In honor of reading “A Dream Deferred” by Shelby Steele, here’s an interview with him from 2008, following Barack Obama winning the Presidential election over McCain. Enjoy!
Tag Archives: Barack Obama
I Traded My Liberty for a Cell Phone
It is a sad day in America when a person would trade their liberty for a free cell phone. Well, maybe not “liberty” in the short term, but a vote for Obama means a more powerful government, and as Dennis Prager so often says, “The bigger the government, the smaller the citizen.” Even trading a vote for a cell phone is ridiculous. Then again, for years Democrats have been bribing people with cigarettes to go into a voting booth and vote for their guy. Now they’re doing it with cell phones.
The whole incident started at a Romney/Ryan rally in Ohio when a man with a camera decided to check out the group of people protesting. Somewhere in the crowd he came upon this woman -
In case you couldn’t understand what was actually said, here’s a transcript:
Man: You got an “Obama phone”?
Woman: Yes! Everybody in Cleveland low minority got Obama phone. Keep Obama in President. You know? He gave us a phone. He gonna do more!
Man: He gave you a phone? How’d he give you a phone?
Woman: You, you sign up. If you on food stamps, you on social security, you got low income, you disability…
Man: Okay. What’s wrong with Romney again?
Woman: Romney? He sucks! Bad!
There you have it. When Romney talked about a certain percentage of people who will never vote for him because they are hooked on government handouts, he was talking about people like this. This woman doesn’t know anything about policy; she just wants her Obamaphone. And why doesn’t she like Romney? Because, “He sucks! Bad!”
I watched and rewatched this video for about 10 minutes and was laughing so hard I started crying. Maybe I shouldn’t have done less laughing and more crying, because if enough people fall for the Obamaphone trap, our country will surely slip into all out government rule. Are these people the majority of voters? I sure hope not.
You can sign up for your own Obamaphone here – Budget Mobile (lower left corner)
Where We’re Going
Today has been a busy day in Washington DC. Not only was Eric Holder officially held in Contempt of Congress for withholding documents related to the Fast and Furious scandal, but Obama’s signature healthcare legislation, the so-called “Affordable Care Act”, was upheld by the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision. For the time being, let’s put Holder aside and focus on the big one – Obamacare.
The entire law rested on whether an individual mandate was constitutional. Does the federal government have the power to punish someone for not buying a product or service – in this case health insurance. The argument was made that because Congress has power to regulate interstate commerce, that they also have the power to regulate that people buy health insurance. Fortunately, the Constitution does not give Congress the power to compel an individual to enter into a private contract with an insurance company. Congress can regulate insurance, but if someone doesn’t buy it – they cannot do anything. The individual mandate was struck down.
Here’s where it gets interesting. Instead of deeming the law unconstitutional, the law was upheld by changing a few words and a few definitions. Chief Justice John Roberts claimed that the mandate was in fact not a mandate, but a tax. In this case – Congress still has the power to tax whoever it choses. The problem with this is that it is in fact NOT a tax, nor was it ever presented as such. President Obama even went out of his way on multiple occasions to specifically say – this is not a tax. In the law its a mandate, in the court its a tax. Roberts overstepped his bounds by changing the very law he was judging. The law stands.
A lot of people are still confused about what this all means. In short it means that in 2014 every citizen must buy health insurance or face a penalty fee of roughly $700. You can buy your insurance on your own, from your employer, or you can just pay the penalty and forget about providing insurance for yourself. In the end, businesses across America will drop their health insurance because the penalties are cheaper than the insurance. People will be left to fend for themselves.
There are a number of cost exploders included in the bill – popular items such as 26 year olds being allowed on their parents insurance, and people not being turned down for coverage due to pre-existing conditions. As great as this may sound, these both force up costs of insurance. At the same time, Obamacare prevents insurance companies from raising their rates. If they can’t charge more, and they are forced to cover more people…. they go out of business. This was the plan all along.
With private insurance companies out of business, America’s healthcare system will become “single payer”. There will be one “insurance company” – the federal government. Every citizen will be on the same plan. No competition, utterly inefficient, and guess what is to come. As with every other single payer system in the world – rationing. Certain types of medicine and certain procedures will not be covered. Who decides what is covered and what isn’t? The infamous Death Panel - a small group of bureaucrats who decide which patients are worth keeping alive.
Scary, no doubt. This piece of legislation is the largest tax increase in American history. It severs any sense of State or individual sovereignty. The federal government will continue to grow larger and larger, delivering less of what it is obligated to (defense, secure borders) and more of what it should stay away from (government-run education, banks, energy, and healthcare). The history of government is tyranny. Every country has seen it. Government always grows and it’s end is always the same – it traps its citizens and treats them like subjects.
There is hope, however. Now more than ever, we need Mitt Romney. I hate relying on one person to turn around the fate of our country, but frankly – Mitt Romney needs to win in November. Along with Romney as our president, we’ll need a Republican controlled Senate. History shows us the path we are going down, and it isn’t a good one. I repeat – the history of government is tyranny. To keep a government from becoming tyrannical we need to shrink it and control it, so it doesn’t control us. The hope lies in delivering Wisconsin to Mitt Romney in November, as well as delivering an additional Republican Senator to Washington.
The Contraception Debate
I received a phone call today from a good friend who I hadn’t talked to in some time. We’d texted back and forth for a few minutes, but he decided to call me. He wanted my opinion. He’d been getting into an argument over the whole contraceptive issue that’s been all the craze. Now, it was a Facebook argument, so there’s a big no-no right away. It’s nearly impossible to win an argument via Facebook, which is why I rarely get involved. For me, the most important place to voice my opinion is here, on TimPreuss.com, where I can say everything I need to say, without bickering back and forth with idiots.
As we were talking I said something along the lines of, “I could write an essay about everything wrong with that argument.” Well – I’m going to. That argument is the one we’ve been hearing about constantly over the past couple weeks. It’s the issue of contraception, and who should pay for it.
Before I get too deep into the issue, I want to go over what the issue is NOT. No one is saying that women should not be allowed to buy birth control. No one is saying that birth control is wrong, or that every woman who is on birth control is a slut. (Limbaugh reference?) In fact, conservatives like myself fully support the right of women to chose whether or not to use birth control, and what type to use. It’s their body, it’s their money – buy whatever you want.
Here’s the first hold up – taxpayer dollars should not be spent on birth control. Our government spends way too much money. We spend too much on entitlement programs, we spend too much on union labor, and we spend too much on useless, yet expensive, bureaucrats. It is not the government’s job to provide birth control pills for anyone. Furthermore, it’s not the government’s job to provide healthcare, period. People may insist that birth control is used for more than just birth control (cramps, acne, whacked out hormones, etc.), but that doesn’t mean that it’s a problem for the federal government to deal with.
In the end, it’s each individual’s responsibility to provide for themselves. I know, that’s a startling concept, given that literally from cradle to grave, we have our government “looking out” for us. Can’t feed yourself? Food stamps. Can’t buy medical care? Medicaid. Can’t educate yourself? Public schools and public scholarships. Can’t retire? Social security. Well, the gravy train has to come to a halt. When we encourage people to live off the government, we make people dependent. A person cannot be dependent AND free.
The other equally large issue at hand is that government should not be able to tell an employer or an insurance company what they have to provide. Some people complain that their insurance doesn’t cover contraception. Well, it’s time to find an insurance plan that suits your needs. There are thousands of options, and its more than likely that one of them will include covering birth control. But its the insurance company’s right to decide what their plans will cover and won’t cover. No one, including the federal government, should be able to tell a business what products they produce. If an insurance company doesn’t want to pay for birth control, that’s their decision, and if customers don’t like it, don’t buy that brand of insurance.
But the issue doesn’t stop there. Not only is the government telling insurance companies what they have to cover, but they’re telling employers what insurance plans they have to provide for their employees. If an employer only offers a plan that doesn’t include coverage for birth control, the employee can either buy insurance independently of their employer, or they can find a new job. A business should not be forced to provide something it does not want to provide.
And there’s more. Not only do businesses have to provide insurance that covers contraception, but even religious institutions have to provide it. This creates huge problems. The Catholic church is 100% against birth control. I don’t agree with their stance personally, but it’s their religion, and we have religious freedom. (I think.) The government cannot force a religious institution to provide birth control for their employees, if birth control is against their religion. This sets enormous precedent. No longer are you free to practice your religion. First, you must practice Obama, THEN practice your religion if it complies with Obama’s vision for America.
The issue at hand is much more than birth control. It has to do with the size of government, freedom of religion, and the ever growing entitlement mentality in America. Do not dismiss this as a minor issue – it’s important. Very important. The founding principles of our nation are at stack – personal responsibility, small limited government, religious freedom. Don’t push this issue under the rug or underestimate it’s importance.
What’s In Store For 2012 Politics?
Just what is store for the big 2012 elections? Well, let me tell you – it’s going to be fun. Fun for me, at least. You see, there are a lot of people who tire of politics pretty quickly. After a certain point (usually about 2 weeks) people tend to give up. They say, “I’m tired of arguing. You win.” Sorry, but that’s not me. Scott Walker has been tearing up my home state of Wisconsin for over a year now, and he’s been rattling more than a few cages. I’ve stood along with him the whole time, and I’m ready to keep on fighting!
In case you don’t remember, Scott Walker is the governor who fought with the public employee unions. What was the fight over? Well – he wanted them to pitch in more for their healthcare benefits and pension, and he promised to severely restrict the unions’ bargaining privileges. (Notice I said “privileges”, not “rights”.) During that time we had democrats from all over the country, usually being paid by some union, being bused into the Wisconsin capital. 14 democrat senators even left the state and hid in Illinois, just to hold up a vote on the bill. Wisconsin politics was a circus.
Long story short, the bill passed, and democrats and public sector unions were furious. It was as if the world ended because they suddenly had to contribute to their pension. Not only that, but unions had much less power. Instead of requiring employees to pay union dues, employees have a choice. That means that a big chunk of them will no longer want to contribute, and the unions will get less money. What do they do with that money? They take it and spend it on elections for democrats, who in turn give unions more power and more money. It’s a giant money laundering scheme, and the taxpayers were getting ripped off. Not anymore!
A year has passed since Walker took office, allowing the democrats to begin their recall process, which started with gathering signatures. The democrat party paid people to stand outside of businesses, on street corners, in front of schools, and wherever else, to get people to sign the petition to recall Walker. The rules of the process were thrown away. More than one signature per person? Sure, why not? Sign for your friends and family? Go right ahead. Make up names and addresses? You bet! The whole process was an absolute cluster-f**k and an embarrassment to the democratic process.
But the signatures are in. Walker will soon have his recall election. Sooner rather than later (so as not to give the democrats extra time to campaign for their candidate – Kathleen Falk) the time to vote for Walker (again) will come. But don’t think that the fight is over. I believe Walker will win his recall election, but it’s not the end. Power hungry unions eager to get their hands on your hard earned tax dollars will continue to wage war against Scott Walker, Wisconsin, and conservatives all across America.
The politics don’t stop at the state line. National politics are just as much fun, and can be even more ugly. That’s what we’ve got in store for us. Barry Obama has set his goals on raising an astonishing $1 billion for his 2012 campaign. Along with Wallstreet, unions, the media, and Hollywood, Obama will wage an all out war against his opponent. Don’t expect an easy victory.
That being said, Obama is fundraising a billion dollars because he knows he’ll need it. Remember 2008? The country was different back then. We were sick of the same old Republican administration. The wars in the middle east, and Bush-era bulls**t. Too many people were tired and were looking for something new. Barry Obama is who they found. He was unknown. He was fresh. Oh – and he was black! How historic! He was just what people were looking for.
Obama is what I call “the catch-phrase president”. His whole campaign was just that – catch phrases. “Hope and Change”, “Fundamentally Transform America”, “Yes, We Can!”. Unfortunately, his reign as king of America (I mean president) was the same way – “Fair Share”, “Obamacare”, and “Warren Buffet pays less than his secretary”. Yeah, yeah. We’ve all heard it, and America is tired of it. Obama’s presidency has been a wreck. He’s taken the country in a direction people don’t want to go and people are afraid of another 4 years of Obama-nomics.
What’s all this mean? Well, it’s going to be a fight, but we can win! The Hollywood elites, and the leftist media are no match for honest patriotic Americans. You know – the types who cling to their guns and Bibles – HEY! That’s me! (Note to self – buy new gun with tax return.) In the end, this year will turn out okay, but it’ll be a battle. I’m ready for it, and I want to get you ready for it. Don’t shy away from conversations about politics. Talk with your friends, family, and coworkers. Let them know what you believe, why you believe it, and what you’re going to do about it. Spread the word!
All the lunacy in both Madison and in DC can be tiring, I know. But this is what it’s all about. Put on your armor, get ready for battle, and let’s fundamentally transform America BACK to what it’s supposed to be!
SPECIAL: Andrew Breitbart Dies at 43
We lost a good one. Last night around midnight Andrew Breitbart died at age 43. While going for a late night stroll, Andrew Breitbart suddenly collapsed. Paramedics were called, and they tried to revive him. Unfortunately, he passed shortly after. Andrew left behind his wife, Susannah, and four children.
Don’t know who Andrew Breitbart was? Remember the whole ACORN scandal in 2008? Remember the Anthony Weiner incident? Well, Andrew Breitbart was the man behind both of those, and countless other investigations. He was a conservative master mind from Los Angeles, who continually pushed the envelope. He exposed corruption, took on the media head on, and never let his opinion be unknown. If you don’t know who Andrew was, you ought to. We really lost someone special.
I first heard the news this morning while brushing my teeth and watching Fox News. “Breaking News – Andrew Breitbart is dead!” I was stunned. I had just been watching old interviews of him the other night on YouTube. Something was up. What exactly are “natural causes” for a 43 year old? As I started my work day, I shared the news with my coworkers. Many of them had a similar reaction – confusion. And after I told them what Breitbart had been saying just a month before he died, they turned into conspiracy theorists.
At the 2012 Conservative Political Action Conference, Andrew Breitbart gave a speech. During his speech he did a little foreshadowing. We all knew that Andrew has an uncanny ability to dig up dirt on people. Well, he claimed to have hit the mother load. “I have videos…”, he said. “Videos no one has seen. Videos of Barack Obama in college!” Wow! That was a stunner. Obama’s college days are largely kept secret. We don’t know his grades, his friends, his teachers, the essays he wrote, the things he said. It’s all been a mystery. Not anymore, thanks to Andrew Breitbart.
So what did Andrew find? We don’t know yet. The plan was to release the videos sometime before the 2012 presidential election. I assume that the videos will still be released, but could Breitbart’s death be related to these videos? Was his death really “natural causes”? I must be losing my mind.
I then came to a point of denial. You know what – Andrew Breitbart isn’t dead. He’s faking his death, and he’s going to come back before the 2012 election and release these videos, in pure media-craze fashion. It sounds like something he might actually do. Later I read more reports on his death, and came to the sad conclusion that yes – Andrew Breitbart is dead.
Like I said before, we really lost a good one. Luckily, he left behind his many websites that will continue to put out conservative news. Sites like Breitbart.com, BigGovernment.com, and BigJournalism.com. Last but not least, he left behind the videos that many of us are dying to see – those videos of Barack Obama in college. Andrew’s legacy will live on.
A Nation In Decline
As I watched Barack Obama’s State of the Union address the other night, I couldn’t help but think – wow, this guy is saying some things that really sound good. Wait! What did I just say?! That’s right – Obama said a few things that I agree with. He talked about reigning in regulations, lowering corporate tax rates, and even stated that he agreed with Abraham Lincoln, that the government should only do what the people cannot do for themselves.
Yeah… that’s right. He said all of that. Now, his actions over the last 3 years are a completely different story. Barack Obama has continually stressed the importance of evil corporations paying their “fair share”. He’s continued to add more and more regulations to nearly every sector of our lives. And of course, him saying that government should only do for the people what they can’t do themselves… well… I can’t think of anything more absurd. He’s the direct opposite of that. From parts of his speech you’d think he’s a libertarian. Who knew Gary Johnson and Barack Obama were so close on the political spectrum.
But perhaps the biggest gaff of the speech was Obama stating that anyone who says that America is in decline “doesn’t know what they’re talking about.” Wow. Well, I guess a lot of Americans don’t know what they’re talking about when they see their country going down the drain. Of course, people like Obama also think that Europe is doing well, and we all know that two minutes of news coverage of Greece will tell a frighteningly different story. America IS in decline, Barry.
It’s easy to look at how we’re doing economically. Job growth is stagnant, energy costs are up. Our national debt is now equal to our GDP, and if Obama gets the debt ceiling raise he’s been asking for, it’ll be MORE than our GDP. Countries don’t “come back” from that kind of debt. But the real teller for how America is doing isn’t economics – it’s morale. Does America feel like it’s growing? Or does it feel like it’s in decline. I’m sorry to say it, but to me (and a whole lot of other Americans) it feels like it’s in decline. But what do we know, right? We’re not intellectuals like Barry Obama. We’re not the anointed.
Take a look around though. I hate to be the pessimist, (I lied. I LOVE being the pessimist.) but just look at our schools. Failing miserably. I just watched a movie a few days ago called Waiting For Superman and it tells the sad story of how failing schools are dragging down entire communities. When kids don’t get good education they drop out and end up in jail or in the welfare line. It’s gotten so bad that it’s hard to see a clear path out of it. Even if we turn things around now, we still have a generation of people coming out of college who could name all the dolts on Jersey Shore, but not a single presidential candidate.
Our country is in decline. Barry Hussein Obamanation can say that I “don’t know what I’m talking about”, but the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I live in the real world. He’s isolated from reality. He’s surrounded by a bunch of yes-men. This man-child has no place telling the American people that they “don’t know what they’re talking about”. For a president to say that is disgusting.
Down To 4 – What Does This Mean?
I can’t say this is “breaking” news, because it happened… an hour ago. But hey – I predicted it. Well, sort of. Rick Perry is officially out of the race for the republican nomination. I knew it was going to happen, I just though Perry would stay in past the South Carolina primary. Turns out he’d rather drop out now, save the money, and throw his support at… Newt Gingrich…
I can’t say I’m not disappointed. I knew Perry would drop out, but I was hoping he would endorse Rick Santorum. With Perry giving his support to Gingrich, that’ll probably put Gingrich in 2nd, right behind Willard Romney – moving Santorum to 3rd, right ahead of Ron Paul. The conservative vote is split two ways – Gingrich and Santorum. What does this mean for the rest of the states?
Well, it means that 25% of the vote will go towards Romney, another 15% to Ron Paul, and the rest will be divided between Santorum and Gingrich. 60% divided two ways means … 30% for each (assuming they split it evenly). Now, obviously these are rough numbers, but it’s looking good for an alternative to Romney. Although Romney has been winning the last few times around, it’s important to note that most people are still voting for someone else. A “conservative alternative” is what people want. Until now, it’s been divided among too many people. But now, Santorum and Gingrich both have a shot at taking down Romney.
In any case, I believe that the nominee will be able to beat Barack Obama in November. Obama has no record to stand on, his base is weakened, and across America people are literally afraid of another 4 years of his administration. But let’s not write this off as a victory just yet. There are a couple ways that Obama could be reelected. If Ron Paul drops from the republican ticket and runs as a third party candidate he could pull just enough of the vote to weaken the republican nominee and give the victory to Obama. Now, Ron Paul says he’s not planning on running third party, but you never know. This could end in a Ross Perot kind of way.
The other thing to think about is this – in recent polling, voters say that if Romney is the candidate, they would be voting against Obama, not for Romney. While, a vote is a vote in the end, we want a candidate who we can vote FOR. I’ve run across a number of people who are planning on sitting out this election if Romney is the nominee. This is not good. We need someone else.
I feel that Newt Gingrich is too much of a politician for America right now. His record, his personal life, his demeanor – people are turned off by him. Some people love his blunt way of talking, but too many people just don’t trust him. Trust is key to getting people out to vote. While some people say that Rick Santorum isn’t as polished a politician as Romney or Gingrich, he IS someone we can trust. His record is solid, and his personal life backs it up.
Who knows – wait and see for now. It’ll be a while before Wisconsin gets to vote…
Minimum Wage – Helping or Hurting the Poor?
The old saying goes, “knowledge is power”, but that saying may be a bit short sighted. Consider for instance all of the complete idiots who are constantly drunk on power over in Washington DC. Heard of Barack Obama? Of course you have. Then scan your brain for the name Chris Langan. Know his name? Probably not, and that’s the point. Chris Langan is the smartest man in America. He’s not rich or powerful. Barack Obama is the most powerful man in the world (like it or not), and he is by no means the smartest.
It’s easy to read a few articles online or in the paper, and pretend that we’ve learned something. Reading is a great exercise for the mind, but just knowing something doesn’t make you any better off than if you didn’t know it. The key is to USE that knowledge. Implementation of knowledge is power.
The new handy facts someone might learn don’t even necessarily need to useful in our daily lives. Take for instance a book on economics. Being a musician, I’m personally never going to need to know anything about economics. BUT, knowing the basics, and being able to apply what I know to the real world helps me understand news and politics a whole lot better. I can make informed decisions about say, for instance, minimum wage laws. Understanding price controls, how they effect supply and demand, and the history of how price controls have been used in the past, allows me to tell you, without a doubt, that a minimum wage HURTS the lower class, and leads to higher prices and higher unemployment. No television involved. No talk radio involved. Just a book on economics.
But pretend that I just read the book and forgot about it. Minimum wage sounds like a great thing – higher pay for people who make little money. Why could that possibly be bad? It sounds like a nice thing. Makes people happier, better off. So, hell yeah – let’s raise the minimum wage.
Of course we then do that, and businesses have to lay off employees because they can no longer afford to pay them. Now instead of someone making $7.50 an hour, they’re making $0.00 an hour. Not only that, but inexperienced workers are hurt. If an employer is forced to pay higher wages, he’s going to only higher workers with experience. There go the jobs for people without college degrees, a lot of whom are in that lower income bracket as it is. So not only were they laid off, but they have no chance at getting a job and attaining the experience needed to earn a higher wage in the future.
When we look past the initial political benefits that come along with raising the minimum wage, we see that while the policy may have earned some votes, in reality it’s made the poor worse off. Not only the job loss, but everything that comes along with it – crime rates increase, drug use increase, economic stagnation, the list goes on.
