This is about as clear and easy to understand as it can be. The article below is completely neutral, neither anti-republican or democrat. Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel, has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day. It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!
545 vs. 300,000,000 People
-By Charlie Reese
Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.
Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?
Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?
You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does.
You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.
You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.
You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.
You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.
One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.
I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.
Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.
What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.
The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? John Boehner. He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.
It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.
If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.
If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.
If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ...
If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.
There are no insoluble government problems.
Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.
Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.
They, and they alone, have the power.
They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.
Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees...
We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!
Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.
What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you.
This might be funny if it weren't so true.
Be sure to read all the way to the end:
Tax his land,
Tax his bed,
Tax the table,
At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor,
Tax his mule,
Teach him taxes
Are the rule.
Tax his work,
Tax his pay,
He works for
peanuts anyway!
Tax his cow,
Tax his goat,
Tax his pants,
Tax his coat.
Tax his ties,
Tax his shirt,
Tax his work,
Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco,
Tax his drink,
Tax him if he
Tries to think.
Tax his cigars,
Tax his beers,
If he cries
Tax his tears.
Tax his car,
Tax his gas,
Find other ways
To tax his ass.
Tax all he has
Then let him know
That you won't be done
Till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers;
Then tax him some more,
Tax him till
He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin,
Tax his grave,
Tax the sod in
Which he's laid...
Put these words
Upon his tomb,
'Taxes drove me
to my doom...'
When he's gone,
Do not relax,
Its time to apply
The inheritance tax.
Accounts Receivable Tax
Building Permit Tax
CDL license Tax
Cigarette Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Dog License Tax
Excise Taxes
Federal Income Tax
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Fishing License Tax
Food License Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Gross Receipts Tax
Hunting License Tax
Inheritance Tax
Inventory Tax
IRS Interest Charges IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
Liquor Tax
Luxury Taxes
Marriage License Tax
Medicare Tax
Personal Property Tax
Property Tax
Real Estate Tax
Service Charge Tax
Social Security Tax
Road Usage Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Sales Tax
School Tax
State Income Tax
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Utility Taxes
Vehicle License Registration Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Well Permit Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Tuesday, February 10, 2015
Charlie Reese's Final Column
Monday, February 2, 2015
A Texas Goodbye
“American Sniper”. Here’s some great background information on how Texas
gave him is final farewell. It will help your understanding and appreciation of the movie.
A TEXAS
GOODBYEThis is why America
will remain strong. We take care of our own as well as others who
may not deserve taking care of. I just wanted to share with you all that
out of a horrible tragedy we were blessed by so many
people.Chris Kyle was Derek's
teammate through 10 years of training and battle. They both
suffer/suffered from PTSD to some extent and took great care of each
other because of it.2006 in Ramadi was
horrible for young men that never had any more aggressive physical
contact with another human than on a Texas football field.They lost many
friends. Chris became the armed services number #1 sniper of all
time. Not something he was happy about, other than the fact that
in so doing, he saved a lot of American lives.Three years ago, his
wife Taya asked him to leave the SEAL teams as he had a huge bounty on
his head by Al Qaeda. He did and wrote the book "The American
Sniper." 100% of the proceeds from the book went to two of the
SEAL families who had lost their sons in Iraq .That was the kind of guy
Chris was. He formed a company in Dallas to train military, police
and I think firemen as far as protecting themselves in difficult
situations. He also formed a foundation to work with military
people suffering from PTSD. Chris was a giver not a
taker.He, along with a friend
and neighbor, Chad Littlefield, were murdered trying to help a young man
that had served six months in Iraq and claimed to have PTSD.Now I need to tell you
about all of the blessings.Southwest Airlines flew in any
SEAL and their family from any airport they flew into...free of charge.The employees donated buddy passes
and one lady worked for four days without much of a break to see that it
happened.Volunteers were at both airports
in Dallas to drive them to the hotel.The Marriott Hotel reduced their
rates to $45 a night and cleared the hotel for only SEALs and
family.The Midlothian, TX
Police Department paid the $45 a night for each room. I would
guess there were about 200 people staying at the hotel, 100 of them were
SEALs. Two large buses were chartered (an unknown donor paid the
bill) to transport people to the different events and they also had a
few rental cars (donated). The police and secret service were on
duty 24 hours during the stay at our hotel.At the Kyle house, the Texas DPS
parked a large motor home in front to block the view from reporters. It
remained there the entire five days for the SEALs to congregate in and
all to use the restroom so as not to have to go in the house.
Taya, their two small children and both sets of parents were staying in
the home.Only a hand full of
SEALs went into the home as they had different duties and meetings were
held sometimes on a hourly basis. It was a huge coordination of
many different events and security. Derek was assigned to be a
Pall Bearer, to escort Chris' body when it was transferred from the
Midlothian Funeral Home to the Arlington Funeral Home, and to be with
Taya. A tough job.Taya seldom came out of
her bedroom. The house was full with people from the church and
other family members that would come each day to help. I spent one
morning in a bedroom with Chris’ mom and the next morning with Chad
Littlefield's parents (the other man murdered with Chris). A tough
job.George W Bush and his
wife Laura met and talked to everyone on the Seal Team one on one.
They went behind closed doors with Taya for quite a while. They had
prayer with us all. You can tell when people were sincere and
caringNolan Ryan sent his
cooking team, a huge grill and lots of steaks, chicken and
hamburgers. They set up in the front yard and fed people all day
long including the 200 SEALs and their families. The next day a
local BBQ restaurant set up a buffet in front of the house and fed all
once again. Food was plentiful and all were taken care of.
The family's church kept those inside the house well fed.Jerry Jones, the man everyone
loves to hate, was a rock star. He made sure that we all were
taken care of. His wife and he were just making sure everyone was
taken care of….Class... He donated the use of Cowboy Stadium for the
services as it was determined that so many wanted to attend.The charter buses transported us
to the stadium on Monday at 10:30 am. Every car, bus, motorcycle
was searched with bomb dogs and police. I am not sure if kooks
were making threats trying to make a name for themselves or if so many
SEALs in one place was a security risk, I don't know. We willingly
obliged. No purses went into the stadium!We were taken to The Legends room
high up and a large buffet was available. That was for about 300
people. We were growing.A Medal of Honor
recipient was there, lots of secret service and police and Sarah Palin
and her husband. She looked nice, this was a very formal military
service.The service started at 1:00 pm and
when we were escorted onto the field I was shocked. We heard that
about 10,000 people had come to attend also. They were seated in
the stadium seats behind us. It was a beautiful and emotional
service.The Bagpipe and drum corps were
wonderful and the Texas A&M men's choir stood through the entire
service and sang right at the end. We were all in
tears.The next day was the
200-mile procession from Midlothian, TX to Austin for burial. It
was a cold, drizzly, windy day, but the people were out. We had
dozens of police motorcycles riders, freedom riders, five chartered
buses and lots of cars. You had to have a pass to be in the
procession and still it was huge. Two helicopters circled the
procession with snipers sitting out the side door for protection. It was
the longest funeral procession ever in the state of Texas. People
were everywhere. The entire route was shut down ahead of us, the people
were lined up on the side of the road the entire way. Firemen were
down on one knee, police officers were holding their hats over their
hearts, children waving flags, veterans saluting as we went by.
Every bridge had fire trucks with large flags displayed from their tall
ladders, people all along the entire 200 miles were standing in the cold
weather. It was so heartwarming. Taya rode in the hearse with
Chris' body so Derek rode the route with us. I was so grateful to
have that time with him.The service was at Texas National
Cemetery. Very few are buried there and you have to apply to get in. It
is like people from the Civil War, Medal of Honor winners, a few from
the Alamo and all the historical people of Texas. It was a nice
service and the Freedom Riders surrounded the outside of the entire
cemetery to keep the crazy church people from Kansas that protest at
military funerals away from us.Each SEAL put his Trident (metal
SEAL badge) on the top of Chris' casket, one at a time. A lot hit
it in with one blow. Derek was the only one to take four taps to
put his in and it was almost like he was caressing it as he did
it. Another tearful moment.After the service
Governor Rick Perry and his wife, Anita, invited us to the governor's
mansion. She stood at the door, greeted each of us
individually, and gave each of the SEALs a coin of Texas. She was
a sincere, compassionate, and gracious hostess.We were able to tour the
ground floor and then went into the garden for beverages and BBQ.
So many of the Seal team guys said that after they get out they are
moving to Texas. They remarked that they had never felt so much
love and hospitality. The charter buses then took the guys to the
airport to catch their returning flights. Derek just now
called and after a 20 hours flight he is back in his spot, in a
dangerous land on the other side of the world, protecting
America.
My VA Appointment
I visited a VA physician last week who was quite enthusiastic. It was a "new" doctor in the practice, a young lady (at MY age, EVERYBODY is "young"!
When I was born, the Dead Sea wasn't even sick!) She was obviously a liberal by her dress and manner. I was thinking of hitting on her, but I didn't like the phrase she used, "You remind me of my grandfather."
She asked me what was wrong, and I replied, "I have a cut on my leg; and I think it may be getting infected."
She said, "Before we start, I have to ask you a few questions. Are you allergic to any medications?"
I replied, "No."
She said,"Do you have any guns in the house?"
I said,"HUH??"
She replied,"Guns. Do you have any guns in the house?"
I asked,"Why?"
She said,"I've got to ask this question. It is required under the Affordable Care Act."
I asked,"What are you going to do with the data?"
She said, "We compile it, amalgamate it, and submit it to the government."
I said,"Well, I have a Tommy Gun. I let my kid Tommy play with it."
She said,"What's a Tommy Gun? I don't think that is the kind of gun they are concerned with."
With THAT, I knew I had a live one. I said, "It's similar to a B.A.R., but a little heavier and shorter. I have a B.A.R. also."
She said,"A B.A.R.?"
I said,"Yes."
She looked puzzled. Then she brightened up and asked,"Do you have any assault rifles?"
I attempted to look puzzled, and said, "I don't know. What is an assault rifle?"
She said, "That's a gun that is used in wars."
I said, "As a matter of fact, I do I have a replica of a Revolutionary War musket."
She began to look a bit exasperated. I pretended not to notice and kept up the appearance of trying to be helpful.
She said,"Do you have anything more modern than that?"
I replied,"Well, yes I do. I have a replica muzzle loader from the Civil War. Do you know the difference between a musket and a muzzle loader?"
She rather peevishly said,"No, I don't; and I don't want to. What else do you have?"
I said, "I have an M-1."
She asked,"What's that?"
I said,"A rifle."
She asked, "What kind?"
I replied,"It is called a Garand."
She rather loudly said, "I don't care if it is a grand rifle or not. Is it an assault rifle?"
To which I replied, "I don't know. I don't know what an assault rifle is. You say it's a rifle used in war, yet you say that my musket and muzzle loader are not assault rifles."
She calmed down (a bit) and asked,"Anything else?"
I said,"I have an MG-.30, and an MG-.50. I'm also part owner of an Apache. But they are not rifles."
She stated,"Well, then, I'm not interested in them. Anything else."
I replied,"Well, yes. I also have a 12-gauge and a 20-gauge pump. They are not rifled though."
She said,"I'm not interested in pumps; I'm interested in guns."
I replied,"Well, then, I have a Colt, a Luger, a Glock, a bazooka, a Parabellum, a Kalishnikov, a Henry, an Uzi, a Llama, and a Beretta--but they are not rifles."
She then said,"I've had enough of this. I think you're toying with me. Let me see your leg."
I then said, "Excuse me, but before you look at my leg, I have a few questions to ask of you."
She replied, "Of course. What are they?"
I said, "I have given you a lot of information about my guns. I am somewhat concerned about your knowledge and ability to assimilate, make coherent sense of that information, and report it correctly. Do you know the difference between a .22 caliber and a .223 caliber? It's a rather fundamental difference."
She replied, "Actually, I don't."
I said, "I see. Let me ask some more relevant questions. "How much money do you make?"
She said,"That's personal, why do you ask?"
I said, "Well, in pushing the Health Care Act, my president cautioned the population about doctors that would amputate a leg rather than treat a cut because they make more money that way. Consequently, I wish to know if you are financially troubled. What kind of car do you drive? What are your house payments? How much is your mortgage? How much credit card debt do you have? Do you have a student loan; if so, how much?"
She said, "I'm not going to answer those questions. You have no right to ask them."
I then asked, "Do you have training and education in homeopathic techniques? Do you know the benefits/effects of CoQ10, ginseng, fish oil, Creatine, BCAA, and other such herbal treatments? " Do you know the difference between Panax ginseng, American ginseng, and Siberian ginseng?"
She replied,"Well, No!"
I then asked, "Well, have you studied it at all?"
She replied rather defensively, "NO; it's all a bunch of hogwash anyway!"
I said, "Oh, then you have read the research on it. What have you read?"
She then said,"I don't waste my time reading such things. Why are you asking me these questions?"
I said, "Well, if I'm going to turn my body over to you for treatment, I believe it is reasonable for me to know something about your motivation, training, experience, and competence. Do you know anything about the practice of holistic medicine?"
She said, rather angrily, "No, I don't!"
I said, "Oh. O.K. How much experience do you have in practicing medicine?"
She replied, "Well, not very much."
To which I said, "Well, we all have to start somewhere. What medical school did you go to; what is its rank in terms of other medical schools; where did you intern; and where did you do your residency? What is the rank of the hospital where you did your internship and residency?"
She rather peevishly said,"All my credentials are posted in the waiting room."
To which I said, "Really? The rank of your medical school is posted in the waiting room? Do you have any experience with leg injuries? If so, how much?"
I guess that was too much for her. She rather crossly said,"I think it would be best if you saw a different doctor." ...and started to leave the room.
I said, "You know, doctor. You asked me irrelevant questions about my guns, and I answered them. Whether or not I own guns is really none of your business and has absolutely nothing to do with any treatment you might prescribe. On the other hand, I ask you questions quite relevant to my situation, and you refuse to answer them. Isn't that somewhat backwards?"
She said,"But I HAVE to ask those questions. It's the law."
To which I replied, "Actually, it is NOT the law. Here is what the law says--taken directly from the Affordable Care Act:"
(1)WELLNESS AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS.- A wellness and health promotion activity implemented under subsection (a) (1) (D) may not require the disclosure or collection of any information elating to:
(A) the presence or storage of a lawfully-possessed firearm or ammunition in the residence or on the property of an individual; or
(B) the lawful use, possession, or storage of a firearm or ammunition by an individual.
(2) LIMITATION ON DATA COLLECTION.-None of the authorities provided to the Secretary under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or an amendment made by that act shall be construed to authorize or may be used for the collection of any information relating to:
(A) the lawful ownership or possession of a firearm or ammunition;
(B) the lawful use of a firearm or ammunition; or
(C) the lawful storage of a firearm or ammunition.
BEWARE, THE ABOVE ONLY APPLIES TO OBAMA CARE, IT DOES NOT APPLY TO OTHER GOVERNMENT VENUES!!!!
You may verify the above at:http://housedocs.house.gov/energycommerce/ppacacon.pdfhttp://wizbangblog.com/2013/01/10/obamacare-amendment-does-not-forbid-gun-and-ammo-registration/
"As you can see, you have broken federal law TWICE--once by asking, and once by collecting data. It is perfectly legal for me to own guns; it is NOT legal for you to ask and/or collect such data. YOU are breaking the law, and yet YOU are the one that is angry. Not only that, but you erroneously stated that you must ask such questions, and you did it in a very authoritative and convincing manner. You gave me false information, which I then acted upon by answering your questions. On that basis, how can I be expected to trust your medical judgment? When I attempted to ascertain your medical competency, you became defensive and hostile. There is really no need for me to see another doctor in this practice. I'll go somewhere else, where my privacy is respected, and I can trust the information I receive."
Semper Fidelis,
George E. Jones
Colonel , U. S. Marine Corps, Retired
Lexophile
"Lexophile" is a word used to describe those that have a love for words, such as "you can tune a piano, but you can't tuna fish", or "to write with a broken pencil is pointless."A competition to see who can come up with the best lexophiles is held every year in an undisclosed location. This year's winning submission is posted at the very end... When fish are in schools, they sometimes take debate.
.. A thief who stole a calendar got twelve months.
.. When the smog lifts in Los Angeles U.C.L.A.
.. The batteries were given out free of charge.
.. A dentist and a manicurist married. They fought tooth and nail.
.. A will is a dead giveaway.
.. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
.. A boiled egg is hard to beat.
.. When you've seen one shopping center you've seen a mall.
.. Police were summoned to a daycare center where a three-year-old was resisting a rest.
.. Did you hear about the fellow whose entire left side was cut off? He's all right now.
.. A bicycle can't stand alone; it's just two tired.
.. When a clock is hungry it goes back four seconds.
.. The guy who fell onto an upholstery machine is now fully recovered.
.. He had a photographic memory which was never developed.
.. When she saw her first strands of grey hair she thought she'd dye.
.. Acupuncture is a jab well done. That's the point of it.And the cream of the twisted crop:
.. Those who get too big for their pants will be totally exposed in the end.
Thursday, January 15, 2015
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