VOL I, NO 2 - ONLY IN AMERICA

A fool is one who betrays himself. I said that. Quote me!

Over the past year, I have been overwhelmed by the events which have unfolded in Washington! What intrigues me the most is the fact that Barack Obama told America EXACTLY WHAT TO EXPECT when he became President. Before the election, he made the following statement, and I quote, "We are five days away from a TOTAL TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICA!" We have gotten more than we bargained for!

Mr. Obama promised CHANGE. We got change! Unfortunately, THAT IS THE ONLY PROMISE HE HAS KEPT! The changes so far are NOT what he promised, to wit:
1. Transpanrency: NOPE! We have been swamped with a jumble of selected "considerations" on every piece of legislation brought before Congress. While we have been trying to figure out what is being proposed, deals are being made behind closed doors, leaving us guessing. Moreover, the bills are pushed through without exposure or adequate debate. When passed, we, the American people, still do not know the details!

2. Green jobs: NOPE! Instead, we have been given a "snow job" over energy issues, fueled by Al Gore and his "global warming" propoganda, which the White House supports and wants us to believe. The answer, they say, is solar and wind energy, electric cars and a TAX on CARBON emissions. One note on the latter...already 3 people have been charged with fraud over a scam regarding "trading carbon tax credits"! The EPA has ruled that CO2 is "harmful to humans". The HOUSE passed the Clean Energy Bill early last year. The Senate has yet to consider it. However, with the EPA becoming more agressive and other moves made by Obama and other government agencies, some of the provisions are already being initiated, despite the fact that the bill is not yet law! Billions were given to companies to develop batteries for electric cars, more advanced solar and wind energy generation and improving the national electric grid. Yet, these same companies LOST BILLIONS last year, because the products are STILL TOO EXPENSIVE for mainstram America! Now, more money has been poured into upgrading windows and insulation in older homes and commercial buildings. In case you haven't noticed, compact fluorescent and LED lighting is taking over...regular bulbs are occupying less and less space on the shelves! These are just some examples. There has NO PROOF of an increase in jobs in this area! In fact, most energy companies have REDUCED their workforce!

3. HEALTHCARE REFORM: NOT YET! MAYBE NOT THIS YEAR! MAYBE NEVER! Well, almost everyone agrees that we need some kinds of reform to our healthcare coverage. There are many opinions as to what. However, yesterday, Massachusetts spoke loud and clear...NOT WHAT IS CURRENTLY ON THE TABLE IN WASHINGTON! The vast majority of Americans do NOT want to pay for OTHER PEOPLE'S INSURANCE, nor do they want to be unfairly taxed, through whatever means. Today, we pay for a lot of different stuff through "hidden" taxes on everything from tobacco, alcohol, gasoline, etc. Now, WHAT IF the government legalized industrial HEMP cultivation and production and, without raising taxes, create enough increase in revenue to reduce the current deficit AND pay for certain aspects of a new NON-GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED Healthcare Plan? What IF? Worth consideration, don't you think?

4. STIMULUS: NOPE! Oh, Congress passed a $787BILLION STIMULUS BILL...but we have lost over 3 MILLION JOBS since! What they stimulated was the pockets of a number of non-profit organizations like ACORN for dubious projects and PORK for projects in districts favored by the administration! MORE JOBS? All of the "data" cited over "jobs created or saved" have proven unreliable and immeasurable. BTW, only a fraction of the Stimulus money has been spent, so where was the "stimulus"? Unemployment is touted to be over 10%, but is closer to 20%, given that many have given up and are no longer counted in the unemplyment numbers! Another misleading manipulation of data!

5. BUDGET DEFICIT REDUCTIONS: HELL, NO! GIVE ME A BREAK! This administration has put us deeper into debt ALREADY than ALL PRECEDING PRESIDENTS COMBINED! I can't even discuss it! My Pastor would have my hide!

6. SECURITY AGAINST TERRORISM: NOPE, AGAIN! How can closing down GITMO and releasing the bad guys back to Yemen or putting them in U.S. prisons and conducting theie trials in U.S. Criminal Courts (instead of Military Tribunals) help make us safer? This is BEYOND ME!

6. BORDER SECURITY: NO, NO, NO, AND NOPE! When NO ACTION has been taken to strengthen our borders and airport security is so misguided as to allow a crazy loon (credit Bill O'Reilly) to board an American airliner with a bomb in his shorts, even though he was on the "terror watchlist", how are we safer? What about the other attacks in 2009? Do YOU feel safer? I don't!

7. NO TAX INCREASE FOR AMERICANS WHO MAKE LESS THAN $250,000 A YEAR! CERTAINLY NOT! Who bears the brunt of the 60 cent/pack increase in cigarette taxes? That was violation number one on this issue! More on the way, more being considered in Congress!

8. I INHERITED THIS MESS! WOW, WHAT A CROCK! Obama has been in office for a year! This is NO LONGER an excuse! Obama, you make your own bed now and YOU must lie in it! Oh, he does...LIE, that is!

Well, I am boring you. You know all of this! I could go on with examples for hours! However, I think it is time to make my point!

WHAT IF INDUSTRIAL HEMP CULTIVATION AND PRODUCTION WERE LEGALIZED? If one had only a few acres of vacant farm land, they could produce HEMP. Biofuels produced from HEMP could significantly reduce our dependence upon foreign oil. HEMP production would create MILLIONS OF NEW JOBS! Products made from HEMP in the U.S. would significantly reduce our imports of many, many commodities and keep jobs here, instead of China, Mexico and many other countries!

Moreover, WHAT IF MARIJUANA WERE LEGALIZED? Well, consider the possiblities. We would NO LONGER need IMPORTED MARIJUANA from Mexico and South America. This would break the drug cartels south of the border. More money would be retained here, rather than sent overseas. Could legalized marijuana possibly reduce the demand for hard drugs? Well, I can't answer that, but it is certainly something that I ponder, and so should you. One thing is for sure., THE LEGALIZATION OF MEDICAL MARIJUANA is without doubt a sane and humane objective! This legislation should be FEDERAL to cover ALL AMERICANS in need of this treatment! Get the DEA out from between patients and doctors! One problem with illegally available marijuana is that it is of inferior quality and strength needed to medical marijuana. This point is not well known or publicized in the public domain. The fact is, medical grade marijuana increases its medical benefits and reduces the frequency of use. This is good for the patients, in that it reduces their costs in the long run and provides greater beneficial effects in its use. This MUST be accomplished!