Ignorance is bliss!

Just a day or two ago, I saw on Hannity, (Fox News), he had a panel of Democrats from New Jersey, the show was very interesting, and as usual, allowed the views from the “left” to be shared. I have to admit, I spend almost all of my day, and night, watching the news, and a limited few other programs, and reading books, but my world, my life, is basically here, on the Internet, so, I am able to keep up with what is actually going on in the world, and do not base my opinions on second or third hand information. This said, I am not judging anyone, I am just letting you know where I am coming from.

During this show, Hannity asked one guy if he liked paying taxes, and broke it down as to the facts about his state and local taxes making it that he paid more to live in a state that is in debt and has high unemployment. This guy, said he has to pay more in taxes to pay for states that don’t have state tax! Obviously, this poor uninformed man did not have a clue! State taxes go to that state, it is the federal taxes that go into the government fund and are supposed to be used to take care of the things that the Federal government is supposed to take care of, like our military, but, not the things the state is supposed to take care of like roads in that state.

You could summarize the definition of the word, “ignorance”, as, “not knowing”, thus, this man was ignorant to the facts. The type of government you have, the wasteful spending, the entitlements, the unions, and so on are what determine how much money a state needs and where they get this money. I live in the great state of Texas, we have no local or state taxes, and also have a balanced budget, unemployement is still lower than most states, and, the low taxes is at least part of the reason! Texas is a big place, has tons of roads, and no, they are not all perfect, I doubt any state is, but, we are doing pretty good. So, why do these “liberal” states have so many taxes? Ignorance! Yes, the people there, obviously, “don’t know”, that they too can have lower taxes, if, the adopt more conservative ways and move away from the fanatical fantasy of the “nanny state” that takes care of everything!

I met a guy from “up north” who was looking for a job, and couldn’t understand why here in Texas he got laughed at when looking for a job. The guy went on to explain that he just wanted to get paid about what he did “back home”, which was about $25 an hour, for a “helper” position. I couldn’t help but laugh when he said that he had been told, “we could hire three guys for that amount”, because I knew it was true. What this guy was so ignorant of, were the facts, that $25 an hour, put him in a higher tax bracket,  with the added local and state taxes, and the “Union Dues” he brought home less than the guy that got $8 an hour here! This means that three people have a job, spend money and keep the economy going. The cost of living is less here too because the business you buy your food or whatever from doesn’t have to pay those extra taxes to the city, state or union! You do the math, are you ignorant?

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Email from senator John Cornyn 4-13-09

21st Century Threats
‘Unproven Technology’ Lays Basis for Missile Defense

The following op-ed ran in today’s edition of the Defense News, which can be accessed here.

On April 5, North Korea launched a missile – and sent the world a wake-up call.

Ballistic missiles in the hands of rogue states, potentially armed with weapons of mass destruction, remain one of the most serious security threats of the 21st century. Change of administrations in Washington does not change this strategic imperative: Free nations must defend themselves from ballistic missile attack through robust and layered missile defense capabilities.

North Korea’s launch continues a ballistic missile development program that is now four decades old, and which many believe is the most advanced in the developing world. North Korea’s Taepo Dong-2 long-range missile has the potential capability to strike Hawaii, Alaska and possibly the West Coast of the United States.

Many observers agree that North Korea has proliferated elements of its missile program, along with those of its nuclear program, and has helped accelerate development of dangerous capabilities in Iran and other nations. Iran’s capabilities, in turn, could threaten all our allies in Europe, Central and South Asia, and the Middle East, including Israel.

Despite the growing risk, the new U.S. administration seems determined to scale back our missile defense capabilities and leave us and our allies more vulnerable.

On the same day that North Korea tested its new capabilities, President Barack Obama announced that America’s capabilities would be subject to new restrictions. He said in Prague that our missile defense partnership with NATO, including a tracking radar to be based on Czech soil, would go forward only if it is cost-effective and proven, and if the threat from Iran persists. These qualifications may seem reasonable, yet they signal unreasonable cutbacks throughout our missile defense program.

The next day, Defense Secretary Robert Gates made clear which U.S. missile defense capabilities meet the administration’s new standards. Approved for more funding are the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, the Standard Missile 3 program, and the conversion of six Aegis cruisers for missile defense.

Defunded or delayed are the Multiple Kill Vehicle program, the Airborne Laser program and additional ground-based interceptors in Alaska. Overall, the administration plans to cut funding for missile defense by nearly $1.5 billion, or about 15 percent.

Reading between the lines, we can see the new administration’s priorities. They recognize our proven but limited capability to destroy missiles in the midcourse and terminal stages of flight, yet they resist developing new technologies that would defeat such missiles much earlier, in the critical boost phase. In Europe, what they haven’t left out of the budget they seem eager to give away at the negotiating table.

And while trillions of dollars in domestic spending are justified as economic stimulus, new defenses against ballistic missiles – built right here in America – must overcome much higher hurdles from the budgetary bean counters.

FIXING THE PRIORITIES

The administration has set the wrong priorities, partly because it takes too lightly the growing missile threat from rogue states, but mostly because it has failed to recognize three crucial developments over the past 25 years.

First, new technologies have proved the skeptics wrong. During the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s vision of defenses against ballistic missiles was dismissed as science fiction. Today, our nation has deployed ground-based interceptors, early warning satellites, land- and sea-based radars, and an integrated command, control, battle management and communications infrastructure. Together these components give us an emergency capability against a limited long-range ballistic missile attack, yet each of them, decades ago, was merely an “unproven” technology.

Research, development and deployment of today’s unproven technologies are the key to improving our defenses in the decades to come.

Second, the administration seems unaware of the sea change in international public opinion on the issue of missile defense. At the close of the 20th century, our allies and friends were still very skeptical of missile defense. Yet, consistent and patient diplomacy by the Bush administration changed all that. Today, our nation has cooperative agreements on missile defense with the United Kingdom, Denmark, Italy, Japan and Australia.

We are working with Poland and the Czech Republic to give NATO a missile defense capability, and with Israel to improve its defenses against medium-range rockets. India, France and many other nations have expressed interest in cooperating with us on these technologies. Cutting back on U.S. missile defense capabilities makes no sense when so many allies and friends want to deepen their cooperation with us.

Third, support for U.S. missile defenses now crosses partisan lines. Five of my colleagues, including Independent Joe Lieberman and Democrat Mark Begich, wrote President Obama following his administration’s proposed funding cuts for missile defense. They urged him to reconsider these recommendations and to continue development of an integrated, layered defense against the ballistic missile threat.

I share my colleagues’ concerns, as do millions of Americans across the political spectrum. The president has inspired so many with his vision of crossing ideological divides to pursue common, long-term objectives. Building the infrastructure of missile defense presents a tremendous opportunity to make that vision a reality.

President Obama, like every commander in chief, must make difficult choices to protect our people, advance freedom and defend our strategic interests. I applaud his surge of forces in Afghanistan and appreciate the additional defense capabilities he appears willing to fund. Yet I will oppose any cuts to missile defenses, and to any program that gives us a fighting chance to deter and defeat the security threats of the 21st century.

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Tax Day Coalition: Get Involved Now!

Join the Tax Day Coalition Now! These folks have put togather a beatiful website to help link us all together, so spread the word! Go to the site and submit your tea party group, or just sign up as one of us protestors! It is a very simple process, just takes a xouple of seconds, so, go there and register now! Either click this link, or the image below and it will take you there!

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Do You Remember where you were on September 11, 2001?

Do you remember where you were? I know that I do, I have a very vivid memory of that day, at least the first part of it, after news of the attacks happening, it all kind of becomes a blur! Glenn Beck remembers too, follow this link to listen, it brings back a lot of memories for me, maybe it will for you too.

That day started like every day during that time, I had just stopped and picked up donuts for the guys, and was sitting at a red-light, waiting to pull in to the parking lot, when my cell phone rang. It was my girlfriend, and she was freaking out a bit, trying to tell me that an airplane had just hit the World Trade Center, honestly, I started to laugh! As bad as that sounds, it was that I thought she was just playing a joke on me, but, no sooner than I had started to laugh, and she started screaming! I mean screaming like the world had just ended! I never did laugh.

At this point, everything was still unknown, when she first called, it sounded like a plane crash or something benign like that, you know, just an accident, even as bad as that would have been, it just didn;t sound like a big deal, until she screamed! I have to tell you, I had just put my truck into park at that time, thank God, but when she screamed, I knew it was no joke! That was when the second plane had hit.

I got out of my pickup, forgetting the donuts, and was headed into the carpet store, as she was hearing the details of  what had happened, and was telling me, I know I must have looked like a mess to everyone inside, that were waiting on the donuts, and as I sterted to tell them what had happened, they had the same reaction that I did at first, they thought I was joking. Someone got my keys and went out to my truck to get the donuts, while I was trying to find a radio station to hear what was happening.

I had to get the installers loaded up so they could get to work, and I did, still on the cell phone with my girlfriend and still telling everyone what had happened, and still, no one believed me! Once the Installers were gone, I finally got the little radio to work and was listening to it, but there was nothing but music, about this time, my cell phone battery went dead.

Here I was, feeling like I was the only person in the city of Houston that knew, at this time there was a truck pulling up outside our back door, it was a utility repair truck, the guy jumps out and asks me if I had heard what happened, to be honest, I actually felt relieved that I wasn’t alone in my knowledge. There we were, listening to the radio in his truck, and one by one, others started walking up, listening with us, no one said a word! We were all in shock! Soon after, there was the report about the Pentagon, and then, the plane that had been missing, crashed, and the order for all planes to get out of the sky came.

The carpet store is basically accross the street from the airport, at the North end, which is past the runways, the sky was almost black with aircraft! It was like something from a movie, but that didn’t take long, and the skys were empty. That sound, that we had all taken for granted of the planes coming and going, was gone, everything was silent, and it stayed that way…………..after that it is a blur.

One thing I do remember, is the people, there was this strange bond we all had, we had all just experienced something that we would never forget.

Over the next few days, the news had very little crime to report, it was as if crime just stopped. There was but one thing, America, someone had just attacked us, and everyone was mad!

Within just a few days, the “Proud to be an American” stuff started hitting the stores, and I bought a can koozie, that stated that, and “United We Stand”, with the date of September 11, 2001 on it, I still have it. I still remember!

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Email From:Michael Steel 3/30

So our tax dollars are going to pay AIG executives millions in bonuses! Just another day of good news from Washington. Meanwhile, don’t look now, but Nancy Pelosi and the Obama Administration is busily working to build up a debt larger than our country or any country has ever seen. But back to the bonuses. It was a mystery all week how this happened. No one could seem to figure it out. But then…it leaked out that Democrat Senator Chris Dodd snuck a provision into the massive spending bill that allowed the bonuses to happen. Dodd denied it at first, then changed his story and now admits that he did it, but says he did it at the request of “Administration staffers”. Finally, the Democrats have been forced to admit that they allowed the AIG bonuses to happen. This has got to stop. Please take a minute and click on the link below to watch the RNC’s new video exposing the Democrats’ latest shell game. Send this to your friends. Ask everyone to email and call their congressmen — contact them through our Action Center. Ask people to volunteer to help their local and state Republican Parties. Make your voice heard! Michael Steele Chairman, Republican National Committee Republican National Committee | 310 First Street, SE | Washington, D.C. 20003 p: 202.863.8500 | f: 202.863.8820 | e: info@gop.com Paid for by the Republican National Committee. 310 First Street, SE – Washington, D.C. 20003 – (202) 863-8500 www.gop.com Not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee. Copyright 2008 Republican National Committee

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