Wednesday, September 30, 2009

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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Monday, September 28, 2009

Facts of Life





by Ron Spangler

As we come closer to life's end we reflect on what little knowledge we have gained during our journey. Here are a few of the things I've learned to be facts of life.

Every unborn and aborted child is against abortion.

From birth to death life is full of change.

Older men love young women, older women love young men. They just can't keep them.

Wise men are men that have lived a long and experienced life.

Family members that cannot forgive and forget will never be members of a family.

You can lose all your worldly possessions, you will never lose your fondest memory.

Sometimes the best way to teach is to keep silent.

Some of the best experiences in life come when we fail.

Only a arrogant fool has all the answers in life.

We are happiest if we trust in God, family and always keep a watchful eye on government.

We are at our best if we listen, watch and learn before we speak.

We should never expect people to hear what we say, they will hear only what they want to hear anyway.

When we die the only thing of value that most of us will leave behind is family.

Honest people that believe in the right to protect themselves, family and home believe in the right to bear arms, most Democrats don't.

In real life police can only serve, they cannot always be there to protect.

In a free society elections have consequences, always guard your vote and treat it with respect.

Never let a politician get away with I misspoke, if it wasn't true then he lied.

Never depend on the government to solve our problems, they will always let us down.

We must always be ready to fight for our freedoms or our freedom will be lost.

These are just a few of the things I have learned in life. Hopefully I will not stop learning.

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Afghan Strategy Pospone Delay Abandon





by Ron Spangler

President Obama has made his decision on troop reinforcement or a surge in Afghanistan. And that is, postpone or delay his decision for another 5-6 weeks. I suppose by then his next decision will be to abandon Afghanistan. He may decide Al Qaeda has been sufficiently defeated and is no longer a direct threat. Maybe he will say we will no longer participate in nation building and Afghans must decide who will govern Afghanistan for themselves.

It is evident that Afghanistan and our troops that are there are not high on the Obama list of priorities. With the Health Care Reform plan taking so much of his time he seems to have lost interest in Afghanistan. Now we find out he is off to Denmark to sell Chicago for the 2016 Olympics. It seems the Olympic games scheduled for 2016 have taken priority over the war.

The President said during his campaign Afghanistan was number one on his priority list. He said never mind Iraq, Afghanistan is where we should be and he would concentrate his every effort to destroy Al Qaeda and win in Afghanistan. After being elected he said he had a new strategy for Afghanistan. Now we find out 6 months later that his previously announced strategy was 'study the situation and come up with a new strategy'. Meanwhile the war is escalating and more of our troops are being killed because they don't have sufficient numbers to counter the growing Taliban attacks.

President Obama is showing his inability to lead by his failure to understand the nature and complexity of war. In our system of government military decisions fall to the Commander In Chief elected by the people. We the people have not elected Commander In Chiefs based on their military experience but we expect our Commander In Chief to listen to his experienced military leaders when we are fighting a war. We expect the Command In Chief to make timely decisions that will limit the number of casualties that our military forces will receive during a war. While the very nature of war means casualties cannot be avoided it does not mean the rate has to be increased because the Commander In Chief decides to question his hand picked generals on the ground. When a commander on the ground bluntly states that the next 12 months will decide victory or failure and any delays in supplying more troops will add to the likelihood of failure, the Commander In Chief cannot put off a decision because of Health Care Reform, Olympics, or any other decisions he thinks is more demanding. Nothing should be more demanding than a war and supporting the troops on the ground.

Through his actions, it looks like President Obama thinks it is more important to fundamentally transform America into something very similar to a Socialist state than it is to winning a war. He has dedicated most of his time to bailing out one industry after another with taxpayer money, taking over the auto industry, doing away with private health care, increasing the school year for public schools, and now the 2016 Olympics for Chicago. In all this time it has been reported that he has met with Gen. McChrystal one time since appointing the general 6 months ago. It is clear President Obama is simply not interested in Afghanistan.

In the 1956 movie The Ten Commandments Yul Brynner as the Pharaoh Ramses said "So let it be written, so let it be done." This seems to be the attitude of President Obama. All he has to say is "do this" and it will be done. The world is too complicated and people are too complicated to think that just because you want something done it will get done. As the Pharaoh found out this is arrogant, naive and dangerous. When fighting a war you cannot say "here you are in charge, here is an additional 20K troops go win it" and expect it to be over. You cannot say to Wall Street "here is all the taxpayer money you want, if its not enough we will print more" and expect the economy to miraculously heal itself. You cannot expect to give the same old tired speech 24/7 around the country and not expect push back on Health Care Reform if the majority of people refuse your ideas of reform. And you cannot win wars or lead a nation by saying, "So let it be written, so let it be done."

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Saturday, September 26, 2009

Vietnam Afghanistan Democrats and Obama

by Ron Spangler

Most Americans try to forget the Vietnam War as if it never happened and refuse to think the situation in Afghanistan can be compared to the situation that existed in Vietnam. They are wrong. As a Vietnam Vet I can see some of the parallels that face our troops and President Obama.

In Vietnam we were fighting a well established government and a terrorist organization. The North Vietnamese Military was a well trained and well supplied military force. The Vietcong were not just a guerrilla organization they used terrorist tactics on South Vietnamese citizens and were in reality terrorists. We just didn't use the term terrorist during the war.

North Vietnam was being supplied and reinforced by Russia and China. After we defeated the North Vietnam Military and they were forced back across the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) the Vietcong stepped up their guerrilla war. North Vietnam continued their fight but used the Ho Chi Min Trail through Laos and Cambodia to continue the war. We were not allowed to cross into these countries and cut off the supply of arms, food and men coming out of the North. We used special forces, secret bombings and secret crossings to combat the resupplies but it continued until we finally left South Vietnam.

Until the 1968 Tet Offensive Americans for the most part backed the war in Vietnam. Using the Ho Chi Min Trail the North flooded the South with men and weapons preparing for one great assault that would break the will of the American people and our military. It worked on the civilian population in America but it did not succeed with our military. The civilians back home saw the widespread offensive as a overall defeat while our military saw it as a victory. The Vietcong were all but eliminated and the North was resoundingly defeated and pushed back across the DMZ. Even the North said they would never try another all out attack on the South again, at least not until the Americans left.

Today in Afghanistan we are fighting not only Al Qaeda but the remnants of the Afghanistan government, Taliban. The Taliban are being supplied by not only Al Qaeda and their Muslim supporters around the Muslim world, they are also being trained and supplied by Iran. Who is supplying Iran, Russia and China. Why would Russia or China supply Iran knowing they are supplying the Taliban, neither one wants to see America win in Afghanistan. They see America as being too powerful and cannot afford to see us gain more influence, especially in a Muslim area of the world. To some extent we have succeeded in Iraq and have a large US Military force stationed on the Western border of Iran. It is simply unbearable for Russia, Iran and China to allow the US to succeed in Afghanistan and have a large US Military force stationed on the Eastern border of Iran. In the eyes of Russia and China boxing Iran in with US Military on both sides would give the US too much political leverage over Iran.

Today Iran, Russia, China, the Taliban and Al Qaeda are looking for another Vietnam Tet Offensive. If successful it will have the same effect in public opinion and Obama will lose his war in Afghanistan. History repeats itself because we never seem to learn from our mistakes. Our enemies look carefully at how Americans react to high casualty numbers in our military. Because these are American young men and women dieing in foreign lands we will not stand for the loss to grow to the numbers we encountered in Vietnam. Our enemies do not see high numbers of casualties as a problem as long as they can continue to recruit more fighters and beat down America.

Like in Vietnam the Taliban and Al Qaeda are hiding in Pakistan and the Taliban are now in Iran being trained and supplied. They are crossing into Afghanistan attacking and killing our forces then retreating back to safe havens in these countries. Pakistan is trying to fight back the Taliban and Al Qaeda for their own self preservation but are not being all that successful. Terrorist attacks within Pakistan are having a detrimental effect in public opinion of the Pakistan government. The Taliban needs safe haven in Pakistan and Iran the same as the North and the Vietcong needed Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

With military pressure President Johnson added more troops in Vietnam and the war escalated but due to heavy US casualties during the Tet Offensive public opinion was lost. Now General McChrystal is calling for more troops (around 40,000) and predicting if the troops are not forth coming in a timely manner the mission will fail. Afraid of his Democrat base President Obama is waffling. If he continues to delay and refuses to listen to his commanders on the ground we could see a Taliban offense very similar to the Vietnam Tet Offense and the results may well be high casualty reports and a public outcry for a complete withdrawal from Afghanistan. If a major Taliban offense takes place before President Obama reinforces our military it will more than likely target the towns and tribal areas in the South and NATO Forces that are at present refusing to join in combat missions. These NATO forces will immediately withdraw if they receive heavy casualties during such an assault.

Vietnam had its isolated villages, jungles and mountains. Afghanistan has its isolated tribal area (villages), caves, and mountains. Both have the civilians to worry about. Insurgents, terrorist or guerrillas (call them what you like) hide within the civilian population and attack at will. Separating the two can be difficult or sometimes impossible.

These are the parallels that Vietnam and Afghanistan have in common. President Obama has now seen the intelligence findings that he never saw when he was a Senator calling for removing our troops from Iraq and sending them to Afghanistan. He said and always believed the Central War on Terror was and should be Afghanistan. President Bush believed it would be better to fight Al Qaeda in Iraq and turn Afghanistan over to NATO. He believed Pakistan could take care of the remnants of the Taliban. Al Qaeda took the bait and did fight in Iraq taking their eyes off Afghanistan. Unfortunately Pakistan tried to negotiate and appease the Taliban, it didn't work. Countries like Germany and France supply forces to NATO in Afghanistan but they will not allow their forces to fight. This allowed the Taliban grow in strength.

We did kill and destroy a large portion of Al Qaeda terrorists in Iraq and that part of the war has turned out to be a success. Now Al Qaeda and the Taliban with help from Iran are reemerging in Afghanistan. President Obama cannot afford to show weakness because Iran is supporting the Taliban. He cannot show weakness in the eyes of Russia, China, or the Islamic countries. We have too many enemies waiting to see if Afghanistan will be another Vietnam. With Iran going full speed ahead to get their hands on a nuclear bomb in order to destroy Israel, we cannot afford to lose in Afghanistan. Delaying or second guessing his commander on the ground is showing weakness and the result may be the Democrats will win and we will all lose.

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Thursday, September 24, 2009

Buyer's Remorse in America




by Ron Spangler

Buyer's remorse is steadily growing across America as we watch the total destruction of the American way of life. President Obama is determined to rebuild America according to his own personal way of thinking. The way he has chosen to rebuild the country is not absolutely clear, all though most believe it will be very close to a Socialist state. I believe it will be more like Venezuela.

With consumer confidence at a record low, it is no wonder depression in America has reached an all time high. The average American cannot believe anything coming out of Washington D. C.

I have often referred to President Obama as the greatest con artist of the 20th century. He will probably retain this title through the 21st century, along with the honor of being the President that destroyed America.

The con artist or confidence artist has gone by many names throughout history. Flim Flam man, hustler, shyster, grifter and sham artist are only a few of the more common names of people that work off of the naivety, honesty, trust, and sometimes greed or dishonesty of the victims they encounter along their paths.

A huge misconception about the perfect con is that the con man is in it only for the money. After a few cons the money doesn't mean as much as the power and confidence he gains from pulling off the perfect con. There are many forms of con artist and con games going on around the world. The biggest con of all is in American politics.


Americans for the most part believe "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" means limited government intrusion into are personal lives. It means individual Americans have the right to decide how they will live their lives, where they will live, and the path they will take in the pursuit of their particular idea of happiness. It means Americans will tell the government how they should act, not the government dictating to Americans how we should live. The perfect con we are witnessing today is being performed by a President and his shadow government. While he is publicly professing the same beliefs that most Americans have, his shadow government is busy creating crisis after crisis that will allow the President to take actions that no President in the past could have ever gotten away with.


To perfect his con there must first be some truth in some of what the con artist has said. During President Obama's campaign he told America he would "transform America." Like everything else in his public and political career he never went into details how he would transform the country and the definition of change was purposely left to interpretation. By doing this he has been able to stave off critics by his supporters pointing out the President is only doing what he said he would do and what the majority of voters expected him to do.


However, while a large majority of his supporters are still in a state of denial some are beginning to doubt President Obama's true intentions. His ardent supporters have forgotten all of the people that have been thrown under the bus throughout the life of this President. They cannot believe President Obama would betray or use them for his own political use or expediency.

One of the tricks used by a successful con artist is never allow anything to be traced back to your door. President Obama has perfected this principle throughout his days in the Illinois and U S Senate. While he has cosponsored some legislation there are no laws that have been passed that can be solely attributed to him. Since he has been President he has written nothing but instead he has allowed Congress to write the bills he wants passed. In this way Congress will rightfully be blamed if it is a failure and he can take credit if it works. The Health Care Reform Bill is a perfect example. Will the Democrats in Congress, including Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid, be some of the victims to fall under the Obama bus of doom?

Obama is starting to experience something he has experienced only a few times in his life. He is starting to feel the pressure of being in a leadership role, of which he is floundering, and he is feeling distrust,anger and resistance for the way he wants to "fundamentally change America."

Most Americans liked America, we just wanted the government to work for us and not against us. We wanted America to remain free and the government to follow the Constitution, not interpret it to fit their needs. We liked the idea of "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" the way we define it not the way a government dictates it for us.

People are seeing the Emperor with no clothes and the con that he is selling. President Obama is learning that we don't like what we see and we will not stand for it to be shoved down our throats. He believes he can force us to accept his will simply because he is President. He thinks he knows the Constitution better than any man or woman alive today. He believes he is like the Emperor and we will cower down to whatever he dictates. He is very wrong.

Americans are fighters and if the President and Democrat Congress wishes a fight, they like others in history will find the American people are the best fighters in the world. We will not lose, we will not give up.

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Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Israel Attacks Iran, Result WWIII




by Ron Spangler

Does the thought of Israel attacking Iran's nuclear bomb making facilities sound scary, it should scare everyone around the world. The result of such an act will be WWIII.

Every Islamic nation will blame the west, not just Israel. Attacks from Islamic followers will happen in every country throughout the modern world. No nation not aligned with Iran will be seen as the enemy. Syria, and Egypt will automatically join Hezbollah and Hamas to revenge the cowardly and unwarranted sneak attack on peace loving Iran. As the war in the Middle East flares up the West will have no choice but to secretly aid Israel or watch as another Holocaust that Ahmadinejad says never happened, happens again.

If it looks like Israel is going to be destroyed or overrun we will have no choice but to intervene. There will be some that will help but not many. Due to their own self interest most nations will decide to watch as another genocide is committed. The United Nations will refuse to act and members of NATO will say this is none of our business. Obama may not want to join Israel in defending their country but I cannot believe the majority of America will allow him to stand on the sideline while Israel is destroyed.

Germany, France and the majority of NATO countries will publicly chastise and condemn Israel's action while they privately thank god that Israel acted. Only a few countries led by America will offer Israel any assistance in protecting themselves from the Muslim/Islamic onslaught that is sure to come but it may be too little too late.

Time is running out. Israel cannot afford to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons of any type. It doesn't matter whether its a nuclear warhead on top of a medium range missile or a dirty bomb that can be hidden in a ship and sailed into an Israeli harbor like Tel Aviv or Haifa. If Iran develops a nuclear bomb they will find a way of delivering or using it against Israel. Whether its a missile or dirty bomb the results would be the same, thousands of Israeli innocent civilians will die and chaos will result. If its a dirty bomb Iran will claim they are innocent and it will take months or years for Israel to convince the world Iran was behind the attack. The evidence will be there but because the world will be in shock and fearful of a war with Iran they will refuse to look at the evidence. If however they are able to place a nuclear warhead on a missile, they will find a way either with Hezbollah or Hamas to provoke Israel giving Iran the excuse to launch.

The world today is in such fear of the Islamic/Muslim world that every nation including Russia, China, and America are cowering down to Iran and Ahmadinejad. This is not the first time the world has refused to act because it fears the result would lead to war and hard times. History has a way of repeating itself and it always will if we continue to refuse to learn from our past mistakes. To allow someone like Ahmadinejad to state over and over how he wants to erase Israel off the face of the earth and stand by while he builds nuclear weapons is nothing short of cowardice in the face of tyranny. Can anyone really blame Israel for acting to stop a nuclear holocaust upon their nation when they have been threatened and told over and over "you have no right to exist as human beings."

Time is running out and we should not be alarmed or act surprised when Israel finally decides enough is enough. Feigning outrage or blaming Israel will not dampen the Muslim anger and call for revenge after the Israeli attack against Iran. The Arab world will compare it to Japan attacking the United States leading to WWII. They will make the comparison in order to justify their actions against Israel and some will find this a convenient excuse to step aside.

The time for diplomacy and hoping Iran will change their mind about nuclear weapons is over. Having such a deep hatred for Israel they will never give up the one thing that could give them the power to enslave or destroy the Israeli Nation. If we continue to stand back and show weakness we will be repeating a not so distant history that led us into WWII. Unlike that period the oceans separated us from our enemies. This time they will reach our cites not with their military but through terrorist attacks from coast to coast.

This is the dilemma facing President Obama. Will he stand up to Iran and enemies of both the United States and Israel, they are one and the same, or will he be so naive to think he can change the world with speeches and charm.

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GM vs Ford for America Auto Leader




by Ron Spangler

The race is on for the hearts and minds of Americans looking for the car of the future. For Americans looking to support American Auto Manufacturing the choice has come down GM and Ford. Historically these two American giants have always been number 1 and 2 in the hearts of American Auto enthusiast. With the taxpayer bailout and government take over of General Motors you would think GM has the clear advantage and could possibly mean the end of Ford. However it may be premature for GM to dance a victory dance for the predicted fall of Ford.

With the GM announcement of calling back 2400 hourly employees to plants in Michigan, Indiana and Kansas you would think GM could already claim the winner's position over Ford. Before we do, we must first look at what the economy and what it will look like next year. We also must consider what type of vehicle GM offer in their bid to win the hearts and minds of Americans.

Remember it was only a year ago that everyone was predicting GM would run away from every other auto manufacturer with the announcement of the new Chevy Volt scheduled to be released in late 2010. A year ago when the cost of gas was rising at incredible amounts, the impression was the Volt would be ready at the beginning of the 2010 GM inventory. Now according to GM Vice-Chairman Bob Lutz "The Volt technology is very exciting, but costs will have to come down before it can become generalized,” he added “And US fuel prices will have to rise to world levels, meaning $5 or $6 per gallon.”

Does it sound like they are waffling on their earlier promises?

Larry Burns, who will retire this year explained it this way:

"It is important to recognize that first generation technology in the auto industry, or industry in general, is usually costly verses the mature alternatives that it competes with. The key is to kick off a generation-by-generation learning cycle that allows the new technology to reach its mature, high-volume potential. GM believes that Lithium Ion batteries at maturity and in high volume will be cost competitive for personal mobility. This is why we are launching the Volt, to kick off the commercialization dynamic."

The problem with this statement is Volt will not be the 1st generation of electric autos in the auto industry. GM has been here before and it was a dismal failure. Now they are relying on the Lithium Ion batteries to revise this past failure and vindicate them from all of the unfulfilled promises of the past. If recent events are a predictor they may see the Volt go down like the failed US Vectrix business. They are still hanging on by a thread but have cut production of their larger Maxi Scooter and will concentrate on smaller European style scooters for next year.

With all the hype about technology and green jobs one thing is clear, there must be a market for these types of vehicles. There is no US market today or in the foreseeable future large enough to sustain the sale and manufacturing of electric vehicles. GM was counting on the bottomless wallet of the American taxpayer to allow them to produce the Volt in large numbers and corner the market on the electric 'green' vehicle of the future. With news from GM that production volumes are expected to remain relatively low, somewhere around 10 thousand the 1st year, they have decided to drastically cut their production to match the expected sales.

With so many companies jumping in trying to build a sustainable market, the opportunity to fail is huge. The problems that plagued the Vectrix Maxi Scooter are the same that plague all electric vehicles. Americans expect and demand performance, low maintenance, reliability and long term endurance from their vehicles. With today's technology totally electric vehicles will not meet these standards when compared to gasoline or diesel powered vehicles. The main drawback for any electric powered vehicle is there are too many variables to determine the true range and reliability of the vehicle. Like Vectrix found out here in the United States the demand we place on our vehicles is too much for electric vehicles. The number of passengers, the terrain, the weather conditions, amount of time we spend in our vehicles, miles we drive daily and the miles driven on vacations or just visiting relatives are all too much to make any electric vehicle reliable.

Ford has not accepted bailouts or government intrusion but they are working on a new all electric Fusion for 2011 and 4 other electric vehicles by 2012. By going a little slower in production they will have the advantage of finding out who will be the first to fail and how it will effect the market for EVs.

Reading this you will gather that I am not a fan of EVs and you would be right. They may have their place in certain parts of the world but I just don't see a large US market evolving in the near future. Due to the fact that electric motors are constantly drawing amperage from the battery and the amount of amperage is increased by not only speed, terrain (climbing and descending hills), weight (number of passengers), and weather conditions batteries cannot meet the ever changing demand. Another problem we will encounter is the high level of heat the electric motor will produce from long continuous use. This continuous use and production of internal heat will cause premature failure of the internal parts of the motor and a reduction in the life of the motor. Another major problem will be the life of the battery cannot be honesty and predictably forecast. If you think there are a lot of variables to consider when trying to determine the reliability of the EV, then consider the variables determining the life expectancy of the battery. How many times the battery is recharged plus the environment and individual use will determine the life of the battery. Since the demands placed on our vehicles and how we treat our vehicles varies so much there is no possible way of making a accurate determination of the life of a particular battery. If you run out of gas in today's car just toss in a gallon and drive to the nearest service station. If your battery dies in a EV, call a tow truck you are just stranded.

Only time will tell who will come out on top. One thing that may determine the winner between GM and Ford will be if the American taxpayer becomes the ultimate loser in the rush to EVs. If GM receives more bailout money because they fail in their promises they will find themselves joining so many others under the wheels of the Obamabus of losers.


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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Liberty Under Assault 1st Amendment





by Ron Spangler

In another stunning arrogant assault on our liberty the White House has told Humana to stop telling seniors they will lose some of their Medicare benefits under the new Health Care Bill, according to published reports.

Is this the first step to rewriting the Free Speech Clause in the 1st Amendment?

How long before the White House goes after everyone on the internet that does not agree with this White House?

Will FoxNews be warned or punished over disagreeing with the President?

Will this White House act like Chavez in Venezuela and try to shut down all dissension in America?

These are serious questions and the American people must become directly involved in letting this President know that his authority has limitations.

We are not a third world nation without rights.

We cannot sit around and hope someone else will save our rights for us. Like our forefathers we must fight to preserve our liberty, freedom to differ and our Constitution.

It is becoming increasingly clear that President Obama believes he can transform America into something entirely different from the America we grew up in. I don't know what he taught about the Constitution but I am beginning to get worried about the way he is interpreting it.

He like the Congress still works for the American people even though they don't seem to understand it.

In the new Health Care Bill that in all likely hood will be signed into law, everyone will be required to pay for some type of Health Insurance. Be it young, old, or anywhere in between. This is the 1st step to complete government take over of the Health Insurance industry. I have no sympathy for Insurance Companies but restricting their right of free speech is scary and unconstitutional.

Just how far is this President with his secret government of Czars willing to go in "fundamentally transforming America"? The basic right of every American is the liberty to say what is on our minds and redress our government whenever we feel aggrieved. I must say all Americans are being aggrieved daily by this White House and its Secret Government.

People have questioned the truthfulness of this President and been accused of racism. Examine the truth for a minute. He says public option is not the only way but just a way to the end in his Health Care Plan. He says there will be citizenship verification in his plan to ensure illegal immigrants cannot sign up.

Here is the truth. His idea of a way to the end is really single payer government health care. The end game for this president always has been and always will be government run health care. Once he has a foot in the door he can take it over completely. Verification for keeping illegal immigrants off the public option will mean nothing after the President and Congress push through another Amnesty plan.

These are the truths and this President is not above lying. Witness his answers about ACORN during his Sunday talkathon. After taking over the banks and car industry he has become a power crazed egomaniac that believes his power is limitless.

Monday, September 21, 2009

President Obama Is Not George Bush



by Ron Spangler

A lot of people are accusing President Obama of acting like President Bush in Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. President Obama is no George Bush. With the criticism that he is following in President Bush's path, President Obama has worked overtime to overturn everything President Bush achieved.

While the Bush haters and Democrat Party supporters will never agree, the war in Iraq is basically over and a victory for the U S has been achieved. There is a stable and friendly government in control and Iraq is on the path of becoming a form of a Democratic State the Mideast.

President Obama may try to use the surge in Iraq as a battle plan for Afghanistan but the Democrats and Far Left will never allow this to happen. With the release of the secret report saying we need to increase our forces by 30-40 thousand troops or risk failure in Afghanistan, Obama felt resistance and capitulated. Instead of showing support for the Commander on the ground and the troops already in Afghanistan, Obama decided to decide later. This is not the actions of a strong Commander In Chief.

Troops in combat cannot afford to wait for reinforcements while the Commander tests the political climate before making his decision. This is what leads to unnecessary high casualty rates and losing the war. The difference between Bush and Obama is Bush was willing to lose the Presidency and win the war where it is unclear if President Obama is willing to do the same. When times were dark in Iraq and there was a call for more troops, George Bush stood firm and took on the critics that said the war was lost. Bush listened to his Commanders on the ground and sent more troops. Now the situation in Afghanistan is looking very similar and the Commanders are calling for more troops. Obama unlike Bush has decided to study the matter basically sending the message that he doesn't trust Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal's assessment of the situation.

This is beginning to look like supporting the troops is nothing more than lip service from the Democrats and President Obama. A true leader will not leave his military undermanned in a combat situation while he ponders the political question of sending in reinforcement. A poorly manned Army is a Army doomed to high casualties. While the enemy is increasing their manpower, we are wearing ours out. There is no doubt we have the best military in the world and they can win their battles, the question is for how long. In combat everyone gets tired after a while and with little hope of support or reinforcement when needed moral will eventually disappear. When moral is lost, hope will be lost and the war will be lost

President Obama declared Afghanistan to be his war. He said before he was elected that Afghanistan was where we should be fighting not Iraq. He told us he had a strategy for winning in Afghanistan. The troops on the ground need help, it is time to act on his strategy and support the troops on the ground in Afghanistan.

The troops on the battlefield will not die if Health Care Reform is not passed by Jan 2010. There may be unnecessary deaths on the field if a decision to reinforce them is delayed until 2010. I am certain this President is stalling for time and letting the situation deteriorate to the point that he can convince the public to reinstate the draft. After all, from what I have seen from this President nothing will surprise me. He has already said "We will win in the Senate like we won in the House and I will sign this Bill." He was referring to the Health Care Bill. With the overwhelming number of Americans against his plan it is clear he doesn't care what we say or think. After he signs his bill he will focus his attention on Afghanistan and seeing he cannot take the troops from Iraq, he will look to the draft for new troops.

This will be a losing strategy. By the time the system is fought over politically and eventually reinstated, it could be too late. Training new troops for the rigors of Afghanistan will take months if not years. Like we did in Vietnam, we could rush troops through training and witness high casualties but I find it hard to believe the American people will stand for it. Americans have almost reached the end of their tolerance level with this President and Congress. If he allows Afghanistan to get completely out of control because he wants to study the situation people will be marching on Washington by the hundreds of thousands. Creating another crisis so the messiah can come to the rescue, this time in Afghanistan, could cost thousands of American lives.


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