Wednesday – December 22, 2010
My last FORUM for the year!
This is the 375th FORUM that I have written. I am proud to say that no two have been the same. Some have been light-hearted and some have been serious. I hope that I have been truthful and that I have demonstrated what is in my heart.
I have learned a lot and I will continue to learn and explore the subjects that are topical in the discussion of liberty and freedom. Pinecone Conservatives will continue to grow and remain free from any support that would sway opinions and provide misdirection. This is why I am not funded.
This month, I have focused on the history that occurred in the founding of the United States of America, during the month of December. I have related, hopefully, some facts that you did not know and supported the importance of the events of our history, as it relates to current day.
In January of 2011, we will continue to make headway and become the leader in conservative thought and action. I will plan to do this is simplistic ways.
Yesterday, I wrote about the Pilgrims sending the first landing craft ashore at Plymouth. In just three days after that landing, construction of homes and a fort were underway. These were determined people, with faith. They established a government with the Mayflower Compact and they established the beginnings of a country. Their faith and their determination did not waver in their mission to be free.
The Pilgrims did it without any unions and they did it without any issuance of a 1099 to satisfy the IRS. They did it because they acted together for the greater good and the knowledge that what they set forth on would become the greatest nation on God’s earth. They practiced civility and politeness. They practiced faith and religion. They believed in the bible and made their laws reflective of the laws set forth in the bible.
Our early settlers opened their heart to warm others that were cold from the first days of the settlement to the warm days of the first spring. They toiled and worked the fields and they put in the time that would guarantee their freedom.
We cannot forget the true meaning of the holiday season. We cannot forget the meaning of the birth of the Prince of Peace. We cannot forget the history of this nation. Our history was created by patriots who believed in the higher spirit. We cannot forget the gift of freedom that George Washington gave to this nation when he crossed the Delaware River on Christmas Eve, 1776. We cannot forget that he knew that he had to cross the river to keep the spirit of liberty and freedom alive in the minds of men and women.
In this season we cannot forget the gifts that have been bestowed upon this nation. We cannot forget the potential that a new season will bring in the New Year. This new season will be comprised of citizens that are awake because they are aware of the growing dangers of those that would destroy rather than build.
We must use the lessons of the past to chart the determined course of free men and women in the future. There is an energy that cannot be denied to those who can lead and to those who want to be part of the story. The story will continue because new chapters are ready to be written. The story of liberty and freedom cannot be altered by the few that would take our liberties away because they do not believe in the story of American freedom and its exceptionalism.
I end this year’s FORUM with two quotes by George Washington, he said:
“We should not look back unless it is to derive useful lessons from past errors, and for the purpose of profiting by dearly bought experience.”
He went on to say:
“Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action.”
We will find the ways to stop irresponsible action and we will continue to derive lessons from the past, because it was bought by those dear patriots!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: I end this year with wishes of prosperity for our posterity. As a wise old man once said Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Primetime optimism!
Tuesday-December 21, 2010
Primetime optimism!
Have you noticed that all of a sudden there is optimism? This is great; this is what we need at Christmas time. Economists are saying that there could be 3% growth next year. Sales are up and people are in the malls buying. I am not complaining. When companies are selling, they are growing their sales.
But wait, what could have turned this around? Over the weekend, the Vice President said that the tax extension compromise and the cuts in spending, by the president, are “morally troubling.”
The recession is over, according to some. According to some, if you still have your job, then chances are you will continue to have it next year. The fact of the matter is that there have been so many Americans that have been laid off; companies can no longer afford to let any one else go. New statistics show that a rise in temporary help has occurred. Companies are still not hiring fulltime employees for permanent jobs, but part time jobs are on the rise.
A combination of a few factors is at play. The President lost the midterms, the Republicans won. The extension of the Bush era tax cuts has been voted on and will happen. A new1.2 trillion dollar spending bill was killed and put to rest by the Republicans an a few smart Democrats. The President was forced to go along and has lost this political season. This is why the optimism abounds. This is why people are spending and this is why the employment numbers are looking better. It is not because of the Presidents designs on a socialist utopia or because of his smart appeal and his dominance over his party. It is because Americans spoke and government is starting to listen.
The real test will come in March, 2011, when new spending measures are reviewed and a new spending ceiling is approved by Congress. The real test will be when the Republicans set a course on deficit reduction in March of 2011. The prime time optimism is just what we need now. What we don’t need is the Vice President saying that the cuts and tax extension are morally troubling.
On this date, in1620, the Pilgrims sent the first landing party from the Mayflower. The site they arrived on is the site of what would become the settlement of Plymouth. The Pilgrims were on a moral mission to create a new colony. The colony would have a compact and a set of laws.
Plymouth Colony did not have a royal charter authorizing it to form a government. Still, some means of governance was needed; the Mayflower Compact, signed by the 41 able-bodied men aboard the Mayflower upon their arrival in Provincetown Harbor on November 21, 1620, was the colony's first governing document. Formal laws were not codified until 1636. The colony's laws were based on a hybrid of English common law and religious law as laid out in the Bible.
Moral behavior and the laws that followed became the basis of living and governing in early America. Our laws and our founding documents were written and established with a set of morals.
Our early founders never spent public funds on earmarks and never made themselves more important than the common citizen because of the power they have over spending habits.
James Madison said: in the Annals of Congress, House of Representatives, 3rd Congress, 1st Session, page 170 (1794-01-10) . The Annals summarize speeches in the third person, with the actual text of Madison's quote as follows: "Mr. Madison wished to relieve the sufferers, but was afraid of establishing a dangerous precedent, which might hereafter be perverted to the countenance of purposes very different from those of charity. He acknowledged, for his own part, that he could not undertake to lay his finger on that article in the Federal Constitution which granted a right of Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." The expense in question was for French refugees from the Haitian Revolution.
We have arrived at the time that Madison had warned us about. When the vice president speaks of morals, he is not speaking of benevolence or of charity; he is speaking about garnering votes and securing votes by expending the public’s wealth.
In this season, we must remain charitable. We have the right to donate and we have the right to give our personal property to those in need. The government does not have the right to determine what level of benevolence it prefers and when it prefers it. The Vice President is mistaken and confused about morals and that is troubling.
Our primetime as Conservatives is just starting. We must be vigilant and we must insist that the new Congress behaves in accordance to the Constitution and demonstrates good morals in their decisions.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Give charity and benevolence a chance. This is the season of good things our history proves it!
Primetime optimism!
Have you noticed that all of a sudden there is optimism? This is great; this is what we need at Christmas time. Economists are saying that there could be 3% growth next year. Sales are up and people are in the malls buying. I am not complaining. When companies are selling, they are growing their sales.
But wait, what could have turned this around? Over the weekend, the Vice President said that the tax extension compromise and the cuts in spending, by the president, are “morally troubling.”
The recession is over, according to some. According to some, if you still have your job, then chances are you will continue to have it next year. The fact of the matter is that there have been so many Americans that have been laid off; companies can no longer afford to let any one else go. New statistics show that a rise in temporary help has occurred. Companies are still not hiring fulltime employees for permanent jobs, but part time jobs are on the rise.
A combination of a few factors is at play. The President lost the midterms, the Republicans won. The extension of the Bush era tax cuts has been voted on and will happen. A new1.2 trillion dollar spending bill was killed and put to rest by the Republicans an a few smart Democrats. The President was forced to go along and has lost this political season. This is why the optimism abounds. This is why people are spending and this is why the employment numbers are looking better. It is not because of the Presidents designs on a socialist utopia or because of his smart appeal and his dominance over his party. It is because Americans spoke and government is starting to listen.
The real test will come in March, 2011, when new spending measures are reviewed and a new spending ceiling is approved by Congress. The real test will be when the Republicans set a course on deficit reduction in March of 2011. The prime time optimism is just what we need now. What we don’t need is the Vice President saying that the cuts and tax extension are morally troubling.
On this date, in1620, the Pilgrims sent the first landing party from the Mayflower. The site they arrived on is the site of what would become the settlement of Plymouth. The Pilgrims were on a moral mission to create a new colony. The colony would have a compact and a set of laws.
Plymouth Colony did not have a royal charter authorizing it to form a government. Still, some means of governance was needed; the Mayflower Compact, signed by the 41 able-bodied men aboard the Mayflower upon their arrival in Provincetown Harbor on November 21, 1620, was the colony's first governing document. Formal laws were not codified until 1636. The colony's laws were based on a hybrid of English common law and religious law as laid out in the Bible.
Moral behavior and the laws that followed became the basis of living and governing in early America. Our laws and our founding documents were written and established with a set of morals.
Our early founders never spent public funds on earmarks and never made themselves more important than the common citizen because of the power they have over spending habits.
James Madison said: in the Annals of Congress, House of Representatives, 3rd Congress, 1st Session, page 170 (1794-01-10) . The Annals summarize speeches in the third person, with the actual text of Madison's quote as follows: "Mr. Madison wished to relieve the sufferers, but was afraid of establishing a dangerous precedent, which might hereafter be perverted to the countenance of purposes very different from those of charity. He acknowledged, for his own part, that he could not undertake to lay his finger on that article in the Federal Constitution which granted a right of Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents." The expense in question was for French refugees from the Haitian Revolution.
We have arrived at the time that Madison had warned us about. When the vice president speaks of morals, he is not speaking of benevolence or of charity; he is speaking about garnering votes and securing votes by expending the public’s wealth.
In this season, we must remain charitable. We have the right to donate and we have the right to give our personal property to those in need. The government does not have the right to determine what level of benevolence it prefers and when it prefers it. The Vice President is mistaken and confused about morals and that is troubling.
Our primetime as Conservatives is just starting. We must be vigilant and we must insist that the new Congress behaves in accordance to the Constitution and demonstrates good morals in their decisions.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Give charity and benevolence a chance. This is the season of good things our history proves it!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Can this mess be fixed?
Monday – December 20, 2010
Can this mess be fixed?
This week, the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is moving into the vacated offices of the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. This is a new start for America!
But the question still remains, can this mess be fixed?
This week, look for tensions in the Korean Peninsula to be escalated with the North telling the South that, if they persist in planned military exercises, there will be “a calamity.” This threat comes from Kim Jong–il, the de facto leader of North Korea. These threats are not new. These threats come and they are rewarded with aid and more talk of six party talks, not only by us, but China and the rest of the world. The only way to fix the Korean Peninsula is to put pressure on China and say in no uncertain terms you must fix it so that Kim and his heirs can no longer rule that country.
Part of the new House leader’s job is to bring sanity back to Washington. If the new Speaker can curb the deficit spending and prohibit unnecessary spending and stop borrowing from China then our position with China becomes the dominant one.
Russia has called for an emergency session at the United Nations Security Council to discuss North Koreas new outburst of threats. This is purposely done, because the Russians know that our President is weak and that our President is calling for a new START treaty to come out of Washington. The weakness comes in the way of the U.S. reducing its nuclear arsenal, while Russia keeps theirs.
Part of the new House leader’s job is to remain tough, while others are showing their cards. What the new Speaker must remember is that Ronald Reagan out spent Russia in defense spending. The Russians became broke in the process, because they could not compete in the spending on defense that Reagan knew was necessary. The new House leader must remember this part of history so that it does not impact us like it impacted Russia when Speaker Boehner first became a Congressman.
Without a treaty, the inspection’s of the “Trust but Verify” era of Reagan is halted. The new speaker must be the advocate for ongoing inspections and take a tough stance where the President does not think one can be made.
The new Speaker has an opportunity to make his new office become the office that the nation looks at to bring change that will fix the mess that the old Speaker, the President and the current Senate leader have made.
The new Speaker, Congressman Boehner, has his Delaware River in front of him. In this week leading up to Christmas, we cannot forget the real meaning of this season. We cannot forget the gift that this season brings. We cannot forget the gift that George Washington gave us on the eve of Christmas and through out the season of our American existence.
George Washington had formed a plan to attack the town of Trenton, on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. Trenton was occupied by mercenary Hessians, commanded by Col. Johann Rall. On Christmas Eve in 1776, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Continental “surgeon”, saw General Washington writing short notes on several scraps of paper. One might surmise that he was writing Christmas notes to members of his military “family”. This may have seemed even more likely when he called a messenger to deliver the slips to his staff. Dr. Rush noticed one of the slips of paper fall to the floor. When he picked it up and read it, there was no Christmas cheer. Instead it was a stark statement; “Victory or Death” the inscription described the situation. Washington had decided to use this as the password for the day, as his intrepid plan was unwrapped.
On Christmas Eve, in 1776, General George Washington found his River to cross. The only thing normal about the following Christmas morning was the smell of an abundance of food being prepared. Was General Washington planning a celebration? He was not! This little military encampment on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River did not have much to celebrate. They had just been through 4 months of defeat in this American Revolution. This included a grueling and harrowing flight across New Jersey that began with a midnight boat ride from Brooklyn on Aug 29th. Their joy when the statue of King George was torn down after hearing the Declaration of Independence seemed a memory too far recessed to be illuminated by any new Christmas light.
The Spirit of 76 was resuscitated in the Battle of Trenton that began on Christmas Day in 1776. That same spirit would face many more challenges, but its indomitable character was cemented into the American psyche and has still not been shaken loose today!
When we ask our selves what can be done, I always remember the story of Washington crossing the Delaware and his password “Victory or Death.” There are threatening situations in the world. There are real enemies in the world that would eliminate Christmas and the history of our country during this holiday. The first thing we must do, as a nation, is to count the ways we are blessed and use these as our weapons. One such weapon is our liberty and the freedom it provides. Another weapon is the spirit that we celebrate in this season and in the traditions that bring this season to life.
We can fix our problems and I hope the new Speaker and his office are now part of the solution.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The solutions are there the question today is: are we prepared to go the distance and cross that river?
Can this mess be fixed?
This week, the new Speaker of the House, John Boehner, is moving into the vacated offices of the former Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi. This is a new start for America!
But the question still remains, can this mess be fixed?
This week, look for tensions in the Korean Peninsula to be escalated with the North telling the South that, if they persist in planned military exercises, there will be “a calamity.” This threat comes from Kim Jong–il, the de facto leader of North Korea. These threats are not new. These threats come and they are rewarded with aid and more talk of six party talks, not only by us, but China and the rest of the world. The only way to fix the Korean Peninsula is to put pressure on China and say in no uncertain terms you must fix it so that Kim and his heirs can no longer rule that country.
Part of the new House leader’s job is to bring sanity back to Washington. If the new Speaker can curb the deficit spending and prohibit unnecessary spending and stop borrowing from China then our position with China becomes the dominant one.
Russia has called for an emergency session at the United Nations Security Council to discuss North Koreas new outburst of threats. This is purposely done, because the Russians know that our President is weak and that our President is calling for a new START treaty to come out of Washington. The weakness comes in the way of the U.S. reducing its nuclear arsenal, while Russia keeps theirs.
Part of the new House leader’s job is to remain tough, while others are showing their cards. What the new Speaker must remember is that Ronald Reagan out spent Russia in defense spending. The Russians became broke in the process, because they could not compete in the spending on defense that Reagan knew was necessary. The new House leader must remember this part of history so that it does not impact us like it impacted Russia when Speaker Boehner first became a Congressman.
Without a treaty, the inspection’s of the “Trust but Verify” era of Reagan is halted. The new speaker must be the advocate for ongoing inspections and take a tough stance where the President does not think one can be made.
The new Speaker has an opportunity to make his new office become the office that the nation looks at to bring change that will fix the mess that the old Speaker, the President and the current Senate leader have made.
The new Speaker, Congressman Boehner, has his Delaware River in front of him. In this week leading up to Christmas, we cannot forget the real meaning of this season. We cannot forget the gift that this season brings. We cannot forget the gift that George Washington gave us on the eve of Christmas and through out the season of our American existence.
George Washington had formed a plan to attack the town of Trenton, on the New Jersey side of the Delaware. Trenton was occupied by mercenary Hessians, commanded by Col. Johann Rall. On Christmas Eve in 1776, Dr. Benjamin Rush, a Continental “surgeon”, saw General Washington writing short notes on several scraps of paper. One might surmise that he was writing Christmas notes to members of his military “family”. This may have seemed even more likely when he called a messenger to deliver the slips to his staff. Dr. Rush noticed one of the slips of paper fall to the floor. When he picked it up and read it, there was no Christmas cheer. Instead it was a stark statement; “Victory or Death” the inscription described the situation. Washington had decided to use this as the password for the day, as his intrepid plan was unwrapped.
On Christmas Eve, in 1776, General George Washington found his River to cross. The only thing normal about the following Christmas morning was the smell of an abundance of food being prepared. Was General Washington planning a celebration? He was not! This little military encampment on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware River did not have much to celebrate. They had just been through 4 months of defeat in this American Revolution. This included a grueling and harrowing flight across New Jersey that began with a midnight boat ride from Brooklyn on Aug 29th. Their joy when the statue of King George was torn down after hearing the Declaration of Independence seemed a memory too far recessed to be illuminated by any new Christmas light.
The Spirit of 76 was resuscitated in the Battle of Trenton that began on Christmas Day in 1776. That same spirit would face many more challenges, but its indomitable character was cemented into the American psyche and has still not been shaken loose today!
When we ask our selves what can be done, I always remember the story of Washington crossing the Delaware and his password “Victory or Death.” There are threatening situations in the world. There are real enemies in the world that would eliminate Christmas and the history of our country during this holiday. The first thing we must do, as a nation, is to count the ways we are blessed and use these as our weapons. One such weapon is our liberty and the freedom it provides. Another weapon is the spirit that we celebrate in this season and in the traditions that bring this season to life.
We can fix our problems and I hope the new Speaker and his office are now part of the solution.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The solutions are there the question today is: are we prepared to go the distance and cross that river?
Friday, December 17, 2010
Friday – December 17, 2010
My presidency is on the line!
This week, the president’s aides have called many members of Congress and the Senate and pleaded with them to vote for the extension of the Bush tax cuts. They used the words: “The president’s presidency is on the line!” First of all, this is not Presidential. Second of all, the rest of the world knows it too. Third of all, this is a good thing. It’s not good for the country now, but in the long run it will be.
All month, I have been bringing to life some of the American historical events that have occurred in the month of December. I wrote about the revolutionary history and the history that occurred in this country in modern times. I hope that I have drawn you in to view the history, not only in an historical context, but also in how history repeats itself and how we can learn from our history.
For instance, on today’s date, in 1777, George Washington’s army returned to Valley Forge.
On today’s date, in 1777, France recognized the independence of the English colonies in America. The French alliance brought joy to Washington at Valley Forge
These are two pivotal events that resulted in our winning the revolution and in doing so we gaining our liberty and Freedoms.
Though no battle was fought at Valley Forge from December 17, 1777 to June 19, 1778, a struggle against the elements and low morale was overcome on this sacred ground.
“Naked and starving as they are we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery.” George Washington February 16, 1778.
The Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States was concluded at Paris, February 6, 1778 and ratified by Congress May 4, 1778. The treaty provided for a defensive alliance to aid France should England attack, and that neither France nor the United States would make peace with England until the independence of the United States was recognized.
These are the events that make me honor my country and honor those that fought, starved, froze and died in the name of liberty and the fight for independence. I am proud of Washington, our first Commander in Chief, but I am not so proud of our current Commander in Chief. Washington was not worried about re-election, nor was he worried about his political survival. However, this president is. This president is worried about re-election and worried about his legacy. His legacy will be one of failure, because he was not ready to be the Commander in Chief. His naïveté his lack of experience and his lack of leadership is what will bring down his presidency in the long run.
This country will survive a tax hike if the extension is not passed in the current Congress. It should not be passed because of the other spending items that are attached to it. I said yesterday that the President needed to find his Delaware River to cross. He could have by demanding that Congress have an up and own vote. He didn’t nor did Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The reason they didn’t is because they forgot or dismissed the history that happened in the month of December that guaranteed their freedom to govern. Their freedom might be guaranteed but their survival by way of reelection will come to an end because the ordinary everyday American knows what the citizen soldier fought and died for in this month 233 years ago.
The President is complaining that his presidency is on the line, it is not our fault, it is his!
I end this week with the words of Thomas Payne:
He wrote on December 23, 1776 The Crisis!
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: As Washington and his troops made camp; many of them prayed and sought a higher being for confidence in what they had to do to survive. Unfortunately, when today’s leaders question survival, they blame others, instead of asking themselves, what should I do differently?
My presidency is on the line!
This week, the president’s aides have called many members of Congress and the Senate and pleaded with them to vote for the extension of the Bush tax cuts. They used the words: “The president’s presidency is on the line!” First of all, this is not Presidential. Second of all, the rest of the world knows it too. Third of all, this is a good thing. It’s not good for the country now, but in the long run it will be.
All month, I have been bringing to life some of the American historical events that have occurred in the month of December. I wrote about the revolutionary history and the history that occurred in this country in modern times. I hope that I have drawn you in to view the history, not only in an historical context, but also in how history repeats itself and how we can learn from our history.
For instance, on today’s date, in 1777, George Washington’s army returned to Valley Forge.
On today’s date, in 1777, France recognized the independence of the English colonies in America. The French alliance brought joy to Washington at Valley Forge
These are two pivotal events that resulted in our winning the revolution and in doing so we gaining our liberty and Freedoms.
Though no battle was fought at Valley Forge from December 17, 1777 to June 19, 1778, a struggle against the elements and low morale was overcome on this sacred ground.
“Naked and starving as they are we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery.” George Washington February 16, 1778.
The Treaty of Alliance between France and the United States was concluded at Paris, February 6, 1778 and ratified by Congress May 4, 1778. The treaty provided for a defensive alliance to aid France should England attack, and that neither France nor the United States would make peace with England until the independence of the United States was recognized.
These are the events that make me honor my country and honor those that fought, starved, froze and died in the name of liberty and the fight for independence. I am proud of Washington, our first Commander in Chief, but I am not so proud of our current Commander in Chief. Washington was not worried about re-election, nor was he worried about his political survival. However, this president is. This president is worried about re-election and worried about his legacy. His legacy will be one of failure, because he was not ready to be the Commander in Chief. His naïveté his lack of experience and his lack of leadership is what will bring down his presidency in the long run.
This country will survive a tax hike if the extension is not passed in the current Congress. It should not be passed because of the other spending items that are attached to it. I said yesterday that the President needed to find his Delaware River to cross. He could have by demanding that Congress have an up and own vote. He didn’t nor did Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid. The reason they didn’t is because they forgot or dismissed the history that happened in the month of December that guaranteed their freedom to govern. Their freedom might be guaranteed but their survival by way of reelection will come to an end because the ordinary everyday American knows what the citizen soldier fought and died for in this month 233 years ago.
The President is complaining that his presidency is on the line, it is not our fault, it is his!
I end this week with the words of Thomas Payne:
He wrote on December 23, 1776 The Crisis!
“THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. Britain, with an army to enforce her tyranny, has declared that she has a right (not only to TAX) but "to BIND us in ALL CASES WHATSOEVER" and if being bound in that manner, is not slavery, then is there not such a thing as slavery upon earth. Even the expression is impious; for so unlimited a power can belong only to God.”
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: As Washington and his troops made camp; many of them prayed and sought a higher being for confidence in what they had to do to survive. Unfortunately, when today’s leaders question survival, they blame others, instead of asking themselves, what should I do differently?
Thursday, December 16, 2010
I'm pleading with you!
Thursday – December 16, 2010
I’m pleading with you!
The President met with the nation’s top CEOs this week and asked: what needs to be done to get the economy going? He also asked them to get started on hiring people!
I’m pleading with you to understand what is wrong with this picture.
If I was invited to the CEO meeting, I would have said that it is the Democrats and liberal Republicans who have gotten us into the predicament we are in. I would have added that it is the deficit spending, like the new 2,000 page 1.1 trillion dollar omnibus spending package that is attached to the tax cut extension bill. These are the things that prove your lack of leadership at every turn in your presidency and have resulted in the failure to inspire people to work, and that is what brings us here today. I would have reminded him that it was George Washington, the true Commander in Chief, who crossed the Delaware on December 24 and that was no vacation. It was Washington who set the seeds of government and that you have drifted away from what he started. I would have said that his party is so detached that they couldn’t do the right thing if it was staring them in the face.
I would have said, it is going to take 500 deals like the South Korean trade agreement to turn around the economy. I would have said that, by 2050 the Chinese will have 80% of the world’s GDP. I would have said that, all taxes stifle economic growth. I would have pleaded with the president to declare a tax moratorium and make it possible for business to relocate in this country. I would have said that it is these incentives that make business invest and hire.
I would have said that, just because the president asks big business to hire it doesn’t mean they will. I would have said, with all due respect business has no confidence in the system and in you. I would have said, that it would be far better for him to go on a diplomatic mission to Disney Land for the next two years and let business do what we do best. I would have said, it is business that makes it possible for the economy to grow not government - when the economy grows then businesses will start to hire. When hiring starts, people spend and when people spend, they gain confidence.
Confidence is what we don’t have. I see it in my own business and I see it in my customers who are not spending money. It is not because they don’t have it. Some do and those people are holding on to it. Many people tell me all sorts of things during the day. Some are on point and some are so far off it reminds me of the President and his party. But there is a common theme. The word confidence is being used more and more.
I would have said, stop demonizing those who have the resources to start a business or those that can hire to expand their business. Stop playing the class warfare card for votes. Start leading and start inspiring. Pick your Delaware River on Christmas Eve like Washington did and attack those that need attacking. Attack the Unions and attack those who bleed the system. Attack those who want a welfare check and help those who truly need the welfare.
I would have said start acting like a CEO and make the moves that a CEO would when they need to reinvest. Sell off the bad machinery and buy the equipment that will help workers become more efficient and productive. Productivity and confidence are two things that American’s understand.
These are the things that I would have said, but then the President didn’t ask me!
I would have also reminded him what took place on December 16, 1773, it was the Boston Tea Party! I would have reminded the president that we also have a Tea Party happening today.
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea coming into the colonies. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. The incident remains an iconic event of American history, and other political protests often refer to it.
The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act for a variety of reasons, especially because they believed that it violated their right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. Protesters had successfully prevented the unloading of taxed tea in three other colonies, but in Boston, embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. He apparently did not expect that the protestors would choose to destroy the tea rather than concede the authority of a legislature in which they were not directly represented.
The Boston Tea Party was a key event in the growth of the American Revolution. Parliament responded in 1774 with the Coercive Acts, which, among other provisions, closed Boston's commerce until the British East India Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea. Colonists in turn responded to the Coercive Acts with additional acts of protest, and by convening the First Continental Congress, which petitioned the British monarch for repeal of the acts and coordinated colonial resistance to them. The crisis escalated, and the American Revolutionary War began near Boston in 1775.
This is all the history you will need to know today!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Our story as a nation is in our own history. I’m pleading with you, teach it and embrace it, it will make you proud. It will also answer many of the questions we have today!
I’m pleading with you!
The President met with the nation’s top CEOs this week and asked: what needs to be done to get the economy going? He also asked them to get started on hiring people!
I’m pleading with you to understand what is wrong with this picture.
If I was invited to the CEO meeting, I would have said that it is the Democrats and liberal Republicans who have gotten us into the predicament we are in. I would have added that it is the deficit spending, like the new 2,000 page 1.1 trillion dollar omnibus spending package that is attached to the tax cut extension bill. These are the things that prove your lack of leadership at every turn in your presidency and have resulted in the failure to inspire people to work, and that is what brings us here today. I would have reminded him that it was George Washington, the true Commander in Chief, who crossed the Delaware on December 24 and that was no vacation. It was Washington who set the seeds of government and that you have drifted away from what he started. I would have said that his party is so detached that they couldn’t do the right thing if it was staring them in the face.
I would have said, it is going to take 500 deals like the South Korean trade agreement to turn around the economy. I would have said that, by 2050 the Chinese will have 80% of the world’s GDP. I would have said that, all taxes stifle economic growth. I would have pleaded with the president to declare a tax moratorium and make it possible for business to relocate in this country. I would have said that it is these incentives that make business invest and hire.
I would have said that, just because the president asks big business to hire it doesn’t mean they will. I would have said, with all due respect business has no confidence in the system and in you. I would have said, that it would be far better for him to go on a diplomatic mission to Disney Land for the next two years and let business do what we do best. I would have said, it is business that makes it possible for the economy to grow not government - when the economy grows then businesses will start to hire. When hiring starts, people spend and when people spend, they gain confidence.
Confidence is what we don’t have. I see it in my own business and I see it in my customers who are not spending money. It is not because they don’t have it. Some do and those people are holding on to it. Many people tell me all sorts of things during the day. Some are on point and some are so far off it reminds me of the President and his party. But there is a common theme. The word confidence is being used more and more.
I would have said, stop demonizing those who have the resources to start a business or those that can hire to expand their business. Stop playing the class warfare card for votes. Start leading and start inspiring. Pick your Delaware River on Christmas Eve like Washington did and attack those that need attacking. Attack the Unions and attack those who bleed the system. Attack those who want a welfare check and help those who truly need the welfare.
I would have said start acting like a CEO and make the moves that a CEO would when they need to reinvest. Sell off the bad machinery and buy the equipment that will help workers become more efficient and productive. Productivity and confidence are two things that American’s understand.
These are the things that I would have said, but then the President didn’t ask me!
I would have also reminded him what took place on December 16, 1773, it was the Boston Tea Party! I would have reminded the president that we also have a Tea Party happening today.
The Boston Tea Party was a direct action by colonists in Boston, a town in the British colony of Massachusetts, against the British government and the monopolistic East India Company that controlled all the tea coming into the colonies. On December 16, 1773, after officials in Boston refused to return three shiploads of taxed tea to Britain, a group of colonists boarded the ships and destroyed the tea by throwing it into Boston Harbor. The incident remains an iconic event of American history, and other political protests often refer to it.
The Tea Party was the culmination of a resistance movement throughout British America against the Tea Act, which had been passed by the British Parliament in 1773. Colonists objected to the Tea Act for a variety of reasons, especially because they believed that it violated their right to be taxed only by their own elected representatives. Protesters had successfully prevented the unloading of taxed tea in three other colonies, but in Boston, embattled Royal Governor Thomas Hutchinson refused to allow the tea to be returned to Britain. He apparently did not expect that the protestors would choose to destroy the tea rather than concede the authority of a legislature in which they were not directly represented.
The Boston Tea Party was a key event in the growth of the American Revolution. Parliament responded in 1774 with the Coercive Acts, which, among other provisions, closed Boston's commerce until the British East India Company had been repaid for the destroyed tea. Colonists in turn responded to the Coercive Acts with additional acts of protest, and by convening the First Continental Congress, which petitioned the British monarch for repeal of the acts and coordinated colonial resistance to them. The crisis escalated, and the American Revolutionary War began near Boston in 1775.
This is all the history you will need to know today!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Our story as a nation is in our own history. I’m pleading with you, teach it and embrace it, it will make you proud. It will also answer many of the questions we have today!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Competition:
Wednesday – December 15, 2010
Competition:
Last week, the president said that he “looks forward to doing battle on the field of competition.” There is no competition when liberals are involved. Liberals will tax and spend under the guise of giving out benefits. The debate today is centered on the extension of the Bush era Tax cuts. Instead of a simple up or down vote the outgoing Congress is attempting to pass along with the extension of the Bush era tax cuts another 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill, which includes 2,000 other ear marks.
The new incoming Congress wants to have a simple up or down vote on just the extension, without any other amendments attached. But the Democrats can’t stop making their holiday gift list a reality. This is why we have a new Congress, because they competed and won on ideas and not on spending our money to create new voting blocks. We must insist that this new Congress establish rules that will permit simple up and down votes so that our congressional members can compete and not be forced to vote for a list of other things in exchange for a vote on one item.
We cannot compete in the world when members of Congress want 55% of our incomes. We cannot compete in the world when the estate tax will take over 35% of someone’s estate just because they are dead. We cannot compete on a world scale when business leaders are afraid to invest and expand with penalties attached because of the profits they make. This nation was designed to compete and designed so that citizens could retain their wealth.
James Wolfensohn the former World Bank president has written in his new book “A Global Life” that by 2050, 80% of the world’s GDP will be in Asia. In 2000 80% of the world’s GDP was in the U.S., Europe and Japan.
I wrote this week about how Paul Revere was a visionary when it came to commerce. He knew the value of profit and investing profit for expansion and not for taxation.
The liberals will do their best to pass the last go around of their spending initiatives. We must ask the President one question: why not demand of Congress to have a simple up or down vote on the extension and then compete on the battle ground of ideas to support the spending initiatives they so desperately want.
There are two views of competition. One is for sports and the other one is strictly for politics. The president does not speak of fair play when he speaks of competition. Fair play in politics should encompass what is best not only our present generation, but the generation that follows. This is why up and down votes must be the norm going forward.
America is not a competitor, it is a consumer. America has given away its manufacturing capability and it is in the process of giving away its educational wealth. When this happens it will further erode our competitive ability.
American students once again performed poorly on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the global standardized exam that measures academic achievement around the world.
Meanwhile, students in Shanghai posted much higher scores. This is further evidence that a growing education gap exists between East and West.
PISA is administered every three years by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is based in Paris. The exam evaluates fifteen-year-old students from dozens of different countries on their mastery of reading, mathematics and science – alternating its area of emphasis with each testing cycle.
In 2000, the test focused on reading. In 2003 and 2006, it focused on mathematics and science, respectively. This year’s test once again focused on reading – an area where U.S. students posted lower scores and lost ground compared to their international counterparts.
Of the 34 nations that participated in this year’s exam, America ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. America’s absolute score in reading actually fell by four points over the past nine years, from 504 to 500. By comparison, students in Shanghai posted a 556 score in reading.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the PISA results were a “wake-up call” that Americans needed to “get much more serious about investing in education.”
What Duncan neglected to mention is that the United States already spends more per student than any other country in the world except Luxembourg. In fact, the PISA report noted that countries like Estonia and Poland are achieving similar results while spending less than half the amount of money that America does.
When we fail to raise students that can read and that can add and that can think in creative terms we will fail at competition. When this happens our elected officials will win the competition and they will control and own us.
On this date, in 1791, two events occurred that should have guaranteed our competitiveness around the world. They were:
1. 1st U.S. law school established at University of Pennsylvania
2. Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gave its approval
It takes smart people to teach the law and smarter people to fight for the law. It took smart people who were educated to draft the Bill of Rights, but it took smarter people to ratify it. In the period leading up to and during our Revolution smart people were competing and fighting to establish liberty and set in place freedoms that guaranteed those liberties.
We look at the law today in ways of bringing suit for profit. This destroys the ability to invest and the ability to expand. Today we forget about the Bill of Rights. This destroys the ability to promote freedoms, when others in our own government compete to take them away.
It took educated people to communicate the need for Independence, but it took smarter people to know the value of freedom and what it would mean for competition. It was competition that won the battles for Freedom and it was the competition of ideas to form a better Union.
Our history has shown that when America sleeps it fails, but when America wakes up, it competes to win. We will wake up in 2011 and we will compete in 2012.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: In order to compete on the field of battle you will need to know who the other team is. The President still doesn’t know and this is why we cannot compe
Competition:
Last week, the president said that he “looks forward to doing battle on the field of competition.” There is no competition when liberals are involved. Liberals will tax and spend under the guise of giving out benefits. The debate today is centered on the extension of the Bush era Tax cuts. Instead of a simple up or down vote the outgoing Congress is attempting to pass along with the extension of the Bush era tax cuts another 1.1 trillion dollar spending bill, which includes 2,000 other ear marks.
The new incoming Congress wants to have a simple up or down vote on just the extension, without any other amendments attached. But the Democrats can’t stop making their holiday gift list a reality. This is why we have a new Congress, because they competed and won on ideas and not on spending our money to create new voting blocks. We must insist that this new Congress establish rules that will permit simple up and down votes so that our congressional members can compete and not be forced to vote for a list of other things in exchange for a vote on one item.
We cannot compete in the world when members of Congress want 55% of our incomes. We cannot compete in the world when the estate tax will take over 35% of someone’s estate just because they are dead. We cannot compete on a world scale when business leaders are afraid to invest and expand with penalties attached because of the profits they make. This nation was designed to compete and designed so that citizens could retain their wealth.
James Wolfensohn the former World Bank president has written in his new book “A Global Life” that by 2050, 80% of the world’s GDP will be in Asia. In 2000 80% of the world’s GDP was in the U.S., Europe and Japan.
I wrote this week about how Paul Revere was a visionary when it came to commerce. He knew the value of profit and investing profit for expansion and not for taxation.
The liberals will do their best to pass the last go around of their spending initiatives. We must ask the President one question: why not demand of Congress to have a simple up or down vote on the extension and then compete on the battle ground of ideas to support the spending initiatives they so desperately want.
There are two views of competition. One is for sports and the other one is strictly for politics. The president does not speak of fair play when he speaks of competition. Fair play in politics should encompass what is best not only our present generation, but the generation that follows. This is why up and down votes must be the norm going forward.
America is not a competitor, it is a consumer. America has given away its manufacturing capability and it is in the process of giving away its educational wealth. When this happens it will further erode our competitive ability.
American students once again performed poorly on the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA), the global standardized exam that measures academic achievement around the world.
Meanwhile, students in Shanghai posted much higher scores. This is further evidence that a growing education gap exists between East and West.
PISA is administered every three years by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which is based in Paris. The exam evaluates fifteen-year-old students from dozens of different countries on their mastery of reading, mathematics and science – alternating its area of emphasis with each testing cycle.
In 2000, the test focused on reading. In 2003 and 2006, it focused on mathematics and science, respectively. This year’s test once again focused on reading – an area where U.S. students posted lower scores and lost ground compared to their international counterparts.
Of the 34 nations that participated in this year’s exam, America ranked 14th in reading, 17th in science and 25th in math. America’s absolute score in reading actually fell by four points over the past nine years, from 504 to 500. By comparison, students in Shanghai posted a 556 score in reading.
U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said the PISA results were a “wake-up call” that Americans needed to “get much more serious about investing in education.”
What Duncan neglected to mention is that the United States already spends more per student than any other country in the world except Luxembourg. In fact, the PISA report noted that countries like Estonia and Poland are achieving similar results while spending less than half the amount of money that America does.
When we fail to raise students that can read and that can add and that can think in creative terms we will fail at competition. When this happens our elected officials will win the competition and they will control and own us.
On this date, in 1791, two events occurred that should have guaranteed our competitiveness around the world. They were:
1. 1st U.S. law school established at University of Pennsylvania
2. Bill of Rights ratified when Virginia gave its approval
It takes smart people to teach the law and smarter people to fight for the law. It took smart people who were educated to draft the Bill of Rights, but it took smarter people to ratify it. In the period leading up to and during our Revolution smart people were competing and fighting to establish liberty and set in place freedoms that guaranteed those liberties.
We look at the law today in ways of bringing suit for profit. This destroys the ability to invest and the ability to expand. Today we forget about the Bill of Rights. This destroys the ability to promote freedoms, when others in our own government compete to take them away.
It took educated people to communicate the need for Independence, but it took smarter people to know the value of freedom and what it would mean for competition. It was competition that won the battles for Freedom and it was the competition of ideas to form a better Union.
Our history has shown that when America sleeps it fails, but when America wakes up, it competes to win. We will wake up in 2011 and we will compete in 2012.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: In order to compete on the field of battle you will need to know who the other team is. The President still doesn’t know and this is why we cannot compe
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Tuesday – December 14, 2010
Two America’s:
There are those that say America is a melting pot. There are those that say America is free and will never go the way of Europe. There are those that say America must change to make the world better. There are those that say the capitalist system should be altered to make it fair, so that others can compete. There are those that say some Americans should not be able to use the public airwaves to talk about conservatism.
There exist today two Americas. There is one side of America that is willing to give up their liberty for security. The other side of America can see that, if we do give up our liberties then, we become less secure.
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge, Henry E. Hudson, ruled that the dominant framework of the President’s healthcare plan is unconstitutional. The ruling brings into question the ability of our government to compel any citizen to buy any product or a service and regulate the sale. The meaning of commerce and the freedom of any citizen to make this type of decision is a personal thing. It is what makes us free. In all likelihood Judge Hudson’s decision will make its way to the Supreme Court. If it does, then our basic freedoms will be put on trial.
Some in America think that the government can regulate these basic freedoms. The Constitution puts limits on the powers of government over the governed. Every time the government challenges our freedoms the courts are where we go for a decision. Every law and every American should be aware of each piece of legislation that is passed Congress.
Yesterday, another piece of legislation that was sponsored by the First Lady was made into law. After a few hours of debate, the vote for the legislative centerpiece of Mrs. Obama's “Let's Move!” Campaign was 264 to 157, reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act through 2015. The bill is a priority for President Obama, as well as Mrs. Obama and Democrats had to overcome a last minute GOP stumbling block in order to get the legislation to the President's desk to be signed into law.
The measure significantly improves the quality of foods served in public schools, as well as expands the National School Lunch program. It also allows for the first increase in the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches since 1973.
This is probably a good thing. However, comments made by the First Lady puts into focus why there are two America’s. She said “we can’t leave what the kids eat up to the parents.” When government takes our choice away and we don’t question comments or look at the content then we surrender our rights. Every piece of legislation that passes both houses and ends up on the president’s desk for his signature have elements of robbing our freedom and liberties. In a perfect world the parents would feed their children and teach their children about good eating habits. This legislation doesn’t prohibit the first couple from dining on lobster every time they dine out.
This is not a perfect world and this why we have government taking away liberties for some so that other may have the security.
In the two America’s scenario the first hurdle in the passage of the extension of the Bush era tax cuts cleared the Senate and is now going to the House for debate and the vote. “This is an important shift and the White House should be applauded”, Mitch Mc Connell Senate Minority Leader, said after the President supported the extension and the bill. It is all about compromise on this claimed the president. Even after the President insisted up to about a month ago the Bush era tax cuts contributed to the economic meltdown. Either way the tax cuts are now being extended in an effort to help the other side of America, as some Democrats claim. They are not talking about the poor they are referring to the rich Wall Street crowd.
In the early days of our history the forefathers and the authors of the Constitution laid our restrictions and rules to legislate by. They never envisioned a two sided America that would either let government take our liberties away or give new rights to those that want the security.
On today’s date, the attack ensued on the arsenal at Fort William and Mary. I gave a brief history yesterday about the little known ride that Paul Revere made warning about other attacks by the British.
Throughout the year, in 1774, the people of Portsmouth and the vicinity shared in full measure the unrest that was felt throughout the whole country. Much sympathy was expressed for the people of Boston, and the populace was beginning to show signs of resisting the odious domination of the British ministry.
Few events in the history of New Hampshire have excited more interest or caused more controversy than the successful attack upon Fort William and Mary, in Portsmouth Harbor, on December 14, 1774; the removal of the powder contained in its magazine on the same afternoon; and the second capture of the fort, together with the small arms and other stores, on the night of the following day.
On the following day, Thursday, December 15, 1774, a party of men came from Durham to Portsmouth, and, that night, together with other citizens, under the leadership of John Sullivan, they again took the fort and carried off the lighter cannon and all of the small arms. On Friday, a party under command of Captain Nathaniel Folsom of Exeter came to Portsmouth and remained on guard all day; until in the afternoon, on the rising tide, the arms were sent up the river. They finally reached Durham; but only after many weary hours of cutting through the ice, which had just formed in the branch of the Piscataqua which leads up to that town.
I bring up this history because there were two sides in the Revolution. There were the British and there were men like the ones who knew that freedom does not come without a price.
Today, our freedom comes in the form of legislation and the cost of the legislation that is supposed to be aimed at helping all Americans. In the Healthcare debate and the expansion of the Commerce Clause the government would penalize you for inactivity in your purchase of their plan. This is no different from the populace that was beginning to show signs of resisting the odious domination of the British ministry. Legislation should remain limited in scope and it should be limited to what the population needs.
On this date, in 1793, the first state road was authorized to be built that connected Frankfort, Kentucky to Cincinnati. This landmark piece of legislation was enacted to help all the people and not divide the two sides of America between Frankfort and Cincinnati.
If we can get the government to pass legislation in the way they did in 1793, instead of the all the other type of legislation they passed in 2010 there would once again be one America that is dependant on each other, instead of government servicing the people that they choose.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Government can work for the people if the people are allowed to work for themselves and help others to do the same.
Two America’s:
There are those that say America is a melting pot. There are those that say America is free and will never go the way of Europe. There are those that say America must change to make the world better. There are those that say the capitalist system should be altered to make it fair, so that others can compete. There are those that say some Americans should not be able to use the public airwaves to talk about conservatism.
There exist today two Americas. There is one side of America that is willing to give up their liberty for security. The other side of America can see that, if we do give up our liberties then, we become less secure.
Yesterday, U.S. District Court Judge, Henry E. Hudson, ruled that the dominant framework of the President’s healthcare plan is unconstitutional. The ruling brings into question the ability of our government to compel any citizen to buy any product or a service and regulate the sale. The meaning of commerce and the freedom of any citizen to make this type of decision is a personal thing. It is what makes us free. In all likelihood Judge Hudson’s decision will make its way to the Supreme Court. If it does, then our basic freedoms will be put on trial.
Some in America think that the government can regulate these basic freedoms. The Constitution puts limits on the powers of government over the governed. Every time the government challenges our freedoms the courts are where we go for a decision. Every law and every American should be aware of each piece of legislation that is passed Congress.
Yesterday, another piece of legislation that was sponsored by the First Lady was made into law. After a few hours of debate, the vote for the legislative centerpiece of Mrs. Obama's “Let's Move!” Campaign was 264 to 157, reauthorizing the Child Nutrition Act through 2015. The bill is a priority for President Obama, as well as Mrs. Obama and Democrats had to overcome a last minute GOP stumbling block in order to get the legislation to the President's desk to be signed into law.
The measure significantly improves the quality of foods served in public schools, as well as expands the National School Lunch program. It also allows for the first increase in the federal reimbursement rate for school lunches since 1973.
This is probably a good thing. However, comments made by the First Lady puts into focus why there are two America’s. She said “we can’t leave what the kids eat up to the parents.” When government takes our choice away and we don’t question comments or look at the content then we surrender our rights. Every piece of legislation that passes both houses and ends up on the president’s desk for his signature have elements of robbing our freedom and liberties. In a perfect world the parents would feed their children and teach their children about good eating habits. This legislation doesn’t prohibit the first couple from dining on lobster every time they dine out.
This is not a perfect world and this why we have government taking away liberties for some so that other may have the security.
In the two America’s scenario the first hurdle in the passage of the extension of the Bush era tax cuts cleared the Senate and is now going to the House for debate and the vote. “This is an important shift and the White House should be applauded”, Mitch Mc Connell Senate Minority Leader, said after the President supported the extension and the bill. It is all about compromise on this claimed the president. Even after the President insisted up to about a month ago the Bush era tax cuts contributed to the economic meltdown. Either way the tax cuts are now being extended in an effort to help the other side of America, as some Democrats claim. They are not talking about the poor they are referring to the rich Wall Street crowd.
In the early days of our history the forefathers and the authors of the Constitution laid our restrictions and rules to legislate by. They never envisioned a two sided America that would either let government take our liberties away or give new rights to those that want the security.
On today’s date, the attack ensued on the arsenal at Fort William and Mary. I gave a brief history yesterday about the little known ride that Paul Revere made warning about other attacks by the British.
Throughout the year, in 1774, the people of Portsmouth and the vicinity shared in full measure the unrest that was felt throughout the whole country. Much sympathy was expressed for the people of Boston, and the populace was beginning to show signs of resisting the odious domination of the British ministry.
Few events in the history of New Hampshire have excited more interest or caused more controversy than the successful attack upon Fort William and Mary, in Portsmouth Harbor, on December 14, 1774; the removal of the powder contained in its magazine on the same afternoon; and the second capture of the fort, together with the small arms and other stores, on the night of the following day.
On the following day, Thursday, December 15, 1774, a party of men came from Durham to Portsmouth, and, that night, together with other citizens, under the leadership of John Sullivan, they again took the fort and carried off the lighter cannon and all of the small arms. On Friday, a party under command of Captain Nathaniel Folsom of Exeter came to Portsmouth and remained on guard all day; until in the afternoon, on the rising tide, the arms were sent up the river. They finally reached Durham; but only after many weary hours of cutting through the ice, which had just formed in the branch of the Piscataqua which leads up to that town.
I bring up this history because there were two sides in the Revolution. There were the British and there were men like the ones who knew that freedom does not come without a price.
Today, our freedom comes in the form of legislation and the cost of the legislation that is supposed to be aimed at helping all Americans. In the Healthcare debate and the expansion of the Commerce Clause the government would penalize you for inactivity in your purchase of their plan. This is no different from the populace that was beginning to show signs of resisting the odious domination of the British ministry. Legislation should remain limited in scope and it should be limited to what the population needs.
On this date, in 1793, the first state road was authorized to be built that connected Frankfort, Kentucky to Cincinnati. This landmark piece of legislation was enacted to help all the people and not divide the two sides of America between Frankfort and Cincinnati.
If we can get the government to pass legislation in the way they did in 1793, instead of the all the other type of legislation they passed in 2010 there would once again be one America that is dependant on each other, instead of government servicing the people that they choose.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Government can work for the people if the people are allowed to work for themselves and help others to do the same.
Monday, December 13, 2010
The last act:
Monday – December 13, 2010
The last act:
This week the administration will face two major issues.
They are:
Today, U.S. District Court Judge, Henry E. Hudson, will decide if the president’s plan for healthcare is constitutional or not. Judge Hudson decided to hear the case, because he said, “it literally forges new ground under the Commerce Clause.” At issue is the prospect that the government can regulate a person's decision to go without health insurance - under its constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce. The new healthcare law requires all individuals to buy health insurance by 2014 or pay a fine. The government says under Obama care all citizens will still have the right to purchase their own healthcare plan, but if they do not insure themselves they will be fined, when it takes affect in 2014. Twelve other states have cases pending based on the constitutionality of the government’s plan
This week, we will continue the debate over the extension of the Bush era tax cuts. Remember, there are no new tax cuts. If the House passes the extension, nothing will change in the way of taxes. If the Democrats insist on voting against the president’s compromise, then everyone will have a tax hike come January 1, 2011. Last week, the President had Bill Clinton address the Washington Press corps. This was in an effort to bolster the president’s image among his disgruntled supporters. The question I have is: Why do Democrats go to the right when they are pressed on matters of the economy? The President is moving right, because he has to. Every Democrat knows that the economy is still fragile and that tax cuts and or an extension of the tax cuts will encourage economic growth. But they still insist on playing in the last act!
Regardless of the extension of the tax cuts, the business community is still not confidant in this president’s ability to lead and his ability to create jobs and grow the economy. Regardless of his ability to be president, he is now seen as someone who vacillates.
This month, I am writing about some of the historic American events that took place in the month of December. On todays date, in 1774, the first incident in the American Revolutionary War took place.
It was on the eve of the revolution that the Fort William and Mary played it’s most dramatic role in history. On December 13, 1774, Paul Revere rode from Boston with a message that the fort at Rhode Island had been dismantled and troops were coming to take over it. The following day, the drums beat to collect the Sons of Liberty and then 400 men from Portsmouth, Rye and New Castle raided the fort and removed 98 barrels (approximately 5 tons) of gun powder.
The next night, a small party, led by John Sullivan, carried off sixteen pieces of small cannon and military stores. This raid took place months before the incidents at Concord and Lexington, and was an important event in the chain of events leading to the revolution. Governor John Wentworth immediately sent to Boston for help. The sloop Canceaux arrived December 17, followed two days later by the frigate Scarborough. The latter had forty guns and carried one hundred British marines. This prevented further raids by the patriots, but produced a dangerous state of tension.
This state of tension carried on into the following year. By the summer of 1775, Governor Wentworth, with Lady Frances and their infant son, took refuge in the fort and lived there for two months in hope that a conflict would be avoided. Admiral Graves sent a transport, under the Falcon, to dismantle the fort and carry off the cannon to Boston. Finally, on August 24, 1775, the governor and his family sailed to Boston on the Scarborough. Wentworth made a brief visit a month later when, from the Isles of Shoals, he issued a proclamation discontinuing the assembly. This was the last act of royal authority in New Hampshire.
Paul Revere is still a symbol of what America is all about. He was an entrepreneur and a commercial visionary. He was involved in local politics and was considered a “blue collar type of guy”, according to Joel Miller, author of the “Revolutionary Paul Revere”. He was a retailer and craftsman. He was a citizen patriot. He was a printer and played a significant role, not only in pre revolutionary America, but also in post revolutionary America on through his death in 1818. He symbolized what commerce was in early America and fought against the taxes that King George was insistent upon placing on the early colonies.
Just as the last act of Royal Authority in New Hampshire occurred in 1775, we could be seeing the same thing occur today or this week. Our President could get a set back in his efforts over his healthcare legislation and the extension of the tax cuts. Just as the last act of Royal Authority occurred 235 years ago we could be seeing the last act of Pelosi. This week, we could be seeing the last efforts to re-create our way of life.
I can’t help but think that, if we had patriots today that were truly looking for independence like Revere, our modern day history would be a history of self direction and less government and that of creation instead of re-creation. Our leaders should be reminding us of what America is all about. Last week, the President said he still believes that the rich have a duty to pay more in taxes. There is no question that the rich have a duty. There is no question that people from time to time need help. There is no question that it is still possible to create a job rather than to just find a job. When people use our great history and our freedom to create then the people in need will get the help.
Just as our revolution helped create the country that would be known as that shinning city on a hill, it was because of American ingenuity and a spirit that created freedom and the liberty that we enjoy today. America will once again become that great shining city on that hill that some want to always try to re-create. We do not need a President or other leaders who want to re-create America, we need a President or other leaders who know how to carry on the tradition to create and preserve a strong America.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: We are once again leading up to the holiday season. It is time to enjoy all the blessings that we have as a country and as a free people. Reflect on some of the history that the month of December has brought to us and the world. Try to enjoy that history and in doing so you will preserve it.
The last act:
This week the administration will face two major issues.
They are:
Today, U.S. District Court Judge, Henry E. Hudson, will decide if the president’s plan for healthcare is constitutional or not. Judge Hudson decided to hear the case, because he said, “it literally forges new ground under the Commerce Clause.” At issue is the prospect that the government can regulate a person's decision to go without health insurance - under its constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce. The new healthcare law requires all individuals to buy health insurance by 2014 or pay a fine. The government says under Obama care all citizens will still have the right to purchase their own healthcare plan, but if they do not insure themselves they will be fined, when it takes affect in 2014. Twelve other states have cases pending based on the constitutionality of the government’s plan
This week, we will continue the debate over the extension of the Bush era tax cuts. Remember, there are no new tax cuts. If the House passes the extension, nothing will change in the way of taxes. If the Democrats insist on voting against the president’s compromise, then everyone will have a tax hike come January 1, 2011. Last week, the President had Bill Clinton address the Washington Press corps. This was in an effort to bolster the president’s image among his disgruntled supporters. The question I have is: Why do Democrats go to the right when they are pressed on matters of the economy? The President is moving right, because he has to. Every Democrat knows that the economy is still fragile and that tax cuts and or an extension of the tax cuts will encourage economic growth. But they still insist on playing in the last act!
Regardless of the extension of the tax cuts, the business community is still not confidant in this president’s ability to lead and his ability to create jobs and grow the economy. Regardless of his ability to be president, he is now seen as someone who vacillates.
This month, I am writing about some of the historic American events that took place in the month of December. On todays date, in 1774, the first incident in the American Revolutionary War took place.
It was on the eve of the revolution that the Fort William and Mary played it’s most dramatic role in history. On December 13, 1774, Paul Revere rode from Boston with a message that the fort at Rhode Island had been dismantled and troops were coming to take over it. The following day, the drums beat to collect the Sons of Liberty and then 400 men from Portsmouth, Rye and New Castle raided the fort and removed 98 barrels (approximately 5 tons) of gun powder.
The next night, a small party, led by John Sullivan, carried off sixteen pieces of small cannon and military stores. This raid took place months before the incidents at Concord and Lexington, and was an important event in the chain of events leading to the revolution. Governor John Wentworth immediately sent to Boston for help. The sloop Canceaux arrived December 17, followed two days later by the frigate Scarborough. The latter had forty guns and carried one hundred British marines. This prevented further raids by the patriots, but produced a dangerous state of tension.
This state of tension carried on into the following year. By the summer of 1775, Governor Wentworth, with Lady Frances and their infant son, took refuge in the fort and lived there for two months in hope that a conflict would be avoided. Admiral Graves sent a transport, under the Falcon, to dismantle the fort and carry off the cannon to Boston. Finally, on August 24, 1775, the governor and his family sailed to Boston on the Scarborough. Wentworth made a brief visit a month later when, from the Isles of Shoals, he issued a proclamation discontinuing the assembly. This was the last act of royal authority in New Hampshire.
Paul Revere is still a symbol of what America is all about. He was an entrepreneur and a commercial visionary. He was involved in local politics and was considered a “blue collar type of guy”, according to Joel Miller, author of the “Revolutionary Paul Revere”. He was a retailer and craftsman. He was a citizen patriot. He was a printer and played a significant role, not only in pre revolutionary America, but also in post revolutionary America on through his death in 1818. He symbolized what commerce was in early America and fought against the taxes that King George was insistent upon placing on the early colonies.
Just as the last act of Royal Authority in New Hampshire occurred in 1775, we could be seeing the same thing occur today or this week. Our President could get a set back in his efforts over his healthcare legislation and the extension of the tax cuts. Just as the last act of Royal Authority occurred 235 years ago we could be seeing the last act of Pelosi. This week, we could be seeing the last efforts to re-create our way of life.
I can’t help but think that, if we had patriots today that were truly looking for independence like Revere, our modern day history would be a history of self direction and less government and that of creation instead of re-creation. Our leaders should be reminding us of what America is all about. Last week, the President said he still believes that the rich have a duty to pay more in taxes. There is no question that the rich have a duty. There is no question that people from time to time need help. There is no question that it is still possible to create a job rather than to just find a job. When people use our great history and our freedom to create then the people in need will get the help.
Just as our revolution helped create the country that would be known as that shinning city on a hill, it was because of American ingenuity and a spirit that created freedom and the liberty that we enjoy today. America will once again become that great shining city on that hill that some want to always try to re-create. We do not need a President or other leaders who want to re-create America, we need a President or other leaders who know how to carry on the tradition to create and preserve a strong America.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: We are once again leading up to the holiday season. It is time to enjoy all the blessings that we have as a country and as a free people. Reflect on some of the history that the month of December has brought to us and the world. Try to enjoy that history and in doing so you will preserve it.
Friday, December 10, 2010
It's air tight and cannot be broken:
Friday – December 10, 2010
It’s air tight and cannot be broken:
This is what the President is telling his party about the compromise with the Republicans. The Democrats are fit to be tied that he did not consult with them and in their minds caved. But did he?
This president might be a lot of things, but he is not dumb! The President is playing his card and the politics could not be any more difficult. His presidency is on the line and he will have challengers in 2012, if his hand is beaten by the Republicans. The Republicans, on the other hand, need to be strong and need to be honest with the American people. Going forward, they need to detail and spell out the politics that are being played.
The President is banking on one thing, the Economy! What has this president ever done with regards to real stimulus and real job making proposals? His proposals are full of rhetoric and full of the words that some Americans buy into. His proposals are centered on making people dependent and punishing those whose earnings put them into the upper tax brackets.
The discussion this week on Capital Hill has been over extending the Bush era tax cuts. The Democrats have positioned their argument to make those lower wage earners think the rich are getting new tax breaks. In essence, the extension keeps everything the same. The real stats that no one is talking about are that it took three years for the original Bush Tax cuts to take effect. If you remember after 911, the economy went south and the President needed to stimulate the economy with a tax cut. It took three years to get Companies hiring again. I was one of those statistics.
The tax rates in this country have been the same for the last ten years. The spending habits in Washington are based on the revenue coming in. With this extension nothing should change with regard to revenue, except for one thing. If unemployment remains high, then revenues to the government will shrink because there are less people working and less tax revenue coming in.
The government bases its budgeting on a base line approach. The Democrats were banking on tax hikes so that revenue would increase so they could increase spending in future budgets. The Democrats did not bank on loosing the House in Obama’s midterm election. The Democrats did not bank on Obama failing the progressive liberal mantra of taxing the rich to keep the poor dependent.
So what is the President up to? What are his choices? Where does he go for support? And finally what is at risk? The risk is that he will have challengers and lose a primary or even the election. His support has left him and what is left of it is complaining. The Presidents choices are to remain the liberal he is but also balance the Republicans victories. In other words, be selective in what he is willing to give. He will say it is compromise that makes government work for the people. The President is up to no good because he wants unemployment to remain high, so that in two years he can make the point that the extension of the tax cuts didn’t work and supply side economics is a failure. Remember, it took three years for the first Bush tax cuts to work. Time is on his side. Once again, what has this President really done to improve employment? His record is abysmal at best, because he does not want people to be empowered and fight the government when Democrats want to fuel the baseline budget with tax dollars for their expansion of government.
On this date, in 1690, Massachusetts Bay Colony becomes the1st American colonial government to borrow money!
Faced with an immediate need to pay expenses relating to a military action against Canada during King William's War, on December 10, 1690 the General Court authorized the issuing of £7,000 in public paper currency. This was the first public paper money issued in the history of Western civilization. Previously, all currency had an intrinsic value of gold, silver or copper, much like the value of commodity items used for bartering. Now for the first time, the money itself had no intrinsic value other than the value of the paper on which it was printed. Rather, the value of the money came from the fact that it was backed by the colony. It was legislated as being equivalent to the denomination printed on the bill and would be accepted as the equivalent of hard currency by the colony. Within a few months, it was further legislated that the paper money would be accepted by the government for tax payments at a 5% premium and that on demand bills could be turned into the treasury for the equivalent in hard currency, if the colony had such hard currency available.
As we witness the bartering for position in Washington and as we witness the power play of one side against the other, our history of borrowing and printing had its roots in our early history. What we see today is much different than what our history started. What we see today is a debt that cannot be backed and a debt that is the result of politics. What we see today is the progressive liberal playing the field for a position in two years. What we don’t see is the progressive doing what is right for the country they say they love!
As we wrap up another week and get closer to the season that we share and give of ourselves, we must remember that there are people who are truly in need. It is these people who we need to be compassionate over.
In the year that awaits us, we must pledge of ourselves to be better citizens and become the patriots that our forefathers were and that our forefathers still challenge us to be.
I am ending this week with a quote from the “Father of our Constitution”, James Madison, our fourth President, he said: “In framing a government, which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” — James Madison
James Madison, Federalist No. 51, February 8, 1788
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: It is up to us, the governed, to make sure the new Congress is obliged to control itself, because we have controlled ourselves far to long.
It’s air tight and cannot be broken:
This is what the President is telling his party about the compromise with the Republicans. The Democrats are fit to be tied that he did not consult with them and in their minds caved. But did he?
This president might be a lot of things, but he is not dumb! The President is playing his card and the politics could not be any more difficult. His presidency is on the line and he will have challengers in 2012, if his hand is beaten by the Republicans. The Republicans, on the other hand, need to be strong and need to be honest with the American people. Going forward, they need to detail and spell out the politics that are being played.
The President is banking on one thing, the Economy! What has this president ever done with regards to real stimulus and real job making proposals? His proposals are full of rhetoric and full of the words that some Americans buy into. His proposals are centered on making people dependent and punishing those whose earnings put them into the upper tax brackets.
The discussion this week on Capital Hill has been over extending the Bush era tax cuts. The Democrats have positioned their argument to make those lower wage earners think the rich are getting new tax breaks. In essence, the extension keeps everything the same. The real stats that no one is talking about are that it took three years for the original Bush Tax cuts to take effect. If you remember after 911, the economy went south and the President needed to stimulate the economy with a tax cut. It took three years to get Companies hiring again. I was one of those statistics.
The tax rates in this country have been the same for the last ten years. The spending habits in Washington are based on the revenue coming in. With this extension nothing should change with regard to revenue, except for one thing. If unemployment remains high, then revenues to the government will shrink because there are less people working and less tax revenue coming in.
The government bases its budgeting on a base line approach. The Democrats were banking on tax hikes so that revenue would increase so they could increase spending in future budgets. The Democrats did not bank on loosing the House in Obama’s midterm election. The Democrats did not bank on Obama failing the progressive liberal mantra of taxing the rich to keep the poor dependent.
So what is the President up to? What are his choices? Where does he go for support? And finally what is at risk? The risk is that he will have challengers and lose a primary or even the election. His support has left him and what is left of it is complaining. The Presidents choices are to remain the liberal he is but also balance the Republicans victories. In other words, be selective in what he is willing to give. He will say it is compromise that makes government work for the people. The President is up to no good because he wants unemployment to remain high, so that in two years he can make the point that the extension of the tax cuts didn’t work and supply side economics is a failure. Remember, it took three years for the first Bush tax cuts to work. Time is on his side. Once again, what has this President really done to improve employment? His record is abysmal at best, because he does not want people to be empowered and fight the government when Democrats want to fuel the baseline budget with tax dollars for their expansion of government.
On this date, in 1690, Massachusetts Bay Colony becomes the1st American colonial government to borrow money!
Faced with an immediate need to pay expenses relating to a military action against Canada during King William's War, on December 10, 1690 the General Court authorized the issuing of £7,000 in public paper currency. This was the first public paper money issued in the history of Western civilization. Previously, all currency had an intrinsic value of gold, silver or copper, much like the value of commodity items used for bartering. Now for the first time, the money itself had no intrinsic value other than the value of the paper on which it was printed. Rather, the value of the money came from the fact that it was backed by the colony. It was legislated as being equivalent to the denomination printed on the bill and would be accepted as the equivalent of hard currency by the colony. Within a few months, it was further legislated that the paper money would be accepted by the government for tax payments at a 5% premium and that on demand bills could be turned into the treasury for the equivalent in hard currency, if the colony had such hard currency available.
As we witness the bartering for position in Washington and as we witness the power play of one side against the other, our history of borrowing and printing had its roots in our early history. What we see today is much different than what our history started. What we see today is a debt that cannot be backed and a debt that is the result of politics. What we see today is the progressive liberal playing the field for a position in two years. What we don’t see is the progressive doing what is right for the country they say they love!
As we wrap up another week and get closer to the season that we share and give of ourselves, we must remember that there are people who are truly in need. It is these people who we need to be compassionate over.
In the year that awaits us, we must pledge of ourselves to be better citizens and become the patriots that our forefathers were and that our forefathers still challenge us to be.
I am ending this week with a quote from the “Father of our Constitution”, James Madison, our fourth President, he said: “In framing a government, which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: you must first enable the government to control the governed, and in the next place, oblige it to control itself.” — James Madison
James Madison, Federalist No. 51, February 8, 1788
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: It is up to us, the governed, to make sure the new Congress is obliged to control itself, because we have controlled ourselves far to long.
Thursday, December 9, 2010
0 to compromise in 3.5 seconds:
Thursday - December 9, 2010
0 to compromise in 3.5 seconds:
He said it. U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York’s 9th District, a Democrat, is actually criticizing President Obama over his compromise of extending the Bush tax cuts. What is with this President? The Democrats are complaining because this deal was done behind closed doors. This should have been good enough with most Democrats seeing they passed healthcare behind the same closed doors.
The democrats are mad because the extension was granted and the republicans are mad because the extension is not permanent. The president is scolding both parties because of their criticism. The president is not appealing to the better side of the parties but is still trying to divide and conquer.
While Congressman Weiner is complaining that the rich will continue to get the breaks, he doesn’t tell you that the rich are the ones that contribute to his campaign chest in the way of donations. What most office holders won’t tell you is they also need the rich to fuel their efforts for reelection.
Many members of Congress play the class envy card and preach about the values they hold while they continue to redistribute our wealth. What the President isn’t telling us is that he is also playing politics, because he too needs the rich to fuel his campaign in 2012.
The Progressive will play the game so that they may continue to move the country left. One of the sticking points in extending the Bush tax cuts is the death tax or Estate Tax. In essence, when you die, all your wealth that you would want to pass along to your kids or your cat will be taxed. The right thinks this is wrong and the left thinks that your wealth is theirs to tax.
A new statistic is just out. Under the Obama administration the people who don’t pay taxes are up from 32% under Bush to 47% under Obama. This is not a result of any tax cut but rather a system that should be equitable to each American. In other words we should all bare a fair burden of Taxes. The rich should pay their fare share and the middle class and the poor should as well. If taxes were spread evenly the needed revenue would be available for government to use. However, it must be used wisely and this is the first part of the equation that must be solved going forward.
The President is scolding his fellow Democrats to take a tally of what he has done in his first two years. In a recent press conference, he claimed that he is responsible for passing the legislation that will give 32 million people health coverage and that will probably lower healthcare premiums for another 100 million Americans. The President is also reminding his fellow Democrats, who have criticized him for giving in to the Republicans that he has delivered on all of his promises. He also said when he was campaigning that he would not extend the Bush tax cuts. That was then. This is now. He must compromise!
In the whole of our history, we have had some great Presidents and we have had some that were not so great. In the whole of our history, the press has done their job, except when it comes to this President. However, things are changing. The press is now asking this president what are his core values. Never before has the press been so forward in their questioning of this president.
While the Progressives will tell you they are in favor of tax hikes for the rich. However, they will still give the rich benefits in the way of loop holes and incentives. A case in point: When the government bailed out GM, the government pushed the VOLT into production. The government made a big splash about the number of jobs that the battery companies would create, because the Volt is powered, in part, by batteries. When production is geared up the number of jobs created will total somewhere in the neighborhood of about 2,500. There are still over 10 million unemployed, but 2,500 jobs are a start I guess.
While the government is touting the new Volt, General Electric bought over 2,000 of them to incorporate into their fleet. Who else is buying this car? Are the poor, no? The rich are, with your tax dollars. The Volt will list for around $40,000. A poor person cannot buy this car. The government will give the rich a $7,500.00 subsidy so they can buy the car. What the poor don’t understand is that they, too, are helping the rich buy the car with the taxes they pay. Do any of the liberal legislators tell anybody about this deal that rich will get? No, they just say the rich need to be taxed more.
On this date in 1963: The last American made Studebaker was produced, and the factory in South Bend, Indiana, was closed. Just as Presidents come and go companies come and go. The difference is that some companies and some products get the government to bail them out so that they can sell a car that most people can’t afford to buy.
On this date in 1975: New York City avoids bankruptcy when President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent the City from having to default a debt restructuring by the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by Felix Rohatyn was instituted. The city was also forced to accept increased financial scrutiny by an agency of the State of New York. Budget problems have been with us for some time even when a bail out was called a seasonal loan the government always finds a way to use our tax dollars in creative ways.
The Democrats are now asking where the money is coming from to pay for the extension of the tax breaks. They say the guys who caused the problem are still getting the benefit. The politics in this story just doesn’t end. Like the horse power in a standard V8 you can get from 0 to 60 in about 9 seconds. With the compromise, the President did it in 3.5 seconds. Even the Democrats are asking what the president’s core values are. This process was too easy, so buyer be ware.
The President said this is a long game and not a short one. He is “looking forward to doing battle on the field of competition.” As I said earlier, presidents come and presidents go. Companies come and companies go. However, the great ones stay and the great ones win. The question is: do we want a V8 or a battery that needs constant recharging?
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: In 2012 there will be a challenger against the president the question I have is will the presidents core values be something we can depend on? I will have more on this tomorrow.
0 to compromise in 3.5 seconds:
He said it. U.S. Congressman Anthony Weiner of New York’s 9th District, a Democrat, is actually criticizing President Obama over his compromise of extending the Bush tax cuts. What is with this President? The Democrats are complaining because this deal was done behind closed doors. This should have been good enough with most Democrats seeing they passed healthcare behind the same closed doors.
The democrats are mad because the extension was granted and the republicans are mad because the extension is not permanent. The president is scolding both parties because of their criticism. The president is not appealing to the better side of the parties but is still trying to divide and conquer.
While Congressman Weiner is complaining that the rich will continue to get the breaks, he doesn’t tell you that the rich are the ones that contribute to his campaign chest in the way of donations. What most office holders won’t tell you is they also need the rich to fuel their efforts for reelection.
Many members of Congress play the class envy card and preach about the values they hold while they continue to redistribute our wealth. What the President isn’t telling us is that he is also playing politics, because he too needs the rich to fuel his campaign in 2012.
The Progressive will play the game so that they may continue to move the country left. One of the sticking points in extending the Bush tax cuts is the death tax or Estate Tax. In essence, when you die, all your wealth that you would want to pass along to your kids or your cat will be taxed. The right thinks this is wrong and the left thinks that your wealth is theirs to tax.
A new statistic is just out. Under the Obama administration the people who don’t pay taxes are up from 32% under Bush to 47% under Obama. This is not a result of any tax cut but rather a system that should be equitable to each American. In other words we should all bare a fair burden of Taxes. The rich should pay their fare share and the middle class and the poor should as well. If taxes were spread evenly the needed revenue would be available for government to use. However, it must be used wisely and this is the first part of the equation that must be solved going forward.
The President is scolding his fellow Democrats to take a tally of what he has done in his first two years. In a recent press conference, he claimed that he is responsible for passing the legislation that will give 32 million people health coverage and that will probably lower healthcare premiums for another 100 million Americans. The President is also reminding his fellow Democrats, who have criticized him for giving in to the Republicans that he has delivered on all of his promises. He also said when he was campaigning that he would not extend the Bush tax cuts. That was then. This is now. He must compromise!
In the whole of our history, we have had some great Presidents and we have had some that were not so great. In the whole of our history, the press has done their job, except when it comes to this President. However, things are changing. The press is now asking this president what are his core values. Never before has the press been so forward in their questioning of this president.
While the Progressives will tell you they are in favor of tax hikes for the rich. However, they will still give the rich benefits in the way of loop holes and incentives. A case in point: When the government bailed out GM, the government pushed the VOLT into production. The government made a big splash about the number of jobs that the battery companies would create, because the Volt is powered, in part, by batteries. When production is geared up the number of jobs created will total somewhere in the neighborhood of about 2,500. There are still over 10 million unemployed, but 2,500 jobs are a start I guess.
While the government is touting the new Volt, General Electric bought over 2,000 of them to incorporate into their fleet. Who else is buying this car? Are the poor, no? The rich are, with your tax dollars. The Volt will list for around $40,000. A poor person cannot buy this car. The government will give the rich a $7,500.00 subsidy so they can buy the car. What the poor don’t understand is that they, too, are helping the rich buy the car with the taxes they pay. Do any of the liberal legislators tell anybody about this deal that rich will get? No, they just say the rich need to be taxed more.
On this date in 1963: The last American made Studebaker was produced, and the factory in South Bend, Indiana, was closed. Just as Presidents come and go companies come and go. The difference is that some companies and some products get the government to bail them out so that they can sell a car that most people can’t afford to buy.
On this date in 1975: New York City avoids bankruptcy when President Gerald R. Ford signed a $2.3 billion seasonal loan authorization to prevent the City from having to default a debt restructuring by the Municipal Assistance Corporation, headed by Felix Rohatyn was instituted. The city was also forced to accept increased financial scrutiny by an agency of the State of New York. Budget problems have been with us for some time even when a bail out was called a seasonal loan the government always finds a way to use our tax dollars in creative ways.
The Democrats are now asking where the money is coming from to pay for the extension of the tax breaks. They say the guys who caused the problem are still getting the benefit. The politics in this story just doesn’t end. Like the horse power in a standard V8 you can get from 0 to 60 in about 9 seconds. With the compromise, the President did it in 3.5 seconds. Even the Democrats are asking what the president’s core values are. This process was too easy, so buyer be ware.
The President said this is a long game and not a short one. He is “looking forward to doing battle on the field of competition.” As I said earlier, presidents come and presidents go. Companies come and companies go. However, the great ones stay and the great ones win. The question is: do we want a V8 or a battery that needs constant recharging?
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: In 2012 there will be a challenger against the president the question I have is will the presidents core values be something we can depend on? I will have more on this tomorrow.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Great people make our history:
Wednesday - December 8, 2010
Great people make our history:
Yesterday was the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yesterday, I related some other historical facts that have brought us to this point in our history. Yesterday, I gave a chronicle of world history in 1941.
I have a few more statistics from 1941. I asked that you take a look back at history during the period of American Innocence. In 1941, America was getting a foothold on its greatness. Coming out of The Great Depression and entering into world affairs in a leadership position America was growing. It was growing culturally and economically. There was greatness in family and in spirit. I believe there existed a respect for what we stood for as a nation and for what we could do not only on a personal level but on a national level as well. There was a generation that would fight for our freedom and free the world from an impending danger not yet known.
In 1941 our lives were becoming somewhat complicated because of much technological advancement and because of where the world was heading. Life in America was changing.
In 1941:The average Cost of a new house was $4,075.00 The average wage per year was $1,750.00 The cost of a gallon of Gas was 12 cents The average cost of house rental was $32.00 per monthA Beauty Rest mattress cost $39.50 The average price for a new car was $850.00
As we argue today on December 8th, 2010 about taxes and about what works best the conservative ideology of less government or the liberal belief that Government should be a cradle to grave partner. We cannot forget when our national debate was over fighting for our greatness and expanding our greatness to those around the world who needed our help in defending themselves from fascism and totalitarianism. We cannot forget that our Revolution and our founders made it possible for the United States to come to the world’s defense 165 years later in 1941.
One of those events occurred on December 8, 1776: George Washington's Army retreats and crosses the Delaware River from New Jersey, only to cross it again on December 24th, 1776 to defeat the British. It was the turning point in America’s fight for Independence and its soon to be greatness.
On December 8th, 1902: In Washington a leading suffragette, Mrs. France, an outstanding woman of the Coeur d’Alene area, spoke on women getting the vote to an appreciative audience of females. The enormous crowd listened and heartily approved of her political success in Idaho. Our founding documents made it possible for history like this to happen. Again, it relates back to this date in 1776.
On December 8th, 1941: In Chungking, Quo Tai-Chi, China’s foreign minister confirmed that China was now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. The minister declared that the Chinese would back the allies, the U.S., and Great Britain one hundred percent. In 1776 Washington defeated for the first time our enemy, that same enemy Great Britain was an ally who needed our help in 1941 we also knew that we could not stand idle as Washington did during the British and French War when he was president.
On December 8th, 2010: Julian Assange the Wiki Leaks founder is arrested for sex crimes; he says that he is taking on the modern day role of Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers in 1968. He said his arrest is in an effort to silence him. On December 8, 1776 during Washington’s crossing any one who would have given the secret of where Washington was would have been silenced.
Our history and our direction through out our history relates back to the defining moments of our Revolution. The history of the world since our revolution changed because the United States was a free country with a new set of laws established with the signing of the Founding Documents by a group of men who knew what greatness was because they themselves were great. History has shown that George Washington started what the Greatest Generation fought to finish in 1941.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The greatness of our history and our strength had its start in this month 234 years ago because of one man a General named Washington. He crossed a river only to cross it again 16 days later to defeat the British. Elements of Japan’s military crossed an Ocean and attacked The United States 165 years later. On December 8, 1941 America declared war on Japan. On this date in 1941 America’s greatest generation stepped up to the challenge to win the war and to make history for the greatness of a country!
Great people make our history:
Yesterday was the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. Yesterday, I related some other historical facts that have brought us to this point in our history. Yesterday, I gave a chronicle of world history in 1941.
I have a few more statistics from 1941. I asked that you take a look back at history during the period of American Innocence. In 1941, America was getting a foothold on its greatness. Coming out of The Great Depression and entering into world affairs in a leadership position America was growing. It was growing culturally and economically. There was greatness in family and in spirit. I believe there existed a respect for what we stood for as a nation and for what we could do not only on a personal level but on a national level as well. There was a generation that would fight for our freedom and free the world from an impending danger not yet known.
In 1941 our lives were becoming somewhat complicated because of much technological advancement and because of where the world was heading. Life in America was changing.
In 1941:The average Cost of a new house was $4,075.00 The average wage per year was $1,750.00 The cost of a gallon of Gas was 12 cents The average cost of house rental was $32.00 per monthA Beauty Rest mattress cost $39.50 The average price for a new car was $850.00
As we argue today on December 8th, 2010 about taxes and about what works best the conservative ideology of less government or the liberal belief that Government should be a cradle to grave partner. We cannot forget when our national debate was over fighting for our greatness and expanding our greatness to those around the world who needed our help in defending themselves from fascism and totalitarianism. We cannot forget that our Revolution and our founders made it possible for the United States to come to the world’s defense 165 years later in 1941.
One of those events occurred on December 8, 1776: George Washington's Army retreats and crosses the Delaware River from New Jersey, only to cross it again on December 24th, 1776 to defeat the British. It was the turning point in America’s fight for Independence and its soon to be greatness.
On December 8th, 1902: In Washington a leading suffragette, Mrs. France, an outstanding woman of the Coeur d’Alene area, spoke on women getting the vote to an appreciative audience of females. The enormous crowd listened and heartily approved of her political success in Idaho. Our founding documents made it possible for history like this to happen. Again, it relates back to this date in 1776.
On December 8th, 1941: In Chungking, Quo Tai-Chi, China’s foreign minister confirmed that China was now at war with Germany, Japan, and Italy. The minister declared that the Chinese would back the allies, the U.S., and Great Britain one hundred percent. In 1776 Washington defeated for the first time our enemy, that same enemy Great Britain was an ally who needed our help in 1941 we also knew that we could not stand idle as Washington did during the British and French War when he was president.
On December 8th, 2010: Julian Assange the Wiki Leaks founder is arrested for sex crimes; he says that he is taking on the modern day role of Daniel Ellsberg who released the Pentagon Papers in 1968. He said his arrest is in an effort to silence him. On December 8, 1776 during Washington’s crossing any one who would have given the secret of where Washington was would have been silenced.
Our history and our direction through out our history relates back to the defining moments of our Revolution. The history of the world since our revolution changed because the United States was a free country with a new set of laws established with the signing of the Founding Documents by a group of men who knew what greatness was because they themselves were great. History has shown that George Washington started what the Greatest Generation fought to finish in 1941.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: The greatness of our history and our strength had its start in this month 234 years ago because of one man a General named Washington. He crossed a river only to cross it again 16 days later to defeat the British. Elements of Japan’s military crossed an Ocean and attacked The United States 165 years later. On December 8, 1941 America declared war on Japan. On this date in 1941 America’s greatest generation stepped up to the challenge to win the war and to make history for the greatness of a country!
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
The date that would live in infamy!
Tuesday – December 7, 2010
The date that would live in infamy!
On December 7th, 1941 : Japan launched a surprise dawn attack using midget submarines, 350 bombers and torpedo carrying planes targeting warships, aircraft and military installations on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and declared war on Britain and the United States. The attack destroyed two battleships, one minelayer, and two destroyers with the loss of more than 2,300 US servicemen. The President, Franklin D Roosevelt, mobilized all forces and was poised to declare war on Japan. The next day, when the president addressed Congress and the nation, he swore that America would never forget December 7, 1941, as a "date that would live in infamy." With neutrality ended, some 950 tanks were sent to Britain together with food, trucks, guns and ammunition.
1941 The war in Europe continued to dominate world affairs, but a new threat was growing, which would soon involve America, as the Japanese caused a threat in Asia and the Pacific so preparations for war continued. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, addressed the joint session of Congress asking for help in the form of arms. The US still continued, as normal, with 2 great movies produced that year that would stand the test of time, "Citizen Kane" and "Dumbo". After many years where parents had decided what teenagers wore, a new revolution was happening where teenagers became fashion conscious, also drive in movies and drive in fast food were growing in popularity.
December 7th, 1977: All Soviet consulates and educational centers were ordered to be shut down by Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mamdouth Salem. The Soviets and four other ousted European nations were accused of interfering with Egyptian-Israeli peace negotiations.
December 7th, 1987: Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in the United States for an arms control summit with Ronald Reagan. The summit resulted in one of the most significant arms control agreements of the Cold War. Reagan and Gorbachev signed off on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, which called for the elimination of all ground cruise and ballistic missiles and launchers in Europe with ranges of 320 to 3,400 miles.
December 7th, 2001: The Taliban regime gives up its stronghold in Kandahar, after only 61 days of war in Afghanistan. US planes have been bombing the area since the beginning of the war. Taliban fighters have been laying down their arms.
December 7th, 2002: Iraq assures the United Nations it does now have weapons of mass destruction in a declaration to the UN.
Yesterday, I quoted Captain James L. Holloway III. He said an attack on Pearl Harbor on the scale of December 7th, 1941 was unlikely. He remarked, “Since World War II, we have been at war more than we have not been at war…”
If you look at all the events that have happened on December 7th, since World War II, you would see that the Captain was right. In each date of history that I have singled out you would see that the enemies of the United States have been a threat in military terms and now in economic terms.
If you look back at these events, you would see how inaction and action caused these events to occur. In 1977, Egypt wanted peace with Israel and found a way to do it alone. In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev knew that the U.S. was more valuable as a friend than an enemy. In 2001, our action of eradicating the Taliban worked. But as history would remind us it was not a permanent fix. On December 7 a one time ally, now turned enemy, said his country, Iraq, does not possess any chemical weapons. However, all the world’s intelligence forces said they did. We must also remember Saddam did use chemical weapons to kill the Kurds.
Today, on December 7th we are still at war. Our military is actively pursuing our enemies around the world. Our enemies are at our borders and there is now the reality of high tech terrorism from a website owner. Today, on December 7th our economy still remains sluggish. Unemployment is now at 9.8 % and has not been lower than 9.6% for 19 months. Today, on December 7th Ben Bernanke, the Fed Chief, said unemployment would be at the same levels we see today for the next four or five years. Today, on December 7th our new congressional members of the GOP are being called terrorists by the outgoing Democrats who controlled Congress.
Today, on December 7th we give honor to those that perished by the surprise attack in Hawaii of our enemy. Today, on December 7th we give honor to those that have a grave at sea in Hawaii, because of an attack. Today, we realize that a sleeping giant had woke up to the reality of its enemy.
Today, on December 7th a former enemy now owns much of our debt and now controls a significant piece of the American industrial and manufacturing markets, in automobiles, electronics and in intellectual capital. They have done this with a strategic plan to succeed in the areas that they know had made us great.
Today, on December 7th take a walk back in history to view what America was like in the days of her innocence.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: in review of the history of 1941 you will begin to see why December 7th would be the date that lived infamy.
These are the things that occurred in 1941 that led to our involvement in World War II. The war in Europe continues to escalate with countries joining on one side or the other. Large numbers of civilian casualties on both sides are happening due to the use of aerial bombing.
· UK: In the North Atlantic, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the HMS Hood on May24th killing all but three crew man on what was the pride of the Royal Navy. Fairey Swordfish aircraft from the carrier HMS Ark Royal fatally cripple the German battleship Bismarck in torpedo attacks. The attack that follows by Navy Warships sinks the Bismarck.
· Russia: Germany attacks the Soviet Union on October 11th and then begins an all out offensive of Moscow.
· UK: The HMS Ark Royal is torpedoed by a German U-boat
· Russia: German Aircraft sink a Russian Hospital Ship killing 7,000.
· Russia: Germany gets within 50 miles of Kiev in Russia.
· Greece: Nazis take and occupy Athens in Greece.
· U.S.: The United Service Organizations (USO) begins operations providing coffee, donuts, and entertainment to US military forces.
· U.S.: The Mt. Rushmore sculpture featuring US Presidents is completed by Gutzon Borglum.
· Yugoslavia: Germany invades Yugoslavia.
· U.S.: Hitler and Mussolini announce they are at war with America who retaliates with its own declaration of war.
· U.S.: Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack consisting of two full regiments on the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, thus drawing the United States into World War II.
· U.S.: A bill creates the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
· U.S. “Willy's Jeep Introduced for use by the US Army.
· Scotland: Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland on a peace mission and is captured by British forces.
· U.S.: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for his 3rd term as US President.
· U.S.: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend Lease Act providing military aid to the Allies
· UK: Churchill launches the "V for Victory" campaign across Europe.
· UK: Enigma Code Is Broken.
· U.S.: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the GI-bill to provide financial aid to veterans returning from World War II.
· U.S.: Winston Churchill addresses a joint meeting of the United States Congress about War in Europe.
· Russia: Germany Begins the Siege of Leningrad which lasts until 1944.
· U.S.: United Stated officially declares war on Japan
The date that would live in infamy!
On December 7th, 1941 : Japan launched a surprise dawn attack using midget submarines, 350 bombers and torpedo carrying planes targeting warships, aircraft and military installations on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii and declared war on Britain and the United States. The attack destroyed two battleships, one minelayer, and two destroyers with the loss of more than 2,300 US servicemen. The President, Franklin D Roosevelt, mobilized all forces and was poised to declare war on Japan. The next day, when the president addressed Congress and the nation, he swore that America would never forget December 7, 1941, as a "date that would live in infamy." With neutrality ended, some 950 tanks were sent to Britain together with food, trucks, guns and ammunition.
1941 The war in Europe continued to dominate world affairs, but a new threat was growing, which would soon involve America, as the Japanese caused a threat in Asia and the Pacific so preparations for war continued. The British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, addressed the joint session of Congress asking for help in the form of arms. The US still continued, as normal, with 2 great movies produced that year that would stand the test of time, "Citizen Kane" and "Dumbo". After many years where parents had decided what teenagers wore, a new revolution was happening where teenagers became fashion conscious, also drive in movies and drive in fast food were growing in popularity.
December 7th, 1977: All Soviet consulates and educational centers were ordered to be shut down by Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mamdouth Salem. The Soviets and four other ousted European nations were accused of interfering with Egyptian-Israeli peace negotiations.
December 7th, 1987: Mikhail Gorbachev arrives in the United States for an arms control summit with Ronald Reagan. The summit resulted in one of the most significant arms control agreements of the Cold War. Reagan and Gorbachev signed off on the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Force (INF) Treaty, which called for the elimination of all ground cruise and ballistic missiles and launchers in Europe with ranges of 320 to 3,400 miles.
December 7th, 2001: The Taliban regime gives up its stronghold in Kandahar, after only 61 days of war in Afghanistan. US planes have been bombing the area since the beginning of the war. Taliban fighters have been laying down their arms.
December 7th, 2002: Iraq assures the United Nations it does now have weapons of mass destruction in a declaration to the UN.
Yesterday, I quoted Captain James L. Holloway III. He said an attack on Pearl Harbor on the scale of December 7th, 1941 was unlikely. He remarked, “Since World War II, we have been at war more than we have not been at war…”
If you look at all the events that have happened on December 7th, since World War II, you would see that the Captain was right. In each date of history that I have singled out you would see that the enemies of the United States have been a threat in military terms and now in economic terms.
If you look back at these events, you would see how inaction and action caused these events to occur. In 1977, Egypt wanted peace with Israel and found a way to do it alone. In 1987, Mikhail Gorbachev knew that the U.S. was more valuable as a friend than an enemy. In 2001, our action of eradicating the Taliban worked. But as history would remind us it was not a permanent fix. On December 7 a one time ally, now turned enemy, said his country, Iraq, does not possess any chemical weapons. However, all the world’s intelligence forces said they did. We must also remember Saddam did use chemical weapons to kill the Kurds.
Today, on December 7th we are still at war. Our military is actively pursuing our enemies around the world. Our enemies are at our borders and there is now the reality of high tech terrorism from a website owner. Today, on December 7th our economy still remains sluggish. Unemployment is now at 9.8 % and has not been lower than 9.6% for 19 months. Today, on December 7th Ben Bernanke, the Fed Chief, said unemployment would be at the same levels we see today for the next four or five years. Today, on December 7th our new congressional members of the GOP are being called terrorists by the outgoing Democrats who controlled Congress.
Today, on December 7th we give honor to those that perished by the surprise attack in Hawaii of our enemy. Today, on December 7th we give honor to those that have a grave at sea in Hawaii, because of an attack. Today, we realize that a sleeping giant had woke up to the reality of its enemy.
Today, on December 7th a former enemy now owns much of our debt and now controls a significant piece of the American industrial and manufacturing markets, in automobiles, electronics and in intellectual capital. They have done this with a strategic plan to succeed in the areas that they know had made us great.
Today, on December 7th take a walk back in history to view what America was like in the days of her innocence.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: in review of the history of 1941 you will begin to see why December 7th would be the date that lived infamy.
These are the things that occurred in 1941 that led to our involvement in World War II. The war in Europe continues to escalate with countries joining on one side or the other. Large numbers of civilian casualties on both sides are happening due to the use of aerial bombing.
· UK: In the North Atlantic, the German battleship Bismarck sinks the HMS Hood on May24th killing all but three crew man on what was the pride of the Royal Navy. Fairey Swordfish aircraft from the carrier HMS Ark Royal fatally cripple the German battleship Bismarck in torpedo attacks. The attack that follows by Navy Warships sinks the Bismarck.
· Russia: Germany attacks the Soviet Union on October 11th and then begins an all out offensive of Moscow.
· UK: The HMS Ark Royal is torpedoed by a German U-boat
· Russia: German Aircraft sink a Russian Hospital Ship killing 7,000.
· Russia: Germany gets within 50 miles of Kiev in Russia.
· Greece: Nazis take and occupy Athens in Greece.
· U.S.: The United Service Organizations (USO) begins operations providing coffee, donuts, and entertainment to US military forces.
· U.S.: The Mt. Rushmore sculpture featuring US Presidents is completed by Gutzon Borglum.
· Yugoslavia: Germany invades Yugoslavia.
· U.S.: Hitler and Mussolini announce they are at war with America who retaliates with its own declaration of war.
· U.S.: Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack consisting of two full regiments on the United States fleet at Pearl Harbor, thus drawing the United States into World War II.
· U.S.: A bill creates the fourth Thursday in November as Thanksgiving Day.
· U.S. “Willy's Jeep Introduced for use by the US Army.
· Scotland: Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland on a peace mission and is captured by British forces.
· U.S.: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt is inaugurated for his 3rd term as US President.
· U.S.: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the Lend Lease Act providing military aid to the Allies
· UK: Churchill launches the "V for Victory" campaign across Europe.
· UK: Enigma Code Is Broken.
· U.S.: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs the GI-bill to provide financial aid to veterans returning from World War II.
· U.S.: Winston Churchill addresses a joint meeting of the United States Congress about War in Europe.
· Russia: Germany Begins the Siege of Leningrad which lasts until 1944.
· U.S.: United Stated officially declares war on Japan
Monday, December 6, 2010
The days are being counted!
Monday –December 6, 2010
The days are being counted!
Have you ever wondered how the strands of history can make today’s history more predictable or how it makes those who want to be powerful, dangerous?
This week, we will be hearing more about Julian Assange of Wiki Leaks and his doomsday bombshell. Mr. Assange is threatening to release a password to over 100,000 people who will activate the next series of files, if he is arrested or if his web site is taken down. He says that the new files will implicate Bank of America and BP (British Petroleum) in some embarrassing deals of cover up and misallocation of resources. He also has video tapes of prisoners at Guantanamo being unfairly treated along with American air raids in Afghanistan killing innocent people.
This week, Iran will move closer to getting its long sought nuclear bomb. The Iranian nuclear program has grown significantly while the State Department is still calling for more talks.
Iran can now mine its own Uranium from the ground and mill it down to Yellow Cake. This is the first step to converting the Yellow Cake to a weapons grade level. To create the chain reaction, engineers have to increase the proportion of U-235 from its natural concentration. This is the "enrichment" process. The enrichment begins with a chemical treatment of the mined uranium ore to create a concentrate called Yellow Cake. This is then combined with fluorine atoms to create uranium hexafluoride gas. At the Iranian enrichment facility, the gas is fed into a cylindrical centrifuge, which spins to set the gas rotating. Just as passengers in a car are thrown sideways when taking a bend, the rotation of the centrifuge throws the heavier gas molecules, the ones carrying the U-238 atoms, to the outside walls of the centrifuge.
The result is a higher proportion of the desired U-235 atoms in the gas in the middle of the centrifuge. This "enriched" gas is drawn off and fed into another centrifuge, where the process starts again. Repeating this procedure in a "cascade" of centrifuges will eventually yield a gas with the desired concentration of U-235 atoms. Once this has been achieved, the fluorine atoms are chemically stripped from the gas to give a "packet" of enriched uranium. This is where they are at now!
Three facts stand out on today’s date, that can be used to discuss how the current situations that we are presented with have grown more dangerous by our inaction.
On December 6th, 1966: Captain James L. Holloway III master of the globe’s most immense nuclear warship thinks that a second attack on Pearl Harbor on the scale of December 7th, 1941 was unlikely. He remarked, “Since World War II, we have been at war more than we have not been at war… This is the most proficient and most competent military that I can imagine has ever existed in history.”
On December 6th, 1979: Israel was hoping that the Iranian hostage crisis would propel Jimmy Carter’s government towards a more pro-Israel mode. For quite some time Israel had accused the president of leaning towards a pro-Arab stance.
On December 6th, 1990: Although sanctions and diplomacy were tried with Iraq its dictator, Saddam Hussein, remained defiant. Therefore, the Bush government threatened to forcibly throw Iraq out of Kuwait by January 15, if it did not leave peacefully.
In 1966: We had a military, but we did not use our military in the way militaries are supposed to be used. In 1966, we were embroiled in Viet Nam. We were fighting and loosing lives in the process. We were using the military and being politically correct at the same time.
In 1979: The Iranian Hostage crisis was just beginning. On November 4, 1979 The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States. 52 US citizens were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamic students and militants took over the Embassy of the United States in support of the Iranian Revolution.[1] Sixty-six Americans were taken captive when Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, including three who were at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Six more Americans escaped and of the 66 who were taken hostage, 13 were released on Nov. 19 and 20, 1979; one was released on July 11, 1980, and the remaining 52 were released on Jan. 20, 1981 the first day of the Reagan administration.
In 1979: Israel held out hope that the U.S would do the right thing and be an ally in spirit and it reality. The U.S. was again being politically correct and did not use our resources effectively to reduce the threat then that would surely have reduced the potential to create a modernized Nuclear Arsenal which can destroy Israel and potentially throw the Middle East into a 1,000 year age of darkness.
In December of 1990, President Bush (H.W. Walker) gave an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein. When we forced Hussein back into Iraq it did two things. It gave Russia a bird’s eye view of our military strength, because the Iraqi army was primarily Russian arms. It was an astounding victory for the U.S. and its coalition. It saved the world from further war for a short time there after. We know the history of the second go around with President Bush (W) ten years later. In retrospect, the Senior Bush should have gone into Iraq after Hussein’s troops were expelled from Kuwait and dealt with Saddam then. The U.S. was again politically correct with the use of our Military. And don’t forget we needed Saddam as a useful buffer against Iran. Iran is the focus and we cannot be politically correct with them any longer.
Captain James L. Holloway III, master of the globe’s most immense nuclear warship, was right when he said “Since World War II, we have been at war more than we have not been at war…”
We now are seeing a different enemy that has combined the high tech threat of terrorism with the explosion of secret files, bringing a country to take some sort of action. My question is what kind of action should we take? I believe this administration will be politically correct and we will see the effects of that correctness again in future history.
I hope these stories and the history behind them will make you think about what the right response should be. We have roughly two more years to change the response. That is our election cycle, but our enemies have a different cycle that is outside of the election process and that is what matters. Our enemies are counting the days we just don’t know what day they have picked to launch their plans.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Plans and cycles are two things that remain constant. The other thing is our enemies know we would rather be politically correct instead of doing the correct thing, even when the days are being counted!
The days are being counted!
Have you ever wondered how the strands of history can make today’s history more predictable or how it makes those who want to be powerful, dangerous?
This week, we will be hearing more about Julian Assange of Wiki Leaks and his doomsday bombshell. Mr. Assange is threatening to release a password to over 100,000 people who will activate the next series of files, if he is arrested or if his web site is taken down. He says that the new files will implicate Bank of America and BP (British Petroleum) in some embarrassing deals of cover up and misallocation of resources. He also has video tapes of prisoners at Guantanamo being unfairly treated along with American air raids in Afghanistan killing innocent people.
This week, Iran will move closer to getting its long sought nuclear bomb. The Iranian nuclear program has grown significantly while the State Department is still calling for more talks.
Iran can now mine its own Uranium from the ground and mill it down to Yellow Cake. This is the first step to converting the Yellow Cake to a weapons grade level. To create the chain reaction, engineers have to increase the proportion of U-235 from its natural concentration. This is the "enrichment" process. The enrichment begins with a chemical treatment of the mined uranium ore to create a concentrate called Yellow Cake. This is then combined with fluorine atoms to create uranium hexafluoride gas. At the Iranian enrichment facility, the gas is fed into a cylindrical centrifuge, which spins to set the gas rotating. Just as passengers in a car are thrown sideways when taking a bend, the rotation of the centrifuge throws the heavier gas molecules, the ones carrying the U-238 atoms, to the outside walls of the centrifuge.
The result is a higher proportion of the desired U-235 atoms in the gas in the middle of the centrifuge. This "enriched" gas is drawn off and fed into another centrifuge, where the process starts again. Repeating this procedure in a "cascade" of centrifuges will eventually yield a gas with the desired concentration of U-235 atoms. Once this has been achieved, the fluorine atoms are chemically stripped from the gas to give a "packet" of enriched uranium. This is where they are at now!
Three facts stand out on today’s date, that can be used to discuss how the current situations that we are presented with have grown more dangerous by our inaction.
On December 6th, 1966: Captain James L. Holloway III master of the globe’s most immense nuclear warship thinks that a second attack on Pearl Harbor on the scale of December 7th, 1941 was unlikely. He remarked, “Since World War II, we have been at war more than we have not been at war… This is the most proficient and most competent military that I can imagine has ever existed in history.”
On December 6th, 1979: Israel was hoping that the Iranian hostage crisis would propel Jimmy Carter’s government towards a more pro-Israel mode. For quite some time Israel had accused the president of leaning towards a pro-Arab stance.
On December 6th, 1990: Although sanctions and diplomacy were tried with Iraq its dictator, Saddam Hussein, remained defiant. Therefore, the Bush government threatened to forcibly throw Iraq out of Kuwait by January 15, if it did not leave peacefully.
In 1966: We had a military, but we did not use our military in the way militaries are supposed to be used. In 1966, we were embroiled in Viet Nam. We were fighting and loosing lives in the process. We were using the military and being politically correct at the same time.
In 1979: The Iranian Hostage crisis was just beginning. On November 4, 1979 The Iran hostage crisis was a diplomatic crisis between Iran and the United States. 52 US citizens were held hostage for 444 days from November 4, 1979 to January 20, 1981, after a group of Islamic students and militants took over the Embassy of the United States in support of the Iranian Revolution.[1] Sixty-six Americans were taken captive when Iranian militants seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran on Nov. 4, 1979, including three who were at the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Six more Americans escaped and of the 66 who were taken hostage, 13 were released on Nov. 19 and 20, 1979; one was released on July 11, 1980, and the remaining 52 were released on Jan. 20, 1981 the first day of the Reagan administration.
In 1979: Israel held out hope that the U.S would do the right thing and be an ally in spirit and it reality. The U.S. was again being politically correct and did not use our resources effectively to reduce the threat then that would surely have reduced the potential to create a modernized Nuclear Arsenal which can destroy Israel and potentially throw the Middle East into a 1,000 year age of darkness.
In December of 1990, President Bush (H.W. Walker) gave an ultimatum to Saddam Hussein. When we forced Hussein back into Iraq it did two things. It gave Russia a bird’s eye view of our military strength, because the Iraqi army was primarily Russian arms. It was an astounding victory for the U.S. and its coalition. It saved the world from further war for a short time there after. We know the history of the second go around with President Bush (W) ten years later. In retrospect, the Senior Bush should have gone into Iraq after Hussein’s troops were expelled from Kuwait and dealt with Saddam then. The U.S. was again politically correct with the use of our Military. And don’t forget we needed Saddam as a useful buffer against Iran. Iran is the focus and we cannot be politically correct with them any longer.
Captain James L. Holloway III, master of the globe’s most immense nuclear warship, was right when he said “Since World War II, we have been at war more than we have not been at war…”
We now are seeing a different enemy that has combined the high tech threat of terrorism with the explosion of secret files, bringing a country to take some sort of action. My question is what kind of action should we take? I believe this administration will be politically correct and we will see the effects of that correctness again in future history.
I hope these stories and the history behind them will make you think about what the right response should be. We have roughly two more years to change the response. That is our election cycle, but our enemies have a different cycle that is outside of the election process and that is what matters. Our enemies are counting the days we just don’t know what day they have picked to launch their plans.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Plans and cycles are two things that remain constant. The other thing is our enemies know we would rather be politically correct instead of doing the correct thing, even when the days are being counted!
Friday, December 3, 2010
Friday – December 3, 2010
Nancy, it’s time to go home!
The Speaker of the House, now soon to be Former Speaker, has not given any one an early Christmas gift. The Democrats have played their last game and it has hurt everyone. The Democrats truly believe that tax cuts don’t create jobs and that unemployment benefits do. The failure of the Democrats to extend the Bush tax cuts to all is just politics as usual and this is why they were voted out. The House passed a bill Thursday to extend middle class tax cuts while letting those for the wealthy expire, even as talks continued on extending them all.
The House bill was a political maneuver to satisfy Democratic lawmakers' supporters who oppose extending tax cuts for the wealthy. It has no chance in the Senate, where Democrats need Republican support to pass tax legislation. Sweeping income tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush are to expire at the end of the year. If Congress does not act, taxpayers at every income level would be hit with a significant tax increase.
The fear now is that the wealthy will sell off their stock before year’s end so that they get a benefit of a lower capital gains tax. This could crash the market due to a massive sell off. Unemployment notched up last month to 9.8% the highest it’s been in thirty years. There were only 39,000 jobs created last month.
I cannot wait for Nancy to just go home!
This month, I am changing the format of the FORUMS just a bit. I am going to write about famous events that have occurred throughout our history for the day that I write. This will set us up for our organizing efforts in January of 2011. For those who have filled in the name and contact information to become a Pinecone Conservative Organizer I will be contacting you soon to discuss how you can help to organize for conservative thought and action.
In these few short weeks before the holidays, my hope is to illustrate how you can take an issue and perform a compare and contrast discussion with those that you discuss conservatism with. This week, I have started to do that with the FORUMS. For instance, on yesterday’s date December 2, 1970, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed by President Richard Nixon to protect human health and with safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land began operation. Amongst other things they do are to provide and monitor the EPA fuel economy test manufacturers use to advertise the gas mileage of their vehicles.
The compare and contrast argument is: When government decides to propose what seems to be a good idea at the time it quickly becomes just another out of control bureaucracy. The EPA today can regulate all environmental law, policy, fines and other things it wants to enforce under the guise of protecting the environment. For instance, they would be responsible for enacting the cap and trade policy if the legislation passed in the current Congress. The EPA today can set policy and regulate what they want without Congressional approval. This is what Progressives do when they control the bureaucracy. The EPA should be reformed with accountability built into its reorganization. It is nothing more than a bloated revenue eating behemoth. This is one more reason why jobs are not being created in the private sector. Government organizations such as the EPA are job killers. This is why Industries have moved there manufacturing facilities overseas where environmental requirements are not disincentives. In short the EPA has grown from a monitoring organization to an organization that would be found in places like the old Soviet Union, out of date and out of pace with the times.
This is a simple example of taking an issue, discussing its history and making an argument against the growth of a bigger government. It is important to know history because history can show us how to avoid the pitfalls of governing and how to take back our government when it gets out of control.
We have been a republic since 1789. This country has never had a strategic plan that looks forward. Our leaders act only for the moment without any regard for the nation’s future.
The examples that I use will be easy to translate and easy to use in your discussions. There is a lot of history, so the topics will be plentiful.
I believe that this approach will provide examples and provide a FORUM for discussion going forward.
We have a great deal to be thankful for, but we also have a lot to question. The recent election has started the process of change that is required to restore the liberty and freedoms that our Forefathers intended for each one of us to have. It is now up to organizations such as Pinecone Conservatives to ensure that the change moves forward and does not move us backwards.
I end each week with a quote. Today, I end with the words of John F. Kennedy. He was a fiscal conservative and he had the compassion to extend the greatness of this country to those who needed it. He said: “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”
The next few weeks will be fun and they will be full of great stories and facts about how liberty and freedom should work! The next few weeks will also start the process of moving us forward to organize for conservative thought and action. I promise!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Action is the only way to bring about change. The inaction of Congress over the extension of all the Bush tax cuts will prove to be one example in the future of how not to govern. This is why Nancy will go home this year, as the former Speaker of the House!
Nancy, it’s time to go home!
The Speaker of the House, now soon to be Former Speaker, has not given any one an early Christmas gift. The Democrats have played their last game and it has hurt everyone. The Democrats truly believe that tax cuts don’t create jobs and that unemployment benefits do. The failure of the Democrats to extend the Bush tax cuts to all is just politics as usual and this is why they were voted out. The House passed a bill Thursday to extend middle class tax cuts while letting those for the wealthy expire, even as talks continued on extending them all.
The House bill was a political maneuver to satisfy Democratic lawmakers' supporters who oppose extending tax cuts for the wealthy. It has no chance in the Senate, where Democrats need Republican support to pass tax legislation. Sweeping income tax cuts enacted under former President George W. Bush are to expire at the end of the year. If Congress does not act, taxpayers at every income level would be hit with a significant tax increase.
The fear now is that the wealthy will sell off their stock before year’s end so that they get a benefit of a lower capital gains tax. This could crash the market due to a massive sell off. Unemployment notched up last month to 9.8% the highest it’s been in thirty years. There were only 39,000 jobs created last month.
I cannot wait for Nancy to just go home!
This month, I am changing the format of the FORUMS just a bit. I am going to write about famous events that have occurred throughout our history for the day that I write. This will set us up for our organizing efforts in January of 2011. For those who have filled in the name and contact information to become a Pinecone Conservative Organizer I will be contacting you soon to discuss how you can help to organize for conservative thought and action.
In these few short weeks before the holidays, my hope is to illustrate how you can take an issue and perform a compare and contrast discussion with those that you discuss conservatism with. This week, I have started to do that with the FORUMS. For instance, on yesterday’s date December 2, 1970, The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed by President Richard Nixon to protect human health and with safeguarding the natural environment: air, water, and land began operation. Amongst other things they do are to provide and monitor the EPA fuel economy test manufacturers use to advertise the gas mileage of their vehicles.
The compare and contrast argument is: When government decides to propose what seems to be a good idea at the time it quickly becomes just another out of control bureaucracy. The EPA today can regulate all environmental law, policy, fines and other things it wants to enforce under the guise of protecting the environment. For instance, they would be responsible for enacting the cap and trade policy if the legislation passed in the current Congress. The EPA today can set policy and regulate what they want without Congressional approval. This is what Progressives do when they control the bureaucracy. The EPA should be reformed with accountability built into its reorganization. It is nothing more than a bloated revenue eating behemoth. This is one more reason why jobs are not being created in the private sector. Government organizations such as the EPA are job killers. This is why Industries have moved there manufacturing facilities overseas where environmental requirements are not disincentives. In short the EPA has grown from a monitoring organization to an organization that would be found in places like the old Soviet Union, out of date and out of pace with the times.
This is a simple example of taking an issue, discussing its history and making an argument against the growth of a bigger government. It is important to know history because history can show us how to avoid the pitfalls of governing and how to take back our government when it gets out of control.
We have been a republic since 1789. This country has never had a strategic plan that looks forward. Our leaders act only for the moment without any regard for the nation’s future.
The examples that I use will be easy to translate and easy to use in your discussions. There is a lot of history, so the topics will be plentiful.
I believe that this approach will provide examples and provide a FORUM for discussion going forward.
We have a great deal to be thankful for, but we also have a lot to question. The recent election has started the process of change that is required to restore the liberty and freedoms that our Forefathers intended for each one of us to have. It is now up to organizations such as Pinecone Conservatives to ensure that the change moves forward and does not move us backwards.
I end each week with a quote. Today, I end with the words of John F. Kennedy. He was a fiscal conservative and he had the compassion to extend the greatness of this country to those who needed it. He said: “There are risks and costs to a program of action. But they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction.”
The next few weeks will be fun and they will be full of great stories and facts about how liberty and freedom should work! The next few weeks will also start the process of moving us forward to organize for conservative thought and action. I promise!
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: Action is the only way to bring about change. The inaction of Congress over the extension of all the Bush tax cuts will prove to be one example in the future of how not to govern. This is why Nancy will go home this year, as the former Speaker of the House!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
You have to have Capital!
Thursday – December 2, 2010
You have to have Capital!
Yesterday, I wrote a small tutorial about our tax system. It might have been a bit boring, but none the less the history of taxation in this country is still a political tool to be utilized.
The reason I wrote about taxes was because of the anniversary of the income tax and the debate that was centered in Washington, D.C. Today, we still have the progressivity of the progressive tax. Taxes are levied to pay for the goods and services that government decides we need. Taxes are used to pay for the expenditures that government undertakes. When government decides on making expenditures they never have the capital to pay for it. When government pays for something they just turn on the printing presses. This is what the debate in Washington, D.C. should be about, instead of tax hikes.
There are some critical events that happened on this day in our history.
They are:
In 1930, President Hoover went before Congress to make a plea for a $150 million public works program to work on various construction projects that would put America back to work.
In 1957, Aiichiro Fujiyama, foreign minister of Japan, strenuously protested American restrictions on Japanese exports to the United States. He asserted that Japan was the biggest importer of American goods and limiting Japan’s exports was “a matter of life or death” for his country.
In 1969, the Boeing 747 (often known as the Jumbo Jet) a long –haul, wide body commercial airliner receives its FAA airworthiness certificate paving the way for its introduction into commercial service in 1970.
On this date in 2001, Enron, an energy trading company, filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history. By the end of the year, Enron's collapse had cost investors including pension plans billions of dollars. It also cost the American public jobs. Enron officials had donated millions of dollars to Republicans and Democrats alike. In addition, it was revealed that Enron had paid no income taxes in four of their last five years in business, using almost 900 subsidiaries in tax-haven countries and other techniques.
Each of these events has a common link they either cost capital or made capital. The first one on the list cost Americans capital in 1930, because there are never shovel ready jobs that magically appear overnight. These types of jobs are never permanent. The capital had to be raised by printing more money and not by investing capital in an undertaking that would create permanent jobs.
The second event cost the U.S. tremendous market share when we acquiesced to Japan’s demand. Now it is Japan who places restrictions on our products that are exported there. And it is Japan who now is creating a trade deficit.
The third is the best example of what capital investment means to a company that created jobs, because of a product that was needed. The 747 and the Boeing Company revolutionized air travel. Like the example I used yesterday, about Henry Ford introducing the assembly line in 1913, it revolutionized an industry to create jobs. In these two examples, government was never involved until they either taxed the profits or regulated the product which resulted in costing the companies more in the way of pass along expenses to the public who either bought a car or traveled by air.
In these two examples, capital was raised and it was invested in an idea. Boeing and Ford never went before Congress and never demanded that government pave the way for their success.
In each of these examples that occurred on December 2nd, roughly twenty years between each, what was the outcome? What was most successful?
The fourth example was the beginning of where we find ourselves now. Paper that is now running off the printing presses is not backed up with tangible assets. The paper is just paper that is being converted to bonds that other countries are buying in the form of debt. It is the debt that will cost untold amounts of capital in U.S. currency that would be better utilized if companies had that capital to invest in expansion and the creation of jobs. You have to have capital to move an economy forward.
A customer told me today that he used to be liberal until he was old enough to conserve and then he knew what conservatism was all about.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: An idea for a product or service cannot be launched unless there is capital. The best ideas that use capital in the wisest way are the ones that succeed. Conservatism and capital go hand in hand. Liberalism and expenditures of false capital also go hand in hand.
You have to have Capital!
Yesterday, I wrote a small tutorial about our tax system. It might have been a bit boring, but none the less the history of taxation in this country is still a political tool to be utilized.
The reason I wrote about taxes was because of the anniversary of the income tax and the debate that was centered in Washington, D.C. Today, we still have the progressivity of the progressive tax. Taxes are levied to pay for the goods and services that government decides we need. Taxes are used to pay for the expenditures that government undertakes. When government decides on making expenditures they never have the capital to pay for it. When government pays for something they just turn on the printing presses. This is what the debate in Washington, D.C. should be about, instead of tax hikes.
There are some critical events that happened on this day in our history.
They are:
In 1930, President Hoover went before Congress to make a plea for a $150 million public works program to work on various construction projects that would put America back to work.
In 1957, Aiichiro Fujiyama, foreign minister of Japan, strenuously protested American restrictions on Japanese exports to the United States. He asserted that Japan was the biggest importer of American goods and limiting Japan’s exports was “a matter of life or death” for his country.
In 1969, the Boeing 747 (often known as the Jumbo Jet) a long –haul, wide body commercial airliner receives its FAA airworthiness certificate paving the way for its introduction into commercial service in 1970.
On this date in 2001, Enron, an energy trading company, filed for Chapter 11 protection in one of the largest corporate bankruptcies in U.S. history. By the end of the year, Enron's collapse had cost investors including pension plans billions of dollars. It also cost the American public jobs. Enron officials had donated millions of dollars to Republicans and Democrats alike. In addition, it was revealed that Enron had paid no income taxes in four of their last five years in business, using almost 900 subsidiaries in tax-haven countries and other techniques.
Each of these events has a common link they either cost capital or made capital. The first one on the list cost Americans capital in 1930, because there are never shovel ready jobs that magically appear overnight. These types of jobs are never permanent. The capital had to be raised by printing more money and not by investing capital in an undertaking that would create permanent jobs.
The second event cost the U.S. tremendous market share when we acquiesced to Japan’s demand. Now it is Japan who places restrictions on our products that are exported there. And it is Japan who now is creating a trade deficit.
The third is the best example of what capital investment means to a company that created jobs, because of a product that was needed. The 747 and the Boeing Company revolutionized air travel. Like the example I used yesterday, about Henry Ford introducing the assembly line in 1913, it revolutionized an industry to create jobs. In these two examples, government was never involved until they either taxed the profits or regulated the product which resulted in costing the companies more in the way of pass along expenses to the public who either bought a car or traveled by air.
In these two examples, capital was raised and it was invested in an idea. Boeing and Ford never went before Congress and never demanded that government pave the way for their success.
In each of these examples that occurred on December 2nd, roughly twenty years between each, what was the outcome? What was most successful?
The fourth example was the beginning of where we find ourselves now. Paper that is now running off the printing presses is not backed up with tangible assets. The paper is just paper that is being converted to bonds that other countries are buying in the form of debt. It is the debt that will cost untold amounts of capital in U.S. currency that would be better utilized if companies had that capital to invest in expansion and the creation of jobs. You have to have capital to move an economy forward.
A customer told me today that he used to be liberal until he was old enough to conserve and then he knew what conservatism was all about.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: An idea for a product or service cannot be launched unless there is capital. The best ideas that use capital in the wisest way are the ones that succeed. Conservatism and capital go hand in hand. Liberalism and expenditures of false capital also go hand in hand.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
We're still talking about George!
Wednesday – December 1, 2010
We’re still talking about George!
As we start the countdown to Christmas and New Years - we still don’t know what the federal government is going to do with our taxes. This is one of the reasons that the poor job numbers in this poor recovery continue to be so poor. The nation’s unemployment rate is still holding at 9.6%, although some individual states have a higher rate.
The President met with the new Republican leadership and everyone went away from that meeting in good spirits. The topic that was discussed was the continuation of the Bush tax cuts. These tax cuts are not new cuts; they were the cuts that President Bush enacted when he was president. If they are extended, taxes will remain the same.
The controversy in the capital is that the Bush tax cuts are set to expire in January. If they do expire, every one will have a tax hike in January. During this lame duck session of Congress the debate is now the controversy. If these cuts are kept in place/ extended taxes would remain the same. If they expire then we all will have a tax hike. This President and this Congress still have not submitted their budget or their recommendations for their next budget. This is the first time this has happened since 1974.
If any one says that George Bush did not impact the economy in a positive way they are mistaken. We are still talking about George two years after he left office. We are still talking about the effectiveness that his tax cuts had and we are still debating with the other side why tax hikes should not occur. The democrats cannot pass a tax hike by themselves. This is why, in this lame duck session, they want Republican support.
The President says he wants to work with the Republicans and the Republican leadership says they will work with him to get the nation’s business done. It is the nation’s business that we are talking about. Over 70 % of jobs in this country are created by small business. George Bush was smart, because he realized this. This President is not so smart, because he does not want to come to the realization of this. One thing remains constant in this debate. The left is still in control of this Congress and they still are fighting to impose their ideology no matter how mistaken they are.
The thing that bothers me most is that this debate cannot be won unless we have real leadership. Real leadership can now win over the president’s current plan. Real leadership will not conform to the status quo. Real leadership will say enough is enough we need the economic stimulus in the form of low taxes so more money is kept in the private sector for investment. The banks are not lending and the business owners are not hiring. We are still talking about George’s tax cuts and we still don’t have a budget or a firm notion of what the president’s tax picture will be for next year.
I had a conversation yesterday day with another small business owner. He said he has the work, but he doesn’t want to hire anybody right now, because he doesn’t know what next year will bring. I see this in my own business.
George Bush had confidence and he had conviction. These are the words that now describe him especially when we speak about him. The positives are far outshining the negatives. When our new leaders in Congress take control in January, they must display the same type of confidence and they must have conviction in what they are selling. This would be the advice that I would give to them.
On this date, in 1913, Henry Ford introduced the continuous moving assembly line. Ford was able to produce a Ford car every two minutes and thirty eight seconds. Henry Ford also paid his workers a livable wage. The sixteenth amendment was also added to the Constitution in the same year. The Sixteenth Amendment (Amendment XVI) to the United States Constitution allows the Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on Census results. This amendment exempted income taxes from the constitutional requirements regarding direct taxes, after income taxes on rents, dividends, and interest were ruled to be direct taxes in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895). It was ratified on February 3, 1913.
The history of taxation in this country has been a part of our fabric since the Civil War. The history of taxation in this country has been something we revolted against. The tax situation in this country is still a drain on those with the confidence and the conviction to improve business and our economy. Henry Ford didn’t worry about taxes. He was concerned about making automobiles. George Bush was concerned about small business, because he saw the greatness in men like Ford who had a better idea.
Below is all you need to know about the history of our current tax structure and how it works.
(http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html)
Taxation in the United States is a complex system which may involve payment to many different levels of government and many methods of taxation. United States taxation includes local government, possibly including one or more of municipal, township, district and county governments. It also includes regional entities such as school and utility, and transit districts as well as state and federal government. Tariffs were the largest source of federal revenue from the 1790s to the eve of World War I, until they were surpassed by income taxes.[citation needed]
The first federal statutes imposing the legal obligation to pay a federal income tax were adopted by Congress in 1861 and 1862 to pay for the Civil War. The 1862 law levied a 3% tax on incomes above $800, rising to 5% for incomes above $10,000. Rates were raised in 1864. This income tax was repealed in 1872, but a new income tax statute was enacted as part of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act in 1894.[1]
The United States Constitution specified Congress could impose a direct tax only if it was apportioned among the states according to each state's census population.[2] In its 1895 decision the Supreme Court held in the case of Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. that a tax on income from property (a tax on interest, dividends or rent) was a direct tax under the Constitution, and so had to be apportioned.
The apportionment requirement made income taxes on property practically impossible, and Congress did not want to limit the income tax solely to a tax on wages. Therefore, in 1909 Congress proposed the Sixteenth Amendment, which became part of the Constitution in 1913 when it was ratified by the required number of states. The Amendment modified the requirement for apportionment of direct taxes by exempting all income taxes—whether considered direct or indirect—from the apportionment requirement.
Congress re-adopted the income tax that same year, levying a 1% tax on net personal incomes above $3,000, with a 6% surtax on incomes above $500,000. By 1918, the top rate of the income tax was increased to 77% (on income over $1,000,000) to finance World War I. The top marginal tax rate was reduced to 58% in 1922, to 25% in 1925, and finally to 24% in 1929. In 1932 the top marginal tax rate was increased to 63% during the Great Depression and has steadily increased since then. When we add all the entitlement cost and the impact of the progressive tax system on top of that you can begin to see why we are in the shape we are in today.
With all of what you just read, do you think we should even be having the debate about raising taxes or do you think we should be helping businesses to hire people? George and Henry had a great deal in common. They had conviction and confidence. They also knew it was the American worker that made them succeed.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: I am proud to speak about George Bush, because he new who had the better idea.
We’re still talking about George!
As we start the countdown to Christmas and New Years - we still don’t know what the federal government is going to do with our taxes. This is one of the reasons that the poor job numbers in this poor recovery continue to be so poor. The nation’s unemployment rate is still holding at 9.6%, although some individual states have a higher rate.
The President met with the new Republican leadership and everyone went away from that meeting in good spirits. The topic that was discussed was the continuation of the Bush tax cuts. These tax cuts are not new cuts; they were the cuts that President Bush enacted when he was president. If they are extended, taxes will remain the same.
The controversy in the capital is that the Bush tax cuts are set to expire in January. If they do expire, every one will have a tax hike in January. During this lame duck session of Congress the debate is now the controversy. If these cuts are kept in place/ extended taxes would remain the same. If they expire then we all will have a tax hike. This President and this Congress still have not submitted their budget or their recommendations for their next budget. This is the first time this has happened since 1974.
If any one says that George Bush did not impact the economy in a positive way they are mistaken. We are still talking about George two years after he left office. We are still talking about the effectiveness that his tax cuts had and we are still debating with the other side why tax hikes should not occur. The democrats cannot pass a tax hike by themselves. This is why, in this lame duck session, they want Republican support.
The President says he wants to work with the Republicans and the Republican leadership says they will work with him to get the nation’s business done. It is the nation’s business that we are talking about. Over 70 % of jobs in this country are created by small business. George Bush was smart, because he realized this. This President is not so smart, because he does not want to come to the realization of this. One thing remains constant in this debate. The left is still in control of this Congress and they still are fighting to impose their ideology no matter how mistaken they are.
The thing that bothers me most is that this debate cannot be won unless we have real leadership. Real leadership can now win over the president’s current plan. Real leadership will not conform to the status quo. Real leadership will say enough is enough we need the economic stimulus in the form of low taxes so more money is kept in the private sector for investment. The banks are not lending and the business owners are not hiring. We are still talking about George’s tax cuts and we still don’t have a budget or a firm notion of what the president’s tax picture will be for next year.
I had a conversation yesterday day with another small business owner. He said he has the work, but he doesn’t want to hire anybody right now, because he doesn’t know what next year will bring. I see this in my own business.
George Bush had confidence and he had conviction. These are the words that now describe him especially when we speak about him. The positives are far outshining the negatives. When our new leaders in Congress take control in January, they must display the same type of confidence and they must have conviction in what they are selling. This would be the advice that I would give to them.
On this date, in 1913, Henry Ford introduced the continuous moving assembly line. Ford was able to produce a Ford car every two minutes and thirty eight seconds. Henry Ford also paid his workers a livable wage. The sixteenth amendment was also added to the Constitution in the same year. The Sixteenth Amendment (Amendment XVI) to the United States Constitution allows the Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on Census results. This amendment exempted income taxes from the constitutional requirements regarding direct taxes, after income taxes on rents, dividends, and interest were ruled to be direct taxes in Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. (1895). It was ratified on February 3, 1913.
The history of taxation in this country has been a part of our fabric since the Civil War. The history of taxation in this country has been something we revolted against. The tax situation in this country is still a drain on those with the confidence and the conviction to improve business and our economy. Henry Ford didn’t worry about taxes. He was concerned about making automobiles. George Bush was concerned about small business, because he saw the greatness in men like Ford who had a better idea.
Below is all you need to know about the history of our current tax structure and how it works.
(http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/151.html)
Taxation in the United States is a complex system which may involve payment to many different levels of government and many methods of taxation. United States taxation includes local government, possibly including one or more of municipal, township, district and county governments. It also includes regional entities such as school and utility, and transit districts as well as state and federal government. Tariffs were the largest source of federal revenue from the 1790s to the eve of World War I, until they were surpassed by income taxes.[citation needed]
The first federal statutes imposing the legal obligation to pay a federal income tax were adopted by Congress in 1861 and 1862 to pay for the Civil War. The 1862 law levied a 3% tax on incomes above $800, rising to 5% for incomes above $10,000. Rates were raised in 1864. This income tax was repealed in 1872, but a new income tax statute was enacted as part of the Wilson-Gorman Tariff Act in 1894.[1]
The United States Constitution specified Congress could impose a direct tax only if it was apportioned among the states according to each state's census population.[2] In its 1895 decision the Supreme Court held in the case of Pollock v. Farmers' Loan & Trust Co. that a tax on income from property (a tax on interest, dividends or rent) was a direct tax under the Constitution, and so had to be apportioned.
The apportionment requirement made income taxes on property practically impossible, and Congress did not want to limit the income tax solely to a tax on wages. Therefore, in 1909 Congress proposed the Sixteenth Amendment, which became part of the Constitution in 1913 when it was ratified by the required number of states. The Amendment modified the requirement for apportionment of direct taxes by exempting all income taxes—whether considered direct or indirect—from the apportionment requirement.
Congress re-adopted the income tax that same year, levying a 1% tax on net personal incomes above $3,000, with a 6% surtax on incomes above $500,000. By 1918, the top rate of the income tax was increased to 77% (on income over $1,000,000) to finance World War I. The top marginal tax rate was reduced to 58% in 1922, to 25% in 1925, and finally to 24% in 1929. In 1932 the top marginal tax rate was increased to 63% during the Great Depression and has steadily increased since then. When we add all the entitlement cost and the impact of the progressive tax system on top of that you can begin to see why we are in the shape we are in today.
With all of what you just read, do you think we should even be having the debate about raising taxes or do you think we should be helping businesses to hire people? George and Henry had a great deal in common. They had conviction and confidence. They also knew it was the American worker that made them succeed.
Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives
A footnote: I am proud to speak about George Bush, because he new who had the better idea.
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