macgyver1948's blog: ""

Whatever side of the political isle you are on just read this and see if it makes as much sense to you as it does to me. The writer is a conservative. The Top Ten Reasons Conservatives Should Vote For Obama My take by Andrew Sullivan. 10. A body blow to racial identity politics. An end to the era of Jesse Jackson in black America. 9. Less debt. Yes, Obama will raise taxes on those earning over a quarter of a million. And he will spend on healthcare, Iraq, Afghanistan and the environment. But so will McCain. He plans more spending on health, the environment and won't touch defense of entitlements. And his refusal to touch taxes means an extra $4 trillion in debt over the massive increase presided over by Bush. And the CBO estimates that McCain's plans will add more to the debt over four years than Obama's. Fiscal conservatives have a clear choice. 8. A return to realism and prudence in foreign policy. Obama has consistently cited the foreign policy of George H. W. Bush as his inspiration. McCain's knee-jerk reaction to the Georgian conflict, his commitment to stay in Iraq indefinitely, and his brinksmanship over Iran's nuclear ambitions make him a far riskier choice for conservatives. The choice between Obama and McCain is like the choice between George H.W. Bush's first term and George W.'s. 7. An ability to understand the difference between listening to generals and delegating foreign policy to them. 6. Temperament. Obama has the coolest, calmest demeanor of any president since Eisenhower. Conservatism values that kind of constancy, especially compared with the hot-headed, irrational impulsiveness of McCain. 5. Faith. Obama's fusion of Christianity and reason, his non-fundamentalist faith, is a critical bridge between the new atheism and the new Christianism. 4. A truce in the culture war. Obama takes us past the debilitating boomer warfare that has raged since the 1960s. Nothing has distorted our politics so gravely; nothing has made a rational politics more elusive. 3. Two words: President Palin. 2. Conservative reform. Until conservatism can get a distance from the big-spending, privacy-busting, debt-ridden, crony-laden, fundamentalist, intolerant, incompetent and arrogant faux conservatism of the Bush-Cheney years, it will never regain a coherent message to actually govern this country again. The survival of conservatism requires a temporary eclipse of today's Republicanism. Losing would be the best thing to happen to conservatism since 1964. Back then, conservatives lost in a landslide for the right reasons. Now, Republicans are losing in a landslide for the wrong reasons. 1. The War Against Islamist terror. The strategy deployed by Bush and Cheney has failed. It has failed to destroy al Qaeda, except in a country, Iraq, where their presence was minimal before the US invasion. It has failed to bring any of the terrorists to justice, instead creating the excrescence of Gitmo, torture, secret sites, and the collapse of America's reputation abroad. It has empowered Iran, allowed al Qaeda to regroup in Pakistan, made the next vast generation of Muslims loathe America, and imperiled our alliances. We need smarter leadership of the war: balancing force with diplomacy, hard power with better p.r., deploying strategy rather than mere tactics, and self-confidence rather than a bunker mentality. Those conservatives who remain convinced, as I do, that Islamist terror remains the greatest threat to the West cannot risk a perpetuation of the failed Manichean worldview of the past eight years, and cannot risk the possibility of McCain making rash decisions in the middle of a potentially catastrophic global conflict. If you are serious about the war on terror and believe it is a war we have to win, the only serious candidate is Barack Obama.

We are about to elect another president and we are in the worst economic slump, I keep hearing, since the great depression. Who you vote for is your business and I hope you choose who ever will get us out of our recession the best. I for one do not want to continue to be bushed but that is just my feelings. I have some thoughts of my own to help fix our economic headache in what I think is the best ways but we all have our opinions. Here are just my thoughts and I am not that sure they are all that new, just not practiced or giving a chance. Ok. In my layman way of thinking, my non expert but heavily observing way, I have some thoughts on what does not (historically) work to fix our economic recession and some thoughts on what might. Here goes. Historically we have been living some form of trickledown economics for centuries. We have seen it called many things, including Ragononimcs and it; no matter what we have called it doesn’t seem to work for the same basic reasons. Trickledown is basically designed to give the breaks primarily to the wealthy and the large corporations with the idea that they will “allow” spending and buying power to trickle down. In other words, we the middle and lower classes will get benefits at the stores (for food and clothing and other retail stuffs), in housing purchases and at the gas pumps etc. I think you get the idea. All this with tax relief, and other benefits, for the wealthy and the big corporations and not us (us, here in referred to as the middle and lower classes). All in all they (they, herein referred to as the wealthy and big corporations) get the benefits and it is up to them to help us. Here is where the problem for centuries with the trickledown stuffs is apparent, at least to me. It can be summed up in one word – GREED. They will not let enough trickledown to give us any real help. This coupled with many jobs going overseas does tend to diminish the job getting and spending powers for us, the major majority of our population. I have some suggestions. First, a major study and consideration should be given, again and this time with real interest, to a flat tax. This has been thought of and suggested many times before but has always been defeated because it does not directly benefit the rich and the powerful. After all, who makes the laws and, for whom do they always seem to make these laws? Not us. So for me the flat tax will do several things. Let’s say it is set at 18%. I think a study should be done by the non politically inspired and influenced economic experts to determine the best percentage but I am using 18% in my example. What does this do? First, it should be said that there are no exceptions to this percentage. We all pay the 18%, us and them, period, no loopholes. What this does, as I see it, is this. For one thing, there is more money in our pockets from our pay checks and that in itself gives us more buying power, more ability to spend, then what we have ever had. We can spend more at the food stores and gas stations and it makes it easier to pay our rent/mortgage as well as our regular monthly bills. We do tend to spend more if we have more left over after paying for the essentials, just common sense. This way we give more to the retail stores, the car dealers, etc. This is a better economic incentive then a one time or even a once in a while couple of hundred bucks from the Feds. After all, it takes better care of us for the day to day living then any once in a while, or one time extra check can ever do. And, what is really more important than taking care of the day to day living expenses, as well as saving for the future. That is funny since many of us can’t afford to save for the future as things are. And, you really can live better when you have more money than with less money. Otherwise you spend less. Maybe the Feds have taken more from us because the wealthy and powerful can afford the loopholes that we can’t afford so they get taxed less and the Feds have to get it from some place to make up the difference. Now who, or where, can that some place be, us maybe? We can spend and save more so the economy is stimulated on a regular basis and the stores and corporations have increased daily sales which will make them happy. This I call TRICKLEUP economics and it has a much more common sense way of working for all of us then any TRICKLEDOWN system ever has. Eliminate the greed and have the money flowing up from us, in the form of spending because we can, and things can get rolling again. Maybe, just maybe, the companies can bring the manufacturing and services jobs back to America where it should be for us and we can engage more in fair trade overseas because our companies here have higher sales. The Feds should consider ways to bring them back as well. People in general do tend to spend more when they have more to spend and with a fair flat tax the government will get its fair share from both us and them so Uncle Sam should be happy without stressing us so much. OK, TRICKLEUP is my layman’s way of thinking, my non expert but heavily observing way of offering a solution to our depressed recessing economy. By the way, I just think it’s funny that it seems to be only the wealthy and powerful that say we aren’t in a recession. Go figure… I think it’s just their greed popping up and their wanting to keep the status quo alive and well at our expense. Consider this. If we spend more then maybe companies have less reasons, or excuses, to raise their prices, there too is a good reason for the Feds to consider TRICKLEUP economics and the flat tax. Of course there are factors not within our control that raise prices at the stores like the cost of goods going to the stores as well as shoplifting and other forms of shrink. I just think since we do not have control over those that we should more so take advantage of what we do have control of and that is our spending. We can actually dictate to some extent how a store operates with our spending and the more we can spend the more we can influence the stores in our favor. The spending can’t be done if our spending power continues to shrink and the less we spend, well, the more the economy will need to be stimulated by forces other than us. Remember this. The Feds allow only a certain specific amount of money to be in distribution/circulation at any given time so let’s distribute it more feasibly for all of us, with more in our pockets. This way TRICKLEUP can work. Otherwise we will all continue to be economically TRICKLED down and depressed. Just my thoughts.

I don't know how many of you feel about the 2nd Amendment or even if you know what it was meant for. I can tell you this, it wasn't meant for duck hunting. I do not own any guns and at this time I don't plan to but some time I have to think about that. We have restrictive gun laws and many of them make sense but many do not, at least not to me. I was in the Air Force for 4 years and I ranked very good with guns at the time and I learned a few things. For one, if you know how, it won't make one bit of difference if a nut has a 1 shell capacity in his/her clip or 20. It really does take about 1 second to dump the empty clip and put in a full one so I don't get the clip size laws. A nut will be a nut. I am not a member of the NRA and I am not going to be but let's make sense of this. Please copy/paste the URL below into your browser and watch and listen to the lady in the video. Then see what your feelings are about guns. How would you feel if you go through what this in-the-video lady did? Just watch and listen. Then decide if guns can not be defensive. Cheers. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4069761537893819675&pr=goog-sl

We all know the FLU season is here and there is a lot of talk about taking FLU shots. Before you do, hopefully before, please go to the below link and just listen to the Doctor in the video. Draw your own conclusions and do your own research but at least listen to what this guy has to say. http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/10/21/avoid-flu-shots-vitamin-d-is-a-better-way.aspx.

Recently I listened to an interview with Colin Powell. I am a registered Democrat and if Powell, a Republican, would run I would strongly consider voting for him because I trust his judgment and his record. Now, after listening to his interview with MSNBC I hear Powell is endorsing Obama, crossing party lines. Powell does not like the way the Republican Party is swinging, to far right, and he believes Palin is not ready to be president. I agree that a vice president has to be ready to be president from day one of taking office. Also, Powell feels McCain's economic plans won't work and that McCain is to short sited when it comes to the needs of the middle and lower classes. McCain proves that himself. We have to give relief directly to the middle and lower classes, include small business, because depending on the wealthy and the big corporations to help us does not work. This has been a Republican practice for centuries and what has been proven is the wealthy won’t let anything trickle down to help us. They tend to keep all that they can for themselves. But the Republicans continue to give the help and the breaks to the wealthy, as Bush has with is oil industry buddies, for example… Powell knows that Obama has been a Christian all his life and that he, Obama, is not a terrorist. So the Republican Party should stop this untrue campaign against Obama and get on with the issues that are real as well as important. I guess I won't be crossing party lines in this election but I didn't need Powell to help me with this decision, he just confirms my feelings. I want a president that can relate to the middle and lower classes, which is obviously the vast majority of us. Also, our president should not be so much a Bush who has hurt us so much in the last 8 years in so many ways. McCain is a Bush in his own clothing regardless of what he says. Just looking at McCain’s voting record in the last 8 years bears that out. He supported Bush over 97% of the time when voting in Congress. When it's that obvious it is a joke on us if we believe McCain. Powell also says he has spoken with both candidates extensively over the last several weeks and he knows them both very well. He sees Obama as being stronger in many ways then his Republican opponent. I feel Powell is a good judge of people, which is why he really quit the Bush Administration. Ok, I just had to add my 2 cents...

I was sitting at home just relaxing after work when some sort of message came to me. I'm not really sure how I received this message, or from whom, but it felt like a warning. Should we take the warning seriously? You be the judge. Here is that warning. A Night Of New And Terrible Beginnings ------------------------------------ It was the night known for screams and all thru the towns... Little children were happy but their smiles would soon turn to frowns. --- This is the time when the spirits would rise... It's more than just the children that would be in disguise. --- On this special night, the one chance they have to bet... If the spirits want to remain it's the souls they must get. --- Parents keep your children close and within your reach... Because when the spirits get them you won't like what they teach. --- But the worst is yet to come and more than you have ever seen... The angriest of evil spirits are coming to bring on a new kind of Halloween. Copyright ©2008 SJD

I keep getting email from the Republican party and they keep asking for my support, both financial and for my vote. I don't really know why since I am a registered Democrat so just this once (yeah right, like I wouldn't again, lol), and for fun, I wrote back to them. My letter to them is below. If you have any comments or opinions I would like to hear them. Steve Dear Republicans... I am not sure why I am getting this, I am not a republican. But I do know that we could stand to do a lot better than we have for the last 8 years. I never trusted Bush and he has always continued to prove me right. Bush has hurt this country so much in so many ways that we need a swift turn to the left. But even with that swift turn it would take many years to correct the damage caused by the Bushes. The republican economy we find ourselves in has to go. Republicans do not seem to understand, nor can they relate to, the common man. If we aren't wealthy, I mean making more than $5 million a year wealthy, then we seem to be nothing to you but revenue in the form of taxes. With all the trickle down thinking the Republicans seem to live by most of us do not stand a chance. Bush has helped his oil industry buddies and now you should look at the pumps; that's if you even go to the gas stations and not just sent one of your hired hands. With all this thinking that if you help the corporations they will help us is bull. They don't help anyone but themselves and the rich won’t let much trickle down. I will forever blame Bush and his supporters for every American death in Iraq and for the ailing of the economy that was going well when Bush took over. Bush is a damn liar and he sucked in his believers which I cant understand how any intelligent person could still have voted for him the second time let alone the first. A few Texans told me they voted for him the first time just to get him the hell out of Texas, LOL. He is an idiot and McCain is too old and too much like bush. They are too blinded by how well they live to help us. Do you still want my support? Please lose big in November so the American people can start winning again. No more war mongering and the lies to get us in and to stay in. I do have to wonder about Obama though. Have a good day, :-). Steve

I enjoy reading history and war seems to be a big part of the human trail. I suppose we all have our views on the activity and some can say some wars are justified. But is any first strike morally justified especially if we can't truthfully proove the reasons for the first strike before we attack? Whatever your opinions on the Iraq invasion we all might have our feelings about war itself. I wrote this poem a number of years ago to express how I feel about war in general. I write what and how I feel about something. What do you feel about war? Oh by the way. I was 19 miles from the World Trade Center when it went down. I lost friends in that attack. I can still smell the dark smoke and I won't ever forget but if we are going to be angry let's at least shoot at ther correct targets. (WAR) WHAT IS THE USE? They say it's crazy, they say it's sad. But the whole human race goes on being mad. We read the phrases from the good book. But it's as though we never really spent a look. We claim to be right; they claim they are not wrong. Then both sides justify it in slogan and battle song. It's funny the way the mighty are tall, But when they get mad it's the young that must fall. How quick the mighty will call for the gun. How quick would they be if it were them instead of their son. With the blood that we shed and the death and the pain, There is always more room on the wall for a name. So what do we prove when we go out to war? I can't think of anything except for the score. You would think by now Man could get it right. But we keep finding reasons to purify the fight. One of these days we'll stop hurting each other. Sadly, until then, we must try to kill our brother. The politician comes up with the phoney excuse. Then the rest of us must engage in personal abuse. Again I ask---(WAR) WHAT IS THE USE???!!!