This is a lesson that all Americans should learn by the time they are able to manage their own money.  As a matter of fact,  when an eight year old begins to earn an allowance a basic economic truth should be repeated over and over until they understand what money really is and how it should be handled.   This basic truth was made evident to me in an autobiography by Shirley Temple Black.  Yes, amazing isn't it?  Yet who better to learn from then the iconic child star of the Depression Era.  The lesson is simply this: Cash is for the rich.  Credit is for the poor.  Could it be any plainer for people to understand?  More specifically, could any liberal or RINO in Washington who wants to continue spending begin to comprehend this simple statement?   It is so simple, that it will most likely go over their elitist heads. 

The political season is in full swing and now more than ever, it is time to start this blog again.  There are many issues on the agenda, and where to begin is very daunting indeed.  My absence for the past couple of months (since April to be exact) gave ample time to sit back and reflect on what the core message is for this blog.  What do I need to be  saying that isn't being said or barely being said anywhere else?  Is there room for another "conservative Republican" to voice an opinion?  The answers to these questions became apparent when watching the Republican debates and the media's attempts to make the candidates look like bumbling idiots.  One more comment on how great Mitt Romney is looking as a candidate will be enough for me to wonder if there is any hope for the American political system. The Republican Presidential field of candidates is not perfect, but then  again, the field is filled with human beings who have lives, families, hopes and dreams  In other words, they are not the Messiah.  On the bright side,   the Democrat Presidential candidate is not perfect either.  Its time to move on and find the right person for the job.  This in a nut shell is what really has Washington running for cover.  The average conservative  American voter is now taking the time to throughly vet the candidates to find out as much as possible before making a decision on who to support.  For the future of America, this is a very good thing.  Having learned the lessons of putting someone with no experience in the Oval Office, voters now want someone they can count on.  It's going to be a very tough job to defeat Obama, and an even tougher one to clean up the mess he leaves behind. This job can not be entrusted to just "anyone" 

This will sound like a tirade of an angry taxpayer.  Probably because it is.  For the first time since this blog began, it will be personal because the 47% have made this a very personal issue to me.  Before the assumption is made that this is being written by a white educated person who makes $250,000 a year, lives in a 25000 square foot home and has money in the retirement account,  allow me to set the record straight.  I am an educated white person with a Master's Degree.  I live in a 1000 square foot home, and currently working only 5 to 10 hours a week due to the fact that the economy has been so bad.  How am I surviving?  Barely.  Yet, you'll understand why I am angered that I still owe Uncle Sam money at tax time when my husband and I are barely scrapping by on my meager income and his income that has been slashed in half due to the auto industry taking a dive.

So the 47% who pay no taxes there is only one thing I have to say to you: Have you no shame?  No self worth?  You complain along with our President that everyone should have skin the game.  Sorry, but we are down to the bone.  Nothing left to give because the 47% who like to live high off the hog from government handouts don't feel they have anything to give.  Freeloading off me is no longer an option.  I am tired of the class warfare that the liberals want me to participant in because they would rather have a dependent class than an independent class. Since we want to talk about skin in the game as our President so eloquently puts it, let's put it in perspective what that means.  It should mean that everyone pays their fair share. However, in this country, that use to take pride in ingenuity, hard work, and pulling oneself up from the bootstraps,fairness is determined by fat cats in Washington who make rules based on "feelings".  They feel that certain class of people deserve a break while another class carries the burden.   That is not fairness by any standards.  That is called putting people in a position where they will become enslaved (yes, as in become a slave) to a system that will never set them free.  That is immoral. 

To the so called "rich" who have the all the breaks. There is no envy here of how you obtain your money or how you spend it.  There is just one request that I would like to make here.   Please spread your wealth to me.  Not in the way of money, unless you have a job opportunity for me so that I might be able to put food on the table based on my own hard work.  Spread your wealth of knowledge to me and those like me who want to further ourselves along in life to the point where we are successful and perhaps, be able to help the economy grow with new ideas, new jobs and new businesses.  That should be the only "spreading of wealth" to go around.  I have not taken a dime of welfare, or government handouts because I was taught to make it on my own.  I have a brain,  able body and a willingness to learn.  However, the immorality of this current economy and mindset in Washington is keeping me and others like me from getting a job.  I want to be self sufficient.   I wish the 47% of Americans who don't pay taxes would do the same.   However,  it doesn't seem likely to happen anytime soon.  While they are busy taking from the government I will be scrapping by trying to pay my taxes and hopefully not fall further behind.   However, after hearing Obama's speech of a few days back, it hardly seems likely to happen this year.  The frightening fact that faces me daily, is that he is looking for more ways to tax me further.  If this is the case, I can't say I'd blame anyone with money to move out of the United States.  I would too if I could afford it!

America certainly has had it's ups and downs.  For all of her faults, I  love this country and appreciate the opportunity it once offered.  I hope those opportunities will come around again!

Tonight's State of the Union Address will be filled with praise for Obama and more promises that the current administration can not keep.    The country is is eagerly awaiting news that the economy will soon turn around and that the United States is back on its feet. Voters will want to hear about concrete strategy on how the President intends to lead America back to financial stability.   In addition, people will need reassurances from the President that the days of wasteful spending in Washington is a thing of the past.  President Obama can not deliver on what Americans need so he will have to do what he has done on the campaign trail: preach like he's the savior, promise the moon and promote liberal programs which will add to America's economic woes.  That is what the President does best.  However, if he were to be presidential tonight, what he should acknowledge is that America's economic future is not stable, and won't be until the combination of unemployment, housing, oil, and U.S. Debt show stronger numbers. 

In the current economic crisis, people are returning to school to earn another degree in hopes that it will pave the way for better jobs and wages.  After all, this is the generation that was brought up with the mantra, "The more you learn, the more you earn."   College has become the necessary tool to get ahead in life and fulfill the American dream.   However, that reality has been busted over the past two years due to the fact that there are more educated unemployed than in any other time in history.  The seal on sheepskin paper that declares to the world the value of a person's education amounts to nothing when times are challenging.  What has happened to the "educated"  class and why haven't they been able to pull themselves out of this unemployment slump?  The answer is simple:  the American education system has failed them. 

Someone finally said the "D" word.  The media has been trying to hide the fact that America is worse off then ever by calling our economic reality the "Great Recession" .  However the housing market is showing a much different reality.  The number of foreclosed homes in 2010 went well over a million and 2011 does not look to be much better.  This marks the first time since the Great "Depression" that the housing market has been dismal.  Passing the historic mark of 25.9% of the 1928-1933.  Spin it all you'd like but the reality is that this is Obama's economy.  This will be Obama's legacy. 

In the aftermath of the shooting in Arizona, pundits and talk hosts have weighed in on the "motive" behind the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords. Too much vitriol.  Too much violence.  Too much hate in Arizona.  Hearing these simplified explanation from the pundits, who often stand on the left, caused many on the right to go on the defensive.  After all, hadn't the left participated and contributed to the vitriol?   The sad fact is that as pundits are racing to the cameras, papers and internet to explain and examine the events, one important fact has been ignored.  Words that convey frustration and even anger do not harm anyone.  Actions do and will.   American politics has always had heated arguments and passionate speeches.  The men and women who gave voice to those words did so with the intentions of changing the course in America.  Vitriol,  hate speech, and violent images do not cause crimes.  People commit the crime. 

 A strong argument against health care reform has moved many people in cities across the United States to form their own political action groups or blogs.   Death panels, and kill grandma were images that were used during heated debates.  Looking over a year's worth of newspapers clipping,  it would be hard pressed for someone to find a story about a murdered grandmother because someone wanted to prove the point that this is what the reform was all about.  As a matter of fact, there are no such stories.  

Many other factors contribute to a person making the decision to commit a crime. The current economic conditions has created many opportunities for crimes of frustration.  Statistically in economic down turns,  crime rates tend to climb.  It goes along with the old saying, "Desperate times, desperate measures".  Not  one single story about how many homes are in foreclosure or the unemployment numbers climbing higher can give incentives for a crime spree. In a  WSJ blog posted on January 16, 2008 by Heidi N. Moore entitled, "Should the Feds Set Banker Pay?", the author mused  "Maybe we should march these bankers out back, give them blindfolds and shoot them at sunrise."    Those words paint a vivid picture of violence. Almost three years later, not  one banker has been marched out to meet their end. Perhaps she wasn't convincing enough. Or perhaps, readers understood the use of a sarcastic tone. 

History, great literature and classic films all have all used images that could be considered dangerous and deadly.  This should not mean that all hateful, emotionally charged words should be wiped off the pages of books, blogs and newspapers.  It's truly a sign of the culture being afraid of its own shadow.  The left has been on the march to blame every evil deed on the right, trying to justify the need for censorship of opinions that are not like  their own.  Sadly, Jared Lee Loughner has given them that opportunity.   However, there is just one troubling matter that nags at the sensibility of common folks.  If the left feels strongly that words and vitriol can spark violent deaths, then should it be suggested that William Shakespeare's words are dangerous to all lawyers?   Don't remember the line from his play Henry VI, Part 2, Act 1V, Scene II?  "First thing we do is , kill all the lawyers."  

The cold hard fact is this:  Jared Lee Loughner committed a terrible crime.  Whatever books he has read, whatever images he has ever seen or music he has ever heard are not responsible for the shooting rampage.  Jared Lee Loughner is responsible for the crime.  

     Anyone can learn from books, but one thing that books can not teach is common "street smart" sense.  Any college graduate will agree that their college education may have been valuable but it did not teach them everything they needed to know once they went into the work force.  Some things need to be taught by experience and life.  Which begs the question after sending students off to college to provide a firm foundation in which to build their life, does it guarantee success in life?  Back in the 1950's, the answer was a firm yes.  Not many who graduated from high school went to college but those who did landed good jobs, had nice homes and were set for life.  This became the mantra.  Can't make a decent living without a college education.  There are cases of people who have become very successful without college degrees, yet the argument is that they are few and far between. True. However, a college education can become a double edged sword, both personally and for society in general.  After all education is a good thing, but it depends on how the education is used that will determine the "benefit" in life.  

It is interesting to see the "No-Label" group come out in the aftermath of the 2010 elections.  Listening, reading and watching commentaries on radio, blogs and television,  one might get the idea that the left had won the election   That is if people believe the "common" wisdom of the center.  Even President Obama who demonstrated over the past two  years how liberal and leftist his views are commented that the election of 2010 was about people wanting compromise.  Everyone working together, crossing the isle and meeting in the middle.  That may be the distorted view from the Oval Office window, but outside the windows of most American homes, voters were angry.  Not because the government would not "compromise" but because they compromised too much.  America's future is in jeopardy and our leaders are abusing their powers in order to advance their own agenda.   The  year 2010 will go down as the year of Constitutionalism.  Americans want a return to the value and principals that made this country great. 

The night turned out to be a big one for Republicans, and more importantly for conservatives.  Without a doubt the voters  had something to say, and they said it loudly.  Most of the political map  now is colored in red, taking over places where only a mere two years ago it was blue.  While listening to the pundits and politicians on Tuesday night and into Wednesday morning three prominent themes seemed to emerge.  Rejection of Obama's policies, refusal to accept the status quo which would have allowed the establishment to continue to trample over the will of the people and a reminder that the GOP has been given the chance to do right by the people.  Don't get the message wrong. 

As they say,  hell knows no fury like a woman scorned.  In this case,  it is the voters of 2008 who were scorned and have come back to have their voices heard louder and clearer.  If today turns our like the pundits are predicting,  conservatives are finally awake enough to start making a difference in elections.  This is a good thing.  It will be even better if the momentum keeps going into 2012 to test the resolve of the Conservative voter and activist.  If the 2010 election do not carry through 2012, where a new president should be elected, then all the work for the past two years will have been in vain. Dramatic? Over the top?  Perhaps a little but now is the time to stay motivated and moving.  Even if the pundits are all wrong, and the Democrats retain control of the Senate and House, this will not be a time of despair.  It will be a time of defending the conservative cause and not backing down. 

Over the past two years,  the Obama administration has seen to it to push as many reforms as the people could possibly choke on.  While people were trying to deal with deep financial troubles in their own homes, such as unemployment and foreclosure,  Obama's team were more concerned with corporate  bailouts,  healthcare reform,  cap and trade,  energy renewal and the list goes on.  All the while the blame for the economic mess was heaped on the prior administration.  The logic was (and still is) insane and filled with holes.  How can  well educated people say that they are spending money on social programs and ignore the lack of cash flow.  Has Harvard and Yale sunk so low that high schools  can teach economics better than them?   If that is so, presidents of both colleges should look into firing their Economics Department and start anew. (Suggestion:  Contact Walter Williams to get you going on the right path.)   This is their moment to enact Socialism with or without the people's consent.  Today's election may stop socialism from becoming a reality, for now.  

There is little doubt that the Liberals in Washington will come back to fight another day.  They always do. After all,  who would have ever conceived the idea that after President Nixon America would elect little known Georgia native Jimmy Carter. He was a new face, but with an old agenda hidden up his sleeves.   With all of his mistakes and blunders, it could have been easily become a Shakespeare Comedy but the press coddled and protected him.  Americans had little choice in where tot get their information.  Whatever was said on the nightly news was gospel truth, or was it?  Carter got a pass for his failed presidency, while Reagan was berated for his success in getting Americans back on their feet.   However, this time it may be a little different than thirty years ago.  Voters are now more informed than before.  They know where to look for information and are becoming savvy enough to shift through different sources to evaluate the content and find the information they need. Tactics for getting votes are getting tiresome.  How many times has grandma been threatened with losing her Social Security or Medicaid?  Too many times to count on two hands.   The old lines are not working anymore.  Most importantly, there is a general sense of weariness with the same old politicians who decade after decade have proven that do not know how to lead, to serve or represent their constituents.  This is just one of the reasons why many of the new faces in the Capital will be those who are considered "newbies"  in the political world.    In any case, every Representative whether they are Republican, Democrat or Independent will have to work harder to earn the trust of the people.  When the liberals regroup they will have a much harder time to push through their agenda in the next thirty years. 

It is less than twenty-four hours before the polls open for Election Day 2010, and there is a ton of excitement in the air.  The GOP is looking to win big this time around, but once has to keep things in perspective.  Half the battle tomorrow will have been won.  Gaining seats in the House and Senate, and snagging a few Governors races along the way.  Michigan is poised to bring to Lansing a business man who is committed to bring businesses back to the Great Lakes state.  The Republican Gubernatorial candidate, Rick Snyder surprisingly won the nomination because he is an outsider.  Conventional wisdom would have aid that Pete Hoekstra was Michigan's man, but it seems that his years in Washington was a negative not a positive in his campaign bid.  With less than twenty-four hours to go, here are the predictions for Michigan and  the nation. 

A little homespun politics is in order for the moment.  November is going to be here soon and the drive to get conservative, respected candidates the support they need is critical.  Every vote counts.  In this election, it is going to be all hands on deck, and take nothing for granted.  This election's theme is that every campaign is  national, whoever goes to represent a district will be making decisions that will affect the rest of the country.  In the Twelfth District of Michigan, this theme is ever so important.  In a state that has been in a recession for eight years due to Governor Granholm blowing away jobs, businesses, and young talent to other areas of the country, the need for a new beginning is desperately needed and desired.  Bravo for those who are supporting Rick Snyder in his bid for Governor, however it is important to place someone in Washington who will vote in favor of the citizens of the 12th District.  There can be no logical reason to vote for Sander Levin after his 17 years of betraying the voters. If Michigan needs change in Lansing, it only stands to reason we need change in Washington, also. 

This should be a national holiday, but it's not.  Frankly, it is surprising how many people do not know what today's significance is or even that they care.  The average Joe next door is probably thinking about the weekend ahead and what game he will be watching on Sunday.  Do they mention this date in history to students?  Probably not.  Which is actually very sad, since most of our younger generation do not know the whole story of how this country was formed.  Yes, they know about the Revolutionary War, and George Washington leading the troops and they may even remember that July 4th is the day that America celebrates the signing of the Declaration of Independence.  However that is the extent of what they know.  The complete story is filled with unique characters, some shady, some valiant.  Events that tore the country almost in two and at times it was doubtful that the group of small states would ever become a stable nation.  In the interest of education and preserving our unique history,  some of the important and not so important facts about the U.S. Constitution. 

When Revolution War ended,  the young country did not come together peacefully.  The colonies were united in hating King George III and England, but that may have been the only common ground they shared.  Each state basically fended for themselves.  The country was in debt because of the war,  states did not feel that they had to support the national government if they didn't want to and citizens were struggling to make ends meet. In the process getting angrier at their local government for not doing their jobs.   Foreign countries, such as England, France and Spain were watching carefully to see if a moment would arise for them to come in and claim control over America.  In the hot summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, thirty-nine gentlemen came together to fine tune the Articles of Confederation.  Fate would set these men on a different course of action.  The U.S. Constitution was debated, crafted and signed as the framework of this great country.  Little did they know back then, that this document would become the oldest legal document in the world.  Without this document, James  Madison feared that the experiment called America would have fizzled.  His boldest idea, was that the country's governance should begin with the people. A very risky move for a new country to make.  After all could they count on commoners to say and do the right thing?  Madison knew that people could make mistakes, even the most educated man in the room could make errors, but that was the risk they had to take in order to be sure that America would never fall under the rule of a King again.   This is his greatest gift to future Americans:  a powerful voice of freedom.

Leftist claim that this document is "living" meaning that it is one that can change to reflect the current need of our citizens.   This is not true  Although the Constitution was amended twenty-seven times, the original intent and spirit of the law remains the same.  The government is responsible to the people not for the people.  In no time in America's beginnings did the Founding Fathers envision a country that would be responsible for the welfare of its citizens.   Matters such as national security, trade between states and countries, just to name a few examples, were to be handled at the national level.  All other matters were left to the States to decide for themselves.  Citizens would vote to send a representative to the House and Senate to have their ideas heard and acted upon.  Two hundred and some odd years later, this is still the role of the government.  However, some have forgotten that the main goal in the minds of the framers of the Constitution was to form a more perfect union that was free.  Free of government intrusions.  Free of oppressive rulers who looked down on their constituents. Free of tyranny. 

The Constitution still matters today because it has proven to be able to rule without biases towards anyone group or state.  It is strong enough to keep the government from becoming overbearing but weak enough to give power to the people to defend the rights that were given to them by Our Creator.   In the past primaries we have witnessed how this delicate balance of power between the government and people work towards finding solutions that will help our country grow and still remain the beacon of hope for the countries around the world. The voices from Washington are rising because the "establishment" within the political parties want to call the shots of who should represent the people.  What is amazing is that the voices outside Washington, on Main Street USA,  are louder, stronger and reclaiming their spot in the government framework.  It has been a valuable, teachable moment for everyone.  Everyone from President Obama on down to the gas station clerk down the street, have realized that the experiment called America means that the most important voice of all is that of the American people.  It's too bad that men like Washington, Madison, Jay and Hamilton are no longer around to guide this country.  However, with the new crop of conservative voices and leaders, perhaps there is hope that history will repeat itself and America can be healed from years of abuse from liberalism.