Friday, October 31, 2008

Quotes of the Week

"It's interesting how their definition of rich has a way of creeping down", John McCain, commenting on Joe Biden's gaffe implying that only those earning $150,000 a year would qualify under Obama's tax breaks when Obama has been "tossing" out a $250,000 figure. What's a 100,000 here or there if you are a Democrat Congressman.

Biden, he of the silver tongue, (and hair) also said while in coal rich Pennsylvania, "We are not supporting clean coal plants here in America".

Hmmmmm.

Local Heroes'-- And Others

Fred Schlump, of Peoria in his "Letter to the Editors" in today's JS titled "Schock rises above the mudslinging", Joey Watt of Peoria with his letter, "Tired of the belief that we're entitled" and Don Stenstrom of East Peoria with his letter "Voting Democratic won't always bring change, the Journal has the header wrong, Don says he's had enough of the Democrat controlled congress among other things.

Thanks, guy for telling it like it is.

Winner or should I say whiner of the "Other" award is Pepper Lambie Bauer of Mapleton, a good Democrat, in her letter "Why do so many people defend Schock". She says she doesn't understand the attraction to Schock. Well, I don't have enough time and space to tell her why but maybe Wednesday morning she will know.

Do We Want Sarah Palin as Our Vice President? You Bet

21 Reasons Why Sarah Palin Should NOT be Elected Vice-President of the United States :
1) She is a Woman.

2) She does not believe in killing babies, born or unborn.

3) She is NOT endorsed by Susan Sarandon, Jane Fonda, Rosie O'Donnell, Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Geraldine Ferrara, Barbara Walters, Helen Thomas, Ellen DeGeneris, Ted Kennedy, Keith Olberman, Chris Matthews, Barbra Streisand or David Letterman.

4) She is married to a Foreigner - a species called 'Native American' - meaning her five children are half-breeds.

5) She has on more than one occasion expressed PRIDE in the United States of America .

6) Unlike decent, self-respecting Democrats everywhere, she has a 17-year-old daughter who became pregnant out of wedlock.

7) She is a member of the American Riflemen's Association .... actually owns firearms ... and knows how to use them.

8) She has killed a moose, among other animals - and spreads the propaganda that it is hunters, through their license fees, that keep American wildlife from becoming extinct.

9) She often does her own grocery and other household shopping.

10) She drives a car and flies a plane.

11) She chose to give birth to a defective child rather than allow a skilled Abortion Doctor to kill it for her.

12) She refuses to apologize for seeking the termination of an Alaskan State Trooper just because he applied a gentle taser to his 12-year-old stepson (who, of course, happened to be Gov. Palin's nephew).

13) She is inexperienced. And she refuses to admit that her duties as the chief executive in the State of Alaska are nowhere near equal to those of a public servant who was once a Community Organizer or that of a United States Senator who has carried the awesome burden of overseeing a staff of political appointees.


14) She has a son who is in the U.S. Military, deployed to the Persian Gulf - probably making her prejudiced against all the peaceful Muslims in that part of the world.

15) She is on Oprah Winfrey's 'Do Not Invite' list.

16) She professes to be a Christian, but has no 'Spiritual Adviser' - even though Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who served Sen. Obama in that capacity for 20 years, is now available.

17) She isn't really a 'beauty queen,' as advertised. She was only the runner-up in the Miss Alaska Contest; and Alaska is not a very populous state anyway.

18) The Obama-Biden ticket is favored over McCain-Palin, 80% to 20%, by our friendly allies in France .

19) Her children are not properly trained in hygiene. (Did you see her 7-year-old daughter shamelessly lick the entire palm of her hand at the Convention, then use it to slick down the hair of her little brother?)

20) She is of mixed English, German, and Irish ancestry - and you KNOW you can't trust the Limey's, Krauts, or Micks.


21) Back to No. 1: This is the one that really galls modern, liberal 'feminists.' Gov. Palin is a Woman, a female-type wife and mother, who shaves her legs, wears makeup, dresses smartly, often cooks meals for her family, doesn't give a hoot about the National Organization for Women or the all-powerful Teachers Unions - and obviously will never, ever fit in as a member of the Washington Elite.


Do we want a person like this to be the Vice President of the United States?


You betcha we do!!!

Federal Court Judges - Obama as President Will Stack the Courts

In an article in the WSJ, dated 10/29/08, titled "Obama's 'Redistribution' Constitution, Steven G. Calabresi, a professor at Northwestern University, writes "One of the great unappreciated stories of the past 8 years is how thoroughly Democrats thwarted efforts by President Bush to appoint judges to the lower federal courts.

In his two terms President Reagen appointed eight judges; George W. Bush appointed only four judges. Although 2 seats were open on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, Bush nominee Peter Keisler has been denied even a committee vote for 2 years. Obama, if elected, will most certainly fill those 2 vacant seats, and 6 other seats; 2 Clinton appointees and 4 Reagan appointees.

The net result is that the legal left will have a majority on the nation's most important regulatory court of appeals. The balance will shift as well on almost all of the 12 other federal appeals courts.

On the Supreme Court, 6 of the current nine justices will be 70 years old or older on January 20,2009. There is widespread expectation that the next president could make 4 appointment in just his first term, with maybe 2 more in his second term.

These numbers ought to raise serious concern (I believe it is too late now) because of Obama's extreme left-wing views about the role of judges. He believes and is quite open about it, that judges ought to decide cases in light of empathy they ought to feel for the little guy in any lawsuit. Speaking in July 2007 at a conference of Planned Parenthood, he said: We need somebody who has got heart, the empathy, to recognize what it's like to be poor, or African-American, or gay or disabled, or old. And that's the criteria by which I'm going to be selecting my judges."

On this view, plaintiffs should usually win against defendants in civil cases; criminal in cases against the police; consumers, employees against stockholder in suits brought against corporations and citizens in suits brought against the government. Empathy, not justice, ought to be the mission of the federal courts, and the redistribution of wealth should be their mantra.

Obama believes that the Constitution as written is only a guarantee of negative liberties from government--and not an entitlement to a right to welfare or economic justice. He'd change that. His presidential oath is to "preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution. Will he support the Constitution as written or does he support amendments to guarantee welfare? Is his provision of a "tax cut" to millions of Americans who currently pay no no taxes merely a foreshadowing of constitutional rights to welfare, health care, Social Security, vacation time, sick leave, more paternity time off and the redistribution of wealth?

Yes, of course it is. And people voting for him know it to. So many of them voting for the first time want the United States of America to become the United States of Welfare

The federal courts hang in the balance, and it is the left which is poised to capture them.

Many people do not understand that the very idea of liberty and the rule of law are at stake n this election. Obama as president will replace justice with empathy.

And the progressive Democrats, the asset-safe rich, academics and college students looking for a "cause" (think the far left professors at the University of Chicago and Columbia and the students they brainwash. In fact the far left leaning Democrat professors at almost any college (except Hillsdale College, in Hillsdale, Michigan).

Wake up, America. But I fear it is too late.

Do Policymakers Know What They Are Doing?

No, says Russel Roberts, professor of economics at George Mason University. He says Bernanke and the experts assured us that Bear Stearns had to be propped up or the whole system would come crashing down on us. It is crashing down on us anyway. Just as in the 30's, there is no evidence that the policymakers have any understanding of what they are doing. They need to make way for the natural force of repair.

They need to let housing prices fall. They need to let firms go bankrupt. They need to let firms that are healthy thrive. They need to let the healthy firms buy the sick firms. It's time to let the impudent fail and the prudent pick up bargains.

A recession is coming, or has already arrived, no matter what happens in Washington The question is whether the attempt for forestall it is going to make it worse and turn it into another Great Depression.

Politicians have destroyed the rules of the game. There is no reason to invest, no reason to take risk, no reason to be prudent, no reason to look for buyers if your firm is failing. Everything is up in the air and as a result, the only prudent policy is to wait and see what the government will do next. The frenetic efforts of FDR had the same impact: Net investment was negative throughout the 30's.

Roberts says that Bernanke is perhaps the greatest authority on the Great Depression, yet he has failed to stem the damage. Bernanke and Paulson have the tools to treat a sick patient, but they do not understand the underlying cause of the illness nor how to cure it.

The banks were first. Then the insurance companies. The car makers are in line. The governors, probably. Homeowners are waiting. then the hedge funds. As the line forms and people and businesses wait on Washington, the resulting spiral will be devastating.

No one can spend a trillion dollars on the sickness without knowing who to cure and who to let fail. The information is far too complicated so sooner or later, such decisions will be more about politics than economics.

Unfortunately, there is no consensus. The economists are almost as clueless as the politicians. At such a time, inaction may be the more wise course of action.

Tell Merle Widmer about the 30's, my siblings and Mother and Father were stuffed into poverty I was too young to realize we were poor. But we were. I wasn't the only one in my class who wore the same sweater all winter. My older brother and seven older sisters knew it. It wasn't until after the war that the economy boomed.

Lot's of people are probably in worse shape than we were but we didn't need welfare. We all had learned how to work. I suspect some people with jobs are going to change their style of living. And those without work, may have to work harder than they ever did in their lives. Still 6 1/4pages of jobs listed in the JS this week.

Unfortunately, too many people in this world never learned how to work or to keep educating themselves for just such an emergency.
The Widmer's did and all survived without the help of any "governmental social agency".

Obama Blames Deregulation for the Sub-Prime Disaster

Here is what Obama said, "Now, we also have to recognize that this is a final verdict on eight years of failed economic policies promoted by George Bush and John McCain, (Biden was in Congress adding fuel to the fire) a theory that we can shred regulations and consumer protection and give more and more to the most, and somehow prosperity will trickle down."

In a later debate, Obama said "I believe this if a final verdict on the failed economic policies of the last eight years...that essentially said that we should strip away regulations, let the market run wild, and prosperity would rain down on all of us."

Proof again that Obama is a "packaged piece of Democrat double talk". The truth is that the Bush administration set an all time record in 2004, when it published more than 75.000 pages of proposed and enacted regulatory rules in the Federal Register. When it comes to spending on regulatory agencies, Bush is almost in a class by himself, with an increase of almost 68% during his two terms. In constant dollars the Bush regulatory budget increases vastly exceed those of his predecessors from Clinton to Lyndon Johnson.

Bush's staggering 2003 increase of more than 24% was the largest in the last 50 years. If Obama considers this a record of deregulation--and if current polls hold--America's economy could be in for a very long 4 years.

Excess regulatory drove much business and capital from our shores. Unless the puppets pulling the strings can restrict Obama from most major economic decisions and keep him busy with his "socialist reform" agenda this country will be in very deep trouble come January, 2009.

That the Bush Administration and the Congress's that harnessed, supported and screwed up a great deal of us and who some think is 6 years (2 years of Democrat control of congress) was a political body that propelled us into a better world is certainly going to be debated for years to come.

Personally, I am glad to see him go but dread the future even moseso I Obama is elected president.

Unhappy in 2006?

A Democrat controlled Congress was elected in 2006 with a majority casting their vote with those, who like Obama, promised "change." Are you happy with the changes that have taken place in the past two years?

Hopefully, the markets have already have built in the stock markets disastrous slide anticipating a "spread the wealth" Obama and a Democrat Congress.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Historic Vote - Once It's Done, It's Done

For those of you who feel as strongly about this election as I do read Daniel Henninger in today's WSJ. His opinion column, "The True Meaning of 'Historic Vote', says that Obama's programs would transform the animating American idea--away from creation to protection. He says "Many voters--progressive Democrats, the asset-safe-rich, academics and college students-regard this as where America soul go. They explicitly want America's great natural energies transferred away from unwieldy economic competition and toward social construction. They want the U.S. to reduce its "footprint" in the world. Monies saved by stepping down from superpower status can be reprogrammed into "investments" (a favorite Obama word) in a vast Euro-style hammock of social protection.

One wishes McCain had been able to make clear what the truly "historic" meaning of Tuesday's vote is. Once it's done, its done."

The "Professional Black Victims" cartel run by the Jesse Jackson's, Al Sharpton's and Barack Obama's message is for lower income blacks who may have dreams of their own to be "victims" for life. While the black people who are living middle class lives like most of us, are just "uncle tom's".

White people never did use that term. But black racists like Jackson, Sharpton and Rangel won't let it die.

Here is what Obama mentor Louis Farrakhan told a Nation of Islam Savior's Day gathering, "You are the instruments that God is going to use to bring about universal change, and that is why Barack has captured the youth. And he has involved young people in a political process that they didn't care anything about (I add or "know" anything about). That's a sign. When the Messiah speaks, the youth shall hear, and the Messiah (Obama) is absolutely speaking."

When Obama is president, any opposition we voice against his "compassionate" policies to redistribute our possessions to the "victims" will be met with charges of racism. As Louis Farrakan has told us, the Messiah has spoken.

For the 12% of Republicans who plan to "sit out" this election, you should listen to the words of George Newman, an economist and retired businessman "free economy in a McCain administration are bad, and in an Obama administration FAR WORSE. Get over your snit fits and get out and vote. Or are you "sit out" Republicans the same as the ones I described in paragraph one? Or just wealthy religious fundamentalists and believers in abortion on demand?

So sad.

Bail Out GM?

There seems to be support gathering to bail out GM. As I've blogged several times on the reasons GM has arrived facing bankruptcy, I would not vote to save them. All of the so-called "big three" do not deserve to be bailed out using taxpayer dollars. They have gotten to big, too unwieldy, to union constrained, too huge pension and health plans and out-run and out-flanked by nimbler foreign companies who do not have the unions calling the shots; at this time both union and management appear to be on the same page.

Not true at GM.

Jerry Flint, a former Forbes Senior Editor, who has covered the automotive industry since 1958, says "The leaders of GM have made mistakes-plenty of them-but they didn't enrich themselves beyond decency." Depends what Mr. Flint's definition is of "enrich". I wonder if some of the stockholders who held their stock up to the present, enriched themselves within decency. Some say we need GM to turn out tanks and trucks needed for another war. Some say that Japan wouldn't let there largest vehicle builder go into bankruptcy. I don't know and neither does any writer. Japan vehicle makers do not appear to have made many mistakes and their products are selling quite well here in the United States of America.

Would a lot of people be hurt if GM went under? Yes, and the financial and insurance markets would take another hit. The stockholders have already suffered. They can sell or suffer more. Under no circumstance do I see GM stock prices going back to the heady days of the early and mid 2000's. This is still a capitalist country and whoever has expertise and access to capital, as long as entrepreneurs can find and keep the right management people, GM's position on this planet will be replaced by others with greater managerial skills, more common sense and drive.

Employee Free Choice Act

What a misnomer. Barack Obama is a supporter of this act. Let's see what's "free".
This act, when passed by a total Democrat administration and Congress, would eliminate the secret ballot in union organizing elections. Unions would be certified to negotiate pay, benefits and work rules simply by collecting signed "union authorization cards" from a majority of employees at a work site.

Under current law, union organizers and management both have the opportunity to present the pros and cons of forming a union. A SECRET vote is then held. Under Obama's proposal, unions would be the SOLE provider of of information to the employee, and the workers decision whether to organize would no longer be PRIVATE.

Unions say current law favors management, which can stall to a point where workers lose interest in organizing. But the median number of days between filing a petition with the NLRB and holding an election has actually fallen over the past two decades. In 2007, more than 1500 such elections were held, and unions won 54% of them, the same win rate of the early 1970's.

Another labor friendly provision of the EFCA is mandatory arbitration. Under current law, labor and management are required to bargain in good faith but aren't obligated to reach an agreement. Under Obama proposal, if the parties can't settle on a contract within 120 days, the dispute goes to an arbitration panel that can impose a contract that is binding for two years.

Obama also supports legislation to reverse the NLRB's "Kentucky River" ruling last year, which fleshed out the definition of a supervisor for the purpose of organizing. Union usually prefer a narrow definition of management, because it increases the number of people potentially under their control. Conversely, labor has worked to expand the definition of "employee" to include everyone from temp workers to graduate student assistants.

This bill, supported by Obama wants to bar companies from replacing striking worker--a right that management has held for 70 years. Unions made a similar push in the early 1990's and a bill was passed in the House but was blocked in the Senate. President Clinton issued an executive order that would have ended the provision for federal contractors. It was stuck down in federal court. Clinton then tried to get the NLRB to make it more difficult to replace striking workers, The courts overturned that too. Obama says he will "work to ban the provision," but hasn't provided specifics.

Obama also supports the Public Safety-Employer Cooperation Act that would force state and local governments to recognize union leaders as the exclusive bargaining agent for police, firefighters and other first responders. More than half the states would have to change their laws. Thousands of public safety officers would no longer be able to negotiate with their employers on their own behalf.

Obama also want to raise the minimum wage to $7.25 next year and $9.50 per hour by 2011, and index it for inflation. Obama says further increases are necessary so that "full-time" workers earn a living wage. Census data shows that less than 1% or workers over 25 are earning the minimum. And rather than family heads or full-time worker, they tend to be young single adults, teenagers living at home or spouses providing a second income.

John McCain has not made labor issues a major part of his campaign, but he opposes the the Employee Free Trade Act and the Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act. He has also gone on the record in support of national-right-to-work legislation that would repeal all current federal Law the authorize the firing of employees for refusing to join or pay dues to a union. 22 states currently have right-to-work laws, which Obama opposes.

I was asked recently why I thought Obama was a Socialist. Look at what he supports the worst for me is the unions right to ban secret ballots. At the rate we are sliding into a Socialist state, expect that within the next 8 years, secret balloting will be banned for all voters and all people will be forced to vote where those in charge can see who you are voting for.

No wonder business's are almost terrified over what they see in the future and Obama's hatred for big business except for the one's that are supporting him financially. Democrats in California recently passed a law to help Mrs. Peolsi's multi-millionaire husband avoid paying minimum wage by exempting his business.

Much of this information is digested from an article by Jason L. Riley in the WSJ, on 10/27/08. I have considerable files to back up his statements.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

'Whassup', Teach?

'Whassup' Comes Out for Obama is the title of an article in today's WSJ. In a new video supporting Obama, one of the characters, a black American soldier, calls his buddies from Iraq, and the group exchange their familiar "Whassup" greeting. They quickly descend into why Obama is the man for change and at the end of the video one of the characters asks again: "Whassup?"

"Change. Change, that's whassup" says another character as he watches TV images of Obama and his wife.

This catch-phrase helped sell countless cases of Budweiser debuted in 1999 but was eventually replaced by other equally stupid but effective slogans by the beer company. Now it's been revived and generated more than two million hits between Friday and Tuesday.

Budweiser relinquished it ownership of the slogan when its ownership license expired three years ago. It's unfortunate because I doubt many Anheuser-Busch people support Obama.

Expect teachers already struggling to command respect from their students to be greeted by this slogan so quickly picked up out of the trash bin. Unfortunately, most of the teachers today, will just laugh and ask the same question back. How things have changed. When I went to school, when I taught, kids addressed males as Mr. and females as Mrs. or Ms. Not that we couldn't enjoy some mild jokes and some kidding.

We were told to not try to become "friends" with the students but to seek their respect and and be friendly at arms length. Things got out of hand in the 60's when it was starting to become popular that families were democratic and all had equal rights. When parents became "best buddies" with their kids and teachers followed the practice.

That concept is the major reasons why educators say the parents have lost control of their kids. How does anyone expect us to regain control in the classrooms? Why do we think today that we have so many liberal Democrats supporting Obama?

Most of us have long known the answer but weak school boards, weak administrations and a confused educational system have not in recent years been able to say to kids and parents, "we may do many things differently once you are on school grounds than what you are used to at home. And one of those major things will be "we demand you respect us as being in charge of this school and school ground and we will respect your rights as a parent or student". Then those in charge stand behind how things may and will be done differently. We wouldn't have the chaos we have in our larger inner city public schools that we have today.

And in some of the smaller public schools today.

What should we expect in today's degenerating culture? As an aside, polls show black service people support Obama by 88%. And pundits claim that race is NOT a factor in politics?

Anyway, tomorrow when I go out, my greeting to everybody will be "Whassup, Doc?"

Two Liars - One Sign

Or one sign - 2 liars. Jackie Petty, who I believe is president of the NCAAP and also is a seat filling member of the Peoria Park Board, says that Gordon has been getting so much poor press that "Quite frankly, I (we) feel that she has gotten poor press".

Really, Gordon has lied about so many things I've lost track. And those lies are only the ones that made the local press. of course, we black Democrats can overlook those lies that got her poor press because she is a Democrat, black and a female.

Obama lies are legion. They continue to be uncovered daily, unfortunatley, I believe, far too late. Read my earlier blogs or please just read and sort out the truth. The truth is that if Obama is elected this whole country will slide further into being a Socialist country that will transform itself into something more radical in the decades ahead. Gordon would just be another mini Blago in Springfield.

Library Referendum - Water Company Referendum

Oversold library advisory referendum, $120,000 private money and Peoria's best political promoter, Steve Shearer, gets 72+% approval rating and council votes to give them all but $7 million requested.

Water company advisory referendum, unknown dollars spent by the water company in opposition to the buyout, $1 million dollars spent by by others to promote the buyout. 80% of ordinary voters said, "City, run the city , let private industry run private industries", please vote no.

The people who put up the #1 million dollars to support the water company buyout can at least say we were able to slap the forever library new taxes on the property taxpayer.

If I were them I'd be saying "some win".

Maybe a little payback to some council members including Sandberg. I can recall few instances where Sandberg voted for private enterprise except Elliotts strip club.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Water Company Buyout Vote Fails

By a 7-4 majority the motion to spend 1-2 million dollars for another appraisal to hopefully justify the buyout of the privately owned water company, failed. While Councilman Manning's personal studies showed that the cities ownership of the water mining and distribution rights would provide millions of dollars of extra revenue each year, the majority of the council referred back to the library referendum which had a 70+% public approval while the water company buyout had only a 12% public approval.

Bob Manning made good points 3 years ago and good points tonight. However, like all spending endeavors based on projections, Manning's studies were "projections" and projections have a high ratio of failure in this community.

I will blog on this subject later but I am pleased with the result and compliment the all councilpeople for their efforts to make a decision most feel is in the best interests of the community.

The council can now move on to problems more pressing and that are easier to get "your arms around" than the speculation that a city appointed Water Company Committee hiring a company to do the actual mining and distribution of our water. The majority in this community believes that city ownership would take an undo amount of the councils time and diligence.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Prejudice Against Israel

John McCain is probably not going to win the vote of many college professors.
Surveys show the large majority of college professors are Democrats especially those in the realm of foreign studies. McCain's public proclamations of support for Israel has probably cost him a large number of votes nationwide. Many of the immigrants to this country in the last half century do not openly support Israel and many would not be disappointed to see Israel become a Palestine state.

Much of the prejudice in the universities is fueled by money and ideas coming from oil-rich Arab countries that have created endowed chairs or research centers where they exercise lasting control. Columbia and Stanford are appear to lead the charge of anti-Israel screed. MESA, Middle East Studies Association, the largest and most influential professional body for the study of the region; this approximately 3000 members group, is a hotbed of anti-Israel invective. Also, the Department of Middle East and Asian Languages and Cultures at Columbia University whose faculty members have long been accused by students of abusing their positions in order to vilify Israel and to promote anti-Zionism and to stifle free discussion of the Arab-Israel conflict. This pervasive anti-Israel and anti-Jewish discourse by the academia elite against a Jewish state thriving in the Middle East is quite comfortably at home in Western universities.

Obama has paid basically lip service in countering the Iranian leader who would "wipe Israel from the face of the earth". Obama would meet with him for "no pre-conditioned" dialogue. Obama's committement for continuing support of our aid to Israel has been minimal and words of his support or Israel have not een made before the large groups who turn out to listen to his continual rant of "change". Obama, whose election promise to the "middle class", we know who he is really talking about, sounds considerably like Chavez in Venezuela. Mary Anastasia O'Grady, one of my most favorite columnists said in an WSJ article on 12/3/04 that "a police raid on a Jewish school in Caracas, had chilling anti-Semitic overtones". Chavez has close relationships with Middle Eastern militants.


Israel supporters in the U.S. should be interpreting the real meanings behind Obama's words.

"It is seldom that liberty of any kind is lost all at once. Slavery has so frightful an aspect to men accustomed to freedom that it must steal in upon them by degrees and must disguise itself in a thousand shapes in order to be received". David Hume, Of the Liberty of the Press, year 1742.

Senator Stevens Found Guilty

One of my fondest hopes was that he would be found guilty and serve serve prison time. We have way too many politicians accepting major gratuities in one form or another that in my opinion qualifies them as crooks in our government. Flush them out, regardless of Party, gender or race.

To bad a slow moving government hasn't come up with enough to charge Obama and Dodd for their shady deals with the convicted Tony Retzko. And Rangel, for trying to evade taxes on his off shore properties. Innocently overlooked, Rangel said.

The problem is that the "voters" often vote them back to office as they did reelect the corrupt (he was found guilty and sentenced to a short term) Mayor of Washington, D.C.

Peorian Dick Chapman's Sensible Letter to the JSEB

Dick Chapman wrote a LTTE in the JS that is worthy of a reprint. Dick wrote, "Help me understand. I have been watching political advertisements for Democrat Jehan Gordon, who is running for state representative for the 92nd District. Her advertisement states that she is running to correct the failed policies of the Republican Party. I am under the impression that the governor's office and Legislature are controlled by Democrats.

I am also under the impression that the U.S. Congress is controlled by the Democrat Party. Yes, our president is a Republican. I do not understand why politicians of both parties blame each other for the serious economic challenges that we now face.

We Americans hired and trusted our state and federal representatives. They let us down and we should hold them accountable. We expected our financial institutions to make secure home loans based on what people can afford. They let us down and we should (I add that we MUST) hold them accountable.

to win my vote, candidates should focus on American, not political solutions."

Well spoken, Dick.

McKenzie Questions Mayor on Library Appointment

Peoria Public Library Board president say Friday that the proposed replacement of Dr. Frank Gold, a cardiologist, with a Bradley University Professor of Civil Engineering comes with bad timing because Dr. Gold is chairman of the library's building committee and the board is starting to interview architects. McKenzie said Dr. Gold is one of few physicians who is willing to give this much time to a public library. Hmmmm.

And hmmmm again. A cardiologist? To help pick an architect vs. a Doctor of Civil Engineering?? The library has already made a huge mistake in locating the new building. Mayor Ardis said "As they make further decisions relating to the architecture and engineering, etc., they will need to have a voting member with strong knowledge in that area".

Most of us in the business community couldn't agree more. I ask the mayor to stick with his appointment of Dr. Rebholz so that there is someone on the board who has some experience from the business sector.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

A Way Out of Immigration Mess

One of the better ideas on a way out of the immigration mess was written by Mike Krauss, a former senior executive of a North American railroad based in Mexico City.
He believes walling off the whole border is offensive and so do I. Read my blog of 6/30/07, titled "Immigration Bill Defeated". Mr. Krauss would like to see direct flow of Mexicans through a series of modern-day Ellis Islands (my father came through Ellis Island) staffed and fully funded to serve as welcome centers that will identify the newcomers, find out where they are heading, match them up with legal employers in the U.S. In the new process a determination can be made if these are temporary workers or people who want to be U.S. citizens, They can then be monitored and assisted appropriately.

When these two steps, securing our borders and establishing Immigration Identification, Security and Control Centers, then it will be possible to revisit the legalization process for those already illegally in this country."

Mr. Krauss continues, "But for the long term, only raising the living standards of the Mexican people will staunch the flow. The U.S. and Canada together, but chiefly the U.S., need to invest in Mexico on the scale of the Marshall plan. Huge disparities in the living standards of societies living in close proximity inevitably invite migration to the more prosperous society. The wider the gap, the greater the flow. This investment can be structured to create opportunities for American businesses and expand the market for U.S. goods and services. And it will give the Mexican government an incentive to fix a policy that effectively exports its unemployment to the U.S."

Lost in this presidential debate is serious debate over the serious problem of illegal immigration. When the financial mess is somewhat under control and the majority of expenses that support our presence in Iraq is borne by Iraq, we may or may not have enough money left to finance some of the other large problems such as our ageing highway and roads and bridges reconstruction.

Tjhe full context of Mr. Krauss's plan can be found in the WSJ dated 7/21/07.

Obama's Plans to Legalize Illegal's

William Gheen, president of Raleigh, N.C,-based "Americans for Legal Immigration PAC (ALIPAC0 quotes Obama as saying he wants to legalize the 12 million or more across the border sneakers as new U.S. Citizens entitled to full rights, Social Security, Drivers licences and health care. Gheen says "that voting bloc , especially in the Southwest United States, would be enough to take full control of most city, state and county governments, thus destroying any future hopes for immigration enforcement or border security.

Obama told the North Carolina Public Radio Station WUNC that the children of illegal immigrants should have an opportunity to attend community colleges. These are children of people who snuck across the border!

While on one the days in the he was "present" in the Illinois Senate he co-sponsored the states version of the DREAM ACT, which allowed kids in the country illegally to receive in-state tuition. He later supported similar legislation in the U.S. Senate.

McCain, in his efforts not to further alienate the Hispanic vote has been relatively quiet on right for illegals. It is extremely unfortunate that politicians or would be politicians, must always be politically correct to please the voter and media.

Governments Massive Intrusion

Ted Dahl of Peoria writes "It's massive intrusion into our market system brings us closer to a Marxist ideal, socialism or communism. People of high rank are very apt to consider the power of indulging in some degree of excess as one of the advantages of their fortune, and the liberty of doing so without censure or reproach one of the privileges which belong to their station, quoting Adam Smith, "Wealth of Nations".

Ted knows that he and many of us like my old friend and long time Peorian Mel Ghighi, whose recent LTTE of the JSEB said" Go with what we know", did try to reproach the "body politic" and most of them didn't listen. And when they did listen, they listened to the left leaning liberals. Neither did the apparently majority of non-reading and "Hollywood" enamoured public. They are probably going to elect a man who by his own admissions plans to expand the role of government in most areas of our private life, especially by using the force of government to "spread the wealth". 13 or 14% said they welcome that; more handouts, less work and responsibility.

Why speak up or write the truth when the majority of the people in this country no longer read serious material? Does one think the people the corrupt ACORN solicits to register for the first time to vote, are serious readers? Many of these "new voters" will not be able to handle the voting instructions without assistance and some "assisting" will help influence for whom or (who) they cast their ballot. Election officials and the few observers will be so overwhelmed by the turnout that observors will not be able to "observe" who is cheating.

Detroit Automaker Dilemma

For more detailed information than what I posted on my recent blog about Detroit automakers, read "How Detroit Drove Itself Into a Ditch" in today's Weekend Wall Street Journal, an article written by former Detroit bureau chief for the WSJ and currently writing a book about America's car culture. "Detroit failed to grasp--or at least address--the fundamental nature of its Japanese competition. Japans car companies, and more recently the Germans and Koreans, gained a competitive advantage largely by forging an alliance with American workers".

Also, read, "Labor Riddle, How Many (Detroit) Autoworkers Does it Take to Change a Drill Bit?", by Joann Muller in Forbes Magazine, 4/9/07.

Detroit, meanwhile has remained mired in mutual distrust with the United Auto Worker union.

To illustrate a major point I quote an incident at a Honda factory in Marysville, Ohio, "some automation equipment broke down. Employees rushed to the scene and devised a temporary solution. There were no negotiations with shop steward, no parsing of job descriptions. Instead of losing an entire shift of production, Honda lost just 150 cars". The person overseeing Marysville assembly operations has been with the company for thirty years and drives a Honda Pilot--made at a Honda plant in Alabama.

Detroit big three will soon be history, Maybe one will survive.

I don't want Boeing to loss their current battle with the Machinist union. I hope our local industrial giant is taking copious notes. There stock is down 55% for the year.

Friday, October 24, 2008

General Colin Powell Gets on Winning Side

In his late endorsement of Obama, Powell said that McCain didn't have a "clear grasp" of what is going on but went on to praise Obama's "steadiness", but mentioned nothing in particular that Obama actually did.

Really?

These comments were taken from left winger JSEB favorite Gene Robinson's column yesterday. What is Powell's definition of "clear grasp"? Who has a clear grasp in this country now? George Soros, Paris Hilton, Arnie, the muscle bound actor governor of almost bankrupt California, Bill Ayers, "Father" Phleger, Chris Dodd, Pelosi or her millionaire husband or Barney Frank? Maybe our own Governor Blago'? Or Popeye or Bluto or M. Mouse.

I'm glad to hear Obama has steadiness. He sure is steady in avoiding to let people know his real background. He sure is steady in telling people how he is going to cut taxes a trillion dollars yet fails to explain where he is going to get the the 3+ trillion dollars he plans to spend on "spreading the wealth". Are we sure he went to Hawaii to visit his sick grandmother? I wish her a speedy recovery.

I almost forgot. Obama sure is steady in changing his positions, outdoes McCian by 5to 1. Pretty hard to remember what one says when trying to win over so many diverse groups. Even hard to remember when talking to those who always show up for for "food and refreshments".

I suspect that Powell is looking for a cabinet post. If Obama is elected Powell will be right up there in line with Bill Ayers who may be our next Secretary of Education.

I have lived a long life. If you read my early blogs, I warned that this day might come. Maybe a miracle will happen. But even if McCain is elected, he will need a lot of "Hail Mary's" to get us out of this mess our leaders with a "complete grasp" have gotten us in.

Greenspan Admits the Error's of His Reign

At one time this brilliant guru could walk on water. Yesterday, before a Congressional Committee led by incompetent leadership, he conceded he had made mistakes during his lifetime tenure as Federal Reserve chairman that may have worsened the current slump. Slump? My ass, it's a recession heading into a depression perhaps on a worldwide scale.


Greenspan thought banks had the ability to assess risk and their self-interest would protect them from excesses. Sure they did with the urging of guys like Dodd and Frank, a failure by regulators to enforce regulations already on the books, legislators who spend at least half a year posturing to get reelected and a greedy, wealthy elite.

No way am I going to lay all of this blame on Greenspan. I'm going to lay the blame where it belongs, an inept legislative elected group, their obeisance to lobbyists, to their often times "easy going" staff made up of relatives and best friends, a burgeoning bureaucracy, analysts on the subtle take, and an attitude of "feel good" reigning in D.C., plus "you OK my earmarks, I'll OK yours".

Since I can't and try not to describe all people who are union people, Congress, lobbyists, staff and bureaucratic as being of the same ilk, I need to describe groups that have too many incompetents in the particular group that have led us into this deadly downward spiral. Foremost of the socialistic individuals are the ones who ran Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac into the ground with the urging of Chris Dodd, Barney Frank, the arrogant wealthy elite and hopefully to be soon indicted, Angelo Mozilo, Dodd's friend who saved Dodds thousands of dollars from CountryWide; let the record of both speak for itself, Pelosi and her husband with his tainted millions, I'll stop, you know who they are.

Obama said people are bitter. He is correct except he used the wrong adjective. People are angry and many of them are hateful. And if downward spiral continues, at some point this country will see an uneducated class, many graduating from our failed public school system. They are uneducated or have been educated by socialistic teachers, graduates of left leaning liberal colleges and taught by left leaning liberal professors, to be compassionate socialists, their theme generally is, "Everybody else did it", "if I don't take it, someone else will" or there are "no truths" so let's have a "laissez-aller", meaning unconstrained freedom and and absence of constraint.

So who is in charge? Everybody but surely nobody. A ripening scenario looking for a strong man or a man who will become a strong man, who is a demagogue with the charm of a "changer".

Wake up, America.

Boeing - Machinist Strike

My message to Boeing is to "hold tight". Do not give in. These machinists on strike make an average of $60,000 a year not including health benefits, lifetime pensions, and they work only as fast as the slowest worker. Why work any harder and faster? Depending on seniority and assignments, everybody makes the same.

Most Boeing workers have two incomes. I know, my wife's cousin worked all his adult life for Boeing. Boeing offered all types of recreation for their employees and guests. I played indoor tennis in a free Boeing Recreation Center.

The unions and bad management killed Detroit. Don't let the unions drive more Boeing operations overseas.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Here's What's Coming, Folks

Barney Frank, on October, 20, 2008, said : "I think at this point there needs to be a focus on an immediate increase in spending which I think this is a time when deficit spending has to take a second seat...I believe later on there should be a tax increase. Speaking personally, I think there are a lot of rich people out there whom we can tax at a point down the road and recover some of the money."

Pray to heaven above! The Democrats have now been in power 22 months and this Congress has the lowest approval rating EVER registered in the history of polling.
(12%) And people, even some of my Republican acquaintances, say that Palin isn't qualified and McCain should have picked Lieberman, Pawlenty, Sanford, or Romney who Daniel Henninger of the WSJ, a man whose whose wisdom I greatly respect, called "plain-vanilla men" who would have approval from the medias "college of Cardinals", any of who would have totally killed the McCain campaign.

Businesses in the United States are paralyzed. They are worried about what will happen when the "spread the wealth" crowd controls the country. Only here in Peoria do we have a national company standing pat, few, if any being laid off despite the fact that the shareholders stock keeps spiraling downward, sinking to mid-nineties levels closing today at $36 and change from a fifty two week high of $84. A paper loss of $48 a share to stockholders who are "braving it out" as one older lady told me today. Whether or not Cat executives are "paralyzed" remains to be seen if they cancel bonuses, bonuses for what?, or take cuts in their pay in line with stockholders losses. Many of these losses are real, not just "paper" losses.

No consensus as yet whether the market, and Cat stock, has bottomed. Sure, after November 4 or "black Tuesday", a play on words, if Obama and his ilk sweep the elections and take total control of this country, public project spending will increase and the market will probably go up for a while. But eventually public spending will create a greater debt that will eventually overwhelm this country.

And some people are worried about Palin's qualifications. Give me a break!

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Gate House Media (GHS)

GateHouse Media, Inc. parent company of our local Journal Star announced yesterday that it had been notified by the NYSE that it will suspend trading of its common stock this Friday. GHS will seek to trade on the over the counter market.

GHS stock closed down today at $.16 a share.

A Condensed History of the Collapse of the Domestic Auto Industry

Pretty short as I see it. My Grandson, just returned from the MiddleEast opined that he had accumulated some money in service of his country and was considering investing in the depressed stock maket. He said he saw so many small Ford cars overseas that he thought Ford shares might be a good buy. I pointed out that Ford stock was trading at a near no value, $2 a share. One well known investor has just taken a $600 million bath in selling a portion of his shares and will maybe take a bigger bath if Ford can't overcome the obstacles created by their own incompetent management, a formerly very hostile union and stupid governmental regulations.

Here is some examples: In the 1930's, Congress passed the Wagner Act with the nearly explicit purpose of imposing a labor monopoly on Detroit to keep union wages at higher-than-competitive rates.

Why doesn't Detroit rationalize its musty brand lineups and dealer networks? Because, in the 1950's. legislatures across the country imposed franchising laws, including the federal "dealer day-in-court clause," to make such rationalizing prohibitively expensive.Why don't auto giants do as others have, move their production to cheaper offshore locations? Because, in the 1970's, Congress enacted fuel economy rules to penalize homegrown auto makers if they don't build the lions share of their vehicles in high wage, UAW-staffed domesticated factories.

Some say that those running auto factories out of Detroit are morons, old and senile. Probably not. It's the legal encrustations that accumulate along the way. Look today at the desirable fuel efficient cars that Ford and GM sell in large numbers in Europe. Does anyone imagine the U.S. public derives any benefit from keeping these cars out of the U.S.? Yet they are kept out to preserve the "amour propre" of the regulators who enforce our emissions and safety standard, however trivially different from Europe's standards.

Any business would be hard pressed to survive if obliged to make consistently maladaptive choices. Any rescue today from D.C. wouldn't be as much a rescue as the final admission that the industry can no longer bear its regulatory burdens without direct subsidies and the continuation of the life supporting systems hooked up now with the federal government".

This article is taken mostly from today's WSJ. I disagree only in that I know the federal government can reduce some stringent regulations as described above. Also that auto makers management were pressured by strong UAW into granting concessions that were almost like lifetime guarantees that they would always have high paying jobs. When the market required less production from Detroit, thousands of workers were turned out roam while drawing their full salaries and benefits until they reached retirement age or were called back to work.

Volumes could be written about the financial mess in much of automotive connected Michigan. The answers should be clear and the blame shared by the feds, weak management, and powerful unions. Not to mention failing to prepare for weaker economies.

People saw it coming.

Obama's Tax "Cuts"

Excerpts from a column in in today's WSJ by Adam Lerrick, Professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University. Mr Lerrick writes, "Obama is offering voters strong incentives to support higher taxes and bigger government, (both anathema to me) . This could be the magic income-distribution formula Democrats have long sought. He promises gift wrapped packets of money in the form of refundable tax credits. this will shift the tax demographics to the tipping point where half of all voters will receive a cash windfall from D.C. and an overwhelming majority will gain from tax hikes and more government spending.

The latest Census showed 220 million Americans were eligible to vote and 89 million paid no income tax. Reputable studies show this will jump to 49% when Obama's cash credits remove 18 million more taxpayers from the tax rolls. What's more, an additional 24 million taxpayers who will pay a minimal amount of income tax--less than 5% of their income and less than $1000 annually. In all, three out of five will pay little or nothing under Obama plans and gain when taxes rise on the 40% that already pay 95% of income tax revenue.

The plunder that the Democrats plan to extract from the "very rich"- the 5% that earn more than $250,000 and who already pay 60% of the federal income tax bill-will never stretch to cover the trillion dollars to cover Obama's promised expansive spending plans.

What is happening? Voter who push for higher tax rates on higher earners-at least until those who power the economy and create jobs and wealth stop working, stop investing or move out of the country.

This ideology of fairness doesn't work and has been tried by countries such as Great Britain and France (refer WSJ, Review and Outlook - The Decline of France, dated 3/21/06) and leaders in both countries defied there party's dogma and loosened labor's grip and won back power on a platform of restoring flexibility to the economy.

The outcomes of bigger government and higher taxes are eventually forces the economy to loss momentum. Over-regulation, especially in the domestic car manufacturing business,(see my next blog) has already caused the economy to lose momentum. Growth in government spending outstrips revenues. Fiscal and trade deficits soar. Public debt, excessive taxation and unemployment follow. The central bank tries to solve the problem by printing more money, international competitiveness is lost and the currency depreciates. The system stagnates and then a frightened electorate returns the conservatives to power.

The economic tides will not stand still while D.D. experiments with European-type social democracies, even though the dollar's role as the global currency will buy some time. (Anyone following the financial crises can see that time is running out). Our trademark competitive advantage will be lost, and once lost, it will be hard to regain. There are too many emerging economies focused on prosperity and not redistribution of wealth.

Tomorrow's children may come to question why their parents sold their birthright for a mess of "fairness"--whatever that will signify when jobs are scarce and American opportunity is no longer the envy of the world."

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Obama is the Way Forward for Women

So says Catherine A. MacKinnon, lawyer, activist, author and radical feminist. She said in her book "Feminism Unmodified" p. 82 "I call it rape whenever a woman has sex and feels violated". Imagine this: Sure, at first she felt the sex was great but then he didn't call her like he said he would. After a couple of weeks, her guilt and her mind says, well the sex wasn't that great after all, later, perhaps a missed period. Maybe her doctor says she has a sexual disease. She now thinks it was from the guy who didn't call her like he said he would. Now she's really PO'd and starts to feel that she was violated; some of her "feminist" friends say "don't you realize that you were raped? And on top of that the guy never returned her calls, the b-----d. Then she starts to believe or imagine she was raped and she decides to file charges.

Don't think the scenario I painted above doesn't happen with great regularity in this country. How would you like to be the male with "activist feminist" Ms. MacKinnon representing the "violated" woman? Would the "raped" woman's possible mental instability, possible bad sexual experiences and maybe hostility toward men, be allowed as testimony in court?

Now don't go off on a tangent and think I don't believe rape happens. Of course it does. And I support the death penalty for some violent rapes. Look up my blog of 6/19/07. But you can go off on a tangent when I tell you that whatever happened, the male seldom has a chance of defending himself if the female is a good enough actress, or has convinced herself later that it wasn't consensual aggressive sex and has an attorney the ilk of Ms. MacKinnon.

Never forget the lessons of the Duke "rape" case and the disbarment of the prosecutor pursuing the false charges. Did the false female accuser ever serve time? I doubt it.

Where have male rights gone in this guilt ridden, "it's not my fault", society? No wonder many men no longer date women. How many times do you read about guys filing rape charges against another adult man?

MacKinnon has the union concept for women, equal pay for equal jobs. Note these "feminists" (similar to the unions) always say equal jobs. Not equal effort, ability, stability, output, etc.

Ms. MacKinnon supports a federal Equal Rights Amendment and avidly supports the egalitarian "Elimination of ALL Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDW). She says "Gender justice calls for far more than the conventional equality approach that treats like alike". I would like to see she and Sarah Palin in a "hand on" debate. I have no doubt Palin would tell this radical feminist what a real woman is.

Many servicemen say that women doing the fighting with men are usually a hindrance. Will they say it publicly? Some do, after they are discharged because they know it is not "politically correct" to tell the truth. Note that the intermingling of the services have resulted in many rape charges, murders and violence and not during battle. Of course, there are always exceptions and exceptional women, think Sarah Palin. But exceptions should not become the rule.

As a tennis player, why do men have to play 5 sets and women only 3 sets to win if pay when pay is usually equal? Why don't women play organized professional baseball or football, if all women and men are equal?

For 28 years, I tried to pay people what they were WORTH to my company. Many times women earned more than men for the very reasons mentioned above. Gender had nothing to do with their pay or chances for promotion. When I promoted a man to succeed me as President of my company I did it with heavy consideration of his ability to work with and lead women. Never in my 28 years did I have a woman apply for a delivery and installation position. Why not?

Voter, beware, this woman is the type of radical person supporting Obama. It is my opinion every "bleeding" left wing liberal in the country is supporting Obama

Let this country be forewarned. I for see an all Democrat regime with Obama orchestrating a far more rapid decline of this great country in the years ahead.

Peoria #150 Public School Board Selection Committee

Interesting selection of a panel to form a search committee to find the district's next superintendent. One business person to offer input in selecting a superintendent overseeing a budget of $160 million.

If I ran an $160 million dollar operation there may be two people on this list who I would wish to ask to serve on my board of advisors. The rest are have certain good qualities but then so did former Superintendent John Strand and Kay Royster.

Read into that what you wish but I see few positive changes on the horizon for our archaic #150 Peoria Public School system from union to superintendent to board.

On June 16. 2008, the school board signed our present superintendent to a new contract for at least two years.

Media and Democrat Double Standards

Forwarded to me and I know all to be true. Please forward to as many people as you can.

Merle

Subject: I've Learned a Few Things


Listening to the mainstream media these last few days
I've learned a few things about the GOP's VP nominee but also had to
learn a few things on my own. To wit:

1. From the media I learned Sarah Palin's husband has
a DUI conviction from 22 years ago. On my own I learned that Ted Kennedy
(hero of last week's tribute at the DNC) was drunk while driving a car off a bridge in Chappaquiddick.
That same crash killed a young campaign volunteer with whom he
was having an affair. Oh, and that woman was pregnant with his child.
Mr. Palin's (who is not running for office) DUI came
a mere 4 years after Barack Obama (who is running for president) stopped
using cocaine and marijuana (by his own admission in his autobiography).

Shocking - it's OK for the presidential candidate to
use drugs or the party patriarch to kill someone while driving drunk yet
the husband of a VP candidate should be demonized for something done 22 years ago.

2. From the media I learned that Sarah Palin's daughter is pregnant.
On my own I learned that Joe Biden's (the other VP candidate) son was paid a large amount of money as a consultant to credit card company MBNA.
That same company had business before Senator Joe Biden
concerning regulation of consumer credit practices. After the company
paid a hefty sum to Mr. Biden's son, he voted in favor of legislation to help that company. That same son, Hunter, is also engaged in a legal
investigation and suit for defrauding a former business partner

Shocking - it's a crime for the republican VP
candidate to have a child who's pregnant even though it's irrelevant to how
she performs her job. It's ok, however, for the democrat VP candidate while
a senator to vote in favor of a company who paid his son over a quarter of a
million dollars.

3 . From the media I learned that Sarah Palin should be
considered "selfish" for agreeing to run for VP knowing about her daughter's condition. Knowing that her public role would bring extra scrutiny on the family is selfish and she should have declined to protect her child (actually heard this on ABC this weekend).

Strange - the same people who said Sarah is selfish for
running for VP did not seem to care about any impact on Chelsea when Bill
Clinton had his dalliance with Monica Lewinsky. That was a private,
personal matter you see.

4. From the media I have learned to be
"concerned" that Sarah Palin probably won't be able to manage her family and do an effective job of being VP at the same time.

Funny - I never heard anything about Hillary's ability
to support Chelsea while re-doing healthcare or any of the other feminist
icons who say you can balance work and family. They also never mention that Barack will have to balance time with his children while meeting with
heads of rogue nations or how Joe Biden's kids don't even have a
mom and will be fighting for his time while he hosts white house coffee
fundraisers and sells nights in the Lincoln bedroom.

5. From the media I have learned that Sarah Palin is
"too inexperienced" to be a heartbeat-away from the presidency.
Apparently taking on corruption in your own party and
running a state that's the same size people-wise as Delaware (hint
hint: that's where Joe Biden is from) is not really experience.
However, time spent as a "community organizer"
and less than 180 days in the senate where you've authored no significant
legislation is just the type of "change" we're looking for from the
top of the ticket.

Funny - inexperience at the top of the ticket is a mantra
for "change" and "hope" while strong practical everyday
experience as the #2 is cause for concern.

6. From the media I learned that Sarah Palin's husband
once got a ticket for fishing without a license.
I haven't heard much about the fact that if he were
still a practicing attorney, the VP candidate Joe Biden would be dis-barred
for plagiarism not once but multiple times.

It's ok to break the rules if you're a democrat
candidate but not Ok if you are the spouse of a republican candidate.

7. From the media I learned that Sarah Palin doesn't
know much about Iraq; in fact we wonder if she even knows where it is.
Sarah's son volunteered into the US military and is
now deployed in Iraq. I guess that doesn't count.

Sarah has spent more time with troops in Iraq (as
commander of the Alaska National Guard she visited Iraq last year) than Obama has even while running for president. In fact, when Sarah went to Iraq
she spent time with the troops. When Obama went there, he skipped a base visit to instead go work out at the Ritz Carlton.

8. From the media I learned that Sarah Palin is a
"lightweight" and she better be a "quick study" to keep up with this team.

Funny, nobody is talking about how, after Barack Obama had
"visited 57 states" according to him he only had "5 more to go" or endless other stupid gaffes that expose who he really is.
9. From the media I have learned that (gasp!), Sarah
Palin's husband was once a registered member of a 3rd party that favored
states' rights (man, this is really bad stuff).

That same media has been silent to the story that when
Barack Obama announced his first senate run, he did so in the home of
William Ayers. Mr. Ayers is an un-repentant terrorist convicted for bombing the pentagon.This same Mr. Ayers said on 9/11 that he and his group did
not do enough to harm our military and he wished he had done more.
During the same time as that comment, he was serving on a board with Barack Obama. All notes and information about their serving together is now locked up by the corrupt Chicago machine and reporter access to those
records are being blocked by the Obama campaign.

If we've had any doubts about the bias of the media,
it's pretty clear now where they stand. Pass this on to some of your friends who are on the fence and who get all their information from Katie Couric,
Wolf Blitzer,Tom Brokaw and the gang. This is egregious and corrupt.
The only way tostop it is to spread information using other outlets and
make these guys irrelevant.







--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Caterpillar Outlook Somewhat Positive

Profits down 6%, some markets strong. Overall economy weaker, layoffs minimal, some in Peoria but no more than a cyclical move, according to Mr. Owens.

Stockholders unfortunately should not expect much value movement for some time to come. Caterpillar share priced dropped another $2 today , down roughly $45 dollars a share. A holder of 1000 shares would have seen a decrease of $45,000 in their stock value in approximately a year.

Not mentioned by Mr. Owens was the higher interest costs Caterpillar paid recently to finance future growth.

My message to Mr. Owens is to forget about the visitors center and museum and use that savings of $70 million dollars to build value in the company for their stockholders. Stockholders own the company. They didn't invest to see their stock slip over 50%.

The economy definitely will sweep the Democrats into overwhelming majorities and power nationwide.

Few people realize that President Bush vetoed none of the excessive spending bills that crossed his desk. He signed many because of pressure by the Democrats on the president to spend more on their legislation. Why? This was "blackmail" to the president and some Republicans for Democrat support of funding of our troops in Iraq.

How sad.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Populist Opinions and Politicians

Common practice is that an elected official is elected by the voter and the voter expects their elected officials to listen to what all voters are saying. Both McCain and Obama have repeatedly stated that if elected, they will listen while representing the ordinary person. (Think,Joe, the plumber). Candidates should campaign to represent ALL the people, those considered "ordinary" people, poor, wealthy, privileged, intellects, those with disabilities, etc., and all without prejudice of race or belief.

Any politician who does not listen to the opinion of the electorate, defaults on their campaign claims of inclusive listening and learning. listening even to those who may have voted against them. To do otherwise is a betrayal of the public trust.

However, overlooked in the process is that elected officials are elected by voters to make the best decisions based on the knowledge that qualified them as viable candidates, on the elected access to research resources, the assistance of their peers from both parties, the input of career bureaucrats, staff and lobbyists, career diplomats, experts in various fields foreign to the elected sphere of knowledge, special interests, etc. The resulting knowledge available to the elected is mostly unavailable to the average voter. This furthering of the elected education, sorting out facts presented by all should lead them to determine what is best for ALL. Their actions should be in the best overall interests to the stability and well-being of their constituents, community, city, county, state and country.

The elected must not be "beholden" to any minority special interest group and to those who raise disportionate amounts of money for their campaigns.

It is a betrayal to those who put them in office if they sacrifice their learned judgment to what may or may not be a populist majority.

Majorities are not always right. For doubters, remember that the majority in America believed in slavery for centuries. Some elements in "not so free" nations in the world still do.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Peoria Community Projections Not Met

There is a difference in being negative and bringing out "negative facts". There is a reality in the community that cannot be overlooked in times of global stress on our economy as further illustrated by Paul Gordon's column in today's JS. Mr. Gordon writes "expect another record for revenue when Caterpillar announces their quarterly results on this Tuesday. However, look further and you will notice a downward trend in earnings predictions for the next quarter and for 2009, coinciding with the mounting international economic struggle".

Just what stockholders don't want to hear about a company whose stock has almost dropped "through the floor"; from a high of $84, actually it was at $87 before settling at $84+, not more than a year ago. Cat stock closed down $3 dollars to $39+ on Friday. Now stockholders are confronted with another possible drop Wednesday morning. Hopefully the stock has gone down in anticipation of Tuesday's announcement and may get a rebound. Stockholders and this community hope so.

Unfortunately, these are facts and many people do not like to hear these because it does not reflect positively on the community.

Too bad, facts are facts and here are more the the JSEB, after considerable thought, decided not to remind the public. On 9/12/08, I wrote a "Letter to the Editors of the JSEB" the following:

The Peoria Chiefs Baseball Club has never in fourteen years returned a dime on this stockholders original investment. Presumably, no return to the other stockholders, either. This despite record attendance in 2007. (2008 financial results usually aren't made known to stockholders like myself, until late spring or early summer) Now O'Brien Automotive announced it was not renewing its naming rights to the stadium.

The Peoria Public Park, Bonnie Noble and Tim Cassidy, in 2003, announced plans for construction of a a new softball 6-8 field complex. In fact, a large sports complex at an unnamed location but the Park and Bradley SUPPOSEDLY swapped Meinen for up to forty acres of land on the corner of Fox Road and Rt. 91. Later plans called for 2 new diamonds. As yet, no ground has been broken or news that a contract has been let. It's now FIVE years later.

The PPD RiverPlex projected by park officials to be quite profitable by now, is instead unable again to meet the principal and interest on the original bonds, approximately $800,000 a year. Before the RiverPlex was built President Cassidy said " most, if not all, of the bonded indebtedness will be paid through RiverPlex Operations". (JS, 3/21/99) The Fitness Center, sharing profits,(ha) and losses with a major hospital lost up to $554,000 in 2007, losing for it's 6th consecutive year. The figure depend on ones ability to read a PPD 2007 Year End Financial Statement, but the figures show a substantial 6 figure loss again.

The expanded zoo is now rescheduled to open in the spring of 2009 and the JS reported it is still seeking $5 million to finish the new entrance or entrances. I note no work has started on the expanded parking lot. They are anticipating an increase of only 200 new visitors per day, up from 100,000 per year now. Figure an average of four visitors (kids will make up more than half the visitors) per vehicle though many visitors will come by busload, so about 50 more parking slots.

PPD planning now includes an expansion in Glen Oak Park of $125 million in future phases according to an advertisement on a recent IB Magazine. This was NEWS to those of us who follow PPD projections.

This has set back the opening of the planned Children's Playhouse in the space vacated by Park Administration in the Pavilion. The Park is temporarily planning to move into the renovated old IDOT building with a later move to the vacated Lakeview Museum building providing the new museum is funded and built on the waterfront.

As to the financially stalled new museum are 360,000 visitors, per year, per forever. Even then, with projected overhead at $4.1 million per year, the museum would still lose $500,000.00 per year, according to museum projections.

I write this article for deep concern for those of us who own Caterpillar stock. My wife and I, both stockholders (small comparatively), do not want Caterpillar to spend $70 million on non-priorities that many do not want, according the donors, the lack of earmarks from governmental bodies, LTTE and bloggers. After all, the movers and shakers waited this long, they may need to wait longer. Caterpillar stock prices may not recover for years. In fact it may continue its downward slide. Also, we do not want to pay more property taxes as we are in disagreement with the current assessed value of our home and have entered our appeals for 2006 and now 2007.

Now I have great concern that some on the City Council may risk a gamble on a buyout of the water company on "projections" that the city would make a profit.

Few projections in Peoria have met their projections, the gambling boat, but that went to E. Peoria. Missed projections in the private sector many times results i a bankruptcy. (think In-Play, RiverStation, we do not know how many businesses have gone broke in Peoria or will go broke if the countrywide and worldwide economy does not improve for an extended period.) When public entities miss projections, those politicians or elected officials raise taxes, raise rates, or sell more bonds that must be paid off by taxpayers in the future.

Sorry, if some of you consider this negative. Be realistic, it is. Spend no more than you know you can pay back without using OPM. True in the private sector; not true in much of the public sector who often think other people money is meant to be spent and how fast should we spend your money?

Wake up Peoria, we have a lot to offer but not if we are taxed out out of the City and County.

Water Company Buyout Being Considered Again

My position hasn't changed since 2005. Basically, the city has enough on their hands to "handle" without owning the water company, appointing a committee to hire a company to run the water company who may or may not be better than Illinois-American Water Company, monitor the new committees activities and MAYBE make a profit or maybe stick the taxpayers with more taxes to fund the NOW city owned water company.

If my reader is interested in my position, it hasn't changed since my blogs of 3/27, 3/28, 3/31, 4/21/ 6/14, 8/22, 8/23, 8/24, 8/26, 8/28, and 8/31, all in year 2005 and easily found in my sidebar archives.

And especially, my blog of 11/05/05.

And don't overlook the property taxes paid by privately owned Illinois-American Water Company in 2007, over $400,000.00, and charitable donations of over $100,000. With a city buyout, those financial benefits to the community would be gone.

On 12/28/07, just 10 months ago, USA reported "Big hikes in water rates are on tap
, artificially low prices, failing systems cited". The problem: Many municipally owned systems have treated rate hikes like tax increases and avoided them for years. The GAO estimates that 20% of water systems charge customer less than the cost of service. These money losing systems have no way to finance expensive repairs without delivering a rate shock to customers".

What very well could happen to Peoria if it bought out the water company is what happened in Atlanta, Ga. "Atlanta is investing $3.9 billion in its system. Atlanta voters approved a 1 cent sales tax increase to limit this year's rate hike to 10%. Otherwise, it would have jumped 43%".

Watch carefully who is going to push for a buyout this year. These individuals and companies stand to benefit if the private owned water company goes public. Then it would no longer be under the control of the Illinois Commerce Commission. All kinds of "games" could then be played as to where public water could be run to benefit certain "special interests".

It will be interesting to see what position the "acting city manager" takes on this project.

Here is a list of the people who originally wanted the city to buy the company:

Dale and Shirley Burklland
Michael Cullinan
Cullinan Construction Company
Cullinan Comapanies, LLC, prominent developers
Rita Kress or one of her companies
D.A. Hoerr and Sons
Ted Fleming - deceased
Tom Lund
Otto Baum and Company
Wayne Oberlander
South Side Bank
Gerald and Helen Stephens

This group who paid for the buyout study was called the PAAG and still has a lawsuit pending, I believe, against the city for $1 million claiming the city failed to do "due diligence" in voting down the buyout by a 6-5 vote.

Both Dianne Oberhelman (formerly Cullinan) and Rita Kress are rumored to have substantial land holdings in the Kickapoo-Brimfield rural area that could be developed into residential if public water were available.

Just what we need. More sprawl.

I write this blog as a Peoria city resident opposed to the city buying out the privately held water company.

Thank you for your previous vote which was dis-similair to the library vote; 80% did NOT approve of a city buyout of the water company.

Desperation of the Democrat Central Committee

Another lie perpetuated by Jehan Gordon and evidently endorsed by Democrat hierarchy is running on TV. This ad is a disgrace to the whole Democrat Party. Gordon continues to say that "Joan Krupa, while on the County Board raised her salary up and up and up and up". Gordon doesn't say how many dollars but leads the believer to stratospheric heights.

This a continued blatant lie. I have a copy of a document dated 6/20/1980 and signed by the Executive Committee of the Peoria County Board, Barton C. Rochman, Chairman, setting the salaries of County Board members elected in 1982-1984 at $5200 a year. The period Ms. Gordon is accusing Joan Krupa of raising Krupa's own salary was from 1989-93.

Seven years later, county board member salaries were $5400 or an increase over 6-7 years of $200. An increase of only $200 a year from 1984-2000, a period of time Joan Krupa was on the board.

I gave this information in a letter to the editors of the JSEB, yet for some reason, they edited this from my letter.

Jehan Gordon is a blatant liar and those who write these ads, those who endorse her come under some intense scrutiny as to their own character.

Some Democrats and some Republicans tell me they would never vote other than the party line. That means they would vote for our current disgraceful Democrat Governor and vote for our disgraced former governor when he comes out of prison if they were selected by the party leaders to run again.

What a mess the politics of our country have gotten into. So few good, honest people willing to run. With our left wing media running this country; some media, "way left", it is hard to blame them.

Not to mention the party leaders of both parties are at times questionable in their actions and selections as well as telling the truth to those people willing to listen and consider.

Roy Innis - Black American Hero

Author Roy Innis, Chairman of Congress for Racial Equality is not an Obama fan. And probably not a strong McCain supporter either. His new book "Energy Keepers - Energy Killers", cites energy as the "New Civil Rights Battle".

Every person concerned about our energy future should read this book.

Ennis says there is no real, measurable energy in all the so called "energy plans" coming out of Congress, the states and the candidates. These "social change" movements have decided we can't have the energy we need to run our lives with fossil fuels because of global warming which will end our world even though they cannot prove it.

He says "starve America first" could be the environmentalist motto. We've got more energy imprisoned in "wilderness areas" and buried in "nature preserve" graveyards than most nations have combined.Environmental groups lobbied every one of those areas out of reach with money from wealthy foundations, many of which hold substantial alternate energy stocks n their endowment portfolios".

Trillions of cubic feet of recoverable natural gas, billions of barrels of recoverable oil and billions of tons of coal that can be processed into clean coal are owned by environmental groups. As soon as recoverable fossil fuel was discovered, environmental groups immediately bought up all this land to keep this tremendous source of fuel from ever being recovered. These same groups lobbied our government to preserve these land for all our people for eternity.

Ennis says that rationality has nothing to do with these environmentalists or this issue. It's just a swarm of beliefs, value, attitude and dismissive waves of the hand--like, don't bother me with facts and cries for justice of the the disadvantaged, the poor and the minorities--the very people whose civil rights get trampled first. In fact, environmentalist would rather see you jobless, homeless even dead than to support fossil fuel use, even the best, cleanest and most abundant.

Innis says our leaders insist on stopping America's domestic oil and gas production, restricting the use of coal, further delaying nuclear clean air power plants and imposing ridiculous "cap and trade" schemes that will raise the price of energy beyond the reach of the poor, all in the name of reducing industrial emissions.

The Federal land belongs to all Americans as much as to some ambitious influence peddler or some politician who thinks they are energy monarchs doing the "will of the people". I suspect as time goes on and the cost of energy continues to rise the mis-led people will change their wills.

Let's not overlook these facts: "Global temperatures vary naturally, 10,000 years ago the glaciers started receding from Central Illinois". Antarctica is getting colder. Check it out.

Carbon Dioxide make up only a very small part of our atmosphere. Greenhouse gases, mostly water vapor, make up the other 95%.

Fact: Right now 85% of American energy comes from fossil fuels, 8.2% from nuclear energy and only 6.9% from renewable fuels including only 0.3% from wind power. If you have seen windmills stretchering almost 25 miles east of Bloomington and then realize of all the wind farms all ready built we would need more than 30 times the number already buit nationwide destroying our beautiful countrysides to get up to 10%of renewable fuel from wind.

And at what cost? All these windmills are subsidized and what will happen to them when we develop less intrusive methods than these ugly, noisy windmills. Will they mar our countrysides forever?

I have written a number of blogs on how radical environmentalist are destroying our standard of living. Refer to my blogs of 9/2/08, 3/15/08, 6/02/06, 6/04/06, 6/06/06, 6/11/06 and one in between I've misfiled.

The leading radical environmentalist in Central Illinois is Tom Edwards and many members of the Sierra Club. Edwards appears almost every month before the County Board trying to compare the relatively safe PDC metallic dry waste hazardous site with toxic old organic landfills in New Jersey, most started in the 70's when there were no restrictions such as the ones that now are enforced by the IEPA and adhered to by PDC's hazardous waste landfill operators at Pottstown.

The radical environmentalists and their supporters, have won this battle unless PDC appeals to a higher court and the part of the community and part of the County Board, who feel the PDC site is a future danger, have lost the perpetual maintenance fund that was part of PDC offer to the Peoria County Board.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Quote of the Week - Eric Stern

Mr. Stern, from the Center for Responsible Lending, said on C-SPAN this week,
"Don't borrow more than you can afford to make payments on the loan".

In testimony before the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee, chaired by Democrat Chris Dodd, who, along with Democrat Barney Frank, were major culprits in the problem, I heard phrases used like "common sense", "foxes in the chicken coop", "coercive actions" and "where were the regulatory agencies like the Federal Reserve enforcing regulations?" long on the books. Also wise Arthur Levitt said he could not see any company using federal funds (taxpayer funds) to lobby for governmental benefits. Plus talk about the corrupt Fannie and Freddie and their corrupt management, although they hesitated to call those arrogant and wealthy elite, corrupt.

More than a trillion words have been uttered or written as to how we got into this sub-prime mess. How we got there can be simplified, shrewd shysters, greedy millionaires, politicians who were more concerned about re-election than financial stability in the marketplace and in D.C,, greedy people taking advantage of many people who lacked a modicum of common sense, people who "bought" in to the "great American Dream" and who believed that the economy always went UP and that they didn't need "continuing education"; in case they lost their jobs and the need to continue educating themselves all their living days.

In fact, many young people today are convinced they don't need to read more than the headlines and the first paragraph of a news article, the latest news about Hollywood stars, movie ads, their text messages, MSCNB, MTV, and advertising ads.

About 30% don't believe they need and education at all. Another 20% are told by many liberal educators, who, in turn, are told that by liberal college professors, (think "Professor" Bill Ayers, unrepentant Pentagon bomber and friend of Barak's, and that hairbrained Communist professor from Colorado University) that the government owes them quite a bit, from reparation, free medical and health care to home ownership, and being a free world, the right to do as they please. Until they need help, of course. What are they taught about finance, home buying, cooking, home upkeep, a work ethic and responsibility in their homes and in public schools?

Not much, especially if they can't read.

Did I mention a failing public school system, especially in the large and larger cities? Or a lack of enough common sense leaders? and "we want it NOW mentality"?

As to the economy, does it go up? Sure, up and down. Read history, get used to it and don't "bite off more than one can chew".

Friday, October 17, 2008

More Taxes on Property Tax Payers in Peoria County? - My Position

With Caterpillar stock down more than 50% from it's recent high, ADM down more than 60%, John Deere down more than 60%, all from their highs in the last 12 months, all supposedly Middle Illinois safe money havens, no way would I vote to impose additional taxes on Peoria County property tax payers.

Nor will I vote for an increased sales tax. If either proposal gets on a referendum this spring, I will ask those of you who agree with me, to actively work with me against these increased taxes.

The County Board has yet to see the proposed 2009 budget. While the economic situation has been pretty good, October onward may see a drastic change in consumer spending and business expansion in the county. I am an optimist but a much stronger realist.

What many are seeing and feeling right now may seem like a bad dream. One thing I can tell you, it is bad and not a dream.

In better times, i will reexamine my current position. In the meantime, those with secure futures and secure wealth, should go ahead and build and maintain the museum or anything else they want. I have never opposed progress as long as I know who is paying to build and who is paying to maintain what's being built. And maintain each year thereafter.

Cut spending for non-priority "things". Many people will say "we can't do without that" especially the 14% who said in a recent poll, that they want more government and more taxes. Probably people who pay no taxes. Or welfare people.

Joe Bidens Public Works Plan

In the fiscal year ended 9/30, immigration officials flew 72,187 illegal Mexicans back home on your nickel. Many thousands more illegals were returned to Guatemala, Honduras, San Salvador, El Salvador, etc.,

One illegal said she paid $5000 to be smuggled in. Another Mexican couldn't pay the $500 Mexican immigration officials demanded as a bribe so he turned himself back in to Border Control officials and was held in detention, yes, you paid for all the costs associated with the roundup, the housing, the meals, the transportation, etc. He was eventually returned to Mexico on a luxury federal plane.

Yet with all these now vacant jobs going begging, Populist Joe is going to create 2 million jobs to repair the crumbling roads and bridges in the United States. Figuring the number of illegals being deported each year to be around 125,000, deducting the 30% on welfare, almost one hundred thousand work positions need to be filled to replace the deportees.

Let's start with what the workers on the highway jobs are doing right now. Take time to see how many are actually working; the average in my 20 years of watching is about 1 1/2 working, 3 standing looking at the job or usually looking like they are waiting for something and often they are. A couple of years ago a highway truck and driver was parked in my neighborhood for a couple of hours. I finally walked down and asked him what he was doing. He said waiting for the rest of the equipment and workers. I told him there were other workers and equipment a couple of blocks away who looked kike they were waiting for something. You guessed it. They were waiting for him.

Union officials most usually protest administrations use of GPS, a system that keeps tabs on the whereabouts of vehicles.

Once I saw a guy sitting in the cab of a small crane. That was about 9 AM. At 4 PM, he was still sitting there. I asked him his job. He said "I come in the morning and remove the plate that covers the hole where some work was being done. When the workers leave at night, I cover the hole with the plate and go home. I'll do the same thing tomorrow.

Union bargaining is so powerful that they can restrict a specialist to do only one job as another union worker told me that his job was to watch if anything was done wrong. I asked him if that was what he did all day and did he see anything go wrong. He said nothing was done wrong because hardly anyone was working. I asked him how he personally felt about this and he said I would have to talk to his union boss. He did not want to give me his name for fear of being fired. He did say the job was so boring and so wasteful of public dollars that he was asking to be transferred to another job.

Because public highway workers and private contractors workers are all union, no one wants to work harder than anyone else for fear of "showing" senior workers up. Now Joe want to hire 2 million more at union scales. Including all benefits this would average out about $84,000 a year per 2 million workers. Out of 365 days in a year, an average of about 213 are work days. And in the union, you don't have to work a full day to get paid for a full day.

I can't blame the workers, if they can get it, they get it. It's up to those who grant the contracts to keep and equilibrium between management and unions. In many cases union negotiators are stronger than the public and private sector negotiators. Wait until the Democrats in Congress force through the "The Employee Free Choice Act".

Better read up on it if you don't know what it will do to those who do not want to be in any union. Basically, this law, when passed will strongarm the worker into the union.

My simple question to Joe is "where are you going to get the money when Obama is going to cut taxes for 95% of the citizenry?

My experience as 28 years as an employer is that jobs were and are available but the workers most of the time aren't qualified or even know the definition of "work" for employers like myself; employers who take the of time and money (hiring process, training, who provide job tools, etc ).

We have plenty of jobs in America. That is why a we have a huge backlog of foreigners trying to enter through legal immigration procedures. Why would a Mexican pay $5000 to risk death by being illegally smuggled into this country if those already illegally in the U.S. had not told them by wire, letter, newspaper or Internet that the U.S. had jobs begging to be filled by people who would work rather than prostitute, sell drugs, steal and live 100% off welfare which you can do even here in compassionate Peoria.

Maybe a better idea than Joe Biden's idea would be to put the roughly 3 million people incarcerated, the ones who do not pose a major threat to society, doing jobs under guard on highway projects. Where would the guards come from? From the same prison as there would be less need of guards in the prison during the day when prisoners were out working.

Bet most prisoners would work their butts off if a work ethic and good behavior might reduce their prison time. Won't happen. Why not? The strong grip of the unions. A grip to get much stronger in the next four years under a house full of Democrats in Washington, D.C.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Issues Debate Tonight?

Too bad that the economy is collapsing after 21 months of dominance by the Democrats in Congress. Most of the blame is being placed on the Republicans who rightly deserve a good portion.

Voters are asking that we select our new president on where they stand on issues. We are gullible to believe promises made by candidates who know at the time they make their claims, they do not have the "crystal ball" to tell them whether or not they can fulfill these promises. For example, McCain says we would clean up Wall Street. Sure, WS needs a lot of cleaning up but that cleaning up will result in the actions of 544, not one person.

This country would not be a viable entity without Wall Street, a Congress and Executive Branch.

I am tired as most of you are about what each candidate "promises to do once elected? It is "I will" and "I will" over and over again and that is part of the problem. It is seldom "we will" and that is part of the solution.

Who these candidates ARE is more important to this election or any election.

I believe I know McCain for the flawed person he is. But he is an acceptable candidate. If I had a choice in picking him to lead the country, I would not. However, the 2nd choice is not acceptable to me by the extent of my research. This man meets all the criteria of a charismatic demagogue.

Read history and see what happens to countries who make decisions made on promises instead of decisions made on a study of the history of the candidate. Who does the candidate associate with? Who are the candidates mentors? What is the candidates record in governing to this day? What is the candidates record in defending our country and it's entire citizenry? Debating issues is of no value unless you know the candidate.

Do we? Or do we want change for the sake of change? Think through your emotions before you vote. This election may be the most important one in your lifetime.

Many bet that the risky stock market was the place to put your money. For most it has been the wrong place if you left your money with stocks like Caterpillar, John Deere and Archer Daniels, all of which has lost half their paper values this year. But you had a chance to sell and get out. Elect Obama and he turns out to be the man I believe he really is, we can't get out for FOUR years.

You are being told to take a chance on electing a man who presents a greater risk to the stability of a great nation; perhaps the most important vote in your lifetime.

I don't believe I know Obama at all except for his words. His background is extremely clouded. Can we really elect this man on his record and his charm and our "white" guilt? I can say what is on many Obama supporters mind. I never said this would be a "politically correct" blog site.

Unfortunately, the economy will dictate who wins this election, not the person. The fact that we are gradually having great successes in Iraq, is now of no value to McCain who strongly supported the change of direction of our administration and most of our military and civilian leaders.

Not Obama who would have all our troops out by now with the result of a MidEast in chaos.

Obama says he will reduce taxes for 95% of middle class income people. How can he back that promise up while his new proposals of government spending add up to about one trillion dollars? He placates the big farmer when he says he supports the ethanol subsidies.

McCain says he doesn't support ethanol subsidies. I agree and support my reasons on my blog dated 8/17/06, titled "Subsidies". My opinion hasn't changed but if I was a farmer, of course, i would accept the largess of the government. That's part of the problem, everybody has their hand out just like those who want America to become a Socialist country. In a recent poll, 14% are in favor of more taxes and bigger government.

Wouldn't it be great to someday have a major politician who didn't have to be politically correct? We have a far better chance with McCain who has always said he is a one term man.

Please give him a chance to prove it.