And Your Taxes Just Went Up 800 Billion Dollars

I watched with horror as the Supreme Court of the United States upheld Obamacare as a tax and there fore it is constitutional.  It is curious to not that the whole time B.O. was lubricating us, he was softly whispering in our ear that this was NOT a tax.
And now, it turns out that his paid thugs-that is to say-his lawyers argued that this WAS a tax. On that argument, 5 morons agreed to let Obamacare or as I grew up calling it-socialized medicine be the new law of the land. The decision was made at about 10 am. Within forty five minutes, I had received an email from my doctors' offices that they will be closing at the end of this year. In a word, I'm screwed. Good job, B.O.
The only hope we have is that his entire group is voted out this November. It's our only chance.
And now, as I type, B.O. is trying to tell me that this is a great idea. Bullshit. He is leaving out the part that this is a tax, and a huge one. If you voted for this guy, thanks. You just made my life a lot worse.

Disability-B.O.'s Newest Cash Crop

I read an alarming statistic last week.  The number of individuals who are applying for-and receiving-disability has jumped by almost one quarter.  Are we suddenly inundated with folks who are losing a limb, or being struck blind? Well, no.  What we have is a HUGE amount of people who have run out of every other means of supporting themselves.  They have been unemployed for too long or perhaps they have decided it's more fun to sit on their computer and surf instead of going to work every day.
I know maybe seven people who are "disabled" and yet, they are surprisingly spry.  One used to be a stripper-yep- and then the act of going to work everyday was so stressful that she needed medication.  From that medication she needed to be subsidized.  Now she is paid almost eight hundred a month to go shopping, get up at noon, and run all over the place.  She has also turned disability into a family business.  Her first child needs SSI because he has some sort of A.D.D.  Her step son has A.D.H.D. now and some sort of problem from the Ritalin he took.  Her latest husband has a bad back, a bad heart, and some sort of exotic bone problem.  We have been paying her to have children- we subsidized the last two that she had.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that there is nothing wrong with her.  She seems perfectly able to ride or drive in a vehicle for upwards of five hours every day.  She is able to use her computer for at least 12 hours every day.  While she has embraced carbohydrates and probably can't be paid to take her clothes off anymore, she still seems able to say, " Welcome to Walmart-do you need a cart?"  Maybe the thought of her children being hungry doesn't stress her out enough.  It would me.
I know another person who was very disabled until the check started. Now, it's a miracle! The very medicine that used to be provided for free thanks to you and me and cost upwards of eight hundred dollars a month is no longer necessary now that he only gets $1900 a month. Thanks be to God, right?
I have no problem helping someone who genuinely needs it. I stood behind a gentleman in a self checkout as he was buying a cake and some candy.  The snarky comments were flying all around, and he turned toward me and said, "Today's my daughter's birthday. I've been out of work for over a year, and if all she asked for is cake and candy- then by God! she is going to have it."  I offered to buy a barbie doll for her, but he said no thank you.  I hope things turn around for him, I expect they will by the first of the year.  I hope he makes it that long.  I hope that we all do.
So the next time you see someone who is "disabled" ask yourself this- How much is that costing me?  You'll thank me later.

Another Angry Lesbian Writes me Off

I have a wide variety of people that I speak to every day. I don't necessarily consider them friends, but they are people that I enjoy speaking to on a semi-regular basis.  If I only spoke to people who agreed with the way that I think, I would end up like those angry liberals who couldn't understand George W. Bush being elected when no one they knew voted for him.
But back to the angry lesbian-she is a friend of a brother of a friend of mine. We have shared a meal, not much else.  I knew she is a lesbian, her mannish girlfriend was a big indication. She had "married" someone the year before, I guess that didn't work out.
I had posted an opinion on Facebook, denigrating B.O.'s evolving opinion to court the homosexual vote.  From every statistic that I can find, homosexuals account for 1.7% of the population.  That doesn't sound like much to get worked up over, other than they have the approval of every left wing celebrity on the planet.  While they scream, bellow, and demand to be recognized and treated well, they curse, denigrate, and attempt to ridicule anyone who doesn't agree with them. High school and college age children are more open to homosexuality, I suppose all that liberal indoctrination in public schools must be paying off.
Of course-B.O.'s "evolution" toward the acceptance of homosexuality may well have something to do with his repeated fundraisers in Hollywood and his desperate need for all of the liberal deep pockets.  I suspect that this "evolution" is one more pandering toward the super liberal out of touch big money bundlers that B.O. caters to. Ironically, Mitt-for-brains raised more money than B.O. did last month.I guess even people who are tepid about him are less tepid at the thought of the destruction of our country's moral fabric.
My post pointed out that if B.O. wants to go after an obscure group for publicity, why not go chasing for the vote of the child molester?  That group is estimated to be 1-5% of the population, and since progressives are trying to re-brand them as 'minor attracted' I am certain that very soon we will be getting a barrage of "studies" that tell us these 'minor attracted' isn't a choice- they are born that way.
Why stop there? As I pointed out, those states that currently allow homosexual 'marriages' could go further.  I love my dog, she has never been unfaithful. Not counting that she will leave my side in a flash for someone with potato chips-but we are working on that.  Why not allow me to 'marry' her, and thus protect my assets for her in the event of my death?
If a homosexual couple want to make sure that their partner has rights in the event of death they have this really cool device: a will.  You can leave all of your stuff to whoever, or whatever you want to.  If you are that worried about your partner having access to you in an emergency, then go to the hospital and fill out the paper work giving a directive to the hospital allowing that person to make those decisions for you.  It's called planning.
Try doing that instead of forcing me to view homosexual couple after couple flout their lifestyle choices.  You'll thank me later.

Would you Rent to These People?

I have a rental unit that I offer.  It is a two bedroom townhouse with one bath, a full basement and a dining room.  It's a nice place and I am happy with it.  The first people that I rented it to were an eye opening experience.  At least they didn't try to bargain with me by asking what the lowest price I would take for the unit would be.  They also earned a few points for at least wearing shoes when they came to see it, and not bringing 17 people with them. ( I wish I was making those two things up)

I currently have a couple in the unit that are everything that my first adventure into tenants were not.  They don't have three hysterically barking dogs.Three constantly barking, at all hours of the day and night-o look! a squirrel- dogs.  They understand the vagaries of a vacuum cleaner, and they use one. I know- I've heard it.  Finally, they haven't become the third cheek of my behind.  At the risk of sounding snobby, I am not looking for my new best friend.  I am looking for  responsible adults who can budget their money in such a way as to pay me the rent in the first four days of the month.  Someone who won't trash my place, or use it as a meth lab.

Doesn't sound complicated does it?  Silly rabbit, I showed the apartment to thirteen different people before I found the ones that didn't give me the willies or hives.  They seem to be normal, sane people with fiscal responsibility.  Yay!

But before I got off point, I was talking about the people who wanted to see the apartment that I rent.  One woman needed a two bedroom because she was expecting a child.  I have no problem with that, but I did have a problem with the parole officer telling me she couldn't rent it because it was too close to playgrounds.  Say it with me: eeeeewwww

Another couple wanted their out of work son to live in the other bedroom, and have his three children stay with them every weekend.

One lady had three daughters and four grandchildren, all of whom she wanted to stay there.

Another couple had three children and wanted to use the basement as a bedroom.

My favorite person who had no chance of renting from me was the guy who wanted to know if his two girlfriends could also live there. While I admire his sheer chutzpah and salesmanship, he had zero chance.

Please don't think that I am complaining, I love the life that I have almost half the time.  I do wonder about people and the people that raised them.  Were they raised by wolves? A pack of wild dogs? Who knows?  If you've never shown up to rent an apartment with a dozen pals, worn shoes while you did it, and don't have a parole officer who has to determine your proximity to playgrounds you should feel very good about yourself.  You can thank me later.

Groceries, Unemployment, and Other Cooked Numbers

According to the White House, the number of people who are on unemployed went down a few weeks ago.  Since I have several people approach me every week who are looking for work, I was curious about that number they floated, so I dug deeper.  In the formula that they use- the formula started under everyone's favorite disbarred President- once a person has run out of unemployment benefits, they aren't considered unemployed any more. How does that make sense?
They aren't working, they aren't able to provide for their families, but they aren't unemployed? Okay. Talk about phony numbers- it would be the same as someone with cancer dying of a heart attack from the stress- but not considered a cancer victim.  Sure, it wasn't the cancer that killed them, but they surely aren't on this side of the turf, now are they?
 Another concern that I have is the number of people who are applying for and receiving disability.  I have received disability, I understand that there are times when a person cannot work. When I was having five or six seizures a week, I couldn't even live alone, much less hold down a job.  The instant I was able to work, I stopped receiving the benefits. Why? because I would rather earn what I get, rather than have the government give it to me.  I understand that I earned the money by paying into the system, but it still felt better to me to earn a check and not have one sent to me.
I know of nine people who receive disability pay from the government. If I know nine, I bet everyone knows nine.  Of those nine people who receive this money, six of them seem okay to work. That is to say, they can drive, they can use their computers for 14 hours a day, they can buy and cook food, and they can reproduce. When I asked one of them why she is disabled, she told me that when she worked, the stress caused her to have insomnia, and an upset stomach that was almost an ulcer. She was a stripper! I would think the stress of those four children going hungry would be quite an incentive to dragging myself into those pasties every night.
Another person who is trying to latch onto the government teet because of his supposed bad back would like to buy a motor cycle when he gets his disability.  How does that work?  So he can't get up and work at a job that requires him to lift more than 10 pounds at a time, but he can ride a motorcycle? Hooey. He is able to walk dogs, he is able to shop.  He seems more than capable of saying-"Hi, would you need a cart?"
 Ask your elected officials why this is.  Someone has to have the answer to this, and why disability is the new gift that keeps on giving.  You'll thank me later.

Here are Even More Small Business Frustrations, Mr. Obama

If you have read this with any regularity, you know that I have been running my own small store for about a year.  I have shared most of my frustrations with the endless red tape that is involved in opening a business now.  I have posted pictures of the remodel, the expansion, and the building.  For the most part, I love that I have been able to do this. Being my own boss is an exciting prospect, and knowing that my fate is in my own hands is both wonderful and scary.
On the other hand, I spent 78 hours working last week.  I do not receive over time, of course.  If I wish to make money, than I have to be open.  I have said before that I would like to hire someone part time, someone that could be here when I was enjoying a half day off.  So I wish I could hire someone for maybe 10 hours a week.  It's not going to happen.  It's not that I have a shortage in applications, no.  I have maybe five to eight people per week who ask if I am hiring. Unfortunately, I am not.
I have listed the reasons before, but a new reason that I won't be hiring is the recession that is not only not over, it is dug in.  My business is hanging in there.  Luckily, I have low overhead, and I have no problem with long hours.  The thing that I cannot overcome is this craptacular economy we are experiencing.  I sell things to people.  I also find things that people are looking for, and then I sell them those things also.  A customer that taxes my patience often complains that I just buy things and sell them for more than I paid for them.You think?  Welcome to capitalism 101.
The current, uncooked unemployment number sits at 14.58%. That's the real number, not the heavily redacted, eliminating the people who are underemployed, or the people who have stopped looking and given up, or the people who have run out of benefits.  Can you imagine the panic of looking for two years and still not having a job??
How are we supposed to thrive when one in six people does not have a job?  One in six people has no money coming in, or not enough money coming in.  While it makes buying things for the store much easier, what is the point of buying things for the store if there is no one able to buy those items?
I don't want tax credits.  I don't want some sort of easing of money.  Printing more money is the reason that gasoline is so expensive.  I don't want magic beans, I want a strong, robust economy where everyone who wants to work can find a job, a good paying job.
Get involved. Volunteer your time to a group that is working to fix the problems we face.  Write letters, make phone calls, demand that your elected officials earn their pay. Learn to read their double speak, and don't accept it.  If you didn't do your job, would you be able to keep it?  Me neither.  The Senate hasn't passed a budget in three years.  That is one of the only things spelled out for them in the Constitution that they must do.  If you just showed up for work without doing anything for three years, how do you think that would play out?  Demand that the Senate do their job.  You'll thank me later.

Good Job GOP!

I am watching with great sadness the destruction of any chance that this Republic has to defeat B.O. and his socialist agenda.  Speaker Gingrich is "suspending" his campaign and we are stuck with mitt-for-brains.  The money that he has spent to carpet bomb the opponents will pale in comparison to the money that every one's favorite Kenyan will spend to destroy him.
Factor in the slow dance in the moonlight that the msm is still enjoying and the only thing we can see is four more years for Obama to muck everything up beyond recognition.
Mitt Romney will say anything, do anything promise anything to get himself elected.  Did the GOP learn nothing when they ran the last guy who had stood in line the longest? In a word: no. Mitt Romney has no core of beliefs. He has no guiding principles that he strives for.  He is a stiff, over groomed, cookie cutter white guy.  And while he is better than the craptacular fiasco that we have in place now, he stinks.
I have read the attempts to humanize him by his wife and others.  That may be loyalty on their part, but the clip that will be played over and over is the casual bet he made with another candidate.  The ten thousand dollars that he so casually offered will resonate with those like me who think ten thousand dollars is not an amount that you just toss out there, that is a serious piece of cash.
Romney doesn't get it.  He has no idea of the stress involved in choosing which bills you can afford to pay and which ones have to wait.  He has never had to choose between food and electricity, and he doesn't get it.  Granted, B.O. tries to act as though he is a man who has been there.  His pathetic story that he floated of watching his mother fight with insurance as she lay dying was touching.  The only problem with it, is it is mostly a fabrication.  She was trying to file for benefits for disability not her health benefits.  He lied about the context of her argument with the insurance company, no surprise.
But back to our lousy candidate, Mitt Romney.  The media is starting to point out how rich he is, how out of touch he is.  He won't win, and we are stuck with B.O. for four more years. Pray for mercy, you'll thank me later.

Animal Shelters Need More Money, Teachers Do Not

I have often said that if I ever win a lottery, one of the first things that I would do is open a huge no kill shelter in my area.  A sanctuary that would take care of the strays, cats, dogs, small mammals, lizards, birds, whatever.  I think about one hundred acres would do the trick, probably fifteen buildings and a clinic.  I have imagined the place many times, it is a pleasant fantasy for passing time.  I don't understand people who raise dogs or cats.  Especially the ones who keep cranking out designer mutts or kittens for any reason.  Millions of animals are destroyed every year.  We don't need more of them.  We need people to take care of the ones that they have, that would be kind of cool.  While I don't like the idea of more taxes, I think that they would curb the people who get a pedigreed animal and immediately see dollar signs.
Almost every dog I have ever had has been one with some sort of pedigree.  I'm not a dog snob, I just like basset hounds and Great Danes.  But I have never bred any of my animals, mostly because of the overpopulation of dogs, but also because I know people who raise and sell dogs.  Those people are not making the killing that some would envision.  When you factor in the costs of the veterinarian, the food, the time, and the medicines, there isn't much of a profit.
The bane of my Mother's experience with breeding was the people who were looking for a bargain.  Out of a litter of six, she sold three of them.  I got one, and she ended up keeping the other two. Trust me, she didn't make a profit.
When some people buy a dog, they have expectations that are not realistic.  Other times, they have to get rid of the dog for other reasons. The up shot is that animal shelters are full of registered dogs, and most of them will be euthanized before they can find a home.  If you want a good pet that will love you for years, go to your local animal shelter.  You will save someone's life, and they will repay you with love and adoration for a long time.
On the other hand, some folks in Wisconsin are still trying to recall Scott Walker-the genius who got their fiscal house in order.  It's hard to feel sorry for a teacher who is asked to kick in another twenty dollars toward their health insurance when I am paying for mine one hundred percent.
While I appreciate that teachers have the important job of educating our children, I don't think that most of them are doing a very good job of it.  In fact, I think that most of them are more worried about their own job security than they are concerned with our children being prepared to learn the skills they will need to get a job that will support them.
If you can get involved in your child's school, I would suggest that you do it. You'll thank me later.

B.O. Can't Create Jobs, But he Sure Can Manufacture a Distraction, Can't He?

Anyone who has ever read my blog knows how I feel about Trayvon Martin. I think if he had been home, where he should have been, he would be alive today.  Instead, while on another suspension from his school, he went out for skittles and who knows what else, and chose to attack an armed man. One of my favorite lines from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade -"He chose poorly."
Before that was the stupid fake hearing that Pelosi tried to create with Sandra Fluke.  You remember her? She was the activist that they tried to pass off as just another law student.  The paid activist that went to a Catholic school and was shocked that they would not provide her birth control.  She quoted a price of about three thousand dollars for her birth control. Unfortunately for her and Ms. Pelosi's fake hearing, no one did any research and the truth that she could have purchased her pills for twelve dollars a month-or less than $150 a year was quickly made public.
Now we can add the incredibly ignorant comments from the White House Operative Hilary Rosen who said that in her opinion, Anne Romney has never worked a day in her life.  Mrs. Romney only stayed home, managing her home, raising five sons, and keeping things running while her husband was a businessman and then a politician.  No work there.  Ms. Rosen and her partner have twins. Am I to believe that neither of these woman are staying home to raise these children? Perhaps they should have just gotten a dog, as neither wants to stay home and make the sacrifices that Mrs. Romney has chosen to make.
But the worst part is that all of these things are simply distractions.  Distractions from the left, distractions from B.O.'s White House,  all attempts at smoke and mirrors to keep the collective minds from the miserable job he is doing as the CEO of our Republic.
What is the real unemployment in your area?  Not the pretend, cooked number that they release every month in D.C.,but the real number when you factor in the underemployed, the people who have run out of benefits, and the people who have lost hope.  In my area it is over 17 %.  I bet it is close to that where you are also.
Don't be distracted by the steady line of baloney that the current administration is so good at manufacturing. It is only more crises that B.O. will not let go to waste.  Keep your eye and your thoughts on the economy.  You'll thank me later.

Get Your Volt Now, Before They Are Gone....... Oh Wait......

I read yesterday with more than a little disgust that GM is not going to be producing any more of that VOLT crap until they get rid of some of what they have in stock. So that means, until the government starts buying them with the left hand and hiding it from us with the right hand, another one of B.O.'s brilliant plans is a big fat zilch.
How many does that make now?  There was Solyndra.  I recall B.O. making a big splashy news conference about the wonders of solar energy and the folks who were making it happen there.(FYI when B.O. shows up with his sleeves strategically rolled up one quarter, no tie, drops the 'g' from words, and than throws around the word 'folks', batten the hatches 'cuz he is campaignin'!) Then what happened? That's right, we wasted a half a billion dollars on a company that bought lots of cool gadgets and went belly up.
And then there was Light Squared.  They did what Solyndra did, but with half the money. I guess when you only lose a quarter of a billion tax dollars, you seem like the hero.
And now we have B.O. making another "just folks" stop by the GM Volt plant that you and I own, and he is telling us that in five years (God forbid) when he quits, he is going to buy one himself.  I guess his bunch of brown shirts was too busy goose stepping on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights to give him the heads up on how crappily the Volt is selling.
I would be laughing if I hadn't already spent about $256,000 per on each of the little flame balls already produced.
And now, B.O. is trying to move a little right and say he wants an "all of the above" approach to energy policy. Poop. He has closed off most of the places where the oil is.  He has said no to the 'Keystone Pipeline'. He has said no to drilling permits for American companies, but ironically has allowed other countries to start drilling.He has said no to more refineries.  He is doubling down on his green energy myth and no amount of common sense seems to dissuade him.
B.O. stinks. Remember that in November.  You'll thank me later.