The real inconvenient truth

Free speech reigns in America, even in these dismal times.

There's a reason it is guaranteed in the FIRST amendment, as it is the primary cornerstone of our republic.

The odd thing is that some people think this amendment should only apply OUTSIDE of the U.S. Capitol and off the airwaves of the major networks. Or, maybe certain citizens have more of a claim to the right than others?

Inside the halls of our illustrious Congress, they would have ye socks believe that decorum and deference to the lying figurehead of a supposedly "co-equal" branch of government is more important . . .

Check your outrage at the door. Shut up. Sit quiet. And, listen to the boldest of lies as they come one after another . . .

Poppycock and piffle!

Frankly, I think we could learn a lot from our British cousins. I kinda like the raucus exchanges between the Members of Parliament and the Prime Minister.

Despite namby-pamby John McCain's assertions to the contrary, no one should apologize for or feel bad about speaking their mind in America . . . ANYWHERE or ANY TIME in America.

It may be inconvenient to the current powers-that-be, but dissension and free speech is still alive and well in this country.

Hope and change, y'all!

RIP Jack Kemp (1935-2009)

I was sorry to hear yesterday of the passing of Jack Kemp, who apparently had been battling cancer recently.

Ye socks may remember him from his pro football days, or from his distinguished career in public service (US Congressman, HUD Secretary, etc.)

Personally, whenever his name is mentioned, I always think back to the presidential campaign of 1996, when Kemp came to rally the troops at the Lake Eola bandshell in downtown Orlando.

I don't remember exactly the words he used, but I sure do remember the enthusiasm he brought to what otherwise was a dismal campaign. Many of us in the crowd then, and today even more, wonder what might have been if Kemp had been the party nominee instead of Bob Dole that year.

He was certainly a man of big ideas, more than just a foot soldier in the Reagan Revolution as the party's most recent failed presidential candidate is so proud of claiming.

No, Kemp wasn't just a good trooper, he was actually coming up with ideas to tackle the economic mess we inherited from Jimmy Carter's malaise. And, he implemented many more as he served in the first Bush administration's cabinet.

Gone too soon, Jack, gone too soon.

Webster for Congress?

It's never too early to begin handicapping political races in this little corner of heaven.

And, some recent events have yours truly concluding that former state senate majority leader Dan Webster is getting ready to run for Congress.

Up until recently, conventional wisdom was that Orange County's mayor Rich Crotty would try to unseat the precariously perched Alan Grayson in the 8th congressional district that includes Orlando.

But, Crotty's got some problems stemming from his entanglements at the local expressway authority. Not only did he recently rush thru an unpopular toll hike, but a grand jury report released the very next day slammed him for strong-arm pay-to-play tactics. It concluded that Crotty had benefited from a "culture of corruption."

Now, flash forward to today's blue ribbon report released by Webster. In it, he calls for some pretty significant reforms at the expressway authority, including:

• Cutting the bloated and top-heavy payroll by $600,000.
• Leasing or selling the TWO current headquarters buildings. (That's right, up til now they felt justified in having not one but TWO headquarters . . .)
• Passing the savings along to everyone with an ePass transponder, not just the frequent users the authority has favored to this point.

What's not to like about this?

Finally, a Republican is talking about shrinking the size of government and reducing its burden on the general public. Perhaps, the party will not have to spend as long in the political wilderness as I feared it might.

I've liked Dan Webster for a long time, and really respected his endorsement of Mike Huckabee over John McCain et al in the party primary during the last presidential election cycle. If only more folks around here had been of a similar mind back then . . .

Anyway, you read it here first, ye socks. Webster's running for Congress. And, today he dealt a body blow to his primary rival.

Steelers Win!

No, I'm not referring to the football team from Pittsburgh. Their big contest is Sunday, remember?

Instead, I refer to the supporters of former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, who succeded in ousting the sitting Republican National Committee chairman and replacing him with their guy.

Let's face it. The GOP needs to tend so some serious wounds after the drubbing we've taken in the last two election cycles.

Hopefully, Steele will realize we need to purge the party of McCainism--the appeasement of Democrats and their constituents instead of appealing to and rallying the Republican base. Maverick, schmaverick. We need to get back to the principles that made the party great: lower taxes, smaller government, more personal responsibility, and dogged defense of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Let the ObamaNation stand for hand-outs, bail-outs, and cop-outs. We need to be a strong and clear voice of opposition, not their lapdogs and handmaidens.

How many port-o-lets does it take . . .

Usually, Sunday mornings are a wonderful experience around this little corner of heaven. There's coffee with that decadent flavored creamer. There's the comfy chair and ottoman. And, there's all the news shows that help yours truly keep up with what's going on in the world.

But, I am just about ready to blow a gasket this Sunday morning.

For the life of me, I can't understand how the media is giving The Disaster in Waiting a pass on all his crappy cabinet nominees.

We've got an incoming Secretary of State whose been shaking-down world leaders to the tune of millions of dollars to support her morally-bankrupt husband's "foundation." And, we're supposed to believe she won't take who gave how much into account when she's in charge of our foreign policy?!

We've got an incoming Secretary of Treasury who hires illegal aliens and doesn't pay his taxes.

We've got an incoming Attorney General who pardons tax dodgers and domestic terrorists.

At least Bill Richardson had the decency to bow-out.

But, all the others are on the fast track to get rubberstamped by Harry Reid and his ilk.

I guarantee you, if it was John McCain or any other incoming Republican president nominating people like this to top cabinet posts, the media would be outraged.

Instead, we get wall-to-wall coverage of how many port-o-lets are going to be in DC for the coronation on Tuesday morning. No matter the number, I guarantee they'll all be overflowing by noon with so many people who are so full of crap being on hand . . .

The ballot is cast

Well, ye socks, I took an unnecessarily early lunch break to run up to my polling location to vote this fine Election Day.

I say "unnecessarily," because I was trying to avoid a crowd that wasn't there.

I did have to park quite a distance away from the poll, but that's just because it has such a miniscule parking lot. But, that was okay. I can always use the exercise, and the weather in this little corner of heaven is the type our Chamber of Commerce should crow about.

Anyway, when I did get inside the little community center that houses my precinct's poll, I found a bunch of black-shirted rowing moms manning the tables. They seemed more than a little disinterested in the process, but there was one pro from the supervisor of elections office who kept them in line.

After waiting for the 7-foot-tall biker dude clad in leather who was ahead of me in line to find his ID, I was handed my ballot with only a cursory glance at my license.

I turned around to find all the booths occupied, but the aforementioned pro told me I could sit at one of the tables in the room and fill-out my ballot with one of the black pens she had available.

So much for privacy, but I did it anyway because I really don't care who knows how I vote. My life is pretty much an open book.

There I sat, quietly bubbling in the four legal-sized pages of candidates, constitutional ammendments, charter revisions, and other ballot initiatives. Before too long, though, I was joined by more people who didn't want to wait on the slow pokes in their fancy private booths. And, then we were joined by some more, all of us very congenially making room for one another.

On leaving, a mop-headed teenager in oversized cargo pants was mumbling instructions on how to feed the ballots into the counting machine. Fortunately, I've done this a time or two and didn't need much help. I did appreciate the little "I voted" sticker he handed me, though. I understand I can use it to pick up some freebies from Starbucks, Chik-fil-A, Ben & Jerry's, and Krispy Kreme . . .

I'm making myself hungry now.

Anyway, now it's your turn, ye socks! Get out there and do your civic duty and VOTE! (Unless, of course, you're a Democrat. In which case, consider this a day off and go to the beach or something . . . )

Lies about pie

It seems like the presidential candidates have dredged up that old cliche' about pie.

John McCain (appropriately) pointed out that the junior senator from Illinois wants the government to have the final say as to who gets what size piece of the pie instead of trying to grow the pie.

Sidebar: I thought you BAKE a pie, not GROW a pie?!

Anyway, this tired-yet-valid analogy only serves as the latest example of the very poor job we have done in teaching economic theory and its impact on our nation's history.

Personally, I blame the Keynesians who have been free for far too long to perpetuate their bogus theories. Using the Great Depression as an example:

LIE #1
The Great Depression was triggered by risky Wall Street speculation that led to a stock market collapse.

TRUTH #1
The Great Depression was caused by the federal government's systematic reduction (33%!!!) in the money supply during the 1920s.

LIE #2
"New Deal" social welfare programs, increased income taxes, and increased market regulations helped the economy.

TRUTH #2
FDR's socialist agenda actually PROLONGED the depression by creating a huge dependancy class, robbing the market of capital, and making it harder to operate a private sector business.

LIE #3
The eruption of World War II produced an ecomomic boom.

TRUTH #3
It was not until the war ended, workers returned to the private sector, and the dismantling of FDR's big government programs allowed money to be used as market capital that we fully recovered from the depression.

The lessons of history can and should be applied to the present economic situation. We don't need a rabble-rousing cult of personality approach. Rather, we need to cut taxes, reduce the size of government, and encourage the entrepreneurial spirit.

Or, is that too "pie in the sky?!"

A fresh perspective on The New Deal

Well, ye socks, I have to admit that I did NOT stay up to watch the presidential debate last night.

I figured, why bother getting all riled-up when you've already made up your mind who you're going to vote for?!

Instead, I turned to a book for my evening entertainment. Though it was an economic history of the Great Depression, I was surprised to see how many lessons could be applied to current events.

If you want to go out and get a copy at your local bookstore or library, here's the bibliographical info:

The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression, by Amity Shlaes, ISBN 9780060936426.

Ms. Shlaes is an economist by training and uses her egg-shaped head to pick apart one of the biggest icons of big government: Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Her indictment against FDR contains the following charges:

1. That his socialist economic policies actually prolonged the country's depression.

2. That his expansion of welfare programs created "indebted constituencies" and led to class warfare.

3. That his attacks on the free market led to the rise of special interest groups and their lobbyists.

I sincerely doubt that the junior senator from Illinois, or any of his ilk for that matter, would bother to crack a book that criticizes the godfather of big government taxing and spending.

I just hope the electorate hasn't been dumbed down to the level where pretty words and pompoms can make them overlook the warnings from Shlaes and other economists.

Reagan was right (again). Big government isn't the solution. Big government is the problem.

The original Maverick

As ye socks prepare for tonight's big presidential debate, I couldn't resist a little history mini-lesson on the term "maverick."

Be assured it was coined long before John McCain decided to run for president as someone who doesn't follow the crowd.

Believe it or not, it is actually older than McCain himself. And, that's saying something, no?!

The word was originally the surname of the gentleman pictured here: Samuel Augustus Maverick (1803-1870).

A native of South Carolina, he went to Texas as a young man, was at the Alamo, but escaped to see Sam Houston win the state's indpendence at the Battle of San Jacinto.

What turned his surname into the descriptive moniker we use today was not old Sam's exploits.

In fact, it derives from his laziness.

While other early ranchers busied themselves branding their cattle with specific marks, Sam just let his run wild. Thus, all the unbranded cattle were simply assumed to be "Maverick's!"

Somebody saw the humor in all that and began to say the same thing about politicians who defied branding.

John McCain certain does that . . .

Hold on, Harry and Henry!

Senate Majority "Leader" Harry Reid and Comrade Henry Paulson seem far too eager to pass the big $700 billion bailout plan thru Congress.

First, Reid erroneously stated that there was bipartisan support for the plan. The last I heard, John McCain wasn't on board. While he did say "further inaction is simply not an option," that doesn't mean he's in the rubberstamp business.

$700 billion is a lot of money, almost incomprehensible. So, let's break it down into terms everyone in this country can comprehend. That is $10,000 in additional debt that every household in America is being asked to assume.

I don't know about the rest of ye socks, but ten grand is still a sizeable chunk of change in this little corner of heaven.

I do not profess to be a master economist by any stretch of the imagination, so am willing to defer to the experts when they assure us that SOMETHING must be done fairly quickly to avoid complete chaos.

But, I'm with McCain on this one. Some provisions really need to be incorporated into any bailout scheme, including:

- Defining the level of governmental oversight for those entities accepting bailout money.
- Addressing the ridiculous executive compensation packages to cap salaries and eliminate "golden parachutes" for any business that feeds from the government trough.
- Demanding transparent accounting practices to restore public confidence.

Washington and Wall Street have become far too cozy. We don't need to make it any easier on them by rushing through the Paulson plan. We do need to know what we're getting ourselves into, and that's worth at least a few extra days of careful examination. The price tag on this one is just too large to do any less.

And, hold on to your hats, folks. I hear the auto manufacturers are waiting eagerly in the wings to see how all this goes, because they want to float the bailout balloon for their industry, too . . .

Is capitalism dying in the USofA?

Orlando gives "Thumbs-up" to McCain

The Republican presidential candidate paid a visit to this little corner of heaven yesterday.

Actually, it's his third visit in as many weeks.

I guess the pundits are correct. The I-4 Corridor will once again play a pivotal role in picking the new White House tenants. Those on the short list have certainly been courting us lately.

This time, Senator McCain was the guest of La Asociacion Borinquena de Florida Central, a Puerto Rican social club east of downtown Orlando.

You can tell from this picture that he was in good company. That's former governor Jeb Bush applauding in the background, far left. The current governor Charlie Christ is back there, too. He's the one sans jacket with shirt sleeves rolled-up. The man in mid-applause second from the right is my dad's old high school classmate and current Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty. Hidden behind McCain in this shot were a pair of Martinezes: Senator Mel and former governor Bob.

Love him or not, McCain was in his element in this small townhall sized event. Now I know why the junior senator from Illinois is afraid to engage him one on one in this sort of arena--despite the standing offer of free airfare.

The speechifying was, thankfully, kept to a minimum. The nominee touched on only 3 main themes:

1. The mess in the financial markets. He blasted those who have "treated Wall Street like a casino." A bit populist, but it resonated.

2. His plan to have 45 nuclear plants up and running by 2030, a goal that will not only move us toward energy independence but also toward a greener environment.

3. The success of the surge in Iraq. He always seems to go there, doesn't he? Well, I guess it's working for him . . .

Latest polls show all this courting of Sunshine State voters is paying off for the GOP. If he'd just send Sarah Palin down this way for a visit or two, he could seal the deal . . .

Like nails on a chalkboard

After seeing Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Rudy Giuliani, and other stellar speakers at the GOP convention earlier this week, last night's presidential nomination acceptance speech by John McCain was something of a letdown.

Fortunately, what he lacks in charisma is more than made up by his integrity and leadership abilities.

Nevertheless, there was one point in his speech that really grated on the nerves of this genealogist:

"We believe everyone has something to contribute and deserves the opportunity to reach their God-given potential, from the boy whose DESCENDANTS arrived on the 'Mayflower' to the Latina daughter of migrant workers."

With all the money I'm sure the McCain campaign pays their speech writers, editors, vetters, media consultants, and handlers, I find it hard to believe that no one over there knows the definition of "descendants." For their edification:

descendants - (n) one's posterity, children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, etc.

Any boy who had descendants on the Mayflower would have to be tremendously old, even older than John McCain's 96-year-old mother Roberta, and could hardly be described as a boy in the first place.

I'm 99% certain the word they were looking for (or, should have been) is

ancestors - (n) one's forebears, parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc.

Maybe, the McCain campaign would like to hire a certain genealogical consultant to vet any future speeches.

Know your genealogy, ye socks!

Huck rallies the troops

Wow, I can't believe I stayed up so late last night watching the GOP convention coverage.

Most folks, I'm sure, were hanging in there to see how the new VP nominee Sarah Palin would do.

Yours truly was never in doubt that she would deliver a stellar speech.

No, what got me to tune in last night was the opportunity to see Mike Huckabee, the fellow I had supported during the primaries.

It was almost bittersweet to see him addressing a convention so many of us had hoped would be nominating him instead of John McCain. But, he quickly reminded us that now is the time to look forward, and we must be united in the fall to defeat the evils the junior senator from Illinois and his ilk would perpetrate if given the opportunity.

As usual, Huck had a couple of great quips. Here's my two favorite:

* The reporting of the past few days [referring to the "mainstream" media's coverage of Gov. Palin's family life] has proven tackier than a costume change at a Madonna concert.

* I'm not a Republican because I grew up rich. I'm a Republican because I don't want to spend the rest of my life poor, waiting for the government to rescue me.

I was also pleased to see that the Huckabee family was given a place of honor in the gallery. They were seated directly behind the McCains and Palins.

I think I'm finally ready to do what 96-year-old Roberta McCain suggested, hold my nose and vote for her son . . .

Gustav: The storm that wasn't

I suppose if Gustav had received a more appropriate level of preparation, the hand-wringing crowd and their "mainstream" media cohorts would have accused President Bush of being an uncaring cad like they did back in 2005.

And, they would have tried to link all Republicans to that aspersion.

Fortunately, they failed.

But, all the evacuations, etc., proved to be a gross overreaction.

I suppose we should feel relieved about it, but I'm more peeved than anything else.

It got me thinking about that old Shakespeare comedy "Much Ado About Nothing."

What parallels may be drawn there? I knew ye socks would ask that question, so here's my feeble attempt.

I would cast John McCain and Sarah Palin in the roles of Benedick and Beatrice, who are kept apart by a bunch of foolishness until the very end of the play. Finally, though, they come together in an impromptu celebration. News reaches them of the capture of the dastardly Don Juan (played, of course, by the junior senator from Illinois). But, they don't let it ruin their day, choosing instead to continue enjoying themselves as planned and put off the villain's prosecution
for a more opportune moment.

Not sure what roles should be assigned to Joe Biden, Cindy McCain, or the Clintons. I'll leave that up to you!

It's Palin!

Well, it's official.

John McCain has picked Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his runningmate.

What a great choice!

Disclaimer: Yours truly was 95% sure he was going to pick Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.

Putting a woman on the ticket not only stole the thunder away from all the yayhoo's out in Denver this week. I believe it will negate any post-convention bounce the junior senator from Illinois might have enjoyed.

The timing was perfect!

Most importantly, I think the choice will encourage more women (particularly some of the disaffected Hillary voters) to vote Republican in November.

A media blitz is sure to ensue this Labor Day weekend. So, pop some popcorn, grab a soda, and stake out a good spot on the couch! (Like you wouldn't be doing that anyway, right?!?)

And the #2 spot goes to . . .

One of the perils of selecting a runningmate from a pool of former rivals is that there are going to be plenty of critical quotes available.



Remember George Bush's accusation of "voodoo economics" back in 1980?



Well, here we go again . . .



I hope the presumptive Republican nominee has learned that lesson and there is less of this nonsense I've been hearing lately about Mitt Romney.

Big names at VFW convention

As Tropical Storm Fay turned out to be mostly a non-event in this little corner of heaven, it is worth noting that we have been the focus of the national political scene around here this week.

That's because the Veterans of Foreign Wars is holding their 109th National Convention in Orlando.

And, they attracted some heavy hitters when it comes to guest speakers, including the current president and the two leading contenders to succeed him.

The best performance was delivered on Monday by John McCain. But, that was really no surprise. I mean, he is a decorated veteran himself. These are his peeps. A gallup poll shows he's leading amongst veterans by a whopping 22% over his presumptive opponent. And, he told them what they wanted to hear in terms of national security experience and commitment to the military family.

The worst performance was delivered on Tuesday by the junior senator from Illinois, though you have to give the guy some credit for even showing up. Perhaps not surprisingly, he dropped the trademark bombast and rhetoric he usually employs on stump speeches. Instead, he was almost somber in his presentation as he was forced to defend his patriotism. The smallish audience of about 3,000 was respectful and polite, but the "wow" factor that is so much touted in the "mainstream" media was nowhere to be seen.

Somewhere in the middle was the appearance by President George W. Bush. The vets gave him a warm reception. Only fitting since he is the Commander-in-chief. They applauded him as he defended his decision to invade Iraq and when he called for victory in the ongoing War on Terror. But, he received actual cheers when he talked about the newly-passed GI Bill. Unfortunately, very few members of the national media showed-up to cover the appearance. Bush is a lame duck, and they're treating him like one.

Anyway, if you're stuck inside due to wind and rain, it's nice to have something other than radars and path projection maps to contemplate. So, it's been great having the VFW in town this week. I hope they come back every hurricane season during presidential election years!

Veepstakes prediction: PAWLENTY

It's just a gut feeling, but I believe ye socks will be seeing lots of variations (and hopefully less blurry ones!) of this picture over the coming months and years.

The old guy in the foreground is, of course, the presumptive Republican (?!) nominee for president.

But, it's the guy in the background that I want you to notice. He's Tim Pawlenty, the governor of Minnesota.

And, I firmly believe he will be the next Vice President of the United States . . . or, at least, the GOP's next candidate for that office.

I say this based on the conventional wisdom that McCain's candidacy hinges on his running mate selection, probably more-so than any other candidate in recent memory.

There are several reasons, but especially these:
* He's old.
* He's failed (at least to date) to rally the conservative base behind his candidacy since the primaries ended.
* He's lacking in executive experience.

Picking Pawlenty would answer all these criticisms. He's young (for a politician of his caliber). He's a CONSISTENT conservative. And, he's done a great job picking-up the pieces up in Minnesota since Jesse "The Body" Ventura left the governor's mansion in St. Paul.

Add to that the fact that the GOP convention is being held up there this go-round, and you've got all the key ingredients.

Anyway, this theory is something I've been tossing around (off-line) for the last 3 or 4 months, to those who would listen. And, now I'm confident enough to post it here:

McCain will pick Pawlenty.

The Magic Number is 270

In the Electoral College, that is.

Now, there's a place on the web where you can manipulate a map of the good ol' USofA to assign the electoral votes of each state to one candidate or another.

http://www.270towin.com/

Check it out for yourself, if you dare.

I played with most recent poll figures, and came up with some bad news for John McCain.

If things follow those numbers, he will lose to the junior senator from Illinois by a count of 331 to 207.

But, a lot can happen between now and November, right?!

Hillary supporters just won't give up in Orlando

Apparently, they didn't get the memo about the kiss-and-make-nice session up in Unity, New Hampshire today.

"Someone" in this little corner of heaven let it be known in a big way today that they are not happy about the outcome of the primary "process."

Unfortunately, the medium they chose to express their frustration was spray paint, and their canvas consisted of a bunch of city-owned vehicles in the big parking lot at 401 South Orange Avenue.

It was ALMOST comical to read the vandal's words. I think the funniest was "OBOMA SMOKES CRACK," not because of the alleged drug use but because they misspelled the surname of the junior senator from Illinois. And, I will point out that John McCain had his fair share of painted criticism. Only the former first lady received any praise from the vandal(s).

Seriously, though, Mayor Buddy Dyer should really be embarassed by this little episode, especially since it occurred across the street from his office. How can he, or any downtown booster, expect to recapture any of the nightlife mentioned in yesterday's posting if they can't get a handle on all the crime--petty or otherwise--that is going on right under their noses?