A Clunker for Those Wanting Cash

The Obama administration, with great fanfare and the acclaim of carmakers and environmental activists, announced earlier this year the wonderful 'Cash for Clunkers' program. Trade in your old car and get up to $4500 in credit towards a new car. A win-win right?

Today the Department of Transportation has suspended the program for fear of running out of money.

It has only been in operation since July 1. The online application that dealers use to get reimbursed for their $4500 for each customer they handed the deal to came online just last Friday. And hardly any dealer has actually received the reimbursement.

So the dealers are giving out the discounts of $4500, like they were requested to do, then they go to the website to be reimbursed by the federal government, like they were requested to do, and they don't get any money due to the backlog. Now the federal government is shutting down the program. Will they ever be reimbursed for the $4500 they have handed out?

Wow. A simple program like this should be fairly simple to administer. But they can't get it right. It hasn't even been in operation a month before the feds figured out they would go bankrupt from it.

And we want to hand them the keys to universal healthcare by August?

No way. I smell a lemon.

The Bigger Picture

Incidents this weekend have reminded me how little I understand about what I know and how it fits into the bigger picture. I love this quote -

Man has, through the richness of the intellectual quest, become more knowing, more clever, and more skeptical. But we have not become more profound or more reverent. Nor have we found a way to put our learning in the context of the eternal.

Josiah Royce

For all that we argue about, think we understand, proclaim that others just don't get it - do we get it ourselves? Has our presence moved the thoughts of those around us forward? Backward? Nowhere? I think it has more to do with humility than it does in realizing what we don't know. I find that when I am humble I am more teachable. As I am reading my biography of Samual Adams I consistently note the humility found in the Founding Fathers of our nation. I hope that I too can be humble enough to receive the counsel God would have me heed. Thank our God for second, third, and an infinity of chances to get it right.

A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words

Here is the organization chart for the new Democrat sponsored healthcare plan that they, and the president, are trying to ram through Congress.

Holy smokes.

Yeah, that ought to work seeing as how we are so good at eliminating bureaucracy and cutting the red-tape.

If you understand this chart then you need to run for office apparently . . .

Or you are just a big geeky nerd.

I Vant To Count the Uninsured!

To boost his plea for a rush on this Healthcare package he is ramming through Congress, the president told all 12 viewers of his infomercial last night that there are now 47,000,000 uninsured Americans.

Except he was wrong. Way off.

According to this Census Bureau report in August 2008, there were 46,000,000 uninsured Americans in United States at the end of 2007. However, nearly 10,000,000 of them were uninsured foreigners or illegals and another 9,000,000 were those who make over $75,000 annually and chose not to carry health insurance.

Remember that these are not off-the-cuff remarks, this is a prepared speech before a national television audience (albeit an unwilling audience) with facts that should be vetted and cited by source. Then again, this administration has shown a lack of consideration for the vetting process as evidence by its numerous Cabinet nominees that were discovered to have some ugly skeletons in the closet.

Mr. President, you seem to have a problem telling the truth when your cause is at stake. You will get farther with the American people if you don't lie to them. Ask Bill Clinton about that - I am sure your Secretary of State has his number.

In light of the numbers problems and your wish to create a czar (this term drives me nuts, it should be tsar) for everything, I would hope that you will nominate Count VonCount from Sesame Street as your new Counting Czar (Tsar). Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

Run Forrest!

What is the huge push by President Obama to get this Healthcare bill passed before Congress leaves for their August recess? He is going on primetime tv tonight to explain his Healthcare Plan to the American people.

Like that is going to go over well. Remember the last primetime news conference he made the networks run? Yeah, June 24. ABC begrudgingly showed it and finished 9th out of 12 in that time slot.

So what is the rush? Could it be because he is slipping in the public opinion polls? That the cost of his healthcare is skyrocketing?

Slow down Mr. President!

The next president is saying the same thing - slow down! Mitt Romney on Obamacare.

Congress rushed the first two stimulus packages through because it was absolutely necessary to save our economy. How is that working? It isn't.

Yet, the promised report on Gitmo closing and the spending cuts report - the ones that were promised with hard deadlines - have not yet been produced. No rush on those apparently.

Forrest Gump kept going fast but didn't know why he was going fast and running. President Obama knows why he is going fast, because he doesn't want you or Congress to understand what he is trying to implement. He is all about the victories in planning and legislation but when the rubber meets the road and it is time for physical implementation of the proposals he falls flat on his face.

Slow down Mr. President. Please.

Government Healthcare As A "Right", Not A "Good"

I read an excellent article today by Ron Paul about universal healthcare becoming a "right" instead of being classified as a "good." Read it here. Dr. Paul does an excellent job of explaining why healthcare should be be changed but not in the way the current administration is proposing. Since when was healthcare a right? Did it say something about it in the Constitution?

I must have missed that part. Maybe it is next to the section on gay marriage.

I agree that there are problems with healthcare in this country but government-owned universal healthcare, like universal education and universal employment for all, is not a right but a commodity and should be treated as such.

The more the government controls, the less you do and what type of decisions will they make? Decisions in your best interest or theirs?

Heh. Right.

So When Are Those Jobs Being Created?

When President Obama rammed the stimulus package through Congress in April 2009 it was with the promise that this would create jobs immediately because that is what the American people needed.

Many people didn't believe him then and less are believing him now.

9.25% unemployment last month.

No end in sight.

Where are those jobs Mr. President?

You have lost any credibility you previously had from the American people.

This is what happens when we elect a community organizer to the highest office in the land.

It's not the government's responsibility to bail out people and businesses who make bad decisions. Who is going to bail out the government now?

Thomas Jefferson would have been devastated.

Don't Save, SPEND Your Way Out of Bankruptcy

Joe Biden was in front of an AARP group in VA and told the audience that "we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt."

Really? Has that been my problem all along? Dang.

He also said "We are going to bankrupt as a nation."

Does Joe Biden think that being $1,000,000,000,000+ (trillion) in debt is not bankruptcy yet? So what is his threshold for being considered bankrupt? Read the article here.

Not only are we financially bankrupt but we are morally/ethically bankrupt as well and election of Barack Obama is proof of that.

As a Delawarean, I am ashamed that Joe Biden used to represent my home state. Joe, you are an imbecile.

All of you who voted for Obama/Biden, are you proud of your vote? Is this country better off than it was 6 months ago? All the warm fuzzies and the shivers up your leg gone?

Good. Welcome back to reality.

Democrats Own Everything Now

The Democrats own the White House.

The Democrats own the Senate.

The Democrats own the House.

No more excuses about debate or opposition, they have a super majority in the Senate and can pass anything they want through brute force.

No checks or balances. This is the scariest part of the equation - there is nothing the opposition can do short of convincing Democrats to change their vote. You and I can do that by contacting our members of Congress often. We put them in there and we can throw them out.

Problems with the economy? They are in charge, they own it. Our grandchildren will reap the most trouble from the latest spending spree.

Problems with terrorists? They own those problems. Closing Guantanamo isn't that easy, is it Mr. President?

Problems with the green movement, Al Gore, the Cap and Trade Act? They own that too.

Problems with the homosexual agenda? They own that, but Pandora's box has already been opened.

Healthcare issues? They will attempt to solve it with socialized health care, while charging you an arm and a leg to do it. You pay for the system but you don't reap any benefits - that is how socialism works. Ask Britain how wonderful their healthcare system is. Remember Hillarycare in 1993? Yup, same thing.

They are in charge and they will be held accountable in 2010 and 2012.

Republicans will also be held accountable for all that they try to do during this time, I hope they don't sit back and whine but get out there and fight.

How is it going so far?

You tell me.

Two New Causes To Investigate

I had a fantastic evening with a former missionary companion last night, just the two of us had an opportunity to go out to dinner and talk about things that were going on in our lives. He spoke passionately about his country, his love for American and her freedoms, how he was involved with Mitt Romney's campaign and his future involvement with conservative causes. I love him and admire him for all of the many things he has accomplished in his life, on top of which he is an amazing husband and father. He inspires me to be committed to things that I believe in and that is why I share these next two causes with you -

The first is the Patrick Henry Caucus. Patrick Henry reminds me of Nathan in the New Testament - a man without guile. Patrick Henry was not afraid to say what he believed in, no matter who he might offend or who might agree/disagree with him. He disagreed with the Founding Fathers at times but he always remained true to the cause of freedom and liberty. There is a movement afoot that encapsulates the ideals of Patrick Henry and promotes freedom and liberty no matter what the price that needs to be paid to return us to those. Please investigate the Patrick Henry Caucus here, I believe you will find it well worth your time. Thanks to my father-in-law, Bob Norman, for giving me the heads up for the Patrick Henry Caucus.

The second is the 9.12 project, headed by Glenn Beck. In the Independence Day parade here in Tooele we had a float that had the 9.12 project on it. I didn't know what it was and neither did my brother-in-law sitting next to me. I looked it up today and was surprised to find it was related to Glenn Beck. I have read many of Glenn Beck's books and although I don't like his move to FOX from CNN, he and I see eye to eye on many things. His 9.12 project mission statement is as follows -

This is a non-political movement. The 9-12 Project is designed to bring us all back to the place we were on September 12, 2001. The day after America was attacked we were not obsessed with Red States, Blue States or political parties. We were united as Americans, standing together to protect the greatest nation ever created.

I love the concept of not considering who belongs to what party but considering what our freedoms are and how we can protect and preserve them. Please check out the 9.12 project here and get involved.

Have a wonderful Independence Day, thank the Lord for all of the blessings you enjoy as a citizen of this country, and please be careful out on the roads as you travel tonight. 4th of July accidents are a terrible thing. :)