SHALL WE AT LEAST SHAME THEM WITH THE BILL?

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

Why does Congress spend our money so frivolously whether they claim to be Liberals or Conservatives? All Americans know that both Democrats and Republicans pork barrel equally to help buy votes back home. Both parties campaign on fiscal responsibility but never do they cut the size of our government or appreciably downsized the budget. American business has learned to run leaner and meaner while Congress continues to grow ‘biggy and piggy’.

 Why? Simple! They have little motivation because it’s not their money! When we don’t have personal responsibility or liability we act differently. When it is someone else’s money or property we operate with less prudence. We all know that when the company is paying for our lunch we order Lobster but when we have to reach into our own wallet, we’re satisfied with the tuna melt. When we rent a car and take out the cheap Insurance policy, we drive more recklessly because we don’t own or car about the vehicle. Therefore we know why Congressional politicians and government procurement offices spend and waste our money without guilt or reprisal and there is little we taxpayers and Americans can do about it. Voting them out of office only works temporarily to scare those not up for re-election but then Washington quickly returns to ‘business as usual’.

However, there may be an interesting alternative solution to the problem. When there are scandals in Washington involving the president and or his Administration they always call for an Independent Council. To avoid a perceived or real conflict of interest by the Justice Department and to assure all that the investigation was thorough and unbiased. We Americans need an Independent Budget Oversight Committee consisting of people who pledge to go through the Congressional budget looking for programs that are fraudulent, wasteful, and redundant or just plain corrupt to give American voters knowledge.

 NBC NEWS has being doing a series that others have done called the “Fleecing of America” in which its news reporters expose government waste and fraud. What if we promoted to Congress that it adopt and allow this Independent Tea Party Panel to review the nation’s budget and then report back to the American people how much is being wasted and how much could be saved. They could alert Americans by using a grade system for Programs and expenditures that would scale from A to F thereby requiring politicians to either rescind the worst graded programs or be held accountable at the ballot box. This would give the taxpayer knowledge and targeted voting power to put political pressure on both Democrats and Republicans to be more judicious in creating and keeping government programs.

This Independent Budget Oversight Panel would revolve every four years changing out members to ensure that both Lobbyist and Congress does not corrupt the members and that the members themselves don’t develop a ideological bias to grade bad policy or programs with high marks. Its members should be retired professionals, business people, and homemakers in an eclectic mix of a cross section of the average American citizen. There would be no salary except that the Tea Party would help pay for their room and board while working in Washington. It could work as a Jury works in that all twelve or ten members would have to unanimously agree on the grade of any program. They could ask for expert advice from other retired accountants, lawyers, bankers or use other knowledge gathering and fact finding consultants to help them with their assessments. 

Now, I know that there are already a number of groups out there commenting and watch dogging for the American taxpayer but this idea would be different in two ways. One, it would get the acceptance, approval and credibility of Congress and two the panel would revolve and involve average non-activist citizenry. People could sign up much like a Jury pool and have their names be randomly picked to serve.

Both parties are out of control. The Spendocarats and the Shoplicans have both used the American taxpayer’s wallet with reckless abandon. If we can’t cut up their credit card, shall we at least shame them with the bill?

THE DAYS OF CAFÉ` LATTE` ARE OVER! IT’S NOW TEA TIME!

By; The speaker in the house

Claudia Roazen

The Republican Scott Brown win over Democratic candidate Martha Coakley in the bluest of blue States, Massachusetts was a resounding win for all Americans who want government to act responsibly. Is it ironic that this metaphorical tea party upset happened in the same State that gave us the real revolt in our American legacy? Is it equally ironic that in order to elect new blood in a Senate seat dominated for so long by the Democrats that we had to wait until the office holder died before the seat was vacated?

The tea is in the water but the question still remains whether the President and the Democrats read those tea leaves correctly. Will they see their futures and start making the backtracking adjustments to save their political backsides or will they continue to ignore us in the spirit of George III of England?

The kettle is hot and the first fitting cup has been poured in Massachusetts but more tea will flow across this Country on the next Election Day. Will Washington pause from sipping their cappuccinos long enough to put our Country back on its rightful path of free market capitalism, individual liberties and smaller less corrupt government?

There may be many differing viewpoints in this country but debate and compromise by our legislative body was the constitutional genius design by our forefathers to ensure that the majority never ignored the minority. With our Country being so equally divided between liberal and conservative lines one would intuitively believe that bi-partisan co-operation would be sought by our representatives in Congress. However, the President and the Democrats have ignored the spirit of our forefather’s design and have used a Marie Antoinette spending and sneering snub to half of the Country’s citizenry.

 Hence, the long sleeping apathetic voter woke up, threw away their high priced designer coffee and filled their cups with inexpensive righteous tea. Mister President, Democratic members of Congress, stop growing government, stop owning banks and private enterprises, stop trying to spend us out of recession, stop trying to ram big bureaucratic, un-wanted, un-read Programs down our throats. Slice the lemons, because the Latte` days are over!

SEVENTY-TWO VIRGINS AND A LAWYER

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

Why is the Obama Justice Department giving constitutional citizen rights to terrorist out to destroy its very existence? These terrorists have not committed treason because in order to be a Benedict Arnold they must have American citizenship.

The reason Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is being tried in New York by our court system we are told, is because the Administration wants to show the world that we are a fair and just country with laws in keeping with our moral governance. The thinking here is that the rest of the world does not believe that our Justice System is fair and not puppeteer by Government interests. The Obama administration, hearing the uproar from the American people that a terrorist was being granted a trial, came out and assured us that Khalid would be found guilty and if not, would be held regardless of the trial’s outcome.

What? I and most Americans are confused. We have all heard of stopping fire with fire but stopping mockery with mockery? Some are calling it a political show trial but what would we be showing? That in fact it is true, that our Justice system is rigged for outcome? Why is an obviously guilty murderer, (example) O.J. Simpson still walking around free and un-punished? I thought we at least all agreed that the O.J. Simpson trial was the definitive poster boy for our American Justice System not being a pretense of prosecutorial burden of proof? Innocent until proven guilty is supposed to make us all comforted in the knowledge that the State has no power to unlawfully imprison us and its advisories. Juries may make mistakes to our chagrin but perfection aside we have improved our Justice system from the days of the Salem witch hunts, or have we? If our imperfect Justice system found an obviously guilty man like O.J. Simpson, not guilty, then perhaps we can speculate that Khalid Mohamed is innocent and water boarding forced him to plead guilty?

When did these terrorists become United States citizens, before or after they tried to kill us? If we hold on to these terrorists whom are found not guilty what then would the world think of our system of laws and justice? How could we stop groups like the A.C.L.U. and Amnesty International from decrying our government as a corrupt fascist dictatorship that falsely imprisons its detractors?

Wait… I think that maybe I know the reason for this counterintuitive counterterrorism strategy! Money is power and debt is weakness. Are we trying to bleed dry the Osama Bin Laden war-chest as we have over spent our own economic bank?

 Along with the promises of seventy-two virgins and the monetary compensation for the living love ones left behind, in his suicidal bomber incentive package, are we trying to force Osama, to now add paid legal fees to his terrorist benefits plan?  

SACRIFICING THE TRUTH!

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

The latest scandal involving the fudging of Global Warming temperature data is being ignored and or dismissed by those wanting America to go green. I was always taught in school that the difference between opinion and truth was scientific fact. We trusted science to always give us the truth regardless of political pressure or are own lying eyes. The earth rotates on its axis while orbiting the sun whether we can see or feel this motion because science has proven it to be a fact and so we believe. Science does not start with a premise and then seek only the data that supports that premise for that would not be science but instead would be …propaganda? 

There are three points of view on the subject of global warming. One, those that say it does not exist, period. Two, are those that say that Global Warming exists without man’s involvement. Third, are those that say Global Warming is caused by man and I will refer to them as the (Gore-U)? Then of course there are three solutions offered, one, do nothing and nothing bad will happen, two do nothing because nothing man could do would impact or change Global Warming or three the Gore-U, that say stop all man’s greenhouse gas emissions and it will or (might) stop Global Warming. This is why our brain-trust in Washington is proposing Cap and Trade Legislation.

 That means driving less and then driving tuna-fish can cars, eating more tuna and no red meat, reading by candle light because you’d be paying high priced electric bills, re-outfitting your home costing thousands of dollars for insulation and green energy saving appliances and see American slowly become a third world country in which tourism and the Service Industry are the only jobs available while countries like China huff and puff away eating our lunch.  

 I have a serious problem with the Gore-U’s theory because if science has taught me anything about nature it is; that most natural phenomenon that occurs is cyclical. What if Global Warming is a natural cyclical climate changing event that has been occurring on our planet since it first took orbit in our solar system? Locust and insect invasions, disease and pandemic viruses, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and weather patterns are all cyclical events. Some of these events we can predict with approximate accuracy while others we can only predict that they will occur eventually. When our sun becomes a Black Hole the earth will be sucked in and earth will perish but we really don’t have a hard date to predict it happening. Our planet has and always will live under the threat of being hit by a large meteor and wiping us out but again we can only speculate its occurrence. What if we do everything we think is right and yet nature spits in our face.

Man only thinks it has conquered nature because it can cut down trees, bulldoze the earth, wipe out animal and plant species, kill bacteria and viruses, cultivate and cross breed new agricultural products and defy gravity by Jumbo Jet air travel but the truth is nature is, and has always been in charge of us. The trees grow back, the buildings sink in the ground, the animals and plants find a way to survive, the bacteria and viruses mutate to be drug resistant,  the crossbred products create new and greater hazards (Killer Bees) and oh yes sometimes little birdies in the sky take down to the ground man’s huge iron winged monoliths. The problem with Gore-U followers and other environmentalists groups is that they revere nature religiously much like the Inca, Mayans and Native Americans’ spiritual belief system. The difference however is twofold between the Gore-U and all other nature spiritualists. One, today’s Gore-U’s believe with hubris that they can change and manipulate nature’s course while the other groups only strived to respect nature’s power. Two, Gore-U’s believe nature is benevolent and only malevolent if it is angered by man while the other groups understood that there were good Gods and bad Gods and if the Gods were angry then offering up a human sacrifice might temper and satisfy them so as to stop the drought or the flood or any ill wanted natural phenomenon that was plaguing them at the time.

Wow, I just got a great idea! We could solve this Global Warming issue quickly and with very little pain for most of us. Forget about Cap and Trade legislation that would hurt all of us with no assurance that it would make a dent of difference on Mother Nature’s warming temper. How about if we offer a human sacrifice to appease the Global Warming God? Perhaps one of those corrupt scientists would volunteer to have their name live in infamy? Maybe the Global Warming Guru himself would entertain the idea of sacrificing himself for the cause? “What do you say Al…we’ll even re-write the history books and give you credit for inventing the internet like you always wanted?”     

THE FOX IS IN THE N- House.

By: The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

We know that the first Amendment to our Constitution granted citizens the right to a free press and that it was the first thought of the colonists in asserting and insuring that the rights of the people were not dismissed and or diminished by accepting our new Constitutional government. We codified our right to dissent without our government’s ability to either mute or enact retribution for speaking our mind be it in praise or be it in criticism of government and or officials. We have a long history of expecting that our journalist (The Press) be loyal to the people, the truth and nothing but the truth. The press was and is expected to be independent and skeptical of government to protect us from propaganda and worse. Where is the independent, skeptical, truth- seeking journalists today?

Well it seems that they are not writing for the New York Times, they are not broadcasting at CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS or MSNBC because these print and broadcasts journalists have not criticized or questioned the current administration and have been behind as well as apologists for stories and scandals brought to light by others namely FOX news.

 The press has been hated by many past administrations because it has consistently refused to accept only the official account, been unwilling to not report and or quash stories for the government and would ask the tough questions of our officials over and over until sense could be made of the truth. Now both the administration and the rival news organizations are ganging up and condemning FOX news and all other independent journalists who dare be critical of the current administration.

It would appear that Fox News is the only hated news organization today and that should make them proud and we should champion their success and encourage more and new media to follow their example and get back to the first Amendment’s mission. We should not be lambs, hens or turkeys so close to the Thanksgiving season that we ignore the significance of who is being invited to the White house dinner table and who is not.

Shakespeare and Elvis are Alive and Well!

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

Many adults taught me as a child that name calling was a classless as well as ignorant way to try and win an argument. They said that you must debate people with the art of disagreeing agreeably. Respecting another’s opinion doesn’t make your argument weak but name calling definitely makes both you and your argument small. I took this training to heart and both when still a child and now as an adult I agree to disagree and disagree agreeably. I also remember adults making the comment that politics was a “dirty” sometimes they would say “filthy business”. I wondered what they meant but that was when I still was naïve enough to think that all adults followed the same rules of decorum and respect that I was taught to follow. The current political rhetoric certainly supports the negative cynical view that most people have about politics.

Whether from the Democrats, Republicans, news media or private citizens the pejoratives, name-calling and disrespectful taunting has been increasing in both bold disregard for decorum and outlandish analogy with the intent to smear and dishonor the other’s argument and is small minded. Calling the President a liar in the middle of his speech on the House floor is tactless and rude to say the least. Calling the President a communist or calling the angry town hall citizens un-American is muting and discrediting your argument and not gaining one anything except a discounting roll of one’s eyes. Decrying all voices in opposition to the President’s policies as racists is not only offensive to those to whom it’s aimed but shows an arrogant ignorance of opposing views and demonizes discontent. “We can’t go on together with suspicions and lies.”

 Our forefathers in their wisdom understood that the majority opinion while respected wasn’t always necessarily correct or considered omnipotent. It carefully considered the rights of the minority and understood that sometimes the minority opinion was the better as well as wanting to ensure that majority did not alienate the minority to then foment civil unrest. It’s hard to see a true majority and or a true minority in today’s political tug of words because the country seems as equally politically divided between Red States and Blue States, Democrats and Republicans. You would therefore think that because neither political side could claim to have the majority opinion that there would be more reason to sit down at the non-partisan table and reasonably debate the issues and come to compromised agreements for the benefit of all or at the very least do nothing until the political tide changed to a clear majority leaning opinion. I do not think our forefathers envisioned an equally divided congress and populace being dismissive of each other. They probably assumed that that would be the perfect set of conditions for reasonable compromise by both sides. Instead, the political rhetoric has become the Hatfield’s versus the McCoy’s or the house of Montague versus the house of Capulet. The sword pens and the lashing tongues are the prelude throughout history for the worst to follow. Romeo where for art thou? Juliet where for art thou? Love and respect where for art thou? Alas poor political civility you are dying. We be or not be civil and respectful while in disagreement. That is the over arching question.           

We Pledge Allegiance to Obama!

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

Remember what a drag it was to return to the classroom as a grade-schooler and be asked to write an essay on “What you did on your summer vacation?” When my summer wasn’t very exciting I recall making up some fantastic fantasy experiences that alleviated both the boredom and the invasion of privacy I felt at being asked to put my diary on public paper. That is now going to “change” with the new subject our children will be asked to write about. You see, our president is planning on going to our public schools and inspiring our children to be studious, book dutiful and Obama inspired. In fact, they will be ask to write how they can help our president achieve his goals of making our country a huge governmental bureaucracy that manages our lives from cradle to grave. Oh, to be a kid again and not have to struggle with my individual thoughts and whims but instead be told what to write, think and admire. That’s so much easier! Let’s see if I were a kid I’d probably write;

President Obama,

You should not let the Republican bullies stop your bills from being law. My Mom says “Bullies tease because they are jealous.” I think they are just jealous that you have so much more power than they do. I think any American that does not agree with you should be locked up in jail until they do. That way you can make our country a place where everybody feels the same, has the same, looks the same, works the same, eats the same, plays the same, sleeps the same, lives the same and is the same. Then nobody would be different and we would all know that being different, or trying to be different would be wrong and we could all wag our fingers at those people until they agreed to stop trying to be different and unique.

You are our president and the father of our country. My father says that our country was started by “our Four Fathers” but I told him that “now Dad we don’t have four we just got one and you should forget about the past.”

I also think that every morning we should all pray for you to be successful as well as our president for life. We should take down the United States flag and instead put up a picture of your face and pledge allegiance to you.* (Bonus 5 Points)

Your loving citisin            X (Spelling -5 points) Citizen

Claudia Roazen                Grade= 95+5= 100% Very Good Job!

I AM A GROWNUP NOW!

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

I am not a political activist and participate in politics the old fashioned way by both voting and screaming at my television when politicians (too often) pretend to speak for me and other Americans. My opinions are eclectic on issues but I have one abiding theme that holds the fabric together as it is waved left and right on the flagpole and that theme is FREEDOM. Those in Washington do not understand that we want less not more; government. More is less freedom and more is less choice and more is less efficiency and more is less integrity and more is less money in our well worn pockets.

Too many of our politicians think that Americans want government to solve all their problems and tuck them in to bed at night as they read them the sleepy story of all the legislation they passed to make their lives better. I can’t deny that it cures my insomnia but I sleep dreaming of growing up and becoming an independent adult and leaving my government’s house to start my life and make my own decisions. I love my government and I call, write and visit as often as I can while appreciative of how it raised me I don’t want to live there again. For its part it must learn to let go. I respect its concern for me and my well-being but I am long past needing to be pampered and scolded for my stumbles and falls. I expect it to keep its own house in order as I do my own. We are still a family and when there are pressing issues I am more than willing to pitch in and help. However, if it pries into my life, rings the doorbell unannounced, dictates to me, criticizes every move I make and tells me how I should live from health care to the car I drive well…well…should it be surprised that it sees me less, hears from me less and is told less and less about me and my life. Doesn’t it understand that “I AM A GROWNUP NOW?”

Lately it has been trying to use bribery to win me over, Cash for Clunkers, rebates for efficiency appliances and the promise of Universal Health Care that is suppose to make my life better. No I’m sorry government, but the days of shoving a cookie in my mouth to stop my tantrum is over. I want my freedom!

No…no…no… I will not be bought! It’s time to have a long talk with it and explain that although I love it to death it must respect our forefather’s tradition and leave their sons and daughters their constitutional right to “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness” with respect that as long as those values don’t interfere with anyone else’s rights, and we agree to fight as one to protect those rights, and we champion the individual human rights for everyone throughout the world, then we all agree and can all enjoy each other’s loving company.  

THOSE GOOD OLD APATHETIC DAYS!

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

I was shocked when I heard that the Democratic House Leader Nancy Pelosi described the dissenting voices heard at town hall meetings around the country as being UN-American. I was taken aback but then thought you know, she is correct. Think about it, the voting record in this country is abysmal and we have been embarrassed by countries like post Saddam Iraq when it comes to citizen participation. Getting people to pull away from their televisions and computers to go to a town hall meeting is a feat in and of itself. Nancy has it right when she says that it is un-American that people are going to town hall meetings, asking questions and then boldly dissenting with their voices at their government’s sweeping plans, spending and power grabbing. It is so unlike the typical American! It is UN-American! It is spontaneous, un-organized, unaffiliated with Democrat or Republican party association, gender and age neutral, without articulate rhythmic slogans and not backed or funded by left or right wing special interest groups. That’s totally UN-American! Apathy is American!

Acorn is American as N.O.W. is American as PETA is American but not these average get off their couch and go have a word with their Washington Representative who has come into town voices! No…they are not American. The American voices are puppetry, community organized; slogan filled, placard waving and always receives extensive positive Press coverage. These disorganized throngs of average citizenry holding Tea Parties and then going to town hall meetings are embarrassing our elected officials with their straightforward and non-choreographed questions and comments. They have no leader to negotiate with, no political slush fund to bribe officials with by withholding huge campaign contributions, no friends in the media who even if they report their protests underestimate their numbers and message. What can we expect the elitist Washington folk to think but that this is right –wing, red-neck, un-educated, loonies just out to embarrass the powerful. According to our government real grassroots protest is sponsored, backed and organized and this is not.

Perhaps I should look into organizing these UN-American protest voices by started a group to give them legitimacy. Let’s see how about PINESCONES? P-eople I-nterested N-ationally about E-scalating C-apital S-pending and O-verruns with N-o E-nd in S-ight. Hey… if this works out, as a community organizer I could become the First Female President! No…that would mean I’d have to abandon all my values and principles, lose my common sense, spend the American people’s money like it was water while feathering my own bank account with insider deals and steals. No I’d rather stay an UN-American American and vote, lend my voice at town hall, write my Senators and Representatives and hope they start listening to the growing din of discontent and the loss of those good old apathetic days that our leaders in Washington count on!

ANOTHER MAN’S TREASURE!

By: The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

This new “Cash for Clunkers” program by the government sounded innocuous until I found out what they did to the old cars. They seize and destroy the car’s engine and then scrap the rest of the car immediately. If everyone trades in their old cars then what will youth have to build on? Remember your first car? My first car was a yellow Ford Pinto, four cylinder, two doors, hatch, standard four on the floor and with no air except to crank down the powerless windows. I got absolutely no traction in the snow and it felt like a motorized toboggan driving in the New England winter. Yet, I loved it! I paid for my clunker with my own saved cash and it represented both freedom and my first steps as a young looking to be upwardly mobile adult. It broke down more often then it ran but I smiled through the pitted windshield that I owned my first vehicle!

When I moved up in the job market and made more money I sold my clunker for cash and bought another clunker but a big upgrade. I then owned a cream colored Oldsmobile Cutlass, six cylinder, four door, automatic on the column, power window but still no air conditioning. That used car was a big step up and I no longer had to white knuckle the ice and snow in the winter. Again, I would wait until either the car died or my income increased considerably before setting my sights on the next vehicle to purchase. Cars were like family and it was very hard to part with some of them and some of us still have the rusty old things in our backyards waiting to be restored. I did finally buy a brand new car and I paid cash and did not finance the car. Back then it was not a good deal to finance because the depreciation of the vehicle along with the high cost of insurance required; let alone the interest rate of the Jimmy Carter years, made it cost prohibitive, so I paid for my Oldsmobile Firenza outright. The Brazilian engine never let me down and after eight years I ended up selling it to my brother while I bought my parent’s old Acura Legend.

See that is the car ladder! The car ladder is just like the corporate ladder. I went from junk to a better clunk to a NEW American compact to a USED foreign luxury and I’m still waiting for the funds to buy a NEW foreign luxury. In the meantime however, I am in the marketplace for USED luxury cars and I now worry that the government in its lack of everything sensible and sane-minded is destroying the car ladder. I love old cars and again if I were rich I’d be more inclined to buy a nicer OLD car like say a Bentley or an Excalibur as opposed to a NEW American government owned GM.

I guess my government wants every American citizen to be as debt-ridden as it has become. We all should have mortgage debt, credit card debt, college tuition loan debt and now new car payment debt! I guess the government is re-writing the famous expression to say “Another man’s trash is trash!” Hey all you used car dealers and old classic car collectors better hang out at the dealership’s parking lots and convince the customers to sell to you instead of Uncle Sam. There’s a lot of treasure in the government’s waste barrel!

The latest Elitist Story!

By: The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

I was surprised that the president had such free time as to both comment on and then involve himself in what would otherwise be a local news story about the Cop and the Professor. I thought my gosh, even I could get a private audience and share a beer with the president and all I would have to do is involve myself in some sort of accusatory racial profiling incident that made my local paper. I knew my town had a new police officer and he was assigned a speed trap patrol in my neighborhood. Great, I thought, I will speed past his patrol going ten miles over the limit and see if he stops me. Well, it took about five passes until he finally flashed on his blue lights and pulled me over to the side of the road. He then approached my window and politely asked me for my license, registration and proof of insurance. He then started to walk back to his patrol car and I called out after him.

“Officer! Officer don’t you want me to get out of my car and put my hands on the hood?” He smiled nodded in the negative and jumped in his patrol car. After a few minutes he came back and handed me my paperwork and I gave him a sneer and said.

“Don’t you want to search my car for drugs or guns?” He smiled again and said no with the shaking of his head. Then he handed me a piece of paper and told me it was a warning and that he was not going to give me a ticket. I was infuriated at that moment, and I looked at the Afro-american policeman and cried foul!

“Officer why are you treating me so nice? It’s because I’m a white suburban woman isn’t it!” He tilted his head and looked confused. I continued to rant.

“Look, I want you to Taser me or something, otherwise I never get to meet the president!” I looked around my car for any contraband and found only a breath mint but it wasn’t in the package.

“See…see this!” I held up the Velamint and waved it in his face.

“I don’t know what this is, it could be a controlled substance? Are you going to test it?”

 He grabbed the mint out of my hand popped in his mouth and thanked me. I continued to shout at him while he drove away. I was screaming for him to pepper spray me, have the dogs search my car or arrest me to no avail. I then raced down to the Police station and issued a complaint on the officer and then called my local newspaper.

Nobody did anything and nothing came of the non-incident. Oh well, I guess I got it wrong again and the teachable moment was that it wasn’t about race at all but class. It was about being Ivy League connected, and I bet that cop would have co-operated with me if I was a Harvard Professor acting without class.   

Media Bias

By; The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

I really don’t understand why some say that the media is bias in this country. Yes, I can see the love-fest going on with Obama but what’s wrong with that? Sure they hated Bush and took every opportunity to find ways to bash and scandalize him but so what? They obviously didn’t like George Bush and they have sensual goose bumps for Obama. Why can’t the press hate one and love the other? Didn’t we all grow up loving John F. Kennedy and hating Richard M. Nixon? It’s just a coincidence that they also hated Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush and loved Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Now Ford was different because he was hated mostly for pardoning Nixon. The press also seems to like liberal elitist ideas and hates old fashioned American values; again what’s wrong with that?

Some have the cheek to say that the Press filters the news and or that they invent facts, (CBS’s Dan Rather reporting of George Bush’s Military record story) and beat the scandal drum on Republicans and Conservatives while talking fast and mitigating the salacious scandals of the Democrats. Why can’t they report what they want, when they want and how they want without all of these people complaining that they are bias? Isn’t that what is meant by a free press? Are they not free to soapbox their feelings? Now I know what you are thinking, the Press is supposed to be neutral. That’s very hard to do and I dare anyone to try it. Try to exclude your feelings while writing about a subject, and you will get a feel for how incredibly difficult it is to do. In fact, they say that most print media and network newscasts are so bias they border on propaganda.  Rubbish!

That’s just crazy talk and I for one don’t buy it. I believe as I have been told. That Nixon was the anti-Christ, that Gerald Ford was Nixon’s shill, that Jimmy Carter was and is the most righteous of statesmen, that Ronald Reagan was a callous dreamer, that George Herbert Walker Bush was tongue twisted oaf, that William Clinton was a savior burdened with unfair sexual allegations that he did not inhale, that George Bush was a white knuckled drunk that was dictated to by his vice-president Cheney and that Barak Obama is a god come down from heaven to save our souls and that the Democrats in Congress are his winged angels.

These are the facts! How do I know? I read it in the paper and watched it on the nightly newscasts. Look if it wasn’t true they could not report it right?  If you can’t trust the newspaper…well what else is there?

“What? Newspapers are becoming obsolete! Most youth are getting their news on-line?” “No…no…no…don’t tell me that! How will I light the wood stove or what will I line my birdcage with I

 need my newspaper and I would miss nightly news entertainment shows! Oh well, maybe, their King

 Obama will bail them out? They certainly are very loyal subjects!”

Is the Health Care Reform Proposal making you sick?

By: The Speaker in the House

Claudia Roazen

All the talk right now is about Obama’s Health Insurance Reform Bill but I am reminded of another day. Remember the time in America when no-one had health insurance and those trying to sell us the idea rang the doorbell trying to solicit us to buy it. My own father who had many children (that’s right) never had health insurance! He was not alone in his generation; many opted to just pay for their medical bills as they were incurred. How could that be? Well FIRST of all, doctor costs were not an arm and a leg as they are now. SECOND, doctors didn’t run a battery of expensive blood, x-ray and state of the art diagnostic tests for a simple rash, as they do today. THIRD, there has been a long waging war between Hospitals, doctors and Insurance companies. The doctors and hospitals charge insurance companies more and more padding the bill because the insurance companies try and pay less and less of the medical bill. FOURTH, businesses were barred from making Health Care benefits both elective and selective to their employees by government policies. The worst of these changes was after the “lobster Lunch” scandal in the eighties Congress decided to close the benefit option to businesses. Instead of being able to keep an employee by giving them a car, expense account or a Gold Health Care Plan while not raising their salaries but allowing them to realize income value by lowering their expenses, the government said, No! Equal or no benefits for all employees regardless of position and status and report all expenses given to an employee. LASTLY, malpractice lawsuits have reached epic proportions in an increasingly litigious society that we live in today. The results are that Health Care costs have gone up, insurance premiums have gone up, exemptions and deductibles have gone up. Making all Americans have to swallow a big nasty pill.

Why don’t we just require Hospitals, Medical Equipment Companies, Prescription Drug Companies and Doctors to do pro bono service at free Health Care Clinics set up around the country for those whose income and jobs prohibit them from being insured? Make the insurance companies pay for the construction or renting of the infrastructure based on the population of uninsured needs in areas throughout the country.  Liability lawyers would represent both the patients and the doctors while at the clinics for free. The patient would have to apply based on proof of financial need for a clinic I.D. pass and then their medical care, surgeries, wellness checkups and medications would be free. Require the banks and financial institutions that got Tarp money to handle the financial background checks and handle the clinic’s paperwork for free.  The poor could not complain that their health care was inferior because they would have the same doctors as the paying public. The only government involvement in this proposal would be to write a law requiring this pro bono idea which could be mandated or enticed by a big tax deduction. They could also allow the rich individual taxpayer to make a charity donation to the clinic for a nice deduction. This would not nationalize our health care system and cost $0.00 to both the government and the American tax payer. Therefore if you are poor, go to the clinic, lose your job, go to the clinic, dropped by insurance can’t get coverage because of high risk, go to the clinic.

Does this sound like an ethical, equitable, low cost and practical solution? Do you think any of the knuckleheads in Congress would think of this? No, because they never make the few who are responsible for the adverse effect on the many, pay and fix the messes they created. Bailouts, loan guarantees, government subsidies and increasing taxes is how government solves problems. It throws money, it doesn’t have, at every problem and calls it a solution while we Americans feel the incurable pain of a dwindling billfold.

The only Health reform we really need is to try and cure this insipid, contagious, painful and perhaps lethal virus that has infected our Government officials called SPENDING!