Rights vs. Responsibilities

As Americans, we have be blessed with a number of rights.

These rights may be listed in the Constitution or they have have been established by the individual states or the federal government.

Most of us a familiar with the rights established by the Constitution.    We are also familiar with the rights each of us have in the workplace, the rights guaranteed to those with disabilities and the civil liberties rights granted to each person.

Prisoners of War and even those incarcerated have rights.

All of these rights have one thing in common.

For every right we have, there is a RESPONSIBILITY to establish a way and means of enforcement.

These rights also have one thing other thing in common…They establish the RESPONSIBILITY of the “collective” to ensure the right is granted.

The rights to vote, speak (this list is long and can be found in the Constitution) are pretty much agreed upon and most Americans don’t have an issue “picking up the tab” for these and having the RESPONSIBILITY of making sure each of us have these rights.

In this country, every person has the right to have as many children as they want to have.    This is a freedom of the individual as long as they can provide for their family and these children.   By providing for their own family, the individual has the responsibility to care for them.

When a person, or family, keeps having children and the government (collective) has to provide for their welfare, this is where the individual has the right to have unprotected intercourse and procreate, but not have the responsibility of ensuring for the care of the result of these actions.

In a situations like this, we (the collective), are assuming the responsibility for the actions of the individual.

Welfare is just the example used here.  There are many others.

This example can be used for just about any freedom we have and the question should be asked for all of them as the size of our Government grows.

Each and every day the Government is assuming more and more of the RESPONSIBILITY for our “individual” freedoms.  We, the collective, are assuming the RESPONSIBILITY for the rights of the individual.

When individual wants the right to have unprotected intercourse, abuse substances (alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs and medications) and not assume the responsibility (unwanted  children, AIDS, dependency), we (the collective) are forced to do so.

Is it right for you to expect your neighbor to give you money (welfare, food, daycare, etc…) to care for your children?

It would be nice, but by requiring them do so infringes on their rights as an individual.

Is it right for you to expect your neighbor to pay the bill for your alcohol or drug rehab?

It would be nice, but by requiring them do so infringes on their rights as an individual.

With all RIGHTS come RESPONSIBILITIES.

Presidential Candidates Positioning Themselves on 2nd Amendment

In this Presidential election cycle it sure is funny to see a 2nd Amendment ruling coming from the Supreme Court.

The acknowledgment that the right to bear arms is an individual right guaranteed by the Constitution barely survived the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Both of the Presidential candidates are not loved by the national gun organizations.

McCain has has some issues on trying to place limitations on gun shows and some compromises with Democrats when he was pushing his campaign finance reform legislation.

Obama surely believes that Americans should not own guns, he really couldn’t be a true Democrat if he didn’t have this position.  When speaking frankly, he has stated the troubled people “cling” to guns and religion in hard times.  If he has any chance of winning the states required to become President, he has to distance himself from this position.

I think that this Supreme Court ruling benefits Obama the most.

It probably moves the “gun issue” to the “kiddie table” and leaves health care, the economy and energy/fuel prices as the items on the big table.   If this ruling had gone in the other direction, Obama would have really been in trouble.   The gun organizations have been appeased by this ruling and may not make themselves as large a voice in the outcome of this election had the outcome been different.

Al Gore is such a hypocrite

Al Gore spouts off at the mouth and has the audacity to tell us how to live our lives only to do the same things he chastises up for doing ourselves.   Add him to the list of hypocrites…

NASHVILLE – In the year since Al Gore took steps to make his home more energy-efficient, the former Vice President’s home energy use surged more than 10%, according to the Tennessee Center for Policy Research.

“A man’s commitment to his beliefs is best measured by what he does behind the closed doors of his own home,” said Drew Johnson, President of the Tennessee Center for Policy Research. “Al Gore is a hypocrite and a fraud when it comes to his commitment to the environment, judging by his home energy consumption.”

In the past year, Gore’s home burned through 213,210 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity, enough to power 232 average American households for a month.

In February 2007, An Inconvenient Truth, a film based on a climate change speech developed by Gore, won an Academy Award for best documentary feature. The next day, the Tennessee Center for Policy Research uncovered that Gore’s Nashville home guzzled 20 times more electricity than the average American household.

After the Tennessee Center for Policy Research exposed Gore’s massive home energy use, the former Vice President scurried to make his home more energy-efficient. Despite adding solar panels, installing a geothermal system, replacing existing light bulbs with more efficient models, and overhauling the home’s windows and ductwork, Gore now consumes more electricity than before the “green” overhaul.

Since taking steps to make his home more environmentally-friendly last June, Gore devours an average of 17,768 kWh per month –1,638 kWh more energy per month than before the renovations – at a cost of $16,533. By comparison, the average American household consumes 11,040 kWh in an entire year, according to the Energy Information Administration.

In the wake of becoming the most well-known global warming alarmist, Gore won an Oscar, a Grammy and the Nobel Peace Prize. In addition, Gore saw his personal wealth increase by an estimated $100 million thanks largely to speaking fees and investments related to global warming hysteria.

“Actions speak louder than words, and Gore’s actions prove that he views climate change not as a serious problem, but as a money-making opportunity,” Johnson said. “Gore is exploiting the public’s concern about the environment to line his pockets and enhance his profile.”

The Tennessee Center for Policy Research, a Nashville-based free market think tank and watchdog organization, obtained information about Gore’s home energy use through a public records request to the Nashville Electric Service.

http://tennesseepolicy.org/main/article.php?article_id=764

Candidate to limit freedoms?

One of glorious Presidential candidates came up with this gem over the weekend…

“We can’t drive our SUVs and, you know, eat as much as we want and keep our homes on, you know, 72 degrees at all times, whether we’re living in the desert or we’re living in the tundra, and then just expect every other country is going to say OK, you know, you guys go ahead keep on using 25 percent of the world’s energy, even though you only account for 3 percent of the population, and we’ll be fine. Don’t worry about us. That’s not leadership.”

Who is he to tell us how to live?

What is next? A sq. ft. allowance for each person?

We can’t have a family of four living in a 3,000 4,500 sq ft house. It is wasteful to heat a cool a place of that size.

Maybe that hits a little too close to home?

How long did he have to wait in the ER?

BOSTON – Out of immediate danger, Sen. Edward M. Kennedy remained hospitalized as doctors worked to determine what caused one of the nation’s best-known senators to suffer a seizure in his Cape Cod home.

Kennedy, 76, the lone surviving son in a famed political family, was flown Saturday morning to a Boston hospital after becoming ill and being treated at the emergency room of Cape Cod Hospital.

His physician said he did not suffer a stroke, as was first feared, and he recovered enough by Saturday afternoon to watch the Red Sox game on television. His wife, Vicki, his three children and his niece, Caroline Kennedy, among others, joined him at Massachusetts General Hospital.

“Over the next couple of days, Senator Kennedy will undergo further evaluation to determine the cause of the seizure, and a course of treatment will be determined at that time,” said Dr. Larry Ronan, who added Kennedy was “not in any immediate danger.”

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said he spoke to Kennedy’s wife in the afternoon and was told “his condition is not life-threatening, but serious.”

“But the one thing I can say, if there ever was a fighter, anyone who stood for what we as Americans, we as Democrats, stand for, it’s Ted Kennedy,” Reid said addressing the Nevada Democratic Convention in Reno.

In October, Kennedy had surgery to remove a blockage in his left carotid artery — a main supplier of blood to the face and brain. This type of operation is performed on more than 180,000 people a year to prevent a stroke. The blockage was discovered during a routine exam.

The doctor who operated on Kennedy said at the time that surgery is reserved for those with more than 70 percent blockage, and Kennedy had “a very high-grade blockage.”

Distinguishing between a seizure and a transient ischemic attack, TIA, often called a mini-stroke, can sometimes be difficult.

Seizures are little electrical storms in the brain. They tend to be brief; an occasional one can happen to anyone even without a prior history of seizures, especially if there has been some prior brain trauma.

A stroke is either ischemic — a clog in a blood vessel — or hemorrhagic, bleeding in the brain. Hemorrhagic ones are very rare. Kennedy had the carotid artery surgery to try to prevent the ischemic type. A stroke kills brain tissue; how much depends on how big it is and how long it lasts. Some people show no lasting effects; others can be partly paralyzed on one side or somewhere in-between.

“Sen. Kennedy was at high risk because he had surgery for an artery in his neck,” said Dr. Wendy Wright, an assistant professor at The Emory Clinic, Departments of Neurology and Nuerosurgery.

But she said there are a lot of things that can cause seizures, such as an infection or medication.

“Certain medications are known to cause seizures. A stroke can cause a seizure, a brain tumor or a head injury, or something in the brain itself,” Wright said. “Common symptoms that we know about are falling on the ground, shaking and having confusion.”

Kennedy, the second-longest serving member of the Senate and a dominant figure in national Democratic Party politics, was elected in 1962, filling out the term won by his brother, John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy eldest brother, Joseph, was killed in a World War II airplane crash. President John Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 and his brother Robert was assassinated in 1968.

Kennedy is active for his age, maintaining an aggressive schedule on Capitol Hill and across Massachusetts.

He has been vocal in both his opposition to the Iraq war and support for Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama, who is trying to become the first senator elected to the White House since John F. Kennedy.

Kennedy made several campaign appearances for the Illinois senator in February, and most recently another in April.

Last week, he and Caroline Kennedy awarded the annual “Profiles in Courage” award commemorating President Kennedy. And Friday, he attended a ribbon cutting at the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park.

He was preparing to host the annual Best Buddies Challenge event on Saturday afternoon, a fundraiser for the Best Buddies organization founded by Anthony Kennedy Shriver that helps people with intellectual disabilities. The event attracted celebrities, including New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Olympian Carl Lewis.

California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and his wife, Maria Shriver, Kennedy’s niece, said they appreciated all the messages of care they had received for the senator.

“It’s always a comfort to the family to know that Sen. Kennedy is in the prayers of millions,” their statement said.

Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, who went to the hospital, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Obama said were offering their prayers for his quick recovery.

Obama, beginning a tour of hospitals in Eugene, Ore., told reporters that he had been in touch with the senator’s family. He said, “We are going to be rooting for him. I insist on being optimistic about how it’s going to turn out.”

A man walking by Massachusetts General was startled by the news when he asked about the reason for the large media presence. “Ted? Is he all right? Jeez, I’m taken aback. I just saw him on television yesterday,” said Jerry Leonard, 76.

“He’s a Kennedy. His name is synonymous with this area,” the retired bartender said. “I’m a Bostonian, too, and he’s done a lot for us around here and for the senior citizens in particular.”

Another $770 million down the drain

Bush calls for approval of $770 million in food aid

By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 34 minutes ago

WASHINGTON – President Bush urged Congress Thursday to approve $770 million to help alleviate dramatically escalating food prices that threaten widespread hunger and increasing social unrest around the world.

In a surprise midafternoon appearance at the White House, Bush announced he is asking lawmakers to approve the additional funds for global food aid and development programs. The money — to be directed primarily at needy African nations — is being included in a broader $70 billion Iraq war funding measure for 2009 that the White House sent to Capitol Hill on Thursday.

“In some of the world’s poorest nations, rising prices can mean the difference between getting a daily meal and going without food,” Bush said. “The American people are generous people and they’re a compassionate people. We believe in the timeless truth `to whom much is given, much is expected.'”

The new money comes on top of $200 million Bush ordered released two weeks ago for emergency food aid. It also is in addition to a pending $350 million request for emergengy food aid funds. Because the new funds are part of a 2009 budget, they wouldn’t be available for distribution until the start of the fiscal year on Oct. 1, even if they are approved sooner.

Even so, Bush called it “just the beginning” of the U.S. effort to help. He said the United States would spend a total of $5 billion this year and next on food aid and related programs.

“America’s in the lead, we’ll stay in the lead and we expect others to participate along with us,” he said.

The new funds are aimed at meeting immediate needs with direct shipments of food aid, and the White House said they would allow for millions more people to get help. Emergency aid accounts for $620 million of the request, said Steve McMillin, deputy director of the president’s Office of Management and Budget.

The funds also have long-term aims, with $150 million aimed at boosting U.S. programs to help farmers in developing countries increase productivity and make cash purchases of local crops, so communities are less in need of emergency help in the first place.

The issue has become more urgent recently because of food shortages and rising prices that, combined with high gas costs and rising home foreclosures, are putting a huge squeeze on families at home and abroad. What has been termed the first global food crisis since World War II has resulted in cries for help from United Nations officials and raised questions about how Bush will respond.

Some have blamed the food crisis in part on Bush-backed policies that push food-based biofuels such as ethanol as alternative energy sources. Bush says diverting corn and soybeans into fuel is still a smart approach, though he favors increasing funding for research into eventually using wood chips or switchgrass rather than food crops.

Bush’s top economic adviser, Edward Lazear, said ethanol made from corn is responsible for just 2-3 percent of the overall increase in global food prices, which are 43 percent up this year over last year.

Bush’s announcement drew praise from several quarters.

“Millions of people around the world may be saved from starvation if we can quickly move forward with the president’s request,” said Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill. “Global aid is not only the right thing to do; it’s the smart and safe thing to do. I commend the president for his leadership.”

The United States is the world’s largest provider of food aid, delivering more than $2.1 billion to 78 developing countries last year.

Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC)

This was a neat thing I found in the review of the USAid Budget this weekend.

The Government has its’ own corporation that links up businesses with U.S. overseas interests and it is administered under the oversight of the U.S. State Department through USAid.

It is the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) and it describes itself as being…”established as an agency of the U.S. government in 1971. OPIC helps U.S. businesses invest overseas, fosters economic development in new and emerging markets, complements the private sector in managing risks associated with foreign direct investment, and supports U.S. foreign policy. Because OPIC charges market-based fees for its products, it operates on a self-sustaining basis at no net cost to taxpayers.”

Additionally…”The initiative is the culmination of OPIC consultations with interested stakeholders, including members of Congress and the nongovernmental community.”

This SELF-SUSTAINING CORPORATION is only costing U.S. taxpayer’s $76,500,000.00 this fiscal year.

Typical government efficiency.

Keep your eyes open and see where you tax dollars are really going.    I am sure this is what the framers of the Constitution has in mind for the government “of the people, for the people and by the people”.

What is shocking to me is that we are letting this happen right under our noses!

USAid-Fleecing of America

Foreign Aid is Big Business these days.  This year the cost is $36,200,000,000.00, PLUS $10,000,000,000 for overruns from last year.  There are approximately 117 million taxpayers in the United States.   The math totals about $400.00 per taxpayer goes to foreign assistance.

Under the careful watch of the U.S. State Department this government is not only throwing money at our problems at an alarming rate, but we are doing it overseas also.

The United States Agency for International Development (or USAID) is the United States federal government organization responsible for most non-military foreign aid. An independent federal agency, it receives overall foreign policy guidance from the United States Secretary of State and seeks to “extend a helping hand to those people overseas struggling to make a better life, recover from a disaster or striving to live in a free and democratic country…”

USAID advances U.S. foreign policy objectives by supporting economic growth, agriculture and trade; health; democracy, conflict prevention, and humanitarian assistance. It provides assistance in Sub-Saharan Africa; Asia and the Near East, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe, and Eurasia. USAID is also organized around four main pillars: Global Development Alliance; Economic Growth, Agriculture, and Trade; Global Health; Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.

The actual USAid 2008 highlighted budget and summary.  There are a couple of PDF links there that give detailed breakdown of where the $$$ is headed.

Highlight of this years USAid budget.

• Africa-with this year’s requested 54% increase, aid to Africa will have nearly quadrupled under this Administration, from $1.1 billion to $4.4 billion, focused on addressing the crippling effects of disease and poverty.
• Near East-a 6% increase for vital investments in winning the Global War on Terror and empowering the people of this key region.
• Western Hemisphere-with this request, aid to the region has doubled under this Administration, from $862 million to $1.6 billion, and is focused on continued economic growth and strengthening democratic institutions.
• Peace and Security-$6.88 billion for counter-terrorism and counter-narcotics activities and programs to secure necessary conditions for further political, economic, and social progress.
• Governing Justly and Democratically-$1.45 billion to promote effective, accountable, democratic governance, a vital foundation for sustainable progress.
• Investing in People-$6.95 billion to support human capacity development and address poverty and disease, including, $4.5 billion to meet the treatment and prevention goals of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, $388 million for the President’s Malaria Initiative, and $535 million to support equitable access and improved quality of basic education around the world-the largest request ever by this Administration.
• Economic Growth-$2.37 billion to support economic progress and poverty reduction as critical underpinnings of sustainable development.
• Humanitarian Assistance-$2.12 billion to maintain the United States’ long-standing commitment to alleviate human suffering and respond to destabilizing humanitarian disasters

The reason I bring this to everyone’s attention is that we have no say on how this $36 Billion is spent, let alone the authority for our government to give our tax dollars away.  There are some very noble health, food and security issues handled under the watch of USAid, but since the government is involved, we also are providing assistance for the INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR THE PROTECTION OF NEW VARIETIES OF PLANTS.

We all know how efficient the Federal Governments is a the use of our tax dollars.  Because of their excellent reputation, I am not even going to entertain the possibility of ANY Fraud, Waste of Abuse.

Government in the Mortgage Business?

The Right to a Mortgage…which Amendment is this one? I can’t find it!

McCain Defends Homeowner Plan

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Apr 11, 7:31 PM (ET)

(AP) Republican presidential candidate, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, speaks to reporters during a… Full Image

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LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) – Republican John McCain defended his latest plan to help some homeowners pay their mortgages, saying Friday it was not a reversal of his earlier opposition to aggressive intervention by the government.

The likely Republican presidential nominee on Thursday proposed to help 200,000 to 400,000 homeowners trade burdensome mortgages for manageable loans, a plan that would cost $3 billion to $10 billion.

Democratic rivals Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama argued that McCain was flip-flopping. Last month, he said he preferred only limited intervention and letting market forces play out, drawing criticism from Democrats and some Republicans that he was being indifferent to Americans facing foreclosures and other economic pain.

McCain said their criticism was “just factually incorrect.”

“I said there shouldn’t be a broad government bailout,” he told reporters Friday in Dallas.

“But I said very clearly – and I’d be glad to get a record of what I said – I said the government has to enact reform to prevent the kind of crisis we have, and there was a role for government, and I supported a bipartisan solution,” McCain said.

His plan falls in the middle; it would help twice as many homeowners as President Bush and fewer than half as many as congressional Democrats.

McCain held a rally Friday in an airport hangar after holding fundraisers in Dallas and Lubbock.

“I think you all know,” he told the crowd in Lubbock, “Americans are sitting around the kitchen table, and they’re trying to figure out a way to keep their home and realize the American dream.”

Fairness in taxation

This whole tax system has got me stumped.

I fall into the $42,650-$110,100 group.  This means I get taxed at $5,837.50 plus 25% of anything over $42,650.

So If I make $70,000. I would pay $5,837.50 + $6837.50  (($70,000-$42,650) * .25) = $12,675 in taxes on my income.  This turns out to be 18% of my income.

If someone makes $500,000 they pay $98,355.50 plus 35% of the amount over 349,700.

They pay $98,355.50 + $52,605  (($500,000- $349,700) *.35) = $150,960.50 in taxes on their income.  It would turn out to be 30.1% of their income.

Is someone makes $1,000,000 they pay $98,355.50 plus 35% of the amount over 349,700.

They pay  $98,355.50 + $227,605  (($1,000,000- $349,700) *.35) = $325,960.50 in taxes on their income.  It would turn out to be 32.6% of their income.

The popular argument is that the top earners should pay more in taxes and they surely do.  They also buy more vehicles, televisions, more valuable property and pay taxes on those items also.

So, this push to get taxes increases for the wealthy is just a push by our government to get their hands on even more money.

Don’t fall for the tricks.