Perfect Timing

In view of the recent "Climate-Gate" fiasco and the pending climate change summit, I find the timing of the EPA's announcement questionable.  The EPA just discovered that greehouse gases are dangerous to human health?  What a breakthrough, and just in the nick of time!

Brohica says, let the money grab begin as the climate change tapestry begins to unravel.  Hey EPA, stick with combatting pollution.

Seal Clubbing Season Opens December 7

Don't tear up because I'm not talking about the murder of cuddly little sea mammals.  The SEALS I speak of are scheduled to be arraigned on Court Martial charges on Monday.  Feel free to get choked up or enraged about this travesty being perpetrated against three of our military's Special Operators.

The SEALS are charged with giving Ahmed Hashim Abed a bloody lip and providing false statements.  Abed is the suspect of masterminding the murder of four Blackwater security guards in Fallujah, Iraq in 2004.  You may recall that these people were burned, mutilated, and strung up on a bridge in a scene that was easily the equal of clubbing an adolescent sea mammal.

There is a lot of speculation out there about what may have occurred, so I won't get into that.  Quite simply, I don't believe the SEALS did anything wrong, and I do believe that Abed is a lying dirtbag.  Claiming torture when detained is right out the Al Qaida playbook, and the best the guy can come up with is a bloody lip?

I urge you to support these SEALS.  Check out the Facebook fan page, which has 48,522 members as I write this.

Hasan shoots up Ft. Hood and is not a terrorist, KSM is going to be tried in NYC in civilian court, and three of our nations heros are about to be arraigned for allegedly roughing up a terrorist dirtbag. A liberal media, a socialist administration, and a PC military are three things we can live without. Hard to believe this country has slid into such a giant clusterf#$%.

Give 'em hell bros!

Whom Do You Serve?

The idea that our country is trending toward a return to feudalism is becoming increasingly popular today.  I mean feudalism in a allegorical sense, where the citizen works to support the government, and expects certain duties or amenities in return.  I doubt most American's would agree that they willingly work to support government, but isn't that essentially what they are doing? 

A recent article from American Thinker describes William Bradford's commentary on how the Pilgrims initially suffered famine and failure.  By applying the feudal concepts of communal farming to their efforts to repay the investment of their creditors and escape servitude, their new world efforts failed miserably.  Ironically, as the Pilgrims sought to escape the remnants of feudalism in Europe, they applied the practices they had learned in that system without success in the New World.

In a radical departure from the thinking of the day, the Pilgrims finally made individual families responsible for farming an assigned plot of land. The results were astounding, and I think Bradford's description is apt:

This had very good success; for it made all hands very industrious, so as much more corn was planted then other wise would have been by any means the Governor or any other could use, and saved him a great deal of trouble, and gave far better content.

The experience that was had in this common course and condition, tried sundry years, and that amongst godly and sober men, may well evince the vanity of that conceit of Plato and other ancients, applauded by some of later times; that the taking away of property, and bringing in community into a common wealth, would make them happy and flourishing; as if they were wiser than God. For this community (so far as it was) was found to breed much confusion and discontent, and retard much employment that would have been to their benefit and comfort.

The lessons learned here took root as our country grew, and I believe had a great effect on the philosophy of America's founders.  Certainly it had great effect on fostering the ideals of self reliance and both individual liberties and  freedom.  I would also argue that this influence spawned the American Dream, where anyone could succeed through hard work and effort.

This week the U.S. House of Representatives voted to permanently extend the estate tax, to a tune of 45% on estates larger than $3.5 million dollars.  $3.5 million is by no means chump change, but in the words of Yogi Berra, "The future ain't what it used to be."  I have seen houses worth over $1 million that were worth a fraction of that when purchased. A family business with a net worth of $3.5 million is a successful business, but is hardly noteworthy on a global, national or possibly even a local scope.  Yet, our federal government is potentially entitled to 45% of assets of that business upon the death of the mother, father or grandparent worked their whole lives to grow that business?  The logic in that confuses me.

Fortunately, there are folks inside the Beltway that can explain it for me.  You may want to sit down first.

"In America, it's not a sin to be rich nor is it a crime to die rich," said Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo. "This bill gives our nation's wealthiest families the ability to know exactly what their obligation to the nation that fostered their wealth will be, and it is fair and it is just."

Their obligation to the nation that fostered their wealth?  Really?  So these folks owe the government for possibly serving in the military to get the money to go to school, for paying taxes (probably at a higher rate to account for their success), and generally for contributing to the economy.  I guess we should now have to pay for the privilege of living in America if we have experienced a large enough measure of success (as defined by the progressive brain trust). 

I don't foresee the estate tax provision coming into play for my decedents, but you never know.  If my efforts in this life are rewarded to that degree, I will have done it in service of my family and not for my government.  While I will have "rendered unto Caesar that which is Caesar's", I am strongly opposed to supporting pseudo-feudalism and the new lords of the manor.  If they continue to tell me what to do, I will continue to tell them where to go.

Fiscal Responsibility. Sort of.

Politico has an article today about expenditures of tax payer money by members of the House. It is enlightening, to say the least. Among some of the highlights:

• Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio spent a little over $24,000 on catering costs. You know, just a little over.
• Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland cha-chinged about $1,500 on bottled water. Excessive self-aggrandizement can definitely make one's throat dry.
• The Speaker herself spent nearly $3,000 on flowers, $30,000 on food and beverage, and $2,700 on bottled water. When asked about the food charges, Ms. Pelosi said she had lunch catered from the CIA commissary and they lied about how much it was actually going to cost.