Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all!  I hope everyone is having a happy and safe holiday.  God bless you all.

Even E. Bernanke Scrooge and Little Timmuh.

What $40.00 Means to Me

I hope that everyone is sending in their own personal story to President Obama about what the $40.00 payroll tax cut means to them. 

This is what I sent in:

It would be enough money to make regular donations to Mike Vanderboegh and David Codrea for their investigations of your and Eric Holder's treasonous and felonious Fast and Furious weapons walking program.  I might even put aside enough for a couple packs of Kools for you when you are carted off to prison.

Post your own story at http://www.whitehouse.gov/40dollars?utm_source=email139&utm_medium=text1&utm_campaign=taxcut.

Remember, they asked for it.

Hat tip to David Codrea at Gun Rights Examiner.

Must Read: The Corruption of America

The following link is a long, sometimes unpleasant, but essential read about where we are in America:

Porter Stansberry:  The Corruption of America.

The link takes you to about a third of the way down, so scroll back up to the beginning.



Hat tip:  Zero Hedge.

Retarded Politician of the Week: Rep. Lamar Smith, R-TX

Who would be vile enough to be in bed with Reichsfuhrer Janet Napolitano, otherwise known as the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security? Now we know.

It's Representative Lamar Smith, Republican from Texas.

Many of us recall when Reichsfuhrer Napolitano came up with "If You See Something, Say Something", a collaboration with our Chinese masters at Wal-Mart suggesting that shoppers become snitches on their fellow Americans.  At the time I referred to it as "If You See It Twitch, Be A Snitch."

Well, Rep. Smith is not content to allow the Reichsfuhrer to bask in all of the National Socialist glory.   That's why he has introduced the "See Something, Say Something Act of 2011".  Read the text of this legislative abomination here.  In short, the bill proposes to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to provide immunity for reporting suspicious behavior that may be related to terrorism (my emphasis added). 

Or maybe Rep. Smith is jealous all of the attention that Obamoron extraordinaire Cass Sunstein received over his own proposals regarding "suspicious activity".

I can think of three reasons that Rep. Smith's proposed legislation is stupid.

First, can anyone demonstrate that a lack of immunity from suit  has caused a substantial decline in reporting of suspected terrorist activities?  One would first have to believe that some kind of liability arises from doing one's civic duty of reporting criminal activity.  I try my best to keep up with the news, and I cannot think of any reporting on this issue.  It appears that, once again, government is out to solve a non-existent problem.

Second, this is just more of the typical, big-government answer to every problem, whether real or perceived:  more legislation!  In this instance it is legislation to prevent the filing of frivolous suits against persons who report what they believe to be terrorism related activity.  Most proponents of government solutions are totally ignorant of the law of unintended consequences.   The likely unintended consequence of this bill, if passed?   Why, there is no reason not to snitch on every observation of suspicious activity.  In fact, this encourages the use of law enforcement to harass those we do not like, so long as the report of "suspicious activity" is not false.  One only needs to read the news each day to know that citizens are routinely violated by black pajama-clad agents of the state over "suspicious activity."  I guess Rep. Smith is either ignorant of the world around him or he believes we need more middle-of-the night visits from badge-adorned bogeymen.

Third, this type of legislation plays right into the hands of an increasingly paranoid, out-of-touch, control-freak President and his minions, who make the Nixon administration look like a bunch of nap-deprived pre-schoolers.  I'm tempted to report Rep. Smith to www.attackwatch.com for stealing The Won's thunder.   If Rep. Smith plans on being re-elected, he ought to focus more on being part of the party of Not Obama.  That means refusing to advocate snitching, Orwellian tactics, sexual assault of ordinary Americans who simply want to travel, and instead standing up for the civil liberties of all Americans, including those accused or suspected of crimes. 

That last part is the most important.  Post 9/11, everything is either becoming a crime or subjecting us to suspicion and rights violations.  Rep. Smith's proposed legislation, in my mind, purports to give citizens permission to rat on each other and invite what may be unwarranted government investigation, without fear of any liability.  As Ayn Rand once wrote, "We are fast approaching the stage of the ultimate inversion: the stage where the government is free to do anything it pleases, while the citizens may act only by permission."  Ms. Rand should be glad that she is dead, because we are just about there, and Rep. Smith is one of its midwives.

It is retarded to grant permission in this way to citizens who should have no fear of reporting criminal activity if the legal system is performing as it should.  It is retarded to assist an administration in its Nixonian and Orwellian pursuit of punishment for its enemies.  And it is the height of retardation for a politician who is not a member of the administration to engage in its brand of Reichspolitik.

Hat tip to InfoWars, whose story caused my inflammation.

Quote of the Day

"When you tweet your meat, expect defeat."

Comment left by "Attila the Pun" on Andrew Breitbart's post on the Democrats' loss in the NY-9 special election, the former seat of disgraced Rep. Anthony Weiner, at biggovernment.com.

It's Downright ObaWellian

The Obamorons are up to no good once again.

Remember flag@whitehouse.gov?  The place that we were supposed to rat out Oba-bashers?  For those who miss the ObaWellian opportunity to support The Won and report on the unObabelievers, opportunity knocks anew.

Go to http://www.attackwatch.com/, a service brought to you by Obama for America.  Check out what a paranoid bunch of commie wingnuts the Obamoids have become, soliciting tips on anyone who dares to defile their savior.

I took the opportunity to page Mr. Orwell and ask why I have not received my brownshirt.

What can you contribute to http://www.attackwatch.com/?

Thoughts On Gold Crossing $1,800.00/Ounce

Gold just crossed the $1,800.00 line a few minutes ago.  Not just peeked over the threshold, but crossed over looking to stay.

It occurs to me that gold's appreciation of $140.00 an ounce since Sunday afternoon is a harbinger we should be paying serious attention to, more so than the wild swings (mostly down) in the equities markets.

There must be a lot of gold buyers in order to drive the price up that high.  A lot of people who must also believe there is a substantial chance that either the price will stay that high, or that conventional currencies will soon have such diminished value that gold is worth the price. 

Does that mean that an economic collapse is imminent?  I am hesitant to make such a prediction, but I don't think the underlying reasons for gold's increase paint a rosy picture.

Welcome to Obambwe, and Get Ready for the Barackalypse!

In Obambwe, the Zimbabwe of the West, does the Barackalypse precede Obamageddon or is it the other way around?

I did not get a lot of work done today, as I was watching the stock market, gold, and the prognosticators.  I was tickled to see the Dow down 634 points by the end of the day and gold up over $1,700.00 all day.  I own no gold and have nothing invested in the stock market, so I have no direct interest in what appears to be the consequences of government malfeasance.

I actually take no joy in this economic meltdown, but I am glad it is finally getting in gear.  I am tired of watching the slow decline and the ruinous actions and inactions of the morons we have collectively elected to govern.  When those morons have finished running our economy over the cliff, we can achieve a "reset" and get back to business.  But not before getting out the pitchforks, tar, and feathers.

I figure that I can be a little more sanguine about the whole mess because I have been a prepper for over fifteen years.  While the preps are nowhere near complete, I feel a lot better than I would if I had only three days worth of food, no money in the bank, and no defenses. 

Although it is difficult to tell what will happen over the coming months and years, and many predictions have already been made (including by me) and not come to pass, it does not appear that much good is going to come out of the country's present financial predicament.  At least not until those who have caused this mess are called to account for their actions.  I really believe that this may be the last opportunity to make preparations before financial circumstances become dire, including devalued currency, massive inflation, increased unemployment, and possible shortages.  I am and have been making lists of food and tangibles that will be necessary in the future and/or will maintain their value. 

Additionally, I have been taking note of the increasing social unrest and violence in the country.  I have decided that I will carry concealed wherever I lawfully can, and am checking into more methods of concealed carry.  This includes new holsters, magazine carriers, and vehicle lockboxes.  I am determined that I will not make a good victim.

Other than that, I have just been trying to digest the all the news and information.  There was a whole lot of coverage on the negotiations to raise the debt limit, which didn't mean an damn thing in the end.  The result was just business as usual:  Increased spending and no actual cuts.  One step closer to the abyss.

Keep your head down, your preps dry, and your pitchfork handy.

Quote of the Day

"THERE IS NO SHORTAGE OF FUNDS TO PAY SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE UNDER THE EXISTING DEBT CEILING. IN FACT, TREASURY COULD PAY THOSE BENEFITS EVEN IF THERE WAS ZERO TAX COLLECTED FROM ANYONE IN THIS COUNTRY FOR SOCIAL SECURITY AND MEDICARE - SUCH AS IF UNEMPLOYMENT WAS 100% - FOR A PERIOD OF MORE THAN THREE YEARS, AND NOT VIOLATE THE DEBT CEILING."

Karl Denninger, "Social Security Is NOT At Risk On Debt Ceiling"

Random Thoughts

I haven't posted in a few weeks, but not for lack of material.  Seems that every day there is more to comment on.  The difficult part is figuring out what to make of it all.  Some thoughts that I have had in the past few weeks but have not reduced to a post:

Weird News:  Does your steak taste like crap?  There might be more to it than you think.  A Japanese scientist has figured out how to make meat out of human waste.  Call it Soylent Brown.  Story here.

Gun Gear:  About two years ago I bought a used Marlin Papoose takedown .22 rifle.  I already own one and discovered that the 3 1/2 pound rifle is the only one that my daughter feels confident shooting.  So I bought one that we can call "hers".  Unfortunately, and as is all too common with used takedown rifles, it did not have its factory storage case.  I bought a paintball case to make do, but I have been searching for an original case for a while.  I found a seller on Ebay who has a bunch of these for sale.  Anyone who needs a factory red Papoose case better get one while they are available.  Only $14.99 plus $4.95 shipping.  Link.

I found a source of Mec-Gar magazines that I use for my Smith & Wesson nines and my Kel-Tec Sub2000 rifle.  $19.99 each, free shipping on orders of $59.00 or more, and a $5.00 discount for new members.  I especially like that New Innovations Shooting Supply is just over the border in Rathdrum, Idaho.   I have already ordered from them and I am impressed with their fast service and good communications.  Try them.

Kel-Tec Customer Service update.  Update to this post.  I wrote to Kel-Tec about failing to receive the magazine catch I requested, and even sent a check to pay for what I needed.  I also sent copies of my emails to and from Kel-Tec.  This was in late May.  About a week and a half later I received an envelope from Kel-Tec containing two magazine catches, my uncashed check, and a note apologizing for the mistake.  OK, I can forgive the initially poor service, but I would caution anyone who needs parts from Kel-Tec to expect somewhat of a delay in getting what is needed. 

Weinergate.  I found Representative Anthony Weiner's fall from grace to be amusing, and little else.  Especially if you consider that Mr. Weiner claimed, in a telephone call to the Minority Leader, Representative Nancy Pelosi, D-Commiefornia, that 56% of his constituents wanted him to stay in the House after revelations of extramarital sexting and lewd photos.  I don't pity Anthony Weiner; I pity the residents of his district, at least I do 56% of them, for being dumber than a box of rocks.  Add to this the number of left-wing nitwits who thought that Weiner should not resign, and you have quite the pitiful bunch.  To my way of thinking, supporters of Weiner must be engaging in behavior just short of idolatry to think that the clown is somehow necessary for New York to be represented and for the nation to do its business.  Assuming a population of 300,000,000 people in this country and 435 representatives, each representative has about 700,000 constituents.  Let's assume that only one-half of those people are of age to serve, and that only ten percent of those would have the brains to do a fair job of representation.  That leaves 35,000 who could represent the district.  Why then the hoopla over Anthony Weiner?   I am convinced that Weinergate has more to do with Weiner's political cult of personality than it does with representation of the folks in that New York district.  I cannot otherwise explain why political turds such as Weiner, Charlie Rangel, Barney Frank, Alcee Hastings, and David Vitter remain in office.  There are other qualified candidates, and it is only a weak-minded and weak-willed electorate that prevents honorable persons from replacing the turds. 

Prepping Goes Mainstream.  I don't know if it is the result of a local distributor with a good sales pitch or a sign of prepping going mainstream, but I have notice that long term food storage has been appearing in more stores in the Inland Northwest.  The Auguson Farms brand of long term storage foods in number 10 cans is being sold in Rosauer's supermarket, Super One Foods, and at local WalMart stores.  The prices have been pretty reasonable, too.  I don't know how long this will last, but any preppers in the Spokane area should check this out, in case it these stores have no long-term plans to carry these products.

The Clash Between Civilization and Islam.  Notice that I did not write, "clash of civilizations".  It is clear to me that civilized Western countries are being infiltrated by Islam.  The media and political elite will not acknowledge it, but Western civilization is at great risk.  We have lost significant freedoms to the "War on Terror" which is really the war against Islam.  The Patriot Act and other assaults upon our liberty are not in reaction to some amorphous terror threat, they are a reaction to Islam's war against the West.  The refusal to acknowledge this and the kowtowing to Islam are getting so bad that evangelical minister Jack Van Impe has cut off his relationship with the Trinity Broadcasting Network over what Van Impe calls "Chrislam", the accommodation of Islam in Christianity.  See the story here. 
Unless you want to wake up one day wondering why you have your ass in the air and your head pointed towards Saudi Arabia, it is high time to start questioning what is going on with Islam in America.  Don't wait until your wife must be covered head-to-toe and the authorities allow your daughter to be repeatedly raped because there were not four male witnesses to the act.  Daily must reads regarding Islam are Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs, and Bare Naked Islam.  I particularly like Bare Naked Islam for its gutsy, in-your-face reporting.  For a compendium of Islam's murderous atrocities around the globe, read The Religion of Peace.  All of these appear on my sidebar.

The Economy.  There are so many predictions out there about where we are headed that it is nearly impossible to figure out when things are going to tank.  That things are going to tank seems to be a point of agreement among the non-delusional.  It's just the when and how that are baffling.  My own thoughts seem to change each week.  Will it be a European collapse first?  Will the Chinese quit buying our debt?  Will the problems with Japan's post-earthquake economy affect ours?  Will The One start a conflagration with his Middle East policies (or lack thereof)?  Will the price of oil rise and doom the economy?  I don't know.  What I am preparing for is the possibility of a lot of out-of-work, homeless, and hungry people struggling for survival in a hyperinflationary economic collapse with government assistance consisting of a free ride to a FEMA camp. 

What I do know is that true unemployment is about 20%, utilization of government handouts is at an all-time high, people who previously made over $30,000 a year are gladly taking work at $8.67 an hour, people are scared, and more and more people are openly talking about the possibility of an imminent economic collapse.  That the price of gold is consistently staying above $1,500 and ounce and silver is above $35 is a sign (to me) that there is little faith in the government, the dollar, and the economy as a whole.  When those three collapse, the only real money is portable commodities.  Have some, whether gold or silver, or even better extra food that can be used in the next couple of years.

Although the government continues to extend and pretend, including the now-surfacing idea that Republicans may allow a "temporary" raise in the national debt ceiling, and the left-wing mainstream media continues to prostitute itself for The One, I think that the current period is just the calm before the storm.  There are plenty of signs, despite what the media and the government say, that things are not getting better and are not-so-slowly but surely deteriorating.  We should all be adding to our preps while food and supplies are still relatively cheap.  I've got a feeling that this relative "cheapness" of food and goods is not going to last too much longer.

Well, that's it for now....

Memorial Day

For those who gave the ultimate sacrifice:  no celebration, except of your honor, your courage, and your sacrifice on our behalf.

Update to Kel-Tec Customer Service Experience

Back in mid-April I wrote a favorable post about Kel-Tec customer service.  I found myself in need of a magazine catch for my Sub2000 rifle and contacted customer service, inquiring as to how I could buy the replacement magazine catch.  Until somewhat recently, the item had been available for purchase in the Kel-Tec website store.  For some reason it is no longer listed in the store, so I made contact with Kel-Tec through their website email.

I received a prompt reply stating that the magazine catch would be mailed to me at no charge.  I thought this was great service, and wrote a blog post to that effect.  I think I was premature in lauding Kel-Tec's service.

On April 20, 2011 I received an envelope from Kel-Tec.  It contained a pair of front sights for a pistol.  Not what I requested.  I sent a follow up email to Kel-Tec and received a reply that the magazine catch would be mailed to me.  So I waited.  Two weeks after that I sent a follow-up email to Kel-Tec stating that I had not received the magazine catch.  I received a reply stating that the magazine catch had been mailed to me, but another one would be sent out.  That was on May 4, 2011.

Yesterday I decided that I was tired of playing the email game and sent a letter explaining my wait and offering to purchase the magazine catch.  I also sent a check to cover about twice the cost of the part (from my recollection) and postage.  I hope that I actually get the part I need.

I have owned a number of their firearms over the years and have generally been satisfied with the quality for the price paid.  I am not so sure now about their customer service.  I still like my Kel-Tecs and have no plans on selling any of them, and I am not discouraging anyone from buying Kel-Tec.  I do think that I will make a list of any parts I might need in the future and prospectively place my orders for those parts.

I will post an update when and if I get the part I ordered.

Kudos to Greg Cote, LLC

I like to give credit where credit it due, and to spread the word when I find a vendor who gives excellent service with great prices.

Greg Cote, LLC is a vendor that I highly recommend for gun magazines.  Their website is http://www.gregcotellc.com/ .  In the past couple of months I have made two purchases from them and I am very happy with the service I received.

Greg Cote does not have a large selection, but it appears that they only sell quality items.  No ProMag, National Magazines, or other lower quality merchandise. I have purchased a number of Mec Gar pistol magazines from them for various firearms that I own.

The positives, aside from quality merchandise, are low prices, flat rate shipping of $5.99, excellent communication and super fast shipping.  On my last order, which was this past Monday, I placed my order in the morning, then immediately received an email confirmation.  Within a couple of hours I had an email telling me that my order had been shipped.  My package arrived in Wednesday's mail.  Across the country from Maryland to Eastern Washington in two days, that is outstanding.

Another bonus of sorts:  If Greg Cote does not have it in stock, you cannot order it.  None of this backorder nonsense when you are ordering something that you need.  (We all need more gun magazines, right?)

Happy Birthday to Me!

43 today.

EyeWitless News: Obama Disses God on Easter; God Fires Back

Our Narcissist-in-Chief, The Won, Barack Hussein Obama, dissed the Almighty on Easter Sunday when he failed to acknowledge the day on which Jesus arose from the dead.  Of course, Non-Muslim Obama has commemorated every Muslim holiday since taking office, as veteran White House reporter Keith Koffler has noted.

The Lord was none too pleased at the slight, and had the following comment at about 8:30 p.m. on Easter Sunday:

 Thanks to Obama Foodorama for the photo.

Happy Easter

As we celebrate this Holy day it is also a time to remember all the good that still exists in the world. 

Sometimes I get all caught up in the negativity and forget my blessings.

Happy Easter and God bless each of you.

Open Letter to McDonald's

Since McDonald's has chosen not to have email contact available, I am posting an open letter to them.

To McDonald's:

After reading about the savage beating of a customer in your Rosedale, Maryland restaurant, seeing the video, and your response I have decided that I will not set foot in your restaurants for the foreseeable future.

The actions (or rather non-actions, aside from the recording of the incident by your wannabe gangsta employee) leads me to conclude that your restaurants are not safe and are staffed by uncaring neanderthals.

Your response should have been to take responsibility and to immediately fire every employee involved.  You did neither.

Until I see McDonald's apologize to the woman who was assaulted, pay her medical bills and damages for her injuries, fire every single employee who was on duty at the time of the incident, and institute new employee training to combat racism by its minority employees against non-minorities, McDonald's will not see one penny in business from me or my family.



For those who have not heard about the incident in which a white woman was viciously attacked in a Baltimore area McDonald's by two black females, was left to fend for herself by black employees, and the incident video recorded by a black employee, see story and video here.  McDonald's response is here.

Kudos to Kel-Tec Customer Service

I like to compliment good service wherever I encounter it, since it is becoming the exception rather than the rule these days.

I needed a replacement magazine catch for my Kel-Tec rifle, so I looked on the Kel-Tec website store for the part.  It was not listed, which was perplexing because I could have sworn that Kel-Tec sold just about every part to their firearms (except those requiring an FFL) in their web store.

I clicked on the tab to contact Kel-Tec, and sent them a message asking how I could get the magazine catch.  The site said that it would take two to three days for them to get back to me.  That was Wednesday evening.  Thursday morning I had an email from Kel-Tec stating that they would mail me the part FOR FREE if I would just provide them with my address.  I replied with my address, and in about an hour I received another email from Kel-Tec stating that the part was in the mail.

Kel-Tec did not even ask me where I purchased the rifle, the serial number, or for a copy of my receipt.  No questions, just good service. 

Makes we want to buy another Kel-Tec.  Maybe that nifty PMR-30 .22 Mag semi-auto pistol.

One Practical Measure of the Cost of Obama's MENA Follies

It has been widely reported that Obama's Kinetic Military Action (his words) in Libya has thus far cost the U.S. taxpayers $600,000,000.00 and that the ongoing costs are projected at $100,000,000.00 per week, or $430,000,000.00 per month.

Since the government simply prints the money it does not have, and it does not have any, most taxpayers are not feeling the pinch of Obama's not-a-war.

Of course, Libya is but one of the follies in the Middle East/North Africa which are going on under the incompetent watch of our Dear Leader.  Since February 24, 2011, when Libya was in conflict and Egypt and Tunisia had already expelled their dictators, the price of gasoline in my area has increased from $3.02 a gallon to $3.64 a gallon.

Doing a bit of simple math, let's assume that there are, conservatively, about 75,000,000 regular automobile drivers in this country of 310,000,000 people.  Assuming that each driver uses ten gallons of gasoline a week, on average, each driver is paying an additional $6.20 per week for gasoline.  With 4.3 weeks in the average month, that would amount to an additional $26.66 for gasoline each month. 

While this does not seem like a substantial additional sum to be paying for gasoline, multiply that number by the 75,000,000 drivers.  That is an additional $1,999,500,000.00 spent on gasoline each month.

Since we import about 60% of the oil used in the U.S., it seems fair to assume that 60% of the refined gasoline comes from imported oil.  If gasoline prices have increased $0.62 per gallon across the U.S. since February 24, 2011, we will be transferring an additional $1,199,700,000.00 of our wealth out of the country each month. 

The $600,000,000.00 in funny money frittered by the Obama administration pales in comparison with the real cost to motorists of Obama's MENA follies.

Retarded Politician of the Week Proposes Tax on Turds

Actually, taxing turds would just be the logical next step for the proposal made by Jim Suttle, Mayor of Omaha, Nebraska.  Mayor Suttle is proposing that the federal government levy a 10 cent tax on each roll of toilet paper purchased.   Suttle, the consummate politician, makes it clear that, while he is proposing the tax, he is not necessarily endorsing it.  Interesting.....

The turd paper tax would supposedly pay for federally mandated sewer improvements in Omaha.   Of course, like any tax proposed by any politician, a tax enacted never seems to go away and is often expanded beyond its original purpose.  Is it such a slippery slope to go from a tax on TP to a tax on turds?

Story in the Omaha World-Herald here.

EyeWitless News: It Ain't a Crime if You're a Lefty

So much for the "new civility" in political discourse demanded by the left...

An unnamed Connecticut octogenerianette threatened to castrate an unnamed Connecticut politician who favors cutting funding to Planned Parenthood.  The FBI declined to arrest the woman, even though their investigation determined that she intended the castration threat, she was not capable of carrying it out.

The woman had formerly been a volunteer for Planned Parenthood.

Is it fair to surmise that a credible threat of grave bodily harm is not a felony when made by a Moonbat?  Or that there is no crime if the victim is on the Right?

Maybe law enforcement was just prejudging the old bat to be not guilty by reason of insanity. 

Story at NBC here.

Governor "Tapeworm" Gregoire Sure Is Popular

I was going through my blogger stats, and my post on Washington Initiative 1069 has been viewed more than any other post.  Is it because of my doctored photo showing Governor Gregoire as a tapeworm?

If so, here it is again.



Enjoy.

Original post from September 23, 2010, here.  And, yes, it was a real initiative, but did not make the ballot last year.

Quote of the Day

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound's the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost, Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening
 
 
This poem has always resonated with me, especially in my more contemplative moods.  Whenever I'm about to succumb to the distractive curiosities in life, this poem seems to emerge from the recesses of my mind.  Lately there have been many distractions and curiosities.  It sure would be nice to stop and gawk for a while, but there is family to be with, a job to go to, and preps yet to be put away.  And miles to go before I sleep.

The Slow Decline Starts Spiralling....and Thoughts on What to Do

Last Thursday I filled up the gas tank at $3.02 a gallon.  Yesterday morning I noticed that gas was $3.13 a gallon.  I had to take a trip out to the Lincoln County Courthouse yesterday.  Gas was $3.32 a gallon at one station I passed in Lincoln County.  When I got back to River City, the place I usually stop at was $3.29 a gallon.  Quite an increase in a short period of time.  Despite the MENA turmoil, there is a gas glut in this country.  I fear what will happen when the supply glut is gone.

Gold is hovering over $1,430 an ounce.  Silver is over $34 an ounce.   The copper and nickel in our five-cent coins is worth more than the face value by over two cents.  It appears that a lot of the recent increase in metals prices is related to global political instability, particularly in the MENA region.  This is, of course, on top of the increase due to weakening of fiat currencies.  I don't expect either the political instability or weakening of fiat currencies to abate anytime soon.

The stock market looks like it wants to dive again, but is being propped up by who-knows-what.  I don't think the stock market will be indicative of anything until it crashes again and confirms an all-out calamity.

I have seen more home foreclosures cross my desk in the last two years than I had seen in all fifteen years prior to 2009.  Combined.  Despite the promise of fraudulent foreclosures threatening to take down the big banks, there is little effect here where most foreclosures are non-judicial.  The lender takes back the property by buying it at the trustee's sale.  The former homeowner just walks away.

Surprisingly, food is still relatively cheap.  I don't expect this to last.  I have been noticing price increases of ten to twenty percent on a lot of items over the past few months.  Usually the name brands.  I think that food prices will markedly increase in the very near future as the price of food commodities is added to production costs and passed along to the consumer.  I think that food commodity prices will continue to increase due to the increase in price of oil-based fertilizers and production methods and also due to decreased global production.  A double-whammy we will soon be seeing in grocery store prices.

Unrest is increasing in our own country and there are few leaders who are capable of recognizing and dealing with the threat.  The entitlement class is at war with the middle and upper classes.  Welfarites, professional disabled, pensioners, public servants, and the union thugocracy are all gunning for the last Bernankedollars in the trough.  Will this lead to civil war?  Who knows?  We are staring straight into the abyss of a financial collapse and so far the only leaders who see the threat are Governors Christie, Daniels, Kasich, Scott, and Walker.  On the national level we are toast.  The measure to keep the fedgov funded for two more weeks tells it all:  Political willpower only exists to cut $4,000,000,000, or $104,000,000,000 annualized.  That is not nearly enough when we are in the hole for $1,700,000,000,000 this year alone.

With the country, if not the world, spiralling down the commode, here are my thoughts on what to do right now.

First, as Ol' Remus frequently tells us:  Stay away from crowds.  No matter how strongly one feels about current circumstances or the need to confront the union/communist/fascist thugocracy, it just is not worth it.  This house of cards is coming down like a ton of bricks.  Best not to be under it.

Second, food is relatively cheap, but won't be for long.  Stock up.  Buy things you will eat based on your current diet, but only things that will keep for at least a year.  At this point I don't think true LTS (long term storage) foods are necessary.  If inflation comes on as strong as it appears, we will be eating out of our stocks before too much longer.  However, there is probably enough time to stock up on "loss leaders" over the next month or two so that paying regular price isn't necessary.

Third, do you have some water stored just in case of a power outage or in case things get so bad you can't pay your water bill?  Have the capability to store at at least five gallons per person in your household plus the ability to produce more (filtration, rain catchment, etc.).  At least five gallons at any time.  A person needs to consume at least a gallon a day just to stay alive and dirty.

Fourth, can you keep your house warm?  Again, think power outage or inability to pay the utilities.  For the short term, something like a kerosene heater may work for you.  Longer term, a wood-stove, manual pellet stove, or waste oil burner is a better bet.  The best method is one for which you have a ready and steady supply of fuel.

Fifth, can you go anywhere.  Do you have a means of transportation you can count on and sufficient fuel?  Most of us have at least one form of transportation and likely more.  Besides keeping the gas tank no less than half full, it is a good idea to store at least another full tank's worth of stabilized fuel.  Fuel may become unavailable all of a sudden or the price may be exorbitant or you may just need the extra fuel at a time when putting food on the table came first.

Sixth, but not last for preparedness, can you defend what you have?  Many firearms are still affordable and as of this writing ammunition is plentiful and not too expensive.  I believe that every able-bodied person in the household should have a personal firearm and the training to use it.  Even if you have to buy a Hi-Point pistol and Mosin-Nagant rifle for each person in your household, you would be out only about $400.00 per person with a reasonable amount of ammunition.

The foregoing are my thoughts on what to do if a person stays in place.  I don't think many of us are actually going to bug out to some other location or otherwise abandon our homes during the coming crisis.  I expect that many will continue to go to work or continue to look for work, requiring us to have a home to start out from and return to each day.   Additionally, many of us have children that we take to school five days a week (except in Wisconsin).

What I am expecting in the near future is marked inflation in the prices of food, energy, and other necessities.  I also expect a huge increase in government taxes and fees.  The powers that be simply will not cut spending in any significant amount and will be looking for additional revenue from any and all sources.  For example, just this year in River City I have watched the city utilities (water, sewer, garbage) increase in price and the city tack on a $20.00 per vehicle licensing fee in addition to state fees.

It is foreseeable that we will find the costs of living increasing while our wages do not, with the result that some current necessities become tomorrow's luxuries.  It may become necessary to forego electricity in favor of food, and paying the mortgage instead of having city water and garbage pickup.  Walking instead of driving.  Circumstances could become that dire.

Better to prepare for such adjustments than to be forced to make the adjustments. Or worse, to become a ward of, and be at the mercy of, the state.

I'm Not One of Eric Holder's People

Eric Himpton Holder, Attorney General of the United States, may not represent all citizens of the United States.

Holder was questioned today before a House Appropriations subcommittee regarding his department's failure to prosecute members of the Black Panther Party for intimidating voters outside a Philadelphia polling place during the 2008 elections.

Representative John Culberson read a comment from a Democratic activist who stated that the Black Panther incident was the worst incident of voter intimidation he had witnessed in his career.

Holder's reply?

"When you compare what people endured in the South in the '60s to try to get the right to vote for African-Americans, to compare what people subjected to that with what happened in Philadelphia, which was inappropriate.
"I think that does a great disservice to people who put their lives on the line for my people.”

Now we know who Holder represents as Attorney General.

This clown should be fired, immediately.

Story here.

R.I.P. Frank Buckles

Frank Buckles, the last surviving American Veteran of WWI, died Sunday in West Virginia at the age of 110. 

Buckles, who was only sixteen years old when the U.S. formally entered WWI in 1917, tried repeatedly to enlist in the war effort.  He succeeded in joining the army only after convincing a captain that he was eighteen.  The captain had asked to see his birth certificate, to which Buckles replied that it did not exist and that the record of his birth was recorded in a family Bible.

Story at Fox News.

EyeWitless News: According to CNN's Candy Crowley, To Love Obama is to Crispify Him

Mentally challenged (or deranged Moonbat, your choice, just semantics) CNN reporter Candy Crowley recently interviewed former Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld.  Rumsfeld served under President George W. Bush.

During the interview, Crowley repeatedly asked Rumsfeld if he was aware of how much the world loves president Obama and just how much the rest of the world likes America now that Obama is president.  It should be noted here that Crowley was not really asking a question so much as she was seeking validation for her desire to give Obama a mega-hummer.  Rumsfeld repeatedly replied that data does not support the basis of Crowley's questions.  At least as to how much the world now loves Obama and America.

Andrew Malcolm at the Los Angeles Times did come up with the data, in photographic form.  Consider the following evidence that Malcolm found in India:

Or consider the evidence Malcolm found in Barry's adopted home country of Indonesia:

Read about the interview and see Malcolm's other evidence here.

By the way, Barry isn't loved as much at home according to Scott Rasmussen.

And in other news, Senator Lurch, D-MA, was confronted by the ghosts of his VVAW past and insulted a Holocaust denier*.

*How the left treats persons who do not worship at the Church of AlGore, Sobsisters of Gorebal Warming.

Hideout of the Fourteen Cowards

Fourteen Cowards, otherwise known as democrat senators from Wisconsin, have gone into hiding rather than do their elected duty as senators for their Wisconsin districts.  They oppose a bill supported by Governor Walker, which would limit the collective bargaining rights of public servants, but do not have the courage to show up and oppose the bill.

Here are the names of the Fourteen Cowards:

Jon Erpenbach
Jim Holperin
Robert Wirch
Tim Carpenter
Lena Taylor
Tim Cullen
Mark Miller
Julie Lassa
Robert Jauch
Fred Risser
Dave Hansen
Kathleen Vineout
Spencer Coggs
Randy Hopper

Here's where they are hiding:

Best Western Clock Tower Resort
7801 East State Street
Rockford, IL 61108
Telephone: (815)398-6000
Fax: (815)229-4032

Wisconsin residents, particularly those represented by the Fourteen Cowards, should call the Clock Tower Resort to speak to their cowardly senators, or should fax their disapproval to their cowardly senators.

If any Wisconsinites are serious about taking back their state from the blood-sucking leeches of the public employees' unions, some protesting at the Clock Tower Resort wouldn't hurt.

The Government Storage Unit

Many of us have storage units, whether of the kind that are rented at some mini-storage complex or of the kind that we have set aside on our property.  Years ago it was commonplace for this storage to consist of food storage, often referred to as the pantry.  When I was a kid growing up in Alaska, we had a significant amount of space dedicated to storage of canned and frozen foods.  My parents probably had enough food stored away to last us six months.  Although nearly all food has to be shipped into Alaska from the lower 48, I suspect that the amount of stored food had more to do with my dad having lived through the Great Depression as a young man than any real threat of scarcity.

Today, few families have pantries or any significant food storage.  Most people seem to rely on the grocery stores to be open and fully stocked.  For my generation, our grandparents lived in a time when food scarcity was a real issue and having a significant food supply at home was the norm.

Aside from the grocery stores, our country today seems to believe that it is the government's job to put away reserves of food, particularly grains such as wheat and corn.  At some time in the past we became accustomed to the idea that the government had some vast "storage unit" where surplus grain and other food commodities were stored.  These surpluses have been used to help regulate the price of commodities and to ensure a supply when harvests are not sufficient.

I would like to posit a thought on the idea of the government storage unit filled with grains on behalf of the citizenry.  Even if the storage unit were full, does anyone actually believe that the government, and the current regime in particular, would just unlock the storage unit in the event of a food crisis?  This is the same regime, as represented by Rahm Emanuel, that said, "Never let a crisis go to waste."   In essence, if the government were to dispense from its storage unit in a crisis, there will be a price to pay.  I believe it will be:  Your liberty for a loaf of bread.

From what I have been reading from various news sources, the storage unit is near empty.  That is actually a good thing.  Not for the sheeple and welfarites, but for free men and women.  Why would any of us who cherish liberty want to rely upon the government to maintain our food storage unit?  Such a reliance flies in the face of the principles of good stewardship and taking personal responsibility as the price of liberty.

Each of us as free men and women should have our own storage units full of wheat, corn, and other foodstuffs.  Not just as preppers for some future crisis, but as fulfillment of our personal responsibility to provide for our selves and our families.

Now is the time to recognize that the government is not only morally and financially bankrupt, but is also unable to care for the citizenry it has covered with its ever-expanding umbrella of promises. Expect that the government, with its storage unit of food being empty, to confiscate food supplies from responsible citizens, citing the cause of the "general welfare".

We are seeing rising prices of food stuffs as I write this.  Some of this rise in price is due to scarcity.  Some is due to inflation.  But what is inflation?  A common definition is "too many dollars chasing too few goods."  In other words, abundance of money and scarcity of goods.  Some, such as Kellene Bishop (here and here), are predicting a six month window of opportunity between the wholesale rise in commodity prices and the retail rise in prices. 

Right now is the time for preppers to make substantial additions to their long-term storage of grains and other foodstuffs and for those without food storage to get with the program and make substantial purchases.  In one respect, this is an investment, provided that one buys non-perishable foods.  Money spent today will likely be money not spent in the future, because the food can be incorporated into one's daily menu if the looming food crisis does not arrive.  This is a far better strategy than believing that the government food storage unit will be both full and opened to the public.

Corn-itive Dissonance

There is something puzzling about the state of corn reserves in the United States.  Corn prices keep going up, and corn reserves are reported to be at fifteen year lows.  Blame is being placed on demand from the ethanol industry, which manufactures ethanol from corn to be blended with gasoline for motor fuel.   Story here at NY Times. Corn for food is in competition with corn for fuel on American cropland.  The possibility exists that we will experience shortages of corn for food and that what corn does exist for food will command high prices.

On the other hand, the U.S. has a gasoline supply glut the like of which has not been seen in 17 years, according to this story.  If there is a glut of gasoline, theoretically market factors would dictate less production of gasoline until the glut subsides.  If there is less production of gasoline, theoretically market factors would dictate less production of ethanol to blend into gasoline.  Less production of ethanol would ease the demand for corn.

Questions:  If the U.S. is in the midst of a gasoline supply glut, should there not be a reduced demand for ethanol to blend into the gasoline, and therefore a reduced demand for corn to be used to make ethanol?  If so, should there be more corn being produced for food and less for ethanol production?  If so, where is the corn?

I don't profess to entirely understand how commodities markets function, but something does not seem right.  It makes me think that some other factor is at play, and that the ethanol industry is being blamed for high corn prices and a possible shortage.  What the other factor is, I don't have a clue.  It does warrant a wary eye, both as to preps and to stay ahead of what may be an engineered crisis.

Quote of the Day

"DHS is a honey pot for political preeners, unpromotable time-servers, affirmative action misfits and well-mannered sociopaths. In other words, it's a badly led catch basin for the otherwise unemployable. It's extraordinarily well funded and well equipped even by D.C. standards. It has a nearly unlimited mandate and the powers to go with it. Even so, it excels only at pratfalls and conspicuous incompetence. DHS is "predictably unpredictable" and dangerously so. It's an aimless but determined malevolency lurching between imagined threats and self-created crises, issuing and retracting bizarre directives as they go. FEMA and TSA are two of their outfits. Enough said. What they offer, you don't want. You'll have no emergency so dire they won't make it worse. Wariness isn't enough, dodge any—any—avoidable contact."

Ol' Remus, Woodpile Report issue number 203, on Reichsfuhrer Incompetano's Department of Homeland Security.

Could not have said it better myself.  If you have not, read the whole thing.

Stupid Politician Tricks #5

The Republicans are proposing $32,000,000,000.00 in budget cuts out of a $3,700,000,000,000.00 federal budget that already exceeds federal revenues by over $1,500,000,000,000.00.  Let's see, that's less than 1% of a budget that needs to be cut by more than 40% to be balanced.  Story here.

That is like throwing a bucket of water on a house afire.

Why not just vote for more spending and throw us over the cliff that we are precariously perched on?

I'm tired of waiting for the apocalypse.  The Republicans should just join the Democrats in finishing off the Grand Experiment, rather than jerk our chains with this faux fiscal responsibility. We have been in need of a good revolution since 1913.  Bring it on.

Balancing the budget is not impossible, but a lot of sacred cows will have to take a one-way visit to McBurgertown.  John Stossel has a plan to make a lot of hamburger, but it would result in a balanced budget.

Too bad our politicians are too busy playing stupid tricks on us to save our great-great-great-great-granchildren from crushing debt.

The Catman Has a Good Point

What the f**k is Eric "The Dick" Holder up to?

Protest Hu Jintao's Visit: Buy American

Chinese President Hu Jintao is being treated to a state dinner by our Impostor-in-Chief, Barry Soetoro.  I guess Hu should have a nice dinner while ol' Barry grovels for more Chinese investment in our government Ponzi scheme.  We ordinary Americans can protest by taking the time to boycott Chinese goods and buy American.  Not many things are actually made in this country anymore, but I have come up with a list of ten suggestions for preppers:

Ten ways that preppers can still buy American:

1)  A firearm made by Smith & Wesson, Ruger, Kel-Tec, Marlin, Mossberg, or Remington.  I'm sure that there are other domestic makers.  Just pick one.

2)  A box of ammo made by Winchester, Federal, Remington, Speer, or CCI.

3)  A knife made by Case or Bear & Sons.  Or a set for your kitchen made by Rada.  Ontario, Ka-Bar, Buck, and Gerber qualify if the knife was actually made in the USA.

4)  A holster made by El Paso Saddlery or Don Hume.

5)  A Coleman dual-fuel lantern or stove.

6)  Freeze-dried and dehydrated canned fruits, vegetables, meats, and other foods from beprepared.com and honeyvillegrain.com.

7)  Food-grade five gallon storage buckets from usplastic.com  (the last time I ordered, the buckets and lids were both made in USA).

8)  Cast iron dutch ovens and other cookware by Lodge Manufacturing.

9)  Extra propane tanks by Worthington and Manchester, and fuel cans by Blitz and Wedco.

10)  A bottle of Jack Daniels, Jim Beam, or other American distilled libation.

Have fun!

EyeWitless News: Pot-Smoking Toddler Results in Parents' Arrest

In California (surprise!), the San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department has arrested the parents of a 23-month-old toddler.  According to the Victorville Daily Press, a tipster turned in a video showing the parents "allowing" the toddler to smoke a marijuana pipe.  The mother is also seven months pregnant.

One can only hope that, in a nanny-state such as California, that these parents will have to be reprogrammed by social services before having any unsupervised time with their children.  Of course, California is so loony-left that the parents may be recruited to teach parenting classes.  Arne Duncan will be calling shortly.

The rehash of the story is at Newsmax.

In other news, a bomb was found along yesterday's Martin Luther King Day parade route here in River City.  The news media is going somewhat bonkers over this, rehashing the last thirty years of history for our neighboring state of Idaho and its alleged racist, antigovernment, Aryan citizens.  I will comment on this bullshit tomorrow.

WalMart/DHS Snitch Program Fails Big Test

The widely reported snitch cooperative between WalMart and Janet Incompetano's Department of Homeland Security has failed its first major test.  "If You See It Twitch, Be a Snitch" failed to detect Arizona assassin Jared Lee Loughner when purchasing ammunition on January 8, 2011.

MSNBC reports that Loughner purchased "bullets" (likely meaning "ammunition") on January 8, 2011, hours before he grievously wounded Representative Gabrielle Giffords, killed a federal judge, and wounded or killed fourteen other persons.

It is unknown as to whether the Big Sis Industries TeleScreen was malfunctioning in the WalMart store where Loughner purchased the ammunition.  Loughner had earlier been turned away when he attempted to purchase ammunition at another WalMart store.

It is clear, however, that Loughner had previous run-ins with the law in Pima County, Arizona and was known to the Sheriff's Office of Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.  It is alleged that Loughner was also known by the Sheriff's Office to being treated by mental health professionals.  Despite those run-ins, which are alleged to include threats against persons at a local college and drug paraphernalia charges, Loughlin was cleared to purchase a Glock pistol in Pima County after a background check.    If that check was performed by the Pima County Sheriff's Office, Sheriff Dupnik has some explaining to do.  Sources:  Fox News and James Kelley.

What to take out of all this?  Local law enforcement had the tools and the information to prevent Loughner from purchasing the gun likely used by him in the massacre, but did not due to apparent incompetence and/or corruption.  Heavy-handed Orwellian federal "snitch" programs fail to produce the security that is promised in return for that surrender of liberty.

Continue to be vigilant for liberty's sake.

Retarded Politician of the Week: Pima County, Arizona Sheriff Clarence Dupnik

Sergeant Joe Friday, no known political affiliation, LAPD:  "Just the facts, ma'am."

Sheriff Clarence Dupnik, Democrat, Pima County Sheriff:  "Just let me vent my spleen about you right-wing bigots."

Actually, the quote from Sheriff Dupnik was:

"When you look at unbalanced people, how they respond to the vitriol that comes out of certain mouths about tearing down the government. The anger, the hatred, the bigotry that goes on in this country is getting to be outrageous," he said. "And unfortunately, Arizona, I think, has become the capital. We have become the mecca for prejudice and bigotry." 

The above-quote was made by Sheriff Dupnik following the shooting of Representative Gabrielle Giffords, D-Arizona and other innocents by Jared Lee Loughner on January 8, 2011.  It appeared in the Newsmax story, here.

How retarded.  At a time that the citizens of Pima County need Dupnik to dispassionately perform his duties as the chief elected law enforcement officer, he engages in the type of hate-based political discourse that he decries.  Persons with political views that don't match Dupnik's own leftist ideology have now been libelled as bigots.  According to Dupnik, their political speech is considered prejudice and bigotry, and renders them responsible for the violence perpetrated by extremists.  The use of political office by Sheriff Dupnik to espouse such views reveals him to be the sort of intolerant petty despot who is a threat to liberty and unfit for office.

Was Sheriff Dupnik aware that the shooter, Jared Lee Loughner (always three names for an assassin) was a loony lefty whose favorite books included Mein Kampf and The Communist Manifesto and that Mr. Loughner had rants about as intelligible as Keith Olbermann's?  That Mr. Loughner's political views appear to be those associated with Sheriff Dupnik's own political party?

It appears that Sheriff Dupnik's office may have been aware that Mr. Loughner was unstable and prone to violence.  Karl Denninger reports on this in his excellent post on the shooting of Representative Giffords and the reaction of the left:  The Shameful Left and Revisionism.  The paragraph on Sheriff Dupnik is a ways down in the post, so I will reproduce the relevant paragraph here:

"See, there are also, unfortunately, reports in the media that the suspect had expressed homicidal ideation - that is, a desire (or threat) to murder. That's in the press at this point, and it's a problem. If this was known to the local law enforcement community, why wasn't he evaluated with regard to his mental stability? That may explain why the Pima County Sheriff was talking trash yesterday - he knows he's got himself a bit of 'splaining to do once people figure out that they had this guy in custody at least once, knew he was potentially unstable and that he was a threat to others. If they had done their job perhaps this wouldn't have happened - you see, it is already illegal for someone who is mentally ill to purchase and/or own a firearm, which begs the question: did every opportunity exist to interdict this individual at some point in the last couple of years, including direct contact with law enforcement who were aware of homicidal threats and his behavior at his college, and yet either the procedures were not in place to refer him for evaluation or they were not followed?"

Representative Giffords was the victim, along with other innocents, of a crazed criminal gunman.  I hope that Representative Giffords and the other wounded innocents have a speedy and full recovery.  The survivors of those who were murdered by Mr. Loughner have my sympathy.  This was a tragedy.

The citizens are the victims of outrageous statements made by the media and elected officials including Pima County Sheriff Clarence Dupnik.  These statements, following this false-flag event, will undoubtedly be used by tyrannical fascist politicians to further limit the Constitutional rights of Americans to freedom of speech, freedom of assembly, and the right to keep and bear arms.  Mark my words.

False-flag event.  I have chosen those words carefully.  When a politician from the left exploits the murderous actions of a leftist extremist for the purpose of demonizing persons who had no connection to the murderous actions of the leftist extremist, I consider that to be a false-flag event.

The only reason to demonize persons who had no connection to the murderous event is to limit their freedoms.  It isn't hard to figure out.  Sheriff Dupnik has already told you that some political speech should be limited because it is, in his left-wing opinion, hateful, prejudiced, bigoted, and responsible for the violence of left-wing nutjob Mr. Loughner.  That is but one example of freedoms to be limited.

Kudos to my own Representative, Cathy McMorris-Rodgers, who reacted as reported by Fox News:

"Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., who appeared with Clyburn, said she is not aware that alleged shooter Jared Lee Loughner is tied to a political movement or engaged in a politically motivated act.

"You know, his favorite books are 'the Communist Manifesto' and 'Mein Kampf.' I think it's important that we recognize that this is an individual that had -- that has mental challenges, and we need to act appropriately in dealing with him and making sure that justice prevails here," she said."

A criminal act was committed by a criminal in Arizona yesterday.  Sheriff Dupnik turned a criminal act into a political action for the purpose of libelling a particular brand of political speech, turning the actions of a criminal into a false-flag event that will likely affect the freedoms of a generation of American citizens.  Again, how retarded.

Fake Standoff Coming Soon to Washington D.C.

A fake standoff in Washington D.C. is coming soon. No, not the Guardians of Liberty assembling on January 21, 2011. I’m talking about the much ballyhooed Republican attempt to repeal Obamacare. Who are they trying to fool? Oh, it’s us. Sorry.

The Republicans have no hope of repealing Obamacare in this session of Congress. I know that the Republicans are following through on their promise to take up the repeal of Obamacare, but the announcement of a vote on January 12, 2011 is nothing more than showmanship without substance.

First, in the House of Representatives the Republicans would have to get a majority in favor of repeal. The Republicans may now have a majority in the house, but that majority is laden with a number of “squishies” and RINO’s. I actually think that Boehner is likely to get a majority vote in the House.

Second, a repeal bill would have to pass in the Senate. Not likely. Republicans would have to be able to bring the bill to the floor for a vote, requiring 60 votes to be lined up. Harry Reid might let that happen without 60 votes lined up, just to be able to claim that he acted fairly. And why not? Republicans likely do not have the 51 votes to get a repeal bill passed. Dingy Harry will use every bribe and threat he has to keep his Democrats in line, and might even be able to lure a couple of squishies his way, like Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. Maybe Dingy Harry will channel the purgatory-bound spirit of Ted Kennedy to possess Scott Brown. Whatever. Republicans do not have the number in the Senate.

Third, does anyone believe that Obama would sign the repeal of his signature accomplishment? Or that Republicans, even if they were able to pass a repeal of Obamacare, could do so with veto-proof majorities? Again, not likely and not likely.

Anyone who believes Republicans will accomplish a repeal of Obamacare in this session of Congress are drinking the Republican kool-aid and are falling again for the false left-right paradigm that keeps the two parties in power. They will want us to believe that they tried and failed, but went down swinging. If we keep voting for them in the future they will have a better chance at keeping their promises. Yeah, right.

A practical answer to Obamacare, that is well-known to Republicans, can be found in the former Hyde Amendment. Henry Hyde, for those who don’t know, was a Republican Congressman from Illinois who is probably most famous for adding an amendment to spending bills that prohibited the use of federal funds for abortions. That type of amendment to spending bills has the power to cripple an agency or program where repeal or elimination would be impossible. Since all funding bills must originate in the House of Representatives, the Republicans have control of funding for Obamacare and can force the Senate and Obama to accept particular funding provisions or have no funding at all.

How can this be accomplished with Obamacare? Target its provisions for a lack of funding. Specifically.

A few examples:

The Internal Revenue Service has been charged with compliance on purchase of health insurance. The House of Representatives can refuse to fund the IRS compliance efforts or can specify that the IRS is prohibited from using any of its funding for compliance. Further, the House funding bill can specify that if the provision is violated, the IRS would lose all funding.

The IRS is also charged with enforcing the odious “1099 provision” that would require filing 1099 miscellaneous income forms for all transactions over $600.00. This provision is bad news for small businesses and is another example of unneeded and unwanted government intrusion. The House could specify in its funding for the IRS that the 1099 requirement cannot be enforced using government funds, just like the health insurance provision.

There are many other provisions of Obamacare that are to be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services. The House should take aim at each specific provision and either defund or enact a prohibition on use of funds for those provisions, with the threat of a total loss of funding should the agency use funds for prohibited activities.

Death of Obamacare by a thousand spending cuts and prohibitions is possible where repeal is not. It might also be wildly popular with the voters if the Republicans make a point of targeting the most odious parts. If the Republicans were to turn the chipping away at Obamacare into a populist cause, Obama and the Democrats might just have to accept each cut to keep the government running and to maintain some electibility going into 2012.

Let’s see if any of the Republican leadership is interested in picking up this idea. After all, it is nothing new, just larger in scale than previous efforts such as the Hyde Amendment.

We will soon get to see whether the effort to repeal Obamacare is a one-act play or the opening salvo in a war against the ever-increasing encroachment of an extraconstitutional government. I’m betting on a one-act play, but I am a pessimist by nature.

EyeWitless News: Poll Reveals Majority of Americans Favor Taxing the Rich to Balance the Budget

Idiocy reigns supreme in Amerika.  Sixty-one percent of Amerikans favor taxing the rich in order to balance the federal budget, according to a 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll conducted from November 29 to December 2, 2010.  Only four percent favored cutting Medicare and three percent favored cutting Social Security.  Story at Newsmax's MoneyNews.

I would theorize that the 1,067 adults polled were randomly selected from various nursing homes in Connecticut, Delaware, and Massachusetts, but I would consider the source to be even more suspect.  Any poll commissioned by CBS, the home of "Rathergate", is deserving of a truckload of skepticism.  I have noticed that CBS polls of the Oba-One's approval are the most wildly optimistic of all the polls reported at RealClearPolitics.com.  I think that the 60 Minutes/Vanity Fair poll is nothing more than a fraud designed to give lily-livered-liberals a shot of courage and reason to believe that the public is in favor of further job-killing progressive taxation.

Which reminds me of an old, humorous explanation of the modern tax system and the class jealousy and warfare that the system has abetted since the social planners unveiled it generations ago.  I had forgotten about it until a friend emailed it to me today.  It goes like this:

THE TAX LAWS EXPLAINED IN BEER DRINKING TERMS

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100...

If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this...

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh would pay $7..
The eighth would pay $12.
The ninth would pay $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do as fair.

The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve ball. "Since you are all such good customers," he said, "I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20". Drinks for the ten men would now cost just $80.

The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men ? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?

They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer.

So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by a higher percentage the poorer he was, to follow the principle of the tax system they had been using, and he proceeded to work out the amounts he suggested that each should now pay.

And so the fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% saving).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% saving).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% saving).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% saving).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% saving).
The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% saving).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But, once outside the bar, the men began to compare their savings.

"I only got a dollar out of the $20 saving," declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,"but he got $10!"

"Yeah, that's right," exclaimed the fifth man. "I only saved a dollar too. It's unfair that he got ten times more benefit than me!"

"That's true!" shouted the seventh man. "Why should he get $10 back, when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!"

"Wait a minute," yelled the first four men in unison, "we didn't get anything at all. This new tax system exploits the poor!"

The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks, so the nine sat down and had their beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and government ministers, is how our new tax system works. The people who already pay the highest taxes will naturally get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas, where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

Happy New Year! and Resolutions

Happy New Year to everyone! 

Although there is plenty of reason for doom and gloom out there, what with Obama still being president, Bernanke still printing money, etc., I am hopeful that this will be a better year than 2010. 

May all the unemployed find good jobs, the homeless find homes, the unsaved find Salvation, and may the godless federal reserve and its big bank cronies be brought to their knees.

I won't hold my breath waiting for those things to happen, and will instead concentrate on my personal resolutions for the New Year.

My New Year's resolutions:

1.  Quit smoking.  Time's up for this unhealthy and expensive habit.

2.  Organize and catalog my preps:  food, gear, guns/ammo, etc.

3.  Consolidate my car collection down to a daily driver, a small pickup, and a four-wheel drive.

4.  Clean out my storage unit, organize what I am keeping, sell or give away the rest.

5.  Research and try out recipes for long term storage food.

6.  Start a part-time home business as a hedge against the economy.

I think these resolutions should keep me fairly busy through 2011.  The quitting smoking will probably be the most difficult.  I have quit smoking a number of times in the past fifteen years, only to start again when I get stressed.  This time, my determination is different than before. I am more concerned about my health, the money spent on tobacco, and about going into an uncertain future with a tobacco addiction.

The remaining resolutions are an extension of my projects from 2010.  I might actually get them done this year.