Current politics in the US

[idesign]

Blind, lazy, complacent,

self-centered, materialistic consumerism? Us? Nahhh...

I barely know where to begin. You're right of

course, what we've done is promote and elect politicians and bosses to negotiate easy lives for ourselves, wherein

luxuries are entitlements and victims are created out of hardships.

As an aside, it occurs to me that the trend

of celebrity-ism is an outcome of this. People assume vicariously the lives of the rich and famous, believing

themselves as having the same qualities and privileges. So they put on the sunglasses, go on American Idol, and

get insulted by an a__hole with a leftover Fonzie t-shirt. Then ratings go through the roof when this year's

model gets caught with his/her pants down in a seedy hamster cage. The celeb is brought closer to the empty life of

the worshiper, narrowing the gap and comforting the unwashed, making it much easier to go back to the Mall and sell

knock-off P-Diddle bowl scrubbers, waiting to be discovered.

Sports? That's even worse. In the course of a

weekend, in the mind of of a couch warrior, battles are fought, won, lost and left to dry Mon-Fri on a cubicle wall

until next week. Staring at the standings chart he's left empty, so why not create a fantasy league to play with

until the real fantasy re-appears on Saturday? Damn! I've GOT to find tickets to that Victoria's Secret Bustier

Bowl next week. A bit of cheerleader lace and its back to criticizing the coach, this is serious business. "Honey,

don't bother me with the headlines, I'm trying to think. Where's my Lakers t-shirt?... the game's almost

on..."

Yes, there will be a lot of pissed off people when the lights go out, and they won't see it coming. I

think, however, that there is a remnant of those who see and don't like where we are. Just the fact that we're

having this discussion here along with, I'm sure, a thousand other places. The question remains, is the "Great

Divide" so big as to be irreconcilable? Is there an "us v. them" with no bridge? Notions of bi-partisanship become

rather silly when faced with choices between freedom and tyranny.

Like you say Tim, the politicians are staring

us down. They've abrogated every sense of responsibility to their oaths and obligations to the country and the

people who've elected them. When they turn on the people, will the people turn back? How many? In what way?

Belgareth has some interesting comments about this in the other current thread. I tend to agree with him. This

country has produced too many freedom loving people who will not suffer tyrants.

I saw on the news the other

night a sign being held at a rally. "Its our turn for a "Change". I like that, and hopefully more events like

the Mass. election will occur. One problem though is even if we boot the bastards out, can we undo what's already

in place?

[belgareth]

IACOCCA SPEAKS OUT ON OBAMA
Just as true today as it

was when his book first came out.
He was, and still is, a brilliant

businessman!
Often we need to be reminded of Iococca's

words.
Remember Lee Iacocca, the man who rescued Chrysler Corporation from its

death throes? He's now 82 years old and has a new book, 'Where Have All The Leaders

Gone?'.
Lee Iacocca Says:
'Am I the

only guy in this country who's fed up with what's happening? Where the hell is our outrage with this so called

president? We should be screaming bloody murder! We've got a gang of tax cheating clueless leftists trying to steer

our ship of state right over a cliff, we've got corporate gangsters stealing us blind, and we can't even run a

ridiculous cash-for-clunkers program without losing $26 billion of the taxpayers' money, much less build a hybrid

car. But instead of getting mad, everyone sits around and nods their heads when the politicians say, 'trust me the

economy is getting better..'
Better? You've got to be kidding. This is

America , not the damned, 'Titanic'. I'll give you a sound bite: 'Throw all the Democrats out along with

Obama!'
You might think I'm getting senile, that I've gone off my rocker,

and maybe I have. But someone has to speak up. I hardly recognize this country

anymore..
The most famous business leaders are not the innovators but the guys

in handcuffs.. While we're fiddling in Afghanistan , Iran is completing their nuclear bombs and missiles and

nobody seems to know what to do. And the liberal press is waving 'pom-poms' instead of asking hard questions.

That's not the promise of the ' America ' my parents and yours traveled across the ocean for. I've had enough.

How about you?
I'll go a step further. You can't call yourself a patriot if

you're not outraged. This is a fight I'm ready and willing to have. The Biggest 'C' is Crisis! (Iacocca

elaborates on nine C's of leadership, with crisis being the first.)
Leaders

are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis. It's easy to sit there with thumb up your butt and

talk theory. Or send someone else's kids off to war when you've never seen a battlefield yourself. It's another

thing to lead when your world comes tumbling down.
On September 11, 2001, we

needed a strong leader more than any other time in our history. We needed a steady hand to guide us out of the

ashes. A hell of a mess, so here's where we stand.
We're immersed in a bloody

war now with no plan for winning and no plan for leaving. But our soldiers are dying

daily.
We're running the biggest deficit in the history of the world, and

it's getting worse every day!
We've lost the manufacturing edge to Asia ,

while our once-great companies are getting slaughtered by health care costs.


Gas prices are going to skyrock again, and nobody in power has a lucid plan to

open drilling to solve the problem. This country has the largest oil reserves in the WORLD, and we cannot drill for

it because the politicians have been bought by the flea-hugging environmentalists.


Our schools are in a complete disaster because of the teachers union.


Our borders are like sieves and they want to give all illegals amnesty and

free healthcare.
The middle class is being squeezed to death every day.


These are times that cry out for

leadership.
But when you look around, you've got to ask: 'Where have all the

leaders gone?' Where are the curious, creative communicators? Where are the people of character, courage,

conviction, omnipotence, and common sense? I may be a sucker for alliteration, but I think you get the

point.
Name me a leader who has a better idea for homeland security than making

us take off our shoes in airports and throw away our shampoo?
We've spent

billions of dollars building a huge new bureaucracy, and all we know how to do is react to things that have already

happened.
Everyone's hunkering down, fingers crossed, hoping the government

will make it better for them. Now, that's just crazy.. Deal with life.
Name

me an industry leader who is thinking creatively about how we can restore our competitive edge in manufacturing. Who

would have believed that there could ever be a time when 'The Big Three' referred to Japanese car companies? How

did this happen, and more important, look what Obama did about it!
Name me a

government leader who can articulate a plan for paying down the debit, or solving the energy crisis, or managing the

health care problem. The silence is deafening. But these are the crises that are eating away at our country and

milking the middle class dry.
I have news for the Chicago gangsters in

Congress. We didn't elect you to turn this country into a losing European Socialist state. What is everybody so

afraid of? That some bonehead on NBC or CNN news will call them a name? Give me a break. Why don't you guys show

some spine for a change?
Had Enough? Hey, I'm not trying to be the voice of

gloom and doom here. I'm trying to light a fire. I'm speaking out because I have hope - I believe in America . In

my lifetime, I've had the privilege of living through some of America 's greatest moments.. I've also

experienced some of our worst crises: The 'Great Depression,' 'World War II,' the 'Korean War,' the 'Kennedy

Assassination,' the 'Vietnam War,' the 1970's oil crisis, and the struggles of recent years since

9/11.
Make your own contribution by sending this to everyone you know and care

about. It's our country, folks, and it's our future. Our future is at stake!!

[idesign]

Obama has

suspicious number of letter-writing fans named 'Ellie

Light'


[url]http://www.cleveland.com/open/index.ssf/2010/01/letter_writer_claims_diverse_r.html[/ur

l]

http://patterico.com/2010/01/23/elli...letter-writer/

Poster's Note:
The implications of this are enormous. Ever try to get a letter published

in your local paper? Its near impossible without writing dozens of letters over a long period of time. How could

one person get published simultaneously in dozens of papers? The same name with the same letter, all with a local

address?

We can come to our own conclusions, but it smells like week-old fish, wrapped in a newspaper.

[belgareth]

It isn't really as hard as you

make it sound to get published in letters to the editor. I've done it a number of times. However, the coincidence

is rather startling, to say the least. Nobody in their right mind would believe it wasn't a propaganda push. The

thing that amazes me most is the sheer chutzpa of thinking nobody would notice the same name being used in so many

papers. Of course, the government is going to deny having anything to do with it.

You did hear that he is back

to meeting with his campaign people, right? My guess is he wants to start another internet buzz going like he did

for the elections. He's got a good propaganda arm going. One has to wonder what his ultimate goal is. I don't like

his beliefs and feel he is damaging the country severely but don't for a minute think he is stupid or acting

randomly. His actions are carefully planned out.

[Mtnjim]

I'm really surprised that the more

"politically inclined" members haven't had any comments about last Thursday's Supreme Court ruling about business

and unlimited spending. I'm guessing that within 3 years, every politician will be fully owned by some

multinational, if they aren't already.

[belgareth]

It doesn't just impact

businesses, it impacts the unions as well. They can also contribute as much as they want. Its a double edged sword

that hopefully will lead to realistic campaign finance reform. Not with this administration or the last few but

hopefully over time the crooks will get thrown out of office.

I don't have a link to it but I did find the

other side of the issue iteresting. A number of major businesses sent an open letter to congress asking them to stop

calling for donations. It seems congress and the senate have been hitting the corporations pretty hard for money.

I'm wondering if the real issue isn't the prostitutes in the govrnment selling their votes rather than businesses

trying to buy them. That would put quite a slant on the claim of businesses wanting to buy government.

[idesign]

I'm really

surprised that the more "politically inclined" members haven't had any comments about last Thursday's Supreme

Court ruling about business and unlimited spending. I'm guessing that within 3 years, every politician will be

fully owned by some multinational, if they aren't already.

It doesn't just

impact businesses, it impacts the unions as well. They can also contribute as much as they want. Its a double edged

sword that hopefully will lead to realistic campaign finance reform. Not with this administration or the last few

but hopefully over time the crooks will get thrown out of office.

I don't have a link to it but I did find the

other side of the issue iteresting. A number of major businesses sent an open letter to congress asking them to stop

calling for donations. It seems congress and the senate have been hitting the corporations pretty hard for money.

I'm wondering if the real issue isn't the prostitutes in the govrnment selling their votes rather than businesses

trying to buy them. That would put quite a slant on the claim of businesses wanting to buy

government.

Term limits!

And a cap on what any candidate can spend, no matter the source.

Bloomberg has been buying NYC out of pocket.