Nancy Has a New Deal for You!

Nancy Pelosi is, once again, the Speaker of the House in the New Deal Obama Congress. When she became speaker back in January 2007, she had an agenda for the first 100 hours that included: enacting the 9/11 Commission's recommendations; increasing the minimum wage; allowing embryonic stem cell research; negotiating lower prescriptions prices; cutting interest rates on student loans; and investing in renewable energy. Speaker Pelosi also vowed to govern a fairer and more bipartisan House of Representatives.

By May, 2007 the most notable accomplishment Speaker Pelosi could actually put into her column was increasing the minimum wage. WOW!! In an attempt to minimize their lack of legislative productivity, the Democrat leadership underscored the fact that they had produced transformation of the policy debate and the reassertion of Congressional power, especially on the Iraq war. And what about the kinder, fairer House of Representatives...One of the biggest Republican complaints was that House Democrats, who promised to be fairer and more bipartisan in the conduct of floor debate after a decade of heavy-handed Republican rule, had not delivered. A truth that some top Democrats conceded was true. At the end of 2007, Congressional approval ratings were at a low of 27%.

In January 2008 the Farm bill looked like it might be the only big-ticket bill that Congress would pass to President Bush for signature. Republicans and Democrats alike predicted even less legislative agreement ahead than in 2007. And the song and dance from the Democrats was that operating on a thin majority it was soooo hard to get things done (Sob, sob).

At the end of the 110th Congressional session, the Democratic majority had managed to work out agreements with President Bush and the Republican minority on only a few big items, including a minimum-wage increase, a plan to raise auto fuel-efficiency standards, a free-trade pact with Peru, and student-loan relief. And the congressional approval rating had fallen to a year average of 19%.

So now that the inmates have free run of the asylum, what is on the agenda for 2009? San Fran Nan is now tweaking the rules to be sure that she is Dictator of the House. Rules changes already having been rapidly put into place include eliminating the term limits for Committee Chairmen that were enacted during the Contract with America, restrictions on the motion to recommit and sweeping changes hobbling the ability to propose tax or spending cuts to legislation.

The motion to recommit has been in place for about 100 years. It is a maneuver that the minority party can use to send bills that reach the floor back to committees, where they can be endlessly debated. There are few tools that the House of Representatives has at hand to stifle legislation from moving through the process and the motion to recommit was one of these. This was used 50 times last year by the GOP to stave off tax hikes hidden in other legislation. The Democrat leadership have their knickers in a knot because they didn't use this rule nearly as often as the Republicans, (not our fault that they didn't take advantage of the tools of the trade) so now they have put a hobble on its use. The new rules would give the minority the right to a vote on sending the bill back to committee WITHOUT instructions on policy changes, or to ask for those policy changes while the bill remains on the House floor.

The most problematic change in rules that Madam Nan has produced in her new ruthless House of Representatives is in the introduction of tax and spending cuts. While BHO is willing to throw money hand over fist at our economic woes without thought of the huge deficit this will amass, the House of Representatives is also making sure that spending and tax cuts are difficult to get into legislation. The new rules will ensure that tax increases will be easier to pass, because opponents will not be allowed to offer a simple motion to strike any increase without making up for the "lost revenue." In addition, tax cuts are made more difficult, because they cannot be offset with spending cuts. The new rules will mean that the only way to push for a tax cut will be to propose a tax increase elsewhere.

So hold onto your wallets guys and dolls, the Hope and Change mantra that BHO used to win an election seems to be envisioned by the Belle of San Francisco as "I HOPE that all you have left is loose CHANGE!"

The State of the Congress

There is a great deal of angst being vented over the Senate and those being seated (or not) this morning. The truth be told, Roland Burris has every right to be seated even though there is a stench on his appointment and Al Franken has won (we think) the Minnesota race and defeated Norm Coleman. No matter how much we would like to do otherwise (and I sincerely would like to do otherwise), one man was appointed by the governor to fill an empty seat and the other, ostensibly, has been elected by a razor thin margin by the people of his state. There are laws that dictate how appointments should be made, qualifications for who can be appointed to fill a vacant seat in the Senate or House of Representatives and there are laws and rules for the conduct of a "fair" election. It appears that these qualifications have been met and we need to take our lumps and seat these men.

I live in Missouri, where a few years back we elected a dead man to the U.S. Senate under the campaign slogan "I'm Still With Mel." When he was elected posthumously, the empty seat was filled by his widow, Jean Carnahan, who was promised the seat to warm if her deceased husband could win the election and who was promptly unseated in the next election by Senator Jim Talent. It appears that Caroline Kennedy whose greatest qualification for being a US Senator is her name and the fund-raising capability that it brings to the New York political machine will also be seated in the highest governing body of the country.

What we need to do now, is take a hard and long look at the road ahead and make sure that qualified candidates get our unbridled support. AND, we need to make sure that they win by large margins that cannot be called into question at the end of the day. The laughing stock that has been made of the Senate by potentially seating a buffoon, an unqualified socialite and a man who was appointed by a corrupt governor giving the middle finger salute to all authority is certainly a shame. The infighting that resulted this morning and which will continue until all of this is resolved is even more a pox on the house of Obama and his Merry Band.

While it might be tempting to sit on the sidelines and let the Democrats eat each other alive (after all, with the Republicans out of the way and definitely in the majority, they only have themselves to trip over and fight with), this should be yet another rallying cry for all conservatives to come together and set the stage for a real house cleaning at the very first opportunity!! We have only ourselves to blame for the state of the Senate and the immediate future of our country, but that doesn't mean that we can't learn some very valuable mistakes and move forward in a better direction.

OMG!! My hard drive was making a weird noise and I thought that a fan needed to be replaced but when I took the cover off, I found 500 uncounted Minnesota ballots for Norm Coleman! Wonder how they walked to Missouri and got into my computer??? Oh the wonders of our political system!

The Objectivity of the Mainstream Media----NOT

Joe Scarborough takes the MSM to task about their "investigation" of Sarah Palin and their lopsided (and biased) coverage of Barack Obama during the run up to the election. He makes takes them on and leaves them speechless and squirming!! But his point is well made and oh, so true. The point is made that Obama got a pass and was not "investigated" like Sarah Palin. Had it happened, perhaps we would know more about his connections to the Chicage cesspool that spawned him. So now we may have bought a pig in a poke (with lipstick on but still a pig)thanks to the media who acted as kingmaker.

My Daughter Made Me Proud

My daughter works in marketing and like many young adults, she has been a relatively detached voter in the two prior Bush elections. She digests things quietly and many times during her formative years, my husband and I seriously wondered what actually got through to her. As a young adult she is conservative both socially and fiscally. As a young professional woman she is successful. Yet she has always held that a single vote is meaningless and has not had much use for politics overall. My husband and I have tried to dispel this idea, but she never seemed to buy into it. So I was a bit surprised when she admitted that she and her boyfriend had been engaged in such a spirited political discussion that they missed the exit on the interstate when they were traveling to join us for lunch on Sunday. (This in spite of the fact that they both voted for McCain/Palin!) Then yesterday, she called me in the afternoon to tell me, sarcastically, that I could sleep well knowing that she had just finished voting for McCain/Palin! She also made some snide comment about how silly I was to place so much emphasis on voting.

And yet, yesterday evening, she called while she was on the way home from a meeting to see if there was any news about the election yet!

This morning, I received an email from her with the following message: Are you sad.....?

My response was that while I was a bit sad, the election provided true conservatives with some very important challenges for the future.

I seriously thought that would be the end of the discussion, as it usually is. But I received a response email with one of the most astounding and cogent responses from her:

What was done right = MARKETING.

What was done wrong = MARKETING.

I believe that this election was won by the best marketer.

I do have to say that I'm more interested in politics now because of this election. People seem to be so energized by him that I'd really like to watch and track the actual change that takes place vs. what he said he would do (even though he didn't say much other than "change").

So thanks to this election my conservative daughter is now energized with respect to politics. She gets it now, and knows that her profession played a profound role in this election. She also recognizes that words alone don't produce change. If she ever decides to switch jobs, I think that she could find a place in the conservative political arena.

I Am So Proud of My Daughter

My daughter has been an ambivalent voter in the two previous Bush elections. My husband and I have tried to engage her in political thought and she has been reluctant before now. She embodies sound conservative principles in her life and actions, but she has not had any fire in her belly for political matters, somehow thinking that she was just one person of little significance or that the candidates did not speak for her. Yesterday afternoon she called me to grudgingly let me know that I could quit worrying, she had voted for McCain/Palin and then she made some comment about how silly I was to place so much emphasis on her one vote.

I let these things slide, because I also know that she was engaged in a spirited political discussion with her boyfriend (though they both voted for McCain/Palin and are like minded) that got so involved that they missed the exit on the interstate that they needed to take to join us for lunch on Sunday!

This morning I received an email from her with a simple message: "Are you sad....."

My reply was that I was a bit sad at the outcome, but energized at the challenges that are now clearly ahead for conservative voices in America.

Imagine my surprise when I got another email with her very cogent response:

What was done right = MARKETING.

What was done wrong = MARKETING.

I believe that this election was won by the best marketer.

I do have to say that I'm more interested in politics now because of this election. People seem to be so energized by him that I'd really like to watch and track the actual change that takes place vs. what he said he would do (even though he didn't say much other than "change")

She has been energized by a candidate that she did not back and yet she has been brought into political connection in this rough and tumble election because she saw a connection with her own profession. She finally understands how things happen and she sees the emptiness of "just words". I hope that if she decides to change jobs, she can find something in the conservative political arena..She would be awesome.

The Morning After

Last night I watched Jesse Jackson with tears streaming down his face (were they happy, was he thinking of his castration comments, or was he thinking that he was now a victim, too) ate comfort food, and ruminated on the fate of the world. The I went to bed, prayed for our nation and without the aid of anything at all, I slept a peaceful and sound sleep. Today, the sun is bright, the leaves are beautiful and the world is still there. Nothing CHANGED overnight except that there is one less bull and one more national holiday in Kenya and President-Elect Obama has already put in his bid for his second term during his acceptance speech.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even in one term.

Being pragmatic, realistic and having the benefit of years of past experience, I know that our country will survive and that there are 55 million voters who did not vote for the winner in this election. I lived through the awful presidency of Jimmy Carter and know about gas lines and extremely high taxes and interest rates that were just short of usery. Abuse us for 4 years and we will unseat you just like we did President Carter. President-elect Obama, you have just placed yourself in the same position. We will be watching everything that you do and holding you accountable for the things that you screw up. I can put on a sweater and keep my tires inflated. I can use those dim lightbulbs that require a hazmat team to clean up if you break one. I can retreat into a position of economic inactivity if I need to and stop my personal spending... God knows that I really don't NEED any more stuff. I can outlast you and there are a lot of people that are of like mind, not to mention a lot of people that will be very disappointed if you can't deliver the CHANGE that they thought they would be getting.




As President-elect Obama so eloquently stated in this acceptance speech last night, the CHANGE might not really happen.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president. And we know the government can't solve every problem.

This victory alone is not the change we seek. It is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It can't happen without you, without a new spirit of service, a new spirit of sacrifice. So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility, where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other.

Sorry Peggy, guess you'll have to keep writing those checks and filling your tank yourself.

All of those 55 million voices that did not vote for the winner in this election need to sit down and look at the reasons that this election ended as it did.
1. We need to do some serious soul-searching.
2. We also need to welcome and forgive any disillusioned conservatives who strayed from the fold yesterday.
3. We need to learn from what did happen right and where we fell away from our guiding principles and went wrong.
4. We need to look at the strong conservatives who did triumph in the face of adversity last night, such as Mitch McConnell and Michelle Bachman and take a page from their playbook.
5. We need to remember that Sarah Palin (if she would ever have us again) and Bobby Jindal and other fresh faces are still there on the horizon as they garner more experience and build their conservative resumes.
6. We also need to look at the Senate and Congressional seats that are at risk in 2010 and either start to rally around strong conservatives so that they keep their seats or else look for strong conservative faces to unseat moderates in the primaries and take back what we believe in.
7. We need to fight battles on principled arguments without name calling or vilification.

As Vice President-elect Joe Biden has urged all of us, we will need to gird our loins and get ready for the struggle. In the bright light of a new day, the challenges are clearer and our determination should be even greater.

The Night Before The Election

Hat tip today goes to my 87 year old mother who sent this along to me for my enjoyment. (By the way, Mr. Obama, this came through Florida by way of several octagenarians, so don't think that those on fixed incomes are going your way!) I am passing it along to you all as I think we all need a bit of truth laced with humor right now.


'Twas the night before elections
And all through the town,
Tempers were flaring
Emotions all up and down!
I, in my bathrobe
With a cat in my lap
Had cut off the TV...
Tired of political crap.
When all of a sudden
There arose such a noise
I peered out of my window
Saw Obama and his boys.
They had come for my wallet
They wanted my pay
To give to the others
Who had not worked a day!
He snatched up my money
And quick as a wink
Jumped back on his bandwagon
As I gagged from the stink.
He then rallied his henchmen
Who were pulling his cart
I could tell they were out
To tear my country apart!
' On Fannie, on Freddie!
On Biden and Ayers!
On Acorn, On Pelosi!'
He screamed at the pairs!
They took off for his cause
And as he flew out of sight
I heard him laugh at the nation
Who wouldn't stand up and fight!
So I leave you to think
On this one final note-
IF YOU DON'T WANT SOCIALISM
GET OUT AND VOTE!!!!

See you at the polls tomorrow!

My Little Website is a Microcosm of the Economy

As a guilty pleasure I collect antiques and quirky collectibles. As most collectors know, one's collection can sometimes overrun your life and there comes a time when the collection needs to be thinned. As a result I have a booth at a local antique mall and I also have an online shop at Ruby Lane.com. I am an aucton and estate sale junkie and this is relaxation therapy for me. But when I come home with things that I love, I also have to have an outlet for the extra things that find their way into my home.

When I first started my online shop 5 years ago, my clientele was primarily domestic with only occasional international sales. As the years have passed, the frequency of international sales has gradually inched up, but in the early part of 2008, with $4 per gallon gas and a weakened dollar, I noticed that I was constantly running to the post office with international sales and my domestic sales were sliding downward. Overall my sales were the same, but the balance of international and domestic sales was changing.

Within the last 8 weeks, however, with both the foreign and US stock markets becoming volatile, I have noticed a decline in overall sales, both domestic and foreign. October was one of the worst months ever for my online shop. This mirrors the climate of uncertainty in our country right now and the tendency to pull back and not spend on anything that is not essential.

I hate to think that this will only worsen under an Obama presidency. As his threshold for a tax increase now looms at $120,000 and below and is probably falling, an increased tax burden as well as the price increases that will be passed on to the public by increased corporate taxation will only make it less likely that the public will be willing to spend money on frivilous or luxury purchases like antiques and collectibles.

While my online shop and antique mall booth are hobbies and not my livelihood, I hate to think that I may need to pull up stakes and quit because I am no longer making enough money to turn it back into my little business to purchase more inventory. If my little nickle and dime operation is hurting, think of the small mom and pop enterprises who will be choked out in such an economic climate. These individuals may employ a small number of other employees and if they fail, there are increased numbers of unemployed individuals looking for new jobs. In such a climate, larger companies are also constricting their rolls through attrition and not filling openings as they occur. This downward spiral of increasing prices, increasing unemployment, and increased taxes on everything imaginable cannot improve the economy and anyone, including BHO, who thinks otherwise is a fool.

What I would love to see is a flat tax with no loopholes. Each employed person or married couple would write a single check out to the government on April 15 or have it deducted from each paycheck...easy breezy and simple. Each wage earner would be able to keep more of their own income. People would have more expendable income and that would spur spending and productivity. If the corporate tax rate was lowered so that more of our companies would stay in the USA this would provide jobs for more Americans. If we invest in all kinds of alternate energy projects including nuclear, clean coal, drilling for natural gas and oil both offshore and in ANWAR, we can make ourselves energy independent and spur job creation in the field of green jobs. Why is this so hard to envision??? What candidate might be more likely to accomplish some of these objectives???

Neither of the present candidates is a perfect fit for my ideal, but one is closer by far and this is where I am putting my vote on Tuesday. I would rather work very hard but be able to disburse my money in ways that I deem appropriate, including my tithe and charitable giving, than to work hard only to see my money taken and "spread around" to people who don't work and feel entitled. In fact, if there is no incentive to be productive, and there is forced charity, why would I want to be productive at all??

Think twice people before you pull that lever on Tuesday, because your very life depends on it. BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR BECAUSE YOU JUST MIGHT GET IT.

Another Message from Zo, A Black Conservative

I have become addicted to the YouTube videos put out by Macho Sauce Productions. The black conservative voice is out there and Zo is a kind of Everyman. Here is the latest and probably last video before the election, aptly entitled "1 More B4 11 04."




Thank you for telling it like it is with candor and humor.

Now THIS is How to Spread the Wealth!!

There is a local contemporary Christian music station here in St. Louis (JOY FM 97.7 and 94.1) that is totally listener supported. They have a monthly Project JOY that they sponsor and each month the project does something good for the recipient. Last February, the project was Random Acts of Kindness. They encouraged the listeners to do something unrequested for someone who did not suspect that they would receive it just for the sheer joy of giving. Listeners phoned in to report the overwhelming surprise that met such acts as randomly paying for someone's fill-up at the gas pump, buying someone's groceries in the checkout line, shoveling the neighbor's drive, taking cookies to the elderly neighbor, asking a young mom if she would like a day out without the kids with you as the unpaid baby sitter.... the list went on and on, and the stories that were shared were truly heartwarming. Some of the people who did kind acts for strangers even had TROUBLE convincing them that they just wanted to do something nice with no strings attached!!

Thus today, when I ran across this story, I was moved to be sure it was shared. A Texas woman went to a home foreclosure auction with the intent to purchase a home for her son. During the auction, she struck up a conversation with a total stranger who happened to be the evicted homeowner of one of the properties and heard how she came to lose her home. Instead of buying that home for her son, the woman, on a whim, purchased the home for about 1/3 of what the owner had originally paid and gave it back to her. The home's owner will pay her back rather than the bank. This is truly a random act of kindness and exemplifies the way that wealth SHOULD be shared.

Barack Obama and his band of merry men (and women) should take a lesson from this woman. It has become very clear that he and his cronies are only willing to share YOUR piece of the pie. Joe Biden has an abysmal record (less than 1% of his income) of charitable giving and The Chosen One is only a little bit better and only in the most recent years has his giving reached the 5-6% level of charitable giving. Then today, the blogoshpere is buzzing with the revelation that BHO's dear aunt that he talks about in his first book has been found living in squalor in Boston and his Uncle Omar is reported to have been evicted from his apartment in a Boston housing project. Barack and his cronies should first learn that charity begins at home and experience the pure joy that accompanies a random act of kindness. Charity is not something that you can legislate or force.

It is much more blessed to give than to receive, and unlike Michelle Obama, I have always been proud of the my countrymen.

You Might Be a Redneck.....

John Murtha and Barack Obama have both caught flack (appropriately so) about the apersions cast at the people of Western Pennsylvania. Obama stated that they are bitter and cling to their guns and Bibles. Murtha called them (his own constituents in his re-election year no less) racist and then muddled through an attempt to smooth this over by calling them REDNECKS!!

Jeff Foxworthy has made the "You Might Be a Redneck" eponym famous, but today my 87 year old mother sent me the perfect retort to the elitist media and politicians who have no limit on the invective that they are spewing toward those of us who are just middle Americans who work hard and try to do what it right. So see if you are a redneck based on this little email that she sent to me.

You might be a redneck if:
It never occurred to you to be offended by the phrase, 'One nation, under God.'
You've never protested about seeing the 10 Commandments posted in public places.
You still say ' Christmas' instead of 'Winter Festival.'
You bow your head when someone prays.
You stand and place your hand over your heart when they play the National Anthem.
You treat our armed forces veterans with great respect, and always have.
You've never burned an American flag, nor intend to.
You know what you believe and you aren't afraid to say so, no matter who is listening.
You respect your elders and raised your kids to do the same.
You'd give your last dollar to a friend.

Well, based on the above definition I am certainly a redneck and I am proud to say it.

Oh, by the way Barack....I'm bitter and I VOTE. See ya at the polls on November 4!

Election Day Violence---I Hope Not

The link below takes you to an article entitled Police Prepare for Unrest by Alexander Bolton on http://www.thehill.com/ that has finally factually reported what I have been reluctantly feeling but could not bring myself to verbalize because it just sounds so frightening.

"Police departments in cities across the country are beefing up their ranks for Election Day, preparing for possible civil unrest and riots after the historic presidential contest."

Ever since the August primary election in Missouri, I have been worried about this possibility but have been trying to tell myself that this is a foolish thought. My husband was a poll worker at a local precinct. He came home that night and commented that there was a very palpable difference in this election that was unlike any that he had been involved with in the past. He has been a poll worker in several past primaries and in the 2004 general election. His comment was something like "the Democrat workers and voters are plainly giddy and openly verbalized that this election was THEIRS!" There were even soft comments of "Hell to Pay" if Obama did not win. The article proceeds to quote police chiefs from multiple cities as well as well-known political sources from both parties regarding this possibility and their preparation for it.

"Some worry that if Barack Obama loses and there is suspicion of foul play in the election, violence could ensue in cities with large black populations. Others based the need for enhanced patrols on past riots in urban areas (following professional sports events) and also on Internet rumors."

"The Oakland police last faced big riots in 2003 when the Raiders lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. Officials are bracing themselves in case residents of Oakland take Obama’s loss badly. "


“We’ve seen it on the Internet and we’ve heard that there could be civil unrest depending on the outcome of [the election,]” said Lt. Mark Briede of the Cincinnati Police Department. “We are prepared to respond in the case of some sort of unrest or some sort of incident.”

“If [Obama] is elected, like with sports championships, people may go out and riot,” said Bob Parks, an online columnist and black Republican candidate for state representative in Massachusetts. “If Barack Obama loses there will be another large group of people who will assume the election was stolen from him….. This will be an opportunity for people who want to commit mischief.”

So now it seems that regardless of who wins the election, there may be violence due to the anger, angst and general viciousness that has been born out of this election cycle. While I hope and pray that this never becomes a reality, I will be in prayer for our nation from now through the time that the outcome of the election is made known. How did we get to this point???





The entire article can be found at http://tinyurl.com/5vvtkp

Why a McCain Presidency is Good for the Economy

My mother's daily email forwarding brought a chuckle today and I thought it would be fun to share it.

A president's pension currently is $191,300 per year, until he is 80 years old.
Assume the next president lives to age 80.

Sen. McCain would receive ZERO pension as he would reach 80 at the end of two terms as president.

Sen. Obama would be retired for 26 years after two terms and would receive $4,973,80in pension.

Therefore it would certainly make economic sense to elect McCain in November.

Goon Squads Arrive in Missouri

In a political milieu that is poisoned with barbs sent from both camps, it is sickening that we learned in the last few days that Obama Goon Squads will be hitting the streets in St. Louis, Kansas City and other areas of Missouri. Led by such notable figures as the Circuit attorneys of St. Louis City and St. Louis County, Jennifer Joyce and Robert McCulloch and other law enforcement officials they have pledged to carry out an intimidation effort against those that the Obama campaign identify as producing "misleading" statements or advertisements against the Senator. The squads, called "Truth" squads, will threaten libel litigation against those who speak out against Obama in ways that THEY determine are adverse. Can you say 1939 Germany, Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini???

Both Joyce and McCulloch are Obama supporters and it appears that they are using their elected positions to catapult another crony into power through a blatant abuse of their elected positions. In addition, sheriffs in other counties have gotten on board with this movement. Whether libel suits can actually be carried out or not is debatable, however the threat is real, and as any lawyer knows, a suit can create havoc on so many levels for an individual even if the suit turns out to be frivolous and without merit.

There has also been no evidence provided that these officials will also be sweeping the media for adverse statements, advertisements or video media against the McCain/Palin ticket. To squelch any adverse expression on one side and allow the most base and vile filth to be spewed unfettered on the other side shows the HOPE and CHANGE that we can expect if Barack Hussein Obama and his minions are allowed to rise to supreme power over our country.