 

If you don't believe me, just read the bill and its creation of a yet another commission. 

Parenting by proxy, more red tape, and less accountability on parents — no thanks!

All the wonderful things we have, but...

At the end of Obama's first term...

We still have Gitmo, but closed the Official Gitmo Closing thing-a-ma-jiggy thing.

We still have that wonderful Sarah Palin impersonator Tina Fey (she's so darn funny), but have lost Tina Turner to the Swiss.

We still have 8% UE, but Mitt Romney was a greedy capitalist, dog-hating Mormon who hid his riches in the Cayman Islands.

We had the 4th quarter GDP turn out to be negative (surprised look on face) despite all of Obama's much-heralded stimuli, but once again Mitt Romney was a dog-hating Mormon...

We don't have Keystone Pipeline, but lots of new "pipes" in CO and WA.

We haven't vanquished al Qaeda, but we can watch Zero Dark Thirty and then "make up our own minds" regarding enhanced interrogation.

We have the wonderful "Affordable Care Act", but my medical insurance jumped 20%.

We have Hillary about to embark on her 8-year-delayed coronation, but still no answers from that Ben Ghazi guy, whoever he is.

We no longer have a Jobs Council, but as HRC has rightly said, What difference does that make?

We have China building Jeeps, but Detroit is looking like you'll probably be needing that 4-wheel drive.

We have Beyonce lip syncing at the inauguration, but a 15 year old girl (who did not lip sync her inauguration performance) gunned down a couple blocks from Obama's Chicago crib.

We have turned legal law abiding gun owners into pariah, but on American Idol we now have Mariah. 

(That one is for the information-challenged voters.)

We have a Vietnam War protestor as the new Secretary of State, but not to worry because its all cool as long as democrats are in charge of things.

We have an anti-semite dolt about to be named Defense Secretary, but as Don Rumsfeld would say, "You have to go with the dolt you have, not the dolt you wish you had."

We have all kinds of threats to American way of life coming at us from all sides, but on the bright side we'll now have women in the foxholes, which for some reason sounds slightly dirty.

Thanks to political blogger and cartoonist JH for the humorous and slightly squeamish commentary on all the wonderful things we have...but!

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

As I read through today's inaugural tribute in the Salt Lake Tribune by Barb Guy, I shuttered as I revisited the true hardships and divisiveness this country has already incurred under President Obama and will likely  incur over the next four years at the hands of the same admin. Some new Cabinet faces, yes, but without doubt the same secretive and likely anti-Constitutional policy decisions nonetheless.

I also realized in utter amazement after reading the same Op Ed just how different people think, filter and interpret information — both factual and fantasy. I am truly fascinated.

How, after a still unresolved and fatal foreign policy travesty like Benghazi where multiple Americans including an American ambassador died; small business-killing legislation rammed through by political shenanigans called Obamacare; four years of the highest unemployment numbers in decades; an Obama admin.-backed and hypocritical charade disguised as love for America's middle-class or 99% called Occupy Wall Street; the premature drawing down and lack of support for our military while supporting al-Qaida and terrorist linked organizations such as Muslim Brotherhood, does Ms. Guy feel that we as a country should be celebrating publicly tomorrow?

For the record, ABC reports that while the country is in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, it isn't stopping rich donors and the government from spending $170 million, or more, on the inauguration of Barack Obama.

Obama eked out this election because a few million Conservatives who voted in 2008 chose not to vote for Romney in 2012. Shame on them and shame on the RNC for not getting out the vote like it needed to.  

Ms. Guy praises Obama's cash for clunkers (a failed Federal program), signing a nuclear weapons treaty with our "frenemy" Russia that further weakens the U.S. ability to protect itself and allies, Obama on gun control that does nothing to solve the actual gun violence problem in America, and so many of our current President's wrongful economic and social policy failures.

I just don't get it, I suppose I never will. 

Ms. Guy, of course, has the right to speak her mind (Gotta love the First Amendment) and write about it, and the Salt Lake Tribune has the right to publish it (ditto!). I just thank God each day that I still have the right to say my piece too (even if no one reads it!).  

My 18-year old nephew (a college freshman) tells me people who hold on to tradition (aka, the Conservative) and believe whole heartily in nation-changing documents such as the U.S. Constitution are paranoid, even slightly freaky. A sad and prevailing attitude of many youth these days that I like to align with years of biased and liberal academic indoctrination but we'll leave that topic for another time.  We debate all the time. I really have come to enjoy these mostly civil debates regardless of how frustrating they can be at times. Lucky me, I am able to still neutralize him some times with: "Oh, it must be nice to be so young and naive." After all, he is only 18. 

I avoid text debates with my nephew at all costs. His fingers are much faster and nimbler than mine. I can't win for losing on the digital front. However, I do keep sane knowing deep down that he is an inherently smart boy/man and that one day he'll come to learn that "reading between the lines" and asking lots of questions are critically important skills to have when it comes to good politics, policy and most important to saving our country as the last haven nation that deeply believes in each individuals unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.   

I suppose opposing ideas are what ultimately make this country great and vital no matter how frustrating the debate can be or how much we might differ in opinion.

Frustration aside, I'll vote to remain a paranoid freak if that's what it takes to get through the next four years or decades for that matter.

Happy Inauguration ("Enthronement") Celebration Day!

Agenda 21: A Direct Assault on Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness

WAKE UP AMERICA!

I realize Glenn Beck, who some feel is a bit nutty because of his gloom-and-doom predictions, has been shouting out about Agenda 21 for years now and most lately since the launch of his book. It's time to read between the lines, or at least give it a shot. Beck is right on Agenda 21. And frankly, he's right on a lot more including many of the daunting consequences we may face as a nation moving forward if we don't change our mindset about what it means to embrace life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Beck may be hard to listen to at times but I would warn you not to scoff or turn him off. Not just yet anyway.

This is no time to pshaw at the very real UN Agenda 21 or carefully disguised "sustainable development" agenda that has already been implemented and threatens all of us as Americans, our unalienable rights and the U.S. Constitution that uniquely enables us to live a life of freedom or at least come as close as we can to living that type of life, and that includes Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, you name it.

In Beck's latest book, Agenda 21, he talks of a futuristic America in which a UN-led program spawned an authoritarian state where individuals are stripped of all personal rights and freedoms. Are you scared yet? I haven't even read the book yet and I know I am. 

What's even more fantastic is that while Beck's book is fictional, the subject matter is very real. In fact, much of the fodder for his tale is straight from the UN Agenda 21 website and program objectives themselves. However, having tried to access the link below, I can tell you, it was no longer accessible for public review. Hmm. 

http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/agenda21text.htm

Where did that pesky "sustainable development" Agenda 21 URL go? Wait, the URL changed to http://betterworldcampaign.org. Go figure? 

While this sinister, freedom-usurping, eco-terrorism agenda is swiftly being adopted across the globe and our own nation through Federal, state and local governments, Americans should be scratching their heads and asking themselves why and how adopting this agenda could, in the now foreseeable future, irreversibly and negatively impact human life and liberty as we once knew it.

Wait, there's more. Agenda 21 became our law through executive order 12858 issued by Bill Clinton. However, the Obama admin is working feverishly to carry out this program through more than 900 executive orders designed by the fifty plus czars. Funny thing, most people have never heard of Agenda 21 while today's admin is quietly at work turning us into a socialist state. 

While there are some who reject Beck and others like Dr. Zillmer (author of Living with Agenda 21) as conspiracy theorists and maybe even nut jobs, it's also important to remember the saying that every conspiracy theory has an element of truth to it. 

Some food for thought for the week. 

NYT Op Ed Pushes "Give Up” on Constitution: Are YOU Freaking Kidding Me?

I read the following blog post by Godfather Politics picking apart the latest Op Ed in NYT about giving up on the Constitution and felt compelled to share GP's post with my blog fans (if there are any left) because he is right on. Yes, I have been remiss in posting myself but GP's post is hopefully the jump start I need to get the ball rolling in 2013. Oh yeah, Happy New Years!

I am not going to lie, it has been a hard end of year for me and my extended family and friends due to the loss of my sister's husband, my brother-in-law. When I realized I had not achieved any new visitors in the last few weeks, I felt it was time.

More importantly, the latest conservative bash quest by today's mainstream media (or better yet the White House's PR firm) to dismiss the Constitution (America's unique and very special operations plan) as useless and dated is personally even more distressing to me than watching Reid, Boehner and Congress let America fall off the fiscal cliff after having been given months and even years to get it done. 

New Media Push: “Give Up” on Constitution

My mom put it perfectly the other day. She said she was so saddened that her grand kids wouldn't know the simpler, less violent and less divisive times she had experienced growing up. Government was smaller, American pride was soaring post WWII, and freedom came just a little bit easier. Then she added that a friend had stated during book club that America was different and that these are different times. Her response: Yes, different, but not better.

I couldn't agree more.