North Korea…..In March, the Obama Administration promised food/aid to North Korea in exchange for a moratorium on long range missiles. Now, supposedly, that is threatened due to the fact that North Korea has said it will go ahead with some missile tests. To me, the operative word is ‘moratorium’. A moratorium is simply a delay or suspension. Not a promise NOT to conduct the tests. North Korea has continued to make a fool of the U.S. With this just being the latest, the exchange should have been a firm, non-negotiable WILL NOT conduct the tests. All they’ve done is allowed us, American citizens, to provide aid to a country that demonizes and threatens us while refusing to treat their citizens with basic human rights. Along with the overzealous Iranians, they will never fear anything. Russia and China are both on the U.N. Security Council and have refused to allow any type of firm action or sanctions to be imposed. Why? They’re communists!! Seriously? It’s time for the United States to man-up. Stop all aid. I mean until after the election. I hear there will be more flexibility. Aye, Comrade?

Supreme Court…..The Supreme Court is currently in session. With the Affordable Healthcare Act being argued, an item from last week seems to have slipped to the back burner. The “life without parole for minors” debate has been a hot issue since it started being used. But, in my view, this shows our inability to put the real issue on the surface. Being a child is the issue that should be made firm. It’s weird to me that a 14 year child can be put to such an ultimate sentence. With the prosecution, I’m sure, arguing that the child planned, studied, waited, etc. and carried out an ‘adult crime’. Then, that same prosecutor will try to convince the same jury that a child of the same age doesn’t have the capacity to choose to have intimate relations. And that decision can ruin an adult’s life complete. In no way am I saying adults should have a free pass when it comes to children. Not even close. My argument is to define a child as a child. Our society has chosen to pick and choose what crimes a child can and can’t commit. When a child is a child and when they’re not. Either you know right from wrong or you don’t. I’m not saying that a murderous child shouldn’t be punished. But are they children or not? What should change are the guidelines to allow their release from incarceration at a certain age. Upon rehabilitation, of course. How has their record been while incarcerated? And when they are let out and start veering back towards their adolescent ways, allow the prosecution to admit their juvenile record into an adult trial. That’s a fair tradeoff. You allow the child to be accountable for their actions as well as show authorities that it was just an immature mistake. But, the definition should be “What is a child?”
The GOP Nomination…..As the GOP nomination process begins to look like the Eveready Bunny (while the going on forever would fit, I am more inclined to use the annoying banging cymbals in the analogy), the talk will for sure turn to Romney (presumably) and his thoughts for a running mate. While I am unsure who I’d like to see in the end, here are some things that I feel he will consider. I’ve said this to my circle from the start about Mitt Romney: His biggest hurdle will be his Mormonism. I didn’t say that it should or that I believe one way or the other about The Mormons. Whether the politically correct want to admit it, this is still a Christian nation. If you know anything about the Mormon faith, you know where and how they came to get their Book of Mormon. To Southern Baptists and Northern Catholics (to name a few), that may be a hard sell. So this is my take. When John F. Kennedy was running for President, his Catholicism was very much in the forefront. It was questioned and scrutinized. This is in no way comparing the two men’s ideals, style or visions. I’m just saying that aside from unseating an incumbent (albeit, somewhat unpopular) President, Romney’s religion could be a deciding factor down the line. He has also had issues winning in the south, just as Kennedy. Last week Romney and Newt Gingrich had a closed door meeting. I’m not saying Gingrich is the answer. What I will say is that Gingrich presided over a time when America was growing favorably. There was bipartisanship in Congress. He got and gets things done. He’s smart. He’s seasoned. He knows compromise. I believe he loves America and what’s best for her…….and he’s Southern. JFK and LBJ were not drinking buddies, political allies or cut from the same cloth. But Lyndon Baines Johnson was Southern. I do think that LBJ was a political moved based on the want the win. Again, I don’t think Newt will be asked to be on the ticket. If I were Romney, I’d get him in my corner as quick as I could. Even in a Karl Rove type capacity. He’s made mistakes and rebounded from them. I couldn’t think of a better strategist when it comes to defeating the Democrats than Newt Gingrich.
On the Democrat side…..I have really shied away from railing too much about Obama. I didn’t want to come across as what I could be perceived as being. But man…..WOW. What a character. That guy reminds me of a comedian on tour. He has gathered some catch phrases and doesn’t really back anything up with fact. He only makes a joke and thinks the American public will take it as a sign that he’s the answer. He’s not. I had a guy I worked with tell another former coworker who was really demeaning and abasing me something that really entered the forefront of my mind when taking a good look at how Obama is campaigning. The guy said, “You don’t have to blow my candle out to make yours seem brighter”. That’s all Obama has done. Not that it isn’t done by both sides; I will cough that up from the start. But he ran on change and progress. He hasn’t campaigned on his record at all. He name calls. He mocks. He hasn’t owned up to his share of the country’s failures. He’s blamed the REPUBLICAN side of Congress. Not even the whole Congress. Let’s not forget that the House is the one branch that is most directly linked to the population. He regurgitates the same punch lines over and over and over……’silver bullet’, ‘3 step plan drill, drill and still more drilling’,’ flat Earth society’…Really? Impressive. I feel like reciting ‘Sticks and Stones’. I believe he thinks he’s a Jedi Master…and Yoda, at that. He puts his hands out and says the same thing over and you WILL realize these aren’t the droids you’re looking for. In closing, my favorite mind trick moment was back during the State of the Union address. And I can’t believe no one has called this out. He spoke about the American PROMISE as opposed to the American Dream. Not buying it. He wants the nanny state to believe in the hamster wheel. “You keep little running buddy, work up that sweat. It doesn’t look like it now but I promise you’re making great strides…..wink, wink”.
My last two topics may be touching to most and seen as insensitive or racially charged to others. I assure you, they are not. At some point we have to admit we are in a time of change, both good and bad, and static, both good and bad. Unless we are allowed to say what we feel without being branded or demonized, this wonderful country of ours will go the way of Greece and the like. Objectivity is the word of the day….

Florida……The tragedy in Florida with the killing of Trayvon Martin is horrible and mind consuming. I can’t begin to describe what I think happened with that whole mess…so I won’t. What I will say is that there are factors fueling this beyond comprehension. First, the media has allowed and seemingly encouraged this to take on a racially motivated life of its own. I was watching CNN and the trailer on the bottom read: “Republicans, whites more tired of Trayvon Martin case”. Are you kidding me? They might as well send me sheets and a pair of scissors. Spike Lee, Al Sharpton are leading the pack. Lee has steadfastly proven his racism throughout the years and hidden behind the mask of Hollywood and skin color. While he calls the black race to the carpet about stereotypes and being proud, he lashes out hypocritically when a member of another race has the exact same to say. Sharpton? Just tune in and watch him for a moment. The fact is we do not know all the facts of this case. We don’t. And we shouldn’t. The media has been allowed to spin this into either direction and the only result has been increasingly stronger tensions. But the one that takes the cake is our own Commander-in-Chief. How shameful for him to get himself involved. For him to say that Martin could have looked like a son he’d had had, is, plainly put, wrong. Mr. Obama has allowed his ego to supersede his patriotism. The US President doesn’t allow himself to become involved in something as dividing as that. Any respect I did have has vanished. I pity him to relegating the Office to the level of morning talk show. The only thing he’s missing is a returned check from a prostitute.
Afghanistan……I don’t want to say too terribly much about the incident in Afghanistan involving Sgt. Bales. The reason being is that it’s like trying to teach algebra to 6 year olds while speaking in Latin. You just can’t. This is what I want to say…..If they go ahead and try this patriot in civilian court, it will complete the disarray to which this administration has allowed our military to become. The people making the decision on placing him in civilian court are not qualified. Until you have experienced the military, you cannot pass judgment on those that have. There’s a reason that there is a Uniformed Code of Military Justice. Any time a crime or infraction occurs in the confines of the US Military it has mitigating circumstances. Period. Not kind of. Not maybe. Not here and there. Not sometimes. Every single time. Done. Case closed. I am not condoning nor supporting what this soldier did. I am only stating that he has given up the freedoms we take for granted to defend them. That deserves a look from a likeminded point of view. His service for our country warrants that. My apologies if you see it different. I was shown this statement one time and was told it was taken from the carton of soldier’s C-Rat in Vietnam (not sure how true that is but the words are powerful….). It reads, “For those that fight for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know”.

Here’s to ‘Too Union’ at SDP…..a bitch at 17 huh??? Get rid of that bandana, yet? Everyone has a price, Minnie Pearl.

Hope all have a great Easter weekend. I’ll be in touch. Hope to hear your thoughts and comments. I’m all ears.

Until next time…..

Alright…So this Occupy Wall Street has been going on for a month and seemingly has no end in sight. My question is that do they really know why they’re protesting? I know the whole Wall Street greed catch phrase but the details and gist of their argument. They chanted about the bailouts to the ‘too big to fail’. Ummm…it was the government that approved the bailouts. With this administration and the last contributing. What is they think is the solution? They just yell and scream ‘Help the Needy Not the Greedy’ or whatever the credo of the day happens to be. I’ve not heard or seen anything, in the media NOR their website (http://occupywallst.org/), that resembles a remedy to their plight, aside from the concrete platform of the Left. While I agree there are things that, as citizens and humans, we need and deserve, a good part of they want, they want GIVEN to them. I have issue( I’m sorry.. issues, plural) with anyone being given anything without merit.
First of all, they’re going about it the wrong way. Being that I work in a union plant (well quasi working?), I have seen a similar type of situation.” We want them (whoever ‘Them’ are) to give us this and give us that! What? We have a part in this? You dare ask us to do our “fair share”? The nerve!” I could never understand this thinking. In my opinion, everything we do is a compromise or contract, if you will, with provisions and promises on both sides to ensure mutual success. From what I’ve seen, there are a good number of the protesters that are educated and under the age of 34 (according to the OWS website study performed by a sociologist at CUNY, Héctor R. Cordero-Guzmán Ph.D). Mind you the sample was drawn from only the visitors from the site. So, I would think a bit of salt would be needed to read and relate to the study.
The website cites the need for healthcare and jobs, protection from foreclosures and, being that almost 30% have a bachelor’s or advanced degree, the forgiveness of student loans. In all fairness, healthcare should be available and needs to be. But getting the government involved, to me, is not the answer. As far as the others I mentioned, I think that’s the most absurd thing about this whole whine session.
When it comes to the foreclosures, I know there are shady people and companies. Surely, you know what you can and can’t afford. You have an obligation to read everything you sign. And if you don’t, find someone outside the mortgage company, such as an independent lawyer of your choosing, to explain to you in intricate detail. Don’t you think the $400 you spend right now is cheaper than losing your house down the road? I would even support the mortgage company being financially responsible or the buyer having the option of rolling into the closings costs or amount borrowed. I’ve said it before and I’ll repeat myself. It all starts with accountability. Life has to. There is no doubt in my mind that there are hardworking people that have lost their jobs and are subsequently on the verge of losing their house. But, there are those that haven’t and are simply choosing to walk away from their responsibility. So, there are bad apples on the side of the buyer and there are bad apples on the side of the lender. In a socialist environment, we are all the same, right? Afforded the same leeway? So, the answer is that there may not be a solid answer or equally satisfying solution. But, you have to know that lending is a business, not a right. The credit needed has to be earned. The lenders will simply walk away from lending. Take their business elsewhere. Just like our jobs. I wouldn’t be in the business to lose money.
I’ve already written a piece on my take on why America’s jobs are going vacating the premises. Please note I didn’t say ‘our’ jobs. Because they aren’t ‘our’ jobs. They have been here for a century or so because we used to be the pinnacle of what dedicated hard work was. The model to which the rest of the world looked to for examples. We took pride in earning an honest day’s wage for an honest day’s work. There was a feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment as you walked out the gate and home to our families. Again, with the help of a few bad seeds, we have dumbed ourselves right out of the right to ‘maintain our jobs.’ When you get a job, it is 100% a mutual agreement that both parties have to follow in order for that relationship to flourish and succeed. You know whether you would hire yourself when you get to work each day. It may not be right but the company has every right to work in the direction of profit with complete safety and environment consciousness. This government that these protesters are begging for relief from the Wall Street pigs is as much of the problem as the pigs AND workers are. The government is consistently making it harder and harder for companies to do business, profitably, in our country. This is a shared problem. You can pull the wool over your eyes and pretend not to notice but it’s a big problem in a big way. We all have to do our part. Jobs are not a birthright.
Like mentioned earlier, there is a greater than average education level among the protesters. They have a right to be upset about their employment and personal situation. I would as well. My one question to them would be, “Is it that you can’t find a job? Is it that you can’t find a job you like? Or is it that you can’t find a job you like with the field your degree is in?” I truly believe herein lies the crux of their frustration. If I had spent a good amount of money and dedicated and persevered to earn my degree, you bet your life I’d feel obligated to myself to use what I’ve learned and accomplished. But, how long are they going to sit there and wait for the ‘job fairy’ to come along and give them a job simply because they’re degreed? At some point, there has to be acknowledgement that there is need to do something now. It may not be the most desired or high paying career they had visions of. But it’s a start. If you’re not part of solution, you’re part of the problem. Like a boss told me numerous times: Short term pain for long term gain. It appeared at first that the pain would end with college. Unfortunately, it didn’t. A college diploma is not, and should never be, a guarantee for anything. Period. An education simply shows the character to finish what was set out to accomplish and to broaden your employment possibilities. That’s it. If they’ve convinced themselves otherwise, I feel they’re only cheating themselves. I do not have a college degree. I knew that future opportunities would be limited when I made the decision to walk away and take my current job. It didn’t require a college degree. That didn’t keep me from putting all my effort and intestinal fortitude towards being a success because of that. I made sure I would end where I wanted in spite of the fact that I didn’t have a degree. Not because I didn’t.
There have been two things said to me in my life that have always stuck with me. And I have drawn on them at various times. Before I was hired at my current job, my second job was delivering newspapers. It wasn’t glamorous but it served its purpose. It was a means to an end. I had driven up to the newspaper rack and was blocking a parking spot. This gentleman got out of his car and proceeded to humiliate me for being a ‘menial, delivery boy’. He told me how much of a loser I was that I had resorted to delivering papers to make a living and so on. I remember feeling sorry for myself that I had reached that point. But that only lasted a day or two. I woke up and told myself that I was a winner. A hard working person and that things would get better. They did.
The second thing said to me is really more of the main idea of a conversation. The topic was my salary without a degree in relation to the salary of a degreed ‘professional’. I make a decent and better than livable wage. I felt, and still feel, I completely deserve the money I make. The argument from their side was that I didn’t have a right to make the money I made. Reason? 100% that I didn’t have a college degree. They felt being that I didn’t finish college that I should be limited to certain pay guidelines. The educated population was the ones deserving of good money. In the end, I just flatly don’t deserve it. I do.
When there are people with two and three jobs out there, there is no excuse to allow one to be idle because it’s not a job they’ll be proud of at a reunion. Time is being carelessly misused if this is the reason any of them are there. Do yourself a solid: Make it happen.
That rolls into the student loan thing. I won’t say too much on this. They knew going in that it was a debt not a grant. They knew they would have a certain grace period. Paying it back was a promise made. There’s no way that the government should pay anyone’s debt. Especially being that attending college is a choice. Not a requirement.
The expectation that the government owes us anything is inane. The government doesn’t produce anything but debt. By wanting forgiveness for a debt chosen to partake, you’re asking the government to shift that debt to someone else. Someone will still have to answer to the money borrowed. It may not be directly. It will show up in the ‘dying middle class’ taxes. So that arrogance and sense of entitlement only shows that the uneducated and simple people will be burdened by someone who wouldn’t hire them, give them the time of day or think they deserve a better than livable wage.
The protests are reaching a point where there will be a less than desirable effect. They have been supported by unions, Democrats, fellow worldwide protesters and even got a shout out from the ever loving Nazis and human rights champion Communists. It’s a farce and the demonstrations have played out beautifully for those with a Left Wing agenda. It’s almost like Christmas in October. The financial and logistical support has come from teachers’ unions, steel workers union, the AFL-CIO, other liberal outfits and even our President Obama. Obama has crafted his words carefully. Has given the right speeches and pointed the finger at the Right. Even going so far as demanding them to answer for each they didn’t like in the job bill. Then calling them dim in the fact that he’s broken it down so they could better understand. And the downright lunacy and unfounded balderdash that Vice President Biden screamed about no jobs bill leading to crime, specifically murder and rape, is ignorant, at best. I feel both are fueling the situation. For political gain. Nothing more. Obama is hoping to be re-elected and for the Democrats to retake the House and the super majority in the Senate. That way he can do what he did the first two years of his presidency. Push his agenda through with a rubber stamp from Congress. That was progress. That is progressionism forcing policies down the throat. That is not what our country is about. In addition, getting aligned with unions is a deal with the devil. Want to talk about big business screwing the little guy? Take a gander at the United Steelworkers Union yearly statement. I have. Here’s just one item on that list. They spent over $15,000 on football season tickets in two NFL towns. Now, I know what I’ve paid in union dues in the past. It takes approximately the dues of 30 people at my jobsite to cover that. And this is to a venue that I couldn’t just pick up, monetarily, and go to. I can tell you that. Unions optimize this entitlement way of thinking. They want the most they can get for the least amount of exertion. And the protesters are acting accordingly.
Instead of using lawful avenues, they have resorted to union thuggery tactics to try and push their point across. They’ve used aggression instead of diplomacy to make their argument. It can’t be that way. Yet, their only argument is that they deserve these things yet don’t want to do ‘their fair share’. It’s their right to be given what they feel they should. They have gone about the whole process the wrong way. They’re breaking the law by demonstrating without a permit, not allowing officials through because they didn’t have proper authorization for certain activities, disrupted office and building entrances, taken up all the sidewalks and roads in a particular area. All against the NYC code on legal protests. Take it from someone who’s learned it the hard way recently, anything you do that’s against the rules will only negate the message you’re trying to send. It may not make sense or be right but that will be the way it is. Civil disobedience meets resistance before it veers toward resolution.
I am not saying that the protesters don’t want what’s best for the nation. And I do empathize with them. In that, I can only imagine the frustration the feeling that they have no control over their future. And the overwhelming fear they have with a mounting debt or uncertainty of their financial plight. They do have control. They can remedy their situation. But they have to be an active part. We are not a socialist based country. We never should. We are guaranteed in the Constitution these three things: Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. The want to earn success and happiness should be paramount. They can do it. It’s been done.
This ‘grass roots’ movement is swerving toward chaos. It can only get worse. To me, they seem like there are a good number of whiners who feel sorry for themselves and have chosen to demand their government to make changes. Changes that will freely allow them to acquire things that are normally earned. Nothing in this world is free. Someone will have to pay when the government doles out entitlements to capable people. That’s not right. It just isn’t and it just can’t be.
In closing I’d like to say this, be careful what you ask for. The government regulating commerce and demanding social justice and redistribution will have more dire consequences than most realize. It was the Bolsheviks that promised so much to the masses in return for their loyalty. And we see how that whole thing ended up.

Until next time and sooner than this time…..

Until next time…..

P.S. One last thing for those in D.C. and the cheap seats, Don’t Mess with Texas.

Until next time…….

Until next time……

When it comes to what the companies get, as far as workers here in the U.S., I’m sure they are just out to pay the lowest wage for the most work. And you know what? That’s a fair thing to say. They are. In your household, how do you save money for a rainy day? You cut back on operating costs. Such as cable, entertainment, eating out, paid lawn care, etc. Especially, if you’re not receiving a fair service for your money. That’s fair enough, right? Without pigeonholing the vast majority of American workers, there are enough people out there that feel once they get a job, they’ve been given their birthright. And act accordingly. They just want to sit there and ride this whole money train until retirement. This is where the aforementioned accountability comes in play for us, as individuals. That percent of people, that live and prosper under our Nanny State, refuse to do anything more than the bare minimum and demand the maximum money. Number one, that’s not right. Number two, if you want businesses to pay their weight you have to pull yours. The irony here is that the Left continue to want to keep that inheritance tax on money that’s already been taxed and what they deem wasn’t properly earned by the heir in the first place. Awesome. (Another reason I can’t wait to make enough money where my kids will be okay.) Isn’t that what the lazy and bitter say?? My father worked and his father worked through the years for what we have and we deserve to keep what they fought for!! Really??? Gimme. Gimme. Gimme. Mine. Mine. Mine. All you’ve done is replace the word money with jobs. In reality, there’s zero difference in principle. And the Democrats are the “working class party”. Right? So, what we’ve done is back ourselves in a corner. With all the politically correctness out there and the lack of accountability, we are made to enable the small percentage of those who make us hard working people look bad to continue to bring our image down to keep doing what they’re doing. If you own a business and you’re not getting a return on the investment you’ve placed on the individual worker, you have that right to put your money somewhere else. Done. You do not owe them anything. Zilch. Is that right? Who really knows. But, it’s the cold hard truth. Jobs are an agreement that you agree to upon date of employment. You have to keep up your end of that bargain or you should have to face the consequences. I am not agreeing with America losing their jobs. Or wanting that to happen. I am merely stating what I think is fact. I have a friend that is gently urged to ensure that India gets a certain percentage of work he doles out. He’s mad and rightfully so. But, he’s a hard worker. He takes pride and believes in his ability. He just wants to know why? And my answer to that is that it’s in part that there is enough dead weight around that the head honchos want to see what an investment in India can produce. What they can get in return for an investment in someone that lives on a fraction of what we do. Until we hold each and every worker around us responsible for his or her actions, ability and integrity, the silent majority will watch their way of life squander away to a country where the workers are new to stable and good work. And, definitely better wages. Relative to the region, of course. (So, simmer down) I have someone close to me that told me once why he went into the profession that he did. He worked for himself. He told me that he had a union job and was young when he hired on. There were four or so of them, including him, around the work site. While he was working and the elders were sitting watching, he got annoyed. And rightfully so. It was at that point he decided to quit. He was damned if he was going to watch those around him feel they didn’t have to work and had the yoke put on him while they made more money than him. Today, he’s one of the most successful people I know. The next time you see that person saying he’s not doing anymore than he has to and screw the company, remind him there’s a billion people in China and India that will. Just don’t be threatening.

Before closing I want to touch on one last thing. So those who want to say that I just skimmed over and ignored it can’t say that I did. The fact of the matter is that the cost of labor is decisively lower than that of the United States. You really can’t deny that. It’s 100% correct. But let’s put that into perspective. The average income in the U.S. is somewhere in the range of $32k. To break it down further, we’ll take manufacturing jobs into the fold. Those jobs average around $36k-$41k. That’s roughly an increase of around 16%-ish above the average. In China, the average income is less than $200 a month. But, the manufacturing jobs are paying in the area of $300 a month. That’s a better than 50% raise over the average. So, while the numbers seem pitiful compared to what they pay us. They are doing, in China, what I thought we had been fighting for for their population since the Communists took over. To give them more dignity and self worth. A bigger say in their way and quality of life. The companies are doing just that. I read where workers are buying things they never dreamed of. Houses, cars. China is an emerging market. You can keep your head in the sand and wait for the Calvary that will never come or do what we need to have done from the beginning: Help Yourself. You cannot vilify the companies for moving their investments elsewhere where they see an acceptable rate of return. They’re not in the business to tread water. They’re here to make money. Which is the same reason we choose to get to work on time and be productive. It’s cliché’ but, in the end…it’s really all about the Benjamins. They don’t owe us what a lot good number of people believes that they do.
Contrary to what your opinion of this is, I want to make one thing clear. I do not think that moving jobs overseas is a good thing for our country. And I hope and pray we can reverse the trend. But we are the masters of our destiny. I believe that the core of the American workers are committed, diligent and deserve to profit, personally, from the fruits of their labors. I am merely giving my take on what the companies see about their situation through their eyes. And until we can pull up those less than motivated people to the level to which we know we all can perform, and most of us do perform, this is an employer’s market. Cut and dried. Like it or not, they’re in command until we make ourselves what we did years ago when America was its most profitable and prosperous, they’ll stay there: Indispensible.

Until next time…..

I hope and pray not.
Until next time…..