Obama in One Word... Amazing!

I am proud to be an American today! I proud for many reasons, to many to be able to list here today. Our new President has been inaugurated!

His speech was inspiring. He is one of the best orator since John Kennedy. His clear and concise message was one of hope for everyone in our country.

His message to the world was one of stern warning tempered with hope to help the worlds less privileged.

I loved our 43rd President. I admired his principled nature and the way that he did not waiver in his undying devotion to keep our nation safe.

No matter how much you hate President Bush, if you are truly honest, you cannot deny that our nation is safer today because of his willingness to have his name sullied while he did what he thought was right. But his time has come and gone and it now a new day and a new time.

Change is upon us and that change appears hopeful. All Americans should be proud today and everyone should put their differences aside and pray for the success of our new leader!

A Tribute to a King

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

In our nations great history, we started out with these words emblazoned on a piece of parchment. Our forefathers boldly presented this document, the Declaration of Independence to a despot that enslaved through high taxation and a self proclaimed 'divine right' to rule.

While our country was born on this proclamation, it's dream was never realized by all who lived on American soil. Many peoples were burdened with a very real slavery that was hidden from the light by the guise of States Rights.

This contradiction would be partly solved by a great man who would become president, Abraham Lincoln. Yet even the War between the States (the civil war) could not fully resolve the inequality that slavery in America had caused.

It would not be until many, many years later that a man would come along that could so capture a world with his message that we would all stand up and take notice. With his Christian teachings, his Gandhi type insistence on non-violent protest and his spell binding oratory, Doctor King inspired a nation to recognize a heinous truth.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

As a nation we were forced to recognize our prejudice. Doctor King died for his cause, martyred by a mad man, but his legacy lives on. Today we honor a King, Doctor Martin Luther King.

Tomorrow, 46 years from his great speech in Washington, we honor his legacy as we inaugurate the first black man to become president of this once prejudice and dividend nation.

Even with all the economic problems and the anger and divisiveness and strife around the world; Today, on this very special day, I am proud to be an American!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdJ7Ad15WCA&feature=related

Tax Cuts For the Rich? Oh No!

That's right, you heard me, tax cuts are coming ... or continuing .... depending on who you are listening to. The Obama administration has signaled that tax hikes are definitely off the table and that tax cuts may actually be needed to get this economy moving again.

Amazing isn't it? Looks like our new President is a very savvy politician and a pretty bright guy. We were all worried that his Tax the Rich mantra during the campaign would ruin the country.

As it turns out, it may have been a ploy to keep his liberal/socialist base pumped up and headed to the polls. When in reality he has had a mindset to rule as a centrist all a long.

The thing I love here is that even a democrat is acknowledging that lower taxes stimulates the economy and creates growth. But while they talk about the need to lower the taxes to get things moving again, they still signal that taxes will need to be raised in a couple of years.

The argument is that spending cuts alone will not be enough to stem the tide of a rising deficit. I say hog wash! Spending cuts alone stemmed the tide of rising deficits in my household. Was it painful? You betcha! Was it necessary? Damn straight!

According to an article on MarketWatch.com, tax stimulus that give tax payers $500 at a time doesn't stimulate the economy because we (the consumer) just put that money in the bank as savings. However, lower tax rates that can add $10-$20 per week to a paycheck add just enough money that it doesn't get saved and increases consumer spending.

http://www.marketwatch.com/news/story/Tax-perks-stimulate-economy-coming/story.aspx?guid=%7BDD44159D%2DD4AD%2D45C7%2D8AE6%2D5B765653CDA5%7D

So here we go again! Spend, Spend, Spend! Note in the article that 'saving is bad'. The implied message is that spending is good. However, in that very same article some economist state that saving IS good and we should encourage it.

In the end, even though there is a glimmer of hope that someone in D.C. 'gets it', it appears that the inmates still run the asylum .... So, I'm going to save, save, save and hope that these idiots finally get a clue. Until then, watch your wallets, their safe for now, but at some point the government is coming and they will force you to give them your last thin dime!

Reality Mirrors Fiction - A Political Nightmare

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal references one of the best libertarian books of all time. The book was written by Ayn Rand who immigrated to the U.S. from Russia in the early 1950's.

Rand's book, Atlas Shrugged, is reviled by liberals and revered by every non-liberal that reads it. The book poses a simple hypothesis. What happens to society when government attempts to control the markets?

Throughout the book those that are successful continue to produce. They find ways around the government barriers set up to 'level' the playing field. The world is divided into the producer and two other categories.

The other groups are those that do nothing and those that identify opportunity to use the government rules as a tool to line their own pockets. (Sounds eerily familiar, it's just like what is going on with our government and economy today doesn't it.)

Ayn Rand used her unique insight and experience from communist Russia to build a captivating and realistic story of what happens when governments attempt to control incomes and what happens when the producers and innovators in society finally give up and throw in the towel.

This book is no easy read. At over 1,000 pages most people will not even attempt to read it. However, when surveyed, a majority of people who have read it said it was one of the most influential books in their lives. It rated second only to the bible.

I would posit that it should be mandatory reading for every high school senior prior to graduation! If you haven't read the book I encourage you to do so.

If you aren't going to read under any circumstance I implore you to at least read the great Wall Street Journal commentary about the book. Here is the link to the WSF article: http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=44251878044&h=z8mMm&u=lH3EK