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Shouldn't the gov't limit what a baseball player can make in salary? Seriously, a guy who plays a game making millions? Is that fair in any way to the poor?
Cruz and ALL the sociopaths in DC are FOS. If you believe in something and know it might prevent a 1,000 times worse disaster in the future, you don't roll over. You roll over in DC only because YOU got something of value to YOU. Anyone who thinks those in DC care a hoot about anyone except themselves are total morons. There are decades of proof to back that up.
First, if she is working full-time for $12,000 a year, then she is either illegal and being taken advantage of, or she is very bad with numbers (I assume you will chide me for bringing humor to such a dire situation). So, she is working part-time. Why is that? Why does she not use the other 50% of the day to find more work? Why does she not figure out how to live with another to beat the poverty level? Why does she not do one of probably 50 things that would work around this situation? Oh, I apologize. Ours (the taxpayers) is not to question why. Ours is but to pay whatever the gov't asks and keep our mouths shut, right?
Anyway, the poverty level for one person in 2013 was a bit under $11,500 I think, so isn't it amazing how she just managed to make barely above that, and use her good sense to spend $7,200 of her $12,000 for insurance? Nothing is ever as simple as the liberal mind wants to make it, and this example shouts "red flags." How many other federal and state assistance programs does she qualify for? Many, I'm sure. Liberals (and politicians on both sides) never want to figure out a better way, because they simply want the FED to print more and more paper money, and the gov't to steal more and more, and distributions to keep increasing with little thought behind the programs.
Finally, that 25% would be plenty if spent wisely and only on the truly legal needy. Charities would blossom under this, and these two people you mention would have other options to help them. Again, we are to assume these people have no family who care about them? In today's entitlement and selfish world, that could actually be the case. It was not 40 years ago. Family took care of each other.
I'll stop, as I waste my breath on those who believe thinking is too taxing, so taxing and printing is the desired "solution" . . . that is, until it is not, and that day is fast approaching.
"Entitled" means those who feel they are owed something for nothing. People on Social Security paid in, so they ARE owed. People on Medicare paid in, so they ARE owed. Veterans served and gave, so they ARE owed. Is this too difficult to comprehend yet?
The lady who has 8 kids out of wedlock and could be working if she would keep her legs closed is NOT owed. The illegal family who was not born in the US and has not paid taxes is NOT owed simply because they crossed to have that 5th child. The lazy ass who is articulate enough to be interviewed and say that he would have to have a $90,000 job in NY to come out as good as he does by applying for benefits in every area is NOT owed. The guy who was told with a credit score of 300 that he should buy a $400,000 home and now can't make the payments is NOT owed.
How about this SIMPLE plan. The DC people will never overhaul the tax code, because they enjoy thousands of pages that only an IRS agent can comprehend. How about ONE change? Let them make charitable donations count as 100% deductions off of income for tax purposes with no limits. All this accomplishes is, that it allows the PEOPLE to determine where some of THEIR money goes to help people, and those decisions are not made in DC by bureaucrats. Would you have a problem with that?
Surely not, because everyone on this board keeps telling me that my conservative views are in the minority, so certainly planned parenthood, condoms for kids programs, gay rights, abortion clinics, hug a tree programs, solar energy, food for illegals, and all the liberal issues would receive the bulk of tax-deductible gifts, right?
Liberals should have no problems with this simple change, because private schools, churches, childcare agencies, hospitals, etc. would only be receiving a tiny portion of the giving in the country because almost everyone of the givers are liberals, right? You all keep telling me that it's the liberals who actually CARE about the less fortunate, and conservatives are evil and selfish. So, the conservative charitable organizations would just go broke, and the world would be a better place for all progressive-thinking citizens, RIGHT?
Would you have a problem with this ONE SIMPLE change of tax code, and if so, please tell me why? It should benefit charitable works greatly, and after all, it's the poor and needy all you liberals care about, RIGHT?
IHUB system jacked up -- duplicate.
Liberal babble. Do you ever listen to yourself? Try recording what you say and playing it back before posting.
And human nature actually does work that way, when people are not taxed to death and forced to see their hard-earned dollars wasted year after year.
If they allowed a 100% tax deduction for giving to charities, with no limits, you'd see a skyrocketing amount go to legitimate charities that would do 10 times the good that gov't does! Why don't they do this? Because the TINY few in DC want COMPLETE control, as they consider themselves smarter and better than the 300+ million citizens. If you don't believe this, then you are most delusional. This IS the minority holding the country hostage, and if you call that "traitorous," not only are you incorrect, you are foolish and totally brainwashed.
Give me ONE good reason why this psychopath gov't does not allow charitable contributions to be given a 100% deduction from income taxes, other than THEY think they can spend taxpayers' money better than the charities of the peoples' choice? And tell me why you would not agree with this plan? I mean, if you are correct, and most Americans want abortion, free condoms for kids, planned parenthood, gay rights, save the trees charities, etc., then they would receive plenty of donations under this plan, correct?
I suspect liberals fear that the beneficiaries of such a system would be churches, hospitals, childcare groups, schools, and all the liberal crap they waste money on would go under.
Once again, and I'll stop saying it, since you don't seem to comprehend, and love to project your thoughts on others (as most on this board also do -- the liberal way, I suppose), I have no hatred for the poor. I give to the truly poor through quality charities run by caring people who don't waste my money like the gov't does.
I have a disdain for the lazy and the entitled (of which there are now a few million, thanks to a gov't that purposely raised them that way for the control and created many more through a piss poor job of creating jobs), and I believe when a country is in trouble economically, like the US, it should not be giving any aid to illegal residents. If that is too complex for you to understand, then I'm sorry.
So liberal RIGHTS are the only ones that get to be brought to the floor? You do realize that BOTH sides in DC operate this way, simply throwing scraps to the sheeple to keep 50% barely content and the other 50% barely contained, while they keep living a life of uber-luxury? Try actually thinking a bit deeper. It might just scare you into real action.
Thank you, friend. I, too, look back to the "good ole days." What I am guilty of now, is I have changed from being a Bright Sider into a Dark Sider. I would blame all that seems to be happening to our world, but then, that is the same excuse others would have used in the 50's. So, I need to work on that I suppose. Although it will be tough as I see what's left of the "good ole days" disappear completely.
How about the right to keep what you earn and give to those you deem needy? If the gov't and liberals would live with that one, conservatives would gladly give you all the others. The only caveat would be that liberals themselves would have to support the "rights" they believed in, and conservatives would have to do the same.
Liberals are all for many "rights" as long as someone else pays for them, RIGHT?
That's where you are incorrect. The corporate shady deals need to be stopped as well, but you don't seem to see the connection between those uber-rich and the wonderful people in DC, 1/2 of whom you seem to think actually care about you. They feed you trivial bits of scraps from their table of luxury, all the while laughing that you believe they care about you. It's a great system and job for life.
The question is, What is a "fair share?" Also, what should a federal gov't be doing? That's where we disagree, I suppose. I think the federal gov't is way too big. I also think if they were doing and spending as they should, that 25% is all one should be asked to maintain the roads, bridges, military, police, and important regulations for people's protection and safety. That leaves enough in people's pockets to be able to support the extra charities THEY want to, not the federal gov't.
How about the right to keep what you earn and give to those you deem needy? If the gov't and liberals would live with that one, conservatives would gladly give you all the others. The only caveat would be that liberals themselves would have to support the "rights" they believed in, and conservatives would have to do the same.
This may inflame some folks, but for others I hope it jogs our brain cells to ask, how did we get to this spot, and why are we of this prepper mindset?
Think back to the early sixties (if you can), 6th grade in sunny California, and unlike my folks who suffered through the Great Depression, life was good. NY Yankees' Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were hitting away, trying to break the Babe's home run record. Every kid in my school played ball, at every opportunity, and you carried your glove with you, everywhere...it was a mark of boyhood. The school janitor was our ump, and recess went by all to fast. Girls did their own thing, and to be honest I don't remember what it was. Even the teachers were "betting" on Mantle, but the principal held out for Maris. America invented baseball, along with the Colt .45 peacemaker and 1911, flying saucers, the muscle car, the movies, Rock and Roll, NASA, the transistor radio, drive-in theaters, cowboys and the wild west, and countless scores of other things. We were a nation of heroes and legends who won the World War against fascism and evil. We even won at the Alamo even when we lost, because of men like Crockett and Bowie and Travis. Sports figures were heroes, not thugs, they were paid well but not rich, and they spent time with kids, not like today's sports celebrities, who spend more time using performance enhancers to cheat. Kids played outside, with no fear.
Eisenhower, the commanding General of "the Allies" in WWII, was President. Kennedy and Nixon were running for President, and the girls all wanted Kennedy because he was the better looking and younger of the two. We all felt a sense of strength in Kennedy, whether or not that was true. He was perceived as a just man who would not be slapped around, who knew right from wrong, and had proven himself in battle. John and Jackie Kennedy were the darlings of the era. Nobody disliked them. When we look back at those times, now-liberal agendas were simply not on the table and not debated as today. And Kennedy was not mocked for his frequent mentions of the Almighty. BHO would have never been elected during this time, regardless of skin color or attitudes then, but because of his socialist views, his associates, and his lack of proven leadership qualities.
Most boys were in Scouts, and most went through hunter safety. I still remember that nobody caught any flak for walking down the street with your .22. We all had a warrior mindset, but not a mindset of violence or evil to our fellow Americans, but rather, respect. The NRA was not involved in politics like today, because there was no need to protect peoples' 2nd Amendment rights...everyone just had them - this was America!. Kids could go into Joe Agueda's gas station and buy .22 rounds for very little money. There were no background checks of course.
Most things were based on horse sense. There were not a lot of "WSM's" (whining, sniveling malcontents) who showed themselves back then. Men married women. Homosexual people did not join up in the military and if found out they were booted out. Women did not serve on board ships in the Navy with men. Duh. People refrained from certain locker-room talk in front of women and kids, flipped the bird only to your worst enemy, and the "F" bomb was not dropped in public, especially by young people, and never on the silver screen. People helped others who were in need or in trouble. People who acted like jerks were shunned, and those who were honorable were respected.
Certain things were never done. Nobody, not even nuts, not even suicidal nuts, walked into a school full of children or into a movie theater or a military installation or a church, and opened fire. There was always a general, overall sense that this country was one of real manhood, whose people were warriors, who would protect us all from harmful people, from mentally deranged people. There were far less threats because those of that bent were not allowed to just go about in society doing as they wished. There were consequences, not like today. There was far more respectful treatment among us. Life was sometimes harsh, sometimes "unfair", and sometimes folks' "rights" were violated...but we were far, far safer than today, and without "political correctness". There were winners and losers, and that was not considered a detriment to our society. People just dealt with it. Like Clint Eastwood's character in "Heartbreak Ridge" said, "Adapt, improvise, overcome".
While people were different in many ways, and there were always the criminal types ("hoodlums" Granny called them) ...it seemed like most Americans were on the same page. Yes there was still problems with segregation in those days, especially in the South - a scar, a blight, and a curse on our country ever since the inclusion of slavery on our shores. Native Americans and Japanese citizens were also treated poorly in our history. In spite of our weaknesses and failures and differences, we seemed to be more of a nation of patriots, even black men (called "negroes" then) rose above the racial inequalities and fought their hearts out or competed their hearts out when called; As did our Native Americans, as did our Japanese people...persecuted and oft times ridiculed, but fought anyway, because we were a nation of patriots. Adults were also hard working patriots, with a sense of dignity and loathing for handouts. We all come from pioneers and fighters, most of whom were from foreign shores. Our whole culture is one based on survival in the face of hardships.
The UN was still an infant back then, and heralded by many as a new, ground-breaking way to have peace on Earth (okay so that didn't work so bueno.) All of us in grade school had to know who Dag Hamerskjold was, the 2nd secretary general of the UN...he died in a plane crash while in office, and President Kennedy called him "the greatest statesman of this century". At about the same time, Fidel Castro had stormed Cuba and we were all taught that he was a no-good, a "red" (communist) who murdered his own people and enslaved many, like Stalin or Hitler. In spite of the celeb's today who want us to believe Cuba is wrongfully persecuted by the USA, talk to those who risked their lives to get out of there, to be here.
The 50's and early 60's were lazy, blissful days. Saturday matinees, and Little League. Weekly ball games on TV called by legends Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean, and heavyweight boxing matches on "the boob tube" as my Dad called it (to him there would never be another Rocky Marciano - and Cassius Clay was no Marciano, he would say). Push manual lawn mowers, record stores, rotary dial phones and party lines, hot cars, cheap gas, "Bonanza" (yay!) and Lawrence Welk (yech!) It seemed like everybody smoked cigarettes except a few of the old timers who stuck with their pipes. There were no microwaves, bottled water, smart phones, the internet, video games, iPods or pads, Kindles, methamphetamine labs or crack houses (although there were "dope fiends"), rock concerts, gyms, espresso coffee, pizza or fast food joints. There was also no Super Bowl much less "tailgate parties", nor were there any "R" rated movies or any other rating for that matter..."Ben Hur" and "Ol' Yeller" were the hit movies. And there were definitely no terrorists. Still, there were lots of mistakes made in those days, from abusing our lands and wildlife to unwise medical practices to liberal parenting models (thanks to Dr. Benjamin Spock)..we are, after all, fallen, imperfect human beings in constant need of a Savior!
Most importantly, there were no preppers as we know it today. Folks just modestly put away here and there for emergencies, or disasters, not counting the "fall out shelter" craze that went on for awhile during the Cold War. But Mom's knew more back then about making things, and all Mom's cooked like crazy back then. Government and/or economic collapse was hardly ever talked about, pandemics and natural disasters were mentioned occasionally, there were no movies about these themes. And climate change was not on the table at all. Catch this: Nobody would have ever dreamed that just owning a gun and ammo would be a big deal, or that .22 LR would ever be in short supply.
When we were stopped and questioned by the local gendarme's back then, it was always "yes sir" and "no sir"...or you suffered the consequences. Same applied to teachers and neighbors. In those days the male teachers wore coats and ties and were well-groomed, and used those long yellow chalk board erasers on sassy boys, with reckless abandon. The female teachers wore dresses in class, and were equally well known for their lightening fast disciplinary techniques, again, mostly with the boys. Parents used corporal punishment on children as well, with no fear of child abuse charges because somebody's bottom got a spanking...it was just...common sense! Try that today. Respect.
Little did we realize, but there were hard and confusing times shortly ahead, much different than the challenges of WWII and Korea. There were also insidious forces at work behind the scenes, on the attack from the inside to change our way of life as we knew it. Nothing like Pearl Harbor mind you, but attacks nonetheless. Many of us remember watching little Nikita Khrushchev pound his shoe on the podium at the UN and warning us that communism would take us over...from within!
As just one example, most of us did not realize that the number of attorneys would explode over the next few decades, litigating the USA into a society of fear and loathing where anyone could get sued for anything. The ACLU, founded by a card carrying communist, would become extremely powerful and give birth to many like organizations, such as the National Lawyers Guild. These organizations have put a serious dent in legal fairness, common sense, and Americanism, and continue to do so, unabated. They have warped our judicial system and have made a mockery of criminal justice.
What has taken it's toll on America? The killing of the Kennedy's and MLK, Viet Nam, the drug culture, abortion, segregation unrest, bigger and more abusive government, taxes, crime, liberal prison reforms, powerful labor unions, the growth of gangs, "alternative" lifestyles, Hollywood, the MTV culture, environmental hazards and disasters, the entitlement lifestyle, porous borders, ill health and obesity, and most importantly, the rejection of our Christian heritage. We are a nation divided. There are now many Americans who have zero respect for parents, teachers or elders, for our laws and our Constitution, our heritage, or for our military protectors.
Like the frog in the hot water, we are now close to the boiling point, and we are complacent, choosing to boil to death rather than jump out of the cauldron. This is very dangerous for our society.
An example: Who would have thought years ago that it is "normal" to hear a Hollywood talking head on the radio, advertising tax specialist assistance in order to keep the IRS from seizing our bank accounts and homes because of "back taxes"?. Why are we standing for this nonsense? We are taxed to death already, and nobody's homes or paychecks should be seized by anyone in this country much less our own government!. Yet we ignore the advertisement and think about getting a latte instead.
So we prepare for the worst because we can't rely on our leaders in Washington to do right by us. Instead, we fear our own government, and with good reason. With each passing year, the government shows itself to be a heartless and really dumb entity that exists to victimize it's own citizens. To add insult to injury, our government and the Central Bank are bedfellows, and between the two, have managed to drive us to financial Armageddon. The American dream is a little hard to come by when everyone ends up broke.
We prep because we can't trust the rest of the world to leave us in peace and worry about their own countries.
We prep because we want to take care of our families and give our little ones a fighting chance.
We prep because we don't want to be boiled frogs.
Those who take the necessary precautions, those who are the willing, will be able to take our heritage back from those who are stealing it and destroying it. Because we have respect for our country. But if we continue to thumb our noses at the Creator of the universe and all mankind, it won't matter. Time to realize that Jesus is coming back, and now is not the time to be goofing off!
http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/10/we-have-lost-our-way-by-an-optimist-in-the-redoubt.html
This may inflame some folks, but for others I hope it jogs our brain cells to ask, how did we get to this spot, and why are we of this prepper mindset?
Think back to the early sixties (if you can), 6th grade in sunny California, and unlike my folks who suffered through the Great Depression, life was good. NY Yankees' Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were hitting away, trying to break the Babe's home run record. Every kid in my school played ball, at every opportunity, and you carried your glove with you, everywhere...it was a mark of boyhood. The school janitor was our ump, and recess went by all to fast. Girls did their own thing, and to be honest I don't remember what it was. Even the teachers were "betting" on Mantle, but the principal held out for Maris. America invented baseball, along with the Colt .45 peacemaker and 1911, flying saucers, the muscle car, the movies, Rock and Roll, NASA, the transistor radio, drive-in theaters, cowboys and the wild west, and countless scores of other things. We were a nation of heroes and legends who won the World War against fascism and evil. We even won at the Alamo even when we lost, because of men like Crockett and Bowie and Travis. Sports figures were heroes, not thugs, they were paid well but not rich, and they spent time with kids, not like today's sports celebrities, who spend more time using performance enhancers to cheat. Kids played outside, with no fear.
Eisenhower, the commanding General of "the Allies" in WWII, was President. Kennedy and Nixon were running for President, and the girls all wanted Kennedy because he was the better looking and younger of the two. We all felt a sense of strength in Kennedy, whether or not that was true. He was perceived as a just man who would not be slapped around, who knew right from wrong, and had proven himself in battle. John and Jackie Kennedy were the darlings of the era. Nobody disliked them. When we look back at those times, now-liberal agendas were simply not on the table and not debated as today. And Kennedy was not mocked for his frequent mentions of the Almighty. BHO would have never been elected during this time, regardless of skin color or attitudes then, but because of his socialist views, his associates, and his lack of proven leadership qualities.
Most boys were in Scouts, and most went through hunter safety. I still remember that nobody caught any flak for walking down the street with your .22. We all had a warrior mindset, but not a mindset of violence or evil to our fellow Americans, but rather, respect. The NRA was not involved in politics like today, because there was no need to protect peoples' 2nd Amendment rights...everyone just had them - this was America!. Kids could go into Joe Agueda's gas station and buy .22 rounds for very little money. There were no background checks of course.
Most things were based on horse sense. There were not a lot of "WSM's" (whining, sniveling malcontents) who showed themselves back then. Men married women. Homosexual people did not join up in the military and if found out they were booted out. Women did not serve on board ships in the Navy with men. Duh. People refrained from certain locker-room talk in front of women and kids, flipped the bird only to your worst enemy, and the "F" bomb was not dropped in public, especially by young people, and never on the silver screen. People helped others who were in need or in trouble. People who acted like jerks were shunned, and those who were honorable were respected.
Certain things were never done. Nobody, not even nuts, not even suicidal nuts, walked into a school full of children or into a movie theater or a military installation or a church, and opened fire. There was always a general, overall sense that this country was one of real manhood, whose people were warriors, who would protect us all from harmful people, from mentally deranged people. There were far less threats because those of that bent were not allowed to just go about in society doing as they wished. There were consequences, not like today. There was far more respectful treatment among us. Life was sometimes harsh, sometimes "unfair", and sometimes folks' "rights" were violated...but we were far, far safer than today, and without "political correctness". There were winners and losers, and that was not considered a detriment to our society. People just dealt with it. Like Clint Eastwood's character in "Heartbreak Ridge" said, "Adapt, improvise, overcome".
While people were different in many ways, and there were always the criminal types ("hoodlums" Granny called them) ...it seemed like most Americans were on the same page. Yes there was still problems with segregation in those days, especially in the South - a scar, a blight, and a curse on our country ever since the inclusion of slavery on our shores. Native Americans and Japanese citizens were also treated poorly in our history. In spite of our weaknesses and failures and differences, we seemed to be more of a nation of patriots, even black men (called "negroes" then) rose above the racial inequalities and fought their hearts out or competed their hearts out when called; As did our Native Americans, as did our Japanese people...persecuted and oft times ridiculed, but fought anyway, because we were a nation of patriots. Adults were also hard working patriots, with a sense of dignity and loathing for handouts. We all come from pioneers and fighters, most of whom were from foreign shores. Our whole culture is one based on survival in the face of hardships.
The UN was still an infant back then, and heralded by many as a new, ground-breaking way to have peace on Earth (okay so that didn't work so bueno.) All of us in grade school had to know who Dag Hamerskjold was, the 2nd secretary general of the UN...he died in a plane crash while in office, and President Kennedy called him "the greatest statesman of this century". At about the same time, Fidel Castro had stormed Cuba and we were all taught that he was a no-good, a "red" (communist) who murdered his own people and enslaved many, like Stalin or Hitler. In spite of the celeb's today who want us to believe Cuba is wrongfully persecuted by the USA, talk to those who risked their lives to get out of there, to be here.
The 50's and early 60's were lazy, blissful days. Saturday matinees, and Little League. Weekly ball games on TV called by legends Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean, and heavyweight boxing matches on "the boob tube" as my Dad called it (to him there would never be another Rocky Marciano - and Cassius Clay was no Marciano, he would say). Push manual lawn mowers, record stores, rotary dial phones and party lines, hot cars, cheap gas, "Bonanza" (yay!) and Lawrence Welk (yech!) It seemed like everybody smoked cigarettes except a few of the old timers who stuck with their pipes. There were no microwaves, bottled water, smart phones, the internet, video games, iPods or pads, Kindles, methamphetamine labs or crack houses (although there were "dope fiends"), rock concerts, gyms, espresso coffee, pizza or fast food joints. There was also no Super Bowl much less "tailgate parties", nor were there any "R" rated movies or any other rating for that matter..."Ben Hur" and "Ol' Yeller" were the hit movies. And there were definitely no terrorists. Still, there were lots of mistakes made in those days, from abusing our lands and wildlife to unwise medical practices to liberal parenting models (thanks to Dr. Benjamin Spock)..we are, after all, fallen, imperfect human beings in constant need of a Savior!
Most importantly, there were no preppers as we know it today. Folks just modestly put away here and there for emergencies, or disasters, not counting the "fall out shelter" craze that went on for awhile during the Cold War. But Mom's knew more back then about making things, and all Mom's cooked like crazy back then. Government and/or economic collapse was hardly ever talked about, pandemics and natural disasters were mentioned occasionally, there were no movies about these themes. And climate change was not on the table at all. Catch this: Nobody would have ever dreamed that just owning a gun and ammo would be a big deal, or that .22 LR would ever be in short supply.
When we were stopped and questioned by the local gendarme's back then, it was always "yes sir" and "no sir"...or you suffered the consequences. Same applied to teachers and neighbors. In those days the male teachers wore coats and ties and were well-groomed, and used those long yellow chalk board erasers on sassy boys, with reckless abandon. The female teachers wore dresses in class, and were equally well known for their lightening fast disciplinary techniques, again, mostly with the boys. Parents used corporal punishment on children as well, with no fear of child abuse charges because somebody's bottom got a spanking...it was just...common sense! Try that today. Respect.
Little did we realize, but there were hard and confusing times shortly ahead, much different than the challenges of WWII and Korea. There were also insidious forces at work behind the scenes, on the attack from the inside to change our way of life as we knew it. Nothing like Pearl Harbor mind you, but attacks nonetheless. Many of us remember watching little Nikita Khrushchev pound his shoe on the podium at the UN and warning us that communism would take us over...from within!
As just one example, most of us did not realize that the number of attorneys would explode over the next few decades, litigating the USA into a society of fear and loathing where anyone could get sued for anything. The ACLU, founded by a card carrying communist, would become extremely powerful and give birth to many like organizations, such as the National Lawyers Guild. These organizations have put a serious dent in legal fairness, common sense, and Americanism, and continue to do so, unabated. They have warped our judicial system and have made a mockery of criminal justice.
What has taken it's toll on America? The killing of the Kennedy's and MLK, Viet Nam, the drug culture, abortion, segregation unrest, bigger and more abusive government, taxes, crime, liberal prison reforms, powerful labor unions, the growth of gangs, "alternative" lifestyles, Hollywood, the MTV culture, environmental hazards and disasters, the entitlement lifestyle, porous borders, ill health and obesity, and most importantly, the rejection of our Christian heritage. We are a nation divided. There are now many Americans who have zero respect for parents, teachers or elders, for our laws and our Constitution, our heritage, or for our military protectors.
Like the frog in the hot water, we are now close to the boiling point, and we are complacent, choosing to boil to death rather than jump out of the cauldron. This is very dangerous for our society.
An example: Who would have thought years ago that it is "normal" to hear a Hollywood talking head on the radio, advertising tax specialist assistance in order to keep the IRS from seizing our bank accounts and homes because of "back taxes"?. Why are we standing for this nonsense? We are taxed to death already, and nobody's homes or paychecks should be seized by anyone in this country much less our own government!. Yet we ignore the advertisement and think about getting a latte instead.
So we prepare for the worst because we can't rely on our leaders in Washington to do right by us. Instead, we fear our own government, and with good reason. With each passing year, the government shows itself to be a heartless and really dumb entity that exists to victimize it's own citizens. To add insult to injury, our government and the Central Bank are bedfellows, and between the two, have managed to drive us to financial Armageddon. The American dream is a little hard to come by when everyone ends up broke.
We prep because we can't trust the rest of the world to leave us in peace and worry about their own countries.
We prep because we want to take care of our families and give our little ones a fighting chance.
We prep because we don't want to be boiled frogs.
Those who take the necessary precautions, those who are the willing, will be able to take our heritage back from those who are stealing it and destroying it. Because we have respect for our country. But if we continue to thumb our noses at the Creator of the universe and all mankind, it won't matter. Time to realize that Jesus is coming back, and now is not the time to be goofing off!
http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/10/we-have-lost-our-way-by-an-optimist-in-the-redoubt.html
This may inflame some folks, but for others I hope it jogs our brain cells to ask, how did we get to this spot, and why are we of this prepper mindset?
Think back to the early sixties (if you can), 6th grade in sunny California, and unlike my folks who suffered through the Great Depression, life was good. NY Yankees' Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were hitting away, trying to break the Babe's home run record. Every kid in my school played ball, at every opportunity, and you carried your glove with you, everywhere...it was a mark of boyhood. The school janitor was our ump, and recess went by all to fast. Girls did their own thing, and to be honest I don't remember what it was. Even the teachers were "betting" on Mantle, but the principal held out for Maris. America invented baseball, along with the Colt .45 peacemaker and 1911, flying saucers, the muscle car, the movies, Rock and Roll, NASA, the transistor radio, drive-in theaters, cowboys and the wild west, and countless scores of other things. We were a nation of heroes and legends who won the World War against fascism and evil. We even won at the Alamo even when we lost, because of men like Crockett and Bowie and Travis. Sports figures were heroes, not thugs, they were paid well but not rich, and they spent time with kids, not like today's sports celebrities, who spend more time using performance enhancers to cheat. Kids played outside, with no fear.
Eisenhower, the commanding General of "the Allies" in WWII, was President. Kennedy and Nixon were running for President, and the girls all wanted Kennedy because he was the better looking and younger of the two. We all felt a sense of strength in Kennedy, whether or not that was true. He was perceived as a just man who would not be slapped around, who knew right from wrong, and had proven himself in battle. John and Jackie Kennedy were the darlings of the era. Nobody disliked them. When we look back at those times, now-liberal agendas were simply not on the table and not debated as today. And Kennedy was not mocked for his frequent mentions of the Almighty. BHO would have never been elected during this time, regardless of skin color or attitudes then, but because of his socialist views, his associates, and his lack of proven leadership qualities.
Most boys were in Scouts, and most went through hunter safety. I still remember that nobody caught any flak for walking down the street with your .22. We all had a warrior mindset, but not a mindset of violence or evil to our fellow Americans, but rather, respect. The NRA was not involved in politics like today, because there was no need to protect peoples' 2nd Amendment rights...everyone just had them - this was America!. Kids could go into Joe Agueda's gas station and buy .22 rounds for very little money. There were no background checks of course.
Most things were based on horse sense. There were not a lot of "WSM's" (whining, sniveling malcontents) who showed themselves back then. Men married women. Homosexual people did not join up in the military and if found out they were booted out. Women did not serve on board ships in the Navy with men. Duh. People refrained from certain locker-room talk in front of women and kids, flipped the bird only to your worst enemy, and the "F" bomb was not dropped in public, especially by young people, and never on the silver screen. People helped others who were in need or in trouble. People who acted like jerks were shunned, and those who were honorable were respected.
Certain things were never done. Nobody, not even nuts, not even suicidal nuts, walked into a school full of children or into a movie theater or a military installation or a church, and opened fire. There was always a general, overall sense that this country was one of real manhood, whose people were warriors, who would protect us all from harmful people, from mentally deranged people. There were far less threats because those of that bent were not allowed to just go about in society doing as they wished. There were consequences, not like today. There was far more respectful treatment among us. Life was sometimes harsh, sometimes "unfair", and sometimes folks' "rights" were violated...but we were far, far safer than today, and without "political correctness". There were winners and losers, and that was not considered a detriment to our society. People just dealt with it. Like Clint Eastwood's character in "Heartbreak Ridge" said, "Adapt, improvise, overcome".
While people were different in many ways, and there were always the criminal types ("hoodlums" Granny called them) ...it seemed like most Americans were on the same page. Yes there was still problems with segregation in those days, especially in the South - a scar, a blight, and a curse on our country ever since the inclusion of slavery on our shores. Native Americans and Japanese citizens were also treated poorly in our history. In spite of our weaknesses and failures and differences, we seemed to be more of a nation of patriots, even black men (called "negroes" then) rose above the racial inequalities and fought their hearts out or competed their hearts out when called; As did our Native Americans, as did our Japanese people...persecuted and oft times ridiculed, but fought anyway, because we were a nation of patriots. Adults were also hard working patriots, with a sense of dignity and loathing for handouts. We all come from pioneers and fighters, most of whom were from foreign shores. Our whole culture is one based on survival in the face of hardships.
The UN was still an infant back then, and heralded by many as a new, ground-breaking way to have peace on Earth (okay so that didn't work so bueno.) All of us in grade school had to know who Dag Hamerskjold was, the 2nd secretary general of the UN...he died in a plane crash while in office, and President Kennedy called him "the greatest statesman of this century". At about the same time, Fidel Castro had stormed Cuba and we were all taught that he was a no-good, a "red" (communist) who murdered his own people and enslaved many, like Stalin or Hitler. In spite of the celeb's today who want us to believe Cuba is wrongfully persecuted by the USA, talk to those who risked their lives to get out of there, to be here.
The 50's and early 60's were lazy, blissful days. Saturday matinees, and Little League. Weekly ball games on TV called by legends Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean, and heavyweight boxing matches on "the boob tube" as my Dad called it (to him there would never be another Rocky Marciano - and Cassius Clay was no Marciano, he would say). Push manual lawn mowers, record stores, rotary dial phones and party lines, hot cars, cheap gas, "Bonanza" (yay!) and Lawrence Welk (yech!) It seemed like everybody smoked cigarettes except a few of the old timers who stuck with their pipes. There were no microwaves, bottled water, smart phones, the internet, video games, iPods or pads, Kindles, methamphetamine labs or crack houses (although there were "dope fiends"), rock concerts, gyms, espresso coffee, pizza or fast food joints. There was also no Super Bowl much less "tailgate parties", nor were there any "R" rated movies or any other rating for that matter..."Ben Hur" and "Ol' Yeller" were the hit movies. And there were definitely no terrorists. Still, there were lots of mistakes made in those days, from abusing our lands and wildlife to unwise medical practices to liberal parenting models (thanks to Dr. Benjamin Spock)..we are, after all, fallen, imperfect human beings in constant need of a Savior!
Most importantly, there were no preppers as we know it today. Folks just modestly put away here and there for emergencies, or disasters, not counting the "fall out shelter" craze that went on for awhile during the Cold War. But Mom's knew more back then about making things, and all Mom's cooked like crazy back then. Government and/or economic collapse was hardly ever talked about, pandemics and natural disasters were mentioned occasionally, there were no movies about these themes. And climate change was not on the table at all. Catch this: Nobody would have ever dreamed that just owning a gun and ammo would be a big deal, or that .22 LR would ever be in short supply.
When we were stopped and questioned by the local gendarme's back then, it was always "yes sir" and "no sir"...or you suffered the consequences. Same applied to teachers and neighbors. In those days the male teachers wore coats and ties and were well-groomed, and used those long yellow chalk board erasers on sassy boys, with reckless abandon. The female teachers wore dresses in class, and were equally well known for their lightening fast disciplinary techniques, again, mostly with the boys. Parents used corporal punishment on children as well, with no fear of child abuse charges because somebody's bottom got a spanking...it was just...common sense! Try that today. Respect.
Little did we realize, but there were hard and confusing times shortly ahead, much different than the challenges of WWII and Korea. There were also insidious forces at work behind the scenes, on the attack from the inside to change our way of life as we knew it. Nothing like Pearl Harbor mind you, but attacks nonetheless. Many of us remember watching little Nikita Khrushchev pound his shoe on the podium at the UN and warning us that communism would take us over...from within!
As just one example, most of us did not realize that the number of attorneys would explode over the next few decades, litigating the USA into a society of fear and loathing where anyone could get sued for anything. The ACLU, founded by a card carrying communist, would become extremely powerful and give birth to many like organizations, such as the National Lawyers Guild. These organizations have put a serious dent in legal fairness, common sense, and Americanism, and continue to do so, unabated. They have warped our judicial system and have made a mockery of criminal justice.
What has taken it's toll on America? The killing of the Kennedy's and MLK, Viet Nam, the drug culture, abortion, segregation unrest, bigger and more abusive government, taxes, crime, liberal prison reforms, powerful labor unions, the growth of gangs, "alternative" lifestyles, Hollywood, the MTV culture, environmental hazards and disasters, the entitlement lifestyle, porous borders, ill health and obesity, and most importantly, the rejection of our Christian heritage. We are a nation divided. There are now many Americans who have zero respect for parents, teachers or elders, for our laws and our Constitution, our heritage, or for our military protectors.
Like the frog in the hot water, we are now close to the boiling point, and we are complacent, choosing to boil to death rather than jump out of the cauldron. This is very dangerous for our society.
An example: Who would have thought years ago that it is "normal" to hear a Hollywood talking head on the radio, advertising tax specialist assistance in order to keep the IRS from seizing our bank accounts and homes because of "back taxes"?. Why are we standing for this nonsense? We are taxed to death already, and nobody's homes or paychecks should be seized by anyone in this country much less our own government!. Yet we ignore the advertisement and think about getting a latte instead.
So we prepare for the worst because we can't rely on our leaders in Washington to do right by us. Instead, we fear our own government, and with good reason. With each passing year, the government shows itself to be a heartless and really dumb entity that exists to victimize it's own citizens. To add insult to injury, our government and the Central Bank are bedfellows, and between the two, have managed to drive us to financial Armageddon. The American dream is a little hard to come by when everyone ends up broke.
We prep because we can't trust the rest of the world to leave us in peace and worry about their own countries.
We prep because we want to take care of our families and give our little ones a fighting chance.
We prep because we don't want to be boiled frogs.
Those who take the necessary precautions, those who are the willing, will be able to take our heritage back from those who are stealing it and destroying it. Because we have respect for our country. But if we continue to thumb our noses at the Creator of the universe and all mankind, it won't matter. Time to realize that Jesus is coming back, and now is not the time to be goofing off!
http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/10/we-have-lost-our-way-by-an-optimist-in-the-redoubt.html
I only post this because I know that those on this board will agree with it 100%!
This may inflame some folks, but for others I hope it jogs our brain cells to ask, how did we get to this spot, and why are we of this prepper mindset?
Think back to the early sixties (if you can), 6th grade in sunny California, and unlike my folks who suffered through the Great Depression, life was good. NY Yankees' Mickey Mantle and Roger Maris were hitting away, trying to break the Babe's home run record. Every kid in my school played ball, at every opportunity, and you carried your glove with you, everywhere...it was a mark of boyhood. The school janitor was our ump, and recess went by all to fast. Girls did their own thing, and to be honest I don't remember what it was. Even the teachers were "betting" on Mantle, but the principal held out for Maris. America invented baseball, along with the Colt .45 peacemaker and 1911, flying saucers, the muscle car, the movies, Rock and Roll, NASA, the transistor radio, drive-in theaters, cowboys and the wild west, and countless scores of other things. We were a nation of heroes and legends who won the World War against fascism and evil. We even won at the Alamo even when we lost, because of men like Crockett and Bowie and Travis. Sports figures were heroes, not thugs, they were paid well but not rich, and they spent time with kids, not like today's sports celebrities, who spend more time using performance enhancers to cheat. Kids played outside, with no fear.
Eisenhower, the commanding General of "the Allies" in WWII, was President. Kennedy and Nixon were running for President, and the girls all wanted Kennedy because he was the better looking and younger of the two. We all felt a sense of strength in Kennedy, whether or not that was true. He was perceived as a just man who would not be slapped around, who knew right from wrong, and had proven himself in battle. John and Jackie Kennedy were the darlings of the era. Nobody disliked them. When we look back at those times, now-liberal agendas were simply not on the table and not debated as today. And Kennedy was not mocked for his frequent mentions of the Almighty. BHO would have never been elected during this time, regardless of skin color or attitudes then, but because of his socialist views, his associates, and his lack of proven leadership qualities.
Most boys were in Scouts, and most went through hunter safety. I still remember that nobody caught any flak for walking down the street with your .22. We all had a warrior mindset, but not a mindset of violence or evil to our fellow Americans, but rather, respect. The NRA was not involved in politics like today, because there was no need to protect peoples' 2nd Amendment rights...everyone just had them - this was America!. Kids could go into Joe Agueda's gas station and buy .22 rounds for very little money. There were no background checks of course.
Most things were based on horse sense. There were not a lot of "WSM's" (whining, sniveling malcontents) who showed themselves back then. Men married women. Homosexual people did not join up in the military and if found out they were booted out. Women did not serve on board ships in the Navy with men. Duh. People refrained from certain locker-room talk in front of women and kids, flipped the bird only to your worst enemy, and the "F" bomb was not dropped in public, especially by young people, and never on the silver screen. People helped others who were in need or in trouble. People who acted like jerks were shunned, and those who were honorable were respected.
Certain things were never done. Nobody, not even nuts, not even suicidal nuts, walked into a school full of children or into a movie theater or a military installation or a church, and opened fire. There was always a general, overall sense that this country was one of real manhood, whose people were warriors, who would protect us all from harmful people, from mentally deranged people. There were far less threats because those of that bent were not allowed to just go about in society doing as they wished. There were consequences, not like today. There was far more respectful treatment among us. Life was sometimes harsh, sometimes "unfair", and sometimes folks' "rights" were violated...but we were far, far safer than today, and without "political correctness". There were winners and losers, and that was not considered a detriment to our society. People just dealt with it. Like Clint Eastwood's character in "Heartbreak Ridge" said, "Adapt, improvise, overcome".
While people were different in many ways, and there were always the criminal types ("hoodlums" Granny called them) ...it seemed like most Americans were on the same page. Yes there was still problems with segregation in those days, especially in the South - a scar, a blight, and a curse on our country ever since the inclusion of slavery on our shores. Native Americans and Japanese citizens were also treated poorly in our history. In spite of our weaknesses and failures and differences, we seemed to be more of a nation of patriots, even black men (called "negroes" then) rose above the racial inequalities and fought their hearts out or competed their hearts out when called; As did our Native Americans, as did our Japanese people...persecuted and oft times ridiculed, but fought anyway, because we were a nation of patriots. Adults were also hard working patriots, with a sense of dignity and loathing for handouts. We all come from pioneers and fighters, most of whom were from foreign shores. Our whole culture is one based on survival in the face of hardships.
The UN was still an infant back then, and heralded by many as a new, ground-breaking way to have peace on Earth (okay so that didn't work so bueno.) All of us in grade school had to know who Dag Hamerskjold was, the 2nd secretary general of the UN...he died in a plane crash while in office, and President Kennedy called him "the greatest statesman of this century". At about the same time, Fidel Castro had stormed Cuba and we were all taught that he was a no-good, a "red" (communist) who murdered his own people and enslaved many, like Stalin or Hitler. In spite of the celeb's today who want us to believe Cuba is wrongfully persecuted by the USA, talk to those who risked their lives to get out of there, to be here.
The 50's and early 60's were lazy, blissful days. Saturday matinees, and Little League. Weekly ball games on TV called by legends Pee Wee Reese and Dizzy Dean, and heavyweight boxing matches on "the boob tube" as my Dad called it (to him there would never be another Rocky Marciano - and Cassius Clay was no Marciano, he would say). Push manual lawn mowers, record stores, rotary dial phones and party lines, hot cars, cheap gas, "Bonanza" (yay!) and Lawrence Welk (yech!) It seemed like everybody smoked cigarettes except a few of the old timers who stuck with their pipes. There were no microwaves, bottled water, smart phones, the internet, video games, iPods or pads, Kindles, methamphetamine labs or crack houses (although there were "dope fiends"), rock concerts, gyms, espresso coffee, pizza or fast food joints. There was also no Super Bowl much less "tailgate parties", nor were there any "R" rated movies or any other rating for that matter..."Ben Hur" and "Ol' Yeller" were the hit movies. And there were definitely no terrorists. Still, there were lots of mistakes made in those days, from abusing our lands and wildlife to unwise medical practices to liberal parenting models (thanks to Dr. Benjamin Spock)..we are, after all, fallen, imperfect human beings in constant need of a Savior!
Most importantly, there were no preppers as we know it today. Folks just modestly put away here and there for emergencies, or disasters, not counting the "fall out shelter" craze that went on for awhile during the Cold War. But Mom's knew more back then about making things, and all Mom's cooked like crazy back then. Government and/or economic collapse was hardly ever talked about, pandemics and natural disasters were mentioned occasionally, there were no movies about these themes. And climate change was not on the table at all. Catch this: Nobody would have ever dreamed that just owning a gun and ammo would be a big deal, or that .22 LR would ever be in short supply.
When we were stopped and questioned by the local gendarme's back then, it was always "yes sir" and "no sir"...or you suffered the consequences. Same applied to teachers and neighbors. In those days the male teachers wore coats and ties and were well-groomed, and used those long yellow chalk board erasers on sassy boys, with reckless abandon. The female teachers wore dresses in class, and were equally well known for their lightening fast disciplinary techniques, again, mostly with the boys. Parents used corporal punishment on children as well, with no fear of child abuse charges because somebody's bottom got a spanking...it was just...common sense! Try that today. Respect.
Little did we realize, but there were hard and confusing times shortly ahead, much different than the challenges of WWII and Korea. There were also insidious forces at work behind the scenes, on the attack from the inside to change our way of life as we knew it. Nothing like Pearl Harbor mind you, but attacks nonetheless. Many of us remember watching little Nikita Khrushchev pound his shoe on the podium at the UN and warning us that communism would take us over...from within!
As just one example, most of us did not realize that the number of attorneys would explode over the next few decades, litigating the USA into a society of fear and loathing where anyone could get sued for anything. The ACLU, founded by a card carrying communist, would become extremely powerful and give birth to many like organizations, such as the National Lawyers Guild. These organizations have put a serious dent in legal fairness, common sense, and Americanism, and continue to do so, unabated. They have warped our judicial system and have made a mockery of criminal justice.
What has taken it's toll on America? The killing of the Kennedy's and MLK, Viet Nam, the drug culture, abortion, segregation unrest, bigger and more abusive government, taxes, crime, liberal prison reforms, powerful labor unions, the growth of gangs, "alternative" lifestyles, Hollywood, the MTV culture, environmental hazards and disasters, the entitlement lifestyle, porous borders, ill health and obesity, and most importantly, the rejection of our Christian heritage. We are a nation divided. There are now many Americans who have zero respect for parents, teachers or elders, for our laws and our Constitution, our heritage, or for our military protectors.
Like the frog in the hot water, we are now close to the boiling point, and we are complacent, choosing to boil to death rather than jump out of the cauldron. This is very dangerous for our society.
An example: Who would have thought years ago that it is "normal" to hear a Hollywood talking head on the radio, advertising tax specialist assistance in order to keep the IRS from seizing our bank accounts and homes because of "back taxes"?. Why are we standing for this nonsense? We are taxed to death already, and nobody's homes or paychecks should be seized by anyone in this country much less our own government!. Yet we ignore the advertisement and think about getting a latte instead.
So we prepare for the worst because we can't rely on our leaders in Washington to do right by us. Instead, we fear our own government, and with good reason. With each passing year, the government shows itself to be a heartless and really dumb entity that exists to victimize it's own citizens. To add insult to injury, our government and the Central Bank are bedfellows, and between the two, have managed to drive us to financial Armageddon. The American dream is a little hard to come by when everyone ends up broke.
We prep because we can't trust the rest of the world to leave us in peace and worry about their own countries.
We prep because we want to take care of our families and give our little ones a fighting chance.
We prep because we don't want to be boiled frogs.
Those who take the necessary precautions, those who are the willing, will be able to take our heritage back from those who are stealing it and destroying it. Because we have respect for our country. But if we continue to thumb our noses at the Creator of the universe and all mankind, it won't matter. Time to realize that Jesus is coming back, and now is not the time to be goofing off!
http://www.survivalblog.com/2013/10/we-have-lost-our-way-by-an-optimist-in-the-redoubt.html
If you had a nickel for every time Barry says the word "folks," because his speech writers believe it makes him appeal more to the common sheeple, you'd be rich. Bury the country in debt, but say "folks" and it's all OK! Laughable and nauseating at the same time.
Of course, but that's ok to anyone who lives on welfare, don't you see? They don't care how much or how hard you work. In fact, they want you to pay more taxes and work more, so that their subsidy checks can keep growing. Just poll those on this board, and you will see no sympathy for your plight. I'd love to hear from those here how much money does someone have to make in order to be hated and eligible for being taxed to death just to help those on welfare? Is it $75,000? $100,000? $250,000? Does running a small business and making $500,000 a year qualify one to be a hated American labeled "rich" and "uncaring" in the entitled world of most liberals on this board?
Maybe driving a $100,000 car gets you the liberal "hated" status? I mean, it's not fair for you to have such a luxury, when there are people living in gov't housing and using EBT cards. How dare you!
What's funny is that all these people on welfare spend most of their time watching their Hollywood and gov't icons live like billionaires, and that is not offensive to them. As long as they are speaking out about how evil Republicans should be taxed at higher rates, they get a pass, and the ones like the Kardashians, who are made almost billionaires because the sheeple keep watching them, are almost worshiped. What a twisted world the entitled live in.
Again, you project your pure hatred and misconception of what a conservative is. I have no doubt there are caring liberals. I know many. The difference is, the ones I know are contributing members of society who pay their own way, pay taxes too high (and don't like it), and understand the economic system in this country is broken and run by psychopaths. We disagree on social issues, but we agree on economic ones. You, on the other hand, take everything the liberal MSM feeds you, and it's all or nothing with you and most on this board. When someone is so one-sided, it makes a conservative believe that one is on welfare and happy to be there, and those few million people are a major part of the problem in the country. Not saying that is the case with you, but it is at least one logical conclusion when being a successful conservative makes a person so very angry.
I am not prejudice in a blanket way, but that old saying of "if the show fits" should be applied and not totally ignored and called bigotry and prejudice. Anyone carrying their own weight receives no disdain from me. Anyone truly disabled does not either. But if you don't believe there are now millions of people who believe they are entitled to free everything, just because they are poor, or black, or Irish, or whatever, then you are most misinformed. Millions believe they have some reason or excuse for why America or the gov't OWES them a free ride . . . and that, along with an out-of-control military complex WILL bankrupt this country.
Even though the words are from a kindred spirit of yours, if I put that response on this board directed at one of the liberals, I've no doubt I would be banned again. I was banned the first time for much, much less.
I tend to agree with you. With the election and reelection of Barry, the US has become more "diverse," but in the worst sense of the word. It is diverse with more entitled, more non-English speakers, more intelligent coming for education and contacts only to be taken back to benefit their home countries, more illegals and the criminal behaviors that come with them, and many, many more low IQ, easily-manipulated "voters" with a hand out.
You relish in your victory of all of this. I will probably not live to see it, but certainly your children and grandchildren, if, God forbid, you actually procreated, will. And the AmeriKa they will inherit will be so far from a REPUBLIC, it will not be recognizable. I know many entitled liberals truly believe this is a good thing, but remember to tell your children to pass down that you actually voted for, and encouraged what is coming. The part you will not be around to hear is the cursing of your name by your future generations.
I project what a conservative American, who has worked a minimum of 16 hour days consistently an entire lifetime in order to raise my station to a level that is probably in the top 5% of AMERICA (which, you might call "rich," but is now a struggle to just maintain, due to the policies and dollar destruction of gov't), not the AmeriKa all the liberals with ENTITLED attitudes have. I love to help others who DESERVE it, and I give to charity willingly, but I begrudge having a liberal, socialist gov't steal my earnings to randomly pass out, when their systems allow for at least a 50% waste level in everything they do. I resent a gov't, and a people, who have no economic sense or care, and live on debt destroying the country for future generations. I could go on and on, but since I know you care less, and all you think about is your next meal and tax handout, I'll leave you to it. You may actually represent the majority now at about 53%, but that is a slim margin. I guarantee you, outside of the lune fringes in CA, NY, and DC, there are millions who think exactly as I do, and they are ill about the changes they see happening in the country this past 20 years as well.
So keep making fun and standing on what you perceive to be the "high" ground of "caring for others," because those of us who worked and work hard, and made everything we did with no gov't help, well, we know you are just plain wrong.
Agree to disagree. But one thing is certain. When the REPUBLIC is changed forever and destroyed, then everyone (except those born into entitlement and never rose above it) will miss what was once the greatest nation on earth.
Good luck. I've learned that anything offered here, outside of the typical MSM, Bill Maher-inspired drivel, is most unwelcome, and it only invites personal attacks. But you have to realize that life for those who work for the federal gov't, exist on tax handouts, or the uneducated or small-minded who will never make more than a bit above poverty wages all have a major chip on their shoulder of jealousy for those who have worked very hard to rise above this and actually attain something in this country. We call that the "American Dream," and they call that being a rich, disgusting person who should be willing to give away 90% of all they earn for the sake of people like them, who enjoy prime-time television and reality shows. Like I said, good luck in AmeriKa, because it is coming, no matter how much they like to make fun or pretend it will be a good thing. They are so miserable in their current situation, that they actually believe a totally socialist country with a dictator installed would be an improvement. For a few of them, it might be. That's the sad part.
I love the comments to that ramble and opinion. If this was truly Celente's response below, it was on target. The sad thing is, all the liberal "thinkers" never come up with a credible way for the FED to ever be able to stop pumping TRILLIONS into the system, because that is ALL that is keeping this house of cards afloat currently, or a credible way that those irresponsible actions will not end in a disaster at some point.
Keep HOPING and believing in your propaganda "hope and change" brigade, because when this breaks down, there are 50 MILLION of you who will be scrambling to eat each other -- lol. Damn reality. It's much easier to live in the wonderful world of Barry's delusion! Did you catch what happened when the EBT cards stopped working for only a few HOURS in about 16 States? Even a liberal should be able to extrapolate that reaction to 1 week, 2 weeks, or a couple of months! The Walking Dead would not do it justice.
Response from Celente:
Dr. Kevin Bone Ham: Listen up you little wanker. In 2010 when I made that forecast, had no inside knowledge that the Fed's were pulling off an inside deal to pump trillions of dollars to bail out banks around the world. That's right...information that became public knowledge three years after they did it.
Listen up Dr. Bone Ham: I had no idea that the banks were rigging the LIBOR rate. LIBOR? Are those 5 letters beyond your comprehension? You know...the $300 trillion of contracts from mortgages and student loans to interest-rate swaps, etc. ... or maybe you can't count that high. Or maybe you had your nose up the assholes that were rigging the game Bone Ham so you let it slide.
Me, the winner of your bullshit wrong prediction list? You're way off base. You should have picked Ben Bernanke and the rest of the Feds who got the entire Panic of '08 wrong while I predicted it in 'O7 you little weasel. That's right Dr. Boner. Read the Fed minutes that were just released after being hidden from the public for five years. I got it right and every one of them got it wrong. But a little shit like you would never offend those you bow down to.
Dr. Bonham? Try Dr. Shit! Another low-life suck up. A disgrace of a human being.
Gerald Celente
Krugman is a lunatic. Why don't you listen to someone who actually has a brain and knows what is going on:
http://investmentwatchblog.com/gerald-celente-i-am-taking-my-money-out-of-us-banks-if-agreement-not-met-by-tuesday/
Do you have any clue why the first downgrade came in 2011? And this downgrade will also have everything to do with this psychopath gov't wanting a free pass to keep printing money and spending more than they take in. It has nothing to do with the gridlock and a "gov't shutdown." What a joke the MSM pushes on the fools.
Read this from 2011, and see how this guy's optimism that the 2011 downgrade might actually force DC to do the right thing and stop living on borrowed money while stifling free enterprise with increasing taxation.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/fredsmith/2011/08/17/debt-downgrade-why-did-it-take-sp-so-long/
Here's the cause:
There’s much, of course, to critique in the S&P’s downgrade decision. The firm’s analysts focus too little attention on how current regulatory policy that slows entrepreneurial growth has exacerbated the crisis. Moreover, they are too quick to accept the Washington mantra that higher taxes would help — rather than focus on comprehensive reform of our 2.1 million word tax code (less social engineering in the tax code, lower overall rates). And the special powers granted to the established credit ratings firms by the SEC and other financial regulators have embedded their ratings in capital requirements for a host of financial institutions, causing a downgrade to be more damaging than it should be.
Still, S&P realizes it must provide reliable information on how it sees America’s financial issues if its reputation is to survive. What it sees isn’t pretty: a nation with slow growth, crippling regulations, burdensome tax policies and ever-expanding entitlement and other spending programs. On top of that we have a budget deal that only addresses these problems at the margins, a Republican House reluctant to take on politically sensitive entitlement reform, a Democratic Senate unwilling even to discuss such reform, and a president running for re-election on a soak-the-rich platform.
And here's the dashed hopes, after more years of Barry the printing president (twin of shrub):
For that reason, the S&P downgrade offers actual hope. As the economist Herbert Stein famously noted: ”If something cannot go on forever, it will stop.” The current pace of government growth cannot go on forever. The welfare-regulatory state is unsustainable. It promises far more than economic growth makes possible, while its tax, regulatory, and other disincentives to wealth creation make that growth increasingly anemic.
So it will stop. In effect, our political system is now molten rather than broken—it will take a new shape. That presents an opportunity to help shape a re-born America, one that returns to the limited government constitutional ideals that made our nation viable and prosperous. The other option is a future of stagnation, increased poverty, and diminished freedom—things politicians all profess to hate, even as they promote policies that would help bring them about.
With a gov't OWNED by the FED, printing paper money like there's no tomorrow, and racking up trillions in debt, if these agencies had anything to them, they would rate it an F. Only a mighty military and nothing to challenge the artificial dollar keeps this fiasco together. But at some point, the sociopaths in DC will figure out a way to cause a total breakdown. Keep watching.
Like I said, all stats depend on who is asking, where they gather, and what their agenda is. Remember, the same gov't has been telling us there is NO inflation for many years now, yet anyone who works knows their paycheck does not purchase anywhere close to what it used to. There has been huge inflation in everything people need to live -- food, insurance, education, healthcare, etc. The gov't lies so much, it would be a slip if they actually told the truth.
I have two friends who showed me just this week where their plans are going up 18% and 23% on renewal with their private health insurance companies. They say they are going to be forced into the exchanges, even though they don't want to.
I've read at least 10 doctors who say Medicare and Medicaid is more like "emergency treatment" and does not really provide equal followup care that private insurance does. Are they fibbing? Even if just an opinion, why do so many doctors not accept Medicare and Medicaid, and if forced to, they say they will retire or practice out of the country?
Perhaps if 90% did not get so caught up in the DC system (use and abuse and look out for #1), which is composed of 7 of the 10 wealthiest counties in the country, most would not think that way.
Shortages of doctors is NOT a good thing. Errors already occur at alarming rates, and the ACA will make that exponentially worse as gov't rules come into play. The "overhaul" that this article speaks of is in relation to getting the system into more preventative care -- eating properly, exercising, etc. rather than simply treating disease. What percent of this 20 million who are going on insurance through the ACA do you suppose eat right and exercise? Obviously, this is too big a topic for this post, with plenty of blame to go around -- healthcare system, gov't, drug companies, insurance companies, etc. Point is, improvements are obviously needed, but the gov't response of printing massive amounts of debt and throwing money blindly at problems is not the correct one. It never is, and it leads to broken systems that are drowning the country in debt.
"Medical errors are a large reason why the current, fatally flawed medical paradigm is in such desperate need of transformation. A majority of healthcare workers observe mistakes made by their peers yet rarely do anything to challenge them. A substantial portion of American doctors also suffer from burnout on the job, according to a 2012 study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine.12
Of the nearly 7,300 doctors surveyed, nearly half had at least one symptom of burnout; 38 percent had high emotional exhaustion scores; and 30 percent had high depersonalization scores (viewing patients more like objects than human beings) – twice the rate of the general population of working adults. Clearly, this is yet another piece of the puzzle as to why US medical care is so dangerous."
"Yes, idiocies by governments. That is exactly the word. It's basically a dysfunctional government that we have that is far too large that is essentially wasting money left, right and center. The Republicans are wasting money on the military complex and the Democrats are basically buying votes with transfer payments, with entitlement programs, it goes on. It is a huge waste.
http://www.bloomberg.com/video/faber-there-s-no-safe-haven-left-yXPB~TC6TZ6JF9Okv8UCcQ.html
Transcript:
Faber on gold:
"We have a strong rally form the lows at 1180 to over 1400 and now we are backing off. I think between around 1200 and 1250 it is getting into buying range. The sentiment about gold is very negative, but if you look at everything considered - the monetization of debt, the debt ceiling, which sooner or later will be increased because both Republicans and Democrats are big spenders and the government's debt has expanded from $1 trillion in 1980 to $5 trillion in 1999, now we are at $16 trillion. Both Democrats and Republicans have been big, big spenders because a lot of money flows through the government."
On how he sees the debt ceiling debate playing out:
"If they don't agree by the 17th, I think what can happen is that the Fed will actually finance the Treasury independently so the interest payments are being met. If the interest payments are not being met, I think it will cause quite a bit disruption to the financial market. I am not that concerned about that. I think this larger issue is like the euro issue a year ago where people were very negative and it was debated and so forth. In the end it is a political decision. I think both parties want to spend. It's just on different items that they want to spend money."
On what's going on across equities, bonds currencies and commodities:
"Yes, idiocies by governments. That is exactly the word. It's basically a dysfunctional government that we have that is far too large that is essentially wasting money left, right and center. The Republicans are wasting money on the military complex and the Democrats are basically buying votes with transfer payments, with entitlement programs, it goes on. It is a huge waste. The problem is that I don’t see a solution. I think the current debate about the debt ceiling and the budget is more a symptom of a problem than a problem itself. The problem is really that the government, not just in the US but other countries as well, has grown disproportionally large and that retards economic growth."
On whether there's a safe haven left:
"There is no safe haven. Bank deposits are not safe, which used to be safe. Money in treasury bills is not 100% safe because there is inflation in the system and you hardly get any interest. Bonds are not very safe anymore because eventually interest rates will go up. Equities in the US are relatively expensive by any valuationmetrics you might use. I don't see anything particularly safe. The best you can hope for is that you have a diversified portfolio of different assets and that they don't all collapse at the same time."
"there is nothing in the ACA that determines what kind of treatment you get or whether you qualify."
Once it is a single-payer system, and that IS the goal, whether you, or Congress admit it, the rules then will work like most gov't-run entities -- like crap.
You must be related to a Democratic Congressman -- lol. The lady doth protest too much, methinks.
And, yes, the fact that their real job is campaigning, to hold on to the 2.5 days they actually try to do something, and that several million dollar stipend and corporate favors, is another nail in the coffin, IMO.
Here's another scenario that most liberal "thinkers" call fantasy, delusion, or they simply refuse to consider . . . but with the levels of debt, and with a gov't unwilling to make real changes to get it under control, this type of event most probably will come one day, and it might not be that far off. Then we will see how resolute all the liberals are who believe that everyone is ENTITLED to a home, health insurance, food, education, etc. even though such a system cannot sustain itself.
Watch the videos.
http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/watch-they-will-clear-the-shelves-within-hours-like-a-tornado_10142013?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+SHTFplan+%28SHTF+Plan+-+When+It+Hits+The+Fan%2C+Don%27t+Say+We+Didn%27t+Warn+You%29
ABC, NBC, and CBS are 100% owned by the liberal left of the gov't. Fox, and other stations considered "Republican" or "conservative" are also dependent on certain funds from the gov't (and threats of attacks), and so they stay away from specific topics. Both sides, just like BOTH sides of Congress, are OWNED by the banksters who created the Federal Reserve, and that is not a conspiracy theory, it is fact for anyone with an IQ over 100.
Why would our gov't have agreed to let a private group of bankers print money and loan it to the gov't, rather than simply printing money needed themselves?
Unfortunately, most of those on this board will tell you it is only disgusting for the Republicans to steal such sums of taxpayer money, but they will refuse to believe that the Democrats take the same thing, or they will justify in their minds that the Democrats NEED this much to do their fine work -- that is, the 2.5 days on average they actually show up for "work." It would be laughable if it were not so sad how this "hope and change" manipulation has gotten into the heads of so many people that they can not see truth before them.
You will make being here very difficult to not get personal, but I will do my best, as promised, no matter how personal the attacks come the other direction.
Ever hear of charities? I gave 17% of my money to charities last year that I know actually watch what they spend and make sure it goes to the truly needy, unlike the almost 50% in all taxes that the gov't forces from my pocket to buy $1,000 toilet seats, bomb civilians, and help with programs I despise, such as abortion, while wasting probably 50% of what goes to programs like food stamps for people having 6-10 kids because they are "disabled" in every way except their sexual parts, which work on overdrive.
It's offensive for you to imply you know my interpretation of the Bible. The difference is, I want to see those who care for the poor and needy make the decisions where money gets spent, and you trust a sociopath gov't to do it, even though we have decades of proof of abuse, red tape, no checks and balances, and crooks running the asylum.
I can't give you the exact amount each person in Congress spends on each intern or each thing they purchase with taxpayer money, but it's a simple matter to see how much they spend EACH on average. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that these clowns are living the lifestyles of billionaires, based on the amount of tax-free money they dip in the taxpayer pool for each year.
Here are a couple of sources, if you actually care to read:
http://moneymorning.com/2013/03/01/you-only-wish-you-could-live-like-a-congressional-fat-cat/#
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/Congressional-Allowances.htm
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/09/29/benefits-members-congress-shabby/
Here are the actual figures PER PERSON from 2012/13, straight from the government's own site, less you don't believe how ludicrous this all is, and that these people are psychopaths and sociopaths:
In 2012, individual representatives received MRA allowances ranging from $1,270,129 to $1,564,613, with an average of $1,353,205.13.
Each member is allowed to use their MRA to employ up to18 full time, permanent employees and up to four part time or temporary employees. The annual salary of any employee of a member of the House of Representatives is currently limited to $168,411 (in 2013).
In the fiscal year 2013 legislative branch appropriations bill, the size of the average Senate SOPOEA allowance is $3,209,103, with individual accounts ranging from $2,960,716 to $4,685,632, depending on the population of the senators' states.
Unlike in the House, the size of senators' administrative and clerical assistance staff is not specified. Instead, senators are free to structure their staffs as they choose, as long as they do not spend more than provided to them in the administrative and clerical assistance component of their SOPOEA allowance.
AGAIN, I ask you, how much money would a private individual have to have in a bank, that would be GUARANTEED, and still spin off $1.3 Million for House members and up to $4.6 Million for a Senator? Guaranteed not to lose any principal would get you rates of about .01-.05%. DO the math, and you will see that many of these clowns live like BILLIONAIRES on the backs of the taxpayers.
AGAIN, is this all right with you for a "PUBLIC SERVANT?" What a joke that title has become.
Which works as long as your "employer" is the taxpayers, and YOU have the control to take whatever you want from them. Your analogy would be equal to me working for IBM and having the power to force IBM to pick up 75% or more of my healthcare insurance, no matter how expensive it becomes. Most employees will not have that power, so when their company presents the private plan, which will be unaffordable, they are FORCED to go to the exchanges. Barry and Congress will NEVER be forced to go there, because they determine their own benefits and pay. But that's okay with you?