NOVEMBER IS COMING

The elections are fast approaching and the mud and dirt has begun to fly. People are angry and are looking for people to solve problems. They’re tired of the entrenched politicians and their promises. They’re tired of the old rhetoric and phony endorsements. They’re tired of the pundits and their elitist attitudes and predictions. They want action with results. They want leaders and problem solvers to fix the economy, immigration, education, create jobs, control taxes, eliminate debt, provide quality, affordable health care, create and follow fiscally sound budgets, enforce laws, understand they work for the people not a party or special interest group(s),,and above all, believe in the principles that made this country great. .The election should be about intelligent ideas and issues. It’s not about name calling, generalities or gutter politics. It’s too easy to call someone a racist, Nazi or hater, but difficult to develop solutions to problems and to discuss the issues in a clear and concise manner. The most precious freedom you have is the vote. Don’t be a complainer, vote on November 2nd for your convictions.

Government Is The Problem

Former president Ronald Reagan said,”They spend like drunken sailors, but that would be unfair to drunken sailors because they spend their own money.” I guess it would be safe to say that our representatives in Washington are spending our money like drunken sailors. They spend and spend more. They don’t know when to stop. When the money trees are bare they print more. Why not, it’s not theirs, it belongs to the taxpayer. If it was theirs it would be a different story. It’s been reported that consumers are paying down their debt. Why isn’t Washington paying down the debt? The present deficit is around 13 trillion dollars and growing. The national debt is growing by about $4 billion a day with an estimated cost to each citizen of over $43 thousand dollars. Washington talks of increasing taxes and passing more costly legislation. People can t afford more taxes. We’re broke. They don’t get it. Presently a working person has to work 231 days out of the year to meet all costs imposed by government, that’s 8 days more than 2009.

Some will tell you we’re in a recession; some say it’s a depression while the administration say’s we’re in recovery. If you’re one of the 9.5% unemployed you tell me where we’re at. What troubles me, is that public sector jobs have been increasing while private sector jobs are decreasing. We don’t need more bureaucrats; we need real jobs, jobs that produce value. Government jobs take money from the private sector that should go to buy goods and services that would put people back to work. Hiring more bureaucrats isn’t the answer. Government needs to provide the private sector with the economic freedom to make business decisions. Business leaders need that freedom to create and produce goods and services that consumers need and want. The present advice coming out of Washington is from academics, lobbyists, activists, union leaders and community organizers; people with little or no business experience. We have bureaucrats telling business what and how to do it. The Congress has been incapable of controlling the bureaucrats. That is a problem. These people have no real business experience that would qualify them to solve business problems. We need less government, less regulations, and the free market to do its job.

As President Reagan said,” Government is not the solution to the problem, it is the problem.”

ON THE ROAD TO SOCIALISM. IT'S TIME FOR AN HONEST DEBATE.

Socialism can be defined as “an economic and political theory based on public or common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources”. The basic premise is that everything is collective under the direction of government. Government rules. The winners are the rulers.

If we analyze what is happening, in America, the indicators are saying we are headed towards socialism. Our government is growing bigger and more powerful They’ve created greater controls through more regulations. The Health Care and Financial Reform Legislation meet that criteria. When government takes over manufacturing and banks it meets that criteria. They don’t believe in a capitalistic society. When the Congress is no longer relevant and decisions are made by czars and unions it becomes clear that something is wrong. When government obstructs, instead of enforcing laws, we must be concerned; examples: Acorn, Black Panthers, and immigration. Laws are for everyone, government can’t arbitrarily decide who the law applies to.

The signs and actions of what government is doing should make every citizen worried. When a once great nation bows to foreign leaders and turns it’s back on allies, aren’t you concerned? Don’t you ask yourself, what’s happening? When our government fails to abide by the Constitution and treats it as an outdated document, aren’t you concerned? When new legislation is so ambiguous that leaders tell you “you’ll find out later”. Do you accept that? When your representatives fail to read legislation and vote on command, do you accept that as good government? When the President dictates the outcome and timelines for legislation do you agree? Where is the debate? Are the voices of the people being heard? Does you representative care what you think? Why don’t we have term or age limits and enforceable ethics to rid government of corruption? If you’re not upset or angry, do you accept socialism as the way to go? Maybe this is the type of government you want.

We the people have allowed this to happen. We have become complacent and trusted our elected officials. What have we gotten: insurmountable deficits, high unemployment, attempts to redistribute the wealth, a bigger and more powerful government, bureaucrats who treat themselves like kings ( they can’t buy their own newspapers, bottled water, donuts, coffee or lunches). There is talk of a one world government and the dismantling of the Electoral College. The founding fathers fought for less government, less taxes, greater freedoms and liberty. Washington tells us they are transforming the country. They say “we’re not going back”, but that’s exactly where we’re headed, 1750. Is this the transformation you want? We need to get back to basics; we need to follow the Constitution We need to get back on track. To make that happen, we the voters must go to the polls and elect people who believe and will defend the Constitution. People who are proud of America and will dedicate their service to liberty, freedom and our motto “In God We Trust”.

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CLUELESS

In regards to your recent article: “Future Shape of the Triangle”, I say, show me the money! The Orland Park Administration thinks big, but where is the money to pay for the project? Where is the money to pay the Orland Plaza Owners and Tenants? The Administration is clueless! They must be held accountable. .The days of overflowing sales tax revenues are gone. The market has changed, more store are closing than opening. The housing market is down, unemployment is over 9%. Orland Park is already in deep debt and continues to refinance and add to the tax payer burden. Will they raise taxes; create more TIF’s so schools will have less? Does anyone on the Board have any concept of value or money?

The Orland Plaza is a jewel in the rough. It continues to bring in a steady flow of revenue. Even with the threat of closure there are very few. The Plaza provides steady employment for the Village and has a dedicated customer base. Is this what you do in difficult financial times, cut revenues and increase unemployment? What guarantees and cost justification has the public received that this is a safe venture? Wake up, the economy and levels of government are all in trouble. The Orland Park Administration has a responsibility to provide sound financial plans and services to its taxpayers. This is not their money; it’s the people’s money.

Unless the Orland Park Administration can provide a sound, justifiable, debt free, financial plan for the Triangle it should be shelved. The revenues from the Plaza are needed; they can not afford to destroy it. The Plaza should be renovated. Elected officials need to be fiscally responsible. If they do not know how to manage their vested resources, they should be removed. There are too many incompetent, self serving officials serving us, the people are fed up.

INDEPENDENCE

As we celebrate the 4th of July our thoughts should focus on independence. It is a day to say thank you to the Founding Fathers for their courage and wisdom to create the foundation for the greatest country on earth, America. In 1776 the world was much like it is today. We had rulers, empires and dictators. People were controlled and told what they could and couldn’t do. Fortunately, men like Washington, Jefferson, Franklin and Adams didn’t like being controlled, they believed in liberty and freedom. They were individuals who were willing to lead and fight for freedom. They set the foundation that has guided us for the past 234 years. The foundation we call the Declaration of Independence and Constitution. It was these documents that established our heritage, culture, traditions and beliefs. These were the pillars that have made us strong and free. These documents defined who we are and who we are to be.

Unfortunately, today, we have people who find these pillars and documents outdated. People with ideologies that apologize for who we are and what we have done. They disagree with Jefferson that good government is less government. They want more control and power. They want to revert to where we came from or adopt the failing political concepts of allies and even enemies.

To retain our freedoms, we must fight to keep our Constitution and to live by the principles established by the Founding Fathers. We cannot allow the proponents of change to win. Freedom is our birthright and we must preserve it. Government has its place, but it must not stray from the guiding principles of the Constitution and the examples set forth by the Founding Fathers.

From the beginning, people have come from all parts of the world, to America, to enjoy our freedoms, opportunities and liberties. They came, embraced our laws, Constitution, flag and proudly called themselves Americans. This is what has made America strong and great. We have been the beacon of light and hope to the world that freedom reigns.

It is on the Fourth of July that we pay homage to the Founding Fathers, it is the day we honor and pay tribute to the brave men and women who have fought and died to maintain these freedoms. It is the day we praise the legacy that was bequeathed to us. We cannot and must not falter in following the path established by these brave men and women. The path is clear; the tools were put in place. We must not waver. We must continue to live by these principles. On this Fourth of July let us continue this work and pray to God for everlasting Freedom and Independence.

WHO DO YOU BELIEVE?

Everyday we are inundated with information. It comes from TV, the internet, newspapers, friends, radio, phone, mail and on and on. How do you process this information? How do you react? Do you believe the information? Is it important enough to store in your memory? As you collect and process the information is it from a reliable source that you believe and trust?

It’s becoming harder and harder to trust the sources of information. Most of the information we gather is opinion. Much of the information is manufactured and tailored to suit ones opinion or position. Place a conservative and a liberal side by side and you get different views and opinions. Who do you believe? Whose side do you take? Can you tell the truth from fiction? Words are powerful, they influence and motivate. Change and Hope were powerful and motivating words in the election of 2008... Some sources prey on your best instincts. Remember how Bernie Madoff conned influential and wealthy people into trusting and believing his ponzi scheme. How can we protect ourselves from being conned?

The time has come to ask more questions. We need to remember the words: WHO, WHAT, WHY, WHERE, WHEN, HOW when evaluating information... In November we will be called upon to elect leaders to represent us in Washington D.C. And our individual states. Based on past experience we’ve done a poor job. This time we need to do better in evaluating individuals in regards to their abilities to make decisions, and solve problems. We need people who will represent their constituency not a party, union, or special interest group. We must cast aside the political rhetoric and judge the character, honesty and capabilities of the individual to do the job. We don’t need more politicians; we need statesman who will stand up for our country and its Constitution. We need people we can believe in.

BEING THROWN UNDER THE BUS

Why is it that everyday I wake up to bad news? The oil spill, declining market, growing debt, crime, corruption, giveaways and no common sense. Few read or understand legislation. While this is happening the main stream media reacts with indifference to the opinions of the man on the street. The spin is to justify the Administration and the players in Washington.

Maybe it’s time to start dealing with the issues. How much paper can Washington print and pretend is real? Does Washington have a budget? Apparently not, or it’s worthless. I always thought the budget was the plan or guide to administer receipts against expenditures. If you run out of receipts you stop spending or start cutting. There is no magic money tree, this is reality. If you’ve noticed, there always seems to be money to bail out or help unions, education and large corporations. Is there some coincidence between political contributions and the money doled out to these entities? How can these organizations have millions for candidates, but fail to have sufficient funds to support pension programs?

How much taxation can the public endure? Washington doesn’t create anything, its private enterprise that stimulates the economy. If that’s the case why are we creating more government jobs than private jobs? You can’t create money or improve the economy through bigger government. The Washington premise is wrong and needs to change. Nine percent unemployment is unacceptable. People need to become more responsible for their own destiny and not dependent on government. Government’s philosophy of entitlements is destroying the human spirit. Government has a role but not to destroy my independence and free spirit. Where’s the common sense? We’re on a track to destruction.

Tomorrow I hope I’ll wake up to better news. Being a skeptic, I doubt it, especially when I feel that Government is throwing me under the bus.