Black, white or pink with purple polka dots

I hear a lot these days about racism, particularly as it is directed against Republicans and Conservatives. Seems that so many people are more than willing to buy into the typical liberal mantra of when you are losing an argument based on the facts, start calling names. The facts are that throughout our history as a nation, it has been the conservative Republican party and not the Democrat party that has brought about change in civil rights. While these are facts not in dispute, our liberal, progressive population continues to try to hang the racism bib around our necks. The most current example is the Tea Party movement protest recently held in D.C. The major liberal media are attempting to get all the mileage they can out of a non-issue. Does anyone out there with half a brain believe that if racial slurs had been vocalized, they would not have been caught on camera? That said, as a realist, do I believe that racism in our society is extinct? No, I don’t. There are and always will be those who hate just because they want to hate. But, those people are a minuscule part of our population and on both sides of the aisle. Most people today, if they have racial prejudices, choose to keep them to themselves and practice live and let live.

We all have our biases, our likes and dislikes, even our prejudices. To say we don’t is to say that we thoroughly do not understand our human nature. Each and every one of us likes our self better than we like the other guy. If we don’t, we need help. Most of us like our country better than any other. Most of us think our race or ethnic origin is better than others. After all, isn’t racial superiority what started the whole slavery thing? And before you start blaming America for slavery, acquaint yourselves with these few facts. Slavery as we know it, began on the north coast of Africa within the Muslim faith. It was the Portuguese who were the main slave runners. Of all the Africans captured and sold into slavery, only 6% came to the United States. The other 94% went elsewhere. Because of the Civil War we get the main blame. Finally, Lincoln did not free all the slaves, only those in the combative states and cities.

So it is not that we have our individual likes and dislikes, it is the manner in which we deal with them that is important. As for me personally, I would never stand in anyone’s way of advancement or obtaining their dreams. I will compete to the best of my ability and let the more qualified person win. On the other hand, I don’t believe that I should give anything to anyone who did not earn it. No one gave me what I earned and I have a better respect for what I earned because of my struggles. I make my choice as to whom I lend my hand and I reserve the right to withdraw it any time I choose. I don’t like whiners, snivelers and complainers. I have no use for those who think that they are entitled to what others worked hard to get. Those who have no respect for the law or those who enforce it irritate me. People who disrespect our servicemen and women and emergency responders disgust me. Bad neighbors, bad and abusive parents, people that abuse children, deadbeat husbands, people that don’t take personal responsibility are not my favorites either.

Other than that, if you are responsible for your self and position in life , if you work hard and take care of your family, respect those who protect you and our way of life, if you like your country and respect its Constitution, are informed and think for yourself, are a good neighbor and friend, etc,etc, then you are my kind of countryman and I applaud you.

I make note here that both sides of the above descriptors are represented by all races, genders, nationalities, political persuasions, sizes, shapes and religions. Other than that, I don’t care if you are black, white or pink with purple polka dots.

Being thankful . . .a rallying call

I constantly strive to be a better person. I read books on self-improvement and how to be positive in deed and thought. I try to forgive those who have harmed me, past and present, and I try to be a grateful and giving person. All this, only because it is the right thing to do. I am not pro-war, in fact I hate violence, but I keep my options open and if we must go to war, then I believe that we should give everything we have to the cause until the enemy capitulates. There is no other way to prosecute a war. War is for the purpose of killing and breaking, no other. The side that kills and breaks the most wins. There is no pulling back, cease fires or off limits targets. Everything that can be considered an implement or accessory of war whether for housing, training or harboring the enemy is a legitimate target for destruction. Collateral damage, while tragic is a real possibility and should be avoided if possible and accepted if not. Any country who wishes to declare war on these United States or harm any of its citizens should be prepared to feel the full economic and military wrath of this country. I believe in open debate, dialog, discussion and even turning the other cheek in an effort to avoid violence. There is a time, however, when one must realize that the other half of the discussion is not sincere and is only testing our will and resolve. It is here that we must draw a firm line in the sand, on the one side of which is peace and harmony, and on the other side is death and destruction. The enemy must know in his heart that we sincerely wish the former, but will go to the latter under the above criteria of prosecuting a war. There can be no other way. We will not give up our sovereignty, our freedom, our land, our Constitution or our government under any circumstances, to any country, at any time.

All that said, I am grateful to my left of center American counterparts for a number of lessons they have taught me over the last couple of decades. They’ve shown me how to stretch the truth beyond any form of recognition. I now recognize that oral sex in the oval office, while on the phone with a Foreign Head of State, is acceptable behavior; that “is” has many definitions; that pulling and hiding 900 FBI files is no big deal, but that looking at candidates passport data is. I’ve learned that racial hatred from a white person is despicable, but racial hatred from a black minister or black politician is ok. I’ve learned that a woman from Arkansas moving to New York and being elected Senator is ok, but a State Senator from Riverside, California who has a home in Elk Grove and wants to run for Congress in that District is a Carpetbagger. I’ve learned that questioning a liberal candidate’s voting record is off limits and a personal attack, but smearing a conservative candidate’s character is ok. I’ve learned that when conservative officials gets caught in an embarrassing situation, they are removed from office, but when a liberal politician gets caught doing the same thing or worse there are a number of reasons it’s not so bad. I’ve learned that there is a conservative definition of illegal and a liberal definition of legal. But wait, there’s more.

I’ve learned that one President can have a failed attempt at rescuing American hostages in Iran costing the lives of American service men because someone failed to check the weather. That this same President can completely fail at resolving the conflict between Palestine and Israel and go on to win the Nobel Peace prize. That the next President brings the hostages home without a shot, and engineers the fall of the Soviet Union and the reuniting of Berlin and is considered an old fool. That the next President serves only one term because he made a promise he didn’t keep, but our current president has already broken all of his campaign promises with no retribution. I learned that one president bombs an aspirin factory, lets our soldiers die in Somalia and their bodies desecrated with out so much as a whimper, goes to war in Bosnia stating our troops will be home in a year and they are still there. This same President has Bin Laden in his sites and fails to kill him, but the next President is blamed for the war and 3000 deaths on 9-11 and 4000 deaths in the current war. I’ve learned that when a democrat candidate for President lies about her and her daughter dodging sniper fire in Bosnia on a trip there as First Lady, it is called a mistake even though it was stated more than once. I’ve learned that there are more important things to talk about than a presidential candidate’s moral values, character and propensity for lying. I’ve learned that the Constitution is a dusty old document that has no current value, And I’ve learned that if you are a conservative you must prove your qualifications to run for the office, but if you are a liberal you don’t. I could go on like this for two more pages, but there must be a point to all this.

The point is the people always get the type of government they want. They express that want in either a positive or negative fashion. Unfortunately, elections, at least in my time, have always been between the not so good and the really bad. Rarely do we have a choice between bad and good, I believe that Reagan was one of those rare choices. By sitting out an election merely because the not so good candidate fails to completely float your boat, you are in fact casting a ballot for the really bad candidate. Remembering back to the early nineties, certain conservative segments of the electorate sat out the 1992 election because George H.W. Bush raised taxes when he said he wouldn’t. What did we get? Bill Clinton and all of the above lessons. In 1996 that same segment sat out the election because Bob Dole was not conservative enough. Again, we got four more years of Bill Clinton. To be honest, George Bush II did not completely float my boat, but by comparison, Gore? Kerry? Oh my.

In November of this year we are going to be faced with another choice between another two years of a Pelosi/Reed Congress and Senate, or whether we will stand up, be counted and change it. Are we to be treated to more of the same lessons? Perhaps yes, if we have not learned those of the past. With our country on the edge of social, financial and fiscal take-over it must be clear that the liberal side offers nothing but more of the same. The same elitist philosophy of knowing what is best for us, cradle to grave care, more spending on social programs that don’t work and less freedom for us. My buddy Thom has a story about how to catch wild pigs. It is a good lesson in what is happening to us. “First, you find where wild pigs frequent, and then you put out free grain. When the pigs get used to the free grain and are no longer wary of it you put up one side of a rectangular enclosure and continue the free grain. Again, when they are no longer wary, up goes the second, and then the third side. Finally, you put up the fourth side with a gate in it and when the pigs go in, you close the gate. The pigs realize that they are trapped, but heck, there is all that free grain.”

So, the question is, what kind of country do you want and what are you willing to do to get it? What kind of country do you want for your children and grandchildren? If you are conservative more or less, or very, are you going to sit this one out and get more lessons in the liberal way or are you going to get involved and make sure that our country is safe from those who would see this experiment in a representative republic ended. Currently, we still have our Constitution, freedom of speech, the right to defend our selves and the rest of the Bill of Rights. Two or three Supreme Court appointees by the wrong President and confirmation by the wrong Congress could change all that. If and when that happens and you watch your children and grandchildren suffer under a different form of government without the freedoms we now enjoy, will you find comfort in that you did everything you could or will you be one of those wretched souls who, deep inside, suffers doubly because they know they could have done so much more? Your choice, I’ve made mine, I hope you make yours correctly and soon. God Bless America

As California goes, so goes the nation

The title of this offering is a catch phrase that is often heard here in the Golden State. How true it is, I don’t know, but if it is at all true I want to apologize to the rest of the country for what we are about to export to the nation. A warning, if you will, to take a good look at current California politics, policies and business climate. If we are any indicator as to what is coming your way, please take heed.

California has been under a progressive and liberal controlled legislature for 40 years starting with Governor Jerry Brown (governor moonbeam to the locals) in 1970. Prior to that we had one of the best educational systems in the country, one of the best highway systems in the country and our unemployment rate was generally below the national average. We had water, fuel, housing and our Central Valley agriculture produced more of just about any commodity than any other state in the country. We were the 5th largest economy in the world.

Currently, our school system spends more money per student than any other state and produces a student that ranks 49 out of 50. Our highway system is in such a state of disrepair that it is said that a blind person can tell when crossing the border into any of our neighboring states by the change in the smoothness of the highway. Our current unemployment rate is 12.8% and shows no indication of going down. 650,000 manufacturers have left the state and our population has a net decline of a million or more. Our agricultural industry is short on water, our oil industry is all but shut down, real estate prices are in the tank, we are 8th or 9th in world economies, our bond rating is non-existent and we have a projected $20 billion rolling deficit for the next five years.

The causes are many and include a litigious society, public sector unions, teacher’s unions, fraudulent environmental science, entitlements, unfriendly business climate, legislators who believe that businesses are the deep pockets of government, government regulations and uncontrolled bureaucracies and policies. It is the last of these I wish to focus on here.

In 2006, the legislature passed two bills, one in the Senate (SB375) and one in the Assembly (AB 32). The former covers Land Use and Planning and the latter Business and Transportation. Both are unfounded mandates to local government by the state. In SB375 we learn that our future is one of walkable and sustainable communities with emphasis on public transportation and restricted areas of development through conservation easements and other planning restrictions. All of these are directed to compressing the rural population into the urban areas so that living in the country will be a thing of the past. SB375 will determine the type of living quarters you have and where it is located so that you no longer need a vehicle, thus controlling your movement about. AB32 sets up the California Air Resources Board as judge, jury and executioner with regards to business. CARB is the lead agency of AB32 and writes the regulations, requires reporting from businesses on their carbon production, verifies their reporting, enforces the regulations and sets and collects the fines. Another facet of AB32 is the control of diesel equipment used to transport people and goods, including agricultural products. Required is the upgrading of diesel engines to the tune of between $20,000 and $80,000 each. All of this is obviously passed on to the end user, the consumer.

Though these Bills were passed in 2006, their main effects to not take place until 2011 and 2012. Currently there is a ground swell of public outrage against them as the folks get wind of how this legislation will affect their lives and freedom. Organizations such as The California Association of Business, Property and Resource Owners (CABPRO) that I currently work for are as active as their budget permits in rolling back this onerous usurpation of public rights. We can only hope that we are successful. If you want further information on what is headed your way, I suggest that you go to the following web sites: www.cabpro.org, www.killcarb.org, www.suspendAB32.org, or The California Climate Solutions Act 2006.

AB32 Crisis

Why should we worry about Assembly Bill 32 (California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006)? This bill was passed and signed into law by the Governor 4 years ago. It hasn’t affected me in the slightest, so why should I get involved? Besides, I have things to do, places to go and people to see. This sounds all too familiar to those of us who fight for the rights of the uninformed. They are uninformed by choice and that’s ok, but not when they vote for politicians who craft and pass a bill as dangerous to our way of life as this one. Remember that the liberal, progressive Democrats have been in control of the California Legislature for more that 40 years. They own the current problems that face this state, including AB32. Here is the answer to a couple of the above questions as to why you should worry.

First the main emphasis of this Bill will go into effect in 2011 (9 months from now). Secondly it will cost businesses over $49,000 per year and homeowners more than $3800 per year. Tell me, do you want to give another $3800 of your dollars away to an unproven theory? I don’t. And who do you think will pay for that $49,000 businesses will incur? The consumer; that’s you and me. It’s called “cost adjustment”. Bear in mind that the government has no money but that which they take from us. It’s called taxes and fees. Both the State Government and the Federal Government feed from the same trough and we are the ones that fill that trough with our hard earned dollars. I know of a few elected officials that work hard, but none of them work as hard as you or I do and they generally get paid a lot more than we do. Remember, also, as my friend Thom said, “they work for us and not the other way around”. We must balance our budgets every month or work harder and produce more. Our politicians just go to that trough again for more money.

AB32 is only a 17-page document and I urge you to go on the Internet and print yourself a copy(www.arb.ca.gov/cc/docs/ab32text.pdf). One of the first things you should notice is that it is a State mandated local program with no reimbursement to the local governments (page 3). This means that local governments must tighten their belts to comply or come up with new taxes or fees to cover their costs. You pay for this and the State doesn’t have to feel the bite of their actions. Note please that counties receive about 14 cents on the tax dollar to run the county. Next is the authority given to the California Air Resources Board (CARB from here on). CARB is empowered to make the rules and regulations needed to achieve the goal of reducing Green House Gases from the current level to the 1990 level by 2020. Furthermore, they are authorized to require reporting and verification of that reporting of statewide Green House Gases from the sources. And finally they are empowered to monitor and enforce the rules, regulations and reporting and they set the fees or fines for the infringements (page 2).

What a money making deal this is. CARB has all the government factions; legislative, judicial, enforcement and sentencing all in one place. Don’t get on the wrong side of CARB on this one. Third, this bill is all about money (page 4). California seems to believe that by enacting this program it will be at the “forefront of national and international efforts to reduce emissions of greenhouse gasses”. Accordingly it’s predicted that such action will positively effect our “economy, technology centers, financial institutions and businesses.” California hopes to make a bundle from new green businesses coming into the state which according to one local writer could be as many as 112,000 by the year 2020. I’m sure that will make up for the 650,000 manufacturing businesses that have thus far left California for greener pastures (pun intended) according to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association. Then you must ask yourself why would a green business settle in California with all its unfriendly business regulations when it could go to Nevada, produce the same product and make a larger profit? If you will recall, most businesses have a profit motive.

Still, you’re not convinced as to why you should get involved. Chapter 3 is all about definitions and most are scary, but one in particular caught my eye (page 6i). “Greenhouse gas emission source”; this can be “any source or category of sources”. I think this could include you and me and our house and our car and our lifestyle. What do you think? Right now CARB is targeting businesses, transportation, and greenhouse gases from all electricity consumed in the state. The big ones first. Transportation is not just your buses and businesses are not just your big factories. Diesel engines are one of the main focuses and those are used in all of our transportation forms, whether they are transporting people or goods. Diesel engine refits or upgrades can cost between $20,000 and $80,000 per vehicle and that cost is passed on to you and me the consumer. This is not just the big trucking company, this could be the local backhoe operator, the independent logger, moving company, and farmer or as I stated before, in definitions, “any source” including the small home business. Any small business can be that source and, as such must report all its greenhouse emissions to CARB who will then verify that the reporting is accurate (page 7). In the case that CARB finds inaccuracies, enforcement and fines apply. The fines are set by CARB.

With the governor and legislature’s approval, the California Air Resources Board has become a self-supporting money-making organization with little or no oversight. With a little, if any needed, extrapolation, AB32 can be extended to any and all of us, controlling where we live, how big our house is, how we travel, where we shop, and on and on. There is a companion Bill to AB32 and that is SB375 (www.arb.ca.gov/cc/sb375/sb375.htm) passed by the legislature in 2008. SB375 deals with zoning and land use, automobiles, right down to the community level (page 1&2). Specifically it speaks of walkable and sustainable communities, individual homeowners’ greenhouse gas emissions, type of travel, building sites, housing needs based on income, open space, conservation easements and a bundle of other measures that, in fact, restrict the land area that can be developed in the future. The plan is renewable every five years and only contains policy mandates on local planning.

The two Bills represent everything we have feared from our government. Together they continually reduce the amount of land that is capable of being developed through mandated policy on local General Plans, Conservation easements, Zoning and other regional land use policy. The greenhouse gas emissions controlled in AB32 are directly applied to homeowners in SB375. If these Bills are allowed to stand, our whole way of life and that of our children and grandchildren will change and country living will be a thing of the past except for the few that manage to live on farms. Once our mobility, food supply, water supply along with our housing choices are controlled by government there will be very little we can do to correct the situation.

We cannot let this happen. Not now, not ever. There is an initiative petition called the “CA Jobs Initiative” that puts AB32 on hold until the state unemployment rate holds at 5.5% for one year. It is a must that you seek out and sign this petition and get it on the November ballot for passage. When the Governor signed AB32 California’s unemployment rate was 4.8%. Now four years later it is 12.7% and shows no signs of declining. Businesses are leaving our state, people are leaving our state, taxes and out of control spending are going up and, according to the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association, we currently have a rolling $20 billion deficit for the next 5 years. We must band together and stop this nightmare here in our state. There is a saying that as California goes, so goes the nation. Exporting any part of either AB32 or SB375 would be a terrible legacy for the people of California. Get the Bills, read the Bills and join us in turning back this tide.