Back to Work

Well after a long summer hiatus, it's back to work time.  I thought I would lead with some thougths on Leadership.  I had a recent discussion with one of my family members after reading David Limbaugh's latest book and began to wonder how you find the proper balance between narcissism and confidence.  We came to the conclusion that this balance is highly dependent on what the person wants to gain from the leadership role.  Is it power or a title or is it serving and leaving things better than when you came?  The proper balance then seems to be a high level of confidence not out of desire for personal attention (impies arrogance or selfishness) but out of the knowledge or wisdom that value can be added. 

On the eve of the 10-year anniversary of 9-11, the leadership of George W. Bush and Mayor Rudy Gulliani comes to mind.  In my mind they are great examples of the proper balance discussed above.

Say a prayer tomorrow for all the "fallen" from the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  May we never again encounter a tragedy like 9-11 on U.S. soil and May God Bless America!

Fuzzy Math

I read a very interesting article in the Sunday March 13th edition of The Washington Post by The Fact Checker Gene Kessler.  As I was reading the article the previously popular phrase "fuzzy math" popped into my head.  I shouldn't be shocked but I'm continue to be amazed by the manipulation of facts done by the current administration, Democrats and liberals.  Anyway, Mr. Kessler "slices thru the fog" of the Democrats multiple statements that they have met the GOP "halfway" concerning budget cuts for the FY2011 budget.  On March 11, 2011, President Obama stated "The Democrats have put forward spending cuts, many of them pretty painful, that give Republicans already half of what they were seeking, because they're the right thing to do."  In the mentioned article Mr. Kessler effectively explains how these statements are false.  For this statement to be even close to accurate the budget baseline must be the FY2011 budget that is NOT the law of the land.  Are the President and Democrats deeming the proposed FY2011 budget to be law as was done with ObamaCare?  Another interesting point learned from this article mentioned was that the discretionary spending within the proposed FY2011 budget is greater than $1 Trillion.  This amount is drastically greater than the 12% mentioned by Senator Dick Durbin recently.  See my previous comments on Senator Durbin's comments.  I would strongly suggest every American to read this article to get the facts on this subject within a short 5 minute read.

At the end of the FY2011 budget discussion I, along with the majority of Americans that voted for a GOP majority in Congress, expect the GOP to accomplish the job they were hired to do.  This job is simply to live within our means by reducing the size of government.

The Weekly Rant

Now that we know the outcome of the Senate vote on H.R.1, I can't stop myself from "ranting" a bit regarding comments from Senate Democrat Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL).  Last weekend leading up to the vote Senator Durbin was reported as saying that he could support $6B in budget cuts and anything more than $10B would "push kids out of school", "stifle innovation" and "stop investment in infrastructure."  First of all, these amounts are not even cuts and at best are token "spitting in the wind" steps to slow spending growth.  Let's put these numbers in perspective so that you can see how laughable these comments really are.  President Obama has proposed roughly a $3.7 Trillion budget.  $6 Billion would represent a 0.16% reduction of this budget and $10 Billion would represent a 0.27% reduction of this budget.  Then Senator Durbin states that essential spending is off limits and only discretionary spending is on the table which is about 12% of the total annual budget.  12% of a $3.7 Trillion budget is $444 Billion and a $10 Billion reduction of this budget represents a 2.3% reduction.  If I lived in the great state of Illinois, I would be proud of Senator Durbin's hard work and tough decisions he is willing to make on my behalf. 

Now let's move on to President Obama's press conference yesterday.  It was surprising that no comments or questions were discussed about one of the most prominent issues in this country today, the budget situation in Wisconsin.  On the other hand, he was very comfortable making inaccurate statements and telling outright lies about the status of the oil industry in the U.S.  With a serious face he made statements based upon manipulation of data to support a false message.  It sure tells you something about his character.  How does he go home to his family, sit down and eat, look himself in the mirror and live with himself knowing that he lied to the American people?  I know I couldn't do it.  What's with all these liberals that seem to be lacking the truth gene.  Michelle Malkin wrote a entire book on this adminstration's "Culture of Corruption."  The key question is, are we going to let them get away with all this deception?  Not if I have my way!

The Wisconsin 14

After more than a week of the shenanigans in Madison, WI, I'm still trying to figure why this new gang of 14 still have their jobs. Even though the WI state legislature passed a resolution to penalize these guys $100 per day plus any charged expenses, I think it's more simple than that. Wisconsin is an "at will" state and I don't understand why the employer of these AWOL state senator's, the citizens of WI, don't just relieve them of their duties. Just fire them and kick them to the curb. If I don't perform the duties of my job, my current employer can fire me without cause so I would like to know why these guys think they're special.

Breakfast in DC

On this President's Day I was having breakfast with my family in Washington DC and happened to overhear a couple of guys talking at the counter in Starbucks.  One guy was chuckling to the other about a news article on his PDA about a Republican strategist cautioning Republicans about taking too many budget related drastic measures or 1996 could happen all over again.  First of all, it was immediately clear that these two gentlemen were liberals.  Secondly, I get concerned when I hear about a Republican strategist cautioning his fellow Republicans against following campaign promises.  Thirdly, do liberals still think the November mid-term elections outcome was the result of a communication failure?  Didn't several poll results indicate that voters overwhelmingly supported fiscal responsibility?

Maiden Voyage

After spending a long day at my daughter's volleyball tournament with much downtime available for thought, I concluded that it's time to this launch the Red, Right & Blue project.  I want to thank my parents for instilling in me faith-based Conservative principles and I want to thank my family and friends for their support.  I've got some great ideas planned for this project to address many local, state and national topics and I will strive to provide some value to the dialogue surrounding the critical issues that impact us every day in this great country founded under God.  May God bless America as we live in the pursuit of life, liberty and happiness!