I am reflecting on my life experiences here in Cleveland, Ohio, as my wife and I go through 50 years of our life’s possessions (otherwise known as stuff), deciding what we will leave behind for an estate sale, and what personal belongings will go to our Florida location. I am one of the few lucky ones to have a potential buyer with a legally binding contract on my Ohio home.
This process is one that your kids usually go through when you die, so we have saved them the trouble. Having your adult life reviewed before your eyes in a few days is a bittersweet experience. Looking at old photos and reading old letters and documents reminds one of how great things were in simpler times in the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and also how crude communications were compared to the technology we have today. However, I feel sorry for today’s generation who have little time for deep analysis and pensive thought in their lives and only have sound bites to get their news, and little quality time with their spouse and children; where multi-tasking is the desired skill and there is little patience for focus, concentration, and meditation.
Based on what I see coming our way and coupled with the rapidly changing geopolitical environment, I am glad that at my current age, I won’t have to deal with most of it in the future. However, I am optimistic about America. Although we are going to go through a difficult time, we will eventually purge ourselves of this growing socialist tendency and the political correctness that has completely subverted our value system. After all, we are the last bastion of freedom on this planet; after us there is no hope, no resort.
So, I will say goodbye to Northeast Ohio after 22+ years of wonderful memories, great people, beautiful rolling hills and majestic greenery. I will miss the seasonal changes, the great sports tradition of the Browns and the Indians, and what might have been with LeBron. Cleveland, once a great manufacturing metropolis at the turn of the century, home to John D. Rockefeller and many Presidents, now finds itself struggling for survival in this new service-oriented economy. It may never be what it once was, but with its great people, ethnic diversity, family values and tradition, it will take its place as one of the great cities in the glorious history of this great country we call America!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Obama Finally Adopts the Freedom (Bush) Doctrine
After two years of playing the nice guy to all the evil players and enemies of the U.S. in the name of political correctness, President Obama has finally adopted the Bush freedom doctrine in the Mid-East, albeit in a rather slow and indecisive manner. Trying to give the impression that he was on top of the situation in Egypt and in close contact with Mubarak, it was quite clear that he and our CIA Director, Leon Panetta, really didn’t know what was going on nor could influence it in anyway. Making rather nebulous statements and getting his face on television every day, it appeared that Obama was starting his 2012 presidential campaign.
Tell me, where was he when the youth of Iran were doing the same thing a year ago trying to rid themselves of that oppressive theocracy that has sponsored terrorism all over the world. While a young girl was lying in the street bleeding to death, he was silent, saying that this was Iran’s internal affair, blowing an excellent chance to overthrow that tyrannical regime.
Finally, Mubarak got a knock on his door yesterday morning and was told by the military that they would no longer support his government and he was going on vacation to Sharm el-Sheikh, we finally had a peaceful military coup and thankfully there was no significant violence. What will come in the long term is still in doubt. However, the media will never concede that the Bush freedom doctrine, starting in Afghanistan and Iraq, sparked this movement towards democracy in that part of the world. And if we play this right it will forever change the future of the entire Middle East in a positive way.
After watching the many tributes to Ronald Reagan on his 100th birthday, I became somewhat nostalgic about the 1980’s when we had a President that really influenced world events, faced our enemies from strength, and motivated our nation with his optimism and vision for the future. In his farewell address to the nation he said, “Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts”.
I hope that Mr. Obama is beginning to realize that decisiveness and strength is the only tact that Jihadists respect and that cow-towing to Islamist extremists by apologizing for our past “indiscretions” only fuels their confidence. Reagan stared down the Soviet Union and won the cold war without firing a shot. Let’s hope that simply a view of our western values and liberties via the Internet and social media will have the same result in the Middle East.
Tell me, where was he when the youth of Iran were doing the same thing a year ago trying to rid themselves of that oppressive theocracy that has sponsored terrorism all over the world. While a young girl was lying in the street bleeding to death, he was silent, saying that this was Iran’s internal affair, blowing an excellent chance to overthrow that tyrannical regime.
Finally, Mubarak got a knock on his door yesterday morning and was told by the military that they would no longer support his government and he was going on vacation to Sharm el-Sheikh, we finally had a peaceful military coup and thankfully there was no significant violence. What will come in the long term is still in doubt. However, the media will never concede that the Bush freedom doctrine, starting in Afghanistan and Iraq, sparked this movement towards democracy in that part of the world. And if we play this right it will forever change the future of the entire Middle East in a positive way.
After watching the many tributes to Ronald Reagan on his 100th birthday, I became somewhat nostalgic about the 1980’s when we had a President that really influenced world events, faced our enemies from strength, and motivated our nation with his optimism and vision for the future. In his farewell address to the nation he said, “Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone, I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears; to your confidence rather than your doubts”.
I hope that Mr. Obama is beginning to realize that decisiveness and strength is the only tact that Jihadists respect and that cow-towing to Islamist extremists by apologizing for our past “indiscretions” only fuels their confidence. Reagan stared down the Soviet Union and won the cold war without firing a shot. Let’s hope that simply a view of our western values and liberties via the Internet and social media will have the same result in the Middle East.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Why I Really Enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday
As I write this on Super Bowl Sunday 2011, I don’t know who won the game, in fact, it hasn’t started yet. At this point it really doesn’t matter because I’ve just witnessed an inspiring and moving tribute to President Ronald Reagan on his 100th birthday. This televised tribute came from his museum in Simi Valley, California where he was laid to rest some seven years ago.
The tribute included the traditional laying of the wreath and a 21 –gun salute, wonderful patriotic music and entertainment, and great photos against the backdrop of this beautiful setting in the warm mid-day California sunshine. It included brief remarks of thanks from Nancy Reagan with introductions of members of Reagan’s cabinet, staff, diplomats from around the world, and Reagan Foundation members, which I’m proud to say I have supported for many years and will continue to until after my death.
Remarks by Gary Sinese, the actor and patriot, John Ryan, the Chairman of the Foundation were wonderful, but the highlight was an awesome and inspiring speech from Jim Baker, Reagan’s chief of staff and Secretary of Treasury, and Secretary of State under George Bush, the elder. It was probably the best speech I have heard in many years. It was delivered by Mr. Baker in a moving and poignant manner as someone who was very close to Reagan and Nancy. There was not a dry eye in the audience, including yours truly watching it from some 2,000 miles away. Those of you who saw this had to be moved, and wonder whatever happened to America since those days.
Baker’s speech recalled an era not much different from today coming out of the Carter presidency with double digit inflation, high interest and unemployment rates, threats from abroad, particularly the mid-East (Iran) were Carter bungled our response to the Iran hostage crisis, and our international reputation in ruin. Not to mention the ominous cloud of Communism and the Soviet Union hanging over our heads. I can remember Jimmy Carter telling us, like Obama tells us today, that we were at the end our reign as a great power and future generations would not be as blessed.
Suddenly from the West came this man who talked about our “rendezvous with destiny” and this “shining city on a hill called America” and told us our best days were ahead of us. He told us that we, the American people, would control our destiny, not our government. He said we will have “peace through strength” and built a defense force that is the greatest in modern history, with air power that is unprecedented. In fact, this military built under Reagan and used by Bush during the Gulf War, virtually eliminated the Iraqi army in less than 48 hours after Saddam Hussein’s attack on Kuwait, and less than 3 weeks during the Iraq war after 9/11. Last night, during a similar tribute, televised by C-Span of the Young America Foundation’s Reagan tribute, Dick Cheney said that he called Reagan after the Gulf War, as Secretary of Defense under Bush, and thanked him for building this marvelous defense machine to protect the American people.
How does this make you feel after seeing what we have today? Do you think Reagan would ever apologize to the world for America’s “arrogance”? If this doesn’t get you off your duff to make sure we get something better in 2012, nothing will……Thank you, Mr. Baker.
The tribute included the traditional laying of the wreath and a 21 –gun salute, wonderful patriotic music and entertainment, and great photos against the backdrop of this beautiful setting in the warm mid-day California sunshine. It included brief remarks of thanks from Nancy Reagan with introductions of members of Reagan’s cabinet, staff, diplomats from around the world, and Reagan Foundation members, which I’m proud to say I have supported for many years and will continue to until after my death.
Remarks by Gary Sinese, the actor and patriot, John Ryan, the Chairman of the Foundation were wonderful, but the highlight was an awesome and inspiring speech from Jim Baker, Reagan’s chief of staff and Secretary of Treasury, and Secretary of State under George Bush, the elder. It was probably the best speech I have heard in many years. It was delivered by Mr. Baker in a moving and poignant manner as someone who was very close to Reagan and Nancy. There was not a dry eye in the audience, including yours truly watching it from some 2,000 miles away. Those of you who saw this had to be moved, and wonder whatever happened to America since those days.
Baker’s speech recalled an era not much different from today coming out of the Carter presidency with double digit inflation, high interest and unemployment rates, threats from abroad, particularly the mid-East (Iran) were Carter bungled our response to the Iran hostage crisis, and our international reputation in ruin. Not to mention the ominous cloud of Communism and the Soviet Union hanging over our heads. I can remember Jimmy Carter telling us, like Obama tells us today, that we were at the end our reign as a great power and future generations would not be as blessed.
Suddenly from the West came this man who talked about our “rendezvous with destiny” and this “shining city on a hill called America” and told us our best days were ahead of us. He told us that we, the American people, would control our destiny, not our government. He said we will have “peace through strength” and built a defense force that is the greatest in modern history, with air power that is unprecedented. In fact, this military built under Reagan and used by Bush during the Gulf War, virtually eliminated the Iraqi army in less than 48 hours after Saddam Hussein’s attack on Kuwait, and less than 3 weeks during the Iraq war after 9/11. Last night, during a similar tribute, televised by C-Span of the Young America Foundation’s Reagan tribute, Dick Cheney said that he called Reagan after the Gulf War, as Secretary of Defense under Bush, and thanked him for building this marvelous defense machine to protect the American people.
How does this make you feel after seeing what we have today? Do you think Reagan would ever apologize to the world for America’s “arrogance”? If this doesn’t get you off your duff to make sure we get something better in 2012, nothing will……Thank you, Mr. Baker.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
State of the Union # 2 - More of the Same
The State of the Union address is usually filled with optimism, platitudes, promises, appeal to our nationalism and pride, and examples of American heroism and success stories. President Obama did not let us down in this regard. What it didn’t have was a sense of the real world. He showed no sense of urgency about the economy and our growing debt. In fact, he said “Now that the worst of the recession is over we need to address the question of deficit spending”. Everyone knows this remark is ridiculous and that if the economy is showing any signs of improvement it’s because of the November election and extension of the Bush tax cuts for two years, not his policies.
The unemployment rate and housing market continue to show us that the worst is not over. His main proposal to address the debt is to freeze government spending for the next 5 years. That gets us $400B after he just added $3 trillion to the debt in the last 2 years. How’s that for a frontal attack! And all this after he’s just added thousands of people to the federal payroll as well. Since federal government spending has increased 84% (stimulus included) in the last two years, a freeze is absolutely worthless.
His comment about our corporate tax rate as being too high to be competitive is something that conservatives have been saying for years. However, he said we need to cut the rate without adding to the deficit. This means that the government takes back an equivalent amount and, therefore, some companies benefit and others don’t. The government gets to decide who wins and who loses. You can bet the evil oil companies and those greedy health insurance companies will pay, and companies like GE, GM, alternative energy, etc will benefit. More hot wind here!
We continue to hear about simplifying the tax code, transparency in government by putting spending online now for all to see, trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama (as long as the American worker is protected), all promises he’s made during his campaign and in the last State of the Union speech but never acts upon.
His comments about our eroding infrastructure were really laughable. He says we are corroding away while China and Korea outspends us on infrastructure. Well, Mr. President, that’s because they’ve done nothing in infrastructure for the last 50 years! What do you expect? And what happened to that $875B in stimulus money that was supposed to go to infrastructure. Something doesn’t smell right here.
Well, you get the idea, don’t you? The biggest applause line was about the end of the Iraq war and our great military, and you know who should get the credit for that. I seem to recall he voted against funding that war and was against the “surge”.
He concluded his speech on the optimistic note of acheiving the American dream and almost had Speaker Boehner have another emotional breakdown. The irony is that only a few months ago he said the next generation may have to settle for less than previous generations.
This President continues to fail to connect with the American people and, as they say, “if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig”. I’m afraid Mr. Obama failed to inspire me last night.
The unemployment rate and housing market continue to show us that the worst is not over. His main proposal to address the debt is to freeze government spending for the next 5 years. That gets us $400B after he just added $3 trillion to the debt in the last 2 years. How’s that for a frontal attack! And all this after he’s just added thousands of people to the federal payroll as well. Since federal government spending has increased 84% (stimulus included) in the last two years, a freeze is absolutely worthless.
His comment about our corporate tax rate as being too high to be competitive is something that conservatives have been saying for years. However, he said we need to cut the rate without adding to the deficit. This means that the government takes back an equivalent amount and, therefore, some companies benefit and others don’t. The government gets to decide who wins and who loses. You can bet the evil oil companies and those greedy health insurance companies will pay, and companies like GE, GM, alternative energy, etc will benefit. More hot wind here!
We continue to hear about simplifying the tax code, transparency in government by putting spending online now for all to see, trade agreements with Columbia, South Korea, and Panama (as long as the American worker is protected), all promises he’s made during his campaign and in the last State of the Union speech but never acts upon.
His comments about our eroding infrastructure were really laughable. He says we are corroding away while China and Korea outspends us on infrastructure. Well, Mr. President, that’s because they’ve done nothing in infrastructure for the last 50 years! What do you expect? And what happened to that $875B in stimulus money that was supposed to go to infrastructure. Something doesn’t smell right here.
Well, you get the idea, don’t you? The biggest applause line was about the end of the Iraq war and our great military, and you know who should get the credit for that. I seem to recall he voted against funding that war and was against the “surge”.
He concluded his speech on the optimistic note of acheiving the American dream and almost had Speaker Boehner have another emotional breakdown. The irony is that only a few months ago he said the next generation may have to settle for less than previous generations.
This President continues to fail to connect with the American people and, as they say, “if you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig”. I’m afraid Mr. Obama failed to inspire me last night.
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Sarah and Jeb - The More I See the Better They Look
It’s clear that the new Republican majority in the House will result in a significant change in the direction this country is moving. The conservatives now control the agenda in Congress and they have considerable leverage to put an end to the reckless spending and waste that has characterize the Democratic controlled Congress since 2006.
The November election and the extension of the Bush tax cuts have already had an impact on business and consumer confidence and this has been reflected in the recent rise in the stock market, which just hit a 2-year high last week. No doubt Mr. Obama will soon claim that his stimulus bill and economic policy are responsible for this new –found confidence, but the American public is smart enough to know what is driving the recent surge of optimism.
With the Republicans beginning to jockey for position in the race to challenge Obama in 2012, my attention in recent weeks has been to observe their behavior and the reaction of the main street media, particularly the far left media. I notice that there is a concerted move to label the expected standard-bearers as the Republican “establishment”. This covers Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee, and the Rove types which attempts to separate them from the Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin. I think we will see more of this as the campaign heats up and I believe it to be a tactical error on the part of the left.
I must say that the left’s obsession with Sarah Palin is fascinating. They obviously fear her and will do anything to denigrate her skills and intelligence to create an image that she is not qualified for the presidency. Of course, Obama was no more qualified when he started his run for the presidency; the only difference is that he had a higher profile because he was a Senator and was not located in Alaska.
As I observe Palin’s handling of the media and listen to her improving rhetoric, I must say she looks better as time goes on. I know many of you may gag at that comment, but just wait. Another potential nominee who I think will be a great candidate is Jeb Bush. Did I hear somebody scream out there? Another Bush, people don’t want a Bush, it will never happen!
As a Florida resident, I can tell you he was an outstanding governor. He would capture the large Hispanic vote, is more articulate than his father or brother, and is well versed on the key domestic issues like education, immigration, fiscal integrity, and national energy. He also has close relations with the key military leaders of our effort in the Mid-East who operate out of Tampa. If he wants to run, he’d be a hellava candidate. Just listen and watch when you see him on the news.
Well, that’s my early speculation. Watch Palin and Jeb Bush! I bet you think I’m crazy.
The November election and the extension of the Bush tax cuts have already had an impact on business and consumer confidence and this has been reflected in the recent rise in the stock market, which just hit a 2-year high last week. No doubt Mr. Obama will soon claim that his stimulus bill and economic policy are responsible for this new –found confidence, but the American public is smart enough to know what is driving the recent surge of optimism.
With the Republicans beginning to jockey for position in the race to challenge Obama in 2012, my attention in recent weeks has been to observe their behavior and the reaction of the main street media, particularly the far left media. I notice that there is a concerted move to label the expected standard-bearers as the Republican “establishment”. This covers Romney, Gingrich, Huckabee, and the Rove types which attempts to separate them from the Tea Party movement and Sarah Palin. I think we will see more of this as the campaign heats up and I believe it to be a tactical error on the part of the left.
I must say that the left’s obsession with Sarah Palin is fascinating. They obviously fear her and will do anything to denigrate her skills and intelligence to create an image that she is not qualified for the presidency. Of course, Obama was no more qualified when he started his run for the presidency; the only difference is that he had a higher profile because he was a Senator and was not located in Alaska.
As I observe Palin’s handling of the media and listen to her improving rhetoric, I must say she looks better as time goes on. I know many of you may gag at that comment, but just wait. Another potential nominee who I think will be a great candidate is Jeb Bush. Did I hear somebody scream out there? Another Bush, people don’t want a Bush, it will never happen!
As a Florida resident, I can tell you he was an outstanding governor. He would capture the large Hispanic vote, is more articulate than his father or brother, and is well versed on the key domestic issues like education, immigration, fiscal integrity, and national energy. He also has close relations with the key military leaders of our effort in the Mid-East who operate out of Tampa. If he wants to run, he’d be a hellava candidate. Just listen and watch when you see him on the news.
Well, that’s my early speculation. Watch Palin and Jeb Bush! I bet you think I’m crazy.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
To the Lame "Schmuck" Congress - Goodbye
As we end this rather memorable year we say good riddance to a Congress that will go down in history as the worse collection of losers to ever reside on Capitol Hill, particularly the devious and pathetic leadership. I have never seen the likes of the methods and processes used to pass bad legislation in my memory, and I’ve been around a few years. The reams of paper and convoluted proposals written by the unknown staff of clandestine czars and academic re-treads was exemplified in the healthcare bill, stimulus package, and the recent omnibus budget bill that was killed during the lame duck session. Thank God.
This blatant insult on the American public peaked when a series of rotten bills was attempted to be pushed through this month in the lame duck session by a Congress in which 20% of its occupants have just been voted out of office. Most of the bills were either non-consequential or should have been handled many months ago.
To top off this circus, here is President Obama heroically delaying his Christmas vacation in Hawaii and taking all the bows on legislation that he has been campaigning against for the last two years, once he realized he was on the wrong side of the argument (i.e. extension of the Bush tax cuts), which he said was the cause of the economic disaster in 2008. Then he proceeded to patronize the gay coalition with the passing of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, when 77% of the public was for it, as well as most Republicans. Boy wasn’t that tough to get through! And why wasn’t this done months ago? And who really cares, except the Joint Chiefs?
And then there is the ill-conceived “Dream Act” in the hope of kissing up to the Hispanic coalition. Who created this fiasco? General amnesty for all those poor innocent children of illegal aliens as old as 34, who can join the military or go to college (they don’t even have to graduate) and automatically become citizens. Then they can make any illegal in their immediate family legal, even bring some more over from their home country. Just be glad that reason prevailed on this one, due to Republicans and moderate Dems who shot it down.
Then there is the great peace-maker, Barack Obama, and the Start Treaty with Russia. This stupid treaty calls for the dismemberment of most of the technically obsolete nuclear weapons of both countries and brings them equal in size, which means we have to do most of the elimination. Unfortunately, it has none of the verification standards of past nuclear treaties with Russia. This is supposed to be a “giant step to stop nuclear proliferation” according to Mr. Obama, while he sits on his hands and watches Iran and North Korea proliferate. Nuclear weapons in the hands of the U.S. are not a threat to world peace. In fact, it ensures world peace! How do you feel about nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China? Tragically this treaty passed because Pelosi had all those Democratic lame ducks in the House so the Republicans could not delay ratification until next year, when it would have crashed in a heap.
So let Mr. Obama bask in his “so-called” December accomplishments. We will have a different Congress in 2011 and his agenda for this country will hit a wall, starting with the repeal of Obamacare.
Have a Happy New Year; good things are coming!
This blatant insult on the American public peaked when a series of rotten bills was attempted to be pushed through this month in the lame duck session by a Congress in which 20% of its occupants have just been voted out of office. Most of the bills were either non-consequential or should have been handled many months ago.
To top off this circus, here is President Obama heroically delaying his Christmas vacation in Hawaii and taking all the bows on legislation that he has been campaigning against for the last two years, once he realized he was on the wrong side of the argument (i.e. extension of the Bush tax cuts), which he said was the cause of the economic disaster in 2008. Then he proceeded to patronize the gay coalition with the passing of “don’t ask, don’t tell”, when 77% of the public was for it, as well as most Republicans. Boy wasn’t that tough to get through! And why wasn’t this done months ago? And who really cares, except the Joint Chiefs?
And then there is the ill-conceived “Dream Act” in the hope of kissing up to the Hispanic coalition. Who created this fiasco? General amnesty for all those poor innocent children of illegal aliens as old as 34, who can join the military or go to college (they don’t even have to graduate) and automatically become citizens. Then they can make any illegal in their immediate family legal, even bring some more over from their home country. Just be glad that reason prevailed on this one, due to Republicans and moderate Dems who shot it down.
Then there is the great peace-maker, Barack Obama, and the Start Treaty with Russia. This stupid treaty calls for the dismemberment of most of the technically obsolete nuclear weapons of both countries and brings them equal in size, which means we have to do most of the elimination. Unfortunately, it has none of the verification standards of past nuclear treaties with Russia. This is supposed to be a “giant step to stop nuclear proliferation” according to Mr. Obama, while he sits on his hands and watches Iran and North Korea proliferate. Nuclear weapons in the hands of the U.S. are not a threat to world peace. In fact, it ensures world peace! How do you feel about nuclear weapons in the hands of Iran, North Korea, Russia, and China? Tragically this treaty passed because Pelosi had all those Democratic lame ducks in the House so the Republicans could not delay ratification until next year, when it would have crashed in a heap.
So let Mr. Obama bask in his “so-called” December accomplishments. We will have a different Congress in 2011 and his agenda for this country will hit a wall, starting with the repeal of Obamacare.
Have a Happy New Year; good things are coming!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
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