Why are the Feds collecting GPS coordinates for every front door in America?

Thank you to GOP for Liberty for mentioning this.


According to Libertarian Republican:

"Big Brother's reach now extending right into our Homes

No imagination is required to think up a whole laundry list of evil that could be done with a nationwide GPS grid of coordinate’s markers painted on every private home across the country. But I was having trouble thinking up one good reason for it, even one legitimate use that would justify what must be a very expensive undertaking.

According to one of the Census workers, who spoke with me on condition of anonymity, they must GPS mark the coordinates “within 40 ft of every front door” in America and they are supposed to complete that mission nation wide, within 90 days, by the end of July 2009.

The workers were not told why they were GPS marking every front door. But a supervisor is sent out to follow them door-to-door, to make certain that no door is left unmarked. Every door will be marked by one employee, and then checked by a follow-up supervisor.

However, since the actual Census is not due to be taken until 2010, nobody is asking for any information today. They are only GPS marking your front door today, and Sec. 223, Title 13, U.S. Code, Chapter 7, Subtitle 2 provides the Fed NO authority to GPS paint your front door.

Best I can tell, the Fed has NO authority whatsoever, to paint the front door of every private residence in America. Still, that is exactly what they are doing. Now, the trillion dollar question is, why?"

DHS Snooping on Tea Party Computers

Jeff Jorgenson complains:

"The Department of Homeland Security has a corporate IP address of 216.81.80.134 and is located in Springfield, Virginia—area code 703. The coordinates of this location are latitude 38.7438, longitude -77.2333. How do I know this? Well, let me give you a little background information and then we’ll connect the dots.

I have a web site I use to sell a product that I invented and patented....On April 15th I attended the Council Bluffs, IA “Tea Party” Tax Day protest. I emailed the event organizer the day before that I would be attending the “Tea Party”, along with several fellow co-workers. I got the organizers name and email address through the website theglennbeck912project.com. I was a little hesitant to go at first since I’m not one for protesting, but in the final analysis it was a wonderful experience.

Enough with the background, now let’s connect the dots. On April 18th, two days after the tea party protests, I was checking traffic on my website. I always do reverse IP traces on major hits to see where they are originating so I can evaluate the effectiveness of my marketing strategy. As I checked one particular large hit, I was stunned to see the following on my screen,

Hostname: 216.81.80.134
ISP: Department of Homeland Security
Organization: Department of Homeland Security
Type: Corporate
Country: United States
State/Region: VA
City: Springfield
Latitude: 38.7438
Longitude: -77.2333
Area Code: 703

...my full name is not on my website. Someone had to actively search to make the connection.

I am a Marine Corp veteran, I do practice my religious faith, I do own a shotgun, and I did attend the Council Bluffs, IA “Tea Party” on April 15th. Now I feel I am on the Department of Homeland Security’s watch list of possible terrorists. They appear to have been monitoring the emails of the Tea Party contact organizers. Who and what else are they monitoring?

These are the facts; I’ll leave it up to you to decide what actions you may want to take if you attended a tea party. As for me, I’ve already contacted my congressman to vehemently lodge my complaint."

Tsk, tsk, tsk. They should stop wasting their time and our tax dollars investigating patriotic Americans and look out for real terrorists. At a time like this, if the government does *not* have a dossier on you, maybe you aren't trying hard enough.

For the record, Google Analytics reports no hits on my blog from Springfield, VA in the past month. My top states for readership are California, Alabama, New Mexico, Virginia, New York, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, Michigan and Missouri, in that order.

Skanderberg had something heartening to say. In his bi-weekly conference call with congressmen, 'someone asked about the impact of the “tea parties” in Congress. Both Congressman Scalise (R-LS) and Congressman McCarthy (R-CA) said that they had had a surprisingly large impact on the Congress - because spendthrift members went home and caught h*ll for their spending votes. As a memorable summary phrase, “Congress paid more attention to the tea parties than did the media.” Translation: “Keep up the good work.”'

It's Payoff Time!

Now I'm not making any accusations, but isn't America a wonderful place, when the UAW, Senator Feinstein's husband, and Harry Reid, all staunch supporters of President Obama, can walk away with such amazing gifts? It's a MIRACLE. Say YAY-YA!
Larry Kudlow wonders, "What is going on in this country? The government is about to take over GM in a plan that completely screws private bondholders and favors the unions. Get this: The GM bondholders own $27 billion and they’re getting 10 percent of the common stock in an expected exchange. And the UAW owns $10 billion of the bonds and they’re getting 40 percent of the stock. Huh? Did I miss something here? And Uncle Sam will have a controlling share of the stock with something close to 50 percent ownership. And no bankruptcy judge. So this is a political restructuring run by the White House, not a rule-of-law bankruptcy-court reorganization."
Another miraculous occurrence came earlier this year, when Sen. Dianne Feinstein introduced legislation to route $25 billion in taxpayer money to the FDIC, which had just awarded her husband's real estate firm a lucrative contract to sell foreclosed properties at compensation rates higher than the industry norms. She isn't even a member of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with jurisdiction over FDIC; and the agency is supposed to operate from money it raises from bank-paid insurance payments - not direct federal dollars. Documents reviewed by The Washington Times show Mrs. Feinstein first offered Oct. 30 to help the FDIC secure money for its effort to stem the rise of home foreclosures. Her letter was sent just days before the agency determined that CB Richard Ellis Group (CBRE) - the commercial real estate firm that her husband Richard Blum heads as board chairman - had won the competitive bidding for a contract to sell foreclosed properties that FDIC had inherited from failed banks. About the same time of the contract award, Mr. Blum's private investment firm reported to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it and related affiliates had purchased more than 10 million new shares in CBRE. The shares were purchased for the going price of $3.77; CBRE's stock closed Monday at $5.14."
And I have to say that I was confused to learn that Harry Reid represents Nevada, the land of casinos. I could not understand why his constituents would want him running all over Washington promoting socialism, which would ultimately hurt business, because everybody will end up impoverished. Then I learned that the stimulus bill set aside $8 billion for high-speed rail lines. Hmmmm. The Vegas connection is starting to make sense.
Now I'm not saying that this is political back-scratching. It could just be a coincidence. We've always been told that America is the land of Miracles, right?

Making Progress

You may be wondering how the rebuild is going here after the CA wildfires. I am pleased to announce that there are a couple of foundations and some wood going up for 2 of the 8 houses. Another foundation will be poured tomorrow. And our deck is coming along nicely.

100 days of %&@*!

Post borrowed from a friend*:

The Obama-presidential-apprenticeship-melodrama mega-media-training-wheels-tour is peddling American guilt and weakness overseas and unconstitutional bank grabs at home. This is an appeasement-mentality administration on the world stage, and an aggressive affirmative-action administration on U.S. economic and social policies.
Our enemies sense a weak, inexperienced, indecisive, reactionary, ill-prepared, non-confrontational man-child sitting in the Oval Office and have concluded it is now time to not only test American will and strength but to attack it head on. North Korea tested a long range nuclear-capable missile with Iran’s help that could reach Japan and United States homeland. Iran stepped up the global war against America, Israel and every country with democratic ideals and recently arrested American journalist Roxana Saberi for espionage and sentenced her to 8 years in prison. China called for a one-world currency to replace the U.S. Dollar, and Obama's "tax cheat" Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner actually stated that he “was open to the idea”. Russia shut off gas flow to Europe to let the world know they too control a majority of the world's oil supplies. Somali militant pirates attacked a U.S. tanker and held Captain Richard Phillips hostage for 4 days…. 4 days! And the Taliban march to take over Pakistan.
Obama’s response so far, is to bow to Arab oil sheiks, embrace tyrants like Cuba’s Castro and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez who called President Bush “the Devil” an America “the most murderous imperial empire in the history of the world”, meekly reacting to the North Korea missile launch and taking credit for sitting on his hands while the Commanding Officer at the scene of the "Pirate hostage stand off" finally gave the order to take the pirates out due to Obama’s in-action.
In a short 100 days Obama has proven that as President he is not capable of appreciating and defending the incredible positive effect our country has had on the development of the modern world. If Obama cannot defend America’s reputation, how can we expect him to protect our nation?
* note that not all Tea Party participants are white and grey-haired, as some in the liberal media have claimed. See prior posts for more pictures.

Talk to your teen girls

Many of us who read this blog have had full lives. Lives full of choices. Many of us have been faced with the ultimate choice. Life or death. Do we kill or let live? Choices have consequences.
Do you feel that your choices have led to blessings in your life? Or have you been cursed?
There is a way out. Take your battle-won wisdom and teach it to the children. Teach them it is wrong to kill for expediency's sake. Warn them. Show them the blessings that have come your way for doing the right thing.

It is arrogant to think that we should be the arbiters of life and death. The Lord humbles the arrogant and lifts up the humble.

Thank you for listening to my Sunday thoughts.

Cartoon, foreign affairs

Obama's actions are not due to inexperience. He is too consistent. He is an ideologue, and he is pursuing his agenda with a single-minded fervor never seen before in the history of the presidency.

I am thankful for---YOU

I have to remind myself sometimes. Don't lose heart. There is so much to be thankful for. Even now. With tempests blowing.

I am thankful for great conservative bloggers, like Bungalow Bill's Conservative Widsom. A great blog about ALL of the issues facing us today. BBCW does NOT let important issues slide by unnoticed. When I am out in the car driving my brood hither and yon, I know that BBCW is holding down the fort. Also, M Conservative Operative, a gal who has a keen grasp on current events, and great shoes. And Barack Obama Telepromter's Blog. Sometimes I have had it up to here with the news of the day. That is the one place I can read the news and have a good laugh at the same time. Chicago Ray is a light of common sense in the blogosphere. KOOK is more reasonable than he would have you believe. I also love the Oath Keepers website. These men are the best this country has to offer. 'Nuff said.

I am grateful for my friends. Without you, I would be talking to myself. Thank you so very much for commenting on my site, LL, Conservative Scalawag, Jan's Place, Red, Michele, Beachgirl, cfm990, Wofat, Lady Christie, Annette Piper, Maisy, Shelley, rightonmom, TorontoPsychologist, Anissa, Dawn S., Devan, Yaya, I am Harriet, Belinda, Left Coast Rebel, and so many other wonderful bloggers.

I am thankful for Ann Again's Virtual Girl's Night Out on Friday nights.
The ladies who party with Ann are the BEST!

We have to stick together. We CAN get through this!

Socialized Medicine on Fast Track

Relax and open wide. Government Health Care is about to be rammed down your throat. By a 227-196 vote, the House affirmed Democrats' plans to move health care legislation under rules that block Republicans in the Senate from being able to slow -- or even stop -- it from proceeding.

Here are some reactions by interested Americans.
"The ship is sinking and there are no life boats. I am losing all hope that we will be able to survive the Obama storm. Our health care system will now be ruined. This is my husband's, a primary care doctor's, worst fear, the rationing of medicine. Who will decide the lucky ones to receive care and those who are left to die, the Washington bureaucrats? There is not enough doctors nor money for us all. This country is no longer what our Founders once began."

"Don't you just love this double talking president? (I wonder who is really running the show- personally I think it is Rahm.) Where is the bipartisanship? The system was set up so there could be healthy debate and OUR VOICES COULD BE HEARD!!!! Where is the debate? We might as well grease up and bend over- we are F'ed. I would think that many of our current issues DEMAND debate. Obama's new logo should be "I will compromise- and you do it MY way"."

"Nationalized and rationed healthcare is coming with this crazy sneaked in bill. If you worked for 30 years look forward to rationed to denied coverage so the younger welfare and non workers get free coverage. Wonder if this was the "change" the swing voters wanted. Could be too late - Soon to be third world state like Chavez and Castro, sad day for America and democracy. I'm voting the bums out but reality we have reached tipping point with 50% not paying taxes we are doomed to a welfare/Socialist oppressive Government. If you have kids like I do you should be enraged. But we will be labeled terrorists for opposing facist/socialists trends. Wait, that already happened!"

"I have written to my congressman to beg him not to support fast tracking. I encourage everyone reading this to do the same. You can find your congressman by state at the site www.house.gov. Just enter in your zip code in the upper left and it will take you to your rep's web site."

"How's the 'ram it down their throat' thing workin for you? I hate our government -I hate our president. ------------------------ I agree...I personally remember every administration since Carter, and I've never feared any politician as much as Barack Obama. I've also never felt as little respect and regard for any politician as I do for Obama. It's like handing the henhouse to the fox. He's going to destroy America from the inside out, and he's going to do it so quickly and so well that the next election won't even matter. I really fear for this nation. Barack Obama is the greatest threat to the dream of our Founding Fathers since...well, I can't even imagine."

Obama's Socialist Sprint

It seems innocuous and reasonable. We'll just convert "preferred shares" of bank stocks that the government already owns into "common shares". And by doing this we won't need to bother the taxpayers for any more TARP money. Most Americans don't know the difference, so it doesn't sound like a bad idea. But it is BAD with a capital B. This move means that the government becomes the controlling interest in banks. Not just propping them up. Owning and controlling. Does this sound like Capitalism? Socialism? Communism? Control of banking institutions equals control of the ECONOMY. The economy that USED to be a FREE MARKET.

Dick Morris opines:
"This seemingly insignificant change is momentous. It means that the federal government will control all of the major banks and financial institutions in the nation. It means socialism.

The Times dutifully dressed up the Obama plan as a way to avoid asking Congress for more money for failing banks. But the implications of the proposal are obvious to anyone who cares to look.

When the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) intervention was first outlined by the Bush administration, it did not call for any transfer of stock, of any sort, to the government. The Democrats demanded, as a price for their support, that the taxpayers “get something back” for the money they were lending to the banks. House Republicans, wise to what was going on, rejected the administration’s proposal and sought, instead, to provide insurance to banks, rather than outright cash. Their plan would, of course, not involve any transfer of stock. But Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) undercut his own party’s conservatives and went along with the Democratic plan, ensuring its passage.

But to avoid the issue of a potential for government control of the banks, everybody agreed that the stock the feds would take back in return for their money would be preferred stock, not common stock. “Preferred” means that these stockholders get the first crack at dividends, but only common stockholders can actually vote on company management or policy. Now, by changing this fundamental element of the TARP plan, Obama will give Washington a voting majority among the common stockholders of these banks and other financial institutions. The almost 500 companies receiving TARP money will be, in effect, run by Washington.

And whoever controls the banks controls the credit and, therefore, the economy. That’s called socialism.

Obama is dressing up the idea of the switch to common stock by noting that the conversion would provide the banks with capital they could use without a further taxpayer appropriation. While this is true, it flies in the face of the fact that an increasing number of big banks and brokerage houses are clamoring to give back the TARP money. Goldman-Sachs, for example, wants to buy back its freedom, as do many banks. Even AIG is selling off assets to dig its way out from under federal control. The reason, of course, is that company executives do not like the restrictions on executive pay and compensation that come with TARP money. It is for this reason that Chrysler Motors refused TARP funds.

With bank profits up and financial institutions trying to give back their money, there is no need for the conversion of the government stock from preferred to common — except to advance the political socialist agenda of this administration.

Meanwhile, to keep its leverage over the economy intact, the Obama administration is refusing to let banks and other companies give back the TARP money until they pass a financial “stress test.” Nominally, the government justifies this procedure by saying that it does not want companies to become fully private prematurely and then need more help later on. But don’t believe it. They want to keep the TARP money in the banks so they can have a reason and rationale to control them.

The Times story did not influence the dialogue of the day. People were much more concerned with the death of 21 horses at a polo match. Much as we will miss these noble animals, we will miss our economic freedom more."

http://www.dickmorris.com/blog/2009/04/22/obama%E2%80%99s-leap-to-socialism/

Listen to Your Children

I was chatting on the phone and I heard a little voice next to me, "Mo-om, there's a lizard on my back." Repeat statement. It was a complete non-sequitur. Must be some sort of lizard sticker. A lizard toy, perhaps, that the boys wanted to use to play a trick on me. I'll be done with my phone call in a minute, boys, not to worry. Hmmm. Maybe I better glance down just in case. "EEEEEEEK!" Uh, uh, just step outside onto the back patio. Nice and easy, OK? Now stand still, while I run upstairs for my camera. Aaaaah. Perfect photo opportunity. Gently urge lizard off of son into the ivy. Being a little kid can get interesting sometimes.

FBI Spied on Tea Party Americans

http://homelandsecurityus.com/?p=2659

Did you ever feel like you were being WATCHED? The Northeast Intelligence Network thinks you may be right:

'“Listen to what I am saying,” stated the source during an interview with Doug Hagmann, founder (NEIN). “The Department of Homeland Security Intelligence Assessment that is receiving so much attention is just the tip of the proverbial iceberg, and the true patriotic citizens of this country are on the Titanic. This is what bothers me. But is goes far beyond that assessment. There have been very significant changes made over the last few years that redirect the focus and assets of the intelligence community internally. These changes have greatly accelerated under this administration, and the threats have been redefined to include those who used to be patriots. It’s not only chilling but absolutely insulting to God-fearing Americans.”

According to this unimpeachable source, a single-page confidential directive issued by the FBI headquarters in Washington, DC (FBIHQ) was sent to each of the 56 field offices located across the United States on or about March 23, 2009, instructing the Special Agents in Charge (SACs) of those offices to verify the date, time and location of each TEA Party within their region and supply that information to FBI headquarters in Washington. The source stated this correspondence termed the TEA parties “political demonstrations,” and added that the dissemination of the directive was very tightly controlled. “Not all agents were privy to this correspondence,” stated the source, who compared the dissemination to an older “Do Not File” classification.

In addition to obtaining or confirming the location and time of each “demonstration,” each field office was instructed to obtain or confirm the identity of the individual(s) involved in the actual planning and coordination of the event in each specific region, and include the local or regional Internet web site address, if any. The information collected by region was then reportedly sent to FBI Headquarters.

The source alleges that a second directive was issued on or about April 6, 2009 that reportedly instructed each SAC to coordinate and conduct, either at the field office level and/or with the appropriate resident agency, covert video surveillance and data collection of the participants of the TEA parties. Surveillance was to be performed from “discreet fixed or mobile positions” and was to be performed “independently and outside of the purview of local law enforcement.”

Although the level of detail collected from each operation is unclear, the information was reportedly submitted to Washington, where, “at the level of the National Security Branch (NSB), this information was to “include the office of the Directorate of Intelligence (DI), and integrated with a restricted access database, one that reportedly is accessible to only two agencies” [of the 14 agencies that comprise the U.S. intelligence community, according to the source.

“The implications to the citizens of the U.S. are ominous. It seems that there is a hostile political agenda coming from Washington that characterizes the supporters of our constitutional freedoms as threats to our domestic security, which is totally absurd. The redirection, the refocusing of domestic threats from al Qaeda cells to ‘flag waving right-wingers’ is something that has gone from a murmur a few years ago to a roar today.”

Training government-issued cameras on ordinary citizens, many of whom brought their children to an estimated 600 Tax Day TEA Parties is a page torn out of George Orwell’s 1984 and makes the term “God Bless America” more meaningful than ever.'

Lawsuit filed against Napolitano and Holder

complaintagainstdepartmentofhomelandsecurity.pdf

This lawsuit complains about the "assessment" released by Homeland Security entitled "Rightwing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment."

All I can say is Bravo! to the Thomas More Law Center, Michael Savage, The Center for Bioethical Reform, Gregg Cunningham and Kevin Murray.

Idyllic California Afternoon

The weather was truly perfect. Not even David Axelrod's threats could touch my heart on this sun-drenched beach. He says the Tea Parties may be "unhealthy"??? Doesn't that sound like some kind of mafia threat? Awww, forget it. The American people are WAY more courageous than to be intimidated by him.
My boys and I enjoyed the beach.

"Hey, Mom! It's an EAGLE!" "No, it's a sea gull."

Was that a regatta?

Some kids have a lot of energy.

This was a *real* photo opportunity.

Brothers.

Take heart, fellow Americans. This *is* a great country. The land and the people.

Inside Story of SEAL Rescue

From the Blog My Journey, written by a former Navy SEAL.
"Having spoken to some SEAL pals in Virginia Beach and asking why this thing dragged out for 4 days, I was told the following:

1. President Obama (BHO) wouldn't authorize the DEVGRU/NSWC SEAL teams to the scene for 36 hours going against OSC (on scene commander) recommendation.

2. Once they arrived, BHO imposed restrictions on their rules of engagement (ROE) such that they couldn't do anything unless the hostage's life was in "imminent" danger.

3. The first time the hostage jumped into the water, the SEALS had the pirates sighted in, but could not fire due to ROE restriction

4. When the navy RIB (Rigid-hulled inflatable boat) came under fire as it approached with supplies, no fire was returned due to ROE restrictions. As the pirates were shooting at the RIB, they were exposed and the SEALS had them dialed in.

5. BHO specifically denied two rescue plans developed by the USS Bainbridge captain (CPN) and SEAL teams.

6. Bainbridge CPN and SEAL team CDR finally decide they have the OpArea and OSC authority to solely determine risk to hostage. 4 hours later, 3 dead pirates.

7. BHO immediately claims credit for his "daring and decisive" behavior.

Read the following accurate account, e-mailed to me by a friend: Philips’ first leap into the warm, dark water of the Indian Ocean hadn’t worked out as well. With the Bainbridge in range and a rescue by his country’s Navy possible, Philips threw himself off of his lifeboat prison, enabling Navy shooters onboard the destroyer a clear shot at his captors — and none was taken.

The guidance from National Command Authority — the president of the United States, Barack Obama — had been clear: a peaceful solution was the only acceptable outcome to this standoff unless the hostage’s life was in clear, extreme danger.

The next day, a small Navy boat approaching the floating raft was fired on by the Somali pirates — and again no fire was returned and no pirates killed. This was again due to the cautious stance assumed by Navy personnel thanks to the combination of a lack of clear guidance from Washington and a mandate from the commander in chief’s staff not to act until Obama, a man with no background of dealing with such issues and no track record of decisiveness, decided that any outcome other than a “peaceful solution” would be acceptable.

After taking fire from the Somali kidnappers again Saturday night, the on scene commander decided he’d had enough. Keeping his authority to act in the case of a clear and present danger to the hostage’s life and having heard nothing from Washington since yet another request to mount a rescue operation had been denied the day before, the Navy officer — unnamed in all media reports to date — decided the AK47 one captor had leveled at Philips’ back was a threat to the hostage’s life and ordered the NSWC team to take their shots.

Three rounds downrange later, all three brigands became enemy KIA and Philips was safe. There is upside, downside, and spinside to the series of events over the last week that culminated in yesterday’s dramatic rescue of an American hostage.

Almost immediately following word of the rescue, the Obama administration and its supporters claimed victory against pirates in the Indian Ocean and declared that the dramatic end to the standoff put paid to questions of the inexperienced president’s toughness and decisiveness.

Despite the Obama administration’s (and its sycophants’) attempt to spin yesterday’s success as a result of bold, decisive leadership by the inexperienced president, the reality is nothing of the sort. What should have been a standoff lasting only hours — as long as it took the USS Bainbridge and its team of NSWC operators to steam to the location — became an embarrassing four day and counting standoff between a ragtag handful of criminals with rifles and a U.S. Navy warship."

Radical Cartoons

Warning, some liberal nudity. Of the kind that will likely haunt your dreams. In a bad way. And don't read this while taking a sip of soda.

Cincinnati Tea Party--Who Sent You?

Thank you Sweetness and Light, this is a great video. Completely belies the claim that the Tea Parties were mocked up by some organized group.

And no post would be complete without a little local flavor. Santa Ana Tea Party April 15, 2009:

Ooops. I take that back. NOT!

Ah. CNN did indeed cover the Tea Party in Chicago. And they did a wonderful BUTCHER job.

Censorship, part 2

The censor squad was out if full force yesterday. Or rather, they were not. There was not a satellite truck to be found. And I know something about satellite trucks. After the CA wildfires last November, you couldn't park on my street for all the sat trucks with gigantic parabolic antennas on top. I saw NOBODY from local TV stations at the Santa Ana protest.

President Obama remains remarkably out of touch with the American People. He says that he knows nothing about any Tea Parties.

So I will have to be your intrepid reporter for this event. I will be posting pictures this month at the bottom of my posts. There were SO many great people and awesome signs. I can't share them all at once. They are to be savored.

Great Bunch of People

I'm so happy. I had a really great day. The people at the Santa Ana CA Tea Party were SO nice and very very polite. Grandparents, parents, kids, teenagers, and average Americans. All very VERY concerned about the direction our nation is headed. I will let the pictures speak for themselves.





I'm in one of these pictures. Peek-a-boo!

Tea Party Censorship

Remember to Party like it's 1773, despite censorship and derision from the left wing (TASS) media. Business Media points out:

"Such is the fate of Wednesday’s national Tax Day Tea Party. This mega-gathering of tax protesters is scheduled for every single congressional district. More than 500 events are planned. And the national news media have either been silent or shown contempt for the effort.

That’s not journalism, its blatant censorship that would amaze even George Orwell.

The Big Three broadcast networks – ABC, CBS, and NBC – have only mentioned the tea parties in passing three times. This is especially ironic since NBC’s sister network CNBC gave rise to the movement when reporter Rick Santelli ranted about government overspending and talked about having a “Chicago tea party.” Now the third NBC network – MSNBC – is reduced to making juvenile sexual comments about the event.

The Washington Post was even worse than the networks. The paper has only mentioned the movement in a news story once: a brief that ran in a suburban edition. Two major tea parties are planned for Washington this week and the only Post readers who have a clue of what’s going on live in Prince William County. Or, hopefully, rely on media other than the Post.

The New York Times tried a different tack. That paper has mentioned tea parties six times – and five of those have been to disparage and undermine them. The paper questioned Santelli’s involvement and said the rant only “appeared spontaneous.” An April 7 piece by Lawrence Downes mocked a Northport, N.Y. tea party as “a day for brandishing signs, shouting imprecations, and donning silly clothing.” Columnist Frank Rich claimed the Santelli “bonfire fizzled” and columnist Paul Krugman called them “AstroTurf (fake grass roots) events.”

This tax day, hundreds of thousands of hard-working, taxpaying Americans will prove Krugman and the rest of traditional media wrong. They have had to rely on new technologies like Twitter and Facebook to do something as old as civilization itself – protest. But they shouldn’t have to do so.
http://www.businessandmedia.org/commentary/2009/20090415101007.aspx

Why will I do it?

Tomorrow I will put my flesh where my mouth is. I will stand in the open air of my local Tea Party for all to see. I will stand up for my country, for the freedom that I believe in. I am a mother of 6 children, the youngest 1 year old, and yet I will do this. Why?
I remember many occasions as a child, and one in particular, that may help you to understand where I am coming from. I remember standing in my morning shower, around the age of 12, just marveling. Wondering how in the world I had been so lucky, so blessed to have been born in the great country of the United States of America. What had I done to deserve this, when there are people all over the world being born into starvation, poverty and oppression. I live in the Land of Opportunity, flowing with the fruits of the labor of the private sector, available to all who have the wit and the drive to accomplish great things.
Now I see my country under attack. Maybe President Obama means well. I like to think he does. Maybe he truly believes that Centralization of Power to the government is the medicine that our nation needs. That we must Nationalize Healthcare, Nationalize Energy, Nationalize Education, Take Over Private Business, pit citizen against citizen in class warfare so that all may become equal.
But I have my beliefs as well. I believe in my SOUL that this is the wrong path for our nation. I saw in my trip to Sweden how destructive this way of life is to the citizens and children. All becomes drab sameness, person to person, house to house. Those who dream of and achieve greatness are forced to flee the country. I cannot stand idly by and watch these "Changes" happen to my country without speaking up. I will not give up on this great nation of Freedom and Liberty without a fight.
I urge you to attend your local Tea Party tomorrow. Bring a sign. Stand with me. If you love your country, if you love your children, if you honor the legacy left to you by your forefathers through their blood, please do this. It means everything.
Edit: tea party info and schedules: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=94895

Rip-roaring Tea Party Debate

You gotta see this.

Was it something I said?

I sure hope Congress and the Senate are paying attention. They need to start listening to their constituents again. What a concept!

29-y-o blogger dies in jail

If this does not make a case for limited government power, I don't know what does.

Blogger's Prison Death Rallies Iran's Liberals

'DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The first line of his first blog from Tehran in September 2006 asks: "What is freedom?"

Omidreza Mirsayafi answered his own question.

"I don't know," he wrote, "but I know someday I will see its shadow falling on my land."

Two and half years later, from behind the gray walls of Tehran's Evin Prison, he phoned his mother. They talked about his battle with depression behind bars. She asked if he was taking his heart medicine.

A few hours later, on a chilly mid-March evening, the 29-year-old Mirsayafi was dead.

He was Iran's first known casualty in the skirmishes between bloggers challenging the Islamic regime and authorities striking back with the tools they know best — imprisonment and intimidation....

What makes Mirsayafi stand out, however, was not his notoriety. It's just the opposite. Mirsayafi had a modest — what could even be called irrelevant — presence in the Iranian blogosphere....

On Nov. 2, Mirsayafi was brought before the Revolutionary Court. The charges were serious: insulting the country's leaders and making anti-state propaganda. Some expert witnesses said they didn't believe Mirsayafi's blog violated the statutes, according to various reports.

The court disagreed and sentenced him to 30 months in prison. He was allowed at first to remain free while he appealed, but authorities swooped in Feb. 7. His lawyer said there was no warning or explanation.

Mirsayafi was placed in Evin's Cell 7, Hall 5 along with his friend, Abbas Khorsandi, a political activist detained since 2007. Evin is Iran's most notorious lockup and the final stop for those who run afoul of the regime.

In 2003, Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi was arrested for taking photographs in front of Evin and died several days later in the prison. An investigative panel concluded Kazemi died of a fractured skull and brain hemorrhage caused by a "physical attack," but the findings were rejected by Iran's conservative judiciary. And an Iranian-American journalist, Roxana Saberi, was sent to Evin in February and was charged this week as a spy.

In Evin, Mirsayafi sometimes talked of suicide, said Shiva Nazar Ahari, secretary of the Committee of Human Rights Reporters in Tehran. He also worried about whether he could get more of the prescription drug Inderal, used to control erratic heart rhythms.

Nazar Ahari said she called Mirsayafi every few days.

"On one of his last conversations with me, he said, `I wish I actually did something real to insult the regime since I ended up in prison anyway,"' she said....

"Omidreza was just an ordinary blogger," said Farhad Moradian, an Iranian Jewish emigre to Israel who writes a blog from Tel Aviv. "This is the big alarm."

A Facebook page in Mirsayafi's memory was formed after his death March 18. It was filled with condolences, rants and shared apprehension.

Said one entry: The "next Mirsayafi could be me."

Mirsayafi was interested in mathematics and physics in high school, and drifted toward journalism after graduating in 1999. He contributed stories on cultural events to several newspapers. For extra money, he moonlighted as a computer technician.

Mirsayafi began his blog — called simply "Rouznegar," or "Diary Writer" — in 2006 as a kind of online salon to concentrate on daily Tehran life, culture and music. "Diary" included interviews with leading Iranian musicians and artists.

But, as is often the case in Iran, he could not avoid politics.

His first post dabbled in general rhetoric about liberty. It was tame stuff compared with the bromides of other bloggers. Over the months, however, Mirsayafi's writing developed more bite. He was shaken particularly by the muzzling of other bloggers.

A post on June 22, 2007 broke the dam. He lashed at authorities by name, including crossing a red line that few dare to even approach: condemning the memory of the late Islamic Revolution leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

Mirsayafi wrote:

"Living in a country whose leader is Khomeini is nauseating.

Living in a country whose president is Ahmadinejad is a big shame."

He went on to skewer other Iranian officials and closed with the line: "Living in a country that calls itself an Islamic Republic is a disgrace."

Mirsayafi knew he entered dangerous territory. But he felt his blog was simply too obscure to draw notice among the hundreds of other Iranian Web writers from inside the country and abroad, say friends and family.

He described what happened next in a letter written earlier this year to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

On April 22, 2008, four officials from Iran's Revolutionary Court came to the small house in eastern Tehran that he shared with his parents.

"They searched everywhere and confiscated my computer and personal items," he wrote to Ban. "And I was arrested."

Mirsayafi was accused of insulting Iran's leaders and its Islamic character — charges that can bring years in prison — and was placed in solitary confinement in Evin. His family, meanwhile, reached out to Mohammed Ali Dadkhah, a lawyer who has built a bulldog reputation while defending bloggers and other political activists.

After 40 days, Mirsayafi was released. As a guarantee he wouldn't flee the country, his family offered the deed to property worth about $50,000, said his brother Amir. Mirsayafi's blog site was shut down.

Authorities had been making cyber-raids for years. Their first salvo was attempts to block specific blogs and Web sites. But hackers bypassed the controls by using proxy sites and other Web shortcuts. Then arrests started after the election of Ahmadinejad in 2005.

The media rights group Reporters Without Borders lists 68 bloggers imprisoned around the world, including two in Iran and nearly 50 in China.

On March 18, Mirsayafi overdosed on tranquilizers supplied by the prison and was only treated in the prison clinic rather than transferred to a hospital, according to reports attributed to an inmate physician, Dr. Hessam Firoozi. Judicial and prison authorities did not reply to repeated requests for comment by The Associated Press.

Firoozi, who is serving a 15-month sentence, called his lawyer. Quickly, word spread from blog to blog, then on to right groups and the international media.

Reporters Without Borders said Mirsayafi's death was a "sad reminder of the fact that the Iranian regime is one of the harshest for journalists and bloggers." Jennifer Windsor, executive director of Freedom House, a Washington-based pro-democracy group, said it highlighted the "dangerously inhospitable" climate for bloggers.

Mirsayafi was buried the day after his death. Fellow bloggers joined in a memorial of their own by posting some of his writings. His first blog post was among the most widely cited.

It ended:

"I asked: When will we understand the meaning of freedom?

"I answered: When our wisdom can be delivered from ignorance, selfishness and foolishness."'

You are virtually invited!

Tonight I'm hosting 14 for Passover. What's a few more? Come on over. Just let me know in enough time so we can kick the kids over to the children's table. Make sure you eat a little something before you arrive. It takes about 2 hours to get through the story-telling portion, reading and talking about the Exodus from Egypt. Then you get to eat a lot. And remember to bring your designated driver or sleeping bag. It is traditional to drink 4 cups of wine!

Surgeons forced to sign government agreement

My husband came home and said that It Has Begun. There was a meeting this afternoon at the surgery department in the hospital that he has privileges at, Corona Regional Medical Center in Corona, CA. The doctors HAD to agree to new government rules, or the hospital would have lost its accreditation. Any doctor who ever receives a penny of money from any government program will be bound by all new government healthcare rules. Just like a bank receiving TARP money. And since all of our medical records are now to be digitized and centralized, we all now belong to the Government.

Let's chase away the businesses

Great idea! This is what California did over the past years. Passed laws making this state extremely unfriendly to business. So they left. And now CA is crying about budget deficits. "Oh, gosh. We don't know how this happened. It must be the economy." It's not the economy. It's politics, stupid! You can't pass a bunch of laws that punish business and the "rich" and expect to have a good stream of tax revenues.
Now New York is trying the same thing. A brilliant plan has just been implemented, called the "millionaire's tax". Anybody earning over 300,000 per year gets hit, and hit hard. Explain to me how 300,000 suddenly equals a million? Let's not quibble. Now Rush Limbaugh is leaving the state for good, and the politicians laugh and say that if they knew that would happen, they would have raised taxes a long time ago. Oh, go ahead and laugh. But you won't be laughing all the way to the bank. You will be laughing all the way to the poor house. Just like Sweden chased away Bjorn Borg and IKEA. Donald Trump is thinking of leaving New York as well.
Did you know that government can't create jobs? It is mathematically impossible. Government takes money from private industry. To create more government jobs, you have to take *more* money from private industry. Thereby crippling private industry, which is the ECONOMY.
Government can't save us. We need to find ways to empower private enterprise and American businesses. So employers can get excited again and hire people. This is how the economy *really* works.

I tried to stay away

I really need a day off. I used to blog about 3 times a week. And especially now. With Passover starting Wednesday night, and I'm hosting 12 for dinner (Seder) at my house on Thursday night, I really have a lot of cooking, cleaning and rearranging to do.

So I'm at the grocery store, and there is a TIME magazine cover staring me in the face. On it is a BIG RED BUTTON labeled RESET. The caption reads, "The End of Excess, why this is good for America." And now I'm seeing RED again. I want to scream. You SISSY L*IBERALS! Gloating and giddy. You revel in the chaos and the reorganizing of American society toward the one world order where nobody has a chance to achieve anything that is not ordained by powers higher up.

Well, I'm here to say that there are plenty of countries in the world where that system is already in place. Please go there. And leave America, the Land of the Free, to be the Home of the Brave.

Dick Morris: Obama Just Repealed the Declaration of Independence

Apparently American businesses will now be under foreign supervision. This is an offense to our forefathers and soldiers who died for our independence. :-(

Cap and Tax, Dead for Now?

I read on Power Line Blog that "The Republicans did score some successes, however. The most notable was the amendment offered by Mike Johanns to prohibit use of the reconciliation procedure for "climate change legislation involving a cap and trade system." The point of this amendment is that the administration will not be able to slide cap and trade through the Senate with 50 votes as part of the budget bill. Rather, it will have to follow a normal process, which leaves open the possibility of a filibuster.

Johanns' amendment passed on a 67-31 vote, with a considerable number of Democrats joining the Republicans. They were largely, but not entirely, Midwesterners who were not prepared to see their states' economies devastated by this foolish environmental measure. So for now, at least, it looks as though we have dodged the carbon tax bullet."

http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2009/04/023244.php

Could it be true? Could we be so lucky as to avoid some of the Triumvirate of Terror that Obama is trying to unleash on this country, Socialized Healthcare, Government-run Colleges, and Cap and Tax? Please say it is SO!

Mom Bloggers Club - WYSIWYG

http://blog.weddingpaperdivas .com/

http://blog.tinyprints .com/

http://lipsticktocrayons .com/

http://momstart .com/

http://iamharriet.blogspot .com/

http://www.akblessingsabound .com/

http://www.momspective .com/

http://www.shortpumppreppy .com/

http://www.anuttymom .com/

http://mamamentor.blogspot .com/

http://moomettesmagnificents .com/blog/

http://ifmomsaysok.wordpress .com/

http://dominiquegoh .com/

http://www.stickyfeet2 .com/

http://wondermommy.wordpress .com/

http://mamasmoneysavers .com/

http://www.feelslikehomeblog .com/

http://jeanstockdale.typepad .com/

http://a-nut-in-a-nutshell.blogspot .com/

http://lizzie-q-homemaker.blogspot .com/

http://mainfo.blogspot .com/

http://saveyourmoneymama.blogspot .com/

http://www.themomjen .com/

http://www.themomreviews .com/

http://fitness.momspective .com/

http://www.blessedwithgrace.blogspot .com/

http://www.bizziemommy .com/

http://blog.lalababyboutique .com/

http://www.thinkorganicbaby .com/

http://www.fracturedtoy.blogspot .com/

http://apple4meandyou.blogspot .com/

http://lovehomemaking .com/

http://www.justtherightspice .com/

http://www.thehomemakerhelpers .com/

http://melodythacker .com/

http://associatemelody .com/watkins-news-and-product-reviews/

http://heritageremedies .com/serendipity/

http://scarymommy .com/

http://scarymommycreations.blogspot .com/

http://joyntheir .com/

http://betheweightyouwant .com/

http://joyblogging .com/

http://bodybuildingmuscleshaping .com/

http://blasianbabynotes.wordpress .com/

http://littlemisshannah .com/

http://stacysrandomthoughts.blogspot .com/

http://drachma-girl.blogspot .com/

http://1momof5.blogspot .com/

http://isitmondayalready.blogspot .com/

http://saveyourmoneymama.blogspot .com/

http://www.manicmother .com/

http://practicingthrift.blogspot .com/

http://conversationswithmoms .com/

http://healthywealthymoms.blogspot .com/

http://www.3psinapod .com/

http://downtoearthblog .com/

http://lusciousdeals.blogspot .com/

http://dominiquegoh .com/

http://www.andrewsandfamily.blogspot .com/

http://lusciousdeals.blogspot .com/

http://confessionsofahousewife .com/

http://brainfoggles .com/

http://prettypinkmomma.blogspot .com/

http://ahappyhippymom.blogspot .com/

http://sweeps4bloggers.blogspot .com/

http://sweeps4california.blogspot .com/

http://thedivinemissmommy .com/

http://www.gliks.blogspot .com/

http://www.momsrevolution.blogspot .com/

http://www.mydivinechaos .com/

http://www.morethancents.info/

http://itsabeautyfilledlife.blogspot.com

Obama's Ultimate Agenda -- C. Krauthammer

Here is an excerpt from a great column by Charles Krauthammer:

...we are now so deep into government intervention that constitutional objections are summarily swept aside. The last Treasury secretary brought the nine largest banks into his office and informed them that henceforth he was their partner. His successor is seeking the power to seize any financial institution at his own discretion.

Despite these astonishments, I remain more amused than alarmed. First, the notion of presidential car warranties strikes me as simply too bizarre, too comical, to mark the beginning of Yankee Peronism.

Second, there is every political incentive to make these interventions in the banks and autos temporary and circumscribed. For President Obama, autos and banks are sideshows. Enormous sideshows, to be sure, but had the financial meltdown and the looming auto bankruptcies not been handed to him, he would hardly have gone seeking to be the nation's car and credit czar.

Obama has far different ambitions. His goal is to rewrite the American social compact, to recast the relationship between government and citizen. He wants government to narrow the nation's income and anxiety gaps. Soak the rich for reasons of revenue and justice. Nationalize health care and federalize education to grant all citizens of all classes the freedom from anxiety about health care and college that the rich enjoy. And fund this vast new social safety net through the cash cow of a disguised carbon tax.

Obama is a leveler. He has come to narrow the divide between rich and poor. For him the ultimate social value is fairness. Imposing it upon the American social order is his mission.

Fairness through leveling is the essence of Obamaism. (Asked by Charlie Gibson during a campaign debate about his support for raising capital gains taxes -- even if they caused a net revenue loss to the government -- Obama stuck to the tax hike "for purposes of fairness.") The elements are highly progressive taxation, federalized health care and higher education, and revenue-producing energy controls. But first he must deal with the sideshows. They could sink the economy and poison his public support before he gets to enact his real agenda.

The big sideshows, of course, are the credit crisis, which Obama has contracted out to Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner, and the collapse of the U.S. automakers, which Obama seems to have taken on for himself. That was a tactical mistake. Better to have let the car companies go directly to Chapter 11 and have a judge mete out the bitter medicine to the workers and bondholders.

By sacking GM's CEO, packing the new board, and giving direction as to which brands to drop and what kind of cars to make, Obama takes ownership of General Motors. He may soon come to regret it. He has now gotten himself so entangled in the car business that he is personally guaranteeing your muffler. (Upon reflection, a job best left to the congenitally unmuffled Joe Biden.)

Some find in this descent into large-scale industrial policy a whiff of 1930s-style fascist corporatism. I have my doubts. These interventions are rather targeted. They involve global financial institutions that even the Bush administration decided had to be nationalized, and auto companies that themselves came begging to the government for money.

Bizarre and constitutionally suspect as these interventions may be, the transformation of the American system will come from elsewhere. The credit crisis will pass and the auto overcapacity will sort itself out one way or the other. The reordering of the American system will come not from these temporary interventions, into which Obama has reluctantly waded. It will come from Obama's real agenda: his holy trinity of health care, education and energy. Out of these will come a radical extension of the welfare state, social and economic leveling in the name of fairness, and a massive increase in the size, scope and reach of government.

If Obama has his way, the change that is coming is a new America: "fair," leveled and social democratic. Obama didn't get elected to warranty your muffler. He's here to warranty your life.

http://townhall.com/columnists/CharlesKrauthammer/2009/04/03/obamas_ultimate_agenda?page=1

Concrete Day

You may recall we are still rebuilding over here after the CA wildfires last November. Today I learned that the deck inspection *did* happen yesterday after all. Must have been late in the day. So I had to rush and get the camera quickly, as the concrete truck was due at 9am. Here are pics of the rebar and forms:

Freshly poured concrete deck foundation:

In the meantime, my neighbors were making mountains out of molehills:

And playing with trucks:

A Letter From the Boss

I found this today and I think it captures perfectly where our country is headed:

To All My Valued Employees,

There have been some rumblings around the office about the future of this company, and more specifically, your job. As you know, the economy has changed for the worse and presents many challenges. However, the good news is this: The economy doesn't pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is the changing political landscape in this country.

However, let me tell you some little tidbits of fact which might help you decide what is in your best interests.

First, while it is easy to spew rhetoric that casts employers against employees, you have to understand that for every business owner there is a Back Story. This back story is often neglected and overshadowed by what you see and hear. Sure, you see me park my Mercedes outside. You've seen my big home at last years Christmas party. I'm sure; all these flashy icons of luxury conjure up some idealized thoughts about my life.

However, what you don't see is the BACK STORY:

I started this company 28 years ago. At that time, I lived in a 300 square foot studio apartment for 3 years.. My entire living apartment was converted into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you.

My diet consisted of Ramen Pride noodles because every dollar I spent went back into this company. I drove a rusty Toyota Corolla with a defective transmission. I didn't have time to date. Often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business -- hard work, discipline, and sacrifice.

Meanwhile, my friends got jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a modest $50K a year and spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. Instead of hitting the Nordstrom's for the latest hot fashion item, I was trolling through the discount store extracting any clothing item that didn't look like it was birthed in the 70's. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into a business with a vision that eventually, someday, I too, will be able to afford these luxuries my friends supposedly had.

So, while you physically arrive at the office at 9am, mentally check in at about noon, and then leave at 5pm, I don't. There is no "off" button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have the freedom. I eat, and breathe this company every minute of the day. There is no rest. There is no weekend.. There is no happy hour. Every day this business is attached to my hip. You, of course, only see the fruits of that garden -- the nice house, the Mercedes, the vacations... you never realize the Back Story and the sacrifices I've made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and I, the guy that made all the right decisions and saved his money, have to bailout all the people who didn't. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed a decade of my life for.

Yes, business ownership has is benefits but the price I've paid is steep and not without wounds..

Unfortunately, the cost of running this business, and employing you, is starting to eclipse the threshold of marginal benefit and let me tell you why:

I am being taxed to death and the government thinks I don't pay enough. I have state taxes. Federal taxes. Property taxes. Sales and use taxes. Payroll taxes. Workers compensation taxes. Unemployment taxes. Taxes on taxes.. I have to hire a tax man to manage all these taxes and then guess what? I have to pay taxes for employing him. Government mandates and regulations and all the accounting that goes with it, now occupy most of my time. On Oct 15th, I wrote a check to the US Treasury for $288,000 for quarterly taxes. You know what my "stimulus" check was? Zero. Nada. Zilch.

The question I have is this: Who is stimulating the economy? Me, the guy who has provided 14 people good paying jobs and serves over 2,200,000 people per year with a flourishing business? Or, the single mother sitting at home pregnant with her fourth child waiting for her next welfare check? Obviously, government feels the latter is the economic stimulus of this country.

The fact is, if I deducted (Read: Stole) 50% of your paycheck you'd quit and you wouldn't work here. I mean, why should you? That's nuts. Who wants to get rewarded only 50% of their hard work? Well, I agree which is why your job is in jeopardy.

Here is what many of you don't understand ... to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Had suddenly government mandated to me that I didn't need to pay taxes, guess what? Instead of depositing that $288,000 into the Washington black-hole, I would have spent it, hired more employees, and generated substantial economic growth. My employees would have enjoyed the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But you can forget it now.

When you have a comatose man on the verge of death, you don't defibrillate and shock his thumb thinking that will bring him back to life, do you? Or, do you defibrillate his heart? Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate it, not kill it. Suddenly, the power brokers in Washington believe the poor of America are the essential drivers of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change you can keep.

So where am I going with all this?

It's quite simple.

If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, my reaction will be swift and simple. I'll fire you and your coworkers. You can then plead with the government to pay for your mortgage, your SUV, and your child's future. Frankly, it isn't my problem any more.

Then, I will close this company down, move to another country, and retire. You see, I'm done. I'm done with a country that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, will be my citizenship.

So, if you lose your job, it won't be at the hands of the economy; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country, steamrolled the constitution, and will have changed its landscape forever. If that happens, you can find me sitting on a beach, retired, and with no employees to worry about.....

Signed, THE BOSS

"The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money." - Margaret Thatcher