It Is Time For Term Limits

"A Man's Got to Know His Limitations"
Harry Callahan played by Clint Eastwood in Magnum Force

Apparently our Congressional leaders do not know their limits.

We need term limits - plan and simple.

Congress is just spending our money like it is growing on trees (maybe they think printing it from trees is ecologically okay if they pay carbon offsets). They continue to erode our Constitutional rights. We continue to read about absurd laws and bills (such as allowing the AIG bonuses). We hear about more abuses of their privileges (like flying cross country on private jets).

Have they lost site of what made our country great?

The Office of the President has term limits. Even before if was officially in writing it was understood to be just two terms. I think Congress should have the following limits:

• Representatives - 3 terms
• Senators - 2 terms
• Total time allowed in Congress - 12 years total

If you are there that long, I think anyone will start to be corrupted by the power at your fingertips. Lobbyists bend their ears to influence. The media even begins to twist your view of America.

It is not a red or blue issue. It is just not what our founding fathers intended. Government service (i.e. public office) was meant to be a temporary volunteer time to help your country. Not a career as some people have made it.

Here are some examples of people who have made a career out of politics:

• Christopher Dodd - U.S. House 1975 to 1981 and the U.S. Senate from 1981 to present - total of 34 years
• Ted Kennedy - U.S. Senate since 1962 - 46 years
• Orin Hatch - U.S. Senate since 1977 - 32 years
• Charles Rangle - U.S. House since 1971 - 37 years
• Henry Waxman - U.S. House since 1975 - 33 years
• Arlen Specter - U.S. Senate since 1981 - 27 years

I say in 2010 vote them out. Get rid of all of the incumbents and bring in people who understand what made this country great. People who will work for us (not vice versa as the current congress expects as they want more taxes from our wallets).

It is time for America to know her limits!

Just Nuke Them Baby!

No, I am not talk about what to do with terrorists. I am talking a way to help meet our needs for energy.

Nuclear is a clean and efficient way to create electricity. It supplies just 19% of the electricity in the U.S. We depend on coal, oil, and natural gas. Whereas France gets almost 80% of their electricity from nuclear.

If the administration is serious about breaking the dependency on oil and from hurting the environment (coal and oil burning is not exactly clean), we need to build more plants.

Yet the left says they are not the answer. So what is?

We do not allow feasible alternatives or use of our own oil reserves so we continue to become more dependent on foreign and send money to several countries who do not like (such as Chavez in Venezuela). We have a lot of oil reserves but we cannot drill for it because we are worried about some caribou?

We have heard about solar, wind, and bio-fuels for years but none of them have really developed into a cost effective way to generate power. Did you know if takes more energy to produce ethanol than it yields in the final product? Does that make sense?

We are people that are power hunger and the hunger will continue to grow as we continue to become more reliant on technology. (What do you think is powering the computer that you are reading this through?)

So I say just nuke them baby!

It's March Madness Baby!

It's that time of year when Dick Vitale goes crazy on ESPN. He seems to talk at a rate of 200 words a minute about the tournament. Fans are treated to a lot of quality basketball with varying styles and abilities. It seems like there are games on every night during March.

We have already seen some exciting games in the first two rounds of the men's tournament(Purdue and Washington, Florida State and Wisconsin, Texas and Duke, Oklahoma State and Tennessee, Michigan and Clemson) and some upsets (Cleveland State over Wake Forest and Arizona over Utah).

I will watch the tourney through the end because I am a fan. My schools may not be there this year, but I am still very interested. My final four for the men are North Carolina, Memphis, Pittsburgh, and Louisville. For the women I am picking Connecticut, Auburn, Baylor, and Duke.

I am personally into my second weekend of basketball overload. Last weekend I was watching the conference tourneys. I was watching both men's and women's. Both of my alma maters are in the women's tournament (which I am watching right now) and the men's team from my graduate school is already into the 3rd round of the NIT.

College basketball in March beats the NBA in my opinion. You see athletes playing for the love of the game, not a paycheck. Teams that play as a team usually succeed over good athletes playing individually.

Finally - I am not a Duke fan but I agree with Coach K's comments to the President: Focus on the economy. Sure, basketball is an outlet for the country in troubling times, but he should focus on the economy. Former President Bush, an avid baseball fan, focused on world turmoil after 9-11 and not the baseball playoffs and World Series.

Stimulus plan to avoid waste?

"This plan cannot and will not be an excuse for waste and abuse,"
President Obama

Money is starting to flow the the states as part of the stimulus. However, they are being warned not to "waste" the money.

This is almost like an alcoholic father telling his grown child not to drink.

If you read through the details of the federal stimulus and the latest federal budget, you will find hundreds of earmarks and wasteful spending.

Before Washington (both the White House and Congress) tell the states how to manage themselves, they need to look in the mirror.

They are increasing the national debt by other 25% (the total debt, not just this year's budget deficit) through "stimulus spending. Is all of it really necessary? Will it really end the recession? I personally have my doubts. I think they are pushing their own agenda through these spending programs.

We are also being promised transparency that requests will be posted on the internet where special interest groups requests will be posted. It will be interesting to see who is really considered to be a "special interest". I doubt any of the special interest allies of this administration will show up on that list.

Feeling Distressed

I am feeling distressed.

I have talked to a couple banks recently about mortgages. Right now they are offering very favorable terms if I am "distressed".

I have always paid my mortgage (almost always on time), have equity in my home (meaning I owe less than its worth), make descent money (meaning I can afford my mortgage), and have a good employment record.

But banks are willing to offer below market rates if have not been able to do two or more of those recently. This means if I am a slacker who does not pay off debts, borrowed more than I should, or cannot keep a job, the bank will give me a favorable rate (plus I get a $1000 a year tax credit!).

One bank said I could get a 2% loan but since I was not distressed they would only offer me 5.125% to re-finance.

Now I recognize some people have lost their jobs because of the economy and others were misled by corrupt mortgage brokers. Those people should probably get a break.

But if my neighbor is a bum, who does not work or pay his bills, he gets a break while I have to pay in full. Judges have even been granted powers to reduce debts for these people. You even qualify for a tax credit.

That does not seem right to me. Why do they get a break for not doing the right thing? In the end the majority (95% of us) who are doing the right things will pay for them.

Because of this I am feeling distressed.

Lies and Deception

This is what I feel we have been given after 50 days.

We were promised much more during the campaign but we are receiving the usual from Washington. In the end it makes sick.

• We were promised that earmarks would be eliminated yet they are at record levels. The audacity to sign the bill knowing it was full of earmarks is shameful.
• Lobbyists were not supposed to be allowed into the administration but they are there and more are being added. It is business as usual.
• We were told that everyone would be heard on issues, but it has been the same closed system. There are no discussion about alternative or middle ground.
• Future tax burdens loom with with the record spending levels. How else are they going to be paid for?

During the State of Union address, we heard that universal health, education, and green energy are the ways out of the economic troubles we have.

This is deceptive because these are not the problem with the economy. It revolves around toxic loans and frozen credit. Yet we have not heard definitive plans to address these problems. Just rhetoric and bills to promote an agenda.

As citizens, we need to speak out and say that this is not right. During the mid-term congressional elections, we need to vote out the politicians that participated in this (regardless of their party).

I probably should not be sick over this, but probably mad instead.

Do They Understand?

I wonder if liberals really understand the economy and the driving forces that actually create wealth.

We continue to hear from Washington how the government feels they are the best avenue for fixing the ills of the economy and society. They continue to push their programs and spend our tax dollars. (A big chunk of it is wasteful spending in my opinion.)

Adam Smith, who is considered the father of capitalism (even through that term did not exist until after his death), wrote two major works on economic theory. His premises revolutionized thinking about what drives the economy and even society.

He successfully made the case that individuals in the their desire to make a profit is what creates wealth (and jobs). Through the centuries since then, we have seen the evidence from countries that have followed this premise grow into the super powers of the world. Those who did not embrace it became 2nd and 3rd tier countries in the world.

This administration continues to make policy moves away from Adam Smith's theories. As a result, they continue to handcuff business and the economy. Some of the continuing challenges with the economy include:

• The credit markets are still virtually frozen. This is preventing banks from loaning money for purchases and working capital. This hinders businesses from being able to operate in a normal fashion.
• Taxes, unnecessary regulation, and other costs are being considered by Washington to add more burdens to businesses. This will increase the cost to manufacture and will ultimately be passed along as a cost to the consumer.
• Increased tax burden is a deterrent to people investing. If you penalize people for investing in businesses, they will move their money (capital) to places where it will not be taxed as heavily.
• Increased government spending (at deficit levels) will create future tax burdens to pay for the debt and weakens the dollar against other currencies.
• The depressed stock market is a deterrent to new companies from making initial public offerings to raise capital. This is used to expand and growth (especially when you consider job creation).
• The decreased values in stocks and the reduction in dividends (due to decreased earnings and cash concerns) effects individuals and their spending.

The administration campaigned on a centrist platform for domestic and economic policies. All we have seen is the failed liberal ideals of years past. It is just tax and spend policy that handcuffs real growth. The only growth in this approach is in government bureaucracy.

Someone sent a video to me recently of President Obama trying to explain investing. It is from 2007 in the early days of his Presidential campaign. It is rather sad when you listen to it and think about his education and position (even as a Senator).

When will liberals understand? I am not sure. Conservatives need to continue to voice their opinions and concerns about the direction the liberal agenda is taking our country.

Welcome Mr. Seiler

An open letter to Mayor-Elect Jack Seiler:

Welcome Mr. Seiler,

We welcome you as the new mayor of Fort Lauderdale. There are definitely a lot of challenges that lie ahead for our city. Here are some of my suggestions on things that need to be addressed in our city.

• Fix The Lights - The lights on our major arteries need to be better synchronized. You cannot drive US1 or Broward without getting stopped after three or four lights. It does not matter what time of day either. This wastes people's time and money. (P.S. Bridges like Andrews, Third Avenue, and Davie should be locked during rush hour too...)
• Flatten the Lumps - Our roads our rough to ride on especially if you are on a bike. Third Avenue (north of Broward) and SE Sixth Street (between Federal and Andrews) have so many patches and pot-holes it is almost ridiculous. We need to demand better work from contractors who do the work. The pavers put in by the previous regime are also rough to ride over too. I would recommend removing them if that would not cost tax payers anything.
• Fine The Lawbreakers - Blatant law that are endangering others need to be dealt with especially on our roadways. I have been hit by cars twice while cycling (cars were at fault) and run off the road a couple more times in the last 4 years. We see too many people speeding and running lights.
• Forget The Levies - No, I am not talking about New Orleans' type levies. I am talking about tax levies. With the current economic mess, the government should try to avoid raising taxes. I know we have a short-fall, but we need to look at cutting back our spending. Hopefully you will carry through on your campaign promise to do that. Also, government needs to be like businesses and put away extra money from good times for downturns.
• Floridarize The Landscape - Okay, "Floridarize" is not really a word but I need something to keep the FTL theme going. We need to plant smarter landscaping that can handle the heat and drought times of South Florida. The city workers plant items (like St Augustine grass in medians) that require a lot of water and maintenance.
• Foreclose The Lots - Builders (i.e. corporations - not individual homeowners) have stopped projects mid-way through have left neighborhoods looking like a mess. Where I live there are a couple of these partial finished projects with debris piles and homes in various states of development. I have seen the same thing in other neighborhoods around the city. The builders need to be fined. If they cannot pay the fine and cleanup the lots, the city should foreclose on them. They should be auctioned to FTL residents (not back to builders). The previous regime let builders run wild in neighborhoods and destroyed the character of some. In these tough economic times individuals should be given some grace on finishing their home projects.

There are some others that I could put down, but I thinkthese are some more of the more important challenges we face. We look forward to the administration that will hopefully bring our city back on track.