"FROM MY COLD DEAD HANDS"

The rationale used by those people who seek to disarm the American public has always puzzled me. Many years ago I thought they were just misinformed and didn't really know the true facts and statistics concerning firearm use and/or possession by the private citizen. The Second Amendment was ratified in 1791 and the National Rifle Association was founded in 1871. That pretty much sums up the timeline on guns in America until 1934. Brought about by the lawlessness and rise of gangster culture during prohibition, Congress passed the National Firearms Act. President Franklin Roosevelt hoped this act would eliminate automatic-fire weapons like machine guns from America's streets. To make his point, he slapped a $200 tax on all firearms. This was a significant amount in those days; equal to roughly $2,500 in today’s economy. After President John F. Kennedy was shot in November 1963, the public hue and cry was horrendous, although considering the gravity of the situation, not unwarranted. People were outraged that an individual with a history of mental illness could buy a gun (through the mail no less) and assassinate the President of the United States.

In 1968 the Gun Control Act was passed. The assassination of Robert Kennedy and the subsequent assassination of Martin Luther King fueled its quick acceleration into law. License requirements were expanded to include more dealers, and more detailed recordkeeping was expected of them; handgun sales over state lines were restricted; the list of persons dealers could not sell to grew to include those convicted of felonies (with some exceptions), those found mentally incompetent, drug users and more. The act also defined persons who were banned from possessing firearms.

I absolutely understand the public outcry. I am the first person to agree that there are people who should not be allowed to own a firearm of any kind and I strongly supported this legislation. When John Hinckley attempted to assassinate President Ronald Regan on March 30, 1981, and in the process shot press secretary James Brady and police officer Thomas K. Delehanty, the politicians in their haste to garner favor with their constituency, rapidly accelerated (as usual) their anti gun agenda to light speed. James Brady became the lightening rod for anti gun legislation. Sarah Brady was given unfettered access to the halls of government in order to push her anti gun agenda. Nobody in the government was about to stand in the way of her campaign against guns unless they were contemplating political suicide. In 1985 her campaign joined forces with an organization called Handgun Control, Inc. (HCI) of which she became the chair in 1989. As they say, the rest is history.

In retrospect, there has been some constructive legislation that was spawned by HCI and their splinter groups. However, the fear mongering, distortion of the truth and the outright lies perpetrated by these groups have been absolutely absurd. They (HCI) publish statistics that are baseless and unfounded at the very least and outright lies in their content. Suddenly every gun owner became a potential suspect and every gun a potential threat. Look no further than the Peoples’ Republic of California to see the result of anti gun hysteria gone wild. The current California gun control laws far outstrip any federal regulations in volume and scope. Yet the crime rate, with or without firearms for all intents and purposes; unchanged. The old shop worn saying; “when guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns” is without a doubt the most accurate truism (self evident truth) of the gun control controversy.

In 1994, a bill commonly referred to as; “The Assault Weapons Ban” was passed. This bill banned the manufacture, possession or importation of new semi-automatic (one bullet is fired for each pull of the trigger) assault weapons and large capacity magazines for civilian use. On the surface it seems like such a compassionate law sculpted with only the very best intentions of the political illuminati. In essence, it was just another “gun grabbing” piece of legislation aimed at that suspicious group of folks called; gun owners. No one should have any illusions about what was accomplished (by the ban). Assault weapons play a part in only a small percentage of crime. The provision is mainly symbolic and is all smoke and mirrors. The real virtue of this legislation is that it will be a stepping stone to broader gun control in the future. The cold hard facts are this: Less than one-half of one percent of gun crimes involves “assault weapons”.

A major point I want to make concerning this assault on our inalienable rights is that the framers of our Constitution were so adamant about the right of the people to keep and bear arms that they made it one of the first three provisions of the Bill of Rights: Freedom of religion, freedom of speech and the right to keep and bear arms. Anti gunners argue this amendment only refers to the militia and not the private citizen. In those days the people were the militia. The intention of this amendment is crystal clear. One last point I’d like to make concerning the Bill of Rights is this: We are guaranteed the freedom of religion, not the freedom from religion. So I say to rabble rousing, malcontent heretics like Michael Newdow and his ilk; why don’t you stick your atheistic rant where the sun doesn’t shine?

Gary Kleck (http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/p/faculty-gary-kleck.php) is a Professor in the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. He is a lifelong registered Democrat, a contributor to liberal Democratic candidates and his background reads like a who’s who and a what's what list of liberal causes: The ACLU, Amnesty International USA, Common Cause, Democrats 2000 and Independent Action just to name a few. Due to a lack of creditable data, Mr. Kleck did extensive research in an effort to determine the number of defensive gun uses (DFG) that occurred every year in America. Mr. Kleck found substantial supportive evidence that there were over 2 million DFG’s every year. Keep in mind that this figure does not include how many times criminals were dissuaded from their objective by an armed citizen who “brandished” a firearm (To wave or flourish a weapon menacingly). Mr. Kleck’s research proves beyond any reasonable doubt that the private ownership of guns is a major deterrent to criminal behavior.

Responsible gun ownership by private citizens is an integral part of the foundation upon which our country was founded. Any argument to the contrary is without merit and counter productive to the well being of our society. Due to the societal make up and the extensive population density in this country, depending on the police to protect us, our family and our property is an ideal we can ill afford to endorse. It’s time we faced the reality that there are a multitude of left wing, anti gun lunatics in our government who would like nothing better than to disarm the populace. We must stand up and be counted before it is to late. Look no further than our neighbors across the pond (England) to see what happens when apathy and ignorance replace truth and commitment:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTq2NEUlhDE
If this isn’t a wake up call then we are doomed as a society and will, beyond any doubt, reap what we have sown.

President-elect Obama’s Attorney General Appointee, Eric Holder, is going to get fast tracked right into office by our representatives’. Obama has said he will not interfere with our gun rights and with anti gun thugs like Holder he doesn’t have to. Holder will do it for him. Obama's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, was Bill Clinton's "point man on gun control". When he ran for congress, Sarah Brady herself issued a statement saying; "Rahm Emanuel has stood side-by-side w/the Brady Campaign and the Million Mom March to fight the scourge of gun violence in America. We are facing the greatest challenge to our 2nd Amendment rights in history. Make no mistake my friends, the wolf is at the door and our time is at hand! It’s time to get involved. Write, call or phone your government representatives’. Isn’t your freedom worth five minutes of your time?

“Those who hammer their guns into plowshares will plow for those who do not”.

Thomas Jefferson

THE BAILOUT

aka:

POLITICAL THEATRE OF THE ABSURD

I have heard endless discussions on the pros and cons of the financial bail out. Everybody seems to have at least one opinion as to why, how much or when. There is a multitude of catch phrases, buzz words and protracted ideological musings making their way through Americana that attempt to condemn or support this latest "entitlement" program. I have not the background nor the intellectual capacity required to dissect this tumultuous can of worms. However, like the rest of us I have an opinion supported by facts that may shed a new light on this “PROFOUND POLITICAL THEATRE”.

From a prima fascia standpoint I find a number of flaws in this bailout. First and foremost, where the hell is this money coming from? America is currently in debt to the tune of eleven trillion dollars (not to be confused w/the federal deficit). This represents the combined indebtedness of intra-governmental holdings coupled with debt held by the public. Our government is broke. The only way that this bailout can get off the ground is by printing more money. Since America has been off of the gold standard since 1933 there is absolutely nothing that guarantees the worthiness of the dollar. The projected cost of this bail out is expected to reach as high as four trillion dollars in the next four years. When the theoretical economics of this plan catch up with practical application, look out America. There will be double digit inflation, double digit unemployment and double digit interest rates. I don’t care whose rules of economics you apply be it Obama-nomics or those of noted Harvard economics professor Kenneth Rogoff. We are in a recession and the bill for this government giveaway is going to come due sooner or later, but rest assured that it will come due.

Secondly, a large part of the government’s plan to jump start this floundering economy is with a multitude of public works projects. I know this sounds exciting and has that sacrosanct FDR ring to it. Delightful visions of “New Deal” politics and programs like the WPA, TVA and the NRA (National Recovery Administration) come dancing through one’s mind. This is music to the ears of the beltway politicians. To invoke and administer the ideals of the grand daddy of entitlement programs is an honor indeed. There is one small flaw to this logic other than paying for these projects. There is a federal law called the Davis Bacon Act of 1931 that is a United States federal law which established the requirement for paying prevailing wages on public works projects. How does this affect the application of bailout funds you ask? This law requires non-union contractors working on public works projects to pay the “prevailing union scale” to all employees. It is nearly impossible for a small company, much less a start-up company, to qualify. For small companies to get bonded for a public works project is next to impossible these days. The only people that are going to benefit from these public works projects are well established larger contractors. As usual, the little guy gets left out in the cold. However, this does allow the politicians to funnel money to their union constituency. Only 12% of American companies are unionized with 5% of that being government unions. The Democrats have always had the union leaders in their pocket and still do. In essence, only a very small percentage of the American work force is going to profit. The “trickle down” from this stimulus package is negligible at best.

let’s talk about Detroit and the Big 3. The Detroit bailout has taken center stage for the past six months. Nancy Pelosi and her traveling troupe of jesters have harangued this issue to death. The highlight of this sitcom came when the Big 3 CEO’s were harshly criticized for their reckless use of personal jets to fly from Detroit to Washington DC. However, with our country buried in red ink, Nancy Pelosi has no problem flying from Washington, DC to her home in California in a USAF C-40A (see picture) on an almost weekly basis.

The C-40, described by the Air Force as: “An office in the sky w/beds, two galleys and business type seating”. The plane is equipped the most sophisticated electronics and avionics available. This way she may stay in constant touch with the White House. She’s not even in touch with her own constituency for crying out loud! The expense to the taxpayer for this “fringe benefit” is $60 thousand one way or an annual expense of $6 million. This is, however, justified by the fact that the government feels that this type of security and convenience is appropriate for the leading lady of this farcical comedy. Give me a break! We are constantly faced with this political elitism that smacks of a dual standard of conduct that is so far gone awry that no amount of recalibration will ever right the ship of state. The government is picking our pockets with both hands. This is the only way they can prop up corrupt financial institutions who should have never survived in the free market in the first place. However, I digress. Back to the Big 3 and the purported bailout.

If you really think that our government’s intention is to bail out the car companies, you are either delusional, uninformed or both. Let me make this very clear to everyone. The government is not bailing out the Big 3; they are bailing out Ron Gettelfinger and the United Auto Workers (UAW). This is an absolute no brainer. The UAW has approximately 500,000 active members and 575,000 retired members. Negotiating for overly generous health benefits for union members has aided and abetted the decline of the auto industry. The “Big Three” collectively spent almost $10 billion on health insurance in 2002 and $12 billion in 2008, yet UAW has heedlessly continued to waste money. Big governments’ primary concern is not the Big 3. The health of Ford, Chrysler and GM is a by-product of the UAW bailout. The beltway bandits are only concerned with the 1 million+ votes the UAW represents, nothing more, nothing less. If this union was allowed to go bankrupt, the votes the Democrats’ stand to lose in the future is astronomical. Michigan would probably never again vote Democratic.

Ron Gettelfinger has a base pay of approximately $160 thousand a year. With the perks he enjoys such as meals, travel, lodging and his staff of goons, thugs and advisors, some people speculate that the job may be worth close to $8 million a year! Now couple these trivial incidental dollars to the fact that the UAW has built a luxurious “private members only” country club at their members’ expense: http://www.blacklake.com/ This place has a full sized gym, two basketball courts, an Olympic sized pool, sauna/steam rooms, billiard tables and on and on ad nauseum. This extravagant, palatial country club was built with sweat equity of the membership. How many do you think will ever get a chance to play there? Never a mention of this by the congressional interrogators who slammed the Big 3 CEOs’ for their irresponsible business practices.

I am not anti union nor am I anti big business. However, there is so much underhanded politics going on “in front” of the scenes that to conger up what goes on behind the scenes is truly frightening. We have been sold a bill of goods by our leaders in Washington, Democrats and Republicans alike. There must be a moral accounting, a true reconciliation of fiscal responsibility and economic integrity. It is time for us all to step up and be counted. Even a short email to your representative is better than NOTHING! Tell them you want an honest and impartial disclosure of your tax dollars. The operative word there is yours by the way. If there is any question on whom or how to contact your elected player in this comedy of errors, here is the link:
http://www.conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm

Those decade old anthems of the 60's ring now, truer than ever:

"POWER TO THE PEOPLE" & "QUESTION AUTHORITY"

A MUST READ POST

Author: Anonymous

This comes from an employer who is being very honest with his employees. I wish he had written it to the world. But, because he didn't, I am passing it on to those of you who might share it with others.

The small business boss explains the options :

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country. However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a back story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the back story.

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the Goodwill store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, would be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip like a 1 year old special-needs child. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... You never realize the back story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bail-out all the people who didn't. The people who overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for. Those who went out and took on a home mortgage they could not afford, simply because it was permitted by a program conjured up by the government to promote home ownership at any level of income called Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac.

Yes, business ownership has its benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds.

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% for their hard work? No one! Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washingtonblack-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I fire you. I fire your co-workers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed and with it will be my citizenship.

If you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution and changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about....

Okay, now Obama is saying for 2009 if your business earns more than $250,000 of income after you have already paid taxes on the amount to arrive at this figure, you will then be the hardest hit tax payer for reaping that much income. This means my small business will now no longer be capable of reinvesting that income back into the business for increasing more work, more jobs, higher raises and income, increased benefits, etc..you name it.

On top of that, a very generous donation has been made in our names (Mr. & Mrs. Taxpayer) to bail out those business executives who failed to properly manage, to sacrifice as I did, or to plan for their businesses over time while flying around in corporate jets, spending huge amounts of money on lavish tax write off parties, fringe benefits and then to see those companies after collapse, paying out very generous CEO Pensions, bonuses and buy outs in the multi-millions after their sorry performance failed their companies and employees. Say goodbye to free enterprise folks. You elected them, you reap the outcome.

AIG/CITIGROUP

MERRILL LYNCH/MORGAN STANLEY

GOLDMAN SACHS/BEAR STEARNS

FANNIE MAE/FREDDIE MAC

GENERAL MOTORS/CHRYSLER

"And numerous other banks and financial institutions"

PROSTITUTES OF THE FOURTH ESTATE

Novelist Jeffrey Archer in his work The Fourth Estate made the observation: "In May 1789, Louis XVI summoned to Versailles a full meeting of the Estates General. The First Estate consisted of three hundred clergy. The Second Estate, three hundred nobles. The Third Estate, six hundred commoners. Some years later, after the French Revolution, Edmund Burke, looking up at the Press Gallery of the House of Commons, said, “Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all.”

This statement by Edmund Burke rings truer today than at any point in the history of this great nation. The news media (The Fourth Estate) has taken it upon them selves to be the judge, jury and executioner where the dissemination of news is concerned. They decide what to print and when to print it but the alarming fact is that they decide what and how to say it. In essence, they no longer print or broadcast the news, they make the news. Tabloids like the Enquirer pale in comparison to the New York Times or the San Francisco Chronicle, just to name a few. These papers are so blatantly biased in their reporting that if one didn’t know better (and many don’t) you would think that liberalism and left wing fringe politics was the only safe haven for the common man. Their pages wreak of rancid political propaganda that defies logic. Their blatant bias was never more obvious than during the presidential election. Barack Obama made some spectacular blunders and misspeaks on the campaign trail but these were never reported by the media. However, all John McCain had to do was open his mouth and they were all over him like a cheap suit. Never mind John McCain, what about Sarah Palin? I don’t believe that I have ever seen anyone so viciously attacked by the media. Not only did they attack her politically, they attacked her personally and pummeled her family as well. The redundant media mantra was her lack of inexperience. Even though she had extensive experience in government from the local (school board/mayor) to the state level (sitting Governor) she was consistently dismissed for her “lack of experience”. The media showed complete disregard for her leadership and involvement in several major energy committees that regulated West Slope oil revenue disposition. They conveniently forgot about her integrity in taking dishonest members of her own Republican party to task for malfeasance. The fascist fringe bloggers went so far as to insinuate that somehow there was an incestuous relationship between Bristol Palin and her father. Absolutely disgusting.

Now that Hilary Clinton has become the “not yet confirmed” Secretary of State Appointee in the Obama White House there is a vacant senate seat in New York and lo and behold who is the front runner? Why it’s non other than Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, a New York socialite and the daughter of John F. Kennedy. She has absolutely no experience and is totally unqualified to fill this seat however she is lauded as the second coming of Camelot by the liberal media and her qualifications, or the lack thereof, are absolutely ignored by the media. The New York Times has already started a full court press to see to it that Governor David Paterson appoints her to this powerful position. Unfortunately, the primary focus of most politicians once they are elected is to get reelected; hence Governor Paterson will undoubtedly appoint Mrs. Schlossberg to the seat. I do not question her character or her integrity as I am sure she is a fine person. Regardless, she is no more qualified to be a sitting senator than I am. What I want to know is; where is the parody? Sarah Palin was so much more qualified to be the Vice President than Mrs. Schlossberg is qualified to be a senator that there is absolutely no comparison, NONE! Yet Sarah Palin is shredded by the media and Mrs. Schlossberg is elevated to icon status overnight by the same group of attack dogs.

The point of this post is that the liberal left is being propped up on a continuous basis by the self serving media. The left makes themselves out to be the pathetic victims of society when in actuality they are the ones victimizing their own constituency. There is no balanced reporting and there is no objective news coverage because 95% of the media is literally and figuratively in bed with the left. We have become a nation torn asunder by arrogant politicians and self serving media hype. We are the greatest country in the world and we need to take our country back from those who are attempting to steal it away from us. Please stand up and be counted. Don’t allow the “Prostitutes of the Fourth Estate” to take away your sense of self worth and well being. Let not the sacrifices of our forefathers be in vain. We respect the past, we are the present and we look to the future. GOD BLESS AMERICA!

A NATION ON THE BRINK?

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America. For many Americans this will be the most significant political event since “Camelot”. For many others it is the epitome of symbolism over substance.

The presidential rhetoric is over and America has elected a new leader. I have never been a fan of Barack Obama and I have always been suspect of his political background from the very beginning. The current political climate in Illinois has a sitting Governor involved in a play for pay scandal for Obama’s U.S. Senate seat. I am amazed that Barack Obama has no knowledge of the inner workings of this corrupt group of politicians and their constituents considering that he is the off spring of this corrupt political machine. You don’t go from obscure state politician to obscure U.S. Senator to President of the United States without someone fast tracking your career. His associations with Governor Blagojevich, Mayor Daley, William Ayers, Tony Rezko, Barry Diller, David Katzenberg, David Geffen, David Axelrod and George Soros among others has always been suspect but always under played by the media. I will abstain from commenting about Obama spending twenty plus years under the spiritual tutelage of hate monger Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

All this said I hope with all of my heart that my suspicions are unfounded and Barack Obama becomes the greatest president that America has ever known. Regardless of our political affiliations or our distrust of the current political climate, the fact is we are a nation in turmoil both morally and economically. We desperately need someone to lead us out of this maze of indecision and inequity. In our lifetime there has never been a president entering office at a more tumultuous time than now and no president has been handicapped with any greater expectations than Mr. Obama. People are expecting miracles from this man but unless you are laboring under some messianic delusion you know that it will take years to dig ourselves out of this hole. Wholesale changes must be made and they must be made now! This on going bail out of the “free market” has become status quo. Bail outs have become tantamount to social security. Everybody should be entitled!

All Americans need to understand one basic economic principle: THE FREE MARKET (FM) WORKS. The FM is the basis for our entire economic structure and is 100% responsible for our economic success. Politicians cannot manipulate the FM and expect it to continue functioning in a productive manner. Manipulation of the FM by politicians is parallel to putting a condom on the economy. If it can no longer function in the manner in which it was designed its output diminishes. People are so quick to affix blame that they can’t wait to throw someone or somebody under the proverbial bus. If it’s not GM, Ford or Chrysler it’s the UAW or Exxon, BP, Chevron or Standard Oil. For some reason the American public always needs a scapegoat for their unresolved problems. Many may feel that this is an over simplification of the current crisis but here is the answer. THE FREE MARKET WORKS. If you consistently make bad management decisions, you fail. If you make an inferior product or one that nobody wants, you fail. It’s really quite simple yet we can’t seem to accept this premise, especially when it affects us directly. We have become accustomed to instant gratification. We want it fixed now and we do not want any inconvenience or pain associated with the healing process. If we allowed the automakers to go bankrupt that would require them to make the appropriate filings with the bankruptcy court and after all was said and done they would come out of bankruptcy much leaner and meaner than they went in. They would again become a viable pillar of the FM. This is also applicable to the Wall St. firms who have been propped up with tax dollars. I realize that in the process many Americans would lose their jobs but the end would justify the means. Eventually we would come back stronger and more viable than ever. Unfortunately this will never happen because it is far too painful and by no means instant.

This is why I hope Barack Obama will become the greatest president in history. Anyone who does not wish this man the very best in his future endeavors is a fool. Without a strong and steady hand on the ship of state we are more than likely to sail into uncharted waters from where we may not return.