Quick Thoughts

What does it say about the president when the world leaders that are the most vocally supportive are also some of the most tyrannous despots in the world?

Why is it that the Democrats will not endorse the Wyden-Bennett amendment which will do what the President committed to and allow people freedom of choice of their health care plan?

How many "Czars" does Obama need? I am all for delegation but isn't 34 a little much?

If Michael Moore hates capatilism so much, why is he worth over $50,000,0000? Isn't it capatalism that helped him make all of his money?

What would our country be like if the Democrats of today were in the Senate and House back in World War II? Would they have demanded we get out because the war was going on to long and too many people were dieing?

Do you have any additional thoughts?

Lacy Clay & a Call to Action

So, I sent Lacy Clay an email 10 days ago and have not received anything but an auto reply. I personally doubt that he will ever respond. Why is that, because I truly believe he does not care.
Lacy Clay was born in St. Louis but not raised here. He was raised outside of DC while his father served as the Congressman for St. Louis. Everything Lacy has done has been geared towards being a professional politician. Other than go on expensive “fact finding” trips and tour the region, we see little action from him that benefits the St. Louis area.

Where was Lacy Clay when American Airlines started laying off St. Louis employees. The only thing we heard was a press release talking about how he wants “to do everything possible to help the employees who are directly impacted by this decision.” We have not really seen anything come from this. In fact, American has continued to cut flights and services here in St. Louis. To make matters worse, in 2008 Lacy Clay endorsed American creating a Chicago to Beijing route. Why endorse the creation of a nonstop flight from already busy O'Hare when St. Louis could readily handle this operation? Could it be because American Airlines PAC has donated a total of $6000.00 to Clay’s re-election campaign since 2002?

Where was Lacy Clay when Ford was threatening and then closed the Hazelwood assembly plant? Yes, he was appointed by Gov. Bob Holden to a committee to keep the plant from closing, but we know nothing ever came from that. In fact, it was only after Clay’s inaction and the Ford plants closure that Clay’s campaign received a $1000 donation for his 2008 re-election campaign. Additionally, it was only after President Obama was elected that Clay elected to do anything to try and support local auto manufacturers. It was after Obama’s win in the presidential election that Clay endorsed the bridge loan for the US auto industry and more recently praised the “Cash for Clunkers” deal. Of course we know that “Cash for Clunkers” really benefited the foreign manufactures more than those in the US. Ford was the only company to make the top 5. GM and Chrysler were non existent.

Let’s be honest here. Lacy Clay is an extreme liberal who would love nothing better than to see nearly every job fall under organized labor and have most industries nationalized. His backing of cap and trade and his refusal to support President Bush’s efforts to end the Federal ban on offshore drilling show partisan politics at its best. He demands green energy but at the cost of current jobs. Of course his answer is to have these individuals and families become more reliant upon the government. In addition, Lacy Clay does nothing to help those and represent those of us who are not North St. Louis city dwellers. When we were at risk of losing the Ford plant and the hundreds of jobs that are associated with it, where was he? When American Airlines began cutting St. Louis staff, where was he? During his time in office, Clay has done little more than promote a yearly jobs fair, push jobs financed through Federal spending and increasing unemployment benefits. Read his own press releases and you will see this.

That is not what North St. Louis County and City need. We need someone who is going promote both white collar and blue collar jobs. We need someone who is going support and pass laws to lower our taxes and make it easier for every one of us to live our life to the fullest without government being a part of it. We need someone with a proven track record for creating jobs and slashing expenditures. We need someone who has done more than be a professional politician. We need to quit looking at his race and the fact that his father held this seat up until his retirement in 2000. Too many times people continue to give up and assume that it is a no win scenario. It is not. This is not a black or white thing; this is not a Republican or Democrat thing. This is a, we need someone who can truly work for their constituents thing.

With the right person, we can make a difference and get rid of this do nothing. I would step up, but I honestly do not have the experience, the connections or the money to make a legitimate go of this. That is why I ask, no I beg, someone PLEASE step forward and be the candidate we need. There are many people that will support you. With our debt growing and jobless rates going up, can we afford to have Lacy Clay in office?

HR 3200 = Unconstitutional

For some time now, pundits have asked the question," does the federal government have the right to mandate healthcare?" Those who advocate it, compare it to requiring a license and insurance to drive. The problem with this argument is, you are not required by law to drive. There are many people who do not have car insurance as they do not own a car or drive. For that matter, there are many people in major metropolitan areas that do not even have a drivers license.

I believe that requiring healthcare is a major infringement on our rights. In addition, penalizing someone for not having healthcare is an infringement on my rights. I believe that the US Government requiring to know whether or not I have healthcare not only goes beyond Article 1 Section 8 of the Constitution, but also goes against my right to privacy. The federal governement has the right to census, but no where does it state that it has the right to know my level of health care coverage. I should have the choice whether or not I have healthcare.

If you want to be well armed in this debate, I recommend you read an article in WSJ by David B Rivkin JR and Lee A. Casey titled Mandatory Insurance Is Unconstitutional. Of all the articles and pundits I have heard on this subject, this one is probably the most succinct and the easiest to read.

US Constitution

222 years ago today, one of the most important documents ever made was signed. This document changed the world as we know it. This document has inspired people here and abroud to be more. This document has also inspired hatred from those that seek power and opression of liberty.
On this "birthday" let us think of all that is good that this document has brought us. For this day, let us set aside partisan politics, as hard as it might be, and celebrate the US Constitution.

Barack Obama = Manchurian Candidate?

Let me state for the record that I do not believe that Barack Obama has been hypnotized by the Chinese or any other government to turn this great county into some sort of Communist utopia. That said, I do believe that Barack Obama is an idealist that has been manipulated by those who believe in his ideals and can make money off of it.

I have held off on writing this entry for awhile because I was afraid that posting it would make me seem like some fringe lunatic. The problem is, the more digging I have done, the more I begin to believe it.

Rather than me convince you, just ask yourself this:

1. Is it coincidence that George Soros, a huge Obama supporter, made millions off of his investment in Brazilian oil companies thanks to Obama's pledge to invest in offshore drilling in Brazil.


2. Is it any coincidence that GE is working closely with the White House to craft carbon "Cap and Trade" bill. Consider that GE is the largest producer of wind turbines in the world. They are also one of the largest producers of turbines and equipment used in hydroelectric electricity generation. Add to that GE's hands off approach in adjusting the format of the extremely liberal MSNBC even though it is bleeding ratings even compared to CNN.


3. Is it any coincidence that two of Barack Obama's advisers are Bob Rubin and Jon Corzine. If you do not know who they are, they are the chairman of Citibank and the former chair of Goldman-Sachs and now governor of NJ. Now didn't those two companies get some bailout money from the government shortly after he took office.


4. Is it any coincidence that ACORN, a community activist group, received millions of taxpayer dollars to "help those in need" and to assist with the upcoming census. It is only after being caught on tape that they were removed from consideration for assistance with the census.


5. Is it any coincidence that Barack Obama has several connections to people who most of society would consider to be radical. Just look at the people he has worked with (Bill Ayers), prayed with(Jeremiah Wright) and had as a member of his cabinet (Van Jones). For even more detail, go to this link for even more detail of some of his radical affiliations. Hat tip to Diamond Tiger for all of the great research.

Barack Obama's idealism lets him see the best in people. He sees people for their good and potential. Because of this, he does not think that people are lazy or that people use others. He thinks anyone who is poor or downtrodden is there because of bad circumstance and not because they are lazy or not willing to work. This kind of attitude attracts opportunists and radicals and that is exactly what happened. People saw this attractive young man with a great story who people were drawn to and decided to take advantage of it.

So now you have this great guy who is in the Senate and made a big splash with a speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Two years later, you have a Republican president with unfavorable ratings, the Democrats coming in strong in both the House and the Senate and the public wanting change. This bode well for those progressives that wanted to take advantage of the situation. The rest, as they say, is history.

So where does this leave us? Barack Obama is seeing the country revolt over his policies. His friends and acquaintances are seeing additional money roll their way, their policies they have long advocated put into action and their companies bailed out. It seems the longer he is in office, the more questionable associations we see.

Is Barack Obama an idealist who is being used by powerful businessmen and progressives or is he a progressive politician with a 60's progressive agenda? So, what do you think, am I over thinking this or is there something to this?

A Letter to Lacy

My friends, after much consideration and in an attempt to restore civility to politics, I have sent another email to Lacy Clay. Based upon the information that was sent to me on Thursday, I felt it was worth it. Below, is the exact letter that I sent to Congressman Clay. I hope he does respond. If he does, as I previously committed to, I will post his response here.
Congressman Clay,

Let me introduce myself. I go by Middle Class Joe and I am a North County blogger at http://middleclassmadashell.blogspot.com/. I was just made aware that your sight was having some issues so I am resending you this letter in hopes that you will respond.

I have some very simple questions for you that I would like answered. Seeing as your my representative, I want to ensure that you are representing me and the many people like me in North County and not just my peers in the city.

OK, to the point, here are my questions:

Question 1. We have already lost the Ford plant and many jobs at and around Lambert due to cutbacks at American airlines. I read on your press releases that you backed the "cap and trade" bill. Are you not worried about how this bill will effect industry in St. Louis, especially some of those companies in areas you represent like Boeing and if this bill is so needed, then would you be willing to sponsor an amendment to any future bills or sponsor a new bill that would require the Federal Government be held to the same standard for carbon output as all companies? Please explain your answer in detail.

Question 2. You released a statement stating that you support President Obama and would prefer a public option. My question here is simple. Would you be willing to sponsor an amendment to require that all government employees including current and retired Congressional and Senate members be required to give up their current healthcare plan and move over to the public option should one be created? It is my belief that if the public option is so good, it should be good enough for everyone up to but not including the President and Vice President. My fear is that many companies
will see that the 8% payroll fine will be cheaper to pay than to carry healthcare benefits, therefor forcing more people to lose their insurance and have to go to a public plan.

Today is 9/12. 8 years ago today, it did not matter if you were a Republican or Democrat. The only thing that mattered was you were an American. At this time we threw out partisan politics and worked together to throw aside our differences to come to a fair consensus on the issues. I believe we are in need of that type of
bipartisanship again.

I am a fair person. As I see it, you are my elected representative and I have a right to know what and how you are thinking. Even if I disagree with you, at least we can have an honest debate. Maybe you can show me where I am wrong, and maybe I can show you where you are wrong. We have to be willing to listen to one another.
That is something that is not occurring anymore. Right now, I am offering an olive branch.

I look forward to reading your response.

What do you think?

A Speech Worth Revisiting

Let us take a minute to remember those who died on 9/11 and remember a time when it was not about being a Democrat or a Republican; we were Americans.

Transcript of President Bush's address to a joint session of Congress on Thursday night, September 20, 2001.

Mr. Speaker, Mr. President Pro Tempore, members of Congress, and fellow Americans, in the normal course of events, presidents come to this chamber to report on the state of the union.

Tonight, no such report is needed; it has already been delivered by the American people.
We have seen it in the courage of passengers who rushed terrorists to save others on the ground. Passengers like an exceptional man named Todd Beamer. And would you please help me welcome his wife Lisa Beamer here tonight?

We have seen the state of our union in the endurance of rescuers working past exhaustion.
We've seen the unfurling of flags, the lighting of candles, the giving of blood, the saying of prayers in English, Hebrew and Arabic.

We have seen the decency of a loving and giving people who have made the grief of strangers their own.

My fellow citizens, for the last nine days, the entire world has seen for itself the state of union, and it is strong.

Tonight, we are a country awakened to danger and called to defend freedom. Our grief has turned to anger and anger to resolution. Whether we bring our enemies to justice or bring justice to our enemies, justice will be done.

I thank the Congress for its leadership at such an important time.
All of America was touched on the evening of the tragedy to see Republicans and Democrats joined together on the steps of this Capitol singing "God Bless America."
And you did more than sing. You acted, by delivering $40 billion to rebuild our communities and meet the needs of our military. Speaker Hastert, Minority Leader Gephardt, Majority Leader Daschle and Senator Lott, I thank you for your friendship, for your leadership and for your service to our country.

And on behalf of the American people, I thank the world for its outpouring of support.
America will never forget the sounds of our national anthem playing at Buckingham Palace, on the streets of Paris and at Berlin's Brandenburg Gate.

We will not forget South Korean children gathering to pray outside our embassy in Seoul, or the prayers of sympathy offered at a mosque in Cairo.

We will not forget moments of silence and days of mourning in Australia and Africa and Latin America.

Nor will we forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own. Dozens of Pakistanis, more than 130 Israelis, more than 250 citizens of India, men and women from El Salvador, Iran, Mexico and Japan, and hundreds of British citizens.
America has no truer friend than Great Britain. Once again, we are joined together in a great cause.

I'm so honored the British prime minister has crossed an ocean to show his unity with America.
Thank you for coming, friend.

On September the 11th, enemies of freedom committed an act of war against our country. Americans have known wars, but for the past 136 years they have been wars on foreign soil, except for one Sunday in 1941. Americans have known the casualties of war, but not at the center of a great city on a peaceful morning.

Americans have known surprise attacks, but never before on thousands of civilians. All of this was brought upon us in a single day, and night fell on a different world, a world where freedom itself is under attack.

Americans have many questions tonight. Americans are asking, "Who attacked our country?"
The evidence we have gathered all points to a collection of loosely affiliated terrorist organizations known as al Qaeda. They are some of the murderers indicted for bombing American embassies in Tanzania and Kenya and responsible for bombing the USS Cole.

Al Qaeda is to terror what the Mafia is to crime. But its goal is not making money, its goal is remaking the world and imposing its radical beliefs on people everywhere.

The terrorists practice a fringe form of Islamic extremism that has been rejected by Muslim scholars and the vast majority of Muslim clerics; a fringe movement that perverts the peaceful teachings of Islam.

The terrorists' directive commands them to kill Christians and Jews, to kill all Americans and make no distinctions among military and civilians, including women and children. This group and its leader, a person named Osama bin Laden, are linked to many other organizations in different countries, including the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan.

There are thousands of these terrorists in more than 60 countries.

They are recruited from their own nations and neighborhoods and brought to camps in places like Afghanistan where they are trained in the tactics of terror. They are sent back to their homes or sent to hide in countries around the world to plot evil and destruction. The leadership of al Qaeda has great influence in Afghanistan and supports the Taliban regime in controlling most of that country. In Afghanistan we see al Qaeda's vision for the world. Afghanistan's people have been brutalized, many are starving and many have fled.

Women are not allowed to attend school. You can be jailed for owning a television. Religion can be practiced only as their leaders dictate. A man can be jailed in Afghanistan if his beard is not long enough. The United States respects the people of Afghanistan -- after all, we are currently its largest source of humanitarian aid -- but we condemn the Taliban regime.

It is not only repressing its own people, it is threatening people everywhere by sponsoring and sheltering and supplying terrorists.

By aiding and abetting murder, the Taliban regime is committing murder. And tonight the United States of America makes the following demands on the Taliban:
-- Deliver to United States authorities all of the leaders of Al Qaeda who hide in your land.
-- Release all foreign nationals, including American citizens you have unjustly imprisoned.
-- Protect foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers in your country.
-- Close immediately and permanently every terrorist training camp in Afghanistan. And hand over every terrorist and every person and their support structure to appropriate authorities.
-- Give the United States full access to terrorist training camps, so we can make sure they are no longer operating.

These demands are not open to negotiation or discussion.

The Taliban must act and act immediately.

They will hand over the terrorists or they will share in their fate. I also want to speak tonight directly to Muslims throughout the world. We respect your faith. It's practiced freely by many millions of Americans and by millions more in countries that America counts as friends. Its teachings are good and peaceful, and those who commit evil in the name of Allah blaspheme the name of Allah.

The terrorists are traitors to their own faith, trying, in effect, to hijack Islam itself.

The enemy of America is not our many Muslim friends. It is not our many Arab friends. Our enemy is a radical network of terrorists and every government that supports them.

Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there.
It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and defeated.

Americans are asking "Why do they hate us?"

They hate what they see right here in this chamber: a democratically elected government. Their leaders are self-appointed. They hate our freedoms: our freedom of religion, our freedom of speech, our freedom to vote and assemble and disagree with each other.

They want to overthrow existing governments in many Muslim countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan. They want to drive Israel out of the Middle East. They want to drive Christians and Jews out of vast regions of Asia and Africa.

These terrorists kill not merely to end lives, but to disrupt and end a way of life. With every atrocity, they hope that America grows fearful, retreating from the world and forsaking our friends. They stand against us because we stand in their way.

We're not deceived by their pretenses to piety.

We have seen their kind before. They're the heirs of all the murderous ideologies of the 20th century. By sacrificing human life to serve their radical visions, by abandoning every value except the will to power, they follow in the path of fascism, Nazism and totalitarianism. And they will follow that path all the way to where it ends in history's unmarked grave of discarded lies. Americans are asking, "How will we fight and win this war?"

We will direct every resource at our command -- every means of diplomacy, every tool of intelligence, every instrument of law enforcement, every financial influence, and every necessary weapon of war -- to the destruction and to the defeat of the global terror network.
Now, this war will not be like the war against Iraq a decade ago, with a decisive liberation of territory and a swift conclusion. It will not look like the air war above Kosovo two years ago, where no ground troops were used and not a single American was lost in combat.
Our response involves far more than instant retaliation and isolated strikes. Americans should not expect one battle, but a lengthy campaign unlike any other we have ever seen. It may include dramatic strikes visible on TV and covert operations secret even in success.
We will starve terrorists of funding, turn them one against another, drive them from place to place until there is no refuge or no rest.

And we will pursue nations that provide aid or safe haven to terrorism. Every nation in every region now has a decision to make: Either you are with us or you are with the terrorists.
From this day forward, any nation that continues to harbor or support terrorism will be regarded by the United States as a hostile regime. Our nation has been put on notice, we're not immune from attack. We will take defensive measures against terrorism to protect Americans. Today, dozens of federal departments and agencies, as well as state and local governments, have responsibilities affecting homeland security.

These efforts must be coordinated at the highest level. So tonight, I announce the creation of a Cabinet-level position reporting directly to me, the Office of Homeland Security. And tonight, I also announce a distinguished American to lead this effort, to strengthen American security: a military veteran, an effective governor, a true patriot, a trusted friend, Pennsylvania's Tom Ridge.

He will lead, oversee and coordinate a comprehensive national strategy to safeguard our country against terrorism and respond to any attacks that may come. These measures are essential. The only way to defeat terrorism as a threat to our way of life is to stop it, eliminate it and destroy it where it grows.

Many will be involved in this effort, from FBI agents, to intelligence operatives, to the reservists we have called to active duty. All deserve our thanks, and all have our prayers. And tonight a few miles from the damaged Pentagon, I have a message for our military: Be ready. I have called the armed forces to alert, and there is a reason.

The hour is coming when America will act, and you will make us proud.

This is not, however, just America's fight. And what is at stake is not just America's freedom. This is the world's fight. This is civilization's fight. This is the fight of all who believe in progress and pluralism, tolerance and freedom.

We ask every nation to join us.

We will ask and we will need the help of police forces, intelligence service and banking systems around the world. The United States is grateful that many nations and many international organizations have already responded with sympathy and with support -- nations from Latin America to Asia to Africa to Europe to the Islamic world.

Perhaps the NATO charter reflects best the attitude of the world: An attack on one is an attack on all. The civilized world is rallying to America's side.

They understand that if this terror goes unpunished, their own cities, their own citizens may be next. Terror unanswered can not only bring down buildings, it can threaten the stability of legitimate governments.

And you know what? We're not going to allow it.

Americans are asking, "What is expected of us?"

I ask you to live your lives and hug your children. I know many citizens have fears tonight, and I ask you to be calm and resolute, even in the face of a continuing threat.

I ask you to uphold the values of America and remember why so many have come here.
We're in a fight for our principles, and our first responsibility is to live by them. No one should be singled out for unfair treatment or unkind words because of their ethnic background or religious faith.

I ask you to continue to support the victims of this tragedy with your contributions. Those who want to give can go to a central source of information, Libertyunites.org, to find the names of groups providing direct help in New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia. The thousands of FBI agents who are now at work in this investigation may need your cooperation, and I ask you to give it. I ask for your patience with the delays and inconveniences that may accompany tighter security and for your patience in what will be a long struggle.

I ask your continued participation and confidence in the American economy. Terrorists attacked a symbol of American prosperity; they did not touch its source.
America is successful because of the hard work and creativity and enterprise of our people. These were the true strengths of our economy before September 11, and they are our strengths today.

And finally, please continue praying for the victims of terror and their families, for those in uniform and for our great country. Prayer has comforted us in sorrow and will help strengthen us for the journey ahead. Tonight I thank my fellow Americans for what you have already done and for what you will do.

And ladies and gentlemen of the Congress, I thank you, their representatives, for what you have already done and for what we will do together.

Tonight we face new and sudden national challenges. We will come together to improve air safety, to dramatically expand the number of air marshals on domestic flights and take new measures to prevent hijacking.

We will come together to promote stability and keep our airlines flying with direct assistance during this emergency.

We will come together to give law enforcement the additional tools it needs to track down terror here at home.

We will come together to strengthen our intelligence capabilities to know the plans of terrorists before they act and to find them before they strike.

We will come together to take active steps that strengthen America's economy and put our people back to work.

Tonight, we welcome two leaders who embody the extraordinary spirit of all New Yorkers, Governor George Pataki and Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.

As a symbol of America's resolve, my administration will work with Congress and these two leaders to show the world that we will rebuild New York City.

After all that has just passed, all the lives taken and all the possibilities and hopes that died with them, it is natural to wonder if America's future is one of fear.

Some speak of an age of terror. I know there are struggles ahead and dangers to face. But this country will define our times, not be defined by them.

As long as the United States of America is determined and strong, this will not be an age of terror. This will be an age of liberty here and across the world.

Great harm has been done to us. We have suffered great loss. And in our grief and anger we have found our mission and our moment.

Freedom and fear are at war. The advance of human freedom, the great achievement of our time and the great hope of every time, now depends on us.

Our nation, this generation, will lift the dark threat of violence from our people and our future. We will rally the world to this cause by our efforts, by our courage. We will not tire, we will not falter and we will not fail.

It is my hope that in the months and years ahead life will return almost to normal. We'll go back to our lives and routines and that is good.

Even grief recedes with time and grace.

But our resolve must not pass. Each of us will remember what happened that day and to whom it happened. We will remember the moment the news came, where we were and what we were doing.

Some will remember an image of a fire or story or rescue. Some will carry memories of a face and a voice gone forever.

And I will carry this. It is the police shield of a man named George Howard who died at the World Trade Center trying to save others.

It was given to me by his mom, Arlene, as a proud memorial to her son. It is my reminder of lives that ended and a task that does not end.

I will not forget the wound to our country and those who inflicted it. I will not yield, I will not rest, I will not relent in waging this struggle for freedom and security for the American people. The course of this conflict is not known, yet its outcome is certain. Freedom and fear, justice and cruelty, have always been at war, and we know that God is not neutral between them.

Fellow citizens, we'll meet violence with patient justice, assured of the rightness of our cause and confident of the victories to come.

In all that lies before us, may God grant us wisdom and may he watch over the United States of America. Thank you.

In All Fairness to Lacy Clay

I know I said I had a big post that I was going to release today. That was until I was forwarded this:

I am going to be fair and assume that there really was an issue. It still does not explain why I have not received any return phone calls, but I will deal with that later.

The person who received this states that they sent a reply to the above email when they got a message like the one I posted. A few days later they received this. What do you think? Should I be anxiously sitting by my GMail account waiting for a response?

Obamacare Speech

So the president spoke for 48 minutes. Hmmm. Well, I have to say that I was not all that impressed. This man had a great opportunity to try and bring two sides together, instead, he dictated terms. Instead of listening to the American people, he has chosen to listen to the astroturf few who had to be professionally organized by unions and his own Organizing for America. This is a sad state of affairs.

I could break this speech down and write column inches on what was wrong with it, but honestly, I am in a fairly good mood and will break down some points, both good and bad.

Let's start with the good:

1. It appears that the blatant public option is gone. True, they are going to try and back door it in using the co-op plan, but for now it is gone as far as the president is concerned. This was mainly done for political points and to take the LBJ approach of "having a half a loaf instead of no loaf at all"
2. It appears that the administration is at least thinking about some sort of tort reform. OK, I know he never came out and said it, but it is my belief, and it could be my good me blurring me, that he knows this has to happen and he is gently entering into this. He knows he can get some big points on this one and look like he is crossing the isle if he enacts it. Believe me, Obama wants to be re-elected and what better way to tell a cynical public that he has then point to a win here down the line.
3. He stood up to the progressives and told them they cannot have everything. Believe it or not, this is big. As long as he continues to take this stance in private as well as public, good things could happen.

Now for the bad

1. The speech was way to damn long. This should have been cut by at least 15 minutes. As O'Reilly says, there was a lot of bloviating going on here. There was no need for the Ted Kennedy reference nor the Bush bashing. I saw that as nothing more than a way to temper any bad feelings that the progressives may feel for being told behave.
2. Great, you are going to have a co-op, but why not let it be private co-ops. A government run co-op can come to no good. Take a look at the mess that was created with Medicare D and implementing that. Even though private insurance is handing the plans, it is all part of Medicare D and was/is confusing as hell. This could be done much easier by allowing private groups meeting certain Federal guidelines to create regional or state co-ops that can do the same thing.
3. Why no cross state insurance competition. This does not make any sense. Axelrod goes on Fox and says that the Federal government cannot do this because it would contradict with state policies but the Federal government does this kind of stuff all of the time.
4. The numbers just do not add up. Obama states that they are going to cut fraud and waste in Medicare and that will save money. Why hasn't this been done already. Also, he is going to fine companies 8% of their payroll costs if they do not offer health insurance. It is obvious that Obama has never run a business as decent health insurance costs are way more than 8%. Most companies could make a profit by dropping healthcare benefits and pay the fine. Obama states that he is not going to pay for care for illegals, yet illegals make up part of the 47 million that do not have health insurance.
5. I know people in the healthcare industry who KNOW how healthcare plans work. I picked up the phone and called each of them separately after the speech and asked if they had watched. They had. I asked them if there is any way that an insurance company would drop someone for not stating they had gall stones if they did not know about it. The answer across the board was emphatically no. There had to be much more to this than what Obama states. I also asked them about the claim regarding acne keeping a woman from getting a mastectomy. They both said no, the only thing that may have caused a delay is if this woman was on some sort of medication that would have caused irreparable harm in conjunction with a chemo treatment that would be performed after the mastectomy. Other than that, no one could think of any reason this woman would have been delayed or refused. One of these professionals flat out said that this was BS and probably something made up by a astroturfer at a pro healthcare rally. I do not know if that is the truth, but it would not surprise me.
6. Why hasn't Obama listened to any of the GOP's proposed plans. He mentioned taking on McCain's proposal for a "hardship insurance" and that is great. There are a lot of others out there. He failed to mention anything they have offered or retort any of it. By doing so he is hurting himself among the informed independents that voted for him.
7. Obama lied during the speech. Not any overt lie, but the kind of lie where you omit the opposing facts or state only the facts that meet your needs. As a parent, these are the type of things we tell our kids not to do. Kudos go to rep Joe Wilson R-SC for calling him on it. publicly.

I could say more, but I really do not think I need to. I came up with this in about 15 minutes and God knows I could go on much longer if need be.

I would love to hear more from you.

Also, on a seperate note. No big surprise but no update from Lacy Clay. Since I am in a good mood, I am going to give him through the night. If nothing, I have a few new things to say.

Thank You & A Question for Lacy Clay

I want to thank all 10,000 plus of the new visitors to my site for stopping by. I thank each of you for taking a few minutes of your day to stop by.

I have to give a huge hat tip if not a bow to Instapundit for linking to me with my post on Lacy's response. I would also like to take a moment to recognize some special visitors to my website.

Unfortunately I cannot blow these up any large, but it appears that I now have visitors from the US House of Representatives, the US Senate, the Department of Homeland Security, the FCC and the US Dept. of Justice just to name a few.

So Lacy, this is directed right at you since I think you and your staff are paying attention now. You did not respond to my emails or calls. I am getting word from countless others that you pulled the same thing on some of your other constituents. As I previously reported here, you refused to have any town hall meetings. So I have one question for you. If you have the cajones, you will answer it here on this sight. You can email me and I will post your response unedited for the world to see. Or better yet, post a comment with this post to allow the public the chance to talk to you since they never got one during your recess.

My question is:

You have stated countless times in press releases and speeches that you want to, and I am paraphrasing here, affordable health insurance to everyone. You are a proponent of HR 3200 as well as the plan known as cap and trade. As a Congressman would you be willing to set carbon limits on all government entities including the Congress, the Senate and the President as a whole and all of their flights, trips, motorcades, etc. and would you be willing to amend HR 3200 so that all government employees and current and retired House and Senate members would fall under the same health care plan as the normal public. In essence, would you be willing to back bills that bring your level of care and your carbon footprint down to those of us who are not elected officials. I look forward to hearing your response within the next 24 hours.

Lacy Clay Finally Responds - Sort of

As I reported nearly a month ago, I have attempted to contact Lacy Clay and his office on numerous occassions. I called and was told someone would call me back; that never happened. I emailed and have finally received a response, sort of.

Below, you will see a screen grab of the actual response that I received from Lacy Clay's office.

So, at least we know that Lacy and his staff know how to send email. Now they just need to know how to use Word to actually write it. Once they master Word, maybe someone can take a proofreading class down at Flo Valley or Forest Park. I am sure the St. Louis Community College would be more than happy to help them out.

MSNBC Hosts Cannot Even Defend Keith Olbermann

Perusing the interwebs, I found this little gem that I thought I would share.

Hat Tips to Dee and LA Times Blogs

I always liked Ari Fleischer and now I may even have a man crush on him. This was just beautiful and no one could say a thing.

Boy, this just turned a terrible day into a half way decent one.

A Brief History Lesson

The president is getting ready to give a speech to our youth soon. Based upon the lesson plan that was sent out to schools, it looks like the President Obama is asking our youth to understand the importance of education, civic duty and listening to the government. As one who supports the 9/8 truancy day, I created a lesson plan myself that I thought I would share. This lesson plan also covers civic duty and government as well as history.

Considering everything that is going on, I thought it would be best to first talk about what government is all about.

The death-knell of the republic had rung as soon as the active power became lodged in the hands of those who sought, not to do justice to all citizens, rich and poor alike, but to stand for one special class and for its interests as opposed to the interests of others. - Theodore Roosevelt

Wow, sounds like Teddy was almost talking about the goings on today and some of the Chicago style politics going on in DC. While we are talking about Teddy Roosevelt, we should also remember this one

Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiently or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth, whether about the president or anyone else. - Theodore Roosevelt

I guess the White House did not get the memo that you do not have to follow blindly because the president says so. I think our 39th president really understood how people feel about the government in general.

The nine most terrifying words in the English language are... I'm from the government and I'm here to help. - Ronald Reagan

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. - Ronald Reagan

Of course, this is the same man who knew that to get the economy going and raise the mood of our nation, we had to lower taxes and restore the American business. President Obama really does not seem to understand this. He would rather ask for forgiveness and tax everyone. One of our founders probably said it best when he said,

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. - Thomas Jefferson

Of course this White House does not really seem to understand some of the basic principles that many of our great leaders ascribe to. If the president would have just listened to another of our founding fathers, things may be a lot different.

Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation for 'tis better to be alone than in bad company. - George Washington

We all know what quality men Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Writght and Van Jones are. These are men who are ideologues who do not care about the masses, they care about their causes or their viewpoint alone.

While the facts and proof are all there, it is hard to oppose the president in these times. Many in the MSM as well as those in the Democratic party have decided that since we disagree with them we are unpatriotic, an unruly mob or extremist. To my fellow unpatriots, mobsters and extremists, I say this,

A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits. - Richard Nixon

Keep up the good work. They are feeling the heat and we will win this fight.