Over the course of the past month I’ve experienced an earthquake, a hurricane, and a dead satellite crashing back to earth.  My 401K is tanking, my President is becoming an even more far-left lunatic every day, and the American public was just subjected to the U.N.’s annual traveling circus of dictators, thugs, and homicidal maniacs.

 Our economy continues to implode, courtesy of the Obama administrations’ stifling policies and regulations, all implemented by a radical gang of academics who’ve never held a real job. And, for the first time in my adult life I’m in fear of losing my job and everything I’ve worked for; but it doesn’t matter.  I’ve seen the future and we’ll all be ok.

 I’ve seen the future in the eyes of my 7 month old grandson.  At yesterday’s family visit to a local museum I watched as his little eyes lit up in awe of the intricate wood carvings and wildlife exhibits that represented another in a long line of ‘firsts’ in his young life.  In his eyes I saw unlimited potential and was reminded of the very same potential that exists in each and every one of us.

 Our founders understood this concept and seized upon it as they designed our fledgling Republic.   

 Potential has no expiration date. It’s non-exclusive and has no agenda.  All it requires is that we understand that it lives in all of us and the only limits imposed on any of us are the ones we impose upon ourselves.

 I was beginning to worry about my future and the future of my country but I’m not worried any more.  Our future is bright.  Everything’s going to be ok.  I can see it in my grandson’s eyes.

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Over 2,500 years ago Chinese prophet Lao-tzu wrote the following words: ‘When taxes are too high, people go hungry.  When the government is too intrusive, people lose their spirit.  Act for the people’s benefit; trust them, leave them alone.’  These words ring just as true today as they did 500 years before the birth of Jesus, when Lao-tzu dictated them as the 75^th Verse of the Tao Te Ching.

Today we find ourselves hurtling towards the abyss of oppressive government intrusion into every aspect of our lives.  The uncertainty imposed upon our Republic by a Congress lacking the courage and integrity to address the extension of the Bush era tax cuts before the upcoming elections is unconscionable.  Kicking this can down the road, for no other reason than to avoid taking a public stance before Election Day, shows their total disregard for the people’s benefit. 

Our so-called leaders could learn something from Lao-tzu.  As he so eloquently stated: trust us and leave us alone.  Our founders knew this was the proper way to govern and structured our Constitution to insure it would be done so.  Over the past century America has inexorably migrated away from our Constitutional principles and morphed into a progressive State.  This metamorphosis accelerated after the 2006 elections and increased incrementally as a consequence of an uninformed electorate falling for ‘Hope and Change’ in 2008.

In a little more than a week we can take the first steps to getting our country back on track and begin once again to reassert American Exceptionalism.   Rather than resorting to the standard clichés like ‘less is more’, ‘keep it simple’, and ‘one step at a time’, I’ll defer once again to Lao-tzu and his sage wisdom on proper governing as detailed in the 60^th Verse of the Tao Te Ching:

‘Governing a large country is like frying a small fish.  You spoil it with too much poking.’

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Before you cast your vote next month take the time to find out where your candidate stands on life.  Are they pro-life or pro-choice?  It makes a world of difference to the most vulnerable among us.

The pro-choicers will give you the standard talking point that they feel abortion should be “safe, rare, and legal.”  How can a procedure that results in the death of a human being 100% of the time be considered safe?  How can a procedure that has been performed in the U.S. over 50 million times since 1972 be considered rare?  And how can a society sanction the murder of innocent children under cover of the law?

Roe v Wade ushered in one of our nation’s darkest hours and sent America sliding downward to a point where the value of human life has been diminished.  This loss of respect for the sanctity of life has had a cumulative effect on our society, resulting in senseless violence in schools and neighborhoods that were once considered safe havens for our children.

The Obama, Reid, Pelosi regime has no problem with abortion on demand, and that speaks volumes on their stance on life and the right to life of America’s unborn children.

This is what Illinois State Senator Obama said on March 30, 2001 while arguing against a ban on abortions in Illinois: “Number one, whenever we define a previable fetus as a person that is protected by the equal protection clause or other elements of the Constitution, what we’re really saying is, in fact, that they are persons that are entitled to the kinds of protections that would be provided to a child, a nine month old child that was delivered to term.  That determination then, essentially, if it was accepted by a court, would forbid abortions to take place.  I mean it would essentially bar abortions, because the equal protection clause does not allow somebody to kill a child, and if this is a child, then this would be an anti-abortion statute.”  Mr. President: with all due respect; duh.

America deserves better, and has a lot of things that need to be made right. Reversing Roe v Wade is one of the most important.

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Let me begin by saying that I don’t believe in coincidences.  I believe that every moment of your life and everything that you experience is preparing you for whatever comes next; if you’re paying attention.  I’m paying attention and more and more of my fellow Americans are doing the same.

Last week I was intrigued after hearing the following quote: “Tolerance is the virtue of a man without conviction.”  As I contemplated this quote I began to realize the logic and power of such a short but simple phrase.

Now for the perspective: I live on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, a relatively conservative area in a very blue state.  I also have the extreme misfortune of being represented in Congress by Democrat Frank Kratovil.  Kratovil rode the Obama wave into office in 2008 by a very narrow margin over State Senator and conservative, Andy Harris.

Even in a blue state like Maryland, Rep. Kratovil’s vote in favor of Cap & Trade put him on very shaky ground with the voters in his District.  And as the Obama agenda crashes and burns, Rep. Kratovil has apparently made the calculated decision that honor, integrity, and the truth have no place in his campaign.

Like I said, I don’t believe in coincidences.  About 8 hours after hearing the above quote, I happened upon a TV ad by Kratovil’s campaign proclaiming that his opponent, Senator Harris, wanted to increase our taxes by 23%.  Kratovil conveniently failed to mention that his opponent supports the FairTax which would do away with all other taxes and result in products and services costing the same or less than they do now while leaving you with your entire paycheck.  The ad was an obvious scare tactic by a politician desperate to keep his job at any cost.

As a military veteran and martial artist I have learned that you discover the true measure of a man when you place him under stress and take him outside his comfort zone.  Soon to be ex-Congressman Frank Kratovil shows his true measure with this distorted and blatant misrepresentation of the facts.

This is happening all over America, not just Maryland, with desperate entrenched politicians like Barney Frank and Alan Grayson running ads that dishonor their office, their constituents, and most importantly, their country.

“Tolerance is the virtue of a man without conviction” and if you don’t stand for something you’ll fall for anything.

Next month it all stops.  America’s tolerance for entrenched, corrupt, and morally bankrupt politicians ends.  Americans will show their conviction to honor, integrity, and the Constitutional principles that will set our new course to greatness.

And guess what; the abject failure of the Obama administration and the total disregard of the American people by this Congress prepared us all for the return to greatness that comes next.

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The more I try to understand the thinking of the U.S. and international political class the more confused and pissed off I get.

I must admit that before today I had no idea that the U.N. had an Office for Outer Space Affairs or that they were appointing a Malaysian astrophysicist as the ‘go to contact’ should extra-terrestrials decide to drop in on planet earth.  As a firm believer in the old adage that you never get a second chance to make a good first impression, I have a real problem with a bureaucrat from a worthless organization filling our “take me to your leader” position should such a visit occur.  In my humble opinion, and in the event that extra-terrestrials decide to make the long trip to our insignificant little planet as we rotate around a mediocre star, we should put our best foot forward and trot out our very best.  I suggest a welcoming party from Hooters, followed by a day of watching NFL football, and finishing the day in the front row of a Rush concert; but that’s just my opinion.

In a totally unrelated matter, what the hell is the President thinking?  As he signed new legislation into law today in a so-called step to aid small businesses, President Obama hailed the bill as a significant stride towards preventing U.S. businesses from outsourcing jobs overseas.  The President’s logic on this issue confuses me on several fronts.  In one hand he holds a bill that provides tax incentives for not shipping jobs out of the country while in the other hand he actively promotes the repeal of the Bush tax cuts for the very same businesses.  The President imposes an oil production moratorium in the Gulf, resulting in the loss of thousands of U.S. jobs, while we loan Mexico and Brazil over $3 billion to drill for and produce oil.  Incidentally, Mexico will be drilling in the Gulf, and both countries will be drilling at greater depths than the Deepwater Horizon.  Mr. President, you can’t have it both ways, and as Lee Iacocca said: “Lead, follow, or get the hell out of the way.”  May I suggest the latter?

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A good start, but not nearly enough.  A good start that will propel America light-years away from the failed policies that are dragging us to oblivion, as long as it is just a starting point and not a final goal.

The Republicans nailed it on several counts.  Requiring every bill to contain a citation of Constitutional authority, permanently ending taxpayer funding of abortion, ending government control of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and repealing the government takeover of health care are spot on, and absolute necessities if our Republic is to survive.

I feel they aimed too low with their goal to cut government spending to Pre-Stimulus, Pre-Bailout levels.  Although this would help slow the bleeding, it falls way short of the spending cuts needed to get America back to solvency.  I also feel they missed the boat on entitlement reform.  Their tepid language on protecting entitlement programs and preventing the expansion of unfunded liabilities struck me as more “kicking the can down the road” for these unsustainable, unaffordable programs.   Americans respect honesty and calling it like it is and I think the Republicans took a Mulligan on this one.  Absent a clear cut strategy for entitlement reform, I see no clear path to sustained economic recovery for America.

I like their idea of a tax deduction of 20 percent of business income for small businesses.  If they follow this up by cutting capital gains and corporate income taxes in half, our economy will go from ice cold to a blazing inferno in no time.  The Republican plan to make the Bush era tax cuts permanent is also a positive step but needs to be followed up with the implementation of a flat tax or FairTax to insure sustainable prosperity and continued economic growth.    

Last, but not least, the Republican plan for National and border security, while short on specifics, is the correct approach to undo the Obama administration’s weakening of America as the world’s preeminent super-power.

A Pledge to America; the groundwork for America’s return to greatness, if they do what they say and return honesty and integrity to governing.

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This week as Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pronounced I’m a nut job) is safely tucked under his 100 count linen sheets in one of New York’s finest hotels, U.S. military and civilian security forces will be placing themselves in harm’s way to insure his safety.  As he dreams sweet dreams of nuclear annihilation of Israel, writing checks for the bounty he has placed on the heads of our military heroes, and of his continued brutalization of his own people; assorted and sundry thugs, dictators, and rogue lunatics will be assembling at the U.N.

I see this as a prime opportunity to kill 2 birds with 1 stone, so to speak.

Arrest ‘I’m a nut job’ and ship his sorry ass to Gitmo.  This clown is an enemy combatant and has the blood of U.S. soldiers on his hands.  ‘I’m a nut job’ has provided armor-piercing explosively formed penetrators (EFPs) to insurgents in both Iraq and Afghanistan, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of America’s finest. When the Global War on Terrorism is over we’ll send him back to Iran and let the Iranian people decide his fate.  Until then, enjoy Cuba.  Hell, if the left wants to Mirandize him, that’s cool with me.

Ahmadinejad’s arrest would surely ignite a diplomatic firestorm at the U.N., and that’s the second bird in my equation.  While all the members of this Star Wars bar scene are assembled in one place, let’s evict them.  Let them go have their meetings and pass their meaningless resolutions somewhere else and on someone else’s dime.  Let them go back to the exclusive Austrian resort where they conducted a retreat, just this month, to discuss global poverty; all while they lived the high life; all at our expense.  Give them 48 hours to get out of town with whatever they can carry on their backs and let them find a new country to host their circus.

As for the indignant resolutions that will be oozing from the U.N. protesting our actions, I say, with all due respect, “screw you.”  Stay in touch and let us know how that diplomatic immunity thing works out for you when you convene in some hellhole like Mogadishu. The U.N. and everyone and everything associated with it deserves no less than to be run out of town on a rail; and it can’t happen fast enough.

Somebody call Imam Rauf and let him know that the U.S. taxpayers have a real fixer-upper on the Upper East Side that just became available; priced to move.  Make us an offer.

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Actually, it never left.  Like painting two Saint Bernards playing chess over the Mona Lisa, the masterpiece never went away, it was just temporarily obscured; the Mona Lisa by a cheesy painting, and American exceptionalism by power hungry politicians, unrestricted growth of the government, and the unwarranted entitlement mentality of more and more Americans, just to name a few.

The tide is changing and America’s yearning for a return our founding principles is almost palpable.

We didn’t get into the shape we are now in through the actions or inactions of one particular political party or any given segment of the population.  We all had a hand in it and it will take us all to make it right.  We all got fat and happy as citizens of the greatest country in the world and got a little too lazy when it came to preserving and protecting our Constitution and the way of life that our founders risked everything for.  

Despite the protestations from our friends on the left, conservative values are once again being embraced by America and calls for a return to smaller government, less taxation, and personal responsibility are being heard from coast to coast.

I believe with every fiber of my being that America was divinely inspired and that our founding fathers’ hands were guided by our Creator as they crafted our founding documents and put into motion the greatest human experiment in the history of the world.

America has stood as the model of freedom and opportunity for the rest of the world for over two centuries.  With our strength and wealth came the obligation to help those less fortunate than us, and we did.

Now, as a result of living beyond our means and spending money that we don’t have, America can barely keep herself afloat, much less help anyone else.

This year it all changes.  American exceptionalism returns with a vengeance and we take the first steps back to an America that Ronald Reagan called “a shining city upon a hill whose beacon light guides freedom-loving people everywhere.”

Our struggle to restore America’s greatness will not be easy and it won’t happen overnight.  It will take years, maybe a generation.  However long it takes and whatever the cost, it will be worth it.

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I’m tired of watching the politically correct of the world as they disrespect and minimalize our great religions with impunity while they tap dance around Islam for fear of offending someone.   They proclaim Islam as the religion of peace but I’m not seeing it.

Do Christians call for anyone depicting Jesus in an offensive manner to be summarily executed?  Do Hindus call for a holy war against anyone choosing to enjoy a cheeseburger?

A religion that sanctions the murder or enslavement of non-believers is not a religion of peace.  A religion that refers to non-believers as infidels and allows the honor killing of women is not a religion of peace.

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are the hallmarks of America.  Freedom of religion is intertwined and an integral component of these principals as long as the practice of your religion does not result in the denial of either of these rights to your fellow citizens.  With this in mind, I fail to see how Islam can be practiced, in accordance with the Quran, in America.  Since Islam preaches that the only remedy for non-believers is death, enslavement, or Dhimmitude, how can its practice fall within the Constitutional principles that our Republic was founded upon?

When I start seeing outrage from moderate Muslims over the execution order for a cartoonist who called for an “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” in Seattle I’ll adjust my opinion on Islam as a religion of peace.  When I see moderate Muslims draw a clear distinction between the beliefs they live by and those called out in the Quran, I’ll revise my opinion.  When non-Muslims can enter Mecca or Medina and enter a mosque without feeling threatened I’ll change my views.  When moderate Muslims explain what being a moderate Muslim means, I’ll change my opinion.

Islam may be a religion of peace, but as long as anyone who is even suspected of offending this religion must prostrate themselves before the world and fear for their life, I’m not buying it.

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Like everything else during their tenure, the Obama administration has got it all wrong with their position on repealing all or part of the Bush era tax cuts.  President Obama says that extending the tax cuts for Americans making $250,000.00 or more per year will cost the government $700 billion over 10 years.  He goes on to say that the government will have to borrow this $700 billion from foreign countries to cover his perceived shortfall.  This is totally wrong on so many counts.

Number one, and most importantly, letting all Americans keep more of their own money is not a cost to the government.  Tax revenue is exactly that; revenue.  If the President feels that the government is living beyond its means due to a lack of revenue, then do what average Americans and average businesses do; cut costs, eliminate non-essential departments, balance the budget, and pay down your debt.

Second, break out your Economics 101 textbook and read up on Reagan economist Art Laffer’s Laffer Curve.  Just to refresh your memory, the Laffer Curve clearly shows that as tax rates decrease the economic effect of more disposable income and less government spending on social programs results in more investment, more employment, and a vibrant, healthy economy.  This theory has been proven 3 times in recent history under the Harding, Kennedy, and Reagan administrations.

Third, the ‘evil rich’ who make over $250,000.00 also happen to be predominately small business owners who create most of the jobs in our economy.  You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to understand that raising taxes on small business owners will result in fewer jobs and fewer taxpayers.  Ask yourself the last time you were hired by a poor person.  The economic reality is this.  People and businesses with the financial wherewithal to create jobs do so.

Last, stop insulting our intelligence with semantics.  Repealing a tax cut is a tax increase.  Extending a tax cut does not give you the right to say you cut taxes.  The golden goose is fresh out of golden eggs.  Mr. President, get your own house in order and get the hell out of the way of American businesses and all working Americans.

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