"Zombieland!"

Monday is Halloween: when I was a young boy, this was one of my favorite holidays. Candy and costumes, what could possibly be better than that! We all marched out of our house dressed in our favorite characters on a quest for FREE CANDY!! Many of our neighbors made "homemade treats"; back then, there was little concern over poison and razor blades concealed in a sugary confection. The scariest costumes were usually ghosts and witches, not too much bloodiness was used back then. I don't remember any zombies or other types of flesh eaters. I always preferred the classic cowboy, as I longed to be like my television and movie heroes like Roy Rogers or John Wayne. The neighborhood was a virtual parade of children; kids filled the streets (not as protesters though).

As time has gone on, Halloween has extended from the children to young adults where parties and costumes are in vogue for these "grown-ups". Vampires, werewolves and flesh-eating zombies are the most popular character choices; really violent and scary stuff, not for children's consumption.

In Washington, we have our own "Land of Zombies", which is populated by "flesh-eaters" who are Hell bent on consuming as much taxpayer's money as they can. We do have some "zombie killers" that took office after the last Congressional Election a year ago, and they are trying to destroy the "tax-eaters" from the previous Congress. Instead of flesh being consumed, it is the finances of the United States; and it is very scary as these "zombies" continue to march toward our collective bank accounts, drooling at the thought of "eating us alive" with more stimulus spending, and draining the "life blood" of America. Soon, if left to their own devices, these "monsters" will leave us with nothing but a "rotting corpse" of a nation. The "Chief Zombie" is now traveling across America trying to mesmerize our populous into sacrificing more of our "life blood" to feed the "monsters"! What is his evil plan?

This is no "monster movie" America; this is real and imminent, unless we do something to stop the "Chief Zombie" in his tracks. I don't want the White House to become a "house of horrors" because of these "monstrous" economic blunders! America, we need some angry villagers to carry those torches in the next election; or the "Zombie will return" for four more years!!

(I will be off Monday; I hope I don't run into any zombies!)

"To Tell The Truth?!"

I remember black and white television very well; I remember all of those old quiz shows when way back then $100 was quite a bit of money, and people in the audience would cheer wildly if a contestant won $1000! Now you get $1000 for showing up on "Wheel of Fortune". There were a couple of shows we watched all the time; "I've Got a Secret" and "To Tell the Truth"; these were standards in most homes that had a T.V. way back then. Questions on "I've Got a Secret" were intended to find out what the person's secret was, and they had to tell the truth! If you could get past the entire panel, I think you won $250, WOW! On the show called "To Tell the Truth", three contestants were questioned by a panel to find out which contestant was the real person behind a story told to them. The actual person was sworn to tell the truth; all the others could lie until they turned blue, in an attempt to fool the celebrity panel. These shows were a lot of fun to watch, to see who was the most accomplished liar, or how much information a person could hold back to avoid being discovered. This kind of stuff is fun on television, but not in real life; in real life, we want the whole truth, and all the facts with nothing left out or deleted.

Yesterday, I heard about something that is being talked about in our government that I find quite disturbing. The article I read said that the government could be allowed to lie about the existence of documents when questioned about them. Now I'm used to being lied to from politicians, that is nothing new; but for the government to come right out and say they are going to lie straight to our faces seems to be a new height of arrogance.

We have the Freedom of Information Act, which came in under Lyndon Johnson, allowing a citizen to inquire about virtually all government actions; a really good idea, I want to know what they are doing! If this proposal goes through, you can make an inquiry and the person with whom you are dealing decides to tell you that information doesn't exist, has the ability to lie to you without consequence. Thank God Mr. Obama has the most transparent administration in American history?! If this course of action continues from our government, what can we next expect to happen? Will we have a Ministry of Government Control of Information? If we inquire too many times about some touchy subject, will we become suspect of a new "crime" against the government? NO PERSON IN THE GOVERNMENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA SHOULD BE GIVEN THE POWER TO WITHHOLD INFORMATION, OR LIE TO OUR CITIZENS!!!

I certainly hope this proposal will be dismissed without any serious consideration from any person in our government. I would certainly like to know the names of those who thought this was a good idea, but I'll bet that document doesn't exist!

"Is America Okay On Wall Street?"

What is the definition of okay? When you ask most people "How's it going?", the usual response is "I'm okay." I'm one of those folks who use this response. I have arthritis, diabetes and borderline cholesterol. I take pills for everything; I rattle when I walk! I don't feel that the things that are wrong with me keep me from being "okay". Now, if I'm sick, that could be a different story; vomiting and diarrhea definitely are not okay! We can accept certain problems and still be okay, yet some problems and circumstances are unacceptable and are never "okay".

I have friends with opinions that are much different than mine, and that is usually okay with me. If you read this regularly, you know I love that 1st amendment, and I urge everyone to exercise this right vigorously. I used to have a reader who was my polar opposite politically; I haven't heard from him for a while. I think I made my points more often than he liked; I miss him. It is okay that he didn't agree with me; he was a progressive, not an idiot.

We are seeing a continual flow of news about the "Occupy Wall Street" demonstrators. There have been, and continue to be, arrests at nearly every site where these protestors have gathered. Many prominent people have spoken both for and against these people. The President, the Vice-President, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and numerous members of the entertainment industry have spoken in support of these dissidents. Many conservatives have spoken about them also; but not in such glowing terms. These folks have been supported by organizations too. I already mentioned the American Nazi Party, and the American Communist Party along with SEIU and other various unions. I guess this is "okay" with them.

Recently, this fringe group got another endorsement; David Dukes came out in support of this movement. Yes, my fellow Americans, David Dukes is on the bandwagon of these anarchists, socialists and communists: what a great victory for these oppressed people! This movement has attracted the dregs of humanity for sympathy and support. Dukes is the lowest form of scum that crawls upon the earth. He is a notorious anti- Semite Nazi scuzzball. I hope our President and Vice-President are happy to be united in a cause supported by this pile of human compost! This, my fellow Americans, is NOT OKAY with me! Dukes came out with this statement, "Our clear goal must be the advancement of the white race and separation of the white and black races. This goal must include the freeing of the American media and government from subservient Jewish interests!" THIS IS NOT OKAY!!!!

Should our elected officials align themselves with a cause that reflects this type of support? Should we re-elect officials who stand in support of a movement that accepts this type endorsement? I'm sorry Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden; but you are NOT OKAY WITH ME!!

"It's Mr. President, Not Your Majesty!"

What does it mean to be unique? Great actors are unique, as they are different in each role; Olivier, Burton, Brando and Tracey are just some of the actors that come to mind when I think of uniqueness. Some athletes are unique; Ali, Rodman, Joe Namath, Babe Ruth and Reggie Jackson are some of those athletes with unique qualities. Musicians can be unique; Sinatra, Elvis, Madonna, Elton John and the Beatles had unique talents which are difficult to imitate.

There are always actors, athletes and musicians who are being touted as the next "Sinatra, Brando or Ali"; yet, very few accomplish those heights of uniqueness. In reality, many times we get a cheap copy of those who have achieved greatness from those who emulate to be them.

America is a very unique nation, built upon the principles of individual freedom. At the time of America's inception, no other people on earth had these dreams. The French spoke of "Liberty, Equality and Fraternity"; America spoke of "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness", not exactly the same thing. We have a government constructed on equal houses of government, so none would be able to take singular hold on the decisions made for the nation. Our Founding Fathers were brilliant men, for over 230 years America has been a tribute to the vision of those brave and intelligent men. Our Constitution is designed so Americans won't get policies shoved down their throats (sorry about Obama-care). Just because Congress wants something done doesn't mean it will get done; the same thing goes for the President, and everything that is being done must stand the test of "Constitutionality" from the Supreme Court! No President or House of Congress has the right to do an "end-around" the Constitution. It is supposed to be "THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE"!

A few days ago an upset Barack Obama was addressing a crowd in Nevada. Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in America, along with the highest foreclosure rate on housing. Poor representation from their Congressmen and Senators must account for much of their problems. I recently did a blog on the "stellar job" Harry Reid has done in the last Congress; I don't know how he was re-elected!

Mr. Obama stated that he was going to use the power of his office to back-door some of the items on his controversial job and tax bill; he's tired of waiting for Congress! Don't you think any sitting President should wait for the decisions of the representatives of the people of the United States before he "ram-rods" his plans through the back door of the White House? I didn't vote for Barack Obama, which I'm sure is no surprise to anyone who reads this blog. Regardless of whom any American votes for, I don't believe any of us want a "king", who dictates whatever he wishes to the American people. Mr. Obama needs to read his "job description" before he gets fitted for a "CROWN"!

"Mini-Brain in Charge!"

I don't know how many of you have seen the "Austin Powers" movies; but take it from me, they are very funny. They are a satire of the James Bond and spy genre movies. They say all the things we have thought at one time or another while watching James Bond. The villain would always have Bond in some horrible torture device that was intended to kill him, but he never remains to see if Bond is killed. The villain never does the most obvious thing; he never chooses to just shoot Bond in the head. The villain in the Powers movies is "Doctor Evil" (he spent eight years in evil medical school). Alongside Doctor Evil sits Mini-Me, a tiny clone of the Doctor; just as evil, but on a smaller scale! Mike Myers is the comic genius who created the Austin Powers character, along with Doctor Evil and Mini-Me. If you have never seen these movies, I urge you to give them a look; you will laugh!

I've gotten quite a bit of mileage out of Obama's SOLYNDRA scandal lately, as it just continues to get worse and worse as the levels of ineptitude are revealed. The "green initiative" is turning into a "moldy green initiative", as it rots around Barack Obama.

SOLYNDRA and some of its large money wasters that accompany it in this terrible squandering of taxpayer's money cause us to want to pull the hair from our collective heads. Hundreds of millions of dollars have been mentioned in several of these "green debacles". We have a danger here, as we may become callous to the "small thefts" from our "green movement".

About two weeks ago, another "small scandal" was uncovered; by small, I mean it was under a million dollars; this is small by government standard as our government like to waste our money on a much grander scale. A company in Tennessee called Mountain Plaza received $424,000 in government stimulus money, and they have gone totally bankrupt! This company was to use these funds for electrical hook-ups at a truck stop in the city of Dandridge, Tennessee. The reason for this was so the truckers wouldn't run their engines at the truck stop and save on diesel fuel. This may have been a good idea; I don't know. The real mystery behind all of this is that the Mountain Plaza project went out of business before they were issued the $424,000!!

I believe sometimes stupidity should be considered a crime! I know this isn't 528 million dollars like SOLYNDRA, but it still bothers me. I would like a check for $424,000; to me, this is a pretty nice check to get for screwing up; especially if you receive it after you did the screwing up!

How much more will we put up with from the Obama administration? How many more tax dollars will we see thrown away because of ineptitude or worse? Obama now asks for more money and higher taxes. Why? Has Mr. Obama found some new ways to make our taxpayer dollars evaporate into thin air? I don't believe America can stand four more years of Mr. Obama's method of saving the American economy; do you?

"Family Values!"

I'm a big fan of "The Godfather". It is arguably the best movie ever made; superb acting, amazing set design, great directing and absorbing dialogue. Being an Italian, I have to admit, it is a cool movie; although, I don't advocate the Mafia! There is a scene in the film when all of the heads of the "Five Families" are gathered in a large conference room to discuss Don Corleone's help in using his influence to promote the heroin trade in New York. During the conversation, the head of the Barzini Family stated that "Of course you will be compensated for your help, after all we are not communists." Thus, the drug traffic in New York was shared by all those who helped in the "new venture"; it is good to help "family members" when you have the influence!

Lately, I have spent some time talking about the SOLYNDRA scandal which is surrounding the Obama administration. Billions of American dollars have been given away to the "green initiative" since Barack Obama has taken office; unfortunately, most of it is not giving America a very good return for her investment. SOLYNDRA wasted 528 million taxpayer dollars; that is a big chunk of money! SOLYNDRA is bankrupt, and our money is gone!! There is quite a bit of talk about how this was a "sweetheart deal" from its inception, because of campaign donations to Barack Obama.

I believe it is good to take care of your family, when you can. Nancy Pelosi must feel the same way about her family; after all, she's "not a communist". Five hundred twenty eight million is a big number; but not as big as 737 million taxpayer dollars, which is what Crescent Dunes project received from the Obama administration. The program, thus far, is disappointing; not even getting close to its projected promises of power production or energy savings. By the way, one of the Crescent Dunes players is Ronald Pelosi; Nancy's brother-in-law. Now if I was a suspicious person, I could come to the conclusion that perhaps Nancy used her influence to channel some of that STIMULUS money toward her brother-in-law. It is good to take care of your family!

There may not have been a huge conference table, or consiglieries seated next to their Dons, but there is certainly reason to suggest that deals were made, and public money was divided. The more we look into the "green initiative", the more it looks like the green was our green! To take a page from "I Love Lucy" I'd like to say, "Nancy, you've got some splainin to do!"

"There's a Giant on the Beach!"

Remember the really old cartoons: Max Fleshier, Walt Disney and Walter Lantz were the pioneers, way back when. Fleshier and Disney were the first to make feature length cartoons; the amount of work for a feature cartoon is staggering. Hundreds of animation artists worked long hours for only a few minutes of film, but in the end, the results were magnificent. I vividly remember the Fleshier feature of "Gulliver's Travels"; this was a landmark accomplishment in animation (I own the DVD). I remember the giant Gulliver prone on the beach as the people of Lilliput gathered tons of food to assuage the giant's enormous appetite. He tossed down basket after basket of bread, vegetables and fruits as if they were thimbles. No matter how much food those poor Lilliputians brought him, he was insatiable. It takes an awful lot of food to feed a giant!

Recently, my favorite senator, Harry Reid, has stated that the private sector is doing just fine in job growth. I find this interesting, as Nevada is still at over 12% unemployment; I guess that's what Harry believes is just fine. Harry went on to promote the new Obama "Spend and Tax" jobs bill, stating we need more billions of dollars to hire more government workers. The current Democrat wisdom believes this is the only way we can hire more teachers, police officers and firefighters.

We are in an overtaxed emergency in America right now! An increased tax to hire an already overburdened populous is a stupid idea; sorry Harry! States, cities and counties are losing staff because of the reduced tax base from the record unemployment in the PRIVATE SECTOR!! If we continue to bleed the private sector to "feed the giant", eventually we will have no "food" to feed ourselves, Harry! Conversely, if we promote deregulation and pursue an aggressive domestic energy agenda, we will increase our tax base without raising taxes; GET IT HARRY! The more citizens we have working in the PRIVATE SECTOR, the more taxes we will have to hire public servants. Is that simple enough Harry?

This idea of continued government spending and regulation will only delay any possible economic recovery; this is common sense! As we confront a 14 trillion dollar debt, further government spending to add to the "Octopus" is a very bad idea; especially since the last mountain of money was so poorly used!

America, it is time for us to put our collective feet down and stop feeding the "Giant on the beach"; we have a "Gulliver" of a government, and his appetite is INSATIABLE!