Any of the Above

I watched the first Republican Presidential Debate on Fox News last Wednesday night.  I wasn't disappointed.  Despite the fact that some major potential candidates have yet to join the fray, those that did participate gave a good account of themselves.  More importantly, while any one of them may never eventually become president, any one of them would make a better president than the one we currently have.

While a great number of people who watched the debate scored businessman Herman Cain as the winner, I had him running a close second to Tim Pawlenty.  Governor Pawlenty has become more polished and "presidential" than when I first met him two years ago in Grand Rapids at a Republican state convention.  He has a tremendous record of achievement but to me he came off bit too coached and cautious.  Herman Cain tossed off some terrific lines, especially in defense of his lack of political experience.  When asked if that lack of experience would hinder his chances, he answered that we already have a lot of experienced politicians in Washington and replied, "How's that workin' for you?"

Ron Paul's libertarian message has made me think more about my own political ideology, but I still think his brand of politics is a bit too isolationist.  Governor Gary Johnson's brand of libertarianism comes closer to home.  I like his cost-benefit analysis approach to government spending and his call to end the failed war on drugs, but I fear he's too flakey for the big stage.  Former Senator Rick Santorum professed to be the tip of the spear for many conservatives on several social issues, but again, I don't think he's quite ready for prime time.

This month promises to mark the entrance into the race for perhaps some additional candidates including Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney and Mitch Daniels.  I suspect there will be others as well who eventually get into the race over the course of the next several months.  I'm not concerned that the Republicans don't have a favorite thus far, or that it's getting too late to compete against the Obama reelection monolith.  Nothing could be more absurd.  Whenever I hear on the news how some potential Republican candidates have too much baggage, or pose this problem or that for the electorate, I think are you kidding me?  Have you seen who's in the White House?

Saginaw County Sheriff's Millage

Now that the voters of Saginaw County, all 16% of them, have passed a 1-mill tax increase to save the sheriff's department and the county jail from deeper cuts, perhaps the addition of an extra $4.4 million will provide a cushion for making real budgetary reforms.  Now that eminent threats to cuts in public safety have been suspended, at least temporarily, perhaps thoughtful and serious negotiations with our employee unions could lead to additional and lasting savings down the road.  Without fixing our structural deficits, I fear we will only replay this scenario once again in the very near future.  As I and so many others have said before, we cannot continue to tax and spend our way to prosperity.

What I am afraid will happen however will be just the opposite.  While the $4.4 million have ostensibly been advertised to save 35 jobs and 160 beds in our county jail, I hope the unions don't see this as found money and think it's time to increase their ranks or raise compensation and benefits.  Yes I am aware that county employees, for the most part, have not had a raise is some time, but the county will still be spending more than it takes in this year and for the foreseeable future.  Our budgets are unsustainable, such as they are, and must be addressed, lest we concede local control and authority to Lansing managers.  As I recall, thousands of union protesters recently filled our state's capitol in protest to emergency financial manager legislation.  Where will they stand in helping to keep Saginaw County solvent, prosperous, and growing?

Closure

The face of Islamic terrorism, Osama bin Laden, is dead.  Alluha akbar!  Or for us Westerners, Praise the Lord, and God bless America.  Congratulations to President Barack Obama for literally putting the nail in the coffin of this most elusive of criminals.  Make no mistake though, this outcome was always an eventuality.  When America wants something as bad as we wanted this guy to die, time is the only real obstacle.  And, for as much as the media would like to beatify Obama for a decision any sitting president would have made, it's indeed serendipitous when fortuity and opportunity finally converge.  Nevertheless, the deed is done so perhaps we can all move on.

From 1st World To 3rd World?

President Obama says GOP budget "wrong for America". Let's see where Obama has taken us for the past two and a half years.

From 1st World To 3rd World? - Investors.com

Send In The (Tax and Spend) Clown

When President Obama addresses the nation today on his "vision" for deficit reduction he'll no doubt be more than a day late and a dollar short.  The White Houses' own fiscal commission, chaired by Alan Simpson and Erskine Bowles, released their plan last November, 154 days ago.  It was quickly ignored by the Democrats and Obama himself.  Next, the President released his own budget for 2012 back on Valentines Day, some 58 days ago.  It was broadly panned as a joke.  Accordingly, the GOP weighed in just 8 days ago with the release of the House Budget Chair Paul Ryan's suggestions for 2012.  Ryan's plan, while viewed by both parties as a serious document, gives the left conniptions and the right a place to start.
So what will Barry's new vision provide?  HIGHER TAXES!

Apparently the agreement for this year's budget, which staved off (temporarily) a government shutdown last week, provided all the cuts that Obama and the Democrats will be willing to stomach any time soon.  All $15 billion, or just .03 percent of the 2011 budget, that is. Yes, that's right folks.  The $39 billion in spending cuts that were supposedly agreed to last week, which was an increase of $6 billion from the $33 billion they thought was agreed to earlier, which was half of the $61 billion that the Republicans voted to cut last February, which was $40 billion less than the $100 billion the Republican members of the House had campaigned on, is now, in reality, just $15 billion.  How's that, you say?  Well, according to story in the AP , “[T]he cuts that actually will make it into law are far tamer, including cuts to earmarks, unspent census money, leftover federal construction funding, and $2.5 billion from the most recent renewal of highway programs that can’t be spent because of restrictions set by other legislation.”  Swell.


If we're ever going to get anything accomplished in Washington, we may have to start another Tea Party to go after our incumbent Tea Party.  Just to show we really mean business.  

Squatter

President Obama opened his campaign for reelection yesterday and my question is this, "What's he running to do?"  How about, "What's his platform?"  Or, "What are his accomplishments?"  Any, and all of these, are valid inquires.  Honestly, besides Obamacare and DADT (Don't Ask, Don't Tell) which neither are even close to being implemented, much less operational, what has he done?  His campaign promises from just two years ago have largely proven to be empty threats.  Guantanamo?  Still there.  Out of Iraq and Afghanistan?  We've added Libya.  End tax cuts for the rich?  What?, and lose ninety-nine weeks of unemployment insurance?  As a matter of fact, a site called Politifact.com lists 510 campaign promises made by candidate Barack Obama.

To be generous, even some of the promises he kept would have been better left at the alter.  His promise to create a $10 billion fund to help homeowners refinance their homes ended with an independent audit which deemed the whole enterprise "a colossal failure."  For those of us lucky enough to live in and around the Great Lakes, he promised a full environmental restoration of the Great Lakes.  Not only has this action died in Congress, his Army Corps of Engineers won't even stop the infiltration of Asian Carp from gaining access to Lake Michigan through the Chicago locks.  Although I would disagree anyway, his promise to enact a windfall profits tax on oil companies has never been proposed in any budget the White House has put forth.  He let Pelosi and Reid run roughshod over the American electorate in passing Obamacare.  He's letting the Republican leadership in the House, namely Rep. Paul Ryan, lead on deficit reduction, in spite of his own commissions' recommendations.

Again, and I think it's a fair question to ask, "What are we paying him to do?"  Shouldn't the person who lives in the White House have a plan?  Wouldn't someone who wishes to be seen as a leader actually be expected to lead something?  Sometime?  It's clear to me that this president is not ready for prime time, much less a second term.  He's no leader, he's a loiterer.  A squatter.  On a website called Howstuffworks.com, I found this paragraph:

The life of a squatter is fraught with pitfalls and confrontations at each turn -- and so is the life of the landlord who has to deal with the unwanted resident. There are concurrent laws that give rights to squatters as well as provide a process for landowners to get rid of them.

In November of 2012, let's answer President Obama's call for his reelection.

Taxpayers’ K-12 Money Diverted to Union Business

Taxpayers’ K-12 Money Diverted to Union Business: "[...] More: Taxpayers’ K-12 Money Diverted to Union Business"