Charlie Reese's Last Column

CHARLIE REESE ' S FINAL COLUMN A GREAT READ!!!!!

  

545 vs. 300,000,000 People -By Charlie Reese Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them. Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits? Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes? You and I don't propose a federal budget. The President does. You and I don' t have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does. You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does. You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does. You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does. One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one President, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country. I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank. I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a President to do one cotton-picking thing. I don ' t care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator ' s responsibility to determine how he votes. Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party. What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The President can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it. The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House now? He is the leader of the majority party. He and fellow House members, not the President, can approve any budget they want. If the President vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to. It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can ' t think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist. If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair. If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red. If the Army & Marines are in Iraq and Afghanistan it's because they want them in Iraq and Afghanistan ... If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way. There are no insoluble government problems. Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do. Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible. They, and they alone, have the power. They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses. Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees... We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess! What you do with this article now that you have read it... is up to you. This might be funny if it weren't so true. Be sure to read all the way to the end: Tax his land, tax his bed, Tax the table, at which he ' s fed. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes are the rule. Tax his work, tax his pay, He works for peanuts anyway! Tax his cow, tax his goat, Tax his pants, tax his coat. Tax his ties, tax his shirt, Tax his work, tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think. Tax his cigars, tax his beers, If he cries tax his tears. Tax his car, tax his gas, Find other ways to tax his ass. Tax all he has then let him know That you won't be done 'til he has no dough. When he screams and hollers; then tax him some more, Tax him till he's good and sore. Then tax his coffin, tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he ' s laid... Put these words upon his tomb, ' Taxes drove me to my doom... ' When he's gone, do not relax, Its time to apply the inheritance tax. Accounts Receivable Tax Building Permit Tax CDL license Tax Cigarette Tax Corporate Income Tax Dog License Tax Excise Taxes Federal Income Tax Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA) Fishing License Tax Food License Tax Fuel Permit Tax Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon) Gross Receipts Tax Hunting License Tax Inheritance Tax Inventory Tax IRS Interest Charges  and IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax) Liquor Tax Luxury Taxes Marriage License Tax Medicare Tax Personal Property Tax Property Tax Real Estate Tax Service Charge Tax Social Security Tax Road Usage Tax Recreational Vehicle Tax Sales Tax School Tax State Income Tax State Unemployment Tax (SUTA) Telephone Federal Excise Tax Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax Telephone State and Local Tax Telephone Usage Charge Tax Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax Vehicle Sales Tax Watercraft Registration Tax Well Permit Tax Workers Compensation Tax Not ONE of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely NO national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom, if agreed, stayed home to raise the kids. What in the heck happened? Can you spell ' politicians? '

THE KING HAS NO CLOTHES

This week, we once again were privileged to see our news media and the liberal blog sites attack Mitt Romney for speaking the truth as he perceives it to be.  Instead of looking to the veracity of his point of view, that faction decided to protect the image of President Obama’s administration by deflection and covering their eyes and ears. 

The American public needs a non-biased source of opinion and fact.  Our society is failing through attrition. We are losing those who respect our history and are being outnumbered by those who are receiving a jaundiced education regarding who we are as a nation.  We are falling prey to a very patient and pervasive enemy that has planned to defeat us without firing a shot but with the subtle use of propaganda. 

We no longer have a public information system that ferrets out the facts. We have opted to choose and to allow our minds to be fed information tainted and colored by ideology and ignorance. 

While we watch someone like Mitt Romney avoid the tactics of progressive reportage, a lot is hidden from view.  Mitt Romney’s business acumen is not politics as usual.  Mr. Romney has had to rely on cold hard facts in order to make business decisions. It is that fact based practice that is so lacking in the political landscape today.

Our country is at one of the most critical junctures of direction since the Civil War; at least the most critical in my lifetime.  We, the people, are preparing to vote and we need to make our decisions with our eyes, ears and minds open to the facts.  When opposition to the current administration speaks, we should be listening rather than trying to shout down that voice.

The last seventy years in our country will be reviewed in history quite differently than what the populace has been led to believe.  Our children are being taught a skewed view of their country.  They are being dumbed down and I for one am not sure if it is by intent or a lack of caring.  Regardless of the motive, the resulting lack of knowledge about our country will reap an anger against, rather than pride in our country.  Without pride and respect for who we are as a nation, the United States will be just another Roman Empire.

This election season it would behoove us not only to listen to what these candidates say but to understand them and the foundations upon which they stand.  We need to have an honest look at what they believe about our country, our current situations and where they want our country to be in the coming century. We need to listen (devoid of ideology and demagoguery) and view that as if our lives depended upon our decisions.  The truth is that our country depends on those decisions.

Remember the childhood story of the parade and how those attending covered their eyes and one small voice was heard to say, “Look the King is naked.”  We each need to be that one small voice.

HOPE, CHANGE and REALITY

2008 The majority of the American voters voted for HOPE and CHANGE.  We knew what we hoped for, we knew we needed to change the political landscape, and we were enamored with the flowing rhetoric that promised a new way of governing our country.  We hoped that the young man with the large engaging smile and the spring in his step would put an end to the divisiveness of racial angers and guilt. That he would put an end to the backroom and double-dealing political practices that put us in places and situations we would not have chosen on our own.  We could finally say that our country had emerged from the darkness into the new world where the color of a person’s skin no longer excluded him from the highest political office in the Free World.  We attached all of our aspirations for a better world to this one vessel of HOPE for a better America, a better society, the world and the America we let our individual and our group imaginations create. 

The changes we perceived and hoped for were simple: an end to the racial tensions that have plagued us since the end of slavery; a government that worked together for the good of the United States regardless of ideology; a transparency that allowed all of us to see our government in action, naked before us warts and all. According to each individual ideology, we were to get everything we wanted.  I fully understand the psychology behind electing this symbol of Hope and Change, human nature makes us wish for more than we have, for something better. 

We always hope our wishes will come true. The majority of our populace did not understand his definition of fundamental change nor did we understand the degree of demagoguery required for him to achieve his ends.  The expectations that the best outcome will take place were not tempered with the facts of who the man was, or is, and what belief structure would be in command of the oval office. 
Our national news organization (those who are supposed to protect our society) forfeited truth and facts in favor of electing our country's first President of color.  That action forgave the years of formation that created the belief structures he would use to guide our country toward his definition of fundamental change.  With his election we would finally be able to set aside the years filled with angst, bitterness, anger and guilt and rid our country of racial tensions. 
The news organizations made a big mistake.  Had they played their role as watch dogs for the good of the American people, we may still have elected him, but it would have been in the light of full disclosure. In the light of truth and full disclosure we would have the opportunity to be more honest today regarding his record as President. 
The actions of the press have put themselves, and those who voted for him in 2008, in the untenable position of admitting they brought about the election of a demagogue to the highest political office in the Free World.  Much like a cat scratching and kicking sand they use distractions and misdirection to cover up their stench. 

STRENGTH vs. APPEASEMENT (Libya, Egypt, Yemen ore examples)

Another anniversary took place this week.  While we in the United States were intent on paying our respects to the lives lost to Islamic extremists on September 11, 2001, Islamic Fundamentalists had another hate filled act in mind.  Knowing that 9/11 is a sensitive date to the Islamists our country failed to be vigilant and as a result American lives were again lost on American soil.  The current administration’s policy of “don’t offend the Muslim population of the world” exhibits the utmost naiveté and endangers our country and that of our allies.  There should be no doubt as to the tinder box the Middle East psychology is in reality, but this administration tries to act as if the Shariaist extremists are not our enemy.

The administration’s policies of appeasement neglect utilization of information gathering capabilities and all resources available to keep our nation and our citizens free of attack.  The dream of “hope”, that all would be “lion lying with the lamb”, has proven to be a nightmare.  The numerous times this administration has thrown our country to the wolves in favor of a one world order, will be shown in history to be a massive trigger toward “Armageddon”.  Those who are ashamed of the United States position, as a powerful sheriff, need to put fact in front of fantasy.  It has been through the actions of the United States that there is a “Free World”.  Abdication of that responsibility, through weakening of our military, will lead to worldwide anarchy.  The riots in Libya and Egypt, along with the ongoing farce of talks with Iran, translate in the Middle East as American weakness. 

Nature has been a system of survival of the fittest, regardless of what is or is not pleasing.  When we appear weak, we incite violence against our people and our country.  We have shown our weakness to a myriad of governments and ideologues who would gladly join together to cause the downfall of the United States of America.  The fact that China, Russia and Iran have scheduled joint naval war games, that China and Russia have blocked every peaceful resolution to Iran’s nuclear program, is a sign not to be ignored.  The Mid-Eastern saying that your enemy is my enemy takes on a great meaning.  We do not dare ignore the threat to our country created by the “Appeasement Doctrine” of this administration.

NOT REALLY THE QUESTION.....REALLY? 9/3/2012

Listening to the week-end talk shows, it was all about the Democrats upcoming show in Charlotte.  The shows were full of commentary and talking points but not much else.  The three big guns of Sunday talk shows, Chris Wallace, Bob Shieffer, and George Stephanopoulos all asked some of the main questions.  The most telling question and answer came from one of the leading Democrat up comers, Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, when asked, “are the American people better off today than four years ago?”, and his answer “no, but that is not the question before us this election”.  What a obtuse absence of reality.  That was a pure example of what we are going to get out of this convention.  Deflection of the real substance, of what should be topical for discussion, seems to be the standard response from the Democratic party and its ardent followers.  Unfortunately this is factual from their perspective perch above the American people.  When it comes to the re-election of Mr. Obama, anything goes and what goes first are the facts.

The blame game, regarding the Recession, will undoubtedly come into great play with the principle target of the Bush administration and the GOP playing the part of the target with the Tea Party as the backup.  The fact of the matter is obscured and masked by propaganda attack which hides the complete story of greed.  The greed is not that of President Bush and his administration but is spread throughout our society and was originally fostered by the not so benign intent of allowing home ownership to those who were economically unable to afford the purchases.  This comes to rest at the foot of the Democrats under President Clinton, who pressured the banking industry, by law, to relax traditional lending practices.  The fault is not that of Bush, Wall Street, the banking industry or even those allowed to acquire, normally unobtainable, loans.  The fault lies in a broken social structure that racially fights to support racial dysfunction.  The Democratic Party, in its zest to prove its worth, in the fight for racial equality, performed another exercise in “unintended consequence”.  This originated with that party, and was further exacerbated with actions to pressure lenders, and to deny the application of new regulatory measures proposed by the Bush administration in its beginning of the second term.  One of the most notable examples of pressure applied is that of the red line class action suit in Chicago against the Bank of America in which the accusers  prevailed.  This suit is one of, then community organizer, Barack Obama’s career highlights.  In this suit he argued that Bank of America was discriminating in lending based on area and the suit was a class action suit representing 196 litigants.  Bank of America was literally forced to remove their restrictions for these loans, and basically told they should not restrict similar lending in these areas.  Only 25 of the original 196 loans have survived.  A great source for factual information regarding the Housing bubble fiasco is, http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Great-Housing-Bubble---Who-is-Responsible?&id=1971248 .

I am sure that another of the positive topics will be the greatness of President Obama’s part in the salvation of our economy, and General Motors, through the wise use of the stimulus money so graciously provided him by the American citizenry.  Democrats are quick to make the case that had “The Recovery Act” (stimulus)” not occurred our country would have fallen off the wall and like Humptey Dumptey could not have been put back together again.  The factual basis for this argument does not exist and in truth is nothing more than supposition promoted by the “Smoke and Mirrors” that we were sold as “Hope and Change”.  There is an unending list of these funds being miss-used, wasted, and not used in a timely fashion.  So many in fact that it is mind boggling that the Democratic party would even use this as a talking point.  Three years after the swearing in of President Obama a large portion of these funds are still to be put to work in a economy in need of jobs, trade, and psychological uplift.  The President and his surrogates continue to tout the creation of 4 million new jobs in the private sector under his administration, that comes to an average of less than one hundred thousand per month when it requires over two hundred fifty thousand to keep up with population growth.  We can disregard the stimulus cost per job created, which is about two hundred thousand per job.  What a deal.  The majority of the stimulus funds went toward backing projects involving labor unions and other big contributors to the Obama ascension to the Presidency, and to those projects that are on the side of the “Green” movement.  Regarding General Motors there is very little mention of the dealerships, and the small businesses supporting them, that were forced to close.  No mention of the fact of how many of those 80 billion dollars were used to build GMs business in China (from whom we had to borrow the money in the first place), instead of using that money to build jobs in our own country.  In the so called saving of General Motors the act of placing union debt owed ahead of share holders was just one more example of rewarding the unions for their support of the President’s election and the pillaging of millions of shareholders relying on their original investment in General Motors shares for their retirement and college funds.  Disgusting.  The President and the Democratic Party have led us to believe that when Presidential nominee Mitt Romney stated that General Motors and Chrysler should not have been bailed out and suggested they go through the normal bankruptcy process, was wrong and somehow was in favor of the loss of these great companies.  The truth of the matter is that the process the President used was quite similar to bankruptcy except the American tax payer will apparently lose some 30 to 40 Billion dollars, the shareholders only received ten cents on the dollar, the unions received all of their benefits, and thousand of dealership and backup support employees are out of work.  Chrysler by the way is no longer an American owned iconic company, it is owned by Fiat of Italy.  This President and his administration, the two years with full power of the Senate and Congress, have failed in producing a viable economic policy.  Their party has no reason to ask the American public to support the re-election of this administration.  We are not better off than we were and to ask us to give him four more years in lieu of his resignation is just plain wrong.