How many of [your] values do you want politicians to diminish or eliminate so they can "reach across the aisle"?

March 11, 2009 - I'm back.... A bureaucracy will do and say anything to get more of your money; and that includes [keeping] people stupid and dependant. Typically, they will use subtleties and condescending attitudes to accomplish this fete. The article below represents typical bureaucratic thinking, and not necessarily Democrat. The print in black is the article as printed in the "Enquirer"; the print in red are my comments on the content.

Sex Ed survey results released

Elizabeth Willis • The Battle Creek, Michigan, Enquirer • March 11, 2009

[[There is a perception]] people in Calhoun County generally are not ready to face the facts about teen pregnancy and what needs to be done to lower its rate. Maybe the perception is that of the authors of these queries, and maybe “people in Calhoun County” were confronted with “push-pull” questions that saddled them with that perception.

A [[scientific survey]] of adult attitudes, completed this year by researchers from Michigan State University, refutes that assumption. Author Steven McCornack presented the empirical evidence Tuesday to about 35 people concerned about the county's high rate of teen pregnancies. Maybe this “scientific survey” was just more push-pull questions.

In Calhoun County, 7.7 percent of all teen girls were pregnant in 2006, which is about 2.3 percentage points higher than the state average, according to the most recent data available from the Michigan Department of Community Health. What were the pregnancy rates in the 1940’s, 1950’s, 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s? If one supposes that pregnancy rates have dramatically risen in relatively recent years, then why don’t I see evidence that this “scientific survey” asked survey recipients; “what do you think caused dramatic increases in pregnancy rates since the 1960’s?” Point of fact; the pregnancy rate for 15 – 19 year olds in Michigan in 2006 was 54%... Does anyone with half a brain not think that is dramatically higher than it has ever been?

The [[misunderstanding]] of public attitudes has led to [[ambivalent support for sex education]], with the loudest, most polarized voices leading the discussion. The easy way out has been to leave it to parents to talk about sex, said Nancy Macfarlane, chief executive officer of Community Action, who has worked on the issue with area nonprofits since the 1980s. Maybe the “loudest, most polarized voices” are actually correct, ergo the “ambivalent support for sex education”! Since Nancy McFarlane has “worked on the issue with area nonprofits since the 1980’s” and the problem has only gotten worse, maybe she is dead wrong! Maybe, by labeling those who disagree with her as “misunderstanding of public attitudes, rather than discussing the differences of opinion, she seems to demonize them as opposed to intellectually confronting them.

"Low and behold nothing gets done, we move on, and nothing gets done about this problem," she said. "So we have a very high teen pregnancy rate." Nancy, why not meet publicly with those who oppose your point of view and work to resolve these issues? 

So Macfarlane several years ago petitioned the husband-and-wife team of Steve McCornack and Kelly Morrison of MSU's Department of Communications to do a scientific study of adult attitudes toward sex education and teen sexuality. Ok, who do you go to, to prove you are absolutely correct when you know you are? Yes; someone who already agrees with you.

Dr. McCornack’s bio, as described by Michigan State University notes that his prime responsibilities as Undergraduate Coordinator are to approve credit transfers from outside institutions, review waiver requests, and resolve student problems.

Dr. McCornack’s research interests are listed as “interpersonal and relational communication, verbal communication and deception” --- Was Dr. McCornack an obvious choice to facilitate Nancy McFarlane’s survey needs?

Five years ago, they conducted a survey of Battle Creek residents. This year they completed a second, larger study of residents countywide, this time including questions about gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues. Can we see the real survey questions?

On Tuesday, McCornack reported that people across the county strongly support a blended approach to sex education, one that provides kids with information about abstinence, sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptives from their parents primarily, but also from schools and community programs. Can we see the real survey questions?

The results concur with other surveys the duo has conducted in mid-Michigan. I’m sure!

"Most parents are very practical about what they want their kids to be taught. ... They want everything," McCornack said. I doubt they want “everything”!

Subtle differences emerged, however, in the degree of importance communities attributed to the issues. “Subtle” – Hmmm, I wonder how subtle…

Marshall residents, in particular, voiced support for blended approaches to sex education but not as strongly as those in Battle Creek and Albion. Was this [subtle] difference resolved, or were the “subtle differences” determined to be too subtle?

Based on those results, people might think Marshall is a more conservative community and less enthusiastic about sex education in schools and in community programs. Hmmm; “more conservative”, “less enthusiastic”… Maybe folks in Marshall don’t see any value to increasing the size of Nancy McFarlane’s bureaucratic empire when they determine the results of such programs to be at best insignificant, costly, and quite possibly contribute to the problem; noting the problem has only gotten worse where these ummm, social programs have been instituted. 

Not so, said Marshall Public Schools Nurse Sue Boley. Marshall's curriculum has included discussions of abstinence and contraceptive use since the 1980s.

"I think they are comfortable with what Marshall Public Schools are teaching," Boley said. "We have consent forms that list the objectives and everything that's covered, and we have very few with kids opt out of our sex education program." There are never enough social programs Ms. Boley; at least, so we are lead to believe…

McCornack said Marshall residents probably [[don't feel as strongly about sex education]] because it's not as big an issue to them. They might already [[believe the programs in place are working]]] well or know that teen pregnancy rates are lower in Marshall than other areas. Those are [[questions for further studies]], he said. Maybe Dr. McCornack and Nancy McFarlane, residents in Marshall [do feel strongly] about sex education, but think [you two] might not understand what you’re talking about. So yes, they probably “believe the programs in place are working” just fine, thank you! But I’m sure, Dr. McCornack, that you won’t let them get away with that stuff; with Nancy McFarlane’s deep [tax payer funded pockets]” you’ll get back in there with more studies; more surveys. You’ll get ‘em sooner or later… By the way, how much was Dr. McCornack and his wife paid?

All communities agreed it is very important that parents teach their children about sex and sexuality, McCornack said. But the problem might be in the way parents approach the topic. Of course!

Nearly all parents say they talk to their kids about sex, but often it is too late and too emotionally charged, McCornack said, [[citing other research he and his wife have conducted]]. Only about 10 percent of parents have open and ongoing discussions -- sprinkled with humor -- about anatomy, sex and relationships. Dr. McCornack, your bio does indeed list your “research interests” as “interpersonal and relational communication, verbal communication and deception”. Supposing sex education falls in play somewhere there, could you specifically site the actual “research” you and your wife have done? Maybe a couple of surveys, the actual questions and the responses?

"It's about becoming an askable adult," said Pat Horton, community outreach and education coordinator for Planned Parenthood of South Central Michigan. "It really is about laying the groundwork at an early age, for when they are 16, 17 and 18 and they really are having a lot of pressure, you are the go-to person because you've had this open dialogue all the way though." Give us a specific age; or a specific grade level, please.

Communities disagreed, however, on whether gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender issues should be discussed in school and in community programs. Go figure!

"For this particular issue, people are all over the place," he said. "It's a loaded issue. It's a politicized issue. People feel very strongly on either side of it." Of course, but I wonder which of us knows best what is good for the rest of us?

When survey respondents were asked how accepting they perceived their community to be of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people, Albion residents said it was neutral while Battle Creek and especially Marshall residents said it was mildly negative. How do you feel about it Dr. McCornack and Nancy McFarlane?

But when people were asked about their own [[tolerance]], nearly everyone said they were very tolerant, McCornack said. Maybe they are giving a sensible response to a poorly stated question. Maybe they are very tolerant of things they wouldn’t want for themselves but disagree how and why others would want to instill those values in their children.

"[[This is really curious and not surprising]]," he said. "We perceive ourselves generally as infallible or pure in our beliefs, but we can certainly see the flaws in others. Good grief, how condescending. Maybe the “curious part, indeed the surprising part, is that folks would disagree with what you want, as opposed to what [you think] others must want! If you want to have some “generally speaking” conversations, I’m thinking those who you seem to be talking down to would accommodate you!

"So it's a finger-pointing issue." And who’s finger is doing the pointing, hmmmmmm?

Horton, who also is co-chair of the Calhoun County Coalition for Inclusion, said it is extremely encouraging that individuals [[at least] perceive themselves as [[tolerant]] of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender people. Ms. Horton, you sound surprised. All the reasonably thinking people I know think this way; and how we feel is not to be described as “at least”, nor is it to be described as “tolerant”. Unless of course, you felt the need to include that verbage to keep your job.

"I think it says, 'I'm tolerant,' or, 'I want to be more tolerant,'" he said. Yeah, yeah, yeah; blah, blah, blah…

More analysis will be conducted on the survey results, including [[reporting on open-ended questions]] in which respondents could write freely their opinions of sex education and teen sexuality, McCornack said. We anxiously await your version of the responses from your open-ended questions…

The full report will be available online at the Calhoun County Public HealthDepartment's Web site, www.calhouncountymi.gov/publichealth, within a few weeks.

Elizabeth Willis can be reached at 966-0684 at ewillis@battlecr.gannett.com.

___________________________________________________

November 30, 2008 - What does it mean to think like a Conservative? Is it true that there exists no Model Conservative and, it could even be said that conservatism is rather a contradiction of ideology?

November 15, 2008 - The state of the world economy; simply stated. Do the research, I dare you… Within a day following the demise of both Fanny Mae and Freddie Mac a prominent local realtor in Battle Creek, Michigan, said on the radio; “It was so sad to hear about this. Fanny and Freddie have been like a Mom and Dad for so many people; making sure those who couldn’t get a loan, got one!” Well “mom and dad” did do just that to the tune of billions of dollars. It was not a surprise either and thanks to Congressman Barney Frank and Senator Christopher Dodd efforts to resolve the situation, made obvious by numerous warning signs, were belittled and ignored. In the days and weeks following the “mom and dad” bailout, much of the rest of our economy started to tumble; the world economy, soon to follow.  

Fast forward to today and ask this question of world financial experts; “Did your country’s economy tumble because you also loaned money to people who did not, or could not, repay mortgage loans?”  Their answer is always a resounding “No”! As a representative of the government of Ireland said; “world economy is very closely tied to the U.S. Ireland's economy is suffering from the international aspect of business; we like almost every other country in the world are connected very closely with the U.S... If the U.S. gets a cold, we get the flu!”  

Hold on… Australia isn’t doing badly; why isn’t there economy also suffering? Here’s the answer -  Former Conservative Prime Minister, John Howard of Australia led his government back from the depths of Liberal spending to establish a dollar surplus that would provide a “cushion” against such world-wide economical disasters. As you all know, creating any such “cushion” in the U.S. political system is completely out of the question.

Liberal politicians, empowered by their "special interest" support groups would never allow even $1 to be placed in a "cookie jar"!

November 7, 2008 - Post-election beginning... Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm has been pegged by Obama to serve on his economic development committee. Here are the facts-- Michigan has the highest unemployment rate of any state in the United States. It has been thus since she took office, seven or so years ago. She has raised taxes; didn't work. She has blamed the previous Governor, Republican of course, for the problem. That excuse worked; teacher unions and the now jailed Detroit mayor played an important part in her re-election two years ago. She now brings her ummm, expertise to the national scene.

If you think about it--- this might be a smart move by Obama; get all of her suggestions and then make sure none of them are implemented and............... If it all goes to hell in a hand bag, do the Granholm dance; blame Bushhhhhh!

November 3, 2008 - A Youtube video that should scare the hell out of you! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tt2yGzHfy7s In this video you will see Obama say that he wants a civilian national police force; not local police, not state police, not FBI, not military... The "Gestapo" was a civilian national  police force -  it was a very effective "National Civilian Police Force"!!!!

November 1, 2008 - While I normally concentrate on political stuff, I'm taking a break to tell you how easy it is to get "ripped off" when you are contemplating home improvement projects. We've been over due for two new chimneys. The brick was in bad shape; it was crumbling, etc. As any responsible person might do, I asked various neighbors who had work done recently who they used. I got two names and subsequently scheduled them to give me an estimate. The first one gave us a bid of $4,100. That seemed like a lot of money for the job so I had no qualms about waiting for the next bid. The second guy came; he represented a company, long in business in the city and advertised daily on local radio. His bid, after a 10% company birthday celebration discount, was $9100.

Then, another idea came to me; call a business that sells brick and ask them if they could refer anyone. They gave me three different names, told me the work of each is good, but that I should get bids because the price may vary considerably --- tell me about it!

I was able to reach two of the three who said they would stop by and give me a bid. In the meantime, I talked to some folks and also gave the whole thing some thought... I conjectured that since it was early Fall and that the ones who had already been here told me they were very "busy", that it may not be out of the realm of possibility their bid might be "jacked up" considerably. The next two bids were $2,500 and $2,300. I looked at previous work of both, judged their demeanor and their responses to what questions I could think of and chose accordingly. As good fortune would have it, the fellow I chose was also the lowest bidder...

It was a good choice; actually the best choice. We are 100% satisfied with the work and it was the least expensive. So, if you're anywhere near Battle Creek, Michigan, and need any kind of cement work done, be sure to include Scott Martens in Bellevue. His phone number is 269-317-3611...

One more thing... I don't know what more I would have gotten from Tichenor, Inc., of Battle Creek for the extra $7,000 they wanted for the job, but I'm absolutely sure that it would not be anything that I wanted...

October 26, 2008 - Rant, thought, observation, etc... Former Massachusetts Governor William Weld is the latest Republican to dump McCain by giving stature to the Democrat, Barack Obama. He said;

"It's not often you get a guy with his combination of qualities, chief among which I would say is the deep sense of calm he displays, and I think that's a product of his equally deep intelligence."  "Senator Obama is a once-in-a-lifetime candidate who will transform our politics and restore America's standing in the world. We need a president who will lead based on our common values and Senator Obama demonstrates an ability to unite and inspire. Throughout this campaign I've watched his steady leadership through trying times and I'm confident he is the best candidate to move our country forward." 

Without substance, Powell, Adelman, Buckley, and other so-called Republican leaders explain their support of Obama using almost the exact words as Weld(above). Leadership in the mind of our current leaders now means; “deep sense of calm”, “deep intelligence”, and “restore America's standing in the world”.

Charles Krauthammer has his opinion - he says;

“I'm talking about bucking the rush of wet-fingered conservatives leaping to Barack Obama before they're left out in the cold without a single state dinner for the next four years.” (see the complete Krouthammer article)

Krauthammer is correct, but only so far as describing the behavior as a symptom. More....

October 24 - To date 3,247 so-called academics sign petition praising Bill Ayres... This post is for thinking and concerned people already versed on the life of Bill Ayres. For your information I've attached a memo and statement of support for Bill Ayres, signed by 3,247 so-called "academics" from all over the U.S.

I'm putting this out because I'm aware of the attitudes and thinking that at least some of this group represent. Personally, I would not take lightly to my child having contact with anyone signing this thing. I would want to feel comfortable that my child is getting an education, not an indoctrination!

If you have a child going to college and you're interested, here is the statement of support 3,247 academics signed and the educational institution they represent..

October 23, 2008 - A question... We have [quota] driven federal, state, and local jobs that supposedly are good for our society; why doesn't the Democrat Party push for a quota system for teachers as well?

October 23, 2008 - from the "EIB Institute"... Two days after the Bush administration briefed both campaigns on security issues around the world, Democrat VP Candidate Joe Biden said this at a campaign rally; 

"Obama's gonna be tested, and he's got a spine of steel. He's gonna be tested; our numbers are going to be way down and our response to what this international incident or incidents is, you're not going to think we're doing the right thing at first. I want you to hang in there and support us, all right?"  Senator Joe Biden

Let's look at how our enemies test us...

 Al-Qaeda has a history of testing all of our new leaders. 

• At the World Trade Center, 1993; Al-Qaeda tested Clinton.  We failed. 
• Mogadishu 1994, Al-Qaeda tested Clinton.  We failed. 
• Khobar Towers, 1996; Al-Qaeda tested Clinton.  We failed. 
• The Kenya-Tanzania embassy bombings, Al-Qaeda tested us.  We failed. 
• The 2000 bombing US Cole, Al-Qaeda tested Clinton.  We failed. 
• On 9/11, Al-Qaeda tested Bush; we passed.  We haven't been hit since. 
• March 11th, '04, the Madrid bombings; Al-Qaeda tested Spain. Spain failed. 
• August 2008, Al-Qaeda tested Canadian Prime Minister Harper, killed Canadians.  Harper announced a pullout from Afghanistan in 2011; Canadians failed. 
• August 2008, Al-Qaeda tested French President Sarkozy by killing 11 French paratroopers.  Sarkozy passed and said he wouldn't surrender in Afghanistan. 

You could throw in here the potential tests.  You throw Israeli on the board, Venezuela, China. What might China do? What might Russia do?

We know what John McCain would do!     Do we know what Barak might do?

October 22, 2008 - A question for all you Obama-ites... Argentina President Cristina Fernandez has signed a bill that will nationalize the country's 10 private pension funds. She said she is doing so to save the pension value for pensioners during this international stock crisis.

How many of YOU would like the U.S. Congress and Barney Frank to be in control of your pension; hmmmmmm???

October 21, 2008 - Professors hold school drop-out summit and remain confused!  Professor Andrew Sum, imported from Boston for his summit expertise said "Michigan used to have among the most well-paid dropouts"... Hell, they still do. They get paid for doing nothing; it's called endless and unrestricted "welfare"! At what was billed as [the] "Michigan Dropout Prevention Summit" professors and other educated but under-learned men and women still don't get it; read on...

October 20, 2008 - Capitalism vs. Socialism; there is no "messy middle." Originally published by the Ludwig Von Mises Institute

October 19, 2008 - This year, 2008, 20,000 [Michigan] children are expected to drop-out of school! Does anyone care? In Michigan, schools have one of the highest drop-out rates in the United States and the highest unemployment rate. With minorities composing a majority of both statistics, they continue to vote overwhelmingly for Democrat politicians.

In response to the school drop-out problem, bureaucrats and arrogant, self-righteous, vote-mongering politicians want to hold [hearings] while food stamp and apartment welfare costs, now in excess of $120,000+ for [each] of these drop-out [children] continue to rise. (side note: Congressional Dems in D.C., in response to a Republican outcry in 2007 held hearings about Fanny and Freddy. With a Dem majority, they  found no wrong. Will Michigan Democrats do better?) Oh; of course, this $120,000+ for each of these wayward children who quit school doesn't cover the babies they make. That is a whole other budget line entry.

It's a great life for Liberals; "Joe Taxpayer" foots the bill to enlarge the voting base for Democrats while go-along, get-along, reach-across-the-aisle Republicans cooperate out of fear of being bad-mouthed in the media.

News flash -  At this writing Washington D.C. so-called educators announced they will be paying kids cash to stay in school. How very nice. D.C. taxpayers have been paying $13,000 per kid for their Liberal indoctrination and now they will pay them to stick around to get the whole dose!

Back to the future -- There is hope that some day all this will end. We all know that if enough people get killed at any particular intersection, bureaucrats will eventually put up a stop sign. And so it is with the school drop-out fiasco. It will happen as a package; a part of a total cultural enlightenment. It won't happen until things get really, really bad; if Democrats take over the Presidency as well as the House and Senate in this election cycle that should speed things up a bit.

How it will happen - Taxpayers still standing will wonder aloud how things got to this point. Blacks, who will still compose the bulk of school drop-outs, will start to realize they are still slaves, only now beholding to Democrat politicians for their monthly stipend.

Then,  it will happen; out of the shadows, an unheard of Governor from an insignificant state, or a plumbers-helper from Podunk will emerge and talk about unrestricted welfare. How it is the root cause of the high drop-out rate in our secondary schools. How it creates an atmosphere where there are no expectations in return for welfare; that it only fosters  a generational mindset that actually believes "their job" is to cash the check. How the "great society" has evolved into the "great vote-getting scheme" and that it amounted to nothing more than a fraud perpetrated on our people, on our culture, and our society. How it destroyed neighborhoods and whole cities. How it destroyed the once proud institution called the " American family". How it created hate and resentment and caused people to live in fear in their own homes. That person will go on to say that we must help people, but in a way that helps them to help themselves; the same way parents [should] be raising their children. Help them by creating an environment that encourages responsibility and accountability.

People will listen and they will start to react in positive ways. It will not happen overnight, but it will happen; after all, it took 40 years for the Liberals to get to where we are now...

October 12, 2008 - Letter-writer ties up all the loose ends. Dawn Wolf of Bellevue, Michigan, makes an articulate, and verifiable case, why Obama should not be our next president, let alone a U.S. Senator.

October 8, 2008 - Obama's illegal foreign money ties? One story tells about millions coming in. The other story asks what is going on in Kenya that has that government all worked up about... Are the two stories connected? More to learn here, for sure!

October 8, 2008 - Clair McCaskill is a United States Senator from Missouri. She is co-chair for the Obama campaign so she also exhibits outspoken rhetoric against Republicans. When she finished an interview at MSNBC recently, she handed her earpiece to Mitt Romney, who was next up, saying; “I spit on this before I put it in.” 

This disgusting performance by a United States Senator says much more than exposing her as a “pig”. It is telling about the people who elected her and worse it gives people, mostly the impressionable young who are emotionally caught up in politics, a signal (intentional, or not) to do what they can do to [top] her idiotic performance.

As a society, we 've been heading in a very bad good direction for quite a few years. It can only stop when those of us on the "Right" come to grips with this reality and stop being afraid to speak our minds to our Liberal friends and neighbors; they certainly aren't afraid of speaking their minds.

October 5, 2008 - Flash... My wife just suggested that all Democrats live and work together while all Republicans do the same. That ought to be a riot, so to speak... One more thing; she also tossed an addendum into the mix; let the Democrats have California free of charge.

Oh, have you noticed that California and now Massachusetts are both out of money? Yep, wonder of wonders; all those free social programs from the two most Liberal states in these somewhat United States want the rest of us to "bail them out". Who's next?

October 3, 2008 - What is the source of evil? When I think of how the Democrat Party has evolved over the years I am reminded of a response to a question posed to Marilyn vos Savant many years ago. Ms. Savant is a writer and thinker who has the highest I.Q. ever recorded, 228. The question was; "What do you think is the source of evil? Her response was;

"In my opinion, evil often begins with jealousy. An edifice is then built to house that jealousy, in an unconscious effort to deny this humiliating emotion; The individual finds a section of writing or constructs a forum, hoping to win converts. As the group grows, obsession may result. If it does, and the object of jealousy remains unfazed, hatred may take root. At this point, the organization may stabilize and become entrenched in society, or it may become violent, which can happen when its leaders are malicious. Finally, if that violence produces pleasure, I believe the worst sort of evil has been born."

Sure sounds like the Democrat Party to me!

October 2, 2008 - Do you vote for the person or the party? I recently met a man who told me he does not vote. He is 32 or so and works hard supporting his family in Traverse City, Michigan. While chatting, he told me; "I don't have the time to spend in order to vote intelligently, so I don't vote!" I was taken aback by his honesty and frankness to say the least. I thought for a moment, and told him; "you my friend, are a man of character"...

Reflecting on that conversation, I think about living in an age where we are lead to believe that it is a sin [not] to vote whether one knows one damn thing about what is going on or not. It is refreshing and was a privilege for me to have met this man. And so, I decided to write a little about voting, as I see it...

It has always been that throughout history the politics of governing has been driven by what might best be described as a polarity. One pole of the polarity would be the “Right”, representing conservative thinking, while the opposite pole, the "Left", represents liberal thinking. An arguable description of each might well be that Conservatives go directly to their brain (using reason) to resolve issues while Liberals look to their heart (relying on emotion) for answers to their questions.  

People who elect both can be students of either Conservatism or Liberalism or, they may exercise their vote for purely selfish or various other reasons specific to the individual. The voter who says they vote for “the person; not the party”, does so because they haven’t taken the time to understand the ramifications of politics or they are embarrassed to admit they are not up to speed on the difference between the two. However, by stating this, they are ultimately perceived by political pragmatics as not having any values. Some pragmatics will say that these folks should have to take a test in order to vote. Others will take advantage of their lack of awareness, effectively persuading them to vote in a way that might well be a vote opposite of which they would have, had they taken the time to educate themselves.   

Certainly my description of “politics” is best applied to the state and national venue while many city and county political offices often do not attach themselves to party labels; i.e. Republican or Democrat. I might add that an educated observer could easily place an individual either “Left” or “Right” by an examination of that person’s voting record.

(Note: a third party can never attain equal status with the other two in competition for your vote; their is only "Left and Right", there is no "Middle" as an equal contender. That is not to say that a third party cannot "take over" the position of either party; that is a natural phenomenon that certainly can occur. What is more likely to happen though, is an element of a party taking over the focus of the party. In the Democrat Party, we've seen Liberals do just that. In the Republican Party, if I may be so bold to inject some partisanship, I am hopeful that soon we'll be seeing the Conservative element taking the helm away from the elitists in the party.)  

My advice to a person who is confused about the difference between Democrat and Republican --- Take some time to determine if your values are Conservative or Liberal; if Conservative, you should vote Republican because at this moment in history that is where Conservatives hang out. If Liberal, you should be voting Democrat because that is where Liberals hang out. One important thing to remember -- It is very easy to be a Liberal; your first emotional reaction will be your final decision. Conservatism is more difficult. Conservatism requires one to be thoughtful; balancing emotions with reason can be hard work.

September 24, 2008 - Obama and Biden vs. Palin? The Left has invested much in their attempts to demonize and belittle Sarah Palin; often going so far as to make her the focus of the debate, rather than John McCain. You might ask; why would the Left spend so much time and energy condemning her; are they stupid? No, they're not... In reality the Left is afraid of Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin achieved what the Left has been selling to "women" as something unattainable without Democrats being in power; that is, a married woman with a bunch of kids being highly successful in a "work" atmosphere.

The Left maintains their power by creating the notion that people are victims of the Right. Unions, children, gays, the elderly, women, etc., are a few  segments of our society that the Left preys upon. Sarah Palin is a threat not because she is running as a Republican, she is a threat because she has proven that the "women as victims" premise is a falsehood. Truth be known, the Left must keep victims believing they are victims. Take the Michigan Education Association for instance; teachers in Michigan enjoy wages and benefits far beyond the norm of their profession. Their union tells them if Republicans have control, their goodies will be at risk. That is all it takes; teachers in Michigan vote Democrat. What do Democrat politicians do to reward the unions? One example is that they push for increases in minimum wage law. Teachers, along with most other unions have a clause in their contract that base their salary on a pay differential that uses the "minimum wage" as a starting point. More money in their pocket is all that is needed.

By her history of achievement as a mayor and as a sitting governor, where she enjoys a 80% favorability rating, Sarah Palin represents the substance of Conservatism. Substance, my friends, is a direct assault against the success of the symbolism of the Left, and symbolism is all the Left can offer. Sarah Palin must be taken down or it will be one very large nail in the coffin of Liberalism. And so it goes...

September 23, 2008 - Parents and athletic director believe high school kids should [not be] "punished in a punitive way".  Athletic Director Greg Hermsen agrees with parents; saying that students on free or reduced lunch need more leniency, not less... (Is this the mentality that will encourage kids to be responsible adults?)

The Battle Creek, Michigan, Lakeview Schoolboard now gives students 4 strikes. Board member wants 2 strikes. Parents want 6,7,8,9, strikes... Do you wonder why things are so screwed up in America? Those of you who still think reasonably must read this! You folks who agree with these parents; you are the problem, forget it!

September 1, 2008 - The difference between an intelligent “politician” and an intelligent “political leader” is the fiber of that person.  A “politician” will all too often sacrifice integrity by saying and doing that which does not threaten their political standing. Politicians will often respond to questions they’re asked and decisions they are forced to make as being “complicated”. They do so because they first have to consider the “political” ramifications of their response. During Obama’s eight years in the Illinois Senate, Obama voted “present” 129 times. That is not yes - That is not no - That is Obama saying he has no idea how either a yes or no vote will affect his political future… That is NOT an example of someone with principles…That is certainly not leadership. It is merely a side note in history!  

A “political leader” has a strict sense of right and wrong, and simply says and does what is important to them; regardless of consequences! A political leader will speak from their brain AND their heart, acting in harmony; to me that is their character. Political leaders will find it uncomplicated when responding to every question they’re asked and every action they take. They can do so because they react to circumstance with a set of guiding principles. They might include morality, ethics, values, and strong beliefs. There is substantial proof that Sarah Palin has a history of exhibiting a strict adherence to her principles before and after her election as Governor. Many Alaskan Democrats, bureaucrats, and Republicans alike, have come to appreciate her guiding principles and the tenacity to which she pursues them.

Experience? --- History presents us with example after example of authentic leaders. History also examines the principles and the steadfastness to which those leaders exhibited their worth. Present a real “leader” with a problem and a set of circumstances and that person will present you with a best scenario resolution. This is why Sarah Palin was successful as a mayor without experience and this is why Sarah Palin was successful as a Governor without experience.  With these principles as a basis for her guiding philosophy to address circumstance, Sarah Palin will make a great Vice-President AND if necessary, a good President…

August 18, 2008 - The Democrat Playbook. It's all about; "the best defense being the best offense". If you think about every single issue Democrat talking heads accuse Republicans of, it is an issue Democrats are themselves guilty of. It is called "deflection", wherein you force your opponent to go on defense. This results in the Republican going off message and often times looking guilty in the process. Republicans are suckers for this tactic and never, ever, seem to expect it coming!

Then there are those who they are Independents, neither a Republican nor a Democrat. These folks put that line out there like it is some kind of badge of honor when in fact, it announces their ignorance. If they have any reasoning power at all and pay just a little attention to what is going on around them, they would surely choose a party and then, join me in criticizing others who are still suffering! I personally believe all Independents vote consistently Democrat because it is easier to do. Understanding how Conservatism, which is most prevalent in the Republican Party, is better for [everyone] requires thought and courage!

August 10, 2008 - It is notable that Calhoun County, Michigan, political stalwarts; Battle Creek Mayor Mark Behnke, former Mayor John Gallagher, former U.S. Congressman Joe Schwarz and others, supported Susan Baldwin against Greg Moore when Susan Baldwin openly supports “Planned Parenthood”. Isn’t that some sort of violation of establishment Republicanism?

When abortion includes pulling a fully developed baby by the legs from the womb until only the babies head remains inside, and then kills it by sucking its brains out with a needle, I draw the line. That procedure is [not] murder, only by one inch. Pull the baby out so its chin sticks out and boom, it’s legally murder!  

I am a Conservative. I doubt there are many real Conservatives who agree with late term abortion but we all now know of at least a couple of Republicans right here in Calhoun County who do. It is also notable that Susan Baldwin was defeated even with a low voter turnout. Perhaps this means that at least part of the silent majority was paying attention; I hope so…

In the Republican Party, the differences between "the anointed" and "the reasoned" are becoming obvious ; as they should!

May 30, 2008 - Home schooling in Michigan... "The number has been put any anywhere from 2,000 to 100,000, based on enrollment in home-school associations, number of parents who voluntarily report their enrollment to the state and calculations done by subtracting public and private school enrollment from census figures. Whatever the number, home-schoolers can hardly be considered underground any more." Read the entire story...

May 28, 2008 - "No-Confidence" in Grand Rapids teachers' union... That's what the Grand Rapids Board of Education finally said in response to the local MEA bunch after many months of pretend bargaining over a $4 million difference of opinion. Although the "No-Confidence" statement has no teeth to it, they backed up their frustration by refusing to continue collecting union dues for them -- $57,000 every two weeks to be exact...

I am aware, first-hand, that a Michigan MEA bargaining strategy back in the 1970's successfully used high paying auto industry jobs as a comparison tool in local contract negotiations; fine... But I think reasonable people would agree that if the auto industry was justification for [more money then], that it makes perfect sense to use the auto industry to justify [less money now]...

May 15, 2008 - To the Battle Creek, Michigan, City Commission. As a whole, it is depressing how current-day Republican politicians have come to [interpret] long-held standards of governing. Would it not be an interesting exercise for every elected Republican politician to actually have to support every "yes" and "no" vote they make with a reference to what Ronald Reagan said about the role of elected Republican politicians.  -- There is a glimmer of hope that common sense is on the return  with decisions coming from the Battle Creek City Commission -- and that is good!

Ronald Reagan said; "We, the members of the New Republican Party, believe that the preservation and enhancement of the values that strengthen and protect individual freedom, family life, communities and neighborhoods and the liberty of our beloved nation should be at the heart of any legislative or political program presented to the American people."

"Our task now is not to sell a philosophy, but to make the majority of Americans, who already share that philosophy, see that modern conservatism offers them a political home. ... The job is ours and the job must be done. If not by us, who? If not now, when? Our party must be the party of the individual. It must not sell out the individual to cater to the group. No greater challenge faces our society today than ensuring that each one of us can maintain his dignity and his identity in an increasingly complex, centralized society. "

"Extreme taxation, excessive controls, oppressive government competition with business … frustrated minorities and forgotten Americans are not the products of free enterprise. They are the residue of centralized bureaucracy, of government by a self-anointed elite. Our party must be based on the kind of leadership that grows and takes its strength from the people. Any organization is in actuality only the lengthened shadow of its members. A political party is a mechanical structure created to further a cause. The cause, not the mechanism, brings and holds the members together. And our cause must be to rediscover, reassert and reapply America's spiritual heritage to our national affairs. Then with God's help we shall indeed be as a city upon a hill with the eyes of all people upon us."

May 15, 2008 - To the Calhoun County, Michigan, Republican Establishment... Since 1968, the Democrat Party has become increasing Liberal. In order to maintain their power and influence, the Republican Party has determined to do the same. That Republican notion of “reaching across the aisle” is now culminating in the destruction of the party.   

In 2008, Nancy Pelosi wants a bigger majority of Democrats in the House of Representatives; Liberal or Conservative, it doesn’t matter; to her, a Democrat is a Democrat.  It is generally agreed, even by Republicans that their party will lose twenty congressional seats this Fall. How does the Republican Party respond? They call that [probability] a “predictable consequence” following eight years of a Republican Presidency. The nicest thing I can think of to explain this Republican attitude is complacency.  

In the South, The Republican Party is ceding conservatism to the Democrat Party. Conservative Democrats have taken congressional seats in Mississippi that George Bush carried handily in 2004, as well as the supposed Denny Hastert “safe seat” in Illinois.  

Locally, Conservative Republican Congressman Tim Walberg will be taken apart by MEA, etc., backed Mark Schauer. Why; because Republicans have no idea what “fighting the good fight” means… There is no fire in the Republican belly, nationally or locally; it’s the nature of the beast!  

John McCain was Okayed by Republican elites to head the ticket this Fall because of the “predictable consequence” theory. It has been the nature of Republicans to give up as well as “give-in” - Republicans know that Democrats attack; they lie and lie, and then lie again. Republicans will admit that is a successful strategy for Democrats but they don’t know how to respond to it.  So, they continue to spend an untold amount of public awareness time defending themselves against those Democrat lies instead of going on attack themselves.  

An old Liberal friend once told me that it is OK to lie as long as it’s for the greater good… We all know what Liberal “greater good” is- power in [their] hands. And who is there to help? Is it the public watch-dog; the media? The answer is an obvious, no! Why; because the media is actually the power behind the throne. A prime example of this is how fast media fell out of love with Hillary. Media now strives to protect Obama’s past while hee-hawing about Hillary dodging bullets in Kosovo. For media, it is not who heads [their] party, it’s all about [their] party being in control; control that is necessary to bring to life more of the Liberal agenda. Obama is a pure socialist; Hillary is only an opportunist! 

Rush Limbaugh has twenty million listeners; I am one. I listen to him because he articulates my thoughts better than I can; millions of others agree with me. We are not Independents, we see the larger picture. We are not Democrats, although most of us over 50 once were. We are not Libertarians, although we have much in common. We are not Republicans, although we vote for them. We are Conservatives; we are Conservatives because we have the ability to apply reason to the best interests of America without fear of personal power interrupting our thinking process. 

Rush Limbaugh has the pulse of an ever-growing segment of the Republican Party; Conservatives. I urge you to read what “Rush” has to say about all this. It is a monologue from the first hour of his show on Wednesday, May 14, 2008. It should be a must read for every Republican politician!

May 14, 2008 - Libertarian Presidential Candidate Bob Barr on "Boortz". For those of you who may be unaware; former Republican Congressman from Georgia, Bob Barr, is the Libertarian Candidate for President of the United States. I liked Bob Barr when he was in Congress. He was a leader and an integral part of the "Contract with America". Working with Knewt Gingrich, Barr played a key role in the 1994 Republican take-over of Congress for the first time in eons.

My on again/off again love affair with the notion of actually voting for John McCain was briefly decided when I heard of Barr's candidacy, but...... today I listened to Baar being interviewed by Neal Boortz. Boortz is, in fact, a life-time member of the Libertarian Party but has differences with their position on the Iraq War. Baar referred to our forces as "occupation forces", which inspired further questioning from Boortz.

Responding to a Boortz question on the use of that term in regard to U.S. involvement in past wars and conflicts, Baar said; "I'm not sure if a lot of Americans have a memory of history or even a knowledge of history". When Boortz asked him if he was worried about Iran going into Iraq if the U.S. left, Baar said; "I'm not certain if Iran has any thoughts about taking over Iraq"... These two statements did it for me; no Barr for me! This is not the Bob Baar I remember. Rather, it is Bob Baar, a typical Republican politician who is willing to sacrifice their values for power -- nope, no Bob Baar for me. I would just as soon hold my nose and vote for McCain; that, for the [only] reason I still stand by George Bush; because to date, we have not had any further attacks on America.

May 13, 2008 - Mackinac Center for Public Policy puts it all together. While Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm blames the "Central American Free Trade Agreement" and the "North American Free Trade Agreement" for her failures, Indiana and other states thrive. As the research indicates; "The competitors who are eating Michigan’s lunch aren’t Mexico or Canada, but other states where investors and entrepreneurs enjoy lower tax rates, better labor climates and fewer excessive and unreasonable regulations".

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sites worth your time

MEAexposed.com

fairtaxmi.org(Mich)

fairtax.org(Nat'l)

RightMichigan.com

opposingviews.com

michiganrecalls.com

mackinac.org

intellectualconservative.com

mediaresearchcenter.org

michellemalkin.com

Contact me at... nofool@foolmenot.com

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A note from me.... If I ever use the word "fair" or especially the word "fairness", in any context, I have gone over the edge. I will expect my conservative friends to pull me back!

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You don't have to teach a man to fish; teach him anything. Just get him off the welfare rolls. While you're at it-- teach your daughter some parenting skills and your son responsibility! Yes, all three are tied together; solve one, the other two are automatic!

Heck, if you're reading this you already know all this. So, so, so then go out and tell someone who needs it...

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