Someone coined the phrase “Anybody But Obama” to describe the primary goal and direction of the Right in America.  I don’t know if that will be a winning strategy in 2012 or not.  The truth is “anybody” may not be able to garner enough independent and undecided votes to beat this incumbent.  Who the Republicans choose to receive their nomination is very important, and should not be treated as if anything but the status quo will do.  Interestingly however, this primary season has taken on the appearance of an “Anybody But Romney” mentality in the Republican ranks, which I think is the real story of the Presidential campaign so far.

Ironically, the people hurt most by Obama’s lack of experience and ability are those who voted for him, but now feel duped and lied to.  The economy didn’t get better.  The world still hates us, maybe even more than before.  There are more people on food stamps and welfare than ever.  The President makes unilateral decisions without the advice and consent of Congress, and has surrounded himself with advisors Czars and appointees of questionable qualifications and ethics.

People who were poor before his election are still poor now and no one has rescued anybody from their own personal Katrinas.  But these very voters are now in the position of staying with the evil they know, instead of changing to an evil they don’t know.  They are not about to vote for a candidate with unknown performance ability, because they got burned badly the last time they did.

In order to get that voting bloc, Republicans need a candidate who can instill confidence and good will in the American mood.  We don’t need anyone to tell us what is wrong with this Country.  We can all see that with our own eyes.  We need a cheerleader of sorts, personable, confidant and collected.  We need a candidate who makes us smile rather than worry about their motives and “Anybody But Romney” is not necessarily that candidate.

I am not banging the drum for Romney here.  Rather, I am warning that whoever the Right eventually chooses, had better be a candidate who can not only carry the Party faithful and Tea Party fringe, but also dig into the ranks of the disillusioned Left and huge bloc of independents who really shape election results in this Country.

I like Cain, Bachman and Paul for their fiscal conservatism.  I admire Gingrich for his knowledge of history and government.  I like Perry for his straight talk even with the occasional senior moment.  Conservatives have given each their day in the sun and now Santorum seems to be the man of the hour.

The perfect candidate is a fantasy.  The search for and insistence upon perfection will end in failure.  “Anybody But Romney” is a manifestation of that search.  Romney may not be the one to beat Obama, but if that is the case somebody better tell me who is, and do it soon.

Originally posted on 01/08/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

This past holiday week seemed full of tragic stories.  We all know bad things happen to good people, but it always seems more poignant at this time of year.  A particularly senseless murder occurred here in Washington State yesterday, and unfortunately, Liberals couldn’t wait to use it as an opportunity to criticize a law they don’t like and try to advance their “lack of logic mentality”.

Apparently, a female park ranger at Mount Rainier National Park was shot and killed by a suspect running from the law.  It was pretty much in cold blood, as she didn’t even get a chance to get out of her vehicle.  All they were stopping him for was to ask him to chain up his tires.  I believe he was found dead today in the snow, a likely victim of hypothermia.  Good riddance!

Judging by photos of the suspect on line, he was some kind of gun nut posing with large weapons and questionably large bullet magazines. He was the suspect in a shooting in Seattle where at least four people were injured, and apparently only stopped shooting when someone at the house returned fire.

Now let’s look at a Liberal biased media take from an Associated Press article posted today which said in part:

The shooting renewed debate about a federal law that made it legal for people to take loaded weapons into Mount Rainier. The 2010 law made possession of firearms in national parks subject to state gun laws.

Bill Wade, the outgoing chair of the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees, said Congress should be regretting its decision to allow loaded weapons in national parks.

He called Sunday’s fatal shooting a tragedy that could have been prevented. He hopes Congress will reconsider the law that took effect in early 2010, but doubts that will happen in today’s political climate.

Yeah, see this makes so much sense to me because I know if only it were illegal to take those weapons into Rainier National Park, this mad dog killer would have clearly stopped at the check point and surrendered them to authorities.

I am no gun nut.  I have never owned a gun and probably never will.  However, I believe that wide spread LEGAL gun ownership is not a bad thing, and actually has some benefits.  One thing I know for sure is that no law written has ever stopped a lawless person from carrying out their intended crime.  Anyone who believes otherwise, or thinks you can eliminate gun crimes by making them unlawful is a fool.

One more thing: Please don’t use the tragic, senseless murder of a young mother of two in an attempt to vindicate faulty, irrational thinking or to forward a screwy political agenda.  Shame on you!

Originally posted on 01/02/2012 at ConservativeCompass.com

From time to time, I let my imagination run wild, and assume the persona of a political speech writer.  I think about what I would write for a sitting politician, or a hopeful candidate.  In today’s post, I am compelled to write something for Herman Cain.  The harassment allegations against him are again diverting our attention from the ultimate goal of the 2012 election: removing the current President from office.  Mr. Cain and his staff have been inept and confused in their dealing with this problem, and I believe my prepared statement to the press for Mr. Cain, might bring some clarity and closure to the issue.

Ladies and gentlemen of the press.

Over the last two weeks, allegations have come to light accusing me of harassment toward some of my past employees.  These allegations are being driven largely by an attorney for one of those employees.  My remarks today are addressed primarily to him, and to any other attorney who may consider following his path.

In today’s business world, when claims are raised of harassment, slight or insult in the workplace, many companies offer cash settlements to avoid costly and lengthy litigation even if the claims do not appear to be valid.  An amount is determined that is sufficient to make the complainant “all better”, and in return the company requires a confidentiality agreement that legally binds all involved parties to non-disclosure of any details of the alleged misdoings.

This is common, and happens more than you know because most people move on with their lives and careers.

So my question today is this:  What do you want from me?  As an attorney, you know neither I nor your client may legally discuss these charges, their validity or their resolution.

Are you trying to shake me down for more money in return for your client’s continued silence?

Or has your sense of civic duty compelled you to inform the public of my possible unfitness for office?

If we want to talk about past indiscretions, we might also mention FDR’s not so secret mistress, President Obama’s experience with cocaine and Bill Clinton’s escapades both before and after assuming the Presidency.

So I ask again:  What do you want from me?

I am running for the Office of the Presidency because I love this County, and I love its people, and it is killing me to see them suffer under the rule of fiscal incompetence.  It is killing me to see our standing in the world crumble from misdirected or non-existent foreign policy.  It is killing me to see the worldwide chaos that is a direct result of lack of leadership in this greatest Country the world has ever known.

That is what is important right now.  That is where we need to direct our attention.  That is what we need to be talking about.

And you ambulance chasing lawyers, need to crawl back under the rocks you came from.

Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen.

Originally posted on 11/05/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

The Republican debates so far have been an exposition of the good, the bad and the ugly.  I know it is a normal part of the political process, and I believe it is healthy for our system.  Only by thoroughly vetting our candidates can we make an intelligent choice to move forward against President Obama.  In a previous post I stated my opinion that maybe what a candidate shouldn’t say but does, can be as important as what they all know they are expected to say.   Aside from blurting out controversial stances, or embellishing reality in the heat of the moment, some of the Presidential hopefuls are allowing themselves to be bogged down in the minutiae of their ideas.

Herman Cain immediately comes to mind.  I have been a Cain supporter since the first time I saw him speak.  In spite of his obvious financial success and status, he brings from his background, a strong set of middle class values and common sense.  I wish however, that we were hearing less about his “999″ tax plan, and more about how he will bolster his lack of political and foreign affairs experience.  The details of his tax plan are almost irrelevant since no President can change something this large without significant tinkering by Congress.

The more time Cain spends explaining and defending his plan, the less time he has to convince Conservatives and Independents that he has the vision to tackle all the elements of the Presidency.  We all know that revenue from taxes is important, but the control of spending is far more critical at this time.  I would save the large initiatives for after Inauguration Day, and then let them stand or fall on their merits.

As for the rest of the candidates in the field, they need to keep sight of the prize.  Trying to destroy each other is counter-productive and only gives the media and Liberals ammunition to marginalize the Conservative cause.  ABO (Anybody But Obama) isn’t going to work, and I believe it is about time that some of the other Republican candidates start to honestly assess their own strengths and true likelihood of defeating this incumbent.  It will soon be time to back away, and lend their full support to those most prepared and likely to prevail against Obama.

Like America, the Republican Party will find its strength in unity.  In the debates as well as their campaigns, the candidates need to “circle the wagons” to display agreement and unity of purpose with a positive, hopeful message to the American people.  There is no time to provide fodder for detractors.  Rather, we need to see a clear message of recovery, prosperity for all and a sane economic future for our children.  I want to hear a broad governing philosophy that moves America in the right direction.

The candidates need to stop bickering about minutiae and instead provide us with a change of mindset in Washington that will restore this Country’s greatness and guarantee its growth and power for years to come.

Originally posted on 10/22/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

OK, they’ve had their collective say, and authorities have been more than patient.  It is now time to clean up the trash and send the riff raff home. No one has a right to set up housekeeping in a public or private park for even two minutes much less two weeks.  The Occupy (fill in the city) “movement” is tired already, and if any of these participants had a life, they would have moved on some time ago.  It is well past time to disperse this experiment in street democracy back to its various dorm rooms, parent’s basements and half-way houses.  Further, law enforcement should arrest the hardcore and professional protesters for trespass and haul them away.

The right of assembly and petition is guaranteed by our Constitution.  OK, fine but I think there is an implied requirement that you at least know what it is you are protesting.  If you merely want to pitch your tent downtown because you slept through your senior year in high school, and you can’t fill out a job application, or the President has convinced you that you are entitled to other people’s property, I hope it wasn’t a really good tent, because it is about to disappear.

In the 60′s and 70′s, I was involved in protests against the Viet Nam war.  At no time, did I ever disobey the law, destroy property or advocate the destruction of our Government.  I was and am a Capitalist.  I wanted to be rich someday, and I am still working on it, but I always recognized that success came from hard work, not from a hand out.  This rag-tag army of malcontents largely has no idea why they are there, are badly misinformed and worst of all are acting as useful fools for bigger ideological entities.

There are many groups and individuals who are backing this movement in the hope that it will destabilize our Government and political structure.  Their perverted thinking requires the total trashing of our system before they can install their own brand of “socially fair” society.  We see connections to George Soros, SEIU, Organized Labor, The Working Families Party (ACORN), various anarchists, socialists and the American Communist Party.  The actual amount of involvement is uncertain, but their fingerprints are all over these civil disobedience events.

Recent news indicates that many of these urban squatters have never seen the inside of a voting booth.  Moreover, they spout “democracy” fully believing that term means occupying and trashing public spaces, and shouting down anyone with whom they disagree.  In its truest sense, democracy means mob rule.  That is the kind of “democracy” we saw in Cairo, and now it has been replaced with what?

America was not founded upon, nor has it survived over 230 years on mob rule.  If these people want to affect change they need to go home, take a shower and get ready to vote.  It is well past time to clean up the trash, and leave the parks to the pigeons.

Originally posted on 10/13/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

“America is never so strong as when she is hurting, or her back is against the wall.”

Today across America, citizens of this great Country are participating in memorials to the events of 9/11/2001.  Clearly for many, ten years have not erased the scars, or lessened the sadness.  For many, there is a need for a gathering of strength and fellowship, even in sorrow.  The American people seem to come out on the other side more powerful and resolute and in this case with the understanding that this battle is not only for our way of life, but for life itself.

If the 9/11 attacks taught us anything, it was that we have an insidious ideological enemy that is constantly probing our weaknesses.  Our civility kept us from imagining that anyone would ever do such a thing.  Our bloated bureaucracy kept us from connecting the dots of intelligence information.  Our free and open society kept us from scrutiny of unusual airline passengers.  Those who wish to harm us, know our vulnerabilities all too well, and continue to watch us today.

This year’s events in the Middle East are the direct result of lack of U.S. support and influence in that area.  In the past couple years internationally, this Administration has gone to lengths to apologize, acquiesce, and abandon many, who if not strong allies were at least friendly to the United States.  We now find ourselves dealing with unstable packs of militant mobs, in unstable areas, with unknown long term leadership or goals.  What is happening there is not over, but only beginning.

If left unchecked, the entire Middle East will become a base of operations for those who wish us harm.  This Administration’s support of “democracy” in the region is short sighted and naive.  In its truest sense, democracy is mob rule.  The faction that is loudest, best organized and most violent will seize control.  From all indications, that will not be in the best interest of America, or the rest of the world.

9/11 taught us one more thing:  The passengers on three of the planes, who sat quietly waiting for a peaceful resolution, were done.  The passengers of Flight 93, who together mounted a fight, conquered an unspeakable evil and made a difference that they will never know.  The lesson is clear.  Our enemies feed upon our weakness here and abroad.  Hopefully the next Administration will believe in the power of our citizens and will work to restore our strength in the world because in the absence of a strong America, there is chaos.

Originally posted on 9/11/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you know that my day job is in the building trades.  The current downturn of our economy has hit this industry hard, and the people I deal with daily have paid a heavy price for this Administration’s assault on the free market.  Recently however, I’ve seen a shift in sector job loss that might just be good news in disguise.

Some of my customers are government entities.  Local government housing projects are administered by city, county and federal agencies that buy construction and maintenance materials from me.  Many have told me that they are facing impending rounds of layoffs due to budget cuts.

At the same time, some of my private sector customers tell me that they are looking for good employees to fill a slowly increasing need.  The obvious solution here is for laid off public employees to actively seek employment in the private sector.  Now we know they won’t get the same benefits and pension, but if they possess a useful skill set, they will find work.

In my opinion, this could well be a stepping stone to moving our labor force where it needs to be: back to the private sector.

In addition these various government housing authorities and the like, should contract construction and maintenance back to the private sector where the work can be done quicker and at a lower cost than by their public counterparts.  It does not require three overlapping agencies, two levels of supervision and a public union employee to fix a toilet.  One good plumber and a few parts will do fine.  The resulting increase in business for local small companies will drive additional hiring and additional growth.

Clearly we need a relaxation of regulations that are anti-free market and that put business at a competitive disadvantage.  We need to restore confidence for consumers and providers to spur an increase in activity. Most importantly, we need to tip the scale of spending from the public to the private sector.

Contrary to what Liberals insist, a reduction in the size of government is not the end of the world.  If released public workers actively seek and fill private sector jobs doing what they were doing but off the public payroll, it could start our economic engine moving in the right direction again.

Originally posted on 9/4/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

The Wall Street Journal recently ran an article about an administration plan to rent foreclosed houses owned by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.  The logic goes something like this:  Since all these people have lost their houses to foreclosure, they have to live somewhere, and are likely renting.  The glut of renters is causing rental rates to increase, and the Government just happens to have a handy inventory.  Wow it’s a match made in heaven.  Almost as if it was planned that way…Oh, did I say that out loud?

I know that there are a lot of people who think this is a great idea from a financial standpoint.  Democrats no doubt will be eager to turn the foreclosure mess they created into a cash cow.  Even some respected economists speak favorably of the idea.  I wonder how they would feel if one of these new rental properties was next door to their home?

It is almost a guarantee with our Government in charge that these rentals will be filled with the poor, unfortunate and down-trodden.  Someone once said that the best way to deal with homelessness is to buy everyone a home.  Socialism at its core.  We buy their clothes, cell phones, food and a little recreation, so why not a house as well?  So the Government rents it to them, and how far a leap is it to imagine a subsidy, or forgiveness of amounts due?  Perhaps they can live there free because the Government doesn’t have the resources or desire to throw them out?  The possibilities are endless.

I live in an older neighborhood that through the last thirty years has been largely owned homes.  Recently we have been treated to the joys of a diverse group of renters.  We have a guy at the end of the street who does auto repair in his driveway.  We have some who can’t tell a lawn mower from a lawn chair.  And the figure eight tire tracks in the street might qualify for the latest County art project.

We are all concerned about the value of our homes as selling prices fall and demand wanes.  But the values will suffer significantly if renters with no skin in the game let this neighborhood go to hell.  If this administration intends to turn my neighborhood into undeclared section 8 housing, I’d rather see the homes sit vacant.  Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac can just eat the losses they spawned, and President Obama can own it.

Originally posted on 08/13/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

Well, it’s late in May and the Republicans have had some time to settle into their new offices after the mid-term rout.  Our economy is still in the tank, with an almost non-existent housing market, and unemployment floating around nine percent.  If the old guys got the message from the election, and the new guys are doing what they promised, we would expect to see a lot of action on America’s miserable financial state, right?  Not quite.  I recall the old saying “It takes an act of Congress” to do something, meaning it is almost impossible to accomplish.  This is apparently still true for the important issues this Country faces.  Just as apparently not so for the irrelevant baloney that burns valuable Congressional time and resources on a daily basis.  Here for your perusal, is a selection of Congressional business from the last couple days.  Both D’s and R’s are hitting it hard.  I just wish they would direct their energy at the important things.

May 26, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: S.J.Res. 17: A joint resolution approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003.
Sen. Mitch McConnell [R-KY] introduced this bill.

May 26, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: H.R. 2030: To establish centers of excellence for green infrastructure, and for other purposes.
Rep. Donna Edwards [D-MD4] introduced this bill.

May 26, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced H.R. 2033: To authorize and support psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis data collection, to express the sense of the Congress to encourage and leverage public and private investment in psoriasis research with a particular focus on interdisciplinary collaborative research on the relationship between psoriasis and its co morbid conditions, and for other purposes.
Rep. Jim Gerlach [R-PA6] introduced this bill.

May 26, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: H.Res. 284: Honoring wild horses and burros as important to our national heritage.
Rep. Raul Grijalva [D-AZ7] introduced this bill.

May 26, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: H.Res. 285: Expressing support for designation of June 2011 as “National Aphasia Awareness Month” and supporting efforts to increase awareness of aphasia.
Rep. Edward Markey [D-MA7] introduced this bill.

May 26, 2011 – Bill Action
Passed Senate: S.Res. 204: A resolution designating June 7, 2011, as “National Hunger Awareness Day”.
Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent.

May 25, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: H.Res. 279: Raising awareness of the risk of internal bleeding for patients taking anti-coagulant drugs.
Rep. Ben Chandler [D-KY6] introduced this bill.

May 25, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: S. 1063: A bill to allow for the harvest of gull eggs by the Huna Tlingit people within Glacier Bay National Park in the State of Alaska.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski [R-AK] introduced this bill.

May 25, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: S. 1069: A bill to suspend temporarily the duty on certain footwear, and for other purposes.
Sen. Maria Cantwell [D-WA] introduced this bill.

May 25, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: S.Res. 199: A resolution supporting the goals and ideals of “Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week”.
Sen. Harry Reid [D-NV] introduced this bill.

May 24, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: S.Con.Res. 22: A concurrent resolution expressing the sense of Congress that John Arthur “Jack” Johnson should receive a posthumous pardon for the racially motivated conviction in 1913 that diminished the athletic, cultural, and heroic significance of Jack Johnson and unduly tarnished his reputation.
Sen. John McCain [R-AZ] introduced this bill.

May 24, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: H.Con.Res. 54: Expressing the sense of the Congress that the Parthenon Marbles should be returned to Greece.
Rep. Donald Payne [D-NJ10] introduced this bill.

Introduced: H.Res. 275: Honoring the 113th anniversary of the independence of the Philippines.
Rep. Laura Richardson [D-CA37] introduced this bill.

May 24, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: H.Res. 277: Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the inaugural Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 1911.
Rep. André Carson [D-IN7] introduced this bill.

May 24, 2011 – Bill Action
Introduced: S.Res. 196: A resolution calling upon the Government of Turkey to facilitate the reopening of the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s Theological School of Halki without condition or further delay.
Sen. Benjamin Cardin [D-MD] introduced this bill.

May 24, 2011 – Bill Action
Passed Senate: S.Res. 198: A resolution congratulating the Alaska Aces hockey team on winning the 2011 Kelly Cup and becoming the East Coast Hockey League champions for the second time in team history.
Passed Senate by Unanimous Consent.

If this doesn’t make you angry, it should.

Originally posted on 05/29/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com

OK, OK, OK.  I am so tired of hearing the mantra of this President and Liberal politicians.  “Tax the rich”, make the filthy bastards pay their “fair share”.  President Obama continued the call to class warfare in his “budget” speech last week.  We can’t afford to give continued tax breaks to millionaires and billionaires, he said.  This is clearly the talking point of choice for Progressives, and it needs to be removed from their arsenal of rhetorical weapons.  Might I humbly suggest a tactic to House Speaker Boehner and others in Republican leadership?

During my years as a manager in various companies, I learned an important negotiating rule.  When a new policy, program or regulation meets a laundry list of reasons why it can’t be implemented, eliminate the objections one by one until nothing remains.  In the case of our ongoing budget battle, the tax argument is only one objection, and it really does need to be removed from the debate.

I would suggest that in return for everything we want in spending cuts, Boehner and company agree to rescind the Bush tax cuts for Americans with incomes over $1 million a year.  They would offer this of course knowing full well that those cuts could be reinstated in 2013 after winning the Presidency and control of the Senate.

This plan would yield several benefits.  First and foremost, it removes an inflammatory Progressive talking point that resonates with many Americans.  It will, undeniably help reduce the deficit a bit, and it gives our side the appearance of negotiating in good faith with a huge bargaining chip.  We fiscal conservatives got hoodwinked a bit on the 2011 budget deal.  It’s time to acknowledge that we are playing with the big boys, and negotiate in earnest.

As distasteful as this concession is to me, I can’t believe that a year of tax increase would do much damage to anyone in this income bracket.  I don’t know, maybe this is just too simple to have occurred to the great political minds in Washington.  Or, maybe there is some legitimate procedural issue that would keep it from being effective.  If not, and we barrow a page from the Progressive play book that says “the ends justifies the means”, this might be well worth the effort.

Originally posted on 04/16/2011 at ConservativeCompass.com