Rule #7: Never trust a Liberal.....

Rule # 7...

Never trust a Liberal...

I will explain later...

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

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” ?….

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2011 Shad Planking....

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"

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

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

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.....

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Box(es) of Rocks?...

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?...

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

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?.....

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How confident are they in their candidate?...

"According to Erich Heyssel, who was attempting to film a Coakley campaign event, “While filming at a Martha Coakley event I was approached by two men holding a 4×8 sign. They proceeded to hold the sign up in my line of sight, I tried to move, and was continuously blocked by these men and their sign.”

Heyssel continued, “The situation escalated as they forcibly held me in place by wrapping the sign around me.”

Dan Tripp, the project leader for Americans for Limited Government Foundation’s coverage of the Massachusetts special election, defended Heyssel, saying, “Martha Coakley needs to calm down her bullies.”

Tripp said “things could get ugly out there tomorrow as tensions rise in this close election. As we seek to identify, publicize and prevent election fraud tomorrow, I have instructed my crews to travel in teams. If Erich had been alone, this could have been worse.”

The above video on You-Tube reminded me of what we saw this year at the 2009 Buena Vista Labor Day Parade where numerous Creigh Deeds (D) supporters blatantly blocked the Republican Candidates for Virginia Governor signs with their Democratic Party candidates (Creigh Deeds) signs...
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And get this! The Democrat candidate who lost two local elections back to back in the Shenandoah Valley who writes a column for the Rockbridge Weekly paper even gave the Creigh Deeds supporters a "Bee-Vee" award as seen here...
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This tactic was not limited to the Buena Vista parade and just the Deeds supporters. It also happened and was condoned by the workers of the Democratic Headquarters in Waynesboro as evident in this post...

Biden coming to help Creigh Deeds?... Coffee is on me boys!!!...

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The Washington Times reports that Joe Biden will be coming to VA to help out Deeds with his campaign...

Good deal boys.

Stop by the Valley and I will be glad to take the V.P. and Deeds to my local 7-eleven for a "cup of Joe" just to see how Biden handles the girls that work at our 7-eleven.

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"You cannot go to a 7-eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent.I'm not joking"!... Joe Biden

I happen to know of another worker who would love to hear what Jo Biden has to say about his comment:

"I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice looking guy. I mean, thats a storybook, man... Joe Biden

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After that I know of several local farmers who are regulars at the coffee bar who would like to have a word with Mr. Biden and his sidekick Deeds...

Al Gore... Turning "GREEN" into $GREEN$...

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When Gore left office in January 2001, he was said to have a net worth in the neighborhood of $2 million. A mere eight years later, estimates are that he is now worth about $100 million. It seems it's easy being green, at least for some.

It appears that Al Gore has turned his loss in 2000, YES he did lose the election no matter how many ways you count (or not count) the votes, into a profitable "Green Industry"... But as the debate continues, no matter how many times the "Democrats" and Gore claim that the Global Warming debate is over (They have even changed it to "Global Change now), it appears now that the only true global change that took place was in how billions will be spent on Cap & Trade supported with bogus computer models and one-sided facts... Fortunately Republican Representative Marsha Blackburn (Tenn) asked some of the much needed questions regarding Gore's True intentions ...

Blackburn then asked the $100 million question: "Is that something that you are going to personally benefit from?" Gore gave the stock answer that "the transition to a green economy is good for our economy and good for all of us, and I have invested in it but every penny that I have made I have put right into a nonprofit, the Alliance for Climate Protection, to spread awareness of why we have to take on this challenge."

And then Gore had some Stumble-Stutter problems in appearing in front of a congressional hearing on global warming when taking some questions from Representative Steve Scalise from Louisiana...

And then there is the article where George Will advises Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer not to worry to much about some shrinking glaciers and remember back to many of the "Global Change" horror stories of the 1970's...


While worrying about Montana's receding glaciers, Schweitzer, who is 50, should also worry about the fact that when he was 20 he was told to be worried, very worried, about global cooling.


Science magazine (Dec. 10, 1976) warned of "extensive Northern Hemisphere glaciation


Science Digest (February 1973) reported that "the world's climatologists are agreed" that we must "prepare for the next ice age.


The Christian Science Monitor ("Warning: Earth's Climate is Changing Faster Than Even Experts Expect," Aug. 27, 1974) reported that glaciers "have begun to advance," "growing seasons in England and Scandinavia are getting shorter" and "the North Atlantic is cooling down about as fast as an ocean can cool."


Newsweek agreed ("The Cooling World," April 28, 1975) that meteorologists "are almost unanimous" that catastrophic famines might result from the global cooling that the New York Times (Sept. 14, 1975) said "may mark the return to another ice age.


The Times (May 21, 1975) also said "a major cooling of the climate is widely considered inevitable" now that it is "well established" that the Northern Hemisphere's climate "has been getting cooler since about 1950."


It appears Al Gore has learned and used a very important factor in business and politics...

Marketing, Marketing, Marketing...

Bill & Terry together once gain...

Bill and Terry website....

Raines: $24.7 Million in fines but "this is an agreement to disagree"...

A little background info on those who claimed "Everythings fine" over at Fannie Mae and Freddie-Mac...

Watch the video then read what was reported by the Seattle Times...

WASHINGTON — "Former Fannie Mae chief Franklin Raines and two other top executives have agreed to a $31.4 million settlement with the government announced today over their roles in a 2004 accounting scandal."

"Raines, a Seattle native and prominent Washington figure who was President Clinton's budget director, is relinquishing company stock options, proceeds from stock sales and other benefits. His part of the settlement is worth $24.7 million"

Raines' total compensation from 1998 through 2004 was $91.1 million, including some $52.6 million in bonuses, according to OFHEO

"Fannie Mae paid a record $400 million civil fine in a settlement with OFHEO and the Securities and Exchange Commission. It also agreed to make top-to-bottom changes in its corporate culture, accounting procedures and ways of managing risk."

White Construction Workers need not apply...

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A top economic adviser (Robert Reich) to President Obama has told a congressional panel the billions of dollars in the proposed economic stimulus plan should be allocated with social issues in mind, to make sure the money doesn't go to just "white male construction workers" or the highly skilled.

Clinton Secretary of Labor Robert Reich

Prior statements by Robert Reich...

In response to a question as to what to recommend to the incoming president regarding a fair and sustainable income and wealth distribution, Reich said, "Expand the Earned Income Tax Credit — a wage supplement for lower-income people, and finance it with a higher marginal income tax on the top five percent

Obama “Official Comment” Checklist

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1. That is NOT the: William Ayers that I know…

2. That is NOT the: Tony Rezco that I know…

3. That is NOT the: Rev. Jeremiah Wright
That I know…

4. That is NOT the: Gov. Rod Blagojevich
that I know…

5. That is NOT the: _________ that I
That I know…

6. That is NOT the: _________ that I
That I know…

7. That is NOT the: _________ that I
That I know…

8. That is NOT the: _________ that I
That I know…

9. That is NOT the: _________ that I
That I know…

10. That is NOT the: _________ that I
That I know…

Pelosi: "Draining the Swamp" or "Circling the Wagons" ?...

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Remember back after the 2006 elections when the Democratic party took control of congress and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said they were going to "drain the swamp" of corruption in D.C.?

Still pending is the looming trial on federal bribery charges of one Democratic Party Representative William Jefferson, Louisiana.

You remember Jefferson. He is the guy who got caught with $80,000 cash in his freezer at home that was associated with him taking bribes regarding business deals in Nigeria, Ghana and other nations...

Of course the Democratic Representative has not yet been convicted at this time but why has it taken so long for this case to come to trial as compared to how quickly the conviction took place of Stevens from Alaska? Stevens was guilty and convicted and many people from the Republican Party called for Stevens to step down before and after the recent election...

But yet there is no call for Democratic Representative Jefferson to step down or allow another Democratic candidate to take his place. In fact it seems he has much support from the Democratic Party:

"Since his June 2007 indictment, Mr. Jefferson has raised more than a quarter-million dollars in political donations to retain the House seat he's held since 1990.
The money includes tens of thousands of dollars from political action committees controlled by other members of Congress. He's also gotten help from labor union PACs."

"Still, Mr. Jefferson's fundraising success contrasts with how politicians reacted after the indictment of Alaska Republican Sen. Ted Stevens in August. Several Republican senators, including defeated presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, announced at the time that contributions received from Mr. Stevens would go to charity."

"By contrast, members of Congress have been coming to Mr. Jefferson's aid. He has received at least $14,000 from Secure PAC, the leadership committee headed by Mississippi Democratic Rep. Bennie Thompson. Mr. Thompson also gave $2,300 through his separate re-election campaign fund."

And let us not forget the actions of the Democratic Representative William Jefferson back during the aftermath of the Katrina hurricane and during rescue operations...

"Rep. William Jefferson commandeered a National Guard detachment on September 2, during the height of the Katrina rescue operations, to go check on his own home and retrieve his belongings. Ultimately, several soldiers, a helicopter, and at least two large trucks were involved in the operation."

Imagine what the "belongings" might have been?...

So let us wait until after the trial and final result...

If the result is guilty and there is a conviction of the Democratic Representative,

Will Pelosi and the Democratic Party in fact "Drain the Swamp"

or

"Circle the Wagons"?...

"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste"?...

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"You never want a serious crisis to go to waste"...

"What I mean by that is it's an opportunity to do things that you think you could not do before"...

President-elect Obama's Chief of staff Rahm Emanuel made this statement in the above video clip and went on to describe the "opportunity" to make things right as he sees it...

He went on to describe several "opportunities" that it seems both he and his Obama are planning to implement plans to correct as they see fit. It almost seems that they are happy to see these "opportunities" as being in crisis to provide more lattitude in their proposed actions...

It will be interesting to see what the Obama team does with these "Crisis" situations and what kind of lattitude they take...

Saturday Night Live has even done a sketch about Emanuel and his statements but it is listed as "Unaired" by the site Breitbart but they have it here...

"Bailout" for who?...

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Pelosi and gang are working hard to deliver a "bailout" to the Top-3 Auto worker Unions that helped deliver them a victory last Tuesdays on election day. In fact President-elect Obama is now calling for a $50 BILLION bailout to the Top-3 automakers in Detroit as seen here...

"Congressional Democrats, meanwhile, are pushing for legislation to help the automakers. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for congressional action, saying failure by one or more of the big U.S. automakers would have a ``devastating impact'' on the U.S. economy. Assistance must be conditioned on ``rigorous independent oversight'' of carmakers and restrictions on executive compensation, she said in a statement."

We see that Pelosi calls for "rigorous independent oversight" but it seems targeted at the evil "executive compensation" side of the problem. The article states that there should be the appointment of a "Auto-czar" but there is no mention of restructuring the Labor side of this equation. As stated in the prior post on this subject, the Top-3 automakers made very poor labor deals in the past and these too must be dealt with if the Top-3 are to survive. Otherwise we will just be dumping Billions of taxpayer money into a industry destined to fail...

What to do with the Auto Industry?...

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The U.S. Auto industry, or should I say the "Top Three" automakers, are in trouble. Both GM and Ford are reporting massives loses and doubt that they will be able to continue operations if they do not receive additional "bail-out" money from the Federal government (Taxpayers)...

Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is doing her best to bring more of this taxpayer aid to save the Big-3 automakers and the jobs they represent. Possibly her actions are to secure additional “bail-out” money so to prevent the Big-3 auto manufacturers from having to go into bankruptcy courts where many of the negotiated Union Auto-workers would be subject to cancellation or change. Unions are a very large voting bloc for the Democratic Party and this may be a significant reason for Pelosi’s actions… Do you Think!!!…

As analyzed by Harbour-Felax, labor costs the Detroit Three substantially more per vehicle than it does the Japanese

Health care is the biggest chunk. GM (Charts), for instance spends $1,635 per vehicle on health care for active and retired workers in the U.S. Toyota (Charts) pays nothing for retired workers - it has very few - and only $215 for active ones

Other labor costs add to the bill. Contract issues like work rules, line relief and holiday pay amount to $630 per vehicle - costs that the Japanese don’t have. And paying UAW members for not working when plants are shut costs another $350 per vehicle.

For those of you keeping score at home, that’s approximately $2,615 in costs per vehicle manufactured which GM has to pay (and thus pass on to its customers) that foreign automakers don’t. But that’s just the beginning. Labor work requirements, which state that workers can’t be laid off even when the auto company has no work for them, cost the auto industry even more:

"If an assembly plant with 3,000 workers has no dealer orders, it has two options. One is to close the plant for a week and not build any cars. Then the company still has to give the idled workers 95 percent of their take-home pay plus all benefits for not working. So a one-week shutdown costs $7.7 million or $1,545 for each vehicle it didn’t make"

"If the company decides to go ahead and run the plant for a week without any dealer orders, it will have distressed merchandise on its hands. Then it has to sell the vehicles to daily rental companies like Hertz or Avis at discounts of $3,000 to $5,000 per vehicle, which creates a flood of used cars in three to six months and damages resale value. Or it can put the vehicles into storage and pay dealers up to $1,250 apiece to take them off its hands"

Management for the auto manufacturers are also very much responsible for the state and condition of the American owned industry for they have negotiated and signed off on the contracts that have led to where they are now… But should the Federal government once again “bail-out” an industry that has gotten itself into trouble by their own “greed” (both Mgmt and Unions) and actions?

In the past I have bought American made vehicles such as Chrysler, Chevrolet, and General Motors products, to support the American worker. I do not wish to see harm to those retired workers who put their time in and are looking to get their promised benefits. But with these bad deals that were made by BOTH sides resulting in an additional $2,615 tacked onto a GM price tag, should the government bail these guys out with our tax money? And with Honda and other auto manufacturers operating plants in Texas, the Carolina’s, and other states, should I not buy a auto that was made by American workers in these plants?…

Joe Biden Claims FDR went on T.V. to tell the people...

"When the stock market crashed, Franklin D. Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the, you know, the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened,"

The only problem with this is that FDR was not the President at the time of the stock market crash of October 1929 and the television wasn’t introduced to the public until a decade later at the 1939 World’s Fair…

This guy could be “Just one heartbeat away from the Presidency” but the question is whether or not he would know it at the time or if he will be more interested as to what is on the “boob-tube” instead…

"Way to go, Joe"...