If politicians wore feathers you wouldn’t be able to tell them apart!
By Sid Riley
This column presents a conservative viewpoint about items of interest in our community and our lives. Focus is on items impacting your pocket book, your personal freedoms, and your rights. I hope you will read the column regularly and it occasionally influences your opinions and actions. Now, on to the subject of the week:
“Our leaders are ignoring critical issues while they waste their time and energy…and our money…on trivial matters.”
The Washington crowd is so politicized and so filled with such self serving, ego feeding mentalities they apparently can’t see the forest for the trees. They can’t see the core problems which are plaguing our nation because of all of the bull**** filling the air. The stench is overwhelming the smell of cherry blossoms in the nation’s Capital this spring.
They are too busy arguing about what constitutes torture, who knew what about water boarding, closing Guantanamo prison, passing foolish “eco-loonie” legislation in order to gain votes from the “eco-loon”, Goreite led voting” block, and keeping the United Auto Workers Union in business by shoveling a few billion dollars their way every few weeks. Meanwhile, in a manner similar to Nero, they continue to fiddle on these follies while Rome burns and our nation sinks into the depths of despair.
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE - Can you remember how the political crowd stressed the importance of creating programs which would enable us to eliminate our utter dependence on the Mid East Oil Cartels for the energy which runs our nation? That was when gasoline was approaching $5.00 pre gallon and it cost $80.00 to fill up your vehicle. When the Sheiks allowed oil prices to temporarily fall, they conveniently forgot about these energy problems. Well, those conditions WILL COME BACK, and our 535 elected wizards are doing nothing to prevent the reoccurrence.
In all of this stimulus pork garbage there is almost nothing being done to deal with the immediate problems of our total energy dependence on the Arab Sheiks. There are no new exploration programs, no openings of restricted areas for leasing, no movement to tap into the Alaskan reserves, no new delivery pipelines for our natural gas reserves, no new nuclear energy plants, no permitting of mining of oil shale in the mountain states, no new refineries to increase processing capacities, and no investment in a national rail transportation network.……Instead, the only steps they have taken involve a forced redesigning all American made cars in order to double gasoline consumption efficiencies at huge added costs to the American consumer and the bankrupt auto manufacturing companies.
We need to be moving aggressively forward in all of these areas…not wasting time trying to cast blame on the previous administration for making some terrorist feel uncomfortable. In my opinion, they have their heads stuck in the sand by ignoring the continuing dangers which our energy situation presents to our ailing economy and our national well being.
THE REBUILDING OF OUR ECONOMY – In the 1990’s we traded away the farm, and now we are paying the price for it. Globalization was great for China, but it has ruined the once great American Industrial Economy. Their gain has been our loss. It was a bad deal, made on unfair terms, by inept, politically motivated American negotiators. As a result, in fifteen short years we have seen our industries evaporate, our international balance of payments become more appropriately our “imbalance of payments” as trillions of U.S. dollars flow out of the economy. Even more saddening is the sight of empty factory buildings which once housed thousands of jobs which are needed by American families in order to maintain their standard of living.
The U. S. can not compete in a “free trade” world economy. It is not a fair, level playing field for us. U. S. manufacturers are at too great of a cost disadvantage due to our system of industrial regulations, ecological regulations, labor regulations, banking regulations, taxation levels, and over-regulation regulations. The cost model just doesn’t work for an American made product which carries the cost burden of all of these factors, - factors which do not exist in places like China, or Korea, or India.
Until the playing field of international trade can be leveled, until programs of equalization can be developed to regulate production in a globalized, free economy, the U. S. should retreat from the fair trade concept far enough to maintain some level of industrial capacity within our borders. This means at least for selected products and for selected trading partners, some protective tariffs and duties must remain. To do otherwise is a foolish “give away” of needed American jobs.
Simultaneously, programs to restart our lost industries should be initiated. This would include stimulus monies for starting new factories, creating new jobs, and easing levels of regulation and taxation for items which are produced for export. Programs which are designed to create a “level trading field” for U.S. exports should be designed and started. Simultaneously, duties and quotas should be added to products coming to our markets from countries which have no regard for the environment or human rights. The funds from these duties could be used to pay for the industrial stimulation programs we desperately need.
Instead, our leaders seem to not realize that the once massive and impressive “American Industrial Complex” does not exist any longer. It is not there to provide the tax revenues needed for the planned “new wave of socialism” they seem to all be endorsing and implementing without regard to how it will all be paid for. We have a struggling population with a diminishing standard of living, a diminishing disposable income, and a diminishing ability to pay for increased social programs.
With a loss of jobs throughout the economy and a growing inability to pay the monthly cost of living, American families are facing a tragic dilemma. Meanwhile, our politicians are sticking their well groomed heads in the sand and ignoring the reality. They promise a better world where big brother government will provide for all, and they move ahead with their unfunded social programs.
OUR NATIONAL SECURITY – I fear we are sinking back into a pre 9-11 mentality. We seem to be sticking our heads into the sand and forgetting the sights of giant airliners driven by mid-eastern terrorists slamming into New York skyscrapers, the sight of innocent Americans being forced to jump to their deaths from 100 stories in the air in order to escape a more horrible death from raging fires in the buildings.
Whether we want to ignore it or not, no matter how nice we try to treat them, no matter how politically correct we attempt to be in all ways, no matter how much money we shovel out of our pockets to feed, clothe, and care for their needy, no matter how much we smile and bow to them…we are infidels, and they HATE OUR GUTS AND WANT TO SEE US DEAD!
In this environment, to reduce our military might, to demoralize our magnificent troops, to abandon gains which American blood has been spilt to just obtain political benefits is an unjust decision. To make America appear to be the villain when fighting enemies which massacre innocent civilians who speak against them, who sever the heads of American captives, who encourage and support terrorists who attack our nation at every opportunity, who ignore the demands of the international community, and who harbor and aid our worse foes borders on treason.
It seems that when they look at a jet fighter, a tank, or a new weapon system, their thoughts are, “Just think of how many food stamps and low income houses could have been bought with that money!”
We had our heads stuck in the sand during the months preceding 9-11. Our leaders appear to be in the process of reinserting their domes into the same holes.
Rudiments: Odds and Ends Worthy of Mention :
● Chipola is locked in a fight with the employees union. The only difference with this type of fight in industry is that if the union asks for too much, the company finally goes out of business. In this instance, colleges do not go out of business, whatever they gain, ultimately the tax payers will pay for. You can bet next week in his report the Arbitrator will recommend a compromise somewhere in the middle of the demands, and costs will rise, and the public will pay. Then at some other college their employees will demand more because Chipola is getting more than them, and the cost there will go up, then the next time Chipola’s contract comes up they will say…….and in this manner the system keeps on raising costs every year.
● In defense of the union’s demands, some of the facts they disclosed about disproportionate expenditures on sports and staffing at Chipola were revealing. Could there possibly be excess expenditures on both sides of the issues?
● This week I received this note from Charlie Stokes a Conservative writer in Starkville, MS. “I work with the Catch-A-Dream Foundation (www.catchadream.org) which provides hunting and fishing trips to children with life-threatening illnesses. As part of a fund raising program, we had scheduled Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube, a highly decorated U.S. Army Green Beret and inspirational speaker. Everything was on go until Obama suddenly issued a policy that NO U.S. SERVICEMAN CAN SPEAK AT ANY FAITH-BASED PUBLIC EVENTS. Needless to say, Greg had to cancel his speaking event with us. Didn’t know if anyone else was aware of this new policy.”
Charlie Stokes - Area Agronomy Agent/County Director - MSU Extension Service
E-mail: charlies@ext.msstate.edu
● -Remember, “Freedom Isn’t Free” and you will be “Getting It Right”
Note: The opinions stated in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Hatcher Publications.
No comments:
Post a Comment