Families Playing Games Together Again

Made popular by tailgaters this game is catching on across the country. Any age can play and tournaments are popping up around America. Not only for outdoor entertainment it can now be played indoors too.

The name of the game ? Cornhole or Corn Toss.

Not only popular at family reunions it has become a priority for company picnics and tournaments are being held at state fairs. Read Columbus Dispatch Article

As a local custom builder and player I can attest to how the game is catching on throughout the south. This is a perfect way to get the family outdoors and away from the TV and computer games. The whole family can enjoy fun times together. Can be taken on picnics, camping or any occasion. Not just for tailgaters anymore.

Watch the video to learn more:

Technorati Tags:game, backyard game, family, cornhole, corn toss, bean bag
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Speculators Return To Oil Market

by Ron Spangler

As Congress debates a plan to save the financial markets on wall street, it appears speculators are leaving the stock market and returning to the commodities market especially in the oil market. After it was announced the oil market was under investigation and some speculators were found to be illegally manipulating the market, they retreated to the stock market and began short selling. As a result the price of oil began to fall. This was by no means the sole reason for the drop in the price of crude oil but it did play a role.

Now while Congress is busy with the Paulson bailout plan and short selling has been temporarily banned, speculators have returned to oil and the result is ever increasing prices for a barrel of oil. Since the current crisis began the price of oil has steadily increased from a low of $91 to the current $120. Most people will attribute the increase on hurricane Ike and the disruption of the supply of oil from the Gulf Coast area. They will also point to OPEC's decision to cut production. I would argue both have played a minor role in the increase for the simple reason that America's demand for oil has decreased dramatically.

The real culprit is nothing more than greed. Across the Southeast there have been increased complaints of price gouging at the pumps. As soon as hurricane Ike landed the price at the pump went as high as a dollar more per gallon. The reason given at the time was speculation that we would see gas shortages nationwide. Contrary to some media reports it didn't happen. Some gas stations have posted signs they are out of regular unleaded gas but are selling higher grade gas at you guessed it, ridiculously higher prices. Reports are coming out that these stations are really closing their lower grade less expensive pumps not because of a shortage but instead they are holding back in order to push the sale of their more expensive fuel. Employees have reported they were told to shut down their less expensive fuel pumps even though the storage tanks were full. As State Attorney Generals around the Southeast and Midwest started investigating these claims the price of fuel went down and overnight stations that didn't have regular unleaded miraculously received delivery and began selling the less expensive gas. Like short sellers and speculators these people succumbed to the greatest sin of all, human greed.

Speculators and unscrupulous business people have no respect for what is in the best interest of the country, instead they are guided by their own self interest. Their daily quest for more and more dollars have blinded them as to the effect their greed is having on the everyday citizen and their country. As Congress debates the Treasury Secretary's plan to save us from the upcoming disaster they must back away from party partisanship and for once consider what is best for the country. They must finally do something to free us from foreign oil, like passing a real energy bill that will allow drilling without all of the restrictions and limitations. They and the regulators of the markets must keep an eye out for the greedy speculator and CEOs that have little or no concern for their country. Our future depends on what this congress does in the next couple of days. If they continue on as a Do Nothing Congress concerned only with winning an election, then our future is grim at best.

Technorati Tags:speculators, oil, congress, fuel
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Dems Using Fear To Win An Election

Author: Ron Spangler

It was Harry Reid that said, "The war is lost."

It was Barack Obama that said, "The surge will not work."

It was John McCain that said, "I would rather lose an election than lose a war."

It was Nancy Pelosi that said, "No offshore drilling."

It is John McCain saying, "Drill and drill Now."

It was FDR that said, "We have nothing to fear but fear itself."

It is the Dems today saying, "Be afraid, be very afraid."

It seems today the Dems are saying, "I would rather destroy America than lose an election."

The State of America is still at the critical level, one step away from recession. The market is in turmoil but not in chaos. Compared to other countries our production rate, unemployment rate, our overall economic growth rate and low inflation are things to be envied. Like the rest of the world our economy is slowing down and will continue to slow until after the November election. Small business is continuing on but with all the talk coming from the media, driving fear into the hearts of the consumers, retail sales will continue to drop. If this continues our economy will fall into a recession or worse.

At the time Roosevelt made his famous speech America and the world was in far greater danger than anything we are facing today. Listening to the Democrats and the media you would never guess this to be true. Very few people understand or pay attention to the stock market or the commodities market in America. This is true of the media anchors and commentators and the majority of politicians. These people count on stock brokers, so called market experts, and business people to tell them what is wrong or right with our economy and the markets. Sometimes these experts are wrong and the people that invest in the market lose money. When this happens like it has this week, the media goes crazy and warns the country that the world may be coming to an end.

When everyone was able to buy a home and the government was spending money on the Woodstock Museum and the Bridge to Nowhere, the commentators and news anchors laughed and called it politics as usual. It didn't bother them because they were making money not only from their high paying positions but also from a market that was continuing to rise. Now that the same people are losing money they are out for blood and blame, mostly aimed at the President and Republicans. This is playing right into the Democratic play book. Scare the voter bad enough and convince them it is only the Republicans to blame and we will win the election. It may work.

If people would reflect back on some of the things that this country has gone through over the last eight years they may have a different outlook on our future. Not only did we face 9/11 but this country has faced devastating hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, fires and yes market manipulation and bad business schemes by unscrupulous greedy people that destroyed investors retirements. With every disaster America and our economy continued along, the world did not come to an end. Today is no different, the world will not end and America will survive. The only way we will lose is if we the voters decide that our lives are over and we fall into a depression deep enough to elect a person President that is nothing more than a puppet for the Far Left of his party.

Democrats hate the fact that they lost the Presidential election twice and have vowed not to lose it again, no matter what. They have been running for office ever since November 2006. In 2007 this 'Do Nothing Congress' saw what was happening not only at Fannie/Freddie but on Wall Street. They decided they would rather see the economy fall into hard times and give them a platform to run on rather than take action and prevent the turmoil we are facing today. Congressional leaders took no action and oversight committees and regulators failed to rein in a runaway market. This was no accident on the part of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Now they say there are no Democrats at fault and only the President and Republicans are at fault. This is absurd.

Using fear and uncertainty the Democrats may get what they want in November. The only problem is they may inherit something that the three amigos Obama, Pelosi and Reid are ill equipped to handle. As we speak Russia is making a move on the oil in the Arctic by laying claim to most of the known oil reserves that are there. Nancy and Harry have passed scam bills in Congress for new drilling offshore. Do to all of the limitations they know their bills will not help free us from foreign oil. They still refuse to allow us to go after our own natural gas. Will they stand up to Russia or will we become dependent on Russia for our oil and natural gas?

The three amigos and other Democratic Party leaders are smart. They understand that fear and depression begets fear and depression. They know that if they play the blame game right and convince the American public it is all the fault of the President and the Republicans the voters will roll the dice on Obama. They are ready to gamble the future of America and do or say whatever it takes to win this election. If fear and depression leads to another depression then that is the price they are willing to pay. Recessions and Depressions do not hurt the politicians that have made their millions and hid them away for rainy days. In their world winning is not everything, its the only thing. Their greed for power and absolute hatred of George Bush has driven them into a psychotic state of mind. Their vision of the world has become completely obscured by the thought of gaining absolute power of the country. The power that was given to this Congress in 2006 has not just corrupted this Congress, the power has corrupted them absolutely.

If Americans continues to listen to the media and its glass half empty reporting then we may find the glass empty in 2009. If we look at the situation and decide to gamble on America instead of Wall Street and the media, we may avoid a disastrous four years with the three amigos. It is up to the American voter.

Technorati Tags:gamble, congress, voters, oil, pelosi, depression
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Hilliary Towing Obama Line

Author: Ron Spangler

With all of the rumors floating around the Obama campaign that Hilliary will soon replace Joe Biden on the Democrat ticket, it seems Hilliary is towing the Obama line. While most of the media is downplaying her recent dissing of the Jewish community by refusing to appear at their rally, simply because Sarah Palin was also invited, some in the media did run it this morning. The rally was in protest to Ahmadinejad appearing at the UN, his position on Israel and his quest for nuclear weapons. After 1st agreeing to appear and speak at the rally Hilliary backed out after hearing Sarah Palin had also been invited and was going to speak. The two were not scheduled to appear together so people are wandering what really was behind her decision to cancel.

Some in the Obama campaign and most of the Hollywood crowd, of which Obama made his latest appearance at a cost of $30,000 per person, are pushing Obama to find a way to drop Biden and add Hilliary to the ticket. Some supporters in the Obama campaign are upset and tell me Obama and Biden are considering different ways to do this. They are telling me that a decision is forthcoming, hopefully before the Vice Presidential debate.

One scenario will be Biden making a public announcement that he must step down for family reasons, but he will be campaigning as frequently as possible for Sen Obama. This will open the door for Hilliary to reluctantly but gracefully answer the call of her country in the most important campaign of our lives.

With Hilliary backing out today and past speeches of Biden, "Hilliary is more qualified than me for vice president", it is not out of the realm of possibility that Obama's floundering campaign may try this. Hilliary's decision to back out of the rally may backfire with the Jewish community. It is no secret the Jewish community has for the most part always supported the Democrats, now many in the community feel her decision to be a slap in the face. Looking back at all of the people Obama has thrown off his bus when things are starting to get tough, it is highly possible what I'm being told could come to pass. Don't feel bad for Biden if this happens. He will be all for it since Obama has promised him a cabinet level position of his choice. Once Jan 20th comes around Biden's family problems will be resolved. The question remains whether or not the American voter will see it as a scam to answer the Sarah Palin threat.

Technorati Tags:democrats, hilliary clinton, sarah palin, joe biden, campaign, community
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

America Modern Day Zorro

Author: Ron Spangler

Growing up one of my favorite mythical characters was Zorro. His battle to protect the poor peasants of California from the repression of the upper class and tyrannical rule of the Spanish governors was something I could relate to. His weapons included his sense of fair play, love for his country and the oppressed people of California, his ability to deceive the tyrants and gain valuable knowledge on ways to defeat them and free the people from poverty and oppression, his courage and strength to continue the fight even when it looked hopeless, and finally his sword that he used to protect the weak and combat his enemies.

Today we have a real life man, not a myth, that has much of the same characteristics as my childhood hero Zorro. Like Zorro he was raised in an economically blessed family steeped in a tradition of service to country. His ancestors had a long history of serving in the military and putting their country first. Like our mythical Zorro, this gave our modern day Zorro the opportunity to obtain higher level education not always available to the lower class citizens. Both men learned from the upper class but identified more with the average citizen than they did with the powerful and privileged that ruled the country. While living their lives they experienced atrocities that would shape the rest of their lives and awakened a hidden strength that would allow them to fight against evil, injustice and tyranny without seeking glorification or celebrity treatment for the battles they would fight.

The weapons of our modern day Zorro are much the same as the mythical Zorro. His ability to walk amongst the rich and powerful even though they suspect him of not being on their side, using his position to learn the weaknesses of the powerful and the corrupt in order to bring them down, his unwavering dedication to country and sense of fair play for the American people, his sense of honor and placing America first, and finally his courage to stand alone fighting for what he knows in his heart to be the right decision for his country and the citizens he has sworn to protect.

In his military days his weapon was a Navy jet, today his weapon is his position as a US Senator, tomorrow it will be the Office of the President. Our modern day Zorro? Who else but John McCain.

Technorati Tags:zorro, myths, weapons, navy, sword
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

US Economy Who Is Really At Fault

Author: Ron Spangler

Throughout American history it has always been easy to blame our presidents for everything that could possibly go wrong in America and for that matter around the world. The reason we blame our presidents is because we believe one man has total control of the nation. We somehow think our presidents have the ability to look into the future and make new laws that will prevent new catastrophes from ever occurring. We forget unless the president has total control of everything our Congress does, he cannot make any new laws. The one area the President has the most power in is conducting foreign policy and even here when it comes to treaties and war he has his limitations.

In today's election climate everything known to man has been blamed on one man, President Bush. Senator Obama has said Bush is at fault for invading Iraq and consequentially fighting a loosing war that has made America less safe. Senator Obama has blamed President Bush for mishandling everything in New Orleans during hurricane Katrina. Senator Obama has blamed President Bush for the downturn in the American economy. And now Senator Obama is trying to scare the American people into believing Senator McCain is some kind of clone of President Bush.

Here are some facts:

Every Ally and our American Congress believed Hussein had to be replaced and voted to forcibly remove his regime. Obama had the luxury of not being in the Senate at the time and did not have to vote. Considering his record of voting over 90% in concurrence with his party we have to wonder if he would have voted yes like most of his party or went against the popular decision at the time and voted no. During his Democratic Primaries, at the time he was belittling Sen Clinton for her vote on the war, he was quoted as saying:

"I think what people might point to is our different assessments of the war in Iraq," Obama said at the time, "although I’m always careful to say that I was not in the Senate, so perhaps the reason I thought it was such a bad idea was that I didn't have the benefit of U.S. intelligence."

Was the war mishandled, probably so. Just like President Lincoln had to find his General Grant, President Bush had to find his General Patraeus. What makes Senator Obama think he is smarter than the generals we train to fight our wars, now I know, it must be all of the intense military training and experience he has had fighting in past wars.

Has the war ended in Iraq, no. Are we winning in Iraq, yes. Will Al Qaeda try to make another comeback with spectacular attacks in Iraq in order to sway our Nov elections, probably. Will Obama use it to say, "See I was right. The war is lost, we must reduce our forces and leave the fighting to the Iraqis." The answers is yes he will.

After hurricane Katrina Senator Obama and the media blamed everything that went wrong in New Orleans on President Bush. In Senator Obama's world the President has total control of every governor and mayor in America. At the time, Obama seemed to think all state and local decisions were made at the federal level by the President. He somehow thought the President personally ran every department of the government and all decisions including where to stage buses that would be used for evacuations. With the last two hurricanes Obama has refused to congratulate President Bush on how well these disasters have been handled or admit that with different governors and mayors we sometimes have a completely different outcome to similar disasters.

Senator Obama has now began to use a line from President Reagan's first presidential campaign. Obama is asking, "Are you better off now than you were eight years ago?" For the first six years most Americans would answer yes. Since the 2006 election the economy started a slow decent and with the sharp increases in the price of energy over the last year and the housing market bubble bursting, most Americans have experienced hard times making ends meet. Until oil hit $140 a barrel and gas prices went over $4.00 a gallon the unemployment rate was under 6%. With the cost of fuel effecting everything the results have been;
a) industry has cut back
b) consumers cannot afford to spend money on nonessential products and
c) the unemployment rate went over 6%.

During this time the Congress has been controlled by Democrats Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. Starting in 2007 the president asked Congress to open up America to more drilling and free ourselves from foreign oil. Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and most in Congress said no. They said we know where the oil is and we have given 68 million acres, drill there. The experts told Congress there is not enough oil in these leases to make it worth drilling for, let us drill off the coast in the same area Cuba and China are getting ready to drill. Congress is still saying no. As their position became more unpopular Democrats started to rebel against their leaders. Nancy Pelosi told them, "that's OK let me take the blame for not allowing a vote on drilling. I will be re-elected you will get re-elected and we still will not allow drilling." After Senator Obama started to drop in the polls over his position on oil, he now embraces "limited drilling" and Pelosi says she will allow some bills to come before the House. Now they are working on a bill in the Senate but neither will have a chance before the Congress adjourns.

The effects of this Democrat controlled and led "Do Nothing Congress" are now being seen in our economy. For two years they have made a lot of promises but stood by and watched as our economy began its decent into dangerous territory. For two years they criticized and blamed the President for everything, yet they have not sent one Bill to the President that addresses the real issue, the cost of energy. As the speculators bail out of the oil market, due to investigations of market manipulation and cutbacks in demand for oil, the price of oil has fallen below $96 a barrel. With the recent hurricane Ike greed has resurfaced in the form of gasoline price gouging and Congress, Pelosi and Reid remain silent. The refineries were undamaged but gasoline in the Southeast and along the East coast have sky rocketed overnight. The media and some governors say its due to companies speculating there will be gas shortages later on. Meanwhile these companies are seeing higher and higher profits from these price increases and the consumer is getting hosed. President Bush has warned price gouging will be prosecuted and placed getting the refineries back on line a top priority.

The question Senator Obama should be asking is will Americans be better off with a Pelosi, Reid, Obama government rather than with a McCain/Palin government. In November the American voter will answer this question and this "Do Nothing Congress" may be in for a big surprise. Two years of doing nothing but trying to run and win another election has worn very thin with the American public.

Technorati Tags:economy, oil, energy
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

What Alaska Has To Offer

Author: Ron Spangler

One of the many responsibilities of governors is to bring revenue to their state. It can be everything from new industry to tourism. Governor Palin has done an exceptional job but fortunately for her, Alaska has a great deal to offer that many Americans are not aware of. I found a great link that might help to inform anyone that is considering what Alaska might have to offer.

Things to Do

Alaska is BIG! When planning your trip allow enough time for the region(s) you want to see and the things you want to do. All you need to do is determine what type of activities and adventures top your must do list and choose the region(s) that offer those experiences. Alaska offers the following and more:

Fishing

Wildlife Viewing

Adventure & Ecotourism

Shopping

Restaurants & Nightlife

Flightseeing

Sightseeing

If you are interested in finding out more about Alaska I suggest you go to: Discover Alaska

Technorati Tags:alaska, fishing, wildlife, shopping, restaurants, travel
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

Sarah Palin As Seen On Nightline

In the following interview of Sarah Palin as aired on 'Nightline' notice it is the same interview with Charlie Gibson (Part 2) without the heavy handed editing. Maybe it is because they were moving around outside and heavy editing would have been too obvious.


Now compare this to the earlier Part 1 Gibson vs Palin interview.

Technorati Tags:gibson, palin, news, politics
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

ABC Charlie Gibson Sinks To New Low

ABC Charlie Gibson sank to a new low with the first Palen interview. ABC's decision to deliberately over edit the Vice Presidential Nominee's answers were below any fair and balanced standards of reporting.

Time after time during the question and answer period Sarah Palen's answers were heavily edited and cut short. Watching the video the viewer was left wandering what was the rest of the answer to Charlie's question. Sarah's lips were moving but no sound was coming out.

Scoring this interview I would have to score it Palen 1, Gibson 0. If this is the type of interviews we will see from the rest of the media in the future, maybe we should just call it off and head to the ballot box today.

I cannot understand what was going on the the editor's mind or why Charlie Gibson would allow someone to cut her answers in mid sentence. I have watched a lot of interviews of candidates and cannot remember watching a candidate talk without the words coming out. The only thing I can surmise from such heavy handed editing is Charlie did not like the complete answer that Sarah Palen gave for his questions.

This can only be seen as a terrible interview of which Sarah Palen won hands down.

Due to comments about this interview and what I saw, here is the video as aired on ABC World News

Technorati Tags:sarah palen, abc news, gibson, interview, politics
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator

American Presidents and the Age Factor

With all of the discussion and constant reminder of Senator McCain's age, I did a little research on the question of past American Presidents and the age factor. I found something I thought was interesting when it comes to the question of how age determines whether or not a candidate can be elected, if he is perceived to be old.

According to the US 12th Census 1891-1900 report, the life expectancy for the average American was 48 yrs old for males and 51 for females.

By 1950 it had increased to 65.6 for men and 71.1 for women. Ref: Lone Star College - Kingwood

For 2004 the average age was 75.2 men and 80.4 women. Ref: U.S. Census Bureau 2008 Statistical Abstract

From the 1st President George Washington to the 25t President William McKinley each have been at or above the average life expectancy for that particular period in time. Their average age at the time they took office was 55. This meant they were 6 yrs older than the average life expectancy and considered old for their time. This is a statistic, Ref: United States Presidents by age

The fact is for the first 25 Presidents every one was above the average life expectancy at the time they took office.

It wasn't until the election of Herbert Hoover in 1929 that the situation turned around. Hoover was 54 yrs old when he was sworn in and the life expectancy for men was 58.1 After Hoover every President, except Harry Truman and Ronald Reagan, have been below the average life expectancy for men. Harry Truman assumed office at the age of 60 yrs 11 months 4 days in 1945 after the death of Franklin Roosevelt. The average life expectancy at the time was 60.8 Ronald Reagan was 69 years 11 months 14 days in 1981 and the life expectancy was 69.9

Due to the increase in the average life expectancy for the average American, today its projected to reach 75.5 for men and 81.4 for women by 2010, the average age for Presidents at the time they take office is well below the average life expectancy age. Since Hoover it has averaged out to be 54.5 at the age of taking office.

So looking at all of these numbers, what does it tell us. For me it says most of our past Presidents could be considered old at the time they were sworn into office. It tells me, in comparison with life expectancy at the time of their presidency only John Kennedy and Bill Clinton could be considered young. It says age cannot be a factor since we have had some pretty good Presidents that many would have considered old at the time. Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Lincoln, Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Eisenhower and Reagan were all considered old at the time.

Maybe we had a different outlook at the time these men were elected. Maybe we had a totally different respect for older people. Maybe we thought with a little age came a lot of experience and knowledge. Maybe we should return to those days.

Technorati Tags:presidents, age, history, census
Generated By Technorati Tag Generator