Our Generation

Rand Paul: "For Conservatives, There Was No Excuse..."

2011-03-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

"Imagine this—what if there had never been a President George W. Bush, and when Bill Clinton left office he was immediately replaced with Barack Obama. Now imagine Obama had governed from 2000 to 2008 exactly as Bush did–doubling the size of government, doubling the debt, expanding federal entitlements and education, starting the Iraq war–the whole works. To make matters worse, imagine that for a portion of that time, the Democrats actually controlled all three branches of government. Would Republicans have given Obama and his party a free pass in carrying out the exact same agenda as Bush? It's hard to imagine this being the case, given the grief Bill Clinton got from Republicans, even though his big government agenda was less ambitious than Bush's. Yet, the last Republican president got very little criticism from his own party for most of his tenure. For conservatives, there was no excuse for this," - Rand Paul.

Hat Tip: Andrew Sullivan

Oversight and More Oversight

2011-03-15T09:53:00.000-07:00

Every taxpayer has heard of the $600 hammer and the $300 toilet seat, and shaken their head in disbelief that government spending could get so mismanaged. On a positive note, the Obama Administration has sought to tackle transparency of government spending with a coordinated plan. A March 10, 2011 article in The Washington Post reported, “As part of the reforms, several departments have canceled or revamped the development of new business and accounting systems used to receive payments, distribute federal funds and grants, manage contracts and process worker payrolls. Many of the systems cost hundreds of millions of dollars to develop, but in some cases were years overdue or inoperable.” This is a serious attempt at oversight that is needed to restore a sense of fiscal accountability in the federal government.

As if one layer of oversight is not enough, the “administration’s chief overseer” Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) is seeking to oversee the administrations financial oversight plans, with a series of hearings that are set occur this week.

With all of this oversight taxpayers might actually see their dollars being spent more wisely in the future.

New Poll: Majority of Americans Think We Are on the Wrong Track

2011-03-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released yesterday, 64 percent of those surveyed feel that the United States is on the wrong track. The poll also indicated that, with regard to government spending that 59 percent of Americans prefer to cut existing programs and 30 percent would rather raise taxes than reduce deficit spending.

These results are particularly interesting because these poll results are coupled with economic indicators which demonstrate that the economy is improving. I guess most people see that even a slight improvement in our economy does not do much to combat out $1.5 trillion budget deficit and $14 trillion national debt. Most Americans know that major structural changes are needed to turn this country around.

Terms Limits, A Step in the Right Direction for Iowans

2011-03-08T13:49:00.000-08:00

As the debate about term limits for Iowa’s lawmakers heats up, it is important to acknowledge the ways in which term limits promote a healthy democracy. House Joint Resolution 10, calls for a constitutional amendment limiting legislative service to a total of 16 consecutive years. This legislation if adopted, would promote a better way of governing. The effects of which would be getting rid of career politicians, which would result in less corruption and fresh ideas from citizen legislators.
There are more benefits than drawbacks for a state that institutes term limits. Term limits create a more meritorious legislative body and prevent the creation of a spoils system that favors seniority instead of good ideas. At the federal level voters only need to be reminded of the 22 term U.S. Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.) to see how corrupt a senior member of Congress can get, using political power to steer money to organizations named after him and use taxpayer resources to fundraise. Term limits help root out corruption like this by doing away with career politicians who develop close ties to special interests. Instituting term limits also enables power to be spread among more members of a legislative body and create a continuous crop of new legislators to bring new perspectives and ideas to the business of governing.

Voters also favor term limits. In a 2010 survey that Our Generation distributed to six million voters across the country, 96.4 of percent of respondents favored terms limits for members of the U.S. Congress. While Iowa’s House Joint Resolution 10 will not limit terms for their federal representatives, the results reflect a trend: voters across the country favor legislative bodies that support citizen legislators and not career politicians.

After the U.S. Constitution was drafted Thomas Jefferson was critical of what was left out of the document. When the document was silent on term limits for members of Congress, Jefferson warned, “the abandonment in every instance of the necessity of rotation in office." would create, "an officer for life.” Our founders never thought that a politicians getting elected to office meant that he or she had suddenly found a new career, which is the case today.

Iowa has a historic opportunity to adopt changes to its state constitution that promote a great way to create oversight over elected legislators. The Iowa General Assembly would be wise to pass legislation and adopt term limits for its members and join the 15 other states across the country whose term limits foster a better democratic process.

Unrest in Middle East Signals Cry for Term Limits

2011-03-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

While the unrest in the Middle East is disconcerting for most people, some large-scale positive changes are underway. Protests that started in Egypt resulted in the resignation of President Hosni Mubarak, a man who served for 30 years in that role. His removal has struck a blow to career politicians like Mubarak. According to a February 28, 2011 article in The Wall Street Journal, “Egypt's military rulers, hoping to set the stage for transparent democratic elections in six months, have unveiled a raft of proposed constitutional changes that include adopting a U.S.-style term limits of two four-year presidential terms.” This change would have never occurred if Mubarak stayed in office.

Stark differences exist in how the U.S. government enacted term limits as opposed to how Egypt is seeking to adopt them. Americans can thank George Washington for what eventually became the 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which prohibits an American president from serving more than two full terms in office. President George Washington did not face much political opposition and could have stayed in office as long as he wanted, but after two terms, he resigned his post and returned to life on his farm in Virginia. Had Washington not decided to resign, the U.S. may have had protests like those in Egypt to effectuate change.

Budget Uncertainty on Capitol Hill Still Means Congressmen Get Paid

2011-02-24T08:26:00.000-08:00

It is very possible that the federal government will shut down due to a disagreement on how deep the cuts need to be in order to continue to fund the federal government. If a government shutdown occurs (which could happen next week) this could mean that the thousands of federal employees and even congressional staffers will go without a paycheck. What is odd is that those who are mainly to blame for shutting the government down, the members of Congress, will not miss a paycheck. According to a February 23, 2011 article in The Politico, “Under U.S. law, elected members of Congress — as well as the president and uniformed military personnel — are exempt from furlough, but most congressional employees are not.”

At least the irony of this situation was not lost on all members of Congress. Sens. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Bob Casey (D-Pa.) introduced legislation that would prevent members of Congress and President Obama from being paid if a government shuts down occurs. When asked about the legislation on a recent conference call with reporters Sen. Boxer noted, “We should not be paid when we can’t even do the basics of keeping the government running.”

Taxpayers can sit and wait and hope that members of Congress do the job they are elected and paid to do.

A $1,900 SUV for everyone, but only if it is at the taxpayers’ expense. . .

2011-02-21T07:56:00.000-08:00

According to a February 20, 2011 Washington Post article, two different elected officials in Washington .D.C. are leasing luxury SUV vehicles a at price that most Americans pay for their homes. This expense of course is being carried by the taxpayers in a city with a $400 million budget shortfall. What is even more appalling is the fact that the elected officials who requested these vehicles claimed that they “just” wanted a black SUV, but Freedom of Information Act requests prepared by the Washington Post “tell a different story,” one that shows that at least one official knew what they were asking for and didn’t care about the price.

When officials who are elected to manage the public coffers spend money in this fashion, is not surprising that states and towns are on the verge of bankruptcy. Taxpayers deserve better, and fortunately officials like these are held accountable to the voters.

A Two Year Anniversary That Lawmakers Would Like to Forget

2011-02-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

Today marks the two year anniversary of the $862 billion failed economic stimulus plan. While most lawmakers are focused on the budget and spending debate on Capitol Hill, taxpayers should not forget how we got into the current budget mess. While hindsight is 20-20, most politicians at least acknowledge the fact that the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act was a total flop. President Obama sold the public on the fact that this stimulus program was necessary to create private sector jobs and make sure unemployment did not exceed 8 percent, yet two years after the program has been implemented we still see unemployment at 9 percent.

Over the past two years Sens. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.) have released reports which uncovered hundred of wasteful stimulus programs including the following:
• $1.2 million to convert an abandoned train station in NJ into a museum;
• $554,763 to replace windows in a closed visitors’ center in Washington;
• $89,298 for a new sidewalk that leads to a ditch.

Unfortunately, taxpayers cannot forget this $862 billion mistake and will paying for it for years to come.

KVUE TV: Woman With Pacemaker Dragged Through Austin-Bergstrom International Airpor

2010-12-25T09:47:00.000-08:00

Hirschkind agreed to the pat down, but on one condition.
"I told them, 'No, I'm not going to have my breasts felt,' and she said, 'Yes, you are,'" said Hirschkind.
When Hirschkind refused, she says that "the police actually pushed me to the floor, (and) handcuffed me. I was crying by then. They drug me 25 yards across the floor in front of the whole security."

Hat tip Andrew Sullivan

You Tube: A Christmas Carroll for the TSA

2010-12-07T19:03:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video Contest: Wow. 37 Entries

2010-12-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

The Deadline is passed and we're excited to have 37 entries in Our Generation's Term Limits Video Contest. The at-risk-youth (to borrow a term from Dan Savage that always makes me laugh) who are managing the details of the Video Contest have asked me to stop posting them on this blog until they get everything organized. As soon as I'm able, I'll post a link here so you can see them, too. We've got some fantastic videos. I'm excited to have them promoting term limits and can't want to get the winning entry on TV. Thank you to everyone who worked hard on videos and/or getting the word out!

Term Limits Video: Contest Guidelines

2010-11-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Dead Line for Submission : December 1st, 2010. Ending at 12:00 pm.
If you have submitted a video for the contest, or you are going to, please send your email address to Our Generation: Samantha@allsaintsmedia.com. We need to be able to contact you about when and where the winner will be announced and other exciting contest news.

All videos must be 60 seconds or less. Multiple submissions per person will be considered. Videos must be in English or offer subtitles. Submissions will be judged on style, creativity, uniqueness and relevance to topic. Submit your video by response to this by posting a comment and attaching your video. :

http://www.youtube.com/user/TheOurGeneration?feature=mhum

Guidelines:

The ad can not endorse or act to defeat any individual member of Congress.

Submissions will be void if there is presence of any copyrighted material that is not in the public domain or for which you have not obtained the rights to use. Submission may not incur any third party agreements, additionally, third party voice-overs for which you have not obtained the rights to use is prohibited. Third party stock photography or artwork which you have not obtained rights to use is not allowed. Videos should contain nothing illegal, lewd or loathsome. With respect to videos submitted to YouTube, submissions must meet all guidelines and criteria imposed by YouTube. Failure to adhere to regulations could result in disqualification. Our Generation reserves the right to refuse any submissions for whatever reason it deems necessary.

Group submissions: If a submission is made by a group, a team leader must be named and, if the group wins, the named team leader will be the recipient of the prize.

Contestants acknowledge Our Generations ownership of all copyrights and other intellectual property rights in the submitted videos, and Our Generation's right to utilize submitted video, in whole or in part, for any purpose, including publicity and advertising, without compensation. This contest is subject to applicable federal, provincial and municipal laws.

Before taking possession of the prize, the selected entrant must first sign a declaration confirming compliance with the contest rules and acceptance of the prize as awarded, and a release form releasing the contest sponsors from any liability relating to the prize. If the selected entrant cannot be contacted by the close of business within seven (7) business days of the announcement date, the selected entrant will forfeit the prize and another winner will be selected among the finalists.

Prize must be accepted as awarded, or forfeited. By entering the contest, winners agree to the use of their name, voice, likeness, and/or photograph, without notice or compensation, in any subsequent publicity by Our Generations and (its advertising and promotional agencies and partners.)

Our Generation reserves the right to change or modify contest rules, dates, judging panel and criteria at any time, without notice. Our Generation is in no way responsible for contestant exposure to other YouTube content.

The sponsors of this contest retain the right to cancel, suspend or amend this contest in the event of any printing or administrative error beyond their control.

The judging panel will be announced in the near future on the Our Generation Blog.

Preliminary judging will put “top ads” on Our Generation's website.

Term Limits Video: Get Off the Swing

2010-11-27T19:58:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: A Simple Ratio

2010-11-27T19:56:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: It's All The Same

2010-11-27T19:54:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: Do People REALLY Know When to Step Aside?

2010-11-26T13:25:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: What's so Great About Term Limits

2010-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: Term Limits 101

2010-11-23T14:56:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: In their own words

2010-11-23T14:55:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: Moldy Bread in Congress?

2010-11-23T14:52:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: Times Are Up

2010-11-19T19:49:00.000-08:00

Term Limits Video: We Don't Want You Forever

2010-11-19T19:47:00.001-08:00

Term Limits Video: A Congressional Proposal

2010-11-19T19:47:00.000-08:00

Happy National Adoption Day

2010-11-19T17:46:00.000-08:00

Time Magazine reports that Florida has failed to appeal a judge's order allowing Martin Gill to adopt the children he's parented for six years -- making Florida's ban on gay adoption obsolete:

A year after Gill became the boys' foster parent, a different caseworker arrived to work on permanent arrangements for the children. There was no way the brothers would be able to remain together, the caseworker announced. The baby could be easily adopted — everyone wants to adopt babies — but the older boy would likely stay with Gill in extended foster care.
“We can get him a good family,” the caseworker said, referring to the baby. “I was in disbelief,” says Gill. “What was wrong with the family that had cared for them for a year and kept them together?”

The court's ruling allows Gill and his boys to become a permanent family.

Not Afraid to Cut out the Bacon from Washington’s Diet

2010-11-12T13:10:00.000-08:00

Senator Jim DeMint is certainly no stranger to media coverage, but each time he makes the headlines he carries an important message with him. He poses not only the forethought to have a substantive idea, but he also lays out how exactly to implement his suggested course of action. It shouldn’t be surprising then that Sen. DeMint has made headlines once again with a discussion about earmarks. DeMint recently stated "that parochial interest I think gets that the focus of interest off national interests onto paving local parking lots."
In an interview on CBS’s “The Early Show,” DeMint explained:

We can't have 500 congressmen and senators who think it's their job to bring home the bacon - and that's what's going to change. One of the first thing we'll do in the House and Senate is ban earmarks as Republicans - that'll get our eyes back on fixing our tax code, fixing Social Security and Medicare, getting America back to work.

These words and promises don’t come a moment too soon in my book. The importance of addressing the grave issues of Social Security and Medicare as well as re-assessing our entire tax code cannot be overstated. It’s refreshing to see a reformer like DeMint who understands wasteful projects, such as earmarks, that must be removed from the federal government’s budget in order to focus on the serious financial issues affecting our nation and government. I do hope we can look to a brighter future in January 2011 and begin to see that our elected officials are willing to confront the difficult challenges before them.

Well Isn’t It Ironic: AARP Employee Health Care Costs Increase Because of Obamacare

2010-11-12T13:08:00.001-08:00

During the Obamacare debates and ultimate passage of the bill, one of the biggest cheerleaders for one of the longest times was the American Association of Retired People, better known as AARP. Throughout the whole thing, the AARP stood unwavering next to Obama and his government-run health care system promoting it and all of its supposedly-wonderful components. AARP could not have shouted more enthusiastically or louder for Obamacare and now it’s shouted something loudly to its employees – though this time more discreetly through an office e-mail. According to a recent news article, the context of the e-mail was straight-forward: AARP is “telling its employees their insurance costs will rise partly as a result of the law.” The article continues to explain that AARP wrote that health care premiums for its employees “increase by 8 percent to 13 percent next year because of rapidly rising medical costs.”

What AARP either blindly ignored or refused to acknowledge during the Obamacare debates was something that every other employer (and sane person) saw as a problem from the beginning: if employer costs increase – for health care or anything else – employers won’t just pick up the tab for generosity’s sake, no, they will just pass along the costs on to their already hard-working and over-taxed employees. The article continues...

Although the tax on so-called ‘Cadillac’ health care plans doesn’t take effect for years, employers are already beginning to assess their potential exposure because it is hefty: at 40 percent of the value above $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for a family plan.

At least AARP realizes this now, I guess better late than never, but in a lot of ways it is already too late for the employees who already feel the pinch of the increased costs in their bills (health care and others).

Well Something’s (or better yet, someone’s) Gotta Give

2010-11-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

Soon-to-be Speaker of the House, Representative John Boehner, has recently announced that among the first priorities of the new Congress will be to reduce the seemingly ever-increasing government costs. The Hill, a leading newspaper on Capitol Hill, reported that “Cutting member pay would show voters the new GOP majority in the House is going to lead by example in their efforts to rein in spending and start with their own wallets...” No official promises have been made, but there’s reason to hope.

On Election Day Rep. Boehner astutely noted, “It’s pretty clear that the American people want a smaller, less costly, more accountable government here in Washington.” And, I think he knows it’s important that Congress leads by example and actions rather than meaningless – and tired – rhetoric. As experts on Congressional pay noted in the article, it’s very important for everyday Americans see Members of Congress practicing what they preach.

The article also highlighted the facts and figures behind Congressional salaries. For example,

Boehner is slated to receive a $30,100 pay increase next year when he becomes Speaker of the House. His annual salary will be $223,500. The base pay for House and Senate lawmakers is $174,000, while majority and minority leaders each make $193,400 per year.

Not a bad gig, if you ask me. Throw in taxpayer-funded trips and a few lavish campaign fundraising events and that’s a pretty fun time.

So next time when we all have to think about cutting back on some of the luxuries in our life, we shouldn’t think it’s that unreasonable to see our public officials, who are paid with our tax dollars, might start to cut back as well.

Big Brother’s Coming for You (and Your Health Records!)

2010-11-12T13:05:00.000-08:00

Talk about a scary start to the day, headline reads: “U.S. Office of Personnel Management wants to collect data from three health programs.” In addition to simultaneously feeling shock and the fear that Big Brother has arrived, one’s next thought should be: Whose data will the database contain, what data exactly does the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) plan to gather, and what parties will be able to access this information? Unfortunately, the answers to these totally legitimate questions is, the federal government is still ironing out those details.

Let’s discuss the details known at this time and then examine the potential threats this health database could cause. To begin, the OPM has plans for a “Health Claims Data Warehouse,” which is supposedly created to “more cost-effectively manage three health claims programs: the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP), the National Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Program and the Multi-State Option Plan.” To digress for a moment, what place does the government have in any of the programs (except the appropriately titled, “Federal Employee…”)? Answering that question would be far more than this article seeks to accomplish.

Moving back to the real issue of the matter, the federal government wants a ton of personal information about a lot of people, and it justifies this action by claiming to do so in order to be more cost-effective. Now, let’s be clear, cost-saving measuring on general principles are certainly a good idea, but attempting to win people over by saying the program is cost-effective is not enough of an argument to prove the program is a good idea. To say that OPM’s plan lacks detail is a vast understatement. However, a few details about this national health information database have been revealed, and unfortunately, the information is not good.

To begin, the information, i.e. personal health records, could potentially be shared with law enforcement, third-party researchers, and others. Supposedly, we should take solace in the fact that the information will be de-identified before going into the hands of a third party, but we can’t be too confident in that promise. If this database is as reliable and error-proof as previous government ones, it should come as no surprise when millions of personal data is “accidentally” released – just think of a scenario like what happened to veterans’ information a few years ago. Furthermore, at this point the OPM has not revealed exactly how they plan to de-identify the individuals before passing along their records. And of course, we shouldn’t be surprised if the government makes the word “de-identify” a relative term.

At this point, Americans should be comforted that regulations in HIPAA (the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) define specific steps to make one’s health care data anonymous. Unfortunately, as one health care expert noted, there’s no indication that OPM will actually adopt HIPAA’s regulations (nor does the OPM have to). As these details and others concerning Obamacare are being ironed out, it’s important that we keep track of these issues that will not only affect our quality and privacy of health care, but the health care for many generations to come.

Medicine for Medicare

2010-11-11T12:51:00.001-08:00

Time and time again, we hear about a “doc fix” for Medicare. And while that description doesn’t really offer the best insight into what this “doc fix” actually is. The issue is surprisingly quite simple. Year after year in order to artificially lower costs relating to Medicare and Medicaid, policy makers remove the cost of physician reimbursements from these initial cost projection calculations. As a result, spending for Medicare and Medicaid is deceptively smaller than what the total cost comes out to be. And why’s that? Oh yes, in order for the programs to work there must be doctors to see the patients who are eligible for Medicare. And, surprisingly (please note extreme sarcasm) doctors actually want to be reimbursed by the government at a fair market rate for their services. And thanks to legislation like the continual “doc fix,” the government can make sure physicians get their money for services offered, and even more importantly that doctors continue to participate in the Medicare program so that Medicare patients can have doctors to visits.

To make this discussion even more relevant to recent times, the issue of the costs associated with a “doc fix” bill were also removed from the Obamacare legislation, which again meant that the bill would actually come out to a total far exceeding what was initially projected. That issue aside, the more frustrating part is that Congress is perpetually debating this Medicare reimbursement issue. Don’t misunderstand, it is an extremely important issue that needs much attention. However, the reason we constantly see it appear is not because of the gravity of the issue itself, but because Congress only does “patches” for Medicare reimbursements. That means Congress never actually solves the problem, it just kicks the can down the road for the next Congress to take up. And that approach is not only irresponsible, it does a disservice to the American people who deserve far better. Both our seniors and doctors should not have to be constantly placed in the political crosshairs of Congress. Congress should do the difficult thing and fix the issue of physician reimbursements for once and for all, instead of continuing down the unsteady path of “oh, we’ll get to that later.” No, the time to act is now.

Spending: Can’t Spend Your Way Out of Anything

2010-11-11T12:49:00.000-08:00

Sooner or later our government will learn that throwing more money at a “problem” doesn’t make the problem go away, and sometimes the extra funding compounds another entirely separate problem. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what our government is doing right now and has done in past. History tells us increasing government spending doesn’t lead to more jobs or a turned around economy, but that it can lead to an even greater federal debt price tag.

Don’t take just my word for it; let’s look at a recent, cleverly and insightfully written column by Thomas Sewell:

Guess who said the following: ‘We have tried spending money. We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work.’ Was it Sarah Palin? Rush Limbaugh? Karl Rove?

Not even close. It was Henry Morgenthau, Secretary of the Treasury under President Franklin D. Roosevelt and one of FDR's closest advisers. He added, ‘after eight years of this Administration we have just as much unemployment as when we started. . . And an enormous debt to boot!’

I can assure you, the above quote and comment is being completed forgotten (or outright ignored) by the current administration and most in Congress. And that fact is just plain unfortunate. History as an area of study provides future generations with the distinct advantage of not repeating the mistakes of previous generations. Of course, this logic hinges entirely on the premise that future generations will actually study the mistakes of the past and learn from them. And that is quite a presumption to make, especially in our modern-day political climate.

As Sewell later discusses in his column:

Ordinarily, what happened in the 1930s might be something to be left for historians to be concerned about. But the very same kinds of policies that were tried-- and failed-- during the 1930s are being carried out in Washington today, with the advocates of such policies often invoking FDR's New Deal as a model.

Let’s hope those in Washington making fiscal policy decisions which will affect our families for many years to come, remember this lesson from history and learn from it.

"Less Government, More Freedom"

2010-11-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) recently had a piece run in the Wall Street Journal, which discussed and analyzed the outcomes of the elections in early November. Sen. DeMint’s piece is unique from other after-election takes because it offers advice to the newly elected members who will go to Washington in January. DeMint discusses many valuable pieces of information that freshman representatives and senators would do well to heed. Most importantly though, he reminds every member, either newly elected or returning, of some crucial values to often forgotten inside the Beltway.

For example, DeMint writes in his piece something that should be obvious, but again is often unfortunately forgotten: “But someone can't be bribed if they aren't for sale.” Just like in life, sticking to one’s principles and trusting one’s conscience are crucial – yet tremendously difficult – objectives. The same goes for members of Congress. Once elected, they must not forget the reason they were elected in the first place. And in this particular election, Senator DeMint reminds it was for the principles of decreasing government’s reach and increasing each citizen’s individual freedoms.

At the end of the piece, DeMint rallies these final words of advice to the tea party candidates, who will be sworn into office come January 2011: “Tea party Republicans were elected to go to Washington and save the country—not be co-opted by the club. So put on your boxing gloves. The fight begins today.” As a nation, we should be encouraged by the prospect of a new brand of politician who may actually remember the people and voters who elected him/her in the first place.

Remember the Debt Panel?

2010-11-08T07:42:00.000-08:00

Remember, that Commission (whose recommendations will possess absolutely no binding authority) that President Obama created approximately eight months ago? Well, the reason you may have forgotten about it is because indeed it did fall off the radar screen. The Commission decided it would not continue assessing and establishing recommendations until after the November elections. Ok, so we are now after the November elections, exactly what should we expect?

Well first off, the members better get to work and fast, their recommendations are due in less than a month – the due date is December 1, 2010. As a recent New York Times article reported, the Commission needs to address “purposely has done little to date beyond five public hearings, and it has decided nothing lest any decisions leak and blow up in the flammable mix of a campaign year with control of Congress in the balance.” Now, I don’t know about you, but this is certainly troubling news? Reminder: the sole purpose of the Commission was to take an in-depth look at our nation’s financial problems and recommend the best course of action to solve them. With the tardy work thus far, we shouldn’t be too hopeful about what the recommendations will entail.

It’s time this Commission as well as Congress and the President get their acts together and make difficult decisions to take the appropriate steps to getting our economy back on track.

From Reserved to Out-of-Control

2010-11-08T07:41:00.000-08:00

As the federal government has grown, it only makes sense (note the sarcasm) then that all aspects of the government should also grow to remain proportional to the rest of the growing beast. The area of government growth up for discussion in this blog is that of the Federal Reserve’s. One congressman who has spent a great amount of time bringing this issue to light, and that’s Representative Ron Paul, a Republican from Texas and with a Republican-controlled Congress it won’t be surprising if this issue gets even more attention in the coming months.

Rep. Ron Paul has spent a lot of energy rallying against the central bank that is the Fed and its efforts to help the economy through its monetary policies. In fact, Paul even has published a book appropriately titled, End the Fed. Paul and many others have contended that a significant reason for the economic downturn is a result of the Fed’s poor decision-making and flawed actions. Paul also correctly contends that the spur of the crash of 2008 was not a result of any supposed flaws of our capitalist system, but rather other unnecessary and harmful influences.

In a recent article, Rep. Paul stated "It's an outrage, what is happening [with the Fed and its monetary policies], and the Congress more or less has not said much about it.” Additionally, not too long ago in the 111th Congress, Paul introduced a bill that would have given Congress increased insight into the behind-the-scenes decisions on part of the Fed. Specifically, Paul crafted the bill so to permit Congressional oversight on the central bank’s internal deliberations (Congress currently has no insight into these important financial decisions until after they are made) relating to interest rates and monetary policy.

Money in Mumbai

2010-11-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

As President Obama begins to look forward to his plans to travel to Mumbai, taxpayers can be looking forward to something as well: a giant tab to pick up for Obama’s travel. How much? Two hundred million dollars per day! Can you imagine? That’s one BILLION dollars if he stays for five days. Now please do not misunderstand, I completely understand that it is important for the president’s safety to travel with an appropriate number of Secret Service officers and also general support staff within reason, but how does that possible equally $200 million per day? I can’t figure it out. Let me know if you can.

It’s important that we assess these costs within the broader perspective of other fiscal responsibilities like our national debt or Social Security which is on the verge of bankruptcy. It’s the “little” amounts like $200 million per day for presidential travel that really contribute to the dire economic state in which our country currently resides.

Unfortunately, President Obama and his family do not reserve the lavish junkets for official purposes alone. Recall earlier this year when Mrs. Obama took an incredibly expensive summer vacation to Spain with her daughters and friends. In fact, Mrs. Obama has taken more “personal” vacations in the not even two years since her husband has been in office than Mrs. Bush took the entire eight years her husband was in office. And just to give you an idea of the different types of trips, while Mrs. Obama travels to Spain and other exotic locations, Mrs. Bush travelled to a National Park with a few friends once! I completely understand that the president must travel on diplomatic missions across the world, but while American families cut costs at every corner, it’s only fair to ask that the president and his staff scale back the high-dollar nature of the trips.

Let’s Keep Things Civil, Please

2010-11-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

In a time when just about anyone is allegedly qualified to speak as an expert on political affairs, it shouldn’t really come as a surprise that Cher has some comments to add to the mix. It’s one thing when we see these actors, singers, comedians, etc.. offer a contribution that is either completely uninformed or just downright foolish, but when we see said people make a personal, baseless attack, we have the right to be outraged.

Unfortunately though, this is precisely what happened when Cher recently commented on two female politicians in an interview with Vanity Fair. Let’s begin with her quotes, in reference to Sarah Palin, Cher offered, “a dumb woman is a dumb woman.” And moving to another female, Republican governor, Jan Brewer, Cher stated, “She [Jan Brewer] was worse than Sarah Palin, if that is possible. This woman was like a deer in headlights. She’s got a handle on the services of the state, and I would not let her handle the remote control.”

Excuse me? Who is Cher to think it is ok to hurl these baseless insults to these elected (and previously elected) officials? What substantive take do these attacks add to the political debate? That’s just it, they don’t add anything. Rather they are ad hominem attacks which create more animosity and polarity to an already polarized political system. Let’s be clear, it’s is no problem if Cher disagrees with the politics of Sarah Palin or Jan Brewer, but that being the case, Cher should articulate her points of disagreement. Let’s act like adults here. Resorting to these below-the-belt attacks, causes embarrassment to Cher and undermines any sort of civility in this political discussion.

Repealing the Health Care Bill: Is It Even Possible?

2010-11-04T14:50:00.001-07:00

While the promise of repealing the health care bill certainly made for excellent campaign rhetoric, now that members of Congress plan to go back to Washington (or to Washington the first time), let’s look at whether or not the charges of repealing Obamacare are realistic.

Right off the bat, we have a few issues. First, no matter what the House Republicans do either for pomp and circumstance or through legislative means, we must remember that Republicans – though commanding an impressive majority in the 112th Congress – still do not control the Senate. Therefore the legislative efforts in the House may easily pass the House, but it’s naïve to expect that the Senate will adopt the House’s legislation to repeal Obamacare.

The second issue is that unfortunately, some of the provisions are already funded through agencies, therefore attempting to cut this funding out is impossible. However, theoretically going at the bill piece by piece looking to see the specific situation of each component could lead to a potential repeal of at least some portion. But again, that puts us right back where we started because the House is only one legislative body, a measure of the House is just that a House measure, until or unless the Senate also passes a similar bill and then the two chambers could go to conference to discuss the nuances between the two bills. However, supposing that somehow some way, both the Senate and the House find (and agree upon a way) to defund or repeal a portion of the health care bill, the problem of President Obama’s veto pen stands firm. Of course, a two-thirds vote in both chambers can override Obama’s potential veto, but let’s be honest with each other, the chances of such a scenario occurring are few and far between.

Now I don’t mean to come across as the Grinch that stole Christmas, I just think it’s only fair to set realistic expectations rather than starry-eyed wishes. Placing the caveats I discuss above aside, I also must acknowledge how reassuring it is to at least see these discussions of repeal taking place. As we all are well aware, politics is the art of the practical and as such we must place our faith and trust in our elected leaders to take the most expedient, well-reasoned path as possible given the particular constraints of our time. One thing is certain, the new Congress and the agenda Speaker-elect Boehner and his party are armed with will surely make for some entertaining debates come the New Year!

The Debt that Keeps on Growing

2010-11-04T07:11:00.000-07:00

Approaching the end of Obama’s first two years as our nation’s president, Obama has successfully added $3 trillion to our national debt.
This is quite a feat and here’s why.

In his blog Ed Morrissey points out that as CBS reported, “Obama has already added 60% of the debt in two years that Bush added in eight. Obama is on track to add a trillion dollars more in his first term than Bush did in two: ‘The Debt increased $4.9 trillion during President Bush’s two terms. The Administration has projected the National Debt will soar in Mr. Obama’s fourth year in office to nearly $16.5-trillion in 2012. That’s more than 100 percent of the value of the nation’s economy and $5.9-trillion above what it was his first day on the job.’”

To be reasonable, I am not just pointing the blame at the Democrats, Republicans contributed their fair share – or should I say the taxpayers’ fair share – to get our national debt to the amount ($13.6 trillion) it sits at today.

In any event, let’s just take a step back and imagine what this means if our nation continues down this path. We are in big trouble. And what’s even more troubling is that these figures don’t include Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid. When we factor these costs in, the debt grows astronomically. Remember also, that the debt – just like any other form of loan – also accrues interest. Like I said, we are in big trouble.

By the Numbers

2010-10-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

We constantly hear about out-of-control spending, the costs of wasteful government programs, and the unfathomably large budget deficit and national debt, but what we rarely hear is what these huge, aloof numbers really mean on an individual-by-individual basis for America’s taxpayers.

For example, according to numbers put together from the TreasuryDirect and the U.S. Census Bureau, the Republican National Committee (RNC) reveals that an individual’s share of the national debt is a whopping $43,000. Don’t discredit the calculation because of the fact that the RNC reported them. As you can see, these numbers come from the cold, hard facts within government agencies themselves. The RNC merely took the time to put these alarming figures together in a single document. Although I think the $43,000 amount is the most tangible example of the fiscal problems our nation faces, there are other figures that are worth discussing here.

For example, despite what was promised during the health care debate this spring, the head of CMS, its Chief Actuary, Richard S. Foster, in a memo explained that as a result of Obama’s health care plan, Americans would see cuts in Medicare payments to the tune of $575 billion. This is especially troublesome considering that Medicare and specifically doctor reimbursement rates for providing Medicare services are under-funded in our current system. Once the realities of Obamacare come to surface, Medicare will be in more troubled state than it is currently which is hard to imagine when examining its current state.

In light of the runaway government spending, politicians have to look somewhere to raise the funds necessary to keep their veracious beast satisfied. Where to look? No further than the taxpayers and specifically their wallets, of course. To that end, Americans will witness an alarming increase in taxes with Obamacare’s implementation. Not to mention if Congress fails to extend the tax relief laws of 2001 and 2003, every American will feel a bigger pinch in their finances.

Unfortunately, the numbers just don’t lie.

Social Security Lacks Security

2010-10-22T11:03:00.000-07:00

Talk about a great way to start the weekend off on a bad foot. At the end of last week, the Social Security Administration announced that there would be no annual cost of living adjustment (COLA) next year. This is the second year in a row that seniors are left to figure out how to manage their Social Security payments, which are already stretched thin, as costs for necessities continue to rise around them.

While this means that many senior citizens will have to struggle to make ends meet, there is a far more dangerous scenario looming if Congress carelessly refuses to act to address the under-funded Social Security program. Our generation worked long and hard for these benefits, and it’s irresponsible for politicians in Washington to rob us of these benefits we not only deserve, but are rightfully owed – especially since it was our hard-earned money going into the program to fund it in the first place.

Making the situation even worse, we have a Congress that is spending without regard to our future, but worse yet without regard to our children’s future. Congress’ proclivity for out-of-control spending is disconcerting on its own, but knowing that this spending jeopardizes a program as important as Social Security is unacceptable.

As the Ways and Means Republican Ranking Member Dave Camp (R-MI) stated, “We must put Social Security on a path to long term solvency and the sooner we do so, the better it will be for both taxpayers and beneficiaries alike.”

Our Generation: Term Limits Campaign Update

2010-10-20T13:43:00.000-07:00

Rita just sent out over 37,000 signed Term Limits petitions to State Legislatures across the country. When I saw all of those boxes, I went and checked: 67,400 people have signed petitions supporting Term Limits and over 105,000 people have completed surveys overwhelmingly in support of Term Limits. We've been amazed by the tremendous support of the American people who want to "Throw The Bums Out."

Cheers! Tax Dollars Going to Booze

2010-10-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

Attention everyone on welfare: Quick! Move to Massachusetts!
According to an article in the Boston Herald, “Bay State welfare
recipients can play the slots, pick up a six-pack of beer or nab a
flat-screen plasma TV under loosey-goosey Bay State restrictions that
allow those on the dole to treat taxpayers’ wallets as their own
personal ATM.”

Wow, with that wide-ranging rule and those benefits,
where’s the incentive to get off welfare. Must be nice to get a
plasma tv for free.

The article goes on to explain, “Recipients of the Department of
Transitional Assistance programs get Electronic Benefits Transfer
cards that work like regular debit cards, allowing them to withdraw
cash from ATMs and use it for whatever they want - all with scant
oversight by the state.” Just think, a debit card that the money fairy
(i.e. hardworking taxpayers) refill for people in a “transitional
state.”

It’s no wonder that our government (both at the federal and state
levels) are in such horrible financial states, just look at how it
spends our money.

Even more alarmingly, the article goes on to explain, “State officials
were unable to say how many liquor stores and bars accept the EBT
cards. Nor could they say for certain that welfare cash isn’t being
used on Lottery tickets or even casinos.” Just great, not only do they
allow tax dollars to be spent on things tax dollars have no business
being spent on, the officials also have poor oversight (if any at all)
of the program.

Obama’s Disconnect and Its Harm to Taxpayers

2010-10-20T07:37:00.001-07:00

It’s not news to point out that our country cannot continue down this
path of unsustainable spending and irresponsible, reckless actions
that will impact our grand children’s future – and at the rate the
government’s going currently – their grand children’s future. So
what’s even more disconcerting then is that our president’s words and
actions demonstrate he just doesn’t see this problem.
For example, look at this AP article entitled, “White House: Stimulus
law working as promised.”

Excuse me, what? The piece quotes Joe Biden, “"We continue to show consistent progress on your commitment to create or save 3.5 million jobs by the end of calendar year 2010."

I wonder what job numbers he is looking at because the unemployment
rate has only risen since the enactment of the stimulus. It now
hovers at nearly 10 percent.

The White House’s disconnect from not only the facts, but the will of
the American people has gotten us into enough trouble (like higher
taxes) this year, just think of the disaster we know to be the health
care bill. The government needs to listen to the cries of the American
people as they say firmly, “Stop spending our children’s futures.”
It’s about time you started looking at the facts and listening to
America, Mr. Obama.

You Tube: Yes on 63!

2010-10-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

Even Obama’s Economists See the Need for Extending the Tax Cuts

2010-10-12T06:13:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how removed our President can be from
reality, and not just reality, cold, hard-facts. For example, earlier
this month President Obama held a meeting of the President’s Economic
Recovery Advisory Board. At this meeting, both the former Securities
and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson and Harvard
economic professor Martin Feldstein stated that unless the tax relief
laws of 2001 and 2003 are extended across the board, to all income
brackets, our economy will continue to face great instability.
However, Obama would not budge on his position that tax cuts should
only be extended for families making less than $250,000.
It’s entertaining to watch Obama pretend to care for middle-class
families now. Where was that empathy when he signed his health care
monstrosity into law? By forcing health companies to raise premiums
and by fining individuals who opt to not have health care, Obamacare
increases costs and creates hardships for the exact segment of the
population he supposedly wants to protect.

The bottom line is that until Obama wakes up and smells the coffee, it
is down-right dangerous to leave our economy, not to mention the
citizens of this nation, in flux as we wait to see what will happen to
our tax bill on January 1,2011. It’s bad enough Congress left town
two weeks ago without addressing this issue. The further the delay on
the extension of the tax relief laws, the greater economic instability
becomes and the greater likelihood of significantly harming our
already feeble recovery.

It's Good to Be A Senator, But Even Better to Be a Senator's Child

2010-10-11T14:50:00.000-07:00

Of course, there’s always a good debate when discussing how much
government officials (not to mention their staffs) are overpaid, but
at the end of the day the groups are actually working – no matter how
loosely we define that term. You may not know it, but taxpayer-funded
salaries also can go to a different group that does no work at all: a
Member’s families. For example, as Politico reported, when Senator
Robert Byrd (D-WV) passed away in office his family got to pocket the
remainder of his salary:

The Senate handbook says that upon the death of
a senator who had been serving in office, ‘in the next appropriations
bill, an item will be inserted for a gratuity to be paid to the
widow(er) or other next- of-kin, in the amount of one-year’s
compensation.’

That means that after Byrd’s death his children and grandchildren
received, “equal shares” of his salary, a hefty $193,400. While our
thoughts my thoughts and prayers are with Byrd’s family, I just can’t
think of a good reason for giving his family this generous present
funded on the taxpayers’ dime.

I Want Your Money, the movie

2010-09-24T19:26:00.000-07:00

It looks like they let Bush off the hook. And Bush deserves at least as much blame as Obama does. But Stephen Moore is right. This deficit is "Fiscal Child Abuse."

Time Magazine: He Was a Real Guy, Not Just an Icon

2010-09-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

Originally uploaded by vxla

Colonel Sanders is fading away as an American Icon. 61% of Americans don't know who he is, And YUM Brands, the owner of KFC seems to like it that way.

Sanders was the living embodiment of what his food supposedly stood for. His white suit wasn't the invention of a marketing committee; he wore it every day and was never seen in public for the last 20 years of his life in anything else. (He had a heavy wool one for winter and a lighter cotton one for summer.)

Hat tip: Zagots

New York Times: At 103, Judge Brown Continues to Serve

2010-09-21T18:00:00.000-07:00

Judge Wesley Brown is the example that proves the research: Exercising your brain will keep it strong. This 103-year-old continues to preside over the United States District Court in Wichita, Kansas:

A few years ago, when they noticed that while speaking in court Judge Brown would occasionally pause, sometimes for what seemed like minutes, lawyers, clerks and fellow judges worried that they were witnessing the beginning of a decline that would make him incapable of doing his job. But he began using an oxygen tube in the courtroom, and the pauses disappeared.

Forbes: Where are the spending cuts?

2010-09-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Mitch McConnell rejects slowing the growth of Medicare, opposes defense cuts supported by the Pentagon, and can't seem to find a line in the budget he doesn't like. At the same time, he's fighting to extend the tax cuts and for a Balanced Budget Amendment to the constitution. How exactly can this happen? Well if we don't start cutting now, by 2020, the Federal Budget will only have enough revenue to fund the Defense Department, Social Security, government pensions, and interest on the national debt:

No more national parks, no more Small Business Administration loans, no more export subsidies, no more NIH. No more Medicaid (one-third of its budget pays for long-term care for our parents and others with disabilities). No more child health or child nutrition programs. No more highway construction. No more homeland security. Oh, and no more Congress. No more nothin’.

We’re not talking about a temporary 1995-like government shut-down here. We are talking about a government that exists only to fund national defense, provide benefits to the already- or soon-to-be retired, and pay interest to the Chinese and our other lenders.

You Tube: I HATE PENNIES!!!! (Also Nickels.)

2010-09-19T08:17:00.000-07:00

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

Wall Street Journal: iPhone users have more sex

2010-09-18T22:34:00.000-07:00

I've had three different iPhones now. I must be doing something wrong.

Birth Rate and the Recession

2010-09-17T13:37:00.001-07:00

Aside from having an effect on people’s wallets and home values the recession has negatively affected family planning. According to the Associated Press;

The U.S. birth rate has dropped for the second year in a row, and experts think the wrenching recession led many people to put off having children. The 2009 birth rate also set a record: lowest in a century. Births fell 2.7 percent last year even as the population grew, numbers released Friday by the National Center for Health Statistics show.

Prolonged low birth rates can have bad economic consequences such as a decline in overall worker participation, which can effect economic growth and prosperity. Now there is yet another reason why Americans continue to hope that economic growth picks up in the near future.

Our Generation: Announcing our $12,000 video contest

2010-09-16T20:49:00.000-07:00

The Atlantic to Boomers: Pay your bills before you go

2010-09-16T19:11:00.000-07:00

Our Generation isn't all to blame for the National Debt. But the presidents responsible for most of it are George W. Bush and Barak Obama -- both boomers. Let's face it, we may have spent lots of this money taking care of our parents and our kids. But it will be our grandchildren and our great grandchildren who have to foot the bill.:

But we’re still spry. It’s not too late for a generational gesture, something that will be the equivalent of—if not actually equal to—our parents’ sacrifice in fighting and winning World War II: some act of generosity or sacrifice that will inspire or embarrass the next generation, as the sacrifices and achievements of the “Greatest” generation inspire and embarrass many Boomers.

So what do you give the country that has everything? You give it cash. The biggest peril Americans now face isn’t Islamo-fascism. It’s our own inability to live within our means. It would be nice to give our country the wisdom and self-discipline to stop running up the credit card. And we should try. But it’s unlikely that we can remake the national character (including our own) in 19 years. What we can do is offer a lecture and a fresh start. We should pass on to the next generation an America that’s free from debt. Instead of ignoring it, or arguing endlessly about whose fault it is and who should pay for it, Boomers as an age cohort should just grab the check and say, “This one’s on us.”

What to do with the Bush Tax Cuts?

2010-09-16T13:46:00.000-07:00

That's the question in Washington, D.C. this week and one that is evolving hour-by-hour. On September 8, 2010 President Obama announced that he would support a plan that only extends tax cuts for Americans making less than $250,000. A week later more than 30 House Democrats, have broken with Obama and voiced support extending all tax cuts for the near future. This announcement only came after Tea Party backed candidates produced major upsets in Delaware and New Hampshire.

It may be too little too late for these politicians who supported an enormous expansion of the federal government which included a cap-and-tax program, a stimulus program and a new government entitlement with ObamaCare. If Congress doesn’t get it yet, the answer to economic recovery is reducing spending and the size of government, which also means not increasing the tax burden for ALL Americans.

The Problem is Spending

2010-09-07T14:51:00.000-07:00

According to a new Census Bureau report federal spending is up, way up. According to The Washington Post, “Federal domestic spending increased a record 16 percent, to $3.2 trillion, in 2009, the Census Bureau reported Tuesday, largely because of a boost in aid to the unemployed and the huge economic stimulus package enacted to rescue the sinking economy.”

The report also noted that not all federal spending is equal. Spending varied wildly due to regions most due to where government agencies and offices are located.

The Post also noted, “Among the states, per capita spending averaged more than $10,000. But Virginia got almost $20,000 per resident, second only to Alaska. Maryland was the fourth highest at more than $16,000 for each resident, behind Hawaii. The District was in a class by itself. The Census Bureau calculated the per capita spending at more than $83,000.”

Most Americans should be alarmed at this disturbing trend. Politicians should be wary and know that the electorate is paying attention.

You Tube: What a cool ad...

2010-09-05T14:34:00.001-07:00

You Tube: How old is your hearing?

2010-09-04T10:52:00.000-07:00

As we age, we lose the ability to hear certain tones. This video demonstrates:

You Tube: Another plastic bag tells its story

2010-08-30T19:26:00.001-07:00

A story of love, loss, and a bag's search for meaning

Andrew Sullivan: Destroying the property of poor people

2010-08-27T20:50:00.000-07:00

Officials in Montgomery Alabama are forcing poor people to destroy their homes:

Imagine you come home from work one day to a notice on your front door that you have 45 days to demolish your house, or the city will do it for you. Oh, and you’re paying for it.

This is happening right now in Montgomery, Ala., and here is how it works: The city decides it doesn’t like your property for one reason or another, so it declares it a “public nuisance.” It mails you a notice that you have 45 days to demolish your property, at your expense, or the city will do it for you (and, of course, bill you).

You Tube: The Majestic Plastic Bag - A Mockumentary

2010-08-26T19:08:00.000-07:00

Economic Recovery?

2010-08-24T13:42:00.000-07:00

New housing numbers suggest that the economic recovery in the US is not exactly taken hold. According to news accounts, in July existing home sales fell to the lowest pace in 15 years. Most people have come to realize that the housing market that existed during the bubble, where a home was not only a place to live but also a piggy bank is over. Now consumers are coming to grip with what all of this means, but the consensus is that the housing market is a central indicator of economic recovery and if existing home sales are down a robust economic recovery fails to exist.

Our Generation meet Our America

2010-08-16T18:45:00.000-07:00

They say they Want a Revolution. Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson has launched a brand new advocacy organization, Our America. I'm pretty excited to have these heavyweights on our side. Gary has launched Our America to promote his libertarian-leaning conservative beliefs and to help our country find solutions instead of slogans. Rumor is that Gary is considering a presidential run in 2012.

Do What I Say, Not As I Do

2010-08-15T14:49:00.000-07:00

These are the words that are likely to come out of the mouth of Carl Greene, the head of the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA), the nation’s forth largest housing authority, who is facing possible foreclosure on property that he owns. Mr. Green’s housing trouble comes from a man who had a mortgage on a $615,035 condominium, but made a salary is $306,370, last year and a $44,188 bonus. According to an article in The Philadelphia Inquirer,

“PHA, a state authority, is funded mostly by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and is responsible for providing housing for Philadelphia's poor. It maintains rowhouses and apartments for low-income residents and develops affordable housing for purchase.”

What seems troubling about this is the fact that someone who is in charge of millions of state and federal dollars, is incapable of managing his own finances in a way that shows fiscal sense. This should give the public no confidence that Mr. Green runs the PHA’s books any better than he manages his own. Unfortunately, this is not the first official to have these kind of problems. What is even more disconcerting is that fact that Green’s organization received an additional $127 million in stimulus money last year. I wonder how well that taxpayer money was spent.

What a Waste of Tax Money

2010-08-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

Most taxpayers get angry when they hear that their tax dollars are not being used wisely. So when taxpayers hear that public sector employment pays more than private sector employment, they should get angry. In March, USA Today wrote an investigative piece that showed that public sector employment pay outpaced private pay in 83 percent of comparable occupations that exist in both the public and private sectors. These large public paychecks are of course paid for with tax dollars, created through private enterprise.

Now a follow up study from USA Today released today illustrates that federal pay is double what public sector pay is. According to the article, “Federal workers have been awarded bigger average pay and benefit increases than private employees for nine years in a row. The compensation gap between federal and private workers has doubled in the past decade. Federal civil servants earned average pay and benefits of $123,049 in 2009 while private workers made $61,051 in total compensation, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis.”

Taxpayers do not need to do much wondering to figure out that actions like these is precisely how we as a nation ended up with a $1.5 trillion budget deficit and a $13.5 trillion federal debt.

State Debt, Because Federal Debt is Not Enough

2010-08-10T13:53:00.000-07:00

As if a $13.5 trillion national debt is not scary enough, now states are racking up the debt as well. Taxpayers are finding out how bloated the salaries of state workers are and that this problem is not just in Bell, California, but in localities all across the country. These bloated salaries and other examples of government excess are being funded through borrowed money. According to a CNN article, the amount of debt that states are carrying spiked 10.3% last year to $460 billion. All debt is not equal, which means if you live in a state like Massachusetts or Connecticut each you are on the hook for about five grand while if you in Nebraska you are only on the hook for $17. Check out this debt map by state, good information to know in case you are considering a move to a state where a big debt will eventually need to be paid.

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

2010-08-09T09:44:00.000-07:00

In the past week federal government bureaucrats announced that social security will be paying out more in benefits than they receive in payroll taxes, the forecast for Medicare was deemed inaccurate and the program is in more danger than originally thought, and the Federal Reserve is set to downgrade its assessment of US economic prospects when it meets this week. All these financial problems paint a picture that should spur politicians into action, but instead Congress is going to take a month long break. With actions like these citizens should be happy that elections happen pretty regularly.

Quote of the day (circa 1963)

2010-08-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

It was less than 50 years ago that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas would not have been allowed to marry his wife. Now, once again, some people are fighting to ban a minority from getting married because of "God's law."

The initial Judge in Loving vs. Virginia had this to say:

“Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” — Judge Leon M. Brazile

Hat tip Andy Tobias

Good Morning America: Geithner says unemployment could go up before it comes down

2010-08-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the economy isn't healing as quickly as he expected. And that we could see unemployment rates increasing over the next few months. Blogger Leslie Carbone responds: "Thank you, Mr. Too Big to Fail. How's that porkulus working?"

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker finds for Marriage Equality

2010-08-04T17:52:00.000-07:00

"...[T]here is no harm to anyone’s rights as a result of this decision. In fact, it increases the stability and value of marriage for our society. No legitimate interest of the state in discriminating against a group of our citizens. That’s what even the defendant’s witnesses admitted, and that’s what the judge found. Everyone oughta read this opinion. It’s long but clear and sets the facts forth that everyone in this country might think about." — Attorney Ted Olson, United States Solicitor General under President George W. Bush

Unemployment Map

2010-08-04T14:21:00.000-07:00

This map really illustrates how unemployment has spread across our great nation.

New York Post: Taxpayers foot $700,000 bill for Andy Griffith ads

2010-08-04T07:41:00.000-07:00

As a single dad, I've got a special place in my heart for Sheriff Taylor and his son Opie.

I am disappointed that Andy Griffith has teamed up with President Obama to spend our tax dollars for more than just law enforcement. In fact, in this year of record deficits and belt tightening all around, the federal government is spending $700,000 to lobby for the Healthcare Reform bill that passed earlier this year. You read that right, the Obama administration is not only spending our tax money on lobbying (which is outrageous), they're spending it lobbying for a bill that the President has already signed into Federal Law. If you're as outraged as I am, I hope you'll Email President Obama and ask him to stop wasting our tax money on TV ads.

The Housing Market Can Be Fickle

2010-07-26T12:58:00.000-07:00

Over the course of the last few years we have all opened the newspaper and read about how certain trends and figures in the real estate market can indicate economic recovery. Over the last few months Americans saw first-time home sales climb and housing starts increase. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal indicates how unevenly the economic downturn hit some areas and not others. In the Bay Area of California home values fell more and sometimes much more than the median home values did from their pre-recession 2006 levels. In the San Jose area the median home value was down 28% in May to $493,625 from its April 2006 peak, but in one neighborhood a house sold for $375,000, which is down 44% from the home's June 2007 sale price of $675,000, The latter example indicates quite a discrepancy in prices. I guess the wisdom that no investment is a sure thing holds true especially during an economic crisis. It will be interesting to see how quickly home prices increase when there is economic growth.

Our Generation: Bill Bonner, Mark Murphy join board

2010-07-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

The Board of directors of Our Generation met in Baltimore on Wednesday July 21. We planned a lot of exciting new programs you'll be hearing about soon, including a video contest for our Term Limits project and establishment of a portal to help our members more effectively lobby Congress. We also voted to expand our Board of Directors, adding two best selling authors: Bill Bonner, a financial expert and president of Agora Publishing and speaker, author, and LeadershipIQ chairman Mark Murphy. I can't tell you how excited we are to have these thought leaders as part of Our Generation.

CNN: Anti-incumbent mood fuels term limit debate

2010-07-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

Americans are taking a new look at term limits. And they like what they see. Since Our Generation launched our Term Limits Campaign this Spring, 70,646 Americans have signed our Petition. And candidates across the country are pledging to respect the will of the American people and to limit their own Congressional terms:

"You have a situation where you have a long-standing relationship between special interests and an incumbent who can't lose, and that is a toxic combination, and that's most of the Congress," Blumel said. "Term limits ensure regular, competitive elections. They permit change."

You Can Keep Your Doctor . . . If You Pay More

2010-07-19T11:09:00.000-07:00

That is the mantra that consumers are likely to hear more and more according to a report by the New York Times, which found that the country’s biggest insurers are promoting health insurance plans that include reduced premiums that require participants to use a narrower selection of doctors and hospitals. This means that if your existing doctor who was in your plan and is not included in your new one, you are likely to have to pay more for the same services. This is not exactly the “you will be able to keep your doctor” mantra the President Obama stated like a broken record during the health care debate.

As Americans continue to find out what is in the three month old ObamaCare legislation, it seems more and more that people were sold a bill that does not perform as promised, but continues to increase costs, ration care and add more red tape.

Information Week: I don't need Sen. Schumer to fix my iPhone

2010-07-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

How did Apple's antenna problems become Senate business?

Schumer's latest craven grab for publicity and notoriety is little more than a cheap trick that places him somewhere on the "look at me!" spectrum between Perez Hilton and Jersey Shore Snooki. Indeed, in his blind rush to trivialize both the office he holds and the self-sufficiency of American consumers, Chuck Schumer is the Usmain Bolt of our political times.

Still Full of Hot Air

2010-07-15T14:02:00.000-07:00

Members of Congress can be hypocritical. In March of this year, House Democrats imposed a ban on for-profit earmarks. By the time spring time appropriations season arrived more than a dozen lawmakers have violated the ban. Instead of getting earmarks for for-profit companies some Congressmen are getting earmarks for nonprofits associated with the for-profit earmark recipient. I don’t think this is how members envisioned this rule would be implemented. In this instance it seems like the adage “politicians are full of hot air” is entirely accurate. Voters have got to be sick of the political grandstanding that politicians engage in, especially during election years. This election year it does not seem any different, still a lot of talk and little or no action.

Linked is a story about one egregious example: http://huffpostfund.org/stories/2010/07/congressman-university-deny-earmark-abuse-0

And it Keeps Growing. . .

2010-07-09T08:39:00.001-07:00

What I am referring to is our national debt. According to a Washington Times article our nation's debt increased by $166 billion in a single day last week. To put this in perspective, this number is bigger than the than the entire annual deficit for fiscal year 2007 and larger than the supposed savings that Obamacare will produce in the first 10 years. According to the article, this figure works out to nearly $1,500 for every U.S. household, or more than 10 times the median daily household income. With the profligate spending habits of politicians in Washington, D.C. and across the country this number is not surprising, but rather unfortunate. Taxpayers know that our current government spending is unsustainable.

Catalog Living

2010-07-07T07:15:00.000-07:00

About the funniest thing I've seen since Stuff White People Like.

USA Today: The secret to long life is having the right genes

2010-07-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

Healthy eating, good habits, and regular exercise may help. But if you really want to live a long time, look to your parents:

The study found that centenarians can be divided into 19 different groups of "genetic signatures" that correlate with different patterns of exceptional longevity. "Some signatures correlate with longer survival, others with the most delayed onset of age-related disease such as dementia ... or hypertension," says Paola Sebastiani, a biostatistician at Boston University and lead author on the paper.

Our Generation: Obama even worse than Bush

2010-06-30T07:15:00.000-07:00

Only 19.1% of the senior citizens surveyed by Our Generation believe President Obama is moving the country in the right direction. In the fall of 2007, when Our Generation first asked the question about then President George Bush, 21% of respondents believed he was moving the country in the right direction.

51.5% of respondents said President Obama is not moving the country in the right direction. 29.3% of respondents were either undecided or declined to answer.

YouTube: Miller Valley changes the mural back

2010-06-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

Roger Ebert: How do they get to be that way?

2010-06-12T07:55:00.000-07:00

Roger Ebert imagines how it must feel to be a child at Miller Valley Elementary School in Prescott, Arizona. And wonders about the people who hate them:

The hard-won social struggles of the 1960s and before have fundamentally altered the feelings most of us breathe, and we have evolved, and that is how America will survive. We are all in this together.

But what about the people in those cars? They don't breathe that air. They don't think of the feelings of the kids on the mural. They don't like those kids in the school. It's not as if they have reasons. They simply hate. Why would they do that? What have they shut down inside? Why do they resent the rights of others? Our rights must come first before our fears. And our rights are their rights, whoever "they" are.

Hat tip: Dan Savage

BP Spills Coffee

2010-06-11T04:18:00.000-07:00

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

A $174,000 a Year to Not Do Your Job

2010-06-10T13:35:00.001-07:00

That is precisely what Congress is doing this year. Members Congress have what is called the power of the purse, meaning they control federal spending. This power still exists, but the leaders in Congress who fear voter discontent are choosing not to use it, given the possibility of casting an unpopular vote. Incumbents have reason to worry, voter discontent has manifested in recent primacy losses for both Republicans and Democrats. The question still exists, what are we paying members of Congress $174,000 a year to do? It seems like they are passing a lot of bills naming post offices, but not budget or appropriations bills. November will show how unhappy voters really are.

Is the Tea Party Movement Fading?

2010-06-09T06:39:00.000-07:00

Well, according to a Washington Post/ABC poll released today, the right leaning activist movement is declining in popularity. According to the poll, the number of Americans who hold an unfavorable view of the group increased by 11 percentage points and remains at 50 percent. As many of you may recall, the movement which is a little more than a year old has had some recent successes, one of which was exemplified in voters ousting incumbent Senator Robert Bennett (R-Utah). Today’s Republican primary in Nevada will be yet another assessment to see how successful and revered the movement is. Anti-Washington and anti-incumbent sentiment this election cycle seems to be perfectly aligned with the Tea Party Movement, which prides itself on having no central leader as well as catering to political neophytes. While polls are useful, only time will tell as to what future impact this group will have.

Unemployment Claims and Taxes

2010-06-07T07:06:00.001-07:00

One of the dominant news stories over the past weeks is that jobless claims have risen. According to various news stories, unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose at the end of May by the largest amount in three months to 471,000, which is an increase of 25,000 from the previous week.

This adds further evidence that the economic recovery will be a slow one. It is hard to figure if the United States will ever recover the estimated 8 million jobs that were lost during the economic crisis. One way to make sure the recovery will be a slow one is to signal to businesses and individuals that their tax rates are not set.

With the Bush era tax cuts set to expire at the end of the year, many American citizens and businesses are right to be a little concerned. There has been no movement from the majorities in Congress and the Obama administration signaling if they plan to do anything about the situation. Leaders in Congress and Obama know that extending the tax cuts and making them permanent will help the economy, by allowing people to spend more freely and plan for future tax bills. A 2007 publication from The Heritage Foundation (which is linked below) tells us explicitly how effective the Bush tax cuts were at enabling a pro-growth American economy.

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Reports/2007/01/Ten-Myths-About-the-Bush-Tax-Cuts

Lack of Fiscal Responsibility Has Consequences

2010-06-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

The richest state in the U.S., Connecticut, which has a GDP of more than $54,000 per resident, has seen its credit rating decrease from AA+ to AA. This happened because the state legislature could not live within its means. The state is preparing to borrow $956 million to close a budget gap that begins July 1st. This follows year s of profligate spending by the state legislature. Connecticut’s civil service workers’ unfunded pension liabilities add up to more than $50 billion.

This sounds a lot like the slippery slope that Greece embarked on, which ended in the country not being able to borrow more money, which lead to riots and a bailout by the EU. In the beginning of May, Greece embarked on an aggressive approach to cut spending obligations which included freezing state pensions and cutting civil service salaries. Connecticut should learn from Greece and stop spending, because spending does has consequences.

13 Is Still Unlucky

2010-06-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, 13 is still unlucky especially when it has the word “trillion” after it. Yes, America’s national debt has risen above $13 trillion. The lack of fiscal prudence in Congress and the last few administrations have all contributed to this huge fiscal problem. According to a June 2, 2010 article in The Washington Times, “The figure has risen by $2.4 trillion in about 500 days since President Obama took office, or an average of $4.9 billion a day. That's almost three times the daily average of $1.7 billion under the previous administration.” While the rest of us have to live within our means, politicians in Washington, D.C. are mortgaging our children’s and grandchildren’s futures. One of the consequences of this crushing debt is America’s future generations will have a lower standard of living than past generations.

The Washington Times article quoted the current administration’s statement about our debt as they were, “committed to restoring fiscal responsibility.” Actions speak louder than words especially when discretionary spending has ballooned to over a trillion dollars a year under the Obama administration. Until voters send leaders to Washington D.C. who do what they say, and actually believe in fiscally responsible behavior, Americans will continue to be disappointed with empty rhetoric and broken promises.

Market Watch: Bad news for Summer

2010-06-04T18:10:00.000-07:00

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

Want to Change Washington, Why Not Run for Congress?

2010-06-02T14:50:00.000-07:00

That is exactly what 2,300 people have done this year according to an article by the Associated Press. Anti-incumbent sentiment along with dissatisfaction with how Washington, D.C. conducts business has produced a slew of unlikely challengers, as well as a lot of them. According to the article, this is the highest number of candidates in 35 years and most of the dissatisfaction is from the right with twice as many GOP candidates as Democrats along with several hundred independent and third-party challengers.

With Tea Party candidates having unforeseen successes this year, particularly in the race that forced the retirement of Sen. Bob Bennett (R-Utah), this cycle will be an interesting one. The most likely prospect of Republican gains is in the House of Representatives, but they will need to take 40 or more seats to take control, which is not exactly easy. There is still sometime between now and November, but it is shaping up to be a remarkable year.

Our Generation: Considering Means Testing

2010-05-24T09:34:00.000-07:00

I'm continuing to read into the data from Our Generation's SURVEY of Senior Citizens. Considering that the average age of respondents to our SURVEY was 67, I'm fascinated that the number of respondents who support means testing is almost identical to the number who said "no" to means testing. Most interesting of all was that 45% of the respondents to our SURVEY were either undecided or declined to answer. I'd say that Senior Citizens are on the fence about Means Testing.

32.5% of the respondents support means testing. 32.7% oppose means testing, 24.3% are undecided and 10.7% declined to answer the question.

Dan Savage: Cut off aid to Malawi

2010-05-22T16:50:00.000-07:00

Two young men in Malawi have been sentencer to 14 years hard labor. Their crime? Holding a ceremony to celebrate their engagement. Dan Savage wants the US to cut off aid:

Malawi is dependent on foreign aid—most of it from Britain and the US—and that aid should be withdrawn. The government of Malawi should be told that it can have its rabid anti-gay bigotry or it can it can have foreign aid. But it can't have both.

CRFB: The Balanced Budget Game

2010-05-20T17:54:00.000-07:00

Use this handy tool from The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget to stabilize the US debt from the comfort of your living room. It's fun and easy. And amazingly difficult.

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

Christie: "I came here to govern, not to worry about re-election."

2010-05-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone'

CATO: Obama’s ‘New’ Drug Strategy

2010-05-13T18:33:00.000-07:00

I've promised Rita that I won't use this blog to promote legalization of marijuana. So I'll direct you to this from CATO:

...our last three presidents have acknowledged using illegal drugs, and it is just incomprehensible to me how they can morally justify arresting other people for doing the same thing they did. Do they think that they would have been better off if they had been arrested and incarcerated for their youthful drug use? Do they think the country would have been better off if they had been arrested and incarcerated? If not, how do they justify punishing others?

Hat tip: Andrew Sullivan

The Hill: Finally, a responsible politician

2010-05-13T17:23:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about elective office. It seems like the day after the election, they lose all common sense. I'm pretty impressed by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie:

...the fearless leader willing to be honest with voters, to part with what cannot be paid for, is actually not dashing, nor is he eloquent. He is an overweight Bruce Springsteen devotee, a former prosecutor with a remaining trace of a Turnpike accent who is intent on rescuing New Jersey. If he succeeds, Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) could become a major political force in the years to come, whether he likes it or not.

Christie took office facing a $10.7 billion budget deficit -- over a third of New Jersey's state budget was unfunded:

...Christie declared a state of emergency, signing an executive order that froze spending, and then, in eight weeks, cutting $13 billion in spending. In March he presented to the Legislature his first budget, which cuts 9 percent of spending, including more than $800 million in education funding; seeks to privatize numerous government functions; projects 1,300 layoffs; and caps tax increases.

Christie for President 2012?

Our Generation

2010-05-13T09:16:00.000-07:00

Our Generation sounds better than "Baby Boomers" and I'm proud to be a responsible member of Our Generation.

Our Generation is responsible for changes, challenges, and solutions for the 21st Century.

Racial integration, litter, health consciousness, social and environmental responsibility, and much more have helped make us what we are and what the world will become.

Our Generation

Rand Paul: "For Conservatives, There Was No Excuse..."

Oversight and More Oversight

New Poll: Majority of Americans Think We Are on the Wrong Track

Terms Limits, A Step in the Right Direction for Iowans

Unrest in Middle East Signals Cry for Term Limits

Budget Uncertainty on Capitol Hill Still Means Congressmen Get Paid

A $1,900 SUV for everyone, but only if it is at the taxpayers’ expense. . .

A Two Year Anniversary That Lawmakers Would Like to Forget

KVUE TV: Woman With Pacemaker Dragged Through Austin-Bergstrom International Airpor

You Tube: A Christmas Carroll for the TSA

Term Limits Video Contest: Wow. 37 Entries

Term Limits Video: Contest Guidelines

Term Limits Video: Get Off the Swing

Term Limits Video: A Simple Ratio

Term Limits Video: It's All The Same

Term Limits Video: Do People REALLY Know When to Step Aside?

Term Limits Video: What's so Great About Term Limits

Term Limits Video: Term Limits 101

Term Limits Video: In their own words

Term Limits Video: Moldy Bread in Congress?

Term Limits Video: Times Are Up

Term Limits Video: We Don't Want You Forever

Term Limits Video: A Congressional Proposal

Happy National Adoption Day

Not Afraid to Cut out the Bacon from Washington’s Diet

Well Isn’t It Ironic: AARP Employee Health Care Costs Increase Because of Obamacare

Well Something’s (or better yet, someone’s) Gotta Give

Big Brother’s Coming for You (and Your Health Records!)

Medicine for Medicare

Spending: Can’t Spend Your Way Out of Anything

"Less Government, More Freedom"

Remember the Debt Panel?

From Reserved to Out-of-Control

Money in Mumbai

Let’s Keep Things Civil, Please

Repealing the Health Care Bill: Is It Even Possible?

The Debt that Keeps on Growing

By the Numbers

Social Security Lacks Security

Our Generation: Term Limits Campaign Update

Cheers! Tax Dollars Going to Booze

Obama’s Disconnect and Its Harm to Taxpayers

You Tube: Yes on 63!

Even Obama’s Economists See the Need for Extending the Tax Cuts

It's Good to Be A Senator, But Even Better to Be a Senator's Child

I Want Your Money, the movie

Time Magazine: He Was a Real Guy, Not Just an Icon

New York Times: At 103, Judge Brown Continues to Serve

Forbes: Where are the spending cuts?

You Tube: I HATE PENNIES!!!! (Also Nickels.)

Wall Street Journal: iPhone users have more sex

Birth Rate and the Recession

Our Generation: Announcing our $12,000 video contest

The Atlantic to Boomers: Pay your bills before you go

What to do with the Bush Tax Cuts?

More Stimulus Spending is Not the Answer

The Problem is Spending

You Tube: What a cool ad...

You Tube: How old is your hearing?

You Tube: Another plastic bag tells its story

Andrew Sullivan: Destroying the property of poor people

You Tube: The Majestic Plastic Bag - A Mockumentary

Economic Recovery?

Our Generation meet Our America

Do What I Say, Not As I Do

What a Waste of Tax Money

State Debt, Because Federal Debt is Not Enough

And the Hits Just Keep on Coming

Quote of the day (circa 1963)

Good Morning America: Geithner says unemployment could go up before it comes down

Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner says the economy isn't healing as quickly as he expected. And that we could see unemployment rates increasing over the next few months. Blogger Leslie Carbone responds: "Thank you, Mr. Too Big to Fail. How's that porkulus working?"

U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker finds for Marriage Equality

Unemployment Map

New York Post: Taxpayers foot $700,000 bill for Andy Griffith ads

The Housing Market Can Be Fickle

Our Generation: Bill Bonner, Mark Murphy join board

CNN: Anti-incumbent mood fuels term limit debate

You Can Keep Your Doctor . . . If You Pay More

Information Week: I don't need Sen. Schumer to fix my iPhone