• A bank of Republicans
• A heartless of Republicans
• An exclusion of Republicans
• A war of Republicans
• A faith of Republicans

• A strife of Democrats
• A spend of Democrats
• A hemp of Democrats
• An illusion of Democrats
• A moaning of Democrats

Let me know which is your favorite, or what you think might be a good term…

I think that corporations and governments are too concerned with offending China to stand up and do the right thing. Either they need Chinese products, consumers, investments, etc. there just seems to be too much catering to what amounts to an Evil Empire. Tyranny should always be opposed, and while those within China may not have the ability to do so, the rest of the world does and should.

http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Kindergarteners-Snubbed-for-Steelers.html

For example, bank robbery has historically had a very steep penalty compared to similar robbery charges because in the past robbing a bank could destroy the lives of thousands. Since banks are insured by the Federal bank, this isn’t the case anymore, but the punishment is just as severe. I would go as far as to say that others who ruin many lives or destroy the life of someone without killing them should be eligible for execution. Consider cases in Africa where a man throws battery acid on the face of a woman, or in Europe where a person was held as a sex slave for years. These sound like cases where a person’s life is ruined even if they are still alive. Or consider a case where the attempted murder resulted in paralysis, blindness, or even severe emotional damage. In some ways, isn’t that a fate worse than death?

Considering the circumstances, I think I would not have supported the death penalty in this case, and perhaps even would have voted not-guilty if I was on the jury since the eye witness testimony allows for some doubt. I don’t like the death penalty in cases where the only evidence is eyewitness testimony, especially that of a child, given how unreliable it is. However that shouldn’t destroy the ability to sentence the death penalty in non-homicide cases.

Anyways, the relay was supposed to start at 1pm. At the beginning, the police were pretty strict about keeping people behind barricades. But as the minutes passed, the police force just seemed to evaporate. People started marching up and down the street. Before too long, it was pretty obvious that the relay wasn’t going to come this route–there was no order. On the news, the Mayor and police explained that they “spontaneously” decided to change the relay route because of the crowds. They said that there were too many protestors, and that the crowd was too large at the beginning of the route rather than spread evenly along the route. What a crock of shit! For one, they had previously decided that there would be no protest permits necessary, so the protesters could be anywhere they wanted. Also, the route had previously been cut repeatedly, and just that morning it was announced that the route would be cut in half again. Duh, the people are going to want to be near the beginning because it might get cut down even more. Before 1pm, for the most part the crowds were reasonable and kept behind the fences except when they were crossing the street in crosswalks. It wasn’t until the police had abandoned the task of controlling the crowd, because they knew that the relay wasn’t coming this route anyways, did the streets get taken over. By then, the decision had long since been made. And you can’t tell me that they didn’t have at least 5 alternate routes for the relay, despite the claim that the route and decision was spontaneous.

The final result: the torch relay was a regular Communist China exhibition, secretive and dodging free speech. The protesters felt somewhat victorious, they got a lot of publicity anyways. The Chinese got a mostly Tibet-less Torch Relay, as if the trick will make people forget their human rights record. Thousands of Olympic supporters, Chinese nationals, tourists and spectators got screwed out of a chance to see and photograph the Olympic torch. Oh, and free speech got a kick to the nuts–though the Patriot Act mostly killed the First Amendment anyways. And now the IOC is suggesting that the International Torch Relay may be cut for future Olympics…

What I mean is that there are people out there who believe that they are entitled to my tax dollars. I’m getting very tired of lazy people abusing the system. I’m disgusted by the idea that the government owes you anything; what happened to “ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” I’m sick of a system which rewards poor behavior and choices with cash, yet punishes those who try to improve their lot in life. I’ve angry at a system which returns more tax dollars than were paid in, just because you are poor and busted out a bunch of kids. I’m tired of a person who tests below the minimum requirements getting a job over a person who had a perfect score, just because of their race or sex. I believe that people should be rewarded on merit, not because of the color their skin or because of their reproductive plumbing. I’m irritated by the idea of punishing those who saved money for retirement and rewarding those who squandered it.

I still believe that welfare is necessary, but broken. I think that unions are a good idea, yet often corrupt. I still believe that global warming is real, and that the Republicans need to step up and review the facts. I still believe that religious beliefs have no place in Congress and that legislating morality is wrong. Do I believe that I should get tax cuts, yes and no. I don’t need it back if it’s going to be spent well, but I want it back if Democrats want to spend it like the candidates have proposed.

Republicans are not perfect, but neither are Democrats. We’ll see, maybe I’ll flip back in the next four years.

Not wanting to be the party that said no to giving the public “free” money, Democrats and Republicans in Congress and the White House are working to expediently get money to the taxpayers to help avert an economic recession. Why, because they want to keep their jobs and buying votes from the taxpayers is a good campaign sound-byte. The problem is, it’s the wrong solution.

The problem with the current economy is one of greed. The mortgage companies, eager to cash in on the real estate boom, didn’t properly approve loans. They knowingly gave loans to people who couldn’t afford them hoping, like the home buyer, for a quick turn around on the loan for fast profit. The home buyers, also greedy for money, were all too eager to sign horrific loan agreements. Everyone, home buyers and mortgage companies knew that house prices were rising too fast and that it wouldn’t last forever. The problem with gambling, is that there is risk. Now people are losing their homes and mortgage companies are collapsing before our eyes. It may be cruel to say, but maybe they had it coming.

You see, back in the 80s and 90s, there was something called the Savings and Loan Crisis. Over 1000 lenders failed because of poor management, corruption, and risky loans. The government stepped, bailing out the industry with taxpayer money. Sound familiar? It’s because it’s happening again. The loan industry is once again calling on the government to bail them out.

So today the government is once again stepping in, making deals with the big mortgage brokers to hold off escalating loan rates and allow many of these home buyers an opportunity to refinance. I think that this was a smart move. It seems like a win-win for everyone. Mortgage companies don’t get stuck with overvalued foreclosures and people get to keep their homes. And it didn’t cost me or my unborn children anything.

But is wasn’t enough. Now our elected officials want to give about $600 to each taxpayer, costing roughly $100 billion in money that the government doesn’t have. While $100 billion might seem like a lot, the United States has a gross domestic product of roughly $14 trillion. That makes the combined $600 checks less than a 1% of 1% blip in the economy. Even more interesting, the government doesn’t want you to spend that money on debt. Instead, they want you to buy something expensive and unnecessary.

Here’s some facts about American debt:

• American consumers owe about $2 trillion dollars in debt
• Over a third of which is credit card debt ($700 billion)
• That’s roughly $20,000 per household (not including mortgage debt)
• Non-mortgage debt has increased more than 41% in the last 8 years
• 43% of American families spend more than they make each year
• Personal bankruptcies have doubled in the last decade

Perhaps the solution to the economy, is to deal with the credit/debt of Americans. Instead of increasing the national deficit with a check that will likely amount to little impact on the economy, maybe our elected officials can help the average American in a significant way. The deals made to limit interest rate explosion in the mortgage industry was a good start. Maybe start into the credit card companies next. The problem is too much credit is being given out, with the companies seemingly eager to cash in by skyrocketing interest rates when the consumer spends too much and can’t afford the payment. Maybe reduce the amount of credit people can have, as well as find a way to control interest rates. You still want to reward those with good payment history versus those with bad, but we don’t need to continue in the direction that we are going. I’m not an economist, so I don’t have the perfect solution. But I think that reducing personal debt and keeping the credit lending institutions from abusing consumers is a great way to get the economy back on track. Not only on-track, but much healthier. A $600 check might seem nice, but it is only a band-aid on a broken system.

For the second time in less than a decade, the elected officials in Washington are going to write Americans a check. Once we figure out that we can get a check anytime we want, the end of our way of life is in sight…