Catching wild pigs

I got this from a family member and thought it was a powerful illustration

A chemistry professor in a large college had some exchange students in the class. One day while the class was in the lab the Professor noticed one young man (exchange student) who kept rubbing his back, and stretching as if his back hurt.

The professor asked the young man what was the matter. The student told him he had a bullet lodged in his back. He had been shot while fighting communists in his native country who were trying to overthrow his country's government and install a new communist government.

In the midst of his story he looked at the professor and asked a strange question. He asked, 'Do you know how to catch wild pigs?'

The professor thought it was a joke and asked for the punch line. The young man said this was no joke. 'You catch wild pigs by finding a suitable place in the woods and putting corn on the ground. The pigs find it and begin to come everyday to eat the free corn. When they are used to coming every day, you put a fence down one side of the place where they are used to coming. When they get used to the fence, they begin to eat the corn again and you put up another side of the fence. They get used to that and start to eat again. You continue until you have all four sides of the fence up with a gate in The last side. The pigs, who are used to the free corn, start to come through the gate to eat, you slam the gate on them and catch the whole herd.

Suddenly the wild pigs have lost their freedom. They run around and around inside the fence, but they are caught. Soon they go back to eating the free corn. They are so used to it that they have forgotten how to forage in the woods for themselves, so they accept their captivity.

The young man then told the professor that is exactly what he sees happening to America. The government keeps pushing us toward socialism and keeps spreading the free corn out in the form of programs such as supplemental income, tax credit for unearned income, tobacco subsidies, dairy subsidies, payments not to plant crops (CRP), welfare, medicine, drugs, etc.. While we continually lose our freedoms -- just a little at a time.

One should always remember: There is no such thing as a free lunch! Also, a politician will never provide a service for you cheaper than you can do it yourself.

Also, if you see that all of this wonderful government 'help' is a problem confronting the future of democracy in America , you might want to send this on to your friends. If you think the free ride is essential to your way of life then you will probably delete this email, but God help you when the gate slams shut!


"A government big enough to give you everything you want, is big enough to take away everything you have"

Thomas Jefferson

There is no home for people like me

I watched Gov. Romney and Sen. Cantor as they embarked on their "listening tour" over the weekend and I can't help but to listen to President Obama (he is on every station, every day it seems) and I have come to a conclusion...

I don't belong.

There has to be hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people out there who feel like I do, how do we start to matter?

I've been called a spoiler when I voted for Bob Barr and Ross Perot, I've been called a right wing extremist when I participated in a Tea Party, but talking to my conservative friends and family I'm some sort of bleeding heart liberal.

I don't think a Big Tent party is going to cut it.

Where do you go when you take your religious beliefs out of the equation and determine that the government shouldn't be dictating who should get married or what a woman does with her body but you also don't think they should be thumbing their nose at the constitution and taxing us to death to steer us more to the "European model" of government?

Didn't we fight a revolution to steer away from the "European style" of government?

So where does that leave me and those like me? Moderate Republican? Blue Dog Democrat? Libertarian? Constitutionalist?

I couldn't bear to be lumped in with Pat Buchannan or Nancy Pelosi but I sure would like to belong to a party that could get things done in my lifetime. The Reform Party is fractured, the Libertarian Party can barely get on the ballot and it seems the one thing that gets bipartisian support in Washington and in the media is ridiculing any third party to make them look like jackasses and nut jobs.

I guess I am marginalized. I'm not a Silver Fox, Baby Boomer, Minority, or Gay. I'm not ultra rich or on public support, Evangelical or budding Socialist; so I guess I don't get catered to.

I'm just average Joe who gets to help pay for it all.

Where is our Obama? I guess our Superman is still looking for a phonebooth to change in.

What would it take to call us Socialists?

so·cial·ism

(sō'shə-lĭz'əm) n. Any of various theories or systems of social organization in which the means of producing and distributing goods is owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved. The above definition from Dictionary.com scares the hell out of me. So far the US Government is the largest stakeholder in the Automotive industry, the banking industry and now we are staring down the barrel of "universal health care" or socialized health care. 3 of the countries largest industries. That should scare the hell out of any American, let alone capitalist. My fear is that too much of the population doesn't care what form of government they are under if they are getting more free stuff, that is how the rest of us get forced into living in a Socialist state... and paying for those who put us there. For over 200 years we have been the shining beacon of freedom in the world that other countries strive to be. I think that shining beacon is a torch and I think our congress is trying to pass it to someone else, like we don't want it anymore. I still want it, a lot of Americans still want it. We have to let them know we still want it. They made fun of us for the tea parties, next time it might not be so nice. The Czechs are trying to be hardcore capitalist and they are using us as an example, if we stay on this path we will be like the older brother who was a football star but decided to drop out and smoke pot- letting down the ones that looked up to him. They haven't completely dropped out in Washington, but I think they must already be smoking pot. How are the summers in the Czech Republic?

Now I'm a racist?!?

"'Let's be very honest about what this is about. This is not about bashing Democrats. It's not about taxes. They have no idea what the Boston Tea party was about. They don't know their history at all. It's about hating a black man in the White House,'

-Janeane Garofalo

You have got to be kidding me! I am so sick of actors telling me what I am! I was at the Tea Party demonstrations, I watched others on television and I was seeing a lot of people making their voice heard about their concern that government spending may be out of control and the fact that we are seeing increasing government control in the private sector that is unlike anything we have ever seen in this country. I didn't see any violence, racism, hate speech or even litter.

But the backlash from people like Anderson Cooper and Janeane Garofalo was vile, hateful and much more close-minded than anything I saw at the Tea Parties.

I am a Libertarian and I would dare say that as a political group, there are very few if any who know history and the Constitution better than Libertarians. It is the guiding document of the Party (even if its not the guiding document of the country anymore.) I am sure that we ponder the spirit of the founding fathers a lot more than most politicians in Washington who treat the document as if it were written in pencil. We know why the colonies declared their independence and we are fighting to keep our government from making the same mistakes that lead us to break away in the first place.

I don't care what color President Obama is. Frankly, I don't care if he bowed to the Saudi King or shook President Chavez' hand.

I care about having a president that will keep us safe and defend the constitution. That is what he is sworn to do.

Firing the CEO of GM, doesn't fall in that category, not allowing banks to pay back TARP money so they can get out from under the thumb of the government doesn't fall under that category, demanding States accept stimulus money and usurping States' Rights doesn't fall in that category and creating a government that intrudes more and more into the lives of its citizens doesn't fit in that category.

I am NOT anti-Obama. I actually like some of his policies and I like the fact that he is well liked both here and around the world. But what I hate is the far left that declares themselves disenfranchised if they are not given everything they want but are the first to shout down, Sen. Tancredo at UNC or Ann Coulter wherever she appears. This group protests everything but we hold peaceful rallies on tax day and all of a sudden we are ignorant racists and nobody calls her on it! You have got to be kidding me!

Radio shock jocks and comedians, Opie and Anthony, had a guest on their show who said something about Condelezza Rice and as a result they were banned from their show for a month and almost lost their jobs- Ms. Garofalo called over a quarter of a million US citizens ignorant racists for holding peaceful protest to bring attention to excessive taxation (something supporters of the Fair Tax Act have been doing on April 15th for years) and she gets a free pass.

I don't care how exciting Jack Bower is, I'm done watching 24 while she's on it. I'm not commenting on her character even though she insulted me with her blanket degradation, and that's my right. She can't entertain me and vilify me at the same time. I'm not the enemy I just like the fact that America was founded on certain principles and I'd like to see them live on.

But that's just me, what do I know, I'm a stupid racist who doesn't know my history.

Greenhouse sounds like the Poorhouse

This is an email from Tim Phillips at Americans for Prosperity-

Last night, I watched with disappointment and dismay as President Obama -- with Speaker Pelosi applauding loudly behind him -- rolled out literally hundreds-of-billions more in spending and tax increases.

It was like watching one of those horror movies where the bad guy keeps coming back...with even more scary big government programs that have failed the American people time after time. If you're keeping score at home here are the biggest boondoggles with the price tags attached:

• "Continuing Resolution" legislation to fund existing federal programs at $410 billion -- an 8.7% increase in spending over the last year which is the biggest increase on domestic spending since the Carter Administration. Currently being debated this week and next.

• Obama/Pelosi Housing Bailout at $275 billion. Proposed now and will be debated within days.

• Bank Bailout at estimated $1 trillion. Details of this new Bank Bailout are still fuzzy but the numbers are huge. Debate to begin within weeks.

• Nationalized Health Care proposal is to be announced this Thursday. The President is saying his "health care reform…will not wait another year." We know what that means. Hundreds of billions more of your money and less individual health care choice for you.

So far, the Obama/Pelosi agenda has been all spending while taking our nation to historic debt levels. Last night, we saw the first big Obama/Pelosi tax increase. And it is genuinely massive -- try $1.2 trillion over the next decade on ENERGY, the one sector of the economy where prices are lower at the moment.

President Obama and Speaker Pelosi are now championing a "Cap and Trade" scheme that will ration energy while increasing taxes. A version of this proposal was introduced last year as the Warner/Lieberman Cap and Trade bill. Here are the key details from last year's legislation that are the basis for the Obama/Pelosi plan:

• $1.2 TRILLION Tax Increase over 7 years on gasoline, home energy and really all energy in next decade. Source: Congressional Budget Office, April 10, 2008

• this tax would cost the economy 3 to 4 million jobs according to an analysis by the American Council on Capital Formation

• the average family would lose over $4,000 per year in purchasing power (and remember the Pelosi/Obama tax cut was only $800 per couple)

• Gasoline prices would increase anywhere from 77 to 145 percent--that means prices of about $2 a gallon now would go up to $3.50 or even $5 a gallon.

In addition, the Washington Post has reported that President Obama's budget will also include income tax increases. More on that once we have the details tomorrow.

The numbers are staggering. But there is more. Under the Obama/Pelosi "Cap and Trade" scheme, for the first time the federal government will literally ration energy -- deciding how much energy should be available and at what cost to families and businesses. The impact on our families and economy will be disastrous.

At Americans for Prosperity we're going to fight this new spending and especially these new taxes with everything we've got.

Together, we are building the grassroots movement that will protect our economic freedoms and the American Dream from those who truly believe government has all the answers...we know better!

Stay tuned for more details and action items.

Tim

P.S.: As Americans for Prosperity is holding grassroots events in your state we will be letting you know about them. For example, last week in North Carolina I met a number of NoStimulus.com petition signers who attended our rallies in Greensboro and Raleigh. On March 7 in the Milwaukee, Wisconsin area I hope to see a number of you for our event there. On March 9 we're holding a breakfast in Tulsa, Oklahoma and in mid March rallies across Virginia. Please look for invites to rallies and events in your area as we expand our effort to protect our families and the American Dream.

"Change- I'm 'fraid there ain't none"

The blog title, "Change-I'm 'fraid there ain't none," is a quote I believe you will hear in about 36 months after buying a gallon of milk with the soon to be reintroduced $1000 bill shown above.

Maybe the US Mint can do a little better job with the photoshoping but you get my point.

China and Japan, the countries who usually clamor to buy our debt don't have a couple spare trillion to lend. China's unemployment has increased by 20 million people in the last 6 months and most of the world is in worse shape than we are.

So what do we do? Crank up the presses!

If I print money in the basement, I go to jail. If the treasury does it, its called stimulus.

For anyone that doesn't know, when the treasury increases the money supply, at some point the dollar becomes worth less, (hopefully the space stays between the "worth" and the "less" in that sentence) because there are more of them. Simple supply and demand. Never in the history of the world has any nation printed as much money as we are going to have to in the next 24 months to pay for the stimulus.

What happens when the world's economy comes back and all those trillions of dollars are still floating around out there? Let's just say you might not have to buy kindling that year.

I understand we have to face one problem at a time and there are plenty of economists out there that say we can use monetary policy to control inflation when we get there. The only problem is we never see these problems until they are on top of us then we overreact and overcompensate- like passing a series of stimulus bills and bailouts that increase the National Debt by $7 trillion or so. I would imagine our reaction to inflation will be just as dramatic and overwhelming.

Stop the ride, I think I'm going to be sick.

Our microwave society has to have results immediately and I am not sure that is the way the laws of economics works.

I'm pretty sure it isn't but we don't seem to have the patience to see it through anymore.

Hopefully, I am wrong but this whole process doesn't have me very "stimulated."

The Public Coffer

I find it amazing that the polls show that the majority of the American people support the "stimulus " package that was just passed by our congress.

Not that I believe we didn't need something done, although I believe the free market would have resolved the crisis in due time. What I believe is that so many people support a bill that even the majority of those that voted on it never even got the chance to read it. They trusted, not economist, not industrial leaders or veterans of similar situations, but politicians, to write a bill that could solve the woes we now face.

That's like trusting a virgin to write the Karma Sutra.

The blind masses support a bill that was passed in a hurry so it could sit on the president's desk for 3 days. Wouldn't that time have been better spent learning what is actually in it?

I am sure there are things in the package that will mean more money being spread around in the form of government contracts (we know how well that works out, more $200 shovels and $1000 toilets.) But what I don't think most people realize is that it is not free money!

When the dust settles, we have to pay for it.

Until we have a country that is competitive once again in the world for what we produce and not just what we consume we will stay beholden to the handouts from the government and that will only increase the amount of people that vote for bigger government. But in the end taxes will have to be raised to pay for our "stimulus" which will only hamper our ability to produce and lead to a smaller role on the world stage as exporters of goods.

The shamwow and snuggie are both produced in foreign countries. What the hell?

Our lawmakers have voted to strengthen unions, print money and place the government in greater control of our lives.

Quite an experiment.