The Nation's Best Economy - Not Just Another Texas Tale

Harlingen, Texas, March 28, 2009: I can picture the reader as he or she scans this copy.  The face grimaces and the words coming pouring out, “Here we go again, another Texas blowhard.” I understand we have a reputation for telling tale tales.  This however, is a story folks should think about and perhaps take similar actions.

When it comes to the economic tsunami sweeping our nation, Texas has already moved to the high ground and seems to be weathering the storm, while most of the country is covered in a sea of red ink. 

There are several reasons why the Lone Star State is looking at the world through a more optimistic prism.  First, Texas is constitutionally required to operate on a “pay as you go” budget.  Next, the state keeps a rainy day fund in excess of $6.7 billion and estimated to soon reach $9 billion. When the state legislature convened in January, it had an estimated $10 billion in surplus operating money to figure into the budget for the next two years. Finally, the state has no major sub-prime mortgage crisis.  All of this adds up to effective and efficient governance that has the Texas economy outpacing the nation.

According to Texas State Comptroller Susan Combs, “We are absolutely the best off of any state during these trying times. We do not have a sub prime crisis.  Only 1 out of every 896 Texas homes is in foreclosure, compared with 1 out of 70 in Nevada.”

According to Combs there are similar foreclosure rates to Nevada’s in both California and Florida. In addition says the Comptroller, “in 2008 Texas generated 71 percent of the new jobs in the United States.”

Texas has a $200 million Emerging Technology Fund that invests in companies and universities to attract high-tech jobs and to help start-up technology companies.

A Texas Enterprise Fund helps promote and recruit new business into the state.  This alone resulted in 51,600 jobs last year out of the 252,000 jobs brought into the state. Over the last five years state business practices have helped create 1.2 million new jobs in Texas.

How has this happened?  How has Texas been able to hold the high ground while the nation is battling a financial storm?  There answer is a common sense approach to governance. No unfunded spending is allowed.  The state has no income tax. There is a low taxation rate on business and there are reasonable state regulations, which make it an attractive place for individuals and companies to do business.  All this combines to rank Texas as the best state in the nation for business according to CEO Magazine and the Number One Economy in the United States, according to Financial Times.

It would be money well spent for most of the state legislatures in America, perhaps joined by the so-called economic experts in Washington D. C., to spend a little time examining how Texas operates when it comes to finance and economics.  It is really quite simple; we practice the same things in our homes every day.  Responsible people do not keep spending money they don’t have…they are economical in their purchases and people they don’t build barriers between themselves and the businesses that provide their livelihood.

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Maybe We Need A New Contract With America

Harlingen, Texas, March 24, 2009:  The telephone rang again the other night.  It was a caller from the Republican National Committee seeking a donation.  My response was, “I don’t think I am a Republican any longer, because none of you even know what the GOP really believes.”

When our elected officials stopped thinking and acting like Republicans they were all on a downhill slide.  They started acting like Democrats-Plus, or Socialist-Lites and they not only lost their conservative base, but they alienated the religious right of the party.  With every big spending, pork barrel piece of legislation they put their name to, another core value party member dropped support.

A person would need to be brain-dead not to understand what happened to the GOP.  When those holding office forgot their pledges to the voting public, they started losing and losing big.  When Republican candidates proclaiming to be conservatives spewed out promises out-democrating the Democrats, their campaigns were fated to fail. So, the GOP crashed and burned.

There was only one true glory election for the Republican Party in modern times and that was in 1994.  On September 27th of that year, all GOP candidates for the House of Representatives stood on the Capitol steps and signed their Contract with America.

Many of you may not remember the importance of that contract signed 15 years ago.  It called for 8 Tenets and 10 Bills.

The Tenets were:  First, it required that all laws applying to the American people also applied to Congress. Second, it called for a major independent auditing firm to conduct a comprehensive audit of Congress for waste, fraud and abuse. Third, it cut the number of House committees and cut committee staff by one third. Fourth, it limited the terms of all committee chairs. Fifth, it banned proxy votes in committees. Sixth, it required committee meetings to be open to the public. Seventh, it required a three-fifths majority to pass a tax increase. Eighth, it guaranteed an honest accounting of our Federal budget by implementing zero base line budgeting.

The ten bills in the Contract with America called for:  a balanced budget and tax limitation amendment, plus a legislative line-item veto to restore fiscal responsibility to an out of control Congress.  There was an anti-crime bill and a truth in sentencing requirement.

The contract advocated a Personal Responsibility Act to discourage illegitimacy and teen pregnancy and to cut spending on welfare programs, including a two years and out provision along with a work requirement to promote individual responsibility.

Child support enforcement, tax incentives for adoption, strengthening the rights of parents in their children’s education, stronger child pornography laws, and elderly dependent care tax credits were an important part of the Contract and its planned legislation.

Increased tax credits for children, ending the marriage tax penalty and creation of savings accounts to provide middle class tax relief were detailed. 

An important provision of the Contract was that no American troops would ever be under United Nations command.  It also restored essential parts of our national security funding to maintain our national defense.

For senior citizens, the Contract called for raising Social Security earnings limits, which had kept seniors out of the work force.  It also called for the repeal of 1993 Social Security tax hikes.  For small business there were capital gains cuts, incentive programs and a call for unfunded mandate reform.

Also included in the contract with America was a common sense legal reform act calling for loser pays legislation and reasonable limits on punitive damage awards.  The final bill proposed a first-ever vote on term limits to replace career politicians.

These were all things the American public was hungry to hear and they acted on the contract by voting an election sweep of 54 seats in the House, with the GOP winning the majority for the first time in 40 years.  The House went on to honor the Tenets of its Contract and it passed nine of the ten proposed bills.  The vote involving term limits won a plurality, but required a two-thirds majority as a Constitutional Amendment, so it failed.

Granted, some of what was proposed in the Contract with America did not become law because the measures could not garner enough support in the Senate, but some important changes did become a reality.

What would those 54 seats won in 1994 do for the House today.  If the Democrats lost 54 of the 254 seats they now hold, the Republicans would again have a 32 seat majority, Nancy Pelosi would step down from her position as Speaker of the House and some form of balance would be restored to a spend ourselves into oblivion government.

BUT…that is only if Republicans can face up to the shame they have brought upon themselves and their party by developing a new Contract that addresses the important issues of today.  THEN…honoring their contract when elected.  Those in office and those wishing to run for office need to remember that when conservative values and morality are the foundation of a person’s campaign they usually win, because in its heart of hearts America is basically conservative and moral.  If those same conservative values and morality continue to be at the core of how those elected to office govern, they will keep their Party strong and the public proud of their elected leaders.

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The Change You Asked For

Harlingen, Texas, March 20, 2009:  In November 2008 Americans went to the polls and 69, 456, 897 of you voted for change.  Of course, that also means that 239,583, 047 of you did not want any change. However, since so few of you either were not eligible to vote, or failed to vote your desires, that 69 million people who swung liberal-left became the majority with a little less than 53% of the popular votes cast on or before election day. We are now two months into the Obama Administration and a full Democrat majority in both the House and Senate.  So, how do you like your change?

While campaigning Barack Obama promised us a squeaky-clean and transparent Administration.  After being elected he tried and still tries to fill his staff vacancies with tax cheats and lobbyists.  To date, most legislation has remained hidden from the public and thirty of those lobbyists he would never hire are on the job. That is some kind of change, don’t you agree?

There has been a $787 billion Stimulus Bill, followed by a $410 billion Omnibus Spending Bill, the largest spending ever authorized without any input from the American people. It will create an accumulated debt that will, according to the Congressional Budget Office, grow to $9.3 trillion dollars in red ink over the next ten years.  How can you swallow that change?

Senator Chris Dodd and the other finger-pointing Democrats in Congress are casting blame for the AIG bonus fiasco on everyone but themselves. When it was the Democrats writing the bill that provided for the bonuses with language they inserted during conference, is this one of your changes?

The Obama directive to shut down the Guantanamo Bay prison facilities has been issued, but they have no place to put the prisoners.  Also, they can no longer be called enemy combatants and further, the administration is saying they will most likely have to be tried in our criminal courts…a place where national security matters may be revealed to other terrorists…and a place where they may be released to roam the streets of the United States.  How is that for change?

The government still hasn’t make our borders secure, protected our ports, make rail travel safe, or stopped drug and gun running.  Now that isn’t any change at all, is it?

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who many feel is calling the shots for the Administration, has publicly said that Immigration enforcement is Un-American.  Isn’t that a nice change?

The head of Homeland Security has ordered examinations and auditing of any unit that conducts workplace raids to remove illegal aliens.  This has stopped all worksite inspections and enforcement. It is happening at a time when an estimated 7 million illegal workers are holding down jobs that hundreds of thousands of American citizens could fill. How about that for change?

“Buy American” provisions have been inserted in the bailout package raising the ire of our European trading partners.  That is some change isn’t it?

Mexican trucks have been banned from U.S. highways in violation of NAFTA, causing Mexico to impose heavy tariff restrictions on U.S. goods.  Is that really the change we wanted?

The Obama administration is voicing strong support for the card-check rule in the work place to increase union membership, but threatening loss of the secret voting ballot.  Did we ask for this change?

Provisions within the bailout package demand that on all jobs let by the states, union wages instead of prevailing wages must be paid.  The will reduce the number of jobs the bailout will provide by several hundred thousand.  How about that for change?

Guns to be used by pilots in the event of highjacking are provided for in law, but Obama wants them removed.  That sure doesn’t sound like change you can believe in, does it?

You first heard about it during the Obama campaign, but negative pubic reaction forced him to stop talking about it.  At that time he called it “The Civilian Security Force”.  Now in office, he feels secure in resurrecting the project. The plan is to turn government civilian workers into the new Democrat version of German “Brown Shirts”, Directives being drafted would convert these civilian employees into the” DoD Civilian Expeditionary Workforce” and have them serve as combat support for the military.  Bet you didn’t see that change coming, did you?

The worst thing is all the money the Administration has spent and the huge additional sums it wants to spend don’t even exist in our Treasury.  More importantly, our nation’s credit is so bad; other countries do not want to lend us the money the Democrats want to spend.  What happens?  Well, they will run our printing presses day and night to create the green backs called for in their legislation.  This has already cheapened the dollar so much the United Nations is recommending that the dollar no longer be used as the international money standard.  I guess that is the change everybody really wants, isn’t it?

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And Here Comes Mr. Taxman

Harlingen, Texas, March 19, 2009: Now that the Obama Administration has you completely distracted with this bailout bonus hype, you can expect the stealth attack on your family purse to begin in earnest.  Enhanced program plans for education, universal medical coverage, plus the massive bailout and spending programs already enacted demand that you reach deep just to cover the interest on debt, and more to reduce the principle. We will never be able to pay enough to reduce the increased government intrusion into our lives.

Under current laws Americans who pay into our income tax system are already contributing substantially to the federal pocketbook.  Now it is true that more than 40% of our population pay no income tax at all.  However, the remainder of us does remit 42% of our total tax load to the Internal Revenue Service.

That is correct, only 42% of the money we pay to the government comes from the income taxes we file every year.  The remaining, or largest portion of our tax load is hidden in multiple charges we have seldom noticed.  Warning…they are already there, and you can only expect them to increase.

Just about everyone knows about the Social Security or Payroll taxes paid to the government.  When it is pointed out that huge numbers of Americans do not pay income tax, the retort is always that they do contribute to the Payroll tax.  Well, each working American does contribute what averages out to be $862 in Payroll taxes.  It doesn’t end there.  The employer also contributes another $862 in the employee’s name.  Now that isn’t a free tax gift from the employer.  Every tax he pays is figured into the bottom line; so that $862 has really been deducted from the payroll check you receive each week or month.

Most of these taxes are well hidden.  Corporate income taxes average out to $806 per person in the United States.  You never see that money vanish, but the sum has been added into everything you purchase.  Taxes on fuel, excise taxes and sin taxes average out to a total of $330 a year in individual tax burden.  Workers Compensation and Unemployment Tax combine to cost each American taxpayer another $160 a year.

How about the Import Tax, the Hotel Tax, the Airline Tax and the Utility Tax?  They may not be in place for every one of us, but combined they eat into the overall tax bite on Americans to the tune of another $175 a year.  We also shell out $60 a year average in state and local taxes, $41 in communications taxes, a like amount on electricity taxes, $17 on severance taxes, $34 on insurance premium taxes, $47 on alcohol and amusement taxes and about $50 a person in licensing taxes. In most states there is a state income tax adding to your heavy load.

Annually, the government brings in another $658 billion in these various forms of hidden taxes, which you can only expect the skyrocket upward under the proposals being prepared by the new administration.  For example, the current gasoline tax of 17 cents per gallon is being examined.  Government budget people would like to expand that tax to 42 cents per gallon.  There is also a movement to tax any employer provided health benefits or medical insurance.  Talk is that utility taxes need to be raised substantially to help with the cost of developing new “green” energy.

The Obama Administration is very quick to defend its ideas for expanding the government by telling everyone repeatedly that they won the election and have a mandate for change.  It should be noted that Barack Obama garnered 52.9% of the popular vote with a total of 69, 456, 897 people casting their ballots in his favor.  It should also be noted that the United States has a population of 309,040, 047 people with another person being added to those roles every 13 seconds.  Quick math will show you that means at least 239,583,150 people did not vote for that purported mandate for change.

So, pay attention Mr. and Mrs. America, more and higher taxes are heading your way.
It has been said, that our tax code is now ten times larger than the Holy bible.  Unlike the Bible, however, you will find neither good news nor salvation in its pages.

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A Nation of Fiduciary Neglect

Harlingen, Texas, March 18, 2009:  Along with countless other Americans, I find it extremely difficult to tune in the television news accounts of congressional leaders finger pointing at corporate executives.  If they had any integrity worthy of salvation, all members of Congress would resign their seats and leave Washington in disgrace.  A harsh statement you say!  Well, examine what is taking place in our country from this perspective – fiduciary responsibility.

Every person we elect to office, from members of the city council to the President of the United States is an individual we have entrusted with the power to handle our financial and legal affairs for the benefit of the people.  These are called the designated person’s fiduciary responsibilities.  Should that person or body, through neglect, illegality, or any form of betrayal misuse the office in a manner that causes loss or harm to those who placed the person in the position of trust, actions can…and should be taken.

Punitive actions against people who have failed in their fiduciary responsibilities are commonplace.  We see it time and again that school superintendents and school board officials are removed from office due to various forms of monetary mismanagement.  City managers lose their high salaried positions because funding is wrongly allocated.  Corporate leaders are charged with crimes because monies in their trust have been lost.

So, why do we, as a nation, stand by and allow members of the House of Representatives and Senate sit high on their platforms of regal importance and point fingers of blame at everyone but themselves.  It is Congress that passes legislation filled with everything from “Buy America” requirements to the banning of Mexican trucks that were guaranteed access to our highways by treaty, thus threatening tariff barriers.  It is Congress that inserted requirements that any contracts accepting stimulus money must pay the prevailing union wage, thus reducing the number of Americans who can be employed by that same money.  It is Congress that inserted rules in the various bailout packages that all contracts must be honored.  It is Congress that placed almost 9,000 pieces of earmark legislation in a spending bill, thus giving a favored few rich rewards at the expense of all Americans.

To take things even a step further, the President told all citizens that his would be a transparent administration and even that all bills would be posted for five days before he signed them, to allow citizens the opportunity to view and understand national actions.  That proved to be a false promise.

If everything mentioned here were to be examined closely, there could be only one conclusion and that is every person in national elected office has failed in his or her fiduciary responsibilities.  Such massive failure demands, at the very least, they are removed from the positions they now hold.  Those charged with the tasks related directly to finance have failed to perform their duties so flagrantly, their actions border on being criminal.

I guess that is why many of us can’t stand to look at these televised hearings. They are a farce.  Instead, Congress should be sitting at the front of the hearing room be quizzed and sanctioned by the electorate.

Now, this does not dismiss the actions of those corporate executives that have trashed our economy.  They too should all be charged with failure to perform their fiduciary responsibilities.  However, they were given the green light to raid our treasury by a congressional body that acted in a like manner.

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What Are Veterans and Retired Military Saying About New Administration

Harlingen, Texas, March 10, 2009:  When the Obama Administration took office; it claimed to have assumed national leadership with a mandate for change. Congressional leaders said, “we won – get used to it.” Within the families of many veterans and retired military personnel this is not translating into any change they view as acceptable.  In a sampling of this group requested from across the country no positive responses were received.

“I really believe Obama will give us change,” says Arnold Fisher an Iraq war veteran from Oklahoma City.  “In fact, when he finishes up stacking all of his planned new taxes on top of us, all we will have left is the ‘change’ in our pockets.”

“Any housewife knows that if her checkbook shows $100 she can’t go buy $110 worth of groceries”, responds veteran Eric Muth of Milford, CT.  “Our new government leadership should send its people back to grade school to pick up some of those things they should have learned early on.  Maybe before they implement any more financial initatives, they should talk to their mothers about how people manage to balance their checkbooks.”

Barbara Smith the widow of a veteran who lives in San Benito, Texas is a bit more charitable with her words. “Our government and this nation are on a slippery slope to hell.  If you look around you find corruption, greed, moral decay and a steady move away from all the things that made us great.  I am convinced we must pray for our nation and its leaders and ask forgiveness for all the wrongs they are committing.”

Howard Watson writes, “As a retired member of the United States military I do believe that most of the members of Congress could benefit from a course that we used in Leadership Principles and Traits.  Now a retired psychologist, I see sick people who can benefit from various types of treatment, but I would be too gracious if I referred to these people as ‘sick’.  These people in Congress are lacking courage, responsibility, integrity and ALL the principles of leadership.”

In past commentary our Congress has been contrasted with those who serve in the armed forces. Retiree Kevin Healey took exception to that comparison saying,” Comparing Congress to the military is akin to comparing the ‘Band of Brothers’ to ‘A Band of Thieves’.  The only hope we have is term limits for members of Congress and the ‘Band of Thieves’ will never impose limits of any kind upon themselves.  The reality is we are stuck with most of these bastards until they die or go to jail.”

In speaking about the Obama Administration and who they will help or hurt Rick Redman of New York reflects, “I guess that means us folks that have to live on $12K a year are really going to take it in the shorts.  Do I hear the clatter of revolution in the distance?”

Veteran Michael Scott, writing from Glendora, CA seems to feel a lot of the unemployment problems would be solved if the Administration just obeyed existing laws.  “Wouldn’t it be in our nation’s interest, with a jobless rate at 7.6% (now 8.1%) nationally and 10.2% here in California, if all 554,000 illegal immigrants with outstanding deportation orders would be deported and their jobs then filled by unskilled and unemployed Americans.”

A military retiree who signs himself only as Gunner responds, “I honestly thought it would take about six months before people who voted for Obama would begin to wake up and realize they made a huge mistake.  It is happening much sooner than I thought.  One of Obama’s biggest supporters was Whoopie Goldberg.  So, Whoopie is now disappointed with Obama and Company and he hasn’t even been in office two months.”

Whoopie said this isn’t what she signed up for. She said that she understood it when Obama said he was going to tax the wealthy.  “OK, Now I don’t mind that.  I don’t mind paying a little more tax ‘cause I make a good living.  But, I don’t want to get it coming and going.”

“I wanted to be able to call this man my president.  That now seems almost impossible”, says retired Navy CPO Russ Kindle from North Carolina.  “Every move the man has made is so far to the left of center that he violates everything I believe in.  But then, I still cling to my guns and my God.”

Lieutenant Colonel Harry Riley writes from his home in Crestview, FL that as an Army retiree the Administration’s actions make his “blood boil.” He writes, “There is no gimmick Obama and his minions won’t try to move America solidly socialist, or should I say ‘communism-lite’.

Writing about the planned tax increases for people making more than $250K, R. L. Fisher ponders, “I wonder if the people who get the ‘tax break’ will ever figure out that their tax has really gone up.  The problem is with the hidden tax as it gets added to all goods and services.  So, the government blames it on capitalist business owners and uses it as an excuse to raise business taxes even more.”

Admittedly, the words reported here are only random responses from veterans and retirees around the country.  There are undoubtedly members of the military family who agree with everything the Administration is trying to accomplish.  The interesting thing is…not one of that group wrote and stated his or her case in support of this “change we can believe in.”

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Do We Have A Ninja In The White House?

Harlingen, Texas, March 7, 2009:  Legend has it that in 14th century feudal Japan, ninja were employed by various ruling daimyo or shogun to silently work their craft against unsuspecting opponents in the darkness of night.  The ninja was a master in the art of stealth or the skill of going unperceived.  It is told in various stories that a ninja could almost invisibly move up behind his victim, slit the unknowing target’s throat and vanish, still unseen.

The feudal lords of early Japan outwardly had a strong code of honor.  They always treated an opponent with dignity, respect and even friendship.  If any hostilities arose, battles were always waged in the light of day and face-to-face.  Since it was not honorable to have sneak attacks or assassinations, ninja were hired…and always secretly, never admitting who had employed the use of their dark arts.

It could very well be that we now have a new version of a tax-ninja in the White House.  Though all public pronouncements repeat time and again the Administration mantra that “Ninety-five percent of Americans will receive a tax cut, ” this is far from being the truth. Some quick math will prove that a planned stealth tax attack will really turn that pledge into a lie.

Take, for example, the average median household income in the United States, which is estimated to be around $50,000 a year.  This family would qualify for that promised $13 to $20 a week increase in take-home pay.  Using the larger of those figures the net gain per year would be just over $1,000.

However, the administration’s plan is to quietly introduce a cap and trade tax on all CO2 emissions caused by business.  Since coal is a major target of this tax and coal provides about 75% of the fuel used to generate electricity, all electric companies get hit with a huge tax.

Autos discharge huge amounts of carbon dioxide, so this industry, already in a state of collapse, is heavily taxed. The same is true for oil refineries, factories and even farming or ranching.

In fact, when you consider oil, gas, electricity, and other means of production…the most generous estimates are this cap and trade tax will drive up the cost of everything from food to fuel and manufactured goods to utilities by between 15% and 20%.  So, that $50,000 household income has now been taxed an additional $7,500 to $10,000, depending upon the final increased cap and trade tax costs to each family.

Now the family that received a $1,000 annual increase in take-home pay finds itself struggling to keep its head above water with an additional $6500 to $9,000 out-of-pocket expense, due to stealth taxation.

The Obama Administration also wants to increase federal gasoline taxes by 10 cents a gallon.  If your family drives the national average of 10,000 miles per year and gets good mileage of about 20 miles per gallon, you can add another $50 a year to your tax burden.  If you drive more or have a car that does not get good mileage, that dollar amount grows.  Another thing to consider is Congress says increased mileage efficiency means less tax revenue, so they are considering imposing another tax based upon the miles you drive each year.

What about smokers?  Those who follow smoking trends tell us the vast majority of smokers are found in families with lower incomes, so that places them in the 50K and below grouping.  A new cigarette tax of $6.20 per carton has already become law.  If your family smokes only one carton of cigarettes per week, that additional $6.20 a week adds another $322 a year to the federal tax burden you will be forced to carry.

We have a president who has promised 95% of all Americans will get a tax break.  At the same time he is using ninja-like stealth to hide the fact his plans call for tax increases intended to strike every sector of our economy.  The double-speak of telling everyone they will have more money in their paycheck, and not telling them how all of his additional planned tax increases will impact their lives is very similar to the ancient shogun speaking to his enemy with friendship and respect, while at the same time arranging for that attack in the dark of night.

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A Congress Devoid of Leadership

Harlingen, Texas, March 6, 2009:  To even the casual observer, it is easy to see the United States Congress has a leadership void of vast proportions.  It has become a body of elected officials where the unseeing are leading the blind and good decision-making or acceptance of responsibility is unknown.  This is a very sick body of people who are really in need of some serious help. 

Congress could improve itself by emulating the principles and traits established by the most respected organization in the country.  Without exception, the men and women of the armed forces are America’s most admired and respected body of people.

There are, scattered among the multitudes of their fellow citizens, about two million military retirees, plus a strong active duty force.  Though the retired service personnel are now embarked on a wide spectrum of civilian pursuits the lessons they learned while wearing the uniforms of their country still, in the vast majority of situations, allow them to stand tall among their fellow Americans.

There is a very powerful reason why these men and women are admired, respected, and sought out to fill important roles in their communities.  That reason is a mystic thing called Leadership.

Almost without exception, career enlisted personnel and officers are required to undergo a wide variety of leadership training courses.  These are not just a single indoctrination classes, but ongoing training across many years of their careers.

Today, even the giants of industry recognize the value of leadership training as it has been developed within the armed forces.  The business world has even taken the military leadership principles and traits, modified them to fit their various business models and train their supervisors and officers to apply them in the work place.

Well, Congress-people, how would you measure up if the military leadership principles were applied to you and your role in government?

First, you should know yourself and always seek self-improvement.  Most Americans believe those in Congress have an inflated opinion of themselves and they only seek further self-aggrandizement.

Next, you should be technically and tactically proficient. The average person in Congress has so little proficiency that he or she must rely on the skills of career staff personnel to do everything from preparing bills to be filed to explaining the content of various pieces of legislation.

Of major importance is developing a sense of responsibility among your subordinates and even your peers.  This happens no place in Washington D.C. or in the Halls of Congress.  The rule is keep protecting yourself at all costs, and if necessary, throw the other guy under the bus.

Leaders must always make sound and timely decisions. Everyone knows there has seldom been a sound decision made by Congress and nothing has ever been timely on Capitol Hill.

It is very important to set the example.  For as long as people have memories, every example set by Congress has been bad.

A key principle is...know your people and keep them informed.  It is obvious that those in Congress have no idea about the needs, aspirations or objectives of the people they serve.  As far keeping people informed, these same elected officials go out of their way to keep everyone in the dark.

Seek responsibility and take responsibility for you actions.  This principle doesn’t even deserve comment when trying to apply it to Congress.  There are 535 people in that big building on the hill that have never taken responsibility for anything.

A leader will ensure assigned tasks are understood, supervised, and accomplished.  This is another principle that remains unknown, not only by members of Congress, but across Washington D. C.

Finally, train your people as a team.  In Congress there is no team concept.  There are only coalitions that are temporarily formed to promote what is desired at that moment.

There are also Leadership Traits that the armed forces attempt to instill in all its officers, NCOs, and petty officers.  These are the traits of: Dependability…Bearing…Courage…Decisiveness…Endurance…Enthusiasm…Initiative…Integrity…Judgment…Justice…Knowledge…Tact…
Unselfishness and Loyalty.  How many of these traits have you observed anywhere in the nation’s capitol?  Do I hear…None?

There is a solution that could correct the inability of Congress to lead.  These are the lawmakers of our country, so they could just make a law that would require every member of Congress to undergo leadership training.  Since leaders are made and not born, it would still be possible for that band of pork barrel pirates to remold themselves into a body that could garner the respect of the constituents.  Congress wouldn’t have to go very far to get that training either.  The Marine Base at Quantico, Virginia is just down the road.

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More Jobs Needed? Well, Enforce Immigration Laws!

Harlingen, Texas, March 4, 2009:  Not having the benefit of Washington D.C. wisdom, I may not be smart enough to figure out a very economical way to improve the job market for Americans.  However, as an average guy living next to the USA-Mexico border I do have some grasp of the situation.  As succinctly as it can be said – If the federal government did its job of securing our border and removing illegal aliens from the workplace, there would be an abundance of employment openings.

The old worn-out line that illegal aliens only take job that Americans won’t do, just doesn’t fly any longer.  Last month the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) raided a Bellingham, Washington engine rebuilding plant and removed 28 illegal workers.  The raid had hardly faded from the news cycle before American workers were lining up for the vacant positions.

The answer to boosting our economy and putting citizens back to work seems simple from this vantage point.  There are somewhere between 8 and 38 million illegal aliens in the United States.  The federal government cannot give you even a close approximation because in addition to not being able to secure our borders, it has never learned how to count.

Now instead of the billions the Obama Administration wants to use just to create or save (What does that mean?) three million jobs, why don’t they do what they have been mandated to do by law…and remove three million illegals from the work place?

Last year ICE removed about 300,000 illegal aliens from the work place.  That number alone would open up 10% of the jobs the Administration is trying to create.  But, why not remove at least the three million illegal workers holding jobs citizens need, and solve most of our problems?  They claim is ICE doesn’t have enough personnel to conduct more on site raids.  Well, then…hire more ICES agents.  That too will create jobs.

Training those agents will take too long, some proclaim.  We need shovel-ready jobs now.  Well, how about this…we have about 700,000 full time police in this country.  Why not give them some federal incentive pay (rewards) for locating and removing illegal workers from the ranks of the employed?  In fact, there is already a government incentive pay or positive performance pay rule on the books, so it could be modified to cover illegal alien detection and removal from the work force.

If just our police were used to locate and arrest the illegal workers, and we offered each officer a token $100 incentive pay bonus for each unauthorized worker scheduled for deportation, all needed jobs would be available over night.  The total cost would be about $300 million to open up 3 million jobs, and fines levied against employers could recover all that was being paid out by the government. That sure beats the tar out of the multi-gazillions of taxpayer dollars they now plan to squander on questionable job producing make-work projects.  Another thing to consider…when Obama’s make-work is finished, the workers become unemployed again.  If illegal aliens are removed from existing jobs Americans should be able to fill, those are permanent positions that will continue indefinitely.

None of this is really rocket science.  The politicos just need to toss out the special interest politics and follow our laws.  When it comes to Americans being able to put beans and bacon on the table that should trump all other concerns.  To not take such action is to tell this country “No We Can’t!” instead of “Yes We Can!”

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Taxation or Theft?

Harlingen, Texas, March 4, 2009:  There is a saying that when one person steals your money, he is a thief.  When Congress does the same thing, it is taxation.  I would argue what Congress does is still the work of 535 thieves.

Just think about it for a minute.  You not only are required to pay your Federal Income Tax, if you do not work where they automatically deduct that tax from your paycheck, you must estimate your income and even pay in advance.  If you under estimate your annual income, there are additional penalties.

But, that doesn’t even come close to how much your pocketbook is attacked on a regular basis.  The late humorist Will Rogers once said, and I loosely quote, “If you have a pocketful of money, the government tosses you in a creek…and you get to keep everything that doesn’t get wet.”

If you spend any time on the Internet you may have received a printing on the different taxes our various governments demand we pay.  There are building permit taxes, cigarette taxes, corporate income taxes, excise taxes, federal unemployment taxes, gasoline taxes, telephone line taxes, cable taxes, liquor taxes, luxury taxes, property taxes and personal property taxes.

There are real estate taxes, sales taxes, Social Security taxes, school taxes, state income taxes, state unemployment taxes, computer line taxes, utility taxes, vehicle license taxes, vehicle sales taxes, watercraft taxes, workers compensation taxes, inventory taxes, service charge taxes, marriage license taxes, hunting license taxes, fuel oil taxes, fishing license taxes, and don’t forget the death tax.  There are many more, but in boggles the mind attempting to recall each and every way that working peoples pockets are picked.

Now we hear that the massive bailouts, pig outs, and “investments” are all going to be paid for by more taxation on the top two percent of people filing income tax.  Somebody in Washington needs to take a course in remedial mathematics, because the figures just don’t add up.

When the banking bailout was passed under the Bush administration, we were told it would cost us $6,500 for each American family.  That figure applied if there were only 3.5 people in your family.  If more, the debt was $2,000 a person. 

We have been given bailouts, spending plans, stimulus packages and budgets ad noisome.  With a population estimated to be in the neighborhood of 309 million people, your personal tax debt has now grown to $35,500 and still counting every hour.  Do you seriously believe the top two percent of wage earners in the United States can cover that obligation?  Remember too, that $35,500 personal slice of the national debt is based on all 309 million people picking up their share of the tab… and guess what, half of the population in this country doesn’t even pay income taxes.

But, Ali Obama and the 535 Thieves are still trying to figure out how to dig even deeper in everyone’s pocket.  There is talk of taxing the Internet based upon usage.  That will hit our text messaging teens very hard.  There is talk of taxing your driving by the mile.  But, then if you drive less, they will need to tax you for the time your automobile is idle.

However, one of their far-out proposals may have some merit.  Someone in Washington is talking about taxing adult movies, nightclub strippers and all pornography.  Since there are claims that pornography is the most sought service on the Internet, that tax alone might reduce the national debt.

It matters not what those bandits in Washington spend or “invest”, the American taxpayer still pays for all their fiscal abuses.  It won’t get any better until everyone gets mad enough to take action against the offenders.  Until then you must be the one to decide…is it taxation, or theft?

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"TRUST ME!" - THE MOST ABUSED PHRASE IN WASHINGTON

Harlingen, Texas, March 3, 2009:  Without a doubt, when it comes to their own governance, Americans are the most gullible people on the globe.  Without exception the majority of the population rates Congress and the Washington establishment slightly lower than whale waste on the ocean’s bottom.  Yet, at election time these same citizens manage to vote for…and return to office those same individuals who have managed to make the words trust and honesty sound as if they were titles to X rated movies.

The Obama Administration and Congress have looked the American public in the eye and said, “Trust Me” about one time too many.  Today it is not only our economy that is on life support, it is trust in our national government.

Just about everyone but hard-core economists have lost track of the billions – no that is trillions of dollars we have dumped into failed business and government boondoggles during the past five weeks.  The only thing we know for sure is our children, our children’s children and our great grandchildren will spend their lives trying to work off the debt we have managed to pile upon their shoulders during less than two months of 2009.

But, why we allow such wasteful and hazardous practices to continue is impossible to comprehend.  With the amount of distrust in everything about Washington, it is amazing there hasn’t been a mass protest filling every street in the nation’s capitol, headlining every news publication and screamed from every radio and television set in the country.

In a large Rasmussen survey conducted last week, 73% of all adults said they trust the judgment of the American people more than they trust our political leaders.  The reverse opinion in that same survey said only 13% of the population trust politicians more than they trust the public.

One interesting result of that poll reveals 20% of Democrats trust our political elite more than their fellow citizens.  But, even in this very left-leaning party, 63% of Democrats trust the public more than their own leaders.

Eighty-three percent of those who wear the Republican brand trust the people of America over the Washington in-crowd and 76% on independents trust the public over either political party.

Those operating their own businesses report that 81% of their peers have no trust in Washington.  That figure is slightly less among private sector employees, with 75% showing distrust in the political establishment.  Even government employees have no faith in the politicos.  Sixty one percent of those who work for national and state governments trust the public more than they trust their own employers.

How does this huge percentage of the population show its lack of trust and confidence in everything being originated in the Administration and Congress?  For one thing the public has quit buying and keeps pulling its money out of the market.  There has been more than a 7,000 point drop in stocks since the start of government bail outs, stimulus packages and budget requests, and with each new bail out or stimulus announcement, the market plunges even lower.

Americans believe so strongly that our economy is in a serious long-term decline that across the United States spending has been cut back more than one third.

Even with the massive amounts of funding support inserted into the auto industry, financial markets, banks and AIG, everything remains in a downward spiral.

The President asked the American public to trust him to slow down the economic slide, but…if anything it has started to slide even faster.  We have a Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, who instead of displaying confidence in his own actions, is starting to look like an addict in the middle of withdrawal.  Congress is at its most ill-tempered of all time…knowing constituents are breathing down their necks to get things right.  The tag-team duo of Pelosi and Reid cannot or will not keep pork out of the money pie, even though they know this is one of the most hated things on the public’s list of wrongful government actions.  The public also knows that pork has been divided up 60% to the Democrats and 40% to The Republicans and their anger is being spread proportionately.

What the outcome of all this public rage and loss of faith in government will produce is anyone’s guess.  The late conservative columnist William F. Buckley once wrote, “Liberals, it has been said, are generous with other people’s money, except when it comes to questions of national survival, when they prefer to be generous with other people’s freedom and security.”

He also said, “The best defense against usurpatory government is an assertive citizenry.”

The big question is…Are Americans ready to assert themselves and when Washington once again says, “Trust Me”, answer…”Hell No!”

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