Read my lips

Friday, December 11, 2009 one of the largest banks in America, Citigroup, announced that it would pay back the remaining 20 Billion dollars it borrowed from the TARP fund. The reason: Too many government restrictions. It is uncertain if they plan to pay any interest on the money that they borrowed. Interest at 10%, which is very low for the riskiness of the investment, would be about 4B for the 18 month loan term.

On top of the 20B that Citigroup plans to repay, the US government now owns a 34% stake in the banking giant. They plan to sell their stake over the next 6-12 months. That brings the total borrowed by Citigroup to about 45B and the US government estimates a net gain of 6.7B.

Most other large banks that took TARP money have repaid the government as well. JP Morgan Chase & Wells Fargo are a few of the banks that have already paid back the government. Turns out that they didn’t like all of the extra government imposed rules either. Kudos to the banks for paying back the money that they never should have needed, but at least they paid it back.

Now that the banks, the main target group for TARP, has or is in the process of paying the money back a few questions are raised. If banks are viable enough now to pay back the money, are other companies that received money paying it back? Does the government count the money paid back as more money available to pay out or are they being fiscally responsible and holding on to the money that no one had to lend in the first place? And finally, if the banks and other critical parts of the economy are functioning again, is it time to stop handing out the money even though there are billions that still haven’t been handed out?

Ask your friends and family and you will find that America is pleading and hoping that the government will STOP distributing the TARP and Stimulus. They also want everyone who received money to have the moral courage to step up and pay it back with interest. It really comes down to the average American who will end up paying for the continued lack of fiscal responsibility. The choices we make today as a country will determine in large part, who and what kind of country we will become. The choice is clear.

READ my lips, Stop TARP and Stimulus. We must stop them or we will face huge tax increases or wild inflation. We can't afford to raise taxes. People are still losing houses and jobs at an alarming rate and handing out more TARP and Stimulus money will just increase the burden of paying the money back. Taxes are bad and inflation is probably worse. If you don’t believe me do a quick Google search on inflation in post WWII Germany. Both are bad. Bad for America, bad for our future. Let’s make hard decisions today so we don’t have to deal with either.

I love America. I love what it stands for. I want its future to be even better than our amazing past. I want a future I can believe in, not a promise of bigger or complete government. That is not America, it is not what we represent nor is it where our brightest future lays.

Write your elected officials today and ask them to stand up and stop the bleeding in American politics. Ask them to make the right decisions for America even if it means that they won’t get elected. Ask them be fiscally responsible and repeal the TARP and stimulus bills so no more money we don’t have gets handed out.

We can still save our future but we have to act now. With your help and the help of people all across America we can make America the place we continue to be proud to be a part of.

Nobody's lookin'...

Life gets pretty busy, but everyone once in a while, you just have to stop and think about what's going on. When I sat down this morning to look at the news, I saw our Commander in Chief chillin' with the Emperor of Japan. He's bowing...a lot. Take a gander below.

Now, I don't really condemn the man for trying to strengthen relationships abroad, but I have to wonder if this is the right way to go about it. Will he earn the respect of other nations when he shows them in the first instant that he recognizes their superiority? Will other nations look to us as an authority?

I don't think he's earning the Emperor's respect there, but rather his approval. Maybe that's all the President is seeking. Maybe he's not gotten over the High School mentality of trying to be popular and fit in with the cool crowd. And maybe he thinks Japan is extra cool because they have Sony and Toyota.

At any rate, I'd love to hear what he says about his meeting in Japan. I recall another meeting with foreign royalty. When President Obama arrived at is first G-20 summit, he met with the leaders of the world one by one for a photo op. When he came to King Abdullah of Saudi, he gave us this precious Gem:

What was the President's description of this? Well, an aide of his told everyone he was stooping down to hear Abdullah better because he's so tall.

Maybe that's what he'll say about Japan...and maybe we should all pitch in for a Presidential Hearing Aide. The card can say:

Merry Christmas Mr. President, stop making an arse of yourself, and every one of us, abroad.

Love, U.S.A.

UPDATE: Here's an interesting article from HOT AIR that sites a journalist from the NYT back in 1994 about President Bill Clinton "almost" bowing to the same Japanese Emperor. Interesting.

“If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.”

Really? How is that going to work under the current Senate bill? Let's take a look at this flowchart brought to us by the Republicans on the Joint Economics Committee.


Does this give you a headache? It will...

The Tax Man Cometh...

I was reading some articles and blogs earlier tonight, and I found an interesting link to this video.



Taxes are truly an encroachment on our liberty. This is why so many decent Americans are taking the time out of their busy schedules to peaceably organize and protest - to show the Government that Americans know Freedom, and they're not going to relinquish any more of it without a fight.

It really bothers me there are so many on the left, especially in leadership positions, like Nancy Pelosi...and even the big O himself, that are discounting the worries and concerns of these citizens. They have called them racists, and have proclaimed on National television that "special interests" are behind the "Astroturfing" (Astroturfing is a way for the left to say that, rather than this movement being a grassroots movement, it's manufactured by the Right-Wing Special Interests). The funniest thing is that they say that, and they they get the SCIU and ACORN to recruit protesters (thugs) to go to town hall meetings and protests and intimidate, and in some cases even physically violate, the good, decent, and hard-working Americans that are fed up with the rampant and out-of-control liberal agenda that Obama and the Democratic leadership have embarked on.

Here a few videos that show footage from different protests. I think my favorite is the first one here - it's just a surveillance camera that took image captures as the crowds that ran through the streets of Washington D.C. last week steadily grew larger - it's quite amazing to me. If you're reading this and agree with me, you're not alone. If you disagree, I wonder why you're not alone either.





And here's one that shows how things got started back in February of 2009, not even a month into Obama's presidency.



Just a side note, after the inauguration Ceremony for President Obama, there was hoards of trash left on the ground everywhere. This behavior from the environment-loving liberals?

After the Washington Tea Party on the 11th, things were pretty clean. See for yourself...

This is from the Inauguration in January of this year.


This is from the Tea Party last week. I see a small difference.
I just think it's interesting that people who want the Government to leave Americans alone to be responsible for themselves are, in large measure, responsible for themselves!

Breakdown on Entitlement Spending

Here's a nice little video that shows us what Obama and the Democrats are trying to do from a slightly different perspective. It's always nice to see things broken down to a basic level.

"It Was Electric"

Yesterday, the Nation remembered September 11, 2001; both the horror, and the bravery. I can't help but think about how the Nation banded together to help one another, and to unite. This video here reminds me of that feeling. It's the feeling I get when I think about the American Spirit; United and Strong. Let Freedom Ring.

Yet Another Video...

This is just too good. If you've been acquainted this past 24 hours with the coverage from last night's "big speech", you'll like this one.

Last night during Obama's speech, Congressman Joe Wilson belted out a "You Lie!!!" Now, he apologized to the White House, but I think it was hilarious!

The most awesome part of it? Pelosi. She's actually evil, and now we have the proof.



Thank you Joe Wilson - we'll mourn your loss after Pelosi has you whacked!

Voices From the Past...

Here's something I thought we could all enjoy. I remember seeing the Dragnet movie when I was a kid, with Dan Aykroyd playing Joe Friday, but this video is from the original - and it's a true gem - thank goodness it's (almost) Friday.

This is Where They Want Us to Go!

I was reading through some articles today, and I found something truly horrific.

It's an article from the Daily Mail, and it documents an incident that happened some time ago where a baby was born at 21 Weeks and 5 days into the pregnancy. This happened in Norfolk, England. What allegedly took place after the baby was born is heartbreaking.

A word of warning; the article contains pictures of a small premature child, and I would caution anyone to use their discretion in viewing them.

Sarah Capewell, the mother of the premature baby from the article, alleges that when the baby was born, the doctors and medics refused to treat him because it was against the State's guidelines to treat a baby born before 22 weeks. So, Miss Capewell's baby was just two days shy of being allowed to live...two days. I've included some quotes below.

"Miss Capewell, 23, said doctors refused to even see her son Jayden, who lived for almost two hours without any medical support.

She said he was breathing unaided, had a strong heartbeat and was even moving his arms and legs, but medics refused to admit him to a special care baby unit."

The article goes on...

"She said: 'When he was born, he put out his arms and legs and pushed himself over. A midwife said he was breathing and had a strong heartbeat, and described him as a "little fighter".

I kept asking for the doctors but the midwife said, "They won't come and help, sweetie. Make the best of the time you have with him".'

She cuddled her child and took precious photos of him, but he died in her arms less than two hours after his birth."

I encourage you to read the full article, if for nothing else, to help hit home what President Obama, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi have in mind for us in America.

When the President backed down from the "Public Option" last week, I thought we might be onto something, but then I read this earlier, and I realize that these thugs will stop at nothing to force their ideology on to all of us.

From Jake Tapper's blog at ABC news (not a typically conservative gentleman):

"Both leaders told the president that despite the difficult rough and tumble of the legislative process in the last few weeks, they are optimistic that both the House and Senate can pass health care reform legislation.

What will be in the bill remains an open question, though after the meeting, Reid told reporters that 'we're going to do our very best to have a public option or something like a public option before we finish this work.'”

I've signed the petition at freeourhealthcarenow, and I've urged all of you to do so as well. Also, calling your representatives in Congress might help, unless you have someone like Harry Mitchel of AZ - who is totally useless.

Beyond that, get the word out - talk to people you meet, or to people you already know. A few weeks ago, I started a conversation with a Russian immigrant whom I worked with, and her and a coworker and I discussed both the U.S.S.R. and the current state of affairs in this nation. The lady from Russia was very serious when she said that she "smells Communism coming" and that she "doesn't ever want to go back to a State-run Insurance". If we open our mouths and shed as much light on what is happening as possible, I think we'll win the hearts of those good and decent people in this, our beloved country.

There are good people out there that just don't pay as much attention as they should, but given the truth, they'll see the light, and want to fight what's going down on Capital Hill.

I certainly hope that we can have some effect in setting this country back on the right track, or as close to it as possible.

Carry on.

Some Fun

Here's a clip from a Town hall in California. It's a very good summary of the Free Market:



And here's a great clip that I was sent in an email earlier today:



Just as entertaining as having Cable!