Texas Governor's Race

Tuesday -- election day -- will soon be upon Texas voters and we will find out who the Republican nominee for Governor will be. I just now saw a Perry commercial on t.v. He was wearing a Carhart jacket and sitting in front of the Texas flag. Some of the Hutchinson commercials try to pull off the "good-ol'-country-gal" look but somehow it doesn't quite work. She just has a hard time fitting that image.

The article linked below might be of interest to those of you following the race:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/preview/2010-02-01/feature

So, what do you think? Is Perry positioning himself for a national race? Perhaps. I hope he can handle the attacks from the left if that is his plan.

What about Hutchinson? She might come back as an Independent and face Perry again in the General election if the primary is close. I don't think it will be. The real question is her Senate seat. Will she really retire? If so, I think Michael Williams is our best candidate for the seat. It may be an interesting year.

Copenhagen Math

I'm a little confused about why the U.S. should cough up $100 Billion per year to help other countries deal with their committments on UN regulation of "climate change."  That means we will pay for it twice -- once in a subsidy through a corrupt organization (the UN) that will pass on a portion of it to corrupt governments (most of the developing world), and then in the increased price of goods that we will likely purchase from those very countries.

I know, $100 Billion doesn't sound like much now that we toss around numbers like $3 or $4 Trillion, but if you divide it by the current population of the U.S. it comes out to about $328 per person or $1,312 per family of 4.  We probably need to double those numbers because of the increased cost of goods and services.  No, we should probably triple it because the government is such an inefficient allocator of wealth that the true cost to our economy will be much larger than the $100 Billion.

Obama: World's Will on Climate Change 'Hangs in the Balance' at Copenhagen

Mexican Drug Cartel "Boss-of-Bosses" Killed in Fight

The drug violence in Mexico has been rampant for an extended period.  The Mexican government under President Felipe Calderon is fighting back but the battle is only beginning.

Top Mexican Drug Lord Killed in Fight With Law Enforcement

Now we will likely see a battle for control of the Beltran Leyva Cartel.

Regulating Cattle Emissions and Conspiracy Theories

OK. I’ve finally had enough of the ludicrous idea that the way to control greenhouse gases is to regulate emissions by livestock. I suspect it is really a plan to destroy the livestock industry by those who think we should all become Vegans. Or, maybe it is something even more sinister.

The carbon cycle is relatively simple to describe although its actions are complex. Living things are carbon-based. This includes plants and animals. Plants take carbon-dioxide out of the atmosphere, trap the carbon into their tissue in the form of various molecules such as sugars and then release Oxygen. Animals eat plants (or other animals) and through the process of digestion, break down the complex molecules (such as sugars) from the plant material and utilize the released energy to fuel their existence. In the process of digestion, some of the carbon is released back into the atmosphere as various gases and carbon dioxide is released through respiration. This process cycles the carbon in a somewhat continuous loop. Plants also release carbon when they die. The process of decomposition releases carbon into the atmosphere.

This carbon cycle has continued since the beginning of life on this planet. At one time in pre-history, there was significantly more carbon floating around in the atmosphere which fueled riotous growth of plants. Many of those plants were then trapped in sediment and over time changed to oil, gas and coal or were bound into limestone and other sedimentary rocks.

Until we began releasing the carbon that was “sequestered” in the form of oil, gas and coal, carbon wasn’t a problem. It was cycled through plants and animals just as it is today. It was this release from the utilization of fossil fuels of huge amounts of carbon back into the carbon cycle that created what some scientists today are claiming to be a cataclysmic problem for life on earth. In other words – it isn’t the cattle that are causing “climate change,” it is the burning of fossil fuels that released huge amounts of trapped carbon into the atmosphere that is causing the increase of atmospheric greenhouse gases.

So, why do our government and the governments of other nations throughout the world think the solution lies in regulating gas produced by cattle? Here is one possibility – it is part of the plan to control the world food supply. In the U.S. most crops are subsidized through various support payments. Livestock production is not. Placing regulations on the livestock producers under the guise of controlling greenhouse gas emissions makes sense only in the context of attempting to gain control of one of the few lightly regulated industries left.

It fits into what could be construed as a plan to force a one-world government. The way I see it, if one wanted to control the world you would begin with a series of induced crises. The crises would be designed to gain control of some key things – banking, energy and food. Hmmmm…..we recently saw manipulation of the first two of these items. That leaves food. I wonder what’s really going on behind the scenes in Copenhagen……

Texas Constitutional Ammendments Ballot

The Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association has posted a guide to the upcoming ballot in Texas on proposed Constitutional Ammendments. These ammendments are all related to personal property rights. I urge you to seriously consider the implications these have for our state and for property owners.

http://www.texascattleraisers.org/dailyupdate/oct2009/2009electionguide.pdf

A more thorough analysis by the Texas Legislative Council is here.

A Young Employee's Take on ObamaCare

A young employee commented the other day that he was concerned about the Health Care Bill that Congress was considering and the President was pushing. I wondered why.

He said that if he understood correctly, what would happen is that the Health Care currently provided by his employer would go away and be replaced by a Health Care program offered by the Federal Government. If that happened, the amount the employer was currently providing on a pre-tax basis would then become taxable income. The Health Care offered by the government was likely to be very restrictive on its coverage and therefore inferior to what he was currently being provided. The net result is that if passed, he would get inferior Health coverage and pay more for it because now it was being taxed.

I said, "that's about right."

Other States Are Watching Texas Business Success

For those of you who may not have seen it, the article linked below comes out of Washington -- the state, that is. It is about the Texas economy.

Texas Economy Shining Brightly Despite Recession

Perry on Limited Government

Limited government. Is it only a dream now? Have we gone too far to turn back?

Governor Rick Perry of Texas has some timely comments in today's Washington Times:

Perry: Texas Proves Limited Government Works

Cornyn to Ag Committee

Agriculture is critical to the Texas Economy. The Texas economy is leading the nation. It is only fitting that Texas Senator John Cornyn be appointed to the Senate Ag Committee. We need conservative voices offsetting the shrill cry of the animal rights activists.

Senator Cornyn Appointed to Senate Ag Committee

Perry vs. Obama Care

The Governor of Texas has always been a strong proponent for business interests within the state. That is one of the reasons we have managed to weather the economic downturn so well. His stance on "Obama Care" is right in line with his sense of what is best for the business climate in Texas. The Healthcare package before Congress would put a number of small businesses out of business.

Businesses create jobs. Jobs put food on the table. Why anyone would ever think that forced charity and state control is better than self-reliance is beyond me.

Perry Raises Possibility of State's Rights Showdown With Whitehouse Over Healthcare

Michael Williams at Entrepreneur Alliance in Amarillo

Texas Railroad Commission Chairman Michael Williams is in Amarillo today. I had the opportunity to visit with him briefly when he stopped at the Entrepreneur Alliance offices.

It was a fitting setting for the U.S. Senate Candidate whose message is music to the ears of Texas businessmen. He is one of the few principled and consistent conservative political figures in the country. His message is pro-business and pro-USA.

He spoke briefly on a topic that sends chills up my spine -- the Cap and Trade Scheme that Congress is working to pass. According to Williams (and I agree completely) it will have a disproportionately negative impact on Texas. It targets energy and agriculture for a significant tax burden that would cripple the state economy. I like the way he referred to it as the bill that would "cap our economy and send trade somewhere else." I think that sums it up.

Texas is one of the few states that has had positive news through the economic downturn that our country has been experiencing. That positive news is due to our pro-business economic climate. Cap and Trade will reverse those positives.

Commissioner Williams has been a public servant for 10 years on the Texas Railroad Commission. During that time he played a significant role in shrinking the size of the Commission from around 900 employees to about 600.

Hmm....smaller government, pro-business, pro-family, pro-USA...we could use some of that in Washington. With his record of integrity in office and the conservative positions that he has taken on the issues near-and-dear to all Texans, I think it is time to get him up there so that he can get to work.

I wonder what Senator Hutchison's plans are? Will she resign her seat? Or, will she try to hold onto it through the upcoming race for Governor? It promises to be interesting....

On This 4th of July

On July 4, 1776, we declared our independence from Great Britain. We claimed the right to self-governance with representation of the people's will in determination of the laws of our land. We claimed the right to reject an oppressive government and replace it with one that was both responsive to and responsible to the people of this land.

That oppression arose from our dependency on Great Britain. The original colonists needed the support of the mother country for survival. In return, the king required taxes. Those taxes paid for wars that caused a mounting debt. The response of the king was to increase taxes to finance his aggressive policies that sought to consolidate his power.

The people sought relief from the burden but were ignored. They sought representation of their views but were rejected. Over time, their dependency allowed the king to increase taxes to the point they could no longer be borne by the people and they rebelled.

Through the blood of committed individuals that Independence was accomplished over the course of 40+ years when we finally severed the control of Great Britain in the War of 1812. Yet, it didn't end there. We remained a nation seeking to find its way. We continued to seek a balance of power in how we were governed which culminated in a Civil War that consolidated power in the federal government. It was a result that led to better relations between the various races which comprise our people, but eroded the power of the people by consolidating it in the hands of the federal government.

We have survived global wars in which the United States came to the aid of nations whose values resembled our own. We have gone wherever necessary to combat the tendency of man to consolidate power through aggression. Yet we have allowed special interests to consolidate power within our own borders.

We have struggled with our own identity. We are a nation of many varied yet closely held beliefs. We have faced many issues that arise from the human frailties of self-interest and fear. We have made great strides in creating an environment of equality of opportunity for all. Yet we have allowed those same frailties of self-interest and fear to be used against us by the very politicians we elected to serve us.

We continue to struggle. Today we face some of the greatest challenges that we have ever faced as a nation. Many of those challenges are the result of the quest for power of individuals and groups who have only their self-interest at heart. They seek power for gain and not in service for the good of the nation and its people. They bully and intimidate through the power of the purse.

That such individuals and groups hold the reins of power is the fault of the people. Enough of us have allowed ourselves to be subjugated to the carefully orchestrated largess of the state and federal powers that our Independence has been lost. That subjugation has resulted in efforts to further consolidate power through expanding government services in ways that create further dependency. We see today an aggressive expansion and consolidation of power through the use of regulation and welfare (although not always by that name). We have become a nation controlled by dependency. Therein lies our downfall.

Our dependency on the government has created a situation of mounting debt that must be repaid. It is the tendency in such times to use taxation to repay the debt. The burden of government has become oppressive. We are facing a crisis in our nation that in many ways resembles the conditions prior to the War for Independence. It is time once again for our government to become both responsive to and responsible to the people.

(also posted at Panhandle Poetry and Other Thoughts)

A Letter to Sandy

Sandy,

You asked for my Perspective. Right now, with the path our nation is following, it is difficult to keep things in Perspective. I want to cry out in frustration.

Perhaps that is the answer. To cry out. We should cry out to Our God and ask for His healing hand upon our country.

As a nation we have drifted so far from a Christian Biblical Perspective that it will take generations to return to the values upon which our country was founded. But, that is an answer of little faith.

God is the answer. He calls us to deliver that answer with the words of Jesus in Matthew 28: 19-20.

"...19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Ultimately, that is the answer. To win hearts and minds to Jesus -- one individual at a time. Then and only then will we turn this country around.

The present administration is filled with power-hungry individuals whose only god is power and whose religion is pragmatism. They may speak of principles, but they hold only to those principles which maintain or expand their power base.

It is cathartic to rail against the administration, but that is the wrong target. The target of our anger should be ourselves. We have failed to deliver the Word of Truth to those who need it desperately. We instead became complacent in our wealth and became the proverbial "frogs-in-a-pot of water." The heat was slowly adjusted and we are now in danger of death of our way of life.

That is my Perspective. We each must GO to our sphere of influence and win hearts and souls to the Gospel of Jesus the Christ. Until we become a nation of Christians (note that I did not say a Christian nation), things will not change.

Thank you for your comment Sandy. I hope that you are not disappointed in my answer.

Panhandle Poet

Strong Feelings

One hundred plus days of pure torture. The demise of our nation has been set in motion.

Not Without Guilt 2 (A Working Title)

I continue below with thoughts on the divisions within our nation. It is best considered as a continuation of the post linked in the first line of the body. It also is incomplete -- merely a beginning at looking at the divisions within the United States.

Education is obviously one of the issues that must be considered when we look again at the CNN example of the destroyed repossessed homes. But again, we must dig into the question of what we mean by education. This brings up the moral and cultural issues that are at the heart of our divided nation. We must seek to bridge the gap between at least two radically different ways of viewing the world.

So, where to begin? I think first we must look at different ways in which individuals are “educated.”

When we speak of education, the most common frame of reference is the public school system. It is the body to which we have consigned our children in the expectation that they will be provided with a basic set of skills which will allow them to not only function properly within society but which will allow them to succeed. But, then, I’m looking at education from my frame of reference which differs from some other group’s point-of-view.

If we look at a poor single mother who is trying to raise children, provide an income and basically just survive on her own, she may not see school so much as a place where her offspring can obtain a basic set of skills as she sees it as a babysitter. Perhaps she sees it merely as a place to keep those children out of her hair while she lies in a drugged stupor. Perhaps – well, there are thousands of “perhaps” that could encompass only a portion of the potential scenarios. But, what is a key here is that we first realize that the public schools are being asked to function in a role for which they were not designed. They should not be babysitters. They were designed to function as a place of learning for those who are motivated to learn – either through the threat of punishment from a parent who wanted the situation of their children to be improved from their own, or because the child truly desired to learn and improve his own situation. That is often not what we have today.

So, we see that the public schools as a source of education is a barely functioning entity today because it is tasked with goals for which it was not designed and is inadequately prepared. That leaves us with other forms of education.

The greatest source of education is a mentor. Most often, a mentor – especially for young children – is a parent who seeks to create a desire for learning and a sense of purpose for that desire. What happens to that portion of the learning process when both parents are working sixty hour weeks because they want to “get ahead” in life? What happens when the child is reared in a single-parent home in which survival takes precedence over special attentions to the needs of the child? What happens when the influences of our friends and neighbors seek to degrade the desire for success by replacing it with a desire for disruption or excess? What happens when the family is disconnected in such a way that “extended” family members are merely a phone number or address in a book and not a vital part of life? Grandparents can sometimes fill the role of a mentor when the circumstances cause an inability on the part of the parents. The disintegration of the family is a factor in the failure of our children to obtain an education that will lead them to function well in society.

...perhaps to be continued.

Misdirected Behavior

After being out of town so much lately I had to spend my Sunday afternoon paying bills. Now, I'm always thankful that I can pay my bills but it isn't one of my favorite tasks. What got to me today was that one of the checks that I wrote was to GMAC. The thought occurred to me that GMAC is part of GM. The government just poured a bunch of money into them -- which I've been doing off-and-on for much of my life. So, now I'm paying them twice -- once with a coupon and once in my tax bill. Somehow that just doesn't seem right to me. I've always paid my bills. My credit is good. I don't owe much money but when I do owe someone I pay them.

Suddenly it occurred to me that those of us who seek to do the right thing and work to take care of our obligations are penalized for our good behavior while those who do the opposite are rewarded for their bad behavior. Hmm....I wonder if that is what the "Tea Parties" were really about.....

The Administration still doesn't get it.

Axelrod: Tea Party Anger is Misdirected

Not Without Guilt (A Working Title)

I present below, what might be considered the beginning of an essay -- or, perhaps it is the entirety of the essay in the event that I decide not to continue. Whatever it is, it is only a small piece of the puzzle that must be solved if the nation that we call the UNITED States of America is to truly be re-UNITED into a single nation. Today, we are not UNITED. Anyway, here are some thoughts....

Today as I ate my pizza from the buffet line at Gatti’s in Bowling Green, Kentucky, I watched CNN Headline News on the big-screen television hanging on the wall. Please realize that I don’t normally watch CNN, just as I don’t watch MSNBC or NBC or CBS or ABC news as a general rule. I find that their biases often get in the way of their reporting. However, when the proprietor has the television set to a particular channel, that’s usually what you are stuck with – just like in the breakfast area of whatever motel chain I happen to be using as my current home-away-from-home.

Anyway, the talking heads seemed incredulous that the repossessed homes in the particular Chicago area neighborhood where they had chosen to base their “news” story were in terrible shape. Commodes were ripped from the floor, there were holes in the walls, doors were off their hinges, trash was piled everywhere and the general shape of the property was worse than pitiful. The reporters seemed shocked that the homes were in such condition and felt certain that it could only be because of the ill treatment of the previous “owners” by whatever lender that had so viciously evicted them.

Is it a symptom, or is it the disease? I’m of course referring to the reaction of the newscasters, not the behavior of the previous occupants of the repossessed houses – but, then again, the same question could be asked about those former occupants. Was their behavior a symptom, or was it the disease? However, upon further reflection, perhaps we should define “what” behavior is the object of our question. Are we observing a behavior of protest at poor treatment, or are we observing a general attitude about life and a lack of caring for property? Is it an issue of education? Is it an issue of an oppressed group of citizens? Is it the result of drug abuse? Is it something else altogether?

There are no easy answers, just as there are no easy questions – at least no easy questions that have been properly framed with clearly definable intent. I believe the frame of reference from which the “talking heads” were seeking to deliver a “newsworthy” story was so totally foreign to the actual events about which they were reporting that they had no idea of how to pose proper questions or in any way to relate to the events. They fell back instead on the dogma of their beliefs – namely, that it was an issue of victims and bad guys – of course, the actor of bad behavior is never the bad guy, it is always the one who suffered at their hands that was being punished for bad behavior – i.e. the bank, or landlord, or the builder, or whoever.

The age-old dilemma of communication between men and women is a piece-of-cake compared to the ability of the liberal media to communicate with the average human being in the United States – or the other way around. (I considered including all people but really have no good concept of the ability of media in other countries to connect with their people – although I suspect the issue is universal.) Why is it that way? Is it due to cultural biases? Is it a result of education? Is it a function of personality types that seek media careers as opposed to those who don’t? What exactly makes it so difficult for media figures to connect with the average person? Is it an elitism springing from a career-based attitude that inculcates the “successful” media personalities? Whatever the source, there is clearly a disconnection between the reporters and their subjects – unless they are talking of other media types – which would include television, movie and many music personalities.

So, where am I going with this? I guess I am seeking to reason through what is happening in our country. The example of the CNN Headline News reporters is a symptom of many things. It is a manifestation of deep moral and cultural issues that are on the verge of tearing apart the basis for our nation – that is, the ability to present reasoned arguments and through the art of seeking accommodation through shared values and balanced compromise to arrive at solutions to issues of the day by seeking the common good. There is no commonality. There is instead a deep divide that is growing wider by the day. If it is not addressed, it will bring about the end of the United States of America – not just as we know it – but as a nation.

Quoting Scriptures and Disavowing Jesus versus A Different Beat

The more I see, the more I wonder....

Georgetown University Hid Religious Symbols at White House Request

...and yes, anyone can quote scripture -- out of context, in a manner that is used to mislead the unwary.

And then there's the real deal....

Palin Returns to National Spotlight at Right-to-Life Dinner

Political experts and leftist know-it-alls want to put her into a box. It won't work. I believe that she travels to the beat of a different drummer and her drummer knows what He's doing.

Resistance is NOT Futile

It will be very difficult to sustain a grassroots movement among Conservatives because of their very nature, however, we have a start with the Tea Parties conducted yesterday. There are a lot of disaffected people in this country right now -- especially when you get out of the cities and into the Heartland where there is still productivity which results from a strong work ethic and sense of independence instead of dependence on the Federal largess. My home state of Texas is one of those states where we see the backlash against the extreme growth in federal power is growing quickly. On at least some levels, it is being fueled by some of our leading political figures. The article linked below is an example:

Governor Says Texans May Want to Secede From Union But Probably Won't

The real question to me is this: Governor Perry, are you truly serious about taking control back from Washington or is this all just political rhetoric in light of the race to retain the Governor's mansion?

We have two of the more conservative Senators in Washington but even they are not immune to the corrupting influences of power politics played on the national stage. I pray that they will fight the fight of the people and resist the forces that are moving us toward -- not Socialism -- but, an all pervasive and invasive government that seeks to run every aspect of our lives. That my friends is something to be feared. It is all about power and that power was handed to a group of people who, under the guise of the Democratic Party, will stop at nothing to consolidate their hold on the reins of power. If they are not stopped now, it will become increasingly difficult to stem the tide of corruption and government invasion into our lives. We must create a groundswell of resistance to the tide of Big Government that is washing over our country. It will be a long and arduous fight that is difficult to sustain but it must be done if we wish to save the United States.

New Definitions From Big Brother

As you read the article linked below, take special note of the items quoted below the link.

Federal agency warns of radicals on right

"...as including not just racist or hate groups, but also groups that reject federal authority in favor of state or local authority. "

"It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single-issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration...."