How much does it cost to live in the White House? How much can we afford?

While googling the news this morning, I found this interesting article from The Bulletin - Philadelphia's Family Newspaper.

There is now growing evidence that Sen. Barack Obama bought the White House by using illegal and fraudulent fundraising, but that's a story you won't read in the mainstream media. You will read about it here today. While that story of Obama election law violations is still developing, what is the mainstream media reporting on? The New York Times isn't interested in election fraud ... if committed by Sen. Obama and the Democrats. So it is using its resources to investigate the amount of money the McCain campaign spent on hair stylists for Gov. Sarah Palin. (New York Times, Dec. 6, 2008). They've already investigated the amount spent on her wardrobe. Yes, the bias and dishonesty of the New York Times no longer just oozes out, it floods out in epic proportions. The once great paper has become a sad joke, a puppet and propagandist for the Democratic Party that can hardly write an honest word on politics.

For full story, click on headline.

Apparently, the Federal Election Commission is concerned, and has been for some time, about where all the funding came from, as many irregularities have raised their nasty heads bringing to light things that I am certain Obama, himself, had no control over.

However, I know, as everyone does, that if you want something bad enough, you may be tempted to sell your soul to the highest bidder.

I can only hope this is not the case. I can only hope that at the end of his tenure, we will be a better Nation, but only time will tell.

Naughty or Nice--The 21st Century New Deal

When looking at the 21st century New Deal, I have to wonder just what is involved in this plan and what effect it will have on all of us.

Obama's plan is a follows...

—ENERGY: “[W]e will launch a massive effort to make public buildings more energy-efficient. Our government now pays the highest energy bill in the world. We need to change that. We need to upgrade our federal buildings by replacing old heating systems and installing efficient light bulbs. That won’t just save you, the American taxpayer, billions of dollars each year. It will put people back to work.”

Public buildings energy efficient, but what about my home being made the same? The government is paying the highest energy bill. No, we pay for that energy being used. And who solicited bids for those buildings to be built? Our government. Did they not see an energy crisis coming? If they are the be all and end all, where did they go wrong? Where did we go wrong? Are we not responsible for the waste and inefficiency by re-electing the suits that blatantly believe they deserve a second, third, fourth, chance to make things right? Have they exhibited such discretion once arriving in Wishingtonia, or are they indoctrinated into the "ways and means" of how Wishingtonia works.

And don't get me started on the auto industry. Why didn't they see what was coming? Couldn't they see what cars were being sold--Honda (which after 23 years, my 86 Civic SI is doing just fine, needs a paint job, but doing just fine)--Nissan, which we own a 20 year old 240 SX) --or Volkswagon, and yes I have a 1972 Yellow Super Beetle, whose smile was made crooked from a hit and run several years ago, but gets around just fine! So what is wrong with Detroit?

But back to the subject at hand...How are we going to get the "money men lobbyists" from enticing our elected reps with bribes and treats, in order to vote in their favor. Unless they are banished from our halls of justice, nothing will change. So how much energy will be saved once our POTUS institutes this new edict? How will the new contracts be allocated to resurrect our old buildings with the new green technology?

We have a federal building in a neighboring county that has been put up for sale. They recently built a new post office out of the downtown area and also built a Social Security office next door. The "old" building was built in 1965 and fully occupied by federal offices until about 10 years ago. All that is housed there now is a post office and a USDA office.

Where are the monies coming from? How much more money can we Americans print?

—ROADS AND BRIDGES: “[W]e will create millions of jobs by making the single largest new investment in our national infrastructure since the creation of the federal highway system in the 1950s. We’ll invest your precious tax dollars in new and smarter ways, and we’ll set a simple rule – use it or lose it. If a state doesn’t act quickly to invest in roads and bridges in their communities, they’ll lose the money.”

Have you ever watched a road crew work? Why it only takes 50 or 60 men to stand around while a paver paves, a flagman flag traffic, but the rest are just standing around, smoking cigarettes, yapping on cell phones, while just three or four are actually getting the work done. Yep, that will provide millions of jobs.

Boy, I can think of many roads and bridges within 30 miles that urgently need repair. But, again, where is the money coming from? Oh, yeah, our precious tax dollars. I thought we were going to lower taxes. I don't see the wealthy parting with their hard earned cash,(mostly earned by hook, crook, steal or deal) in order to put this country back on its feet. If we looked at these states who profited from the fed co-investments, and by looked, I mean a required full financial auditing of the coffers, I believe we would find something quite amiss. Although, one would look from the top down for fraud, believe me, the little learn from the big.

As in a nearby county, the state tax commission recognized and found massive fraud within the county assessor's office, thereby, arresting every employee, including the tax assessor, for selling car tags with "county" addresses versus their actual city address. The employees discounted the fees, taking kickbacks, in order to feather their own pockets. Where did they learn this behavior, or believe that what they were doing was right, if not from the top.

—SCHOOLS: “[M]y economic recovery plan will launch the most sweeping effort to modernize and upgrade school buildings that this country has ever seen. We will repair broken schools, make them energy-efficient, and put new computers in our classrooms. Because to help our children compete in a 21st century economy, we need to send them to 21st century schools.”

Upgrading school buildings will not attract the talent needed to advance the education of our youth. Throwing money at physical structures won't make them educator or educational friendly. Energy-efficient schools and new computers won't educate the students. 21st Century schools are in need of 21st century teachers.

It is the educational system that is broken, not the school buildings, themselves. What made the 19th Century schools thrive and survive? It wasn't the physical building, but the education process.

I recently read where the Department of Education had nearly 4,000 employees dictating their suggestions into the the states, few of whom held a degree in Education. What is wrong with this picture?

—BROADBAND: “As we renew our schools and highways, we’ll also renew our information superhighway. It is unacceptable that the United States ranks 15th in the world in broadband adoption. Here, in the country that invented the Internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they’ll get that chance when I’m president – because that’s how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world.”

(Incoming White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel had talked about expanding broadband access, but this is the first time the transition has formally proposed it.)

Oh, don't get me started...In a little, nearby village obtained guvment funding for a museum honoring a Civil Rights activist. They were able to obtain funding to build a broadband access tower to provide free service to the entire community. That was over a year ago. The only broadband service provided is to the museum, a few of the townsfolk and the mayor. When inquiring about obtaining access, I was informed it would cost $80 a month. What happened to community-wide free access?

—ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS: “In addition to connecting our libraries and schools to the Internet, we must also ensure that our hospitals are connected to each other through the Internet. That is why the economic recovery plan I’m proposing will help modernize our health care system – and that won’t just save jobs, it will save lives. We will make sure that every doctor’s office and hospital in this country is using cutting edge technology and electronic medical records so that we can cut red tape, prevent medical mistakes, and help save billions of dollars each year.”

Now this is one I can't wrap my head around. Am I supposed to provide all my history to one hospital, just to get it moved to a centralized location. I'm sorry, I don't travel that much and i don't think red tape is what its all about anyway. I somehow think that big brother wants total control of my life and times and all that I am. When will they be satisfied? Or will I wind up in some database that will tell them its time to retire me to the farm, as in "Wild In The Streets"--where those that reach the age of 30 are put to rest on LSD farms.

I'm sorry, I must go take a classical music break...something to let me think of happier times, when I did believe in Santa Claus...maybe The Nutcracker Suite, cause some body's nuts are about to be cracked.

Before ending my rant, I must say, the day I realized there wasn't a Santa, I was sorely disappointed in my parents. How could they lie to me? If you can't trust your parents, how the hell can you trust Uncle Sam?

Oh such are the thoughts of a cynic.

Out of Touch, Out of Mind

As our economy drifts further and further in an obsessive desire to bankrupt our society because of GREED of the big men on Wall Street, Main Street and our willingness to elect those big pork spenders in guvment, who have a license to steal and take control of every means of our freedoms, I become more cynical.

Gone are the days when one could wait til the last minute to pay bills, allowing us to say when our monies transferred. However, nowadays, the moment an item is purchased, it instantly leaves our account. Ah, gone are the days of playing the float.

And thus my delay in getting a post out. You see, the last two weeks, I have been in utter chaos, being cut off from the outside world when Bell South cut off, abolishing my service, for non-payment.

I was literally online signing into the bill paying site, awaiting my husband's awakening so I could ask him a question before paying (yes, there are women who believe men should be the head of the household), when they cut me off. I couldn't believe that I had gotten so close to the cut off time...and thus, to cut it back on, they wanted an exorbitant fee, which was not in the budget. I must admit, phone service, in this day and time, is not in the budget. With all the cutbacks and all, we don't waste money on cell phones, nor satellite dishes, or cable. Cell phones roam; satellite dishes are stolen, and cable has no intention nor being close to offered in the outbacks anyway. I suppose being at the end of the line takes on a whole new meaning.

I say all this to let you know where I've been and why I've been out of touch. No, I wasn't in a commune, being exorcised over the election results, I was just out of touch and OUT OF MY MIND! Cut off from talking with family, friends, doing research for my writing and the like.

If anyone has alternative way of communications, please advise. For dial-up internet, I am charged $12.50; for local service, which I don't use (I don't know anyone around here), is nearly $60 and unlimited long-distance (which I use all the time) is another $30. Staying in touch with the world, has taken on a whole new meaning...

Love Letters to Federal Employees

An old favorite refrain from Sonny and Cher says it all..."and the beat goes on."

In a post, no pun intended, from the Washington Post, today, news is out about letters President-elect Obama addressed to federal employees on how he plans to change the agencies in which they work...

offering detailed descriptions of how he intends to add muscle to specific government programs, give new power to bureaucrats and roll back some Bush administration policies.

Employees of all seven agencies were contacted...

describing Obama's intention to scale back on contracts to private firms doing government work, to remove censorship from scientific research, and to champion tougher industry regulation to protect workers and the environment. He made it clear that the Department of Housing and Urban Development would have an enhanced role in restoring public confidence in the housing market, shaken because of the ongoing mortgage crisis.

For the Social Security Administration, he plans on adding more personnel to handle the backlog of disability cases.

Now this is a good thing. I've known too many folks that continued to be denied disability, not because they were not disabled, but it has been known for years that a "quota system" had to be met...usually three to five years of applying and re-applying, to finally receive their check.

The problem is, while awaiting the approval, marriages would break up, the business undergoes hardship and closes, foreclosure of home, car repossessed...you name it, once reaching the bottom, the little health that was once there is now gone, and so is the mental health.

So this is a good thing...IF they can process more cases.

"I asked him to put it in writing, something I could use with my members, and he didn't flinch," said John Gage, president of the 600,000-member American Federation of Government Employees, who requested that Obama write the letters, which were distributed through the union. "The fact that he's willing to put his name to it is a good sign."

The letters, all but one written Oct. 20, reveal a candidate adeptly tailoring his message to a federal audience and tapping into many workers' dismay at funding cuts and workforce downsizing in the Bush years. Many of Obama's promises would require additional funding, something he acknowledged would be difficult to achieve under the current economic conditions.

Obama spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said the letters were intended to communicate to federal workers his position on their agencies.

In a letter to Labor Department employees, Obama wrote: "I believe that it's time we stopped talking about family values and start pursuing policies that truly value families, such as paid family leave, flexible work schedules, and telework, with the federal government leading by example."

Department of Defense was the only agency not promised anything, which I believe is not good. In order for us to maintain a safe country, our defense must be made stronger. Otherwise we will be stepping off into potential chaos if we were attacked and also that of our allies. We must be ready to stand. My problem with acquainting a new "civilian defense force" ... who will make up this force. Will there be an indoctrination from birth forward? What dynamics will these "forces" be comprised of and how will their roles be made?

Restructuring our nation and its people, in these times will be a very tricky strategy as there are too many variables involved.

I sure wouldn't want to be in his shoes, but then I want to know where he plans on taking us in those shoes.

Redistribution of Wealth? NOT!

I know the campaign is over with a new president being installed shortly.

All those plans and agendas that were promised, are shortly to be fulfilled, right? I want to see a show of hands who believe this.

Well, first of all...that agenda (some fifty plus (50) pages if downloaded), as defined on his website, have been scrubbed...NON-EXISTA!

Why was it scrubbed? When asked, a member of his transition team stated they were "retooling" the site.

I bet!

Seems to me that when one makes a promise, especially in an election, they should keep it. But mark my words, read my lips, there won't be a REDISTRIBUTION OF WEALTH!

I can hear them saying now, "Oh, Oli, you're so full of it." Actually, my eyes are green which still mean I'm a quart low.

So why am I shouting this now?

Who put this man in office? If you believe in the tooth fairy, santa claus, and the easter bunny, then you think all the little people donated under $200 to his campaign coffers. The man raised more than six hundred million dollars which didn't come from the little folks. Too many rich folks did.

Don't believe a word about this promise. The WEALTHY didn't get rich by giving it away. Most of them are misers...I know a few! There are some exceptions, but even the Bible says it will be easier for a camel to get through the eye of the needle than a rich man.

Have you EVER seen a poor man in power? Don't think there is one, however, Obama did come from "simple" means, but who is he surrounded by? Who provided for him on his climb up? Wasn't student loans (Michelle had some, but not bo), but men of power and influence.

You think these powers that be want to SHARE their wealth, by being taxed to death? NOT! You think they are going to be made to pay higher taxes and we, the little folk, reap the benefits? Won't happen...greed had taken over the white house since the beginning of the 60's, after JFK's death. All the president's in recent history, have walked out with extreme bonuses, though, little is known about that or is rarely mentioned.

The Clinton's never owned a home until they left the white house. Now they own two, one outside New York City, for Bill, and the other in Washington for Hill. And these aren't cheap hovels, so again, where did the monies come from? Who invested in them to get what they wanted?

Free Speech?

From Drudge link, I found this interesting...is this going to become the rule of the day? Is this the first rule of the day, speaking out against the office of POTUS? Uh, what is happening to free speech? What is happening to our way of life? Is this the beginning of the civilian troops?

Remarks against Obama probed
Durham police conducting internal investigation; chief says it wasn't a slur
Stanley B. Chambers Jr., Staff Writer Comment on this story
DURHAM - Derogatory remarks toward President-elect Barack Obama made on a social networking Web site are now the subject of an internal police investigation.

A police department employee claims the statements were made on the MySpace pages of two Durham officers.

"There's no exact words that were said," said Police Chief Jose L. Lopez Sr. in a telephone interview Wednesday from San Diego, where he is attending the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference. "It wasn't a racial slur, but we're still investigating it."

Investigators, who are focusing on the context of what was written, have been looking into the allegations since Thursday.

Lopez wouldn't disclose what was said or identify the officers involved.

City Manager Tom Bonfield, who was notified of the investigation late Tuesday afternoon, said he advised Lopez to complete it as quickly as possible.

Bonfield, whom Lopez reports to, said the department has the discretion to notify him of such inquiries.

The police, as well as other city agencies, have a good sense of when an issue is big enough to notify him, said Bonfield, who added that he notified city council members within an hour of talking with Lopez.

"It's important that the investigators have a chance to do their jobs and make sure they get all of the information," he said. "I think it's important that the police are given the opportunity to respond against any allegations against them."

Bonfield added that if the allegations are found to be true and officers posted racially charged statements, then an appropriate response by the department would be warranted.

The department's code of conduct, under the heading "private life," states that an officer's "character and conduct while off duty must always be exemplary, thus maintaining a position of respect in the community in which he or she lives and serves. The officer's personal behavior must be beyond reproach."

Lopez said even though the remarks were made on a personal Web page, the comments could be a violation of the policy.

"As a police officer, it doesn't matter where you do it, if you provide disservice to the organization, it violates the [department's] code of conduct," he said. "It is a high standard that officers are held accountable to."

"Something of Historic Proportion is Happening"

Dear Lord, if folks can't SEE this, then they deserve what they get. Thank you Atlas Shrugs for this post today...and thank you, Pat Dollard for the 2006 audio with bo's cheif of staff speaking about their Gestopo plan!

You need to feed this to all contacts you know to let them know what we are in for!
http://patdollard.com/2008/11/discovered-2006-audio-obama%E2%80%99s-chief-of-staff-describes-mandatory-civil-service-plan/

The following was within the comment section on the Dollard site...

I am a student of history. Professionally. I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied it all my life. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.

Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten - fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.

We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people we know they can never pay back? Why?

We learn just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has “loaned” two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the 700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of “we the people,” who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why?

We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is medicare and our entire government, our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about)–the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x ten. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla, Alaska. All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more imporant.)

Mr. Obama’s winning platform can be boiled down to one word: change.

Why?

I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now.

This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning.

And I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his “brown shirts” would bully them into submission. And then, he was duly elected to office, a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think. How did he get the people on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe, and across the world.

He did it with a compliant media–did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and . . . change. And the people surely got what they voted for.

(Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.)

Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though.

Don’t forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe. It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years–a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency–it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.

As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me.

Some people scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe–and why I believe it.

I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am.