RightsideVA

$14 Trillion or $15 Trillion debt... Who cares?... It makes no difference...

2012-01-20T16:03:00.003-05:00

Had a conversation at work the other day and it turned to the next $1 trillion we are about to add to our national debt bringing it to over $15 trillion dollars owed... Now there have been many examples of how much a trillion really is but the conversation got to a point that if the additional $1 trillion is not really felt at the immediate paycheck level what difference does it matter?...

The average person has not really felt the effects of the last trillion that was added to the debt for it has not hit them directly in their pocket. This is obvious at work for even at the last "Black Friday" we saw a considerable increase in sales over last years numbers and the customers continue to spend as long as the credit card swipes and the approval is instant as it is anymore. I mean let's face it. With the economy as bad as they say it is do you really need to buy that new ratcheting screw driver that works both directions? Thought we did not have any manufacturing jobs in America anymore and who needs a screwdriver like that?....

It looks like Congress will approve to add another $1 trillion to our national debt this week but will anybody notice? If adding another trillion to our debt resulted in every person seeing $50 missing from their paycheck every week there would be such outrage in the first month we could not imagine. Just look at what happened when Bank of America attempted to raise their fees by just $5 a month...

How to understand Federal Spending.....

2012-01-16T07:36:00.000-05:00

Chairman of the board.....

2012-01-08T07:45:00.002-05:00

Both the NewsVirginian and the NewsLeader have coverage of the new Chairman of the Augusta County Board of Supervisors....

The United States Armed Forces...

2011-12-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

Guest Post: "President Obama, please put JOBS under the Christmas tree this year !!!...

2011-12-17T23:50:00.001-05:00

Unless you have a high paying government job, and even if you do, you are probably well aware that the majority of American’s are deeply impacted by the ongoing devastation to the United States economy since President Obama took office.

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While overall the unemployment rate hovers close to 9%, minority unemployment remains consistently near 15% and these figures show no indication of significant improvement in the near future. Meanwhile, the current administrations lack of a positive Energy Policy is not only hamstringing companies that could add much needed AMERICAN JOBS to the economy; it is also compromising our long term national security and unnecessarily delaying our economic recovery.
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The U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) recently released a report that shows the U.S. is on track to actually export a net increase in gasoline, diesel and other oil-based fuels in 2011 for the first time in 62 years. This is due to the fact that while our economy is stalled, the economy in emerging markets is booming. However these record exports are not forecast to continue. EIA is also predicting domestic oil production will fall 240,000 barrels/day through 2012, mainly due to the continued Gulf "energy freeze" imposed by our current administration.

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The United States has the highest standards for environmental protection in the free world. Other countries do not endeavor to protect the environment for future generations as we do, yet their lack of concern for the environment will affect all of us. We have the desire to be good stewards of the environment as well as the technology to extract our resources in a safe and efficient manner. The U.S. also has the most stringent work place safety requirements of any nation. We have the energy resources right here within our borders. If President Obama wanted to put American’s back to work he has an entire industry waiting for the green light to help him turn around our economy.

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I grew up in New Orleans and my Dad worked on the oil rigs. I can attest first hand that oil industry jobs keep food on the table, the lights on and the rent paid. If we simply used the God-given resources we have in our great Nation, many American’s would not be needlessly losing their homes and struggling to keep their lights on and their families fed.

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We still import over half of our oil and petroleum products. Instead of selling our debt to China we should be selling our OIL to China and reducing our national debt. We do not lack the resources in America. What we lack is leadership and the political will to demand our administration put forward an energy policy that is beneficial to Americans and the United States. Let’s start the New Year on the right path. It is time to resume drilling within American borders and stop exporting American jobs.

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Melody Himel Scalley is an entrepreneur and talk-radio show host in Virginia.

Newt tells it the way it has to be said if we expect to get anywhere..

2011-12-16T23:22:00.000-05:00

Newt has very much been the whipping boy of the past week or so and many are coming out saying he has too much baggage and would not do well against President Obama if he is the Republican candidate...

No doubt the man has "History" that tends to make some conservatives a bit nervous when they see him in action, but I am telling you he is out there saying what many of us believe and doing it the only way you will be able to beat Obama...

As in the past the Democrats will go ugly once they see their guy behind and loosing and the personal attacks, not just on Newt but all Republican\Conservatives, will be vicious and paid for with a Billion $$$ they are expecting to raise...

The Democrats and Obama don't care about anything but being re-elected and the power it brings and will do what ever it takes. Look at the class-warfare they are using now...

I fear the GOP will fold if they get to much public pressure on the payroll tax bill and will agree to the removal of the Keystone Pipeline from the bill as the President plays him game that will be trumpeted by the media...

Newt is right that we need to send the bill to Obama and make him veto as he has promised. Then you send it again and make him veto it again and again until the public understands the real issue and how it effects them and our economy...

Tell it like it is !!...

2011-12-11T17:16:00.000-05:00

USS Arizona...

2011-12-08T19:53:00.001-05:00

Hokies vs Liberty Ice Hockey...

2011-12-06T12:56:00.000-05:00

Went down to Liberty last night to watch the Hokies vs. Flames game and they had a pretty good attendance with a very loud and vile at times student showing. Game started late and had to watch "Human Ice Bowling" for about half an hour before the game started but it was good to catch another live game....

This is the fourth game that I have seen at Liberty and it's nice to be able to find a spot on the 2nd level close to the ice rink with some very nice viewing spots. The officiating the first game or two that I have seen at Liberty was questionable but the third game, which was a playoff game between William & Mary vs. Citadel, it was obvious that the calls were very much one sided. Last nights officiating was almost as bad with several questionable calls going Liberty's way. During the 2nd period a Hokie player ran into the goalie and it appeared that he was pushed by a Liberty player and he received the appropriate penalty for interfering with the Goalie, but there were no penalties when the two Liberty defense men proceeded to beat on the Hokie player as the linejudge stood there and watched... Other then that it was a good game with Liberty winning 4 to 1 and with Liberty player #9 McCombe scoring a "Hat Trick". Very good puck handling and drives to the net did it for him and he was a "Star" of the game...

Enough said...

2011-12-03T18:05:00.003-05:00

President George W. Bush (43)

All terrain knobby tires, Trip computer, Sport eye protection, etc...

President Barack H. Obama (44)
Cushy fat tires, Book rack on back, "Ring-Ring" ringer, etc...

"Can we have Balloon Rides"?!.....

2011-12-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

The Newsleader has an interesting article about the meetings they are having over at the Augusta County Government Center to bring the newly elected Supervisors up to speed before they take their seats next month.... "Operation Drumbeat" has more info and quotes...

Fireworks or Explosion?....

2011-11-23T19:00:00.000-05:00

Had hoped to finish this site (Operation Drumbeat) a bit more before posting but the antics continue at the Augusta County Board of Supervisor meetings...

A fitting deal for my friend...

2011-11-18T20:29:00.001-05:00

"Went to a Hockey game and a Political fight broke out"!!!...

2011-11-10T21:42:00.000-05:00

A few weeks back I went with a friend to a UVA vs. Radford Ice Hockey game in Charlottesville and was sitting watching the Sports channel before the game when we turned to find a familiar and notorious ex-political player from the Shenandoah Valley standing there. As with many times in the past it was he who was to seek out the conversation\debate\conflict, and like many times before it became a back & forth from extreme offense to extreme defense tactics to argue his points...

My hockey friend did a great job of deflecting personal attacks from the intruder as well as providing numerous facts and examples to set the record straight when the visitor started to revise history to fit his claims.

Incredibly this went on for 1 1/2 hours and he left 3 different times only to return again and again once the facts were provided that clashed with his agenda and\or desired recollection

of past events.

Radford ended up beating UVA in the game....

Augusta County Election night 2011...

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000-05:00

Supervisor-elect Michael Shull with his family at the Augusta County Republican headquarters after learning he won the Riverheads Supervisor seat...

Augusta County Commissioner of Revenue Jean Shrewsbury and Augusta County Treasurer Richard Homes...

Delegate Richard "Dickie" Bell (20th District House)...

Door to Door with Augusta County Republican Candidate Jeremy Shifflett...

2011-10-22T17:12:00.001-04:00

Had the opportunity to do some good old fashion door to door campaigning with Augusta County Beverley Manor District Supervisor Jeremy Shifflett who is campaigning for his second term on the Board of Supervisors. I volunteered for Jeremy when he first stepped up to the plate and ran for Supervisor four years ago. It's now that much better now that he has a proven track record of representing Beverley Manor district and it shows when he goes door to door resulting in residents seeking him out in the neighborhood to show their support...

It was good to get back to the basic form of campaigning by getting out there and meeting with the people who will decide the direction of their district on election day Tuesday November 8th. Jeremy was kept busy talking with his constituents as we worked our way down the streets and this gave him the opportunity to talk with the people regarding the past four years as well as some of the "questionable" claims made by his opponent. There is great value for the citizen to be able to meet face to face with their Supervisor to discuss issues that effect them and their families. Many appreciate the opportunity to confront and ask questions about claims being made in the local press and several commented on the negative visits by opposing candidates across the county...

Documentation of what a candidate has done in the past is a valuable tool for the voter to utilize when making a decision on election day as well as different media formats to dispel false claims that are out there. Simple and honest practices are expected and appreciated by the voters when it comes to identifying the candidates and what they stand for. I have always liked it when a Candidate identifies himself and the party he supports right on their campaign signs such as "Jeremy Shifflett *Republican for Supervisor* Beverley Manor District...

And yes, there is a car wash in Verona!...

Sure, yeah, I am the (a) Republican Candidate"... Wink~wink... Widespread?...

2011-10-16T10:31:00.000-04:00

It seems that word is getting out around the county that several of the “Independent” candidates in the Augusta County Supervisor race are claiming to be “the” or “a” republican candidate when going from door to door or when soliciting campaign sign locations…

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Reports are that several of those doing this quickly change to “a” republican candidate once questioned or challenged by those they are soliciting support from. But in fact they are not the Republican candidate and are actually misrepresenting themselves to garner potential votes.

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It appears former Augusta Republican Committee chairman Kurt Michael has used this “tactic” several times already and more examples are coming out. If true, it then means that Kurt Michael is using his past tenure as chairman of the local Republican party as a campaign “tool” to solicit support in the present campaign for Supervisor of Wayne district, when in fact he is not the Republican candidate in the race. This “tactic” may work with the potential voter who knows little or nothing of Kurt Michael’s past history, or knowledge of the infamous past GOP mass meeting that turned ugly once Kurt Michael was voted out as the Chairman of the Augusta Republican Committee by the majority of republican voters present.

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There are several reports of candidates misrepresenting themselves as the “True” Republican candidate when soliciting campaign sign locations in the county. Several of these candidates have been told to take down their signs once the landowner finds out the truth about the false claims and you can be sure that does not sit well in the business community. If you see a campaign sign that just does not look right in front of a business you know, ask that landowner if they know the true status of that candidacy… Word of mouth and friends talking does wonders!...

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But with Augusta County’s history of voting 70%+ for Republican candidates in the past, it’s obvious that several of these “Independent” candidates, possibly even a former Democrat member, would seek support of the Republican “label” if it might help them in this election.

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It is important to talk to your neighbors, the people you work with, and the people you socialize with to ensure that they get the real info regarding claims being made by some candidates who are seeking their support\votes when in fact they are misrepresenting themselves… Word of mouth and the truth works wonders when it gets out there!...

There is now a letter to the editor in the Staunton Newsleader from the Chairman of the Augusta County Republican Committee advising readers of this obvious problem with candidates claiming to be the Republican candidate when they are not......

JMU

2011-10-15T10:58:00.004-04:00

Attended my first JMU Ice Hockey game last night when they played UVA at the Main Street Arena in Charlottesville. Also first time at the arena in Charlottesville which has nice ice but very limited area for fans to watch the game. Most and best area is right up against the glass but folding chairs if you are looking to sit. Bonus is the Pub at one end of the rink where you can sit and watch with an ale the HD sport programs\games that are on at the same time between periods.

Teams were fun to watch but it’s obvious that it’s the beginning of the season and these guys will get better as they play together some more. The JMU team was better at passing and running 3 hit plays before shooting on goal and many times beat the UVA goalie but missed the net with their shots. UVA for the most part shot on goal as soon as they got the puck and several goals were made from the Blue line…

JMU goalie was good if he had defense back there with him but on UVA breakaways he looked scared and not skating up to challenge the shooter coming his way. Overall a good game with action even with the score going JMU way 10 to 4…

It was also fun to watch the Charlottesville crowd with many of the students from both JMU & UVA due to free admission and available beer. Another highlight was watching the local family groups come in all dressed up and ready to be seen by all. Think of a “The Housewives of Charlottesville” episode…

Augusta Supervisor Race: "The Pot calling the Kettle Black"?....

2011-10-01T09:08:00.018-04:00

The local Staunton newspaper (NewsLeader) recently did a piece on the Augusta County Board of Supervisor race where the challenger, David Karaffa (I), brought to light that the current Beverly Manor Supervisor, Jeremy Shifflett (R) has missed other than BOS meetings in the past. All of the seven Augusta County Supervisors are on special community committees and many times are welcome to attend but are not allowed to actually vote during the process...

Unfortunately the NewsLeader did not investigate or explore the meeting attendance record of any of the other Supervisors thus making this basically a "Political Hit Piece" by Karaffa against the sitting Beverley Manor District Supervisor...

Interestingly the NewsLeader article has gotten numerous comments from local citizens who have seen this piece for what it is. In addition to this one commentor has provided an interesting link to the minutes of a BOS meeting where one Supervisor (Beyler) questions another Supervisor (Pyles) regarding his attendance to a committee that dealt directly with the recent Augusta County re-assessment process that he (Pyles) has actively criticized and has been very critical about. The BOS transcript shows Beyler asking Pyles if he had attended these meetings and especially the meeting that dealt with the methodology used to perform the re-assessment process. Supervisor Pyles never really answers the attendance question or provides an actual number, if any, of meetings that he attended...

The re-assessment issue has become a obvious political tool used by members of the "Gang of Four" (Tracy Pyles, David Karaffa, Kurt Michael, Michael Pattie) who are all running for the Supervisor seats in their own districts. Instead of allowing the re-assessment process to evolve and allow the homeowner to challenge their individual assessment by the procedure provided, members Pyles & Kurt Michael organized a protest by county citizens before the actual individual challenge process was allowed to happen or complete. The vast majority of those protesting no longer see it as an issue now that the process was allowed to be completed as required by law, they had the opportunity to challenge any questionable assessment, and the BOS set an appropriate tax rate with the current economic situation...

With the above transcript of the Augusta BOS meeting it is obvious that Shifflett is not the only one that has missed committee meetings in the past and thus the "Pot calling the Kettle black" reference above...

The hope here is that the local newspapers will further investigate issues like this and others sure to come in the future so the voters will have all information to make their decision with....

Obama's Class-Warfare....

2011-09-26T11:43:00.003-04:00

Two very good examples to describe how things actually work as compared to the "Class-Warefare" that Obama is throwing around....

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner and the bill for all comes to $100.If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing like they do now with the present income tax structure.

The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7.
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59 of the bill.
So that is what the ten men decide to do.

The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you all are such good customers I am going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20”. Dinner for the 10 men now costs just $80...

The group still wanted to pay the bill the same way that they paid their taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six men -- the Paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everybody would get his “Fair Share”?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth and sixth man would each end up being paid to eat their meal…So, the restaurant owner suggested it would be fair to reduce each mans bill roughly the same amount; and proceeded to work out the amounts each man would pay.

The fifth, like the first four now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth man now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings)
The seventh man now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings)
The eight man now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings)
The ninth man now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings)
The tenth man now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings)

Each of the six was better off then before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings…

“I only got a dollar out of the $20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man “but he got $10”…“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. Its unfair that he got ten times more than me!?”“That’s true”, shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!”“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploit’s the poor!”The nine men surrounded the tenth man and beat him up…

The next night the Tenth man did not show up for dinner, so the Nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half the bill!

And that Boys & Girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just might not show up anymore. In fact, they might start eating overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier…David R. Kamerschen, PH.DProfessor of EconomicsUniversity of Georgia
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And then there is this cute little cartoon (makes it easier for some of my Democrat friends to follow) which also shows what happens when you take away the incentive to better and improve your self.....

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Hokie Ice Hockey 2011...

2011-09-24T16:31:00.006-04:00

First VA Tech Hokies Ice Hockey game of the season for me last at the Roanoke Civic Center and the guys looked good and skating well together as a team. Better passing this year and the team looks more aggressive all together as evident in taking a 3 to 0 lead after the first period...

Hat Trick for Hokie player wearing #23 but not the player listed in the program that I got. I believe the name was Alex Smith when announced but can't be sure. #23 was hot and was very good at breaking for the goal when the opportunity was there but the trailing player was not always there but much better then last year...

Senior Joel Samuels (Def) looked strong and more aggressive then last season and was quick to get back into the defensive zone when needed but still had several good shots on goals when the opportunity was there....

Looked for Senior Andres Morales (forward) who was a hot scorer last year but was somewhat limited this game. He contributed to the team but was not the stand-out I saw last year... Still early and just the beginning of the season.....

Also noticed that Josh Bennett had himself a tough game being on of the smallest players on the team at 5'-7" but he mixed it up with any available player from the Villanova Wildcats and many times he was the guy taking the beating but that did not stop him. Towards the end of the 3rd he was near the glass where I was and mixed it up with a Wildcat going after the same puck. The Wildcat got away with cracking Bennett over the head with his stick and I thought the lady sitting in front of me was going over the glass for the ref missed the call all together. Bennett kept up with it and will be one to look for in future games.....

Hokies took the first of two home games with the Wildcats with a score of 7 to 4...

Economics 101...

2011-09-22T23:23:00.000-04:00

The 2011 Local Political Season....

2011-09-18T13:05:00.000-04:00

It is after Labor Day and with that campaign signs appear, candidate forums are reported in local media sources, and the "Marketing Plans" go into full effect and top gear. The major difference between the candidates is that we have those who have already served in the position and have a track record of their decisions and actions, and those who are campaigning with little or no history of their actions or decisions and are working off their marketing plan and promises...

All candidates who have held or presently hold office now, once had to also run a campaign and "marketing plan" as many of the new candidates vying for office are now doing this election. Some with little or no experience stepped up to the plate when needed for their district and fellow citizens and have proved to be wise beyond their years, grown into the position, and have become a valuable part of a balanced team...

Those who have been in office for multiple terms, or even just one term, have documented history of their performance and actions during their terms and decisions made. With that they have had to take criticism from the public, the somewhat "Left leaning" local media, stonewalling from within, and political attacks from those with agendas. Obviously you are not going to please everybody all of the time but experienced and well qualified people in the right positions have the ability to deal with tough, and at times un-popular, decisions that the offices bring to do what is right for the county and its citizens.. With that the public has a track record to go with when considering re-election of the people in office as compared to those with only promises and a "Slick" marketing plan....

This election cycle once again brings out those who have had the mentioned "marketing plans" and "agendas" in the works for sometime now and look to capitalize on economic unrest and manufactured issues to stir the voters against those already in office. There are also some good members of the citizenry who are stepping up to the plate in hopes of being elected and being able to serve their community and doing it for the right reasons.

But with that unfortunately we have those who are now running for office who have been divisive along the way as well as active in efforts to "Spin" and misinform others regarding the abilities and operational procedures of the Board of Supervisors. Fortunately many informed citizens have been able to keep abreast of the facts by following the true local media and talking with their representatives and constitutional officers.

Slick marketing plans and promises of "Hope & Change" are nothing new to the world of political campaigning and in fact I believe many have learned their lesson after the recent promise of "Hope & Change" which now resides in the nice white house on Pennsylvania avenue. The best thing the citizens can do is pay attention and seek numerous sources of information to verify or correct campaign promises or claims against their opponents...

9/11 anger?...

2011-09-15T10:40:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I was up in New Jersey to visit with friends who I was with during the terrorist attack on 9/11 ten years ago as well as to meet with members of the Dive \ Rescue who recovered the two men who drowned at the Manasquan Inlet during hurricane Irene...

During that time I stopped by the beach in BayHead and was surprised to see so many people on the beach after Labor Day weekend. While standing on the small boardwalk area looking out on the Atlantic, I heard a older lady say "Can you believe that they continue to press this fear ten years after 9/11"?... She also said we will be seeing this fearmongering for the next 25 years.

As I looked over I saw that she was reading the Daily News (above) with the front page photo of a NYC Police officer with a search dog leading up to the 10th year date after the terrorist attacks on NYC, Pentagon, and another airplane in Pennsylvania...

She went on to rant how the terrorist attacks has become nothing but a reason for the media to keep the citizens in fear and it is a big business to many who write books, promote shows, and go on the talkinghead shows perpetuating the fear so as to make money. I attempted to converse with her on the topic but it was obvious that she did not want to hear what I was saying if it did not follow the direction of her rant. No matter what it kept coming back to how the "War on terrorism" and cautionary actions like the ones on the front page of the Daily News, were nothing but a major inconvenience to the citizens and not necessary since there have been no further terrorist attacks....

Knowing better than to continue this conversation for there was no way to convince her, or even bring up other valid points or questions, I bid her farewell and moved down the beach to check out the surf conditions. It would have been interesting to have had the opportunity to point out to her that just 60 miles East of where she was sitting on the beach, there is a German U-boat (U-869) that sunk while patrolling up and down the east coast during World War II sinking many merchant ships....

The U-869 sunk towards the end of the 2nd World War but there was an even more coastal intrusive action along the east coast and Gulf of Mexico called "Operation Drumbeat" were numerous German U-boats hunted and destroyed many merchant ships since they were running with Nav lights on, no blackouts along the coast which backlit their targets, and no concern for precautionary actions along the coast during the early years of the war... People, like the one described above, did not want to be in-convenience by the fear mongers out there.....

9/11...

2011-09-06T19:14:00.002-04:00

Do not forget what happened here...

Do not let them "Spin" this or let them even call if a "Man made disaster" as they have already...

It was a "Terrorist Attack" on the United States, it was intentional, it was planned, it was sanctioned, and it was even celebrated by some...

Learn from history...

Do NOT forget...

Contamination by use of "Fracking"?....

2011-09-01T21:25:00.001-04:00

Manasquan Inlet body recovery after Hurricane Irene..

2011-08-31T01:20:00.002-04:00

The dive team was busy this past weekend after it was reported that there was a body sighted in the Manasquan Inlet during the effects of Hurricane Irene. Eventually two bodies were recovered the next day and additional info can be found here...

Fracking and how it is done....

2011-08-28T23:06:00.001-04:00

"Welcome Back"......

2011-08-28T20:52:00.000-04:00

Sure, go ahead without me... I will be along shortly.....

2011-08-20T10:25:00.001-04:00

The Daily Mail is reporting that Michelle decided to take a different government provided jet with an additional Secret Service team, flight crew, motorcade, and extra police escort once she and the girls arrived in Martha's Vineyard for their 10 day vacation.... And they got there 4 HOURS before Obama showed up with his Air Force One and supporting assets.....

They also are staying at a place that rents for $50,000 a week and Obama is sure to play a couple rounds of golf with a millionaire or two while there. Or will he be able to squeze in a "Listening Townhall" meeting while there and write off the whole trip?

There has been much noise about how many times President Bush 43 went to HIS ranch in Crawford Texas, but at least he was not hanging out with the "Rich" lke Obama is doing and claiming they are the problem with our economy......

Is it a matter of the "Have" and "Have Not" ?....

2011-08-09T22:03:00.003-04:00

With all the riots going on in the UK and class warfare talk coming from our President and the “Liberal Left” media and citizens in our own country,
Is it really a matter of the “Have” against the “Have not’s” ?….

In Israel 250,000 protestors were in the streets because of the rising cost of living. Spain, Greece, and Portugal have had massive demonstrations and costly riots after implementing Austerity programs to cut spending and trying to save their economies…

But yet when I look at the news footage of these riots I do not see what you would expect to see. I do not see people in dire straits breaking into food stores or the local warehouse to steal\take what they need for them and their families to survive. Like New Orleans after Katrina, I see well dressed Kids\adults kicking in storefront windows to steal flat-screen TV’s. We see them flipping cars over and burning them. We see them intentionally throwing objects at police officers and hoping to get an officer to respond with 1/100th of excessive force so that the gathered media can film it to crucify the police force. I see them burning down stores in their own neighborhoods which can’t help them once they work this anger temper tantrum out…

We did not see this in Japan after a massive earthquake & Tsunami wiped out thousands of people creating many people without homes or jobs. We also did not see the Hollywood promised “China Syndrome” when the numerous nuclear reactors melt down. (I knew I couldn’t trust Jane Fonda in that movie). We did not see the people of Japan on their roofs with arms outstretched looking for help from their government. We did not see looting, intentional firestorms, kicked in store fronts, riots, or self pity in the eyes of those effected….

Will this happen in the United States once our economic situation gets worse?
With the lack of leadership we have in the executive branch it’s almost certain and might even be desired(?)… We have had riots here in the past due to stressful incidents and reactions and we have even had numerous riots, lootings, and storefront burnings due to Championship sporting events were even the winners were the actors! …

“What Say You” ?….

Honey Harvest ~Winfield Farms~

2011-08-06T11:14:00.006-04:00

Courtland Winfield gearing up to go in and take a share of the Honey Production ~2011~ from the three hives that he started and maintains. Impressive amount of gear for the task and also a little hot since it was 90'+ when we did this.....

Interesting to watch from a distance but with proper procedure Courtland was able to remove 4 large sections with honey and only having 3 honey bees make the trip to the processing site...

Small sample provided to the author & photographer to keep him busy and not complaining about how hot it was....

Removing the "Cap" with a hot knife to expose the honey before being placed into the extractor...

Honey Extraction unit....

Raw honey after extraction

Augusta County Republican Mass Meeting 2011...

2011-07-29T10:02:00.002-04:00

The Augusta County Republican mass meeting went on last night without the "Disruptive Catalyst" that has haunted it in the past and the 202 registered voters chose Richard Homes as the Republican candidate for Augusta County Treasurer....

Augusta County Treasurer Richard Homes was nominated by the eligible voters at the mass meeting as the Augusta County Republican candidate for the upcoming election.

Jason Bibeau challenged Richard Homes for the Augusta County Treasurer Republican nomination and brought many people to the Augusta mass meeting along with several ideas to improve the position. Even after not winning the nomination, Bibeau called for and received party unity and support for the Republican candidate. I have known Jason for years while volunteering for local political events and even with being on "different sides of the fence" on some issues, Jason and I have always been able to have constructive and beneficial discussions. I applaud him for stepping up and bringing new ideas to the election process... Good job...

Jamie Radtke was also in attendance and spoke to the 225 people at the mass meeting during the election process. She did a great job and spoke with many Republicans concerning what is going on in D.C. at this time....

Virginia State Senator Emmett Hanger....

Virginia Delegate Dickie Bell....

Augusta County Sheriff Randy Fisher....

Jobs to be had but no workers because of the e-verify program?....

2011-07-26T07:21:00.000-04:00

It turns out that there have been several States with plenty of jobs and work to be had only to be prevented from hiring eager workers due to the faulty e-verify program required by law. Georgia farmers have already found themselves short of workers to harvest their crops once ready and many of their crops rotting in the fields....

In Georgia, crops are rotting in the fields because migrant workers aren't there to pick them.

"We don't have a workforce," said Bryan Tolar, the president of the Georgia Agribusiness Council, a group that represents about 700 farmers and agricultural businesses in that state. "Where are we supposed to get it?"

It turns out there have been numerous problems with the e-verify program resulting in many migrant workers moving on to other States that are not required to use the program for identification to obtain the job....

Here in Virginia we are also quickly approaching harvest time in many agriculture zones and will there be manual\seasonal labor to do the work? The obvious problem will be if we do not have this seasonal labor to do the work due to the faulty e-verify program, crops and the farming community will suffer as well as the consumer in higher produce prices....

Fishing the Wall..... Florida Keys

2011-07-25T10:23:00.000-04:00

Had the opportunity to fish with Captain Jim Sharpe aboard the SeaBoots which is the sportfishing boat that I worked on while spending my time in the Florida Keys back in the 90's...

Jim was running a "family" trip offshore with friends from the area which also included 3 of the better Captains in the Keys so there was plenty of local knowledge and experience on the boat.

30 miles south of Summerland Key is an area called "Woods Wall" where the water depth goes from 800 feet to almost 1,900 in less than a half mile. Very large drop off and favorite place to find LARGE fish such as Marlin and Swordfish. While catching Dolphin mahi-mahi we had two 300-400 Blue Marlin come in chasing the Dolphin...

If we really wanted to lower the unemployment rate and put Americans to work.....

2011-07-22T11:42:00.004-04:00

Written by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates and IHS Global Insight, the study shows that increasing the pace of permitting in the Gulf would boost employment opportunities in almost every state, enhance tax and royalty revenues, and help stabilize America’s energy security.

Specifically, the study shows that aligning the permitting process with the industry’s production capacity could result in:

230,000 American jobs;
More than $44 billion in US gross domestic product;
Nearly $12 billion in tax and royalty revenues for state and federal treasuries; and
$15 million reduction in the amount the US sends to foreign governments.

And that’s by the end of 2012.

Florida Keys & Key West ~2011~

2011-07-22T10:43:00.000-04:00

Outside of the Customs House

In Key West is a very large statue of the "Dance at Bougival" from the painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir that attracts much attention due it's size and location in old town Key West....

Ronald Reagan once quoted: "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: 'I'm from the government and I'm here to help.'"

Had the opportunity to go out on a half day trip aboard the SeaBoots Sportfishing charterboat out of Summerland Key which I fortunately worked on during my years spent in the Florida Keys. Captain\owner Jim Sharpe was taking some local friends out to look for some Dolphin mahi-mahi and graciously offered a chance to fish the waters of the Keys once again...

Spent my five days in the Keys with an old friend who is the Captain\Owner of the Compass Rose Light Tackle Sportfishing fleet and with that got to play with many of the features of the two boats he now operates.... It is common practice to take my vacation during the "Slow season" in the Keys but Capt. Mike Weinhofer was booked the whole week I was there while many other boats sat idle. This I know is the result of the 21 years that Capt. Mike has been fishing in the Florida Keys and making connections with sportfishermen who continue to return to the Keys and Compass Rose year after year.

God Bless America... Kate Smith

2011-07-05T12:07:00.001-04:00

Fort Hancock ~Sandy Hook~ NJ....

2011-06-17T20:47:00.006-04:00

Trip up to New Jersey last week with a stop out on Sandy Hook to visit Fort Hancock...http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/37hancock/37hancock.htm

Where is John Galt?....

2011-06-12T23:19:00.000-04:00

CNN Reporter asks Racist Question....

2011-06-11T10:26:00.000-04:00

2011-05-30T12:17:00.000-04:00

"Worst Oil Spill ever"... Where did the oil go?....

2011-05-30T11:20:00.001-04:00

“It cannot be repeated often enough,” says Louisiana marine biologist Jerald Horst. Crude oil is a natural substance; it’s biodegradable. It’s a feast for microbes. And these consumed most of it from the BP spill.” The horrid black goo that leaked into the Gulf of Mexico from the BP spill last year is certainly toxic - but so are broccoli, beer and salt. It all depends on the dosage. In fact, that horrid black goo has spilled naturally into the Gulf for millenniums - at the rate of two Exxon Valdez spills annually".

FONTOVA: From worst disaster to biggest embarrassment
Environmentalists and the press demolished their credibility hyping the BP oil spill

The Washington Times has an interesting article regarding how the massive amounts of oil from the Gulf "disaster" and where it has gone...

"Not all these gushers lie below the Gulf, however. In fact, one of Mother Earth’s biggest “spills” is off Southern California’s coast at Coal Oil Point, not far from the homes of “environmental activists” Leonardo DiCaprio, Charlie Sheen, Barbra Streisand, Brad Pitt, Ed Begley Jr. and many, many others of their ilk. This spill gushes an estimated 3,000 gallons of crude oil daily into the waters off Malibu beach. Yet none of the above “activists” appears overly agitated over this “disaster.”

“Ah,” you ask, “but what about that poisonous chemical used as a dispersant for the oil?”

You probably ingested traces of this poisonous chemical compound with last night’s dinner, and other traces probably coat your pots, pans, cups, spoons and forks right now. Some people call the dispersant Corexit 9500 - and some call it soap. Essentially, it’s Dawn dishwashing detergent.

“Dispersants are not very toxic,” explains Robert Dickey, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Gulf Coast Seafood Laboratory. “They are detergents and solvents, and they become rapidly diluted. One square mile of seawater one foot deep is 200 million gallons. We added 1.8 million gallons in the whole Gulf.”

Government choice...

2011-05-24T20:16:00.003-04:00

Property: Fair or foul, U.S. officials diverted floodwaters to farmlands to save cities as the mighty Mississippi spilled its banks. But there was a surprise: Farmers chose not to be victims....

2011-05-17T14:26:00.001-04:00

Lesson Learned?.....

2011-05-17T11:02:00.002-04:00

Local Newspaper assigns titles to "Letter to Editor" as they see it?....

2011-05-12T09:52:00.000-04:00

The local newspaper printed my Letter to the Editor regarding the actual profit rates made by the oil\gas industry as compared to other industries. It also provided information on how much is paid to the government each day and it's about $86 million dollars a DAY. Unfortunately the newspaper chose to title the piece "Oil Companies have Consumers over a Barrel" instead of showing true theme of my letter.... Below is the submitted LTE and a link to the comments section online for the piece....

NewsLeader Section

Once again the drumbeat against oil company profits is getting louder with the release of profits and the high cost of gas to the consumers.

But let's get some info out there that you don't see in the attack ads or "targeted" reporting by some of the media outlets.

According to API (American Petroleum Institute) the 2010 earnings of the oil\gas industry was 5.7 percent net income per dollar of sales. Compare this to 21.7 percent for the Beverage\Tobacco industry or 17.3 percent for the Computer equipment companies. In fact the average for All Manufacturing industry is at 8.5 percent ....

Some claim that we need to tax more and\or cut "subsidies" to the evil oil\gas companies but the truth is they pay 41.1 percent income taxes as a share of net income as compared to 26.5 percent of the non-oil S&P industries. They also pay over $86 million every day in rents, royalties, bonuses and income tax to the government.

It seems the ever-hungry government is looking for even more money and the oil\gas industry is a favorite target of many in the government. The truth is affordable and easily available energy is important to our economy and national security and let's not forget the 9.2 million jobs that the industry provides and with that income tax paid by those individuals.

Fortunately Gov. Bob McDonnell understands the importance of developing the numerous energy sources we have here on land as well as the offshore potential of windpower and oil\gas resources.

2010 CEO Compensation... Not what you think !...

2011-05-10T11:44:00.004-04:00

The Wall Street Journal has released the 2010 survey of CEO compensation and who are the top guys getting the BIG money for what they do... And to surprise many it's not the "Evil Oil company" CEO that mainstream media love to attack at this time of the year... Out of the Top Ten see if you notice a trend here....

1. Phil Dauman of Viacom $84 Million+

3. Leslie Moonves of CBS $53.8 Million+

5. Michael White of DirectTV $32.6 Million+

7. Robert Iger of Disney $27.2 Million+

10. Jeff Bewkes of Time Warner $26 Million+

20. Rex Tillerson Of ExxonMobil $21 Million+

The first "Evil Oil company" CEO that I saw was at the #20 slot with the first 19 spots covered mostly by financial, computer related, and even the Ford CEO (which did not take the bailout money)...

Notice 5 of the Top Ten CEO's are from media\entertainment companies?

Remember that when you pay your cable bill this month.......

Karl Rove ~Washington & Lee~

2011-05-07T23:25:00.000-04:00

I had the opportunity to go over to Lexington Va, at Washington & Lee to see Karl Rove speak today on the front lawn in front of the chapel and found a large enthusiastic crowd that enjoyed spending one hour plus listening to Rove....

Very interesting to hear Rove explain\discuss the current situation our country is in and headed towards with the current administration as well as the results of the 2010 election and what to look forward to in the 2012 election cycle.....

What Trump did, was able to do, willing to do, and those who did nothing, not able to do, or not willing to do...

2011-04-28T10:22:00.000-04:00

Obvious that is a ugly title with grammar and all but gets the point out there…

Trump was able to force the Birth certificate issue out there and keep it in the spotlight until President Obama finally had to bring out the hardcopy to limit the damage. Some out there are already questioning the document and look, even if it is found to have been “Made in China” and worthless, we are not going to throw the guy out of office where he has been for 2 ½ years already. The Supreme Court would ignore and delay that case like many of the cases already out there that they do not want to deal with…

The problem I have and have had all along is that our President refused to provide a simple, and required document, to the people that he represents as our leader when the question of authenticity came up…

Just like the guy with the funny hair said many weeks ago, if it’s not a big deal just show us the certificate… Many may feel that Trump is not true presidential candidate material and that may make him all the more valuable. Trump is able to attract the attention and coverage from the mainstream media outlets that others can not get. Competition is great for they have to cover him for fear of him doing something again and their news crew missing the story…

It is like the value of bloggers, the internet, and social networks were people can get facts and the truth out there after the “Campaign Spin” hit’s the local press with its limited facts and targeted agenda… Valuable indeed….

Obama will try to make Big Oil "Profits" a four-letter word...

2011-04-26T22:12:00.001-04:00

Candidate to challenge Congressmen Goodlatte....

2011-04-24T22:00:00.001-04:00

Andy Schmookler has thrown his hat into the ring and if the 6th District Democratic party agrees he will be running against Congressmen Bob Goodlatte to represent the 6th district of Virginia....
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Do not know this guy but from what I have seen in the papers and Internet over the last few days it appears he is no friend to the Republican party:

BASYE -- "The Republican Party is a destructive force the likes of which America has never seen, according to a local man who has announced his candidacy for Congress."
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He has already come out with some of the classic Dem-Talk-Points, which I guess they believe if you repeat the claim 3 times fast it makes it the truth and all will believe it, this is one they have been using often:

“What we need to close the budget isn’t cutting off programs like Head Start or heating help for the elderly that Republicans are going after. We need to get the economy out of the hole,” Schmookler said.
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Schmookler has come out with statements attacking both sides of the political spectrum in the 6th and with the political demographics it will be interesting to see the direction his campaign will take over the year or so....

Both major parties – Republican and Democrat – are part and parcel to the problem. The GOP, to Schmookler, is a “destructive force,” while “Democrats have let us down because they have been wimps in terms of standing up and defending.”

With Schmookler being new to the process he will have to tailor his campaign to gain the most votes in the end. As with several recently announced Candidates in the local area, it will be interesting to discover and watch the campaigns "Progress" and change as issues, interviews, debates, and history of the candidates becomes available to the voters....

"Beware of the Spin"...

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2011 Shad Planking....

2011-04-22T13:50:00.002-04:00

The "Planking of the Shad" event for 2011 had a smaller attendance than many in the past but those who came out enjoyed nice weather and good conversation. Shad Plank 2010 had rain and a somewhat larger crowd with numerous familiar display tents missing this year but the 2011 shad event was still enjoyable...

Governor Bob McDonnell, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling, and Senate Candidate George Allen were in attendance and Governor McDonnell was the guest speaker...

Shad Planking speeches tend to be less serious and a opportunity for the speaker to take the familiar "Jabs" towards opposing political parties, their Representatives, Candidates, and of course the Shad itself....

Governor McDonnell spoke for about 15 minutes and had some good lines that got the applause he was looking for from the crowd. I particularly liked the one about the practice of cooking the Shad over the open fire pit and how it was fortunate that the EPA was not aware of the event and what was being done to the Shad. For the true name of the EPA is "Employment Prevention Agency" which is so true if you look at the history of this agency.....

Governor McDonnell took the usually opportunity to talk about the actual Shad fish and stated that he wished the members of the U.S. Congress had as much backbone as the Shad "This country would not be in such a mess"..... Oh, so true......

He also talked about how when he became elected as Governor of the State of Virginia he moved into the house that both former Governors Tim Kaine and George Allen once lived in and left items behind. It appears George Allen left a autographed football signed by himself and Tim Kaine left a $2 Billion tax hike when he left office.... Both items have been removed by the present Gov.....

Former VA Governor and now Senate candidate George Allen....

Virginia Tea Party tent...

The Tea Party has become a valuable asset for it keeps pressure on both parties and their representatives to address and make the necessary changes that are needed in government. It has become the voice of the people that the "Inner Beltway" representatives have learned to ignore in the past and now listen to for the numbers have grown, organized, and are now LOUD enough to get attention.....

Ben Marchi

Unfortunately one of the familiar tents that I missed from not being there was the Virginia Energy Independence Alliance tent which I have visited in the past and have enjoyed the conversation and information they provided...
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This year I found the "Va4wind" booth which is a organization of several environmental groups including the Sierra Club who's representative was manning the tent when I got there. I was encouraged and interested in seeing the support of Wind farms off of the Virginia coast but was disappointed when I found the main effort being made was to get people to sign a petition urging Dominion Power to develop, construct, and maintain the desired wind farm project. Seems I recall the Sierra Club jumping ugly with Dominion Power in the past?....

Also found after a little research that the Sierra Club had a year ending revenue (2008) of $56,313,595 and that maybe they can throw a little bit of this towards the development of wind farms instead of petitioning the "Evil Energy Companies"...

I stopped back at this booth several times to join in and listen to the conversations regarding placing wind farms off the Virginia coast and there were numerous good points made by those stopping by the booth. I left once the Sierra Club representative mentioned how disappointed she was in President Obama but she was still going to support him in the future...

Did I mention gasoline prices were $3.89 for regular in the Wakefield area?.....
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Virginia Lt. Governor Bill Bolling...

Senator Mark Warner...

It was actually good to see one of our U.S. Senators from the Democratic party at the 63rd Shad Planking. It was asked and pointed out many times how former DNC Chairman and now Senate candidate Tim Kaine was not at or represented at the Shad Planking. No signs. No people. Nothing.

Being the former Governor of Virginia and the history of the Shad Planking over the years you would think it would have made it onto the "To Do List" for somebody campaigning in Virginia?....

All together it was a good event and it is also beneficial to see who is out there running for what. A great opportunity to meet and talk with those of familiar and same opinions and beliefs as well as to speak with those of opposing opinions and beliefs.
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Also a great opportunity to get out there and talk with familiar people from the past and to catch up on what is going on in Virginia politics now and on the horizon. Informal gatherings such as the Shad Planking provides a valuable opportunity to catch up on current events, talk "politics", and to provide truth and facts regarding the "Spin" that is out there and surly to come in the upcoming campaign season....

(Such as)

"Spin"

Where is your Tax Money headed?.....

2011-04-19T17:03:00.003-04:00

The Tax Man hit us all yesterday, well those of us who pay Federal taxes after deductions and the likes, and it is reported that Washington will spend $32,137 per household as shown in the attached article....

Of that $32,137....

Social Security\Medicare $10,458

National Defense $6,645

Anti-poverty programs $5,374

Interest on Federal debt.. $1,739

Veteran's benefits $1,190

Unemployment benefits $1,135

Education $698

Health Research\regulation $552

Highways\transportation $522

Justice administration $510

Numerous other federal programs $3,494

Representative Maxine Waters (D)... Watch the people sitting with her at the end....

2011-04-16T10:34:00.001-04:00

Obama worried about those Gas prices?.....

2011-04-06T21:32:00.003-04:00

Maybe the Chief has something to worry about?....

WASHINGTON, April 5 (Reuters) - White House officials are increasingly worried that rising gasoline prices, and disruptions to the global oil supply, threaten not only the fragile U.S. economic recovery but the re-election prospects of President Barack Obama.

White House aides are particularly concerned that if gas prices surpass a national average of $4 a gallon -- and if oil passes $125 a barrel -- the economic and political fallout could dominate next year's presidential campaign and drown out Obama's message of economic recovery.

"Paper or Plastic"?... TAKE the Plastic!!.....

2011-04-06T18:17:00.002-04:00

"A new study by the Environment Agency of England finds that those thin plastic bags have a smaller carbon footprint than reusable plastic or cotton satchels as well as disposable paper bags. According to "Evidence: Life Cycle Assessment of Supermarket Carrier Bags," you'd have to reuse a fashionable cotton bag at least 131 times to equal the low carbon footprint of a simple plastic bag. If you reuse a plastic bag — as a wastebasket liner perhaps — they pull even further away as the most green technology."

Besides what happens if you lose one of those "Save the Planet" reusable bags before you use it the minimum 131 times to make it worthwhile?

"Also, as other studies have shown, those trendy reusable bags provide a wonderful breeding ground for E. coli and other bacteria. That is, unless you wash them regularly. But if you do that, as my American Enterprise Institute colleague Ken Green notes, all that bleach, soap and hot water expand their carbon footprint as well."

The oil in our own backyard.....

2011-04-05T23:11:00.002-04:00

"If allowed to proceed, it would eventually transport more than a million barrels of crude each day — more, according to Heritage Foundation analyst David Kreutzer, than we now import from either Saudi Arabia or Venezuela, our two largest suppliers after Canada and Mexico."

Whole article.....

Why the French take two hours for lunch......

2011-04-05T22:00:00.000-04:00

So why is Obama outsourcing our jobs?... "Obamalogic"?...

2011-03-21T19:14:00.002-04:00

So now we have President Obama striving to outsource our oil\natural gas exploration, drilling, and production jobs to Brazil while his administration continues to block such jobs right here in America by continuing the moritorium...

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“It is beyond comprehension the administration would encourage trade for Brazilian oil while obstructing U.S. oil and natural gas development, eliminating related jobs here at home, and decreasing oil and natural gas revenues to the U.S. Treasury when the government is trillions of dollars in debt. The message from the White House to America’s oil and natural gas workers: we’re going to outsource your job.

“The administration is missing the obvious: what makes sense for Brazil also makes sense for the United States. Like every other nation, we should be developing our own oil and natural gas resources. It’s good for energy security, good for the economy, good for jobs, and it will help bring down our deficit.

“The administration says it supports more oil and natural gas development here in the United States, then at every turn discourages it. And today, the White House is making a deal with Brazil for the oil it is not allowing companies to produce here. There’s nothing wrong with buying Brazilian oil, but there’s a big problem when we’re forced to because we’re held back from producing our own.”

WASHINGTON, February __ – API President and CEO Jack Gerard said the administration’s offer to exchange batteries for oil from Brazil reflects its inadequate and illogical energy policy:

Just another example of "Obamalogic"?...

Watch for the "Dem Talking Points" on High Gas Prices this weekend.....

2011-03-16T20:55:00.004-04:00

Talkradio host Tom Sullivan had the top four "Talking Points" (blame~game) that the Democrat Politicians will be using while home in their States this weekend regarding High Gas Prices....

1. The evil oil speculators

2. The evil BIG OIL companies and be sure to bring up all of those oil leases that they already have but refuse to use thus creating the oil shortage... The Energy Tomorrow site has a good piece by Erik Milito that provides the facts regarding the Government oil leases sold to the oil companies and the amount of money needed to work the leases with no guarantee of oil find....

3. OPEC

4. Blame it on the Republicans and the old fallback..... George W. Bush......

Don't look for President Obama...

He will be in Rio for the weekend doing important Presidential stuff (?)

Remember Obama's call for civility?.....

2011-03-14T09:30:00.003-04:00

18 Republican senators from Wisconsin report getting death threats after passing bill to end collective bargaining for most public workers

Grothman said he is hesitant to completely disregard the threat given the volatile atmosphere in Madison. A note shoved under his door Wednesday night said, "The only good Republican is a dead Republican."

The letter tells lawmakers to "make your peace with God as soon as possible and say goodbye to your loved ones," warning they will be killed "due to your actions in the last eight weeks."

Amen.....

Box(es) of Rocks?...

2011-03-12T17:36:00.002-05:00

Perfect Pesticide?....

A California thing?....

Food is good?....

Lower the rent so people could make their own stuff?....

Silk worms?....

The machine will make it for us?...

East Coast has slaves and West Coast has Unions?...

Vegetable Trees?...

Growing food is good for it is free?...

"Price Gouging" by Who?....

2011-03-11T15:03:00.002-05:00

With rising Gas prices President Obama got on the NEWS channels saying that he will have his administration watch out for "Price gouging" going on at the gas pumps... At the GAS PUMPS?!!!

What about the "Gouging" that Obama and his enviromaniac friends have been doing over the years? With the natural resources and technology that we have here in the States and offshore of our coasts we should be doing much more to control our own energy destiny...

Obama went on to claim the the U.S. is now running highest oil production here in the U.S. but FAILS to state that his efforts and efforts of his Demoncratic team has nothing to do with the current production....

“It’s completely disingenuous to say that offshore production has increased due to anything this administration has done,” Milito said. An increase in public land leased for oil and gas development is “attributable to these decisions to lease almost a decade ago.”
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Gas price is at $3.45 a gallon and with that I drove past a local coffee shop here in Staunton that I use to enjoy visiting. But with fuel prices going up and cutting into fun money, I will pass this "Obama\Democratic" stronghold and spend my money elsewhere....

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"Crybaby" Crosby.....

2011-03-11T11:05:00.001-05:00

"Look for the Union Label"......

2011-03-06T10:04:00.004-05:00

And make no mistake, GM is in a horrible bind. That $1.1 billion loss in the first quarter doesn't begin to tell the whole story. The carmaker is saddled with a $1,600-per-vehicle handicap in so-called legacy costs, mostly retiree health and pension benefits. Any day now, GM is likely to get slapped with a junk-bond rating. GM has lost a breathtaking 74% of its market value -- some $43 billion -- since spring of 2000, giving it a valuation of $15 billion. What really scares investors is that GM keeps losing ground in its core business of selling cars.

2011-02-28T21:59:00.000-05:00

William & Mary vs. The Citadel.. BRHC Championship game...

2011-02-27T22:14:00.007-05:00

William & Mary took on The Citadel for the Championship game of the Atlantic division of the BRHC ~Blue Ridge Hockey Conference~ in Lynchburg, VA. at Liberty University...

William & Mary took the game with a score of 3 to 1 after a pretty good game even with some questionable officiating but I must say it was better than some of the calls I have seen made while watching games at Liberty... Liberty vs. Radford or Liberty vs. Hokies

It was good to be able to catch the last game of the season but I was somewhat disappointed that the crowd was no more than 35-40 with apparently nobody from Liberty who was hosting the playoffs and championship game....

First time I had the opportunity to see The Citadel team play and I look forward to more games in the future...

Enough is enough....

2011-02-26T10:15:00.004-05:00

Interesting writings regarding the stand-off in Wisconsin and many missing Democrat Senators & House members....

Here's a lesson that is both ironic and sad at the same time. According to the U.S. Department of Education, two-thirds of the eighth graders in Wisconsin cannot read proficiently. But assuming the kids are skilled enough to watch TV, they can now see their teachers demonstrating to keep their generous union benefits. So while things do not seem to be going well in the classroom, any thought of holding teachers somewhat responsible is cause for a protest march.

In 10 years, starting in 1998, Wisconsin doubled the amount of money spent on each public-school student to more than $10,000 per pupil per year. And test scores went down! Doing the math, the equation seems to be that money is not the key to knowledge.

In the private sector, the capitalist knows that when he negotiates with the union, if he gives away the store, he loses his shirt. In the public sector, the politicians who approve any deal have none of their own money at stake. On the contrary, the more favorably they dispose of union demands, the more likely they are to be the beneficiary of union largesse in the next election. It's the perfect cozy setup.

Obama's Democrats have become the party of no. Real cuts to the federal budget? No. Entitlement reform? No. Tax reform? No. Breaking the corrupt and fiscally unsustainable symbiosis between public-sector unions and state governments? Hell no.

We have heard everyone — from Obama's own debt commission to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — call the looming debt a mortal threat to the nation. We have watched Greece self-immolate. We can see the future. The only question has been: When will the country finally rouse itself?

Meanwhile, 14 Democratic state senators who don't belong to organized labor but who with one exception are owned by unions have run off to Illinois so the state Senate can't vote on a bill they don't like.

As those Democrats ignored their constitutional duties a state away, that bill was passed early Friday in the Assembly where a mob of adults wearing orange T-shirts and acting like spoiled children chanted "shame, shame, shame" from the floor and gallery.

If anyone should be ashamed of their behavior, it's the public-sector workers and their supporters who think they have a moral title to jobs with bloated pay and benefits provided by others. They believe it's acceptable to bully those with whom they disagree and behave like riotous rabble. They've conducted themselves in an infantile, cowardly and undignified manner

If the AWOL Democrats don't start acting like adults and return to Madison by Monday to debate and vote on the bill passed in the Assembly, they should be recalled. Should government workers, including the teachers, continue to skip work without using their legitimate time off to join the protests, they need to be fired.

enough...

Enough said.... Regarding why we need to look at the Public Service Unions.....

2011-02-23T20:32:00.002-05:00

Richard Cohen makes some obvious observations regarding why we need to look at the pensions of the public Unions and the abuse of these programs....

In New York City, the No. 2 guy in the Fire Department retired on a pension worth $242,000 a year. In New York State, a single official holding two jobs and one pension took in $641,000. A lieutenant with the Port Authority police retired with an annual pension of $196,767, and 738 of the city's teachers, principals and such have pensions worth more than $100,000 a year.

In some cases, retirement came a mere 20 or so years after first reporting to HR and, if you were lucky enough to fake a disability — oh, my aching back! -- the sky is virtually the limit. Fully one-third of all New York City cops who retired during a recent 17-month period did so on disability.

They have dangerous jobs, we all know — but not nearly as dangerous as Long Island Rail Road workers. Almost all of them retired on disability. All aboard!

California state police often retire at age 50 with 90% of their salary. Corrections officers in that state earn $70,000 in base salary. New York City, the home office of featherbedding, supports 10,000 cops who retired before the age of 50.

It was one thing when unions went after giant corporations run by guys who played golf at restricted clubs. But when it comes to government workers, we are the boss and we pay the bill. To quote what Sam Spade told the woman he loved in the "Maltese Falcon, "I won't play the sap for you." When it comes to public-sector unions, my sentiments exactly.

The actual "Hydro-fracking" process...

2011-02-22T12:59:00.002-05:00

For my Liberal enviromaniac friend who could not describe the actual "Hydro-fracking" process she was so dead-set against but could not explain why...

DeWayne attacks Gov. Scott Walker from a different angle....

2011-02-22T12:30:00.004-05:00

Columnist DeWayne Wickham is doing his "Democrat~Duty" by continuing the attack on Wisconsin Republican Governor Scott Walker this time in the form of claiming the Governor is attempting to "restrict the pillars of the Democratic base" from being able to vote...

"The proposed ID law would restrict the right to vote to people with military IDs, driver’s licenses and a state-issued ID card. Passports and photo ID cards issued to college students (even those from state universities) would not be acceptable."

"College students and public unions are pillars of the Democratic base. Wisconsin’s ID law would suppress voter participation among students. A 2005 University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Employment and Training Institute study found that 82% of 18-, 19-, 20-year-olds did not have a driver’s license in the ZIP codes for neighborhoods near Marquette University, the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The study also showed that statewide, the majority of college-age blacks and Hispanics lacked driver’s licenses."

So how do these people function without a valid form of identification? College issue photo I.D.?How hard is that to get a bogus college I.D.?....

How do these people get utilities? Use a credit card? Rent a car? Rent a movie? Get into a bar? (college students) Get onto an airplane? Cash that government check? ...

Maybe instead DeWayne Wickham should be asked why he believes making it easier to commit Voter fraud is a "back-pocket" issue of the Democratic Party?.....

Obama: "S.E.I.U. ! Helping you organize to build more & more Power" !.....

2011-02-22T09:48:00.001-05:00

Democrats and history of "Skipping Town"?....

2011-02-20T21:34:00.002-05:00

Turns out this is not the first time for the Democrats to “take their marbles and leave the game” when it looked like it was not going to go their way….. But this is not limited to just the Democrats, I witnessed our former chairman of the local GOP County Committee storm out of several committee meetings when he did not get his way yelling “No Quorum, No quorum” on his way out the door. Fortunately he was wrong and there was a quorum so business to move the local party and committee forward was accomplished....

Recently there have been several new stories that bring up the history of Democrats leaving town once the going got tough……

There have been at least four occasions of blocking a quorum in Wisconsin's legislature alone. The first known took place in 1893 when legislators were locked in the chamber for 72 hours after some left to avoid a vote on piping water to the World's Fair in Chicago.
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And this past week in Wisconsin...
The 14 Democrats, who fled first to a convention center and water park in Rockford, Ill., before scattering when discovered by a reporter, have so far been able to prevent the quorum of 20 senators, or three-fifths of the members, needed for such a vote in the 33-person body.

And one representative in 1951, Rep. Ruth Doyle, had to be retrieved from the women's bathroom for a vote on a resolution for the legislature to hear Gen. Douglas MacArthur speak
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Even in Texas....
On Monday, the Republican-led Texas state legislature was preparing to convene when it suddenly became apparent that virtually all the Democrats in the Texas House were nowhere to be found.

Republicans quickly ordered state troopers and the legendary Texas Rangers to round them up. But the Democrats were one step ahead of the law. They fled to neighboring Oklahoma and set up shop in a hotel.

Milwaukee teachers average $100,000+ with benefits?!.....

2011-02-19T11:11:00.002-05:00

Milwaukee teachers are already making an average $100,000+ with benefits and they refuse to pay into their own retirement pension to close the $3 billion State gap in the budget? The average person working in the area only makes $19,000 a year and the median avg household pulls in $40,000 and these are the people who pay the teachers salaries\benefits with their tax money...

Here is the kicker, but one you did not expect. The graduation rate for Milwaukee is only 68% so it's obvious that besides making more than 4X times the average person (Taxpayer) the teachers of Milwaukee are failing in their performance...

Out of that $100,000 package how much do they pay the Unions to do their deeds?

Obviously it was enough if they could get the Whole lot of DEMOCRAT Senators to flee the State instead of doing the job they were elected to do?....

Obama even weighs in on the "Wisconsin Rebellion".....

2011-02-18T10:25:00.006-05:00

President Obama has now "Thrust himself" and his machine into the budget battle going on in Wisconsin where the State Governor is attempting to save the States budget and future by getting the Teacher's and other unions to pay into their retirement funds....

Besides messing with the 10th amendment of the US Constitution which separates the Federal government from the State government, (Which had to be explained recently to our local Virginia State Central representative when she continued to interrupt a committee meeting) the President is obviously backing his buddies that helped him get into office and ignoring the taxpayers who have to foot the bill....

MADISON, WIS. - "President Obama thrust himself and his political operation this week into Wisconsin's broiling budget battle, mobilizing opposition Thursday to a Republican bill that would curb public-worker benefits while planning similar action in other state capitals."

"Obama accused Scott Walker, the state's new Republican governor, of unleashing an "assault" on unions in pushing emergency legislation that would nullify collective-bargaining agreements that affect most public employees, including teachers."

Obviously the DNC is involved in the busing in of many protesters who are flooding the halls of the Wisconsin state building and reports of them going to the Governors house and many of the Republican legislators home residences to protest, trespass, disrupt, and do exactly what we have expected from the Democratic National Committee...
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"The Democratic National Committee's Organizing for America arm -- the remnant of the 2008 Obama campaign -- is playing an active role in organizing protests against Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker's attempt to strip most public employees of collective bargaining rights."

"OfA Wisconsin's field efforts include filling buses and building turnout for the rallies this week in Madison, organizing 15 rapid response phone banks urging supporters to call their state legislators, and working on planning and producing rallies, a Democratic Party official in Washington said."

And how 'bout those Democrat Senators who have fled the State so they do not have to vote on the bill in the Wisconsin Senate? Where is the comment from the President on this action?...

Atlantic Longbill Spearfish.....

2011-02-18T10:06:00.002-05:00

Diagnosis: body moderately slender, bill long, rather slender and round in cross-section, nape rising smoothly to dorsal fin origin. Pectoral fins long, much greater than post-orbital part of head; pelvic fins a little longer, with moderately developed membrane; anterior lobe of first dorsal fin not sharply pointed, its height a little more than body depth. remainder of fin about equal to body depth, with 44-50 finrays, second dorsal fin with 6-7 finrays; first anal fin with 12-17 finrays, second with 6-7 finrays; anus well in front of first anal fin origin (by more than half the height of that fin). Scales on midbody rough and elongate. densely embedded, with several posterior spines. Colour: back blue black, flanks and belly silvery. Size: to about 2.5 m TL.

Perriello: From Pelosi's LapDog to Reid's LapDog?.....

2011-02-17T13:32:00.002-05:00

There are now reports that unseated Representative Tom Perriello (D) will run for the Virginia Federal Senate seat being vacated by Senator Jim Webb (D) who doesn't want to play anymore... Perriello said he might run if the "Eyebrow" Tim Kaine does not choose to jump into the lap of Senate leader Harry Reid (D).....

Perriello was elected by the people in the 5th district of Virginia when Obama was swept in by a bunch of people looking for "Change"... Now that those people have seen the change being brought forward Perriello was removed from office by the same people who saw that Perriello was NOT representing them but doing as told by the LapDog owner...

Tom, you really think the people of Virginia wants the same in the Senate?.....

Liberty Flames vs. Radford Highlanders...

2011-01-30T10:36:00.005-05:00

This was the third Liberty University Ice Hockey game I attended this year and probably the best for action and second worse for officiating...

Liberty Flames Division 3 was playing Radford Highlanders with the first period being very close and Radford going up by one goal.

Unfortunately for the next two periods the Radford team was playing "5 on 8" hockey for pretty much the rest of the game the Ref's were obviously on the Liberty team...

Going into the three games I saw this year I never favored one team over another except for the Liberty vs. VMI where I looked forward to seeing the VMI team for the first time. The Liberty \ VMI game had great action and ended with Liberty up 11 to 6 but unfortunately the officiating in this game also broke down and was one sided many times... In fact there was an individual in the crowd asking the Ref several times what year did he graduate Liberty?......

LaHaye Ice Center is a great place to watch a game for it is small and possible to stand at the glass on the second level and look down at the Ice during play. Great opportunity to watch a game up close and pick up things that are hard to see seated far away from the action. With that you are able to see many things happen that you don't get to see within the limited viewing area of a monitor or TV screen including many of the hits and actions that often result in fights and penalties...

This even resulted with almost everybody seeing the Liberty forward take a shot at the Radford Goalie with the puck and after the shot was blocked take another shot at the goalie with a cross check that put the goalie into the net and crossbar. A shot hard enough to put the goalie into the net, knock it off its moorings, and put the goalie down on the ice for a considerable amount of time. This resulted in a melee that put a total of 5 players into the penalty boxes but only the Liberty forward serving 2 minutes for a cheap shot that should have resulted in a ejection from the game....

Still a good game and enjoyed having the opportunity to see a live game with some good action by guys who want to play some hockey. Liberty and LaHaye will be hosting some playoff games not yet determined or announced but when they are I suggest you attempt to make a game before the season is over....

Point Pleasant Scuba Rescue Dive Ice Training ~2011~.....

2011-01-23T19:17:00.001-05:00

Ice Dive Training ~2011~

Americans for Prosperity Town Hall ~Lexington~

2011-01-20T17:55:00.002-05:00

Attended the Americans for Prosperity Town Hall meeting today in Lexington where there was a crowd of 50 to 60 locals attending to hear about AFP's efforts and to discuss the repeal of Obamacare and the continuing overreach of the federal government...

It was good to see AFP Virginia State Director Ben Marchi and guest speaker Gov. George Allen at the event which took up a full hour with many questions and comments from those attending....

Governor Allens was asked several questions regarding the deficit spending in both the nation as well as the State of Virginia and responded with answers and examples of how its was dealt with as a Governor and U.S. Senator...

Marchi then provided a 140 report on the 2010~2011 Virginia budget "A Spending Problem or A Revenue Problem?".....

Interesting report on the budget of Virginia and the excessive spending by a ever growing government and how the problem needs to addressed in the future...
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Much info to review and will take sometime but I was impressed by the "simple set of principles that provide a readily applicable fiscal philosophy which policymakers can apply to the complex budget issues that confront them"....
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The 9 R's of Fiscal Responsibility

Reform Entitlement Programs

Require More User Responsibility

Redirect Spending to Higher-Priority Uses

Reorganize State Government

Revive Free Enterprise

Restore Civil Society

Remove Advocacy, Waste, and Race-Based Programs

Reshape the State-Local Government Relationship

Reduce Biases in the Tax Code

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State Sovereignty definition 10th Amendment...

2011-01-18T20:59:00.003-05:00

The Tenth Amendment (Amendment X) to the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, was ratified on December 15, 1791.[1] The Tenth Amendment explicitly states the Constitution's principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution of the United States are reserved to the states or the people.

2011-01-17T11:58:00.000-05:00

"Vitriolic Rhetoric" from the Right caused the shooting in Arizona?....

2011-01-13T18:49:00.009-05:00

Larry Elder has an interesting piece on how the "Left" and the mainstream media claims of 'Vitriolic Rhetoric' as the reason for the Arizona shooting but forgets the "Left-Wing Vitriolic Rhetoric" from the past.....

Would the "vitriolic rhetoric" include former President Jimmy Carter's ugly assertion that "an overwhelming portion of the intensely demonstrated animosity toward President Barack Obama is based on the fact that he is a black man, that he's African-American"?

Would it include former Democratic National Chairman Howard Dean's description of the contest between Democrats and Republicans as "a struggle between good and evil -- and we're the good"?

Would it include Democratic Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's characterization of then-President George W. Bush as "a loser and a liar"?

Would it include Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow's denunciation of President Bush as "dangerously incompetent"?

Would it include the late Democratic Sen. Ted Kennedy's assertion that the Bush administration fabricated a case for war in Iraq, or, as Kennedy put it, "week after week after week, we were told lie after lie after lie"?

Would the "vitriolic rhetoric" include Democratic Rep. Charlie Rangel's referring to Bush as "our Bull Connor," the infamous Southern lawman who, in the 1960s, turned police dogs and water hoses on black civil rights protesters?

Would it include the declaration by Comedy Central's Jon Stewart -- a man astonishingly described as a modern Edward R. Murrow -- that former President Harry Truman was "a war criminal"?

Would it include then-presidential candidate Barack Obama's declaration made at a fundraiser that "if they bring a knife to the fight, we bring a gun"?

Would it include Hillary Clinton's telling a black audience that the then-Republican majority Congress was "run like a plantation"?

Would it include the Rev. Al Sharpton, who, long before meeting with the FCC and demanding broadcasting decency standards, called the then mayor of New York a "nigger whore"?

Would it include then-Rep. Diane Watson, D-Calif., who attacked a black political opponent: "He's married to a white woman. He wants to be white. He wants a colorless society. He has no ethnic pride. He doesn't want to be black. I said that"?

Would it include the way then-President Bill Clinton, according to aide Dick Morris, described his 1996 Republican opponent: "Bob Dole is not a nice man. Bob Dole is evil. The things he wants to do to children are evil. The things he wants to do to poor people and old people and sick people are evil. Let's get that straight"?

Would it include the unhinged MSNBC host Ed Schultz, who, days before the Tucson shooting, said: "This is an ideological war. ... I will fight these bastards every night at 6 o'clock because I know what they're up against. I know what they want to do. They want to take down American workers. ... They want to destroy the American dream, concentrate the wealth to the top and control minorities"?

Obama's new Press Secretary?.....

2011-01-06T10:27:00.003-05:00

Think about it.... President Obama has been on the Comedy Channel several times already so why not bring the Comedy to the White House?.....

Small Town Stimulus Package....

2011-01-02T22:53:00.002-05:00

It is a slow day in the small Saskatchewan
town of Pumphandle and streets are deserted.

Times are tough, everybody is in debt, and
everybody is living on credit.

A tourist visiting the area drives through town,
stops at the motel, and lays a $100 bill on the
desk saying he wants to inspect the
rooms upstairs to pick one for the night.

As soon as he walks upstairs, the motel owner
grabs the bill and runs next door to pay his debt
to the butcher.

The butcher takes the $100 and runs down
the street to retire his debt to the pig farmer.

The pig farmer takes the $100 and heads
off to pay his bill to his supplier, the Co-op.

The guy at the Co-op takes the $100 and
runs to pay his debt to the local prostitute,
who has also been facing hard times and has had to
offer her "services" on credit.

The hooker rushes to the hotel and pays
off her room bill with the hotel owner.
The hotel proprietor then places the $100
back on the counter so the traveler will
not suspect anything.

At that moment the traveler comes down
the stairs, states that the rooms are not
satisfactory, picks up the $100 bill and leaves.

No one produced anything.

No one earned anything...

However, the whole town is now out of debt
and now looks to the future with a lot more
optimism.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how a
"stimulus package" works.

Now we have Professors starting websites for the RICH to give back tax-cuts ?.....

2010-12-31T21:30:00.008-05:00

So now we have three professors from the elite universities of Yale & Cornell out there who have come up with a website so the "RICH" can now donate the "Tax-cuts" (?) that they just got with Congress extending the "Bush Tax-cuts" last month....

"three professors at Yale and Cornell universities have created a website that encourages wealthy Americans to give their tax savings to charities and send a political message in the process."

One professor is a political scientist while the other two are law professors and with hope they may find a economics professor to help explain tax cuts and their effects but don't count on it. What tax-cuts? Congress extended the "Bush Tax-cuts" keeping the tax rates the same for all federal taxpayers so actually nobody or any one bracket actually got a Tax-cut. It is amazing that people exposed to the "Spin" coming from the Left actually believe that by NOT RAISING a tax rate it is actually a tax-cut !!!...

"The professors started giveitbackforjobs.org to allow Americans "who have the means" to calculate what their tax cut would be and donate that amount to a charity."

Who is it up to when it comes to determine who is of "means" and what amount they should pay? Who determines what is the "fair share" that many claim the rich need to pay? With tax brackets that go from 5% all the way up to 35% for federal income tax payers who determines the "fair share"? When will it ever be enough and what about the 50%+ of the income earners that pay NO federal income tax at all?

Many people will work all of their lives building up their assets, develop businesses and investments, defer monetary and personal gains and put it right back into the business and investments while paying taxes on these assets all along the way. Only to be TAXED AGAIN at the time of their death before the assets are passed onto their families. What right does the government have to assets that have been taxed already?...

"Extending the tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans is frankly unconscionable," Yale Law School professor Daniel Markovits said Wednesday. With the website's help, "donors can pledge their money to support the kinds of programs that will help families, create jobs, and set the country moving toward a just prosperity,"

Another perfect example of class warfare. Not sure what a professor from Yale or Cornell makes but are they in the "wealthiest of Americans" as described and who determines that? If they are in fact in this group who is stopping them from donating their "fair share" to the website? If these "Professors" were to go out and find a real economics professor other than one from their elite universities, they might understand how to really "help families, create jobs, and set the country moving toward a just prosperity," They might learn that if you really want to help families, the economy, and lower the un-employment rate, the best way is to actually lower the tax rates again to inspire investment and faith in the economy. This is a proven fact with the data after the Kennedy tax-cuts, the Reagan tax-cuts, and the Bush 43 tax-cuts. Many stated that when Reagan lowered the top tax rate from 70% that the treasury would go broke. In fact the tax revenue coming into the federal treasury doubled within two years. This week Canada lowered their corporate tax rate to half of what the United States corporate tax rate is at 35%. We have the second highest tax rate in the world. Where do you think business is going to go? The economy is "Dynamic", not "Static" as many of the Left and at Universities believe.....

"The professors say other features of the tax package, including a payroll tax cut and an extension of unemployment benefits, are acceptable but the overall package does not go far enough to help the middle class and doesn't expect enough of those who can afford to give the most."

Who determines "Who" and "How" much?.....

Marine shows us all...

2010-12-22T16:57:00.000-05:00

HOT fishing in the Florida Keys.... Field & Stream Hook Shots.....

2010-12-21T23:17:00.004-05:00

Film crew from Field & Stream magazine on my good friend Capt Mike Weinhofer's boat Compass Rose in the Florida Keys. Turns out the Star was also from New Jersey so that makes for good video and commentary...

Much crying from those in the Keys about a "cold front" of 40 degrees while it was about 15 degrees up here but 40 is cold for "Paradise"... Told Mikeee to go stick his head in his freezer and it would still be warmer than up here!!...

Great video, Great action, and Great boat....

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Obama: Soldiers and family can sit in the back....

2010-12-17T11:33:00.000-05:00

Let's focus on the goverment waste.....

2010-12-16T17:57:00.000-05:00

"BandWagon"...

2010-12-13T11:39:00.000-05:00

"Global Warming" = BIG Business....

2010-12-12T16:50:00.000-05:00

What we teach our children in school....

2010-12-12T16:27:00.000-05:00

Poor Dave, can't get Mom to buy into the Global Warming thing....

2010-12-12T16:23:00.000-05:00

Condi for President !!!...

2010-12-12T16:15:00.001-05:00

Katie, Those darn facts just keep getting in the way...

Dr. Paul Kovalski...

2010-12-12T11:50:00.002-05:00

Marlboro resident Dr. Paul Kovalski, a former member of the Township Council, found the bone of a Hadrosaurus in the area several years ago. Kovalski has treasured the Big Brook region for years. He has brought the area to the attention of the public and he has highlighted the need to preserve this local resource.

Kovalski created Dinosaur Day 11 years ago to celebrate Earth Day and to bring recognition to Marlboro’s important fossil site.

Another great Fossil site in New Jersey.....

Cancun Carbon Footprint....

2010-12-10T10:29:00.005-05:00

Carbon Worrywarts Burn Carbon Posted December 10, 2010 12:00 AM EST
Daily NewsRecord Harrisonburg, VA

I found it both ironic and interesting to see that the DN-R published an Open Forum by one of the two residents who attended the climate conference in Cancun (“Reduce Your Carbon Footprint;” “Couple To Attend Climate Conference In Cancun,” Dec. 2;). The Stricklers will attend part of the two-week conference as nongovernmental observers for the Sierra Club.

In his Open Forum, Charles Strickler also expressed his concerns regarding the use and damaging effects of fossil fuels as well as the reasons for the dire status of our economy.

The carbon calculator I found online estimates the roundtrip flights for Mr. and Mrs. Strickler to Cancun from, say, Charlottesville produced 3,802 lbs. of global warming CO2 gas. And how much better would it have been to spend the money generated by this conference right here in the economy of the United States?

Here is an interesting comment and link in response to the above Letter to the Editor in today's Daily NewsRecord....

Well, the Stricklers did mention R & R, and drinking margaritas, so I hope they had a good time. That really is all that matters. There was an opening prayer to a Mayan goddess. Some say that the 15,000 attendees produced as much carbon as an African nation does in one year. But the price of a ton of carbon on the Chicago Climate Exchange is still zero.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/environment/climatechange/8166871/Cancun-Climate-Conference-What-is-my-carbon-footprint.html

What about the conference itself? Organisers the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) were unable to supply me with a carbon footprint when I asked. But the last conference in Copenhagen, that had just as many people travelling from all around the world, generated the same amount of carbon produced by an African country in one year, and we can hardly suppose it will much less with all the air-conditioning etc.

Just think about the carbon and energy savings if they held this conference by way of tele-conferencing? Everybody wants to sit home in their pajamas "working" on their computers instead of actually traveling into the workplace to save energy and reduce their carbon footprint. Imagine the savings of both if they quit transporting 15,000+ people to tropical islands for two week bash?

The local activist that were mentioned in the above Letter to the Editor traveled to Cancun as "nongovernmental observers" and supported by the Sierra Club... It is good to be active in causes and I am sure the DNR will have a lovely story about their activism\vaction in Cancun and there will sure to be numerous LTE & Open Forums written by the Stricklers. I wonder if they will mention the debate on the overall "footprint" made by this conference?...

The Sierra Club reported Income of $91,843,757 for the year of 2004 with a end of year net worth of $53,339,819...

Imagine how many of those funny looking CFL lightbulbs the Sierra Club could have purchased and the Stricklers could have handed out and the amount of energy saved\Carbon reduction instead of a trip to Cancun?.....

"Climate Change" (Global Warming) BIG Business....

2010-12-10T09:16:00.001-05:00

Climate Depot

More than 1000 dissenting scientists (updates previous 700 scientist report) from around the globe have now challenged man-made global warming claims made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and former Vice President Al Gore. This new 2010 320-page Climate Depot Special Report—updated from 2007’s groundbreaking U.S. Senate Report of over 400 scientists who voiced skepticism about the so-called global warming “consensus”—features the skeptical voices of over 1000 international scientists, including many current and former UN IPCC scientists, who have now turned against the UN IPCC.

The chorus of skeptical scientific voices grew louder in 2010 as the Climategate scandal—which involved the upper echelon of UN IPCC scientists—detonated upon on the international climate movement. “I view Climategate as science fraud, pure and simple,” said noted Princeton Physicist Dr. Robert Austin shortly after the scandal broke. Climategate prompted UN IPCC scientists to turn on each other. UN IPCC scientist Eduardo Zorita publicly declared that his Climategate colleagues Michael Mann and Phil Jones “should be barred from the IPCC process...They are not credible anymore.” Zorita also noted how insular the IPCC science had become. “By writing these lines I will just probably achieve that a few of my future studies will, again, not see the light of publication,” Zorita wrote.

Other UN scientists were more blunt. South African UN scientist declared the UN IPCC a “worthless carcass” and noted IPCC chair Pachauri is in “disgrace”. He also explained that the “fraudulent science continues to be exposed.” Alexander, a former member of the UN Scientific and Technical Committee on Natural Disasters harshly critiqued the UN. “‘I was subjected to vilification tactics at the time. I persisted. Now, at long last, my persistence has been rewarded...There is no believable evidence to support [the IPCC] claims. I rest my case!” See: S. African UN Scientist Calls it! ‘Climate change - RIP: Cause of Death: No scientifically believable evidence...Deliberate manipulation to suit political objectives’ [Also see: New Report: UN Scientists Speak Out On Global Warming—As Skeptics!]

American Flag on Mars?.... Two Vietnams?...

2010-12-09T11:23:00.000-05:00