United States Bracing For Bankruptcy 2010

by Ron Spangler

As President Obama accepts the prestigious Nobel Peace Award, Americans are left wondering how they will survive as our economy continues to collapse around us. Congress and the President seem to be more concerned with spending than they are with putting American workers back to work. They are so focused on reforming health care in the United States they cannot see what is going on around the world. Regardless of what America wants this Congress and President will pass a government option health care reform bill and the deficit will be increased. Illegal immigrants in accordance with our Constitution will be covered under this new government plan and the President knows it.

Nancy Pelosi has already stated there will be a Value Added Tax (National Sales Tax) passed by this Congress and signed into law before or shortly after the 2010 elections. Along with this tax there will be a hidden Windfall Profits Tax slipped into the Health Care Reform Bill that will be passed onto the consumers by the insurance companies. At a time when Canada, Australia and others are seeing an increase in new jobs and a drop in their unemployment rates our job market continues to decline. Gold prices have reached record levels and will continue to rise. This indicates the rest of the world is worried the US economy and the dollar will soon collapse under the pressure of its huge trillion dollar deficits.

Where does this leave us in 2010 and 2011, in economic bankruptcy and another Depression. The only shoes left to fall that will drive us into National Bankruptcy is China refusing to loan us more money and the dollar being replaced as the World Monetary reserve. The first step will be replacing the dollar as the currency used for trading in oil and unfortunately our treasury and our President cannot see the danger in this action.

After the President signs into law the Health Care Reform Bill, Congress will pass the Cap and Trade Bill (they like to call it the energy bill). Like the Value Added Tax and the Windfall Profit Tax this will be another tax not only on business but every consumer in America. All of this will come to a head in 2010 and the nation will be devastated.

As the rest of the world is recovering from the recession they are scared America is not going to recover and be the prosperous leaders that we once were. Instead they see America as a country that is fast approaching Socialism and worry that there will be internal conflict that could drag the rest of the world into another economic downturn. They see American leaders as weak and economically ignorant. In an effort to save their own countries from following America into another Depression they will cut all economic ties to America, especially the dollar. As a result of continued over spending, high taxes, unemployment increasing, continued printing of US dollars and the eventual increase in inflation our economy will be bankrupt before the end of 2010.

Because of the current bubble and artificial stimulus the American market has been experiencing for the past few months, Congress doesn't see a problem with our economy. The President and Congressional leaders still believe we have time and if we are patient the American job market will once again rebound. Once Americans return to work they believe we will be able to afford all of the new taxes they are going to impose on the consumer. They are living in a world of fantasy and the rest of the world knows it.

High rolling gamblers that lose are the best thing that can happen to places like Las Vegas and Atlantic City. High rolling Presidents and Congressional inexperienced leaders are the worst thing that can happen to a nation. In times of war and recessions the last thing we need is to have the inexperienced gambler treating the war or our economy like a game of chance.

There may still be a glimmer of hope for our economy but only if the President and Congress abandons the course they have chosen. They will have to immediately cut spending including reverse the proposed wholesale health care reform. They can reform health care by taking small steps to cut the cost of heath care.

They can drop any notions of any type of tax increase in the foreseeable future.

They can reduce corporate taxes and encourage business to return to the US.

They can raise interest rates to strengthen the dollar.

They can ban all pork barrel spending and prohibit any add on amendments to bills during conference committee hearings. They can rule that all spending amendments must be directly related to the bill or the amendment must be sent as a bill and stand on its own merits.

They can open up the oil fields for offshore drilling.

They can eliminate some of the government bureaucracy and red tape surround drilling within the United States. They can not only pass Tort Reform they can restrict the frivolous lawsuits by environmentalist that is nothing more than a stalling tactic to stop oil exploration in the United States.

They can use the previous stimulus money to help small business stay afloat during this recession.

They can drop the Cap and Trade idea and instead encourage small business to produce more goods at home.

The government can reduce the amount of goods they buy from foreign countries and start buying more from US businesses that produce the products in the US. By buying American goods the government can create a market here at home.

They can restore consumer confidence by showing consumers they are aware of just how serious the situation really is.

They can show the world they are leaders by dealing with illegal immigration and simply enforce the laws against hiring illegal immigrants. During this time of high unemployment there are plenty of Americans willing to do the work that illegals are currently doing.

All of these are common sense things the government can do to turn this recession around and restore our position as world leaders. Americans are hard working people that are willing to sacrifice today for a brighter tomorrow. Right now we are sacrificing without the work and the future looks very dim.

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Politics War and Obama

by Ronnie Spangler

When politicians tie the hands of our fighting men and women fighting the politicians war, the only result can be they will lose the war at a devastating price in the number of casualties and American prestige around the world.

With the debate still continuing in the White House time is running out for our men and women fighting the war in Afghanistan. President Obama, whether he believes it or not, is looking weak in the eyes of the world. Over the weekend former Prime Minister Brown of Australia said America is not in this war alone. He predicted if America listens to Generals Petraeus and McChrystal he is confident our allies will contribute more troops to counter and fight back Taliban forces. Other allied leaders have also quietly stepped up to the plate. They understand they cannot lose Afghanistan to the Taliban. They also understand it is not Al Qaeda that poses the biggest threat of defeat in Afghanistan but it is the Taliban.

In some of my articles I pointed out that no country has ever been successful in invading and conquering Afghanistan and this is true. However I have also pointed out that we can win in Afghanistan much the same as we have won in Iraq. We are not invading Afghanistan with the intentions of conquering the country trying to install our own form of culture, religion and set of values on the people of Afghanistan. The goal is to deny a repressive and tyrannical form of government from returning to power, thereby giving Al Qaeda another safe haven to attack America and our allies. Al Qaeda has been severely wounded and once the Taliban has been defeated we can finish off Al Qaeda in Pakistan once and for all. If the Taliban is successful in forcing us out and returning to power, this goal will not be obtained.

One of the biggest condemnations on the way President Bush and Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld handled the war in Iraq and Afghanistan was they were trying to fight a war on the cheap. The critics were right and the majority of the critics were Democrats. Now we seem to be hearing these same critics saying the war in Afghanistan is too expensive and maybe we can do it cheaper. The surge in Iraq and the consequences of the surge have not been that long ago. We need to look at the lessons learned and apply them to Afghanistan. President Obama cannot let politics interfere with his decision, either he is going to support our Commanders on the ground or he is not. There cannot be only half measures taken when fighting a war. Either you go all in or you get out and face the consequences for retreating.

Vice President Biden and General Jones are wrong in their belief they can win in Afghanistan by using a small counter insurgency, special forces and air power tactics alone. The type of terrain our men and women face in Afghanistan will not support this type of campaign. We may be able to deny the Taliban from controlling the capital of Afghanistan but we could not stop them from attacking our forces whenever and wherever they please. The number of Taliban is too large and is constantly growing in numbers. A perfect example is the latest attack on our outpost along the border. The number of Taliban attacking the small number of US forces resulted in not only US casualties but closing the outpost and giving the Taliban better access to a border crossing. Our military
defeated the attackers and drove them back but it came at a high price to the small US forces that were defending this outpost. If President Obama follows the Biden Jones plan we can see more and more of this type of combat happening on a daily basis.

Another problem with this type of plan is our allies will not climb on board with this type of strategy. They will begin to withdraw as the Taliban gains more control of Afghan territory. Our allies have always looked to America for leadership in the world. When it comes to military matters and fighting wars they have always looked to America to take a leading role. NATO has never won a war that has not had America out front leading the fight. A large portion of NATO forces are non combatants and see their role as peace keepers restricted by their individual countries from taking a offensive combat role in NATO actions. We enter a conflict under the NATO flag but in the end the fighting is done by the US and a handful of true dedicated allies. The French proved their worth in Rwanda when they stood around and watched as genocide was committed but they were restricted from taking any combat action to counter the mass killings.

If President Obama decides he is smarter than his commanders and decides to give them only a portion of what they request to win this war then he will be guilty of the same criticism the Democrats threw at President Bush and Secretary Rumsfeld. Time is running out and we cannot afford indecision by the Commander In Chief. Either we are in this war to win it or throw up the flag of retreat and get out. We owe our military that much.

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Dealing with and Treating Migraine Headaches

by Ronnie Spangler

Sometimes dealing with migraines is as simple as keeping a diary.

This may not be the answer for every situation but it may help some people that are suffering from repeated migraine headaches. I am not a doctor so I would advise everyone suffering from chronic migraines to seek advice from your doctor and ask if this might be an alternative to some expensive testing and treatment like prescription drugs.

For ten years my wife suffered from extensive pain caused by migraine headaches. She went from doctor to doctor and hospital to hospital. We could never find the answer. At one hospital she spent a week undergoing tests for nerve damage, high blood pressure, cat scans, sleep deprivation disorder, if you can think of it it was tried. Luckily it was a time when my insurance paid without question, a long time ago.

Like I said nothing was ever found that could be related to the cause of the headaches. This all took place in the 80s and 90s. After I retired we sold our home and moved to a small southern community a good distance from any large cities. The hospital and most medical facilities were small thereby requiring a fair amount of traveling for most major illnesses or treatment. All life threatening situations required airlifts with Medcare to larger hospitals. The headaches continued and my wife continued to endure them with over the counter medication and prescriptions from our family doctor in our old town.

It wasn’t until we found a doctor in our community that we found some hope in relieving her of some of the pain. The doctor was a older gentleman that was only taking on new patients with kids that were participating in some school sponsored sport, i.e. football,basketball,wrestling,etc. Since my son was in high school wrestling, we needed a doctor for his physical. While we were talking to the doctor the subject came up about my wife’s problems with her headaches. The doctor was sympathetic and concerned. Although he was close to retiring and wasn’t taking on new patients as a rule, he agreed to become our family physician.

Our new doctor got in touch with our old family physician and after receiving all of my wife’s records including the past test results and treatments, he told us he had an idea. He told my wife he wanted her to start keeping a diary. I thought to myself maybe we needed another doctor, maybe a little younger. He told her it wasn’t going to be a daily dairy but one that related directly to the time she experienced the migraines. He explained whenever she felt a migraine starting, she should think back to the week before and write down everything she did and most important everything she ate and drank. He wanted her to go into details about the type of food she ate and the drinks she drank. He told her to continue the diary from the week before to the week after she experienced the headaches.

Finally we had some good news. It was only about a month after she started keeping the dairy that we had a breakthrough. The doctor read over the dairy and after he explained the connection it made sense. He said he thought her problem was the combination of chocolate candy and caffeine. He explained there is a natural ingredient in chocolate that if combined with too much caffeine could be an overload to her system and set off the headaches. He considered pain to be nothing more than a warning that something was wrong and maybe we should do something about it. He wanted my wife to first cut out the chocolate altogether but continue with the caffeine and keep the diary. After three weeks my wife called him and told him she had only had one headache since her last visit and it was minor compared to what she was used to. The doctor told her to stop the caffeine and she could have an occasional piece of chocolate or chocolate candy bar.

After another three weeks the doctor called and asked my wife how she was doing. She told him again she had only one minor headache and a couple of aspirins took care of it. He set up an appointment and we discussed his findings. He believed the problem had always been the combination of too much chocolate and caffeine. He informed us it wasn’t necessary to stop either one altogether. He believed the natural ingredient phenylethylamine combined with large amounts of caffeine were the culprits causing the migraines. He suggested she try going a month without any caffeine or chocolate and then start back with limited amounts but never mixing the two.

It has been about 9 years since the good doctor has passed away and my wife has for the most part been migraine free. She continues to have the occasional headache, but now attributes those to me. To this day she drinks caffeine free drinks and only eats chocolate occasionally. Whether this will work for anyone else is not for me to say but we are grateful for the help we got from that small country doctor that was ready to retire.

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As GM and Ford Cars Go Green the Economy May Collapse

by Ronnie Spangler

With the rush to go green the government must decide if they will allow the gas prices to reach the $4 to $5 magic mark that will encourage more interest in the green cars the government is endorsing.

With more and more auto companies jumping into the green car industry are we looking at gas prices being artificially increased to force people out of their gas and diesel powered vehicles? After Tesla Motors Incorporated, makers of all electric vehicles received a $465 million dollar government loan they partnered with Fisker Automotive and received another $529 million dollars. They are being backed by former Vice President Al Gore. They will not be selling their cars in the US but offering their high end expensive autos to Finland.

Henrik Fisker says they will produce about 15,000 lithium ion battery powered cars to be released in the US by June 2010. Fisker calls them Karma. This is only a portion of the $25 Billion program designed to help the auto industry go green that has currently been given out by the Department of Energy. According to the Wall Street Journal $8 Billion has been loaned to Ford, Nissan, and Tesla. There was no mention of General Motors in the Wall Street Article, but it is widely suspected they will receive a large influx of taxpayer dollars for their green cars.

Remember the words of GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz,”And US fuel prices will have to rise to world levels, meaning $5 or $6 per gallon.” He was referring to the cost increase Americans would have to be subjected to before there would be a market large enough to be profitable in the US. Would the automotive industry and all of the new green car companies be so willing to invest their own money without some guarantee that something will happen that will create a huge market in the very near future?

All the hype surrounding Electric vehicles and the new green industry reminds me of the same hype that surrounded the Vectrix Maxi Scooter in 2008. It turned out to be a failure but at the time cable TV news organizations were falling all over each other to show it off. Nothing has really changed in the technology but the Lithium Ion battery. All the variables that were the downfall of the Maxi Scooter
apply to the Electric Cars of the future.

So how would $4 to $6 gas prices collapse our economy? Like it happened in 2008 everything we touch would increase in cost. This time with the economy already in recession and more important the unemployment expected to exceed 10% nobody will be able to afford this new green environment. Will going green have a positive effect on our job situation, not likely.

In the wind turbine industry 9 out of 10 manufacturers are outside of the US. Most of the solar panel manufacturers
are out side of the US with China now number 1 in the industry. Why is this green technology springing up in foreign countries instead of the US? Because of all of the restrictions and high wages placed on American companies. Solar panels are only one example of green products that are not environmentally friendly to build. Since China does not concern themselves with restrictions that could hurt their economy they mass produce solar panels cheaply. They also accomplish it through cheap wages and government subsidies.

GM has backed away from all of the Volt marketing and high production numbers they were pushing in 2008. Ford is going slow on their Electric vehicles. GM has cut the production of the Volt scheduled to be released in 2010 to around 10,000 in the US. Ford is looking more to 2011 for their stepping into the world of electric cars. Both are waiting to see who is left standing after 2010.

With the government so heavily invested in the auto industry would it be a surprise to see the oil prices and gas prices return to 2008 levels, sadly the answer is no.

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Raising Children, Some Things Never Change

by Ronnie Spangler

No matter what the experts say raising our children is strictly a matter for the parents and there are a few simple basic rules that have applied throughout history.

We can learn more from our parents and grandparents than we can ever learn from books on parenting and the so called parenting experts. Somehow young parents in our society have come to depend on books and the internet for advice instead of asking their parents for their advice. Some of it is the natural belief that everything changes from one generation to another. While there may be more technology and more avenues for information some things in human nature never change.

Children of all ages need love, discipline, security and know they will always have someone they can rely on. Younger children prior to teenage years need the security only a close knit family, including the grandparents, can give them. The memories and lessons they learn at this age will stay with them for the rest of their lives. Having good memories of our childhood leads to a more positive and optimistic outlook on the future throughout our lives. If children learn early in life to remember only the bad times then as teens and adults they will be pessimistic and only expect the least out of life. We have to remember that children from the time they take their first step and speak their first word are always looking for more knowledge. They want to be just like the big people that are hovering above them. They want to someday be able to do the same things these people are doing. What we do or say in front of children will be the things they do and say as teens and adults. Deep inside of us is the natural instinct to emulate our parents or an adult that we remember from our childhood. It may not be a conscious memory, one that we dwell on everyday, but it is there influencing us in everything we do.

Have you ever had someone say to you, “You sound (or act) just like ____.” We may not realize it but what they are saying is we are emulating someone from our past that had a profound effect on the way we think. The person may have disappeared from our life and we probably don’t even think of them very often but the memories are still there. For this reason this is the time parents must teach their children what’s right and what’s wrong. This is the time to teach their children to have respect for their elders because these are the people that have experienced life, both the good and the bad. This is the time to teach them that nothing is free, if they do good things then life will reward
them but if they do bad they will be punished. This is also the time to teach them to believe there is always something more to life than just living day to day. Now is the time for them to understand the meaning of life and death. If you believe in god then it is your responsibility to teach them that there is something better waiting for them in the afterlife. This is the time to let them know the world does not have to be a scary place and life can be a wonderful and rewarding thing.

As our children turn into teenagers we tend to think it is time to treat them more like friends than our kids. For too many kids this is a mistake. Teenagers like adults are individuals and we all have our own way of thinking and we all want to show our individualism. Teens are striving to show they are grown up and able to think for themselves and we have to respect them for it. Part of growing up is having your own friends and getting out from under the tight control of the parents. We as parents have to understand and accept their growing up even if they stumble and fall along the way. We have to understand that their friends belong to them and most teens resent sharing friends, especially with parents. We have to understand that teens do not want to be our friends. While they are going through a period of challenging our authority over them, they know and deep down in their heart they expect us to remain the authority figure in the family. Even teens understand we must all have certain rules to follow or the world would end up in total chaos.

Think back to the first time you as a young boy or girl challenged your dad or mom. Did you do it because deep down in you thought what you were about to do was a mistake or was it because you thought mom or dad was just an old foggy that wasn’t hip with today’s generation? More likely than not you were about to do something that you thought may be a mistake and you wanted someone to say stop.

As parents we must be vigilant during every phase of our children’s lives. We must always be the adult, the one they turn to when they need an answer or a helping hand. After they are adults and have made much of the same mistakes in life that we made, then and only then will they accept us as friends. Until this time what teens and young adults expect most from their parents is act like parents. Show the discipline when discipline is needed. Show the love, respect, encouragement and understanding when it is needed. Above all else do not be afraid to act like an adult and say no when it is appropriate.

The last basic rule in life is simple, as teenagers boys interact better with fathers and girls interact better with girls. It is a right of passage for boys to challenge their fathers and girls to challenge their mothers. It is how we as parents handle the challenge that will determine the rest of the relationship for years to come. If we understand the challenge for what it is and remind ourselves we went through the same thing, then we can act like adults and withstand the challenge. If we do not fall short in the eyes of our kids than I can guarantee that later on you will find that you are not only parents but you have gained new friends.

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Mr Obama Its Taliban Not Al Qaeda

by Ron Spangler

As a Senator and Presidential Candidate Mr Obama along with Senator John Kerry and other Democrats repeatedly accused President Bush of taking his eye off the ball in Afghanistan. They constantly reminded America how important it was to defeat the Taliban and deny Al Qaeda safe haven in Afghanistan. Now everything has changed for President Obama.

He announced in March 2009 that he had a new strategy for Afghanistan and this was a war that we could not afford to lose. He appointed General Stanley McChrystal as the new Commander on the ground in Afghanistan and assured him of his full support. After Gen McChrystal gave his report and assessment of the situation on the ground President Obama back peddled and is now seeking advice from others like Vice President Biden. Meanwhile we are losing more troops in combat than we have since we went into Iraq.

President Obama will not acknowledge that it is the Taliban we are fighting in Afghanistan, not Al Qaeda. He and Vice President Biden seem to think it is only Al Qaeda that is a direct threat to America. I would like to remind them and the rest of the Democrats that without the Taliban running Afghanistan, Al Qaeda will have very few places to hide. Most of the Muslim world is tired of Al Qaeda and will not let them hide and attack America from within their countries. They have seen how Al Qaeda lost in Iraq and what happened when a determined America refuses to give up.

In speech after speech President Obama and his spokesmen will not say anything about the Taliban in Afghanistan. When they are asked about Afghanistan and the fighting that is going on, they always refer back to beating Al Qaeda. Its the Taliban that have been attacking our troops. Its the Taliban that is trying to overthrow the Afghan government and force all of NATO out. It will be the Taliban that gives Al Qaeda a safe haven in Afghanistan if we capitulate and leave with our tail between our legs.

I have made comparisons between Afghanistan and Vietnam. There are also differences. The military today has better equipment and technology and it is a all volunteer military that believe in the mission. If they are allowed to fight and they receive the support from both the politicians and the public they can defeat the Taliban and destroy the remnants of Al Qaeda in Pakistan. It will not be a short casualty free war in Afghanistan, no war is ever casualty free. It will take time and determination the same as it took to defeat Germany and Japan in WWII. President Obama must come clean with the American people and get them behind the war.

He was right when he said this is a war we cannot afford to lose and most Americans understand this. If he thinks he can win public support by saying it is all about Al Qaeda and dismissing the Taliban he will lose the public, Americans are not stupid. Its time President Obama, Vice President Biden and the rest of the Democrats came to grips as to the real enemy in Afghanistan. Like happened in Vietnam it will be the politicians that will lose this war not our military.

As a veteran myself I hate sending our young men and women to fight and die in foreign countries. However unless we are prepared to accept another 9/11 we must finish what we started. It was the Taliban government that allowed Al Qaeda to train and plan the attacks on America. If they regain control they will feel emboldened to help Al Qaeda attack us again. The Taliban and Al Qaeda will seek revenge on our allies and Pakistan for actions they have taken against them during our time in Afghanistan. President Obama must stop the misguided thinking that we only have to defeat Al Qaeda to call Afghanistan a success.

There is a reason why Vice President Biden did not win in his run for President. Just like his idea of separating the different factions in Iraq by partitioning off the country was stupid, so is his idea that you can win in Afghanistan with a small special forces and airpower strategy. This is a police action attitude and similar to the attitude prior to 9/11. The world is watching what happens in Afghanistan the same as they were watching in Iraq. The situation in Iraq is winding down and unless President Obama does something stupid like an immediate withdrawal, Iraq will go down in history as a success. If he does not listen to his commander on the ground but decides to listen to civilians with no combat or military experience Afghanistan will go down as a failure. If this happens it will not only be President Obama that looks weak and timid it will be America. If we as a country look weak in the eyes of our enemies and our allies then our enemies will attack and our allies will be reluctant to help us in our next hour of need.

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Letterman and Other American Celebrities

by Ron Spangler

What has happened to entertainment in America when a audience does not understand when a comedian is being funny, serious, or just plain stupid? David Letterman's revelation of having sex with female CBS employees was serious, stupid and was not funny at all. Somehow his audience could not tell the difference and laughed as if it was just another monologue being delivered by the late night comedian. At the end, they even applauded when he announced he would never speak about it again.

On the set of The View Whoopi Goldberg tried to defend and justify convicted rapist Roman Polanski's action by saying it wasn't "rape-rape". What does that even mean?

At the same time 100 of the most famous Hollywood celebrities signed a petition in support of Roman Polanski. These are some of the same individuals that support Venezuela's Chavez. They also support Iran's right to nuclear power and justify their quest for a nuclear weapon by pointing out that America has nuclear weapons.

It seems in America celebrities live in their own world of what is right and what is wrong. In the case of Letterman one has to wonder how many of these women were married? Did this go on while Letterman was engaged to be married and continue after his March 2009 marriage? Were these women fellow employees of CBS or were they subordinates of David Letterman? If they were subordinates, did his then fiancee and later his wife know or approve of his affairs with his subordinates? What is the difference between Letterman and the politicians he lampoons for cheating on their spouses especially when they have children? Did all of these women willingly consent or was pressure applied relating to their positions at CBS? Is David Letterman really so charming that career employees at CBS are falling all over the place to jump in the sack with David Letterman? How many employees are involved and was any of their jobs in jeopardy if they did not consent to Letterman's request? And the biggest question, will the public continue to support Letterman by laughing and watching his shows?

I don't even know where to begin with Whoopi Goldberg's comment on Roman Polanski not committing "rape-rape." It has to be one if not most stupid things she has ever said. If a 43 year old man supplies alcohol and drugs to a 13 year old girl then has sex with her while she is saying no/stop, it is rape. The act of sodomy against the young girl just shows how depraved the man really is. Whoopi and the other celebrities living in their own little idea of America just don't get it. They rant and rave about how all people are equal and everyone is entitled to the same social justice. Except when one of their own is found to have committed a crime that most Americans feel is extremely heinous. Then they somehow think justice means leniency and understanding should be shown toward the criminal. In their America they believe even the most atrocious sex offender or rapist should receive counseling and allowed to redeem themselves in the public eye. In their fantasy America sex offenders are suffering from a sickness that can be cured with adequate treatment and understanding. It is sad that some in America are supporting their fantasy by supporting them every time we tune in or pay to watch their movies.

What does it say about a society that supports celebrities like Letterman, Goldberg, Michael Moore, Sean Penn, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Oliver Stone, Naomi Campbell, and the 100 artist/directors supporting Roman Polanski. All of these people living in their fantasy America have either shown support for our enemies or shown public support for rapists and pedophiles. Because they are celebrities we look the other way and continue to support their world by paying our hard earned dollars watching them on TV or at the movies.

Maybe it is time as a society we take a long hard look at our true America and family values.

Maybe its time we tell our children this is not the values we as Americans and decent people prescribe to.

Maybe its time we show our children there cannot a double standard in America, we must all suffer the consequences of our actions regardless of whether we are rich, poor, celebrities, or common folk.

Maybe its time we tell the world as a free society with American values we will not support people that do not share our common values.

Maybe its time we sent a message to the fantasy world in Hollywood that supporting America does not mean belittling our country while you are traveling abroad. Maybe we should show these people they cannot continue to meet with our enemies and show support for their tyranny and oppression of their own people without the celebrities paying a price at home.

Maybe it is time we look deep into our society and our culture to find that common ground that bound are founding fathers so tightly together. Maybe, just maybe it is time.

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Saving The Family Saving America

by Ron Spangler

With everything that is going wrong in the world today it is no wonder families are breaking apart. We have become a society more dependent on government than at any time in history. Starting in the 60's with welfare, people began raising entire generations on the backs of working taxpayers. It was better off for some families to draw government checks than it was to work for a living. It didn't take long for people to figure out that if there was no father or husband in the house a family could receive a check from the government. In fact, the way the system was set up it encouraged women to raise their children without the father being present in the home.

Children living under these conditions saw no incentive in working for a living if they could raise a family that was supported by the government. It was much easier to stay home receive a monthly check, food stamps, WIC, and live in subsidized housing than work eight to ten hours a day and maybe receive less in the end. The father didn't have to be completely out of the picture, he just couldn't work or if he did the parents should not be married or better still the father didn't live in the same house. Children growing up saw this as a way of life. The only drawback, there was s stigma placed on families living off welfare from the very same people that cried out the loudest for government to give a helping hand to the less fortunate.

It was and is a noble cause, helping the less fortunate in America. When the helping hand helps so much that it destroys families or encourages families to rely on a government system instead of the family, it has gone too far and is no longer a noble act. Churches, charities, and other private organizations in America have always been far better at providing assistance for people in need better than the government. It is easy for some to scam the welfare system and receive money, food stamps, housing and a education if this is how you want to live your life. All you have to do is be willing to live a life according to the rules of the welfare department. Never mind that these rules and the criteria that decided who should receive welfare was designed to discourage a normal family environment. It was better to stay single and raise four kids than it was to be married and both parents work to raise those kids.

Most of the time families that grew up under these conditions did not join in normal family or community activities. Kids grew up without a father in the home and had little discipline in their lives. The stigma of being on welfare meant you stayed within the community that fit into the life you were living. This helped to create more and more slum areas in every city in America. The hypocrisy of the rich and middle class that said the government must provide welfare to the poor but looked down on the poor as less important did more harm than good. They sent the message to some that if you stay in your own little part of the world the government will always take care of you. They also sent the message because you are poor the rest of the world owes you a better life. These messages resonated and the young started to look for better ways to fit in within their own communities and to make money without working for the man.

Without the family discipline and the normal community activities to help guide the younger generation, kids started looking for the things the rich kids were flaunting on TV, movies, and colleges. Growing up with the idea that society owes them some kids developed the attitude they could take what they wanted or if they replaced their family with a gang, then they could have everything they wanted.

Gangs have been around forever in some form or another. Some are a joke while others are dangerous and must be dealt with by authorities. If kids do not have the family, community, or some form of religion to teach them right from wrong and to be self reliant, then the kid will be easy pray for the more dangerous gang in their community. Families that have some form of faith in god country and family and believes they can succeed in life if they work hard will be the families that saves America from destruction.

During the 90's there was a call for welfare reform. A lot of people were taken off welfare and put to work. Families started to stay together and even church attendance around the country increased. The economy picked up and more and more people were buying homes. Unfortunately the gangs had taken a firm hold in most of the major cities around the country. Making money from drugs, extortion, prostitution and weapons was easier than working for a living and for some it felt like they had power or had more control of their lives. Living in the gang they saw nothing wrong with taking what they wanted or if need be killing to get what they wanted. When it comes to gang attitude nothing has changed.

Today the economy is faltering and people are out of work. Families are falling apart and kids are turning to the gangs for support. America is facing one of the most dangerous periods to face her since WWII. We are not only under the threat of another Great Depression, we are at war and also worried about terrorist attacking our cities. Americans are divided on the direction the government is headed and feel we are not being listened to. As a society we have only one option if we want to save America.

We as a people must unite as a family and as Americans. We must work on keeping our families together. We must teach our children the basics of life and right from wrong. We must teach them to be self reliant and explain that nothing in life comes free. We must teach them to have faith in god, faith in family and the how important it is to support their country. We must unite with other families and authorities to stop the gang violence in our cities.And we must unite as Americans to let the government know the direction we want them to take America.

If we believe the government is getting too big, if we don't want government health care, if we believe Iran must be stopped at all cost from getting a nuclear bomb, if we believe stopping the Taliban and Al Qaeda from returning to Afghanistan, if we believe it is time for the government to stop the spending frenzy, then together we must write, call and email our Senators and Congress. We must tell them we are American families united to save America.

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Bashing President Obama and Hollywood

by Ron Spangler

I really wish President Obama and Hollywood celebrities would give me a reason to stop bashing or disagreeing with the things they have done. Sadly they have not and it doesn't look like they will give a reason to praise them in the near future.

With all of the celebrities standing up for the convicted rapist Roman Polanski I can find no raise to cut them any slack. Whoopi Goldberg on the view seems to have her own definition of rape, much different from most Americans. 100 of the most famous celebrities signed a petition supporting Polanski. I can't help but wonder if they would be standing up for a ordinary 43 year old man having sex with a drunk drug induced 13 year old girl. I am sure Whoopi would call it rape.

AS for President Obama the list of disappointments is very long for a President that has been in office for less than a year.

He is showing weakness to a world full of tyrants and dictators by: Running around the world apologizing for things he thinks the United States was wrong in doing and caused problems for other nations. He seems to forget all the good America has done for the world. Pretending he can bring the world together to completely eliminate nuclear weapons while Iran and North Korea build as fast as they can. Agreeing to give up missile defense expecting Russia will agree to sanctions against Iran, Russia said no. Agreeing to negotiate with Iran, Iran said we can talk but not about nuclear weapons. Publicly admonishing Israel settlements at the United Nations.


He is showing weakness as Commander In Chief by: Placing the war in Afghanistan on a back burner to Health Care Reform and spending his time giving speeches on every selected tv network he can find. Not meeting with the Commander On The Ground for timely information on how the war is really going. Delaying a request for more troops from his Commander when he is told point blank time is critical to accomplish the mission. Changing the strategy the first time his Commander request more troops. Showing a distrust for his Commander's evaluation of the war by saying he wants to consult other experienced people.

He is showing arrogance and a disdain for Americans by: He is showing a total disregard for what Americans are saying about his Health Care Plan. He has decided to trick the American public by acting like this is in their best interest. He has deliberately lied to America by saying illegal immigrants will not be allowed into a public option. He knows the ACLU will be the first to file discrimination against banning illegals and the Supreme Court will side with the ACLU. He knows if you offer a government backed option you cannot block a group of people due to race or national origin, immigration status is only a technicality. He lied about having a totally transparent administration. Laws have been passed without anyone reading the bills and not being posted on the internet like he promised. Lied to America when he said if they didn't pass the Stimulus bill the economy would fail but if we passed it the unemployment rate would not exceed 8.5%.

These are only a few things that give me doubt about President Obama. I hope for America's sake I can find things in the future that have me singing praise for our President, like the little children in schools across America.

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Health Care Reform Jobs Afghanistan Olympics

by Ron Spangler

What do these four things have in common, three are important to the American people one is not.

President Obama is pulling the same stunt that he did when thousands marched on Washington D.C. expecting the President and Congress to listen. Instead the President ran off to Minnesota for a photo opt hoping the media wouldn't notice what was going on in D.C. He is doing it again with his trip to Denmark to sell Chicago as the next great city to hold the 2016 Olympics.

Americans are wondering why this is more important than working on Health Care, Jobs, or Afghanistan. Maybe France is right when their leader "thinks that President Obama is incredibly naive and grossly egotistical – so egotistical that no one can dent his naivete. And that he’s very worried about what that means for the West because the president of the United States is the leader of the free world. And if the president of the United States isn’t going to lead the free world, it isn’t going to be led.” According to JACK KELLY, PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE.

Americans and the rest of the world knows and understands America cannot afford to do everything President Obama thinks we can do. We cannot afford a trillion dollar Public Health Care Program while trying to bring down the fast approaching 10% unemployment anymore than we can afford fighting a war in Afghanistan and passing a Cap and Trade Bill that will increase the cost of everything at home.

We used to be the most powerful nation but the world is beginning to see us as a country being led by another Jimmy Carter. Iran, Russia, North Korea and Venezuela are looking at Obama as weak and a push over. They like some in America are beginning to think Obama sees the world through his own very narrow prism. It is a ideological prism that has Obama changing the world of dictators simply by talking to them. He thinks by educating them together he can make this planet a far better and peaceful place to live. Obama is so naive he doesn't understand the only thing these countries want is to destroy the west and control the world.

Bait and switch has been around for decades and although it is outlawed in the retail market in America, con artist and politicians find it very useful. The Health Care Plan that Congress and President Obama are going to force down the people's throat is a good example. They have voted down the Public Option Amendment in one plan but it lives on in four other House plans. It will be thrown in during Conference Committee last minute hearings, no one will read it and it will become law.

The President is practicing a form of bait and switch with his trip to Denmark. Using the Olympics he hopes to take America's eyes off Health Care. If Americans and the media is talking about the Summer Olympics maybe they won't notice the Bill being forced through the Senate Finance Committee. It could also benefit him if people talk a little more about the Olympics and worry a little less about jobs and Afghanistan.

President Obama has also been accused of being arrogant. The accusation is true. It is through this state of arrogance and elitism that he views people like Putin, Chavez, Ahmadinejad, Kim Jong il and other tyrants and dictators as insignificant. He also views the American people as illiterate, complacent and mostly too stupid to understand what he is trying to accomplish.

He refuses to accept that the majority of Americans will not accept his Health Care Reform plans. He refuses to believe people are more concerned about jobs than they are about Health Care Reform.

When he talks about Afghanistan he never mentions the Taliban, its always about Al Qaeda. Somehow his sole focus has been and looks like it always will be Al Qaeda when it comes to Afghanistan. He doesn't understand that it is the Taliban that is leading the fight in Afghanistan and without them Al Qaeda will not have a place to hide in Afghanistan.

He does not see his popularity amongst Americans falling, he still believes he is as popular and trusted today as he was before he was elected. The worst delusion he is following is the belief that everything he has done has been a great accomplishment and the world is better for the decisions he has made.

Maybe the elections in 2010 will open his eyes but maybe by then we will be in such a position that it will be too late. It is time this Congress stands up to the President and performs an intervention. They have to let him know we cannot afford the changes he has proposed. They have to get him to understand the people do not want what they are selling and they must let him know that he cannot trust the people he wants to negotiate with. If they don't stop the craziness come the elections in 2010, then most in Congress will be looking for a new line of work.

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