Quote of the Day

"Religion and virtue are the only foundation, not only of republicanism and of all free government, but of social felicity under all governments and in all combinations of human society."  President John Adams, August 28, 1811.

Common Sense Budget and Deficit Proposal

Why doesn't congress treat the deficit and national debt like a mortgage. I propose we take the next three years to get the budget back to balance. Once we balance the budget the debt would increase in those three years to about 17.1 trillion dollars. Then enact a law or constitutional amendment that requires congress to bring the debt down to no more than 5 trillion dollars over a thirty year period. Some national debt is a good thing for the country and economy, that is why I propose bringing it down to 5 trillion. In 30 years the time value of money would make that amount in future dollars alot less that it seems now. Also the payment on bringing it down to the 5 trillion mark over a thirty year period would be about 400 billion a year. Which would be tough I know but very doable. Then as we start bringing this debt down in just a few years time the government would actually start having more money to spend on worthy programs. This would happen because our interest payments would be less and less each year we pay down the 400 billion on the debt Then at the end of this thirty year period include in the law or amendment a massive tax cut because the revenue would no longer be needed. This would mean in just one generation we could virtually pay off our national debt. Set up our children and grandchildren for a very prosperous future. With a power house of a U.S economy humming along unburdened by all the debt, and an economy also set on fire by the massive tax cut at the end of the thirty year period.

Top Ten Braniac Quotes from the Democrats.

1.)  "I have deep emotions about the American people. If I were to cry for anything, I would cry for them and the policies that they're about to face."  Nancy Pelosi ---- I cry a lot over your policies.

2.)  "When the stock market crashed, Franklin Roosevelt got on the television and didn't just talk about the princes of greed. He said, 'Look, here's what happened."  Vice President Biden ---- there was no T.V. then.

3.)   "Let me say this, to all of the chattering class that so much focuses on those little tiny, yes, porky amendments - the American people really don't care. "  Senator Chuck Schumer

4.)  "In America, there's a failure to appreciate Europe's leading role in the world. "  President Obama

5.)  "The American people are tired of liars and people who pretend to be something they're not." Sec. Clinton

6.)  "So people have been hurting and I understand that. And it doesn't give them comfort or solace for me to tell them, you know, but for me, we would be in a worldwide depression."  Senator Harry Reid --- oh thank you for saving the world.

7.)  "One of the great strengths of the United States is... we have a very large Christian population - we do not consider ourselves a Christian nation"  President Obama  --- speak for yourself!

8.)  "You know, we have three branches of government. We have a House. We have a Senate. We have a President."  Senator Chuck Schumer --- the 3 branches are the legislature, the judicial, and the executive. How did this guy get elected?!

9.)  "Every month that we do not have an economic recovery package 500 million Americans lose their jobs"  Nancy Pelosi --- we must have had a lot of people move in recently, last I checked population was 300 million.

10.)  "But we have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it"  Nancy Pelosi --- saved the best for last.

Libyan Islamic Fighting Group are they part of Rebel alliance & al Qaeda?!

The Libyan Islamic Fighting Group is a Libyan terrorist group organized in 1995 and aligned with al-Qaeda. It seeks to radicalize the Libyan government. A former CIA officer, Bruce Riedel, said "There is no question that al Qaeda's Libyan franchise, Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, is a part of the opposition. It has always been Qaddafi's biggest enemy and its stronghold is Benghazi. What is unclear is how much of the opposition is al Qaeda/Libyan Islamic Fighting Group - 2 percent or 80 percent." Question, should we not have made sure we were not helping al Qaeda when we set up the no-fly zone? I supported the no-fly zone as origianlly put forward by President Obama and the administration. Who would not want to prevent the slaughter of thousands of innocent civillians? But now it seems it is turning into a no Qaddafi zone, and I dont think they know who the rebels are that we are supporting. If they are primarily the Lybian Islamic Fighting Group that means we are simutaneously fighting against al Qaeda and helping and fighting in support of al Qaeda. Admiral James Stavridis, NATO supreme commander for Europe, said of Libya's rebel force: "We have seen flickers in the intelligence of potential al Qaeda". The United Kingdom's Home Office banned LIFG and fourteen other militant groups from operating in the UK. Under the United Kingdom's Terrorism Act 2000, being a member of a LIFG is punishable with a 10-year prison term. The Libyan Fighting Group (LIFG) is also known as Al-Jama’a al-Islamiyyah al-Muqatilah bi-Libya. What have we gotten into? If in fact the rebels are made up of this group that would be outrageous! The Obama administration should not be escalating are involvement in the Lybian conflict without knowing for sure that we would not be assisting al Qaeda in the process! Time to do your homework on this Mr. President please!

Quote of the Day

"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God."  President John F. Kennedy.

Senator Schumer says to label any spending cuts as Extreme!

"Chuck Schumer did us a favor. He exposed their tactic. He's telling his members to deem any spending cut as unreasonable. I don't see how we can do anything if they're not set serious." Cantor said. This he said because of a conference call Sen Schumer was one with four other members, Democratic Sens. Boxer, Cardin, Carper and Blumenthal,  not knowing the news outlets were listening in and recording his words. He said to label any spending as extreme. He also said to say Speaker Boehner is boxed in by the Tea Party. This is ridiculous of Senator Schumer,the number three democrat in the Senate, the country is on a precipice of possible financial destruction and he is playing petty politics that is disgusting. He is a fool to be doing that. This county needs real leadership and real leaders who care about the welfare of this great nation, not men who are just trying to make cheap and reckless political points. If we don't fix our spending and debt problem in the not so distant future are economy could collapse or we could fall into hyperinflationism. Calling 100 billion in possible cuts reckless out of a 1.4 trillion dollar deficit is insane. The proposed cuts by republicans are not even 8% of the total deficit. The democratic senate have only been able to come up with 20 billion in proposed cuts out of a 1.4 trillion dollar deficit. Now that is only 1.4% of the deficit. Are they serious out of 1.4 trillion dollars they can only find 1.4% in cuts to make?

Top Ten Tax Tips

1. Charitable Donations: most cell phones now can take pictures. Take a picture of all items donated. Keep an electronic copy of the pictures to prove if need be at a later date what you donated and that it was in good shape.
2. Mortgage companies are not required to report mortgage insurance premiums under $600 on a 1098. Check to see if you paid the premiums and if so what the amount was. You can deduct these on schedule A with your other itemized deductions.
3. If the FMV (fair market value) of stock is less than its basis, it would be better to sell the stock for a deductible capital loss. Then give the cash to charity instead of just donating the stock straight to the charity.
4.  Since there is no age restrictions and no minimum requirements, a Roth IRA  may be a good idea for a taxpayer expecting to work past retirement age.
5.  IF the taxpayer is behind on estimated payments for the year and taxpayer is an employee, withholding may be increased toward end of year to help make up the difference. Withholding is considered to be paid evenly throughout the year.
6.  Take advantage of an employer sponsored retirement plan (i.e. 401k) especially if there is a match. Depending on your income level you may receive a credit on your return based on a percentage on your contribution.

7.  Invest in a tax free Roth IRA for tax free growth. The only thing better is a employer match retirement fund.

8.  The Adoption Credit for 2011 is $13,360 and it is fully refundable. Need to make sure adoption is finalized by the end of 2011.
9.  The American Opportunity Credit is partially refundable up to $1,000, and total credit is up to $2,500. Take advantage of it. It is four the first four years of qualified education expenses for college. It expires 12-31-2012.
10.  The Payroll Tax Holiday. Employees and self employed individuals pay 2% less in social security taxes for the entire year of 2011. Take advantage of this and increase your 401k or other retirement account contributions by 2%. You wont even miss the money.

Quote of the Day

"Our laws and our institutions must necessarily be based upon and embody the teachings on the Redeemer of mankind. It is impossible that it should be otherwise; and in this sense and to this extent our civilization and our institutions are emphatically Christian." The United States Supreme Court 1892, Church of the Holy Trinity v. United States.------------------ so much for that whole separation thing!

The OBAMA DOCTRINE

President Obama gave a televised speech tonight addressing the nation on the U.S. intervention in Libya. He authorized this military intervention to stave off a humanitarian disaster. This has saved lives I am sure, but it was billed as a no-fly zone, which I supported, but it has turned into a broader military intervention. His speech which came nine days after our military intervention started, came nine days too late. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, complained that the speech came "nine days late," and he said Obama "failed to explain why he unilaterally took our nation to war without bothering to make the case to the U.S. Congress." The Constitution does require the advice and consent of congress right? THE OBAMA DOCTRINE -"There will be times, though, when our safety is not directly threatened, but our interests and our values are," Obama said. "In such cases, we should not be afraid to act -- but the burden of action should not be America's alone." Translation- the U.S. may intervene militarily abroad to stop a humanitarian crisis with the proviso that we have  international assistance and support. In theory I support the OBAMA DOCTRINE, but without the proviso of international assistance. We need to maintain our sovereignty, our ability to unilaterally act if we see fit. President Obama said he acted in part so not to "brush aside America’s responsibility as a leader ". The President only acted after President Sarkozy told him to act. President Obama had no problem relinquishing Americas leadership up till then. So we now have the BUSH DOCTRINE to act unilaterally if we need to defend ourselves, and now the OBAMA DOCTRINE to not act unilaterally. He just does not want to lead does he?

Teacher Who Mentioned Creationism in Classroom gets Reprimand

A Chicago area teacher who mentioned creationism in Classroom found out his punishment, he will receive a Resolution of Reprimand which will haunt him the rest of his teaching career. It will make it difficult to get another teaching job if he chooses to look for one. Hemant Mehta, Chicago Coalition of Reason and author of the blog Friendly Atheist said about this "the courts have ruled against teaching Creationism. But that’s not the reason it shouldn’t be taught in Science class. Creationism should be left out of the curriculum because it’s not really science; it’s religion, pure and simple." I totally disagree with this statement and suggest the exact opposite is in fact the truth. That creationism is science and The Theory of Evolution is a religion in and of itself. Charles Darwin said " I was a young man with unformed ideas. I threw our queries, suggestions, wondering all the time over everything; and to my astonishment the ideas took like wildfire. People made a religion of them." I suggest it takes much more faith to believe we all came from some primordial soup, which came from a big bang billions of years ago, then eventually turned into monkeys, then eventually turned into humans, than it does to simply believe in creationism. School Superintendent Prentiss Lea said "The issue at hand is not, and I repeat not, whether referencing or teaching creationism in our science classes is acceptable and appropriate. It is not. The United States Supreme Court and several other federal court decisions have found that creationism may not be referenced or taught in public school science classrooms. Regardless of our professional or personal opinions, there is no gray area in these court cases, and D128 must and will, live within the boundaries of the court rulings.

Quote of the Day

"The laws of nature are the laws of God, whose authority can be superseded by no power on earth." George Mason a Virginia delegate to Constitutional Convention.

Gingrich Running For President

Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich said on Sunday that in about a month he would be officially running for President. He does not enter the race as a surprise. Everyone thought he would be in it. He has baggage he will be bringing with him, including his role in the impeachment of former President Clinton. His seemingly hypocrisy on the affair issue will come up, but he does bring alot of pluses along for the ride as well. He is an experienced leader on the national stage. He spared with the best living politician (Bill Clinton) and lived to tell about it. He has a command on the issues. He is a conservative that's for sure. He is a brilliant public speaker. It will be interesting to watch his campaign. He will have some questions to answer on his seeming changing stance on the military involvement in Libya and his support of military missions their.

Quote of the Day

"God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it." Daniel Webster June 3, 1884.

Top 5 Things Wrong with the TAX Code

The Top 5 things Wrong with the TAX Code:

     1. EIC or the Earned Income Credit: this is a credit that lower income people receive as a refund on their taxes, this refund they receive regardless if they pay in any taxes. Most people that receive this Tax credit get thousands of dollars back as a refund and pay no Taxes.-This credit needs to be reduced or eliminated all together. This would save the country millions in revenue if not billions.

     2. Educations Tax credits where do we begin? The education Tax credits are numerous in number. Their is the education expense deduction you take as a reduction to you Adjusted Gross Income (AGI). Then we have the Lifetime Learning Tax credit this credit you receive up to $1500. Then there is the Hope Tax credit : if you are in the first two years of college you can receive a Tax credit up to $2000. Then their is the American Opportunity Credit which basically is a refundable souped up version of the Hope Tax credit. These credits need to be simplified and condensed into one resembling the Lifetime Learning Tax credit.

     3. Charitable Donations on the Schedule A. These should all have to be verified with written proof. Their is rampant abuse of this write-off. I am not against this at all. There just needs to be verifiable proof to back up these claims.

    4. Schedule C. There is much possible abuse associated with this form. Some people could just make up numbers to meet the income eligibility to receive the Earned Income Credit. The I.R.S. should require all Schedule C information to be fully documented to eliminate the abuse of the Schedule. This change could save the country several more millions if no billions in revenue lost.

     5.Claiming of Dependents. The rules for claiming dependents were recently examined and tightened up. Additional monitoring and stricter rules need to be drawn up. There is much abuse reported in this area of claiming dependents on the persons return in the family who would benefit most with a large refund, instead of the person who should by the Tax Code be claiming them.

Quote of the Day

"If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation gone under." President Ronald Reagan.

Sen. Kent Conrad wants to tax Americans for driving their cars!

It's outrageous," said David Selig, a federal tax practitioner. "Right now because the economy of so many people who have to drive a long way to work for less money and now, because of this ridiculous proposal, they're actually going to bring home less money than ever before. Moreover, you have no reason to believe the government is actually going to use this money to repair the highways." Sen. Kent Conrad requested a report from the CBO on how much money this would generate for the federal govt. This Vehicle Mile Tax or VMT tax would tax you on every mile you drove. They would accomplish this by adding a device to every vehicle to track the miles driven. This is just another example on why we need to shrink the size of government and just how out of touch with reality some of the Washington politicians are. This tax would make it very hard on anyone who lives far away from work. Like folks that live in more rural areas but have to travel to more populated areas farther away to earn a decent pay check. The very nature of this tax is to put an undue tax burden on people who could ill afford it right now. This also "conspiracy theory here" could be a way for Big Brother to always know where are vehicles are at just by adding a GPS component to these devices they would use to track our miles.

Quote of the Day

"History fails to record a single precedent in which nations subject to moral decay have not passed into political and economic decline." General Douglas MacArthur.    Does this not sound like it applies to today in our country.

Whats Obama Thinking? Encouraging Brazil to drill but not US!

I don't understand President Obama's logic. He put a moratorium on drillling in the gulf and off shore in the U.S., then he goes and endorses and encourages off shore drilling in Brazil. He said we need Brazil to drill for more oil off shore and we would support them. So let me get this straight he is in favor or off shore drilling  in Brazil but against it in America. He pledges to support off shore drilling in Brazil, but places a moratorium on it here. He says we need to depend less on foreign oil, but tells Brazil to drill more so we can be their number one customer.  Does he not know that Brazil is a FOREIGN COUNTRY therefore their oil is FOREIGN OIL? He seems to desperately want to please whoever he is talking too at the time. He enjoys bowing to foreign kings. He loves t o constantly apologize for how horrible America is. Then why doesn't he go back to where he was born if he does not like America. He seems to do everything in a way that harms America, and her reputation. I just don't understand him or his logic in the things he says and does.

Mentioning Creationism Almost Gets Teacher Fired

A Teacher almost loses his job because of a law suit brought by Atheist activist Rob Sherman. Charles Darwin said "To suppose that the eye with all its inimitable contrivances... could have been formed by natural selections, seems, I freely confess, absurd in the highest degree." I agree Mr. Darwin 100 percent!

NOW Defends Sara Palin?

WOW! NOW defends Gov. Sarah Palin it took them a little while but they finally stepped up to the plate and did the right thing. I have to condemn Bill Maher for his remark referring to Gov. Palin as a "dumb tw*t" that was going way to far in the name of comedy. Men that degrade women like that are the worst kind. There in no reason to ever insult women of any political stripe. Women deserve our respect. I have to applaud NOW for doing the right thing. I have to say I did not expect them too. It goes to show you, you just never know.

President Sarkozy Leader of the Free World?

Is President Sarkozy the leader of the free world now? It appears to be that way. It appears that President Obama has abdicated the leadership role the U.S. has had in the world. Have we now subjugated ourselves to the will of France and Great Britain. My how President Obama has brought down the esteem and influence of the U.S. in the world in such a short time it is almost unbelievable. Col. Oliver North Said speaking in an interview that he heard through sources that President Sarkozy basically said to Obama that we are going into Libya with or without you and that forced Obama's hand and he had to go in. President Obama then sent Sec. Clinton over to Paris to try to salvage things for the U.S. Does this President have any leadership in him whatsoever? He still has not proven it if he does.

American Jet Crashes In Libya

An American jet crashed landed in Libya. . The two crew men are safely back in U.S. hands thank the Lord, but what if they had crashed in the are near Tripoli where the rebels are not in control. The Libyans would have had two American soldiers as hostages to parade in front of the cameras and threaten their lives. They would have tried to black mail us into backroom changes in the no fly zone. I hope The President took this into consideration when he ordered this operation. The buck stops with him I hope everyone remembers. That Is something President Bush never shied away from taking the responsibility for his decision's the current President seems to be lacking in that. Also thankful to the Marines who went into Libya and rescued the own crew member and thankful to the Rebels for returning the other safely. Well we now have had officially some boots on the ground in Libya already.

Libyan no fly zone

While I am in support of the no fly zone over Libya I believe it might have been implemented sooner so as to have been more effective. I am reminded of a quote from Edmund Burke "All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing". I feared that was what was going to happen in Libya to the rebels, but then how do we know who these rebels are and what do they stand for. Again i say I am in support of the no fly zone, but I also worry that we might be helping a radicalized form of Islamic rebels to defeat a brutal terrorist sponsoring dictator. I don't know what would be better to the long term safety of the U.S. I believe supporting the rebels would be, but history will tell.