Category: Life

Warning! Political stuff.

Forgive me, but I read about this stuff, think about this stuff, see what others write about this stuff on Twitter and if I don’t write out my thoughts and feelings on these issues, I’m fairly certain my brain will explode all over your monitor.

If you don’t agree with me politically (I’m a moderate conservative [I’m pretty sure that’s an oxymoron]), then please skip this post. Thanks.

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Interesting news day. While the Obama administration scrambles to figure out what exactly happened with the bin Laden event and then how to spin it to the rest of the country (I believe we’re on, what, version 13 or 14 now?), here’s what else is going on in our country right now.

Are you paying attention?

http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/66161703624257536

The Obama administration has floated a transportation authorization bill that would require the study and implementation of a plan to tax automobile drivers based on how many miles they drive.

The plan is a part of the administration’s “Transportation Opportunities Act,” an undated draft of which was obtained this week by Transportation Weekly.

The White House, however, said the bill is only an early draft that was not formally circulated within the administration.

So … not only will we have to pay taxes on the gas we buy, we’ll have to pay taxes on the miles we drive while being stuck in traffic burning more gas.

And then, AND THEN …

http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/66208128840110080

Workers would be able to divert a portion of their paychecks into an untaxed account that can be used to pay for gas and other fuels under new legislation set to be introduced in the Senate this week.

The legislation, authored by Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska), is aimed at lessening the burden of high gas prices on consumers. The bill comes as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are scrambling to do something about gas prices, which are nearing $4 a gallon.

SOOOOO, let me get this straight – -we open tax-free accounts so we can buy gas, then get taxed on gas we buy AND taxed on the miles we drive.

What. The. Hell??

We have GOT to vote these idiots out of office and soon. Why is the government’s answer to ALWAYS insert more regulations when all we have to do to fix these idiotic problems is to restructure, annihilate existing programs?

Also? Two words – domestic drilling. We have enough oil here at home to sustain us for many years. In the meantime, we could develop an effective, cost-efficient energy source to get us off oil and out from under foreign influence.

I mean seriously people, it’s not rocket science!!

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http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/66174224234057728

The number of people applying for unemployment benefits surged last week to the highest level in eight months, a troubling sign a day ahead of the government’s report on April employment.

The Labor Department said Thursday that applications rose 43,000 to 474,000 in the week ended April 30, the third increase in four weeks. The four-week average, a less volatile measure, rose for the fourth straight week to 431,250.

Rising unemployment applications and other weak economic data this week have prompted some analysts to worry that higher fuel prices may be causing employers to slow their pace of hiring.

Brilliant observation, Sherlock.

This economic recovery ROCKS, doesn’t it?

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And speaking of Obama and Ground Zero – does anyone else find it disturbing that he’s passing himself off as some sort of hero about this bin Laden deal when in fact he fought tooth and nail to block the procedures that got us the information to get the man to begin with AND sat on giving the go ahead a whopping 16 hours after he got wind of what was going on only to take full credit and milk it for all it’s worth after its success?

Can you imagine what would have happened and who he would have blamed if it HADN’T been successful?

This man’s ego is seriously unbelievable.

I don’t blame President Bush for declining an invitation to join him at Ground Zero. I also don’t blame 9/11 families for refusing to participate.

This whole thing is disturbing.

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And while we’re on the subject of Obama taking credit for bin Laden’s death …

The Obama campaign has purchased the domain: www.gutsycall.com and when you click on it, it re-directs you to Obama’s campaign website. This is the height of douchebaggery, especially since Obama had to be FORCED to actually make that “gutsy call“!

So let me get this right. It was Leon Panetta, not Barack Obama who put this deal together, and made the “gutsy call.” As usual, Obama was voting “present.” The only difference is this time he had a real leader calling him out and forcing him to act.

Let me leave asking this: How do you think the “Muslim street” will feel knowing Obama is using the death of bin Laden to raise money to get re-elected?

Source

I don’t even know what to say to this.

Mr. President, you’re a jerk.

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I’m betting you didn’t hear about this little nugget, either.

http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/66196443752435712

It’s because the lame-stream media are too busy kissing Obama’s butt and trying to make him out to be a hero to actually report on the actual news.

It’s official.

Home prices have double dipped nationwide, now lower than their March 2009 trough, according to a new report from Clear Capital.

It was inevitable, and it was predicted (by me for sure) that a surge in sales of foreclosed properties and a big push by banks to facilitate short sales would force home prices down dramatically.

Sales of bank-owned (REO) properties hit 34.5 percent of the market, according to the survey, resulting in a national price drop of 4.9 percent quarterly and 5 percent year-over-year. National home prices have fallen 11.5 percent in the past nine months, a rate not seen since 2008. Add short sales, where the bank allows the borrower to sell for less than the value of the mortgage, and prices have nowhere to go but down.

I like how the article makes the banks out to be the big, bad wolf in this scenario. Let’s not forget that the government passed regulations that FORCED banks to loan to people who could not afford to pay their mortgages to begin with. Now that their loans are due, and they can’t pay, the banks are forced to foreclose because HELLO, you can’t live in a house for free.

And because more people are losing their jobs because of this awesome economic recovery that the White House insists is happening, then that means MORE people are being forced out of their homes.

This has nothing to do with the rich versus the poor and everything to do with folks who bit off more than they could chew and a government that helped them get in this situation from the very beginning.

And for the rest of us who are still fortunate enough to have a roof over our heads? This means our homes are now worth even less than what we paid for them.

Sweet.

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And lastly, one more bit of sad, and alarming, news:

Nearly Half Of Detroiters Can’t Read

According to a new report, 47 percent of Detroiters (emphasis added) are ”functionally illiterate.” The alarming new statistics were released by the Detroit Regional Workforce Fund on Wednesday.

“Not able to fill out basic forms, for getting a job — those types of basic everyday (things). Reading a prescription; what’s on the bottle, how many you should take… just your basic everyday tasks,” she said.

Source

This both saddens, and angers, me. This alarming statistic just happens to be in a city where teachers’ unions are very strong. In fact, a lot of the Detroit schools had to close because they couldn’t meet the unions demands.

So you tell me which is the lesser of two evils here – closing schools so they can add to entitlement programs and give fat raises to teachers/staff, or to leave nearly HALF of the city unable to read as a result of kowtowing to their demands.

We live in crazy times, my friends.

http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/65072100624445440

“Karen. The president is making a special announcement at 10:30,” Kevin says to me as I’m watching an episode of “Samantha Who?” on Netflix online.

I rolled my eyes. Excuse me for the sarcasm but that’s my general reaction whenever I hear Obama is about to make ANOTHER speech.

The man is stuck in campaign mode.

Still. Ten-thirty at night? This was unusual, but I figured I would hear about it soon enough and quite honestly (really, when am I NOT honest with you, Internet), I much prefer to read Obama’s transcripts so I don’t have to subject myself to his arrogant attitude, his haughty expressions and that annoying, drawn-out ssssssss sound he makes any time he says a word that ends in S.

Seriously. I picture a cartoon whistling snake slithering through tall grass whenever I hear him talk – I can’t help it.

I’m just getting back into the show (Christina Applegate is so adorable), when Kevin pops his head around the corner.

“Obama hasn’t come on yet, but rumor has it that Osama bin Laden is dead,” he tells me. Again. I remain motionless as I absorb this information.

My first thought was “about damn time,” and then a feeling of vindication for all the people who lost loved ones on 9/11 and a surge of pride for our country – you mess with us, we will hunt you down and make you pay. It may take us years, but we WILL seek justice.

My second thought was, “crap. This is going to make Obama look good.”

And that made me angry. Not because I’m hell bent on removing the man from office (because I am, actually), but because he would likely take credit for it, with the media’s blessing (and I was right), and spin it so that he somehow comes out as a hero in this whole decade ordeal even though he vowed to shut down the hunt and instead, try and offer an olive branch to a section of radical extremists who have no interest in anything other than displaying our heads on spikes.

Let’s be clear, to coin an Obama phrase, Obama gave the go ahead to instigate the raid, and kudos to him for doing so, by the way, but he did NOT, nor should NOT, take credit for any part in taking bin Laden out. Those policies/procedures/plans were firmly in place from the Bush/Cheney era and carried out by our very capable and pretty damn awesome special ops teams.

Period.

I’ve been watching people on Twitter celebrate the death of bin Laden and even though I’m glad the man is gone and in fact, deserved to die for the sheer number of American deaths that him, and his followers, have carried out over the years …

Remember 9/11 and the 2,977 innocent men, women, and children murdered by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 2000 USS Cole and the 17 sailors killed by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 1998 US Embassy Bombings in Africa, the 12 US diplomats, and hundreds of Kenyans slaughtered by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, the six killed, and hundreds injured by bin Laden’s jihadi henchmen.

Remember the 1983 Beirut bombings and the 241 US servicemen murdered by bin Laden’s jihadi spiritual brethren.

Source

… still, I felt a bit uncomfortable with just HOW jubilant people have been. In fact, some have been downright gloating and I’m not sure that reaction is exactly right, either. I even saw several people chastise Christians for not “turning the other cheek” on this issue. (Which, by the way, turning the other cheek is translated to mean ignore insults and mockery, it does NOT refer to social justice).

And there are some people who want to believe that now that bin Laden is gone, we can breathe easier and consider ourselves “safe” from terrorists.

I only wish that were true.

http://twitter.com/#!/writefromkaren/status/65119208354222080

Osama bin Laden has only been a figurehead, there is still an organization, and I daresay it will never go away, not truly, that believe Americans are the devil’s spawn – we’ll never be truly safe until Christ comes back to save us.

Evil does, and will continue, to be present. People who think it’s possible to have a Utopia before Christ returns are naive and gullible.

I have questions; I can’t help it, I question authority, that’s who I am. I wonder if the person they killed was indeed Osama bin Laden. They allegedly compared DNA samples to his sister’s brain (who died last year from brain cancer) and that bin Laden’s wife called out his name during the raid, but what if, and humor me for a moment please, the DNA match wasn’t actually bin Laden but one of his brothers? After all, couldn’t a familial DNA sample match those within the same family? And why would the wife call out bin Laden’s name during the attack? Was that some sort of ploy to throw our soldiers off track and instinctively target the man she was addressing? What if it was a ploy to divert attention from bin Laden? And why was bin Laden buried at sea so quickly? I get that Muslim customs require a body to be buried within 24-hours of death, but considering the circumstances, wouldn’t it have been better to slow things down a bit and make sure it was in fact bin Laden before disposing the body?

I pray all of this is true and that bin Laden is indeed gone. Perhaps that will dissuade others, at least for a short time, to leave us alone. (Though I’ve heard a rumor that there might be a nuclear bomb hidden somewhere in the world that is supposed to go off if something happens to bin Laden – I pray that’s not true. It’s like an episode of “24”, isn’t it).

Anyway. Those are my thoughts on the issue. I have to purge this out of my system of I’ll never get anything done.

Thanks for hearing me out.

ADDED: Love how this is worded. From Sarah Palin’s Facebook page:

Americans tonight are united in celebration and gratitude. God bless all the brave men and women in our military and our intelligence services who contributed to carrying out the successful mission to bring Bin Laden to justice and who laid the groundwork over the years to make this victory possible. It’s a testament to the hard work and dedication of these brave Americans who relentlessly hunted down our enemy.

This is a victory for the American people, for the victims who were heartlessly murdered on September 11 and in Al Qaeda’s other numerous attacks, and for all the peace-loving people of the world.

May God bless our troops and our intelligence services, and God bless America!

From President Bush:

This momentous achievement marks a victory for America, for people who seek peace around the world, and for all those who lost loved ones on September 11, 2001. The fight against terror goes on, but tonight America has sent an unmistakable message: No matter how long it takes, justice will be done.

Damn straight, sir.