So, let me get this straight here...

And I quote...

"UPS and FedEX are doin' just fine...uh...right...the uh...no, they are, i mean, it's it's the, uh, post office that's always having problems."

So, just to clarify, private industry is doing fine, and the government run institution is having problems. That's very correct, Mr. President. Imagine that. Just like social security, medicare, medicaid, fannie, and freddie.

But don't worry folks, these clowns want to be in charge of your healthcare as well. Somehow, it will all work out okay. We just have to trust in the statist.

Cut me a break.

-The Rocker-

A recommendation for the First Teleprompter

Cue the teleprompter…

“My fellow Americans, let me begin tonight by stating something clearly, irrevocably, and with absolute certainty. I am an idiot. It is not my intention that my idiocy be linked to my health care, tax, energy, or economic policies. The manifestation of my idiocy was quite brilliantly illustrated in my comments in regards to the Cambridge police and the events involving Henry Louis Gates. There are many reasons for me to admit my stupidity in this matter and I would like to take this opportunity to clearly discuss each point so that we may move beyond this matter.

To begin with, it was an immeasurably irresponsible and borderline reckless decision to offer my opinion, as President of the United States on national television, on a matter in which I did not know all the facts. In exacerbation of my ignorance to the matter, the information I was privy to was biased and only discussed a single side of the circumstances involved in the matter. As president it should be expected of me to only offer my opinion on matters in which I actually have a full understanding. If I feel it is necessary to qualify a statement by saying, ‘I should say at the outset that Skip Gates is a friend, so I may be a little biased here. I don’t know all the facts,’ then I need to learn to keep my fool mouth shut. I acknowledge my oversight on this behavior of basic common sense. In my defense, the comment on the Gates’ incident was made at the end of a press conference in which I spoke extensively about legislation that I have not actually read. I now fully acknowledge and have learned that it is idiotic to speak on matters in which I do not know the facts.

Next was the dim-witted decision to utter the phrase “acted stupidly.” As a master politician and a brilliant orator, I should have known that saying, “acted stupidly” in regards to anything was a mistake. As a grown man and leader of the free world, I should have remembered that calling someone or something stupid is on par with the intelligence displayed in any disagreement had on any of the playgrounds in America. The appropriate and post-adolescent comment would have simply been that I disapproved of something or someone. As I previously stated, I should have kept my mouth shut on this matter, but if I just could not contain sharing my opinion I should have just said I disapproved with the actions of the police. Once again, in my defense, I have been spending the last year calling George W Bush stupid. Calling something stupid has become a natural reaction for me when I disagree with it.

Last, but not least, I was an idiot for casting a shadow upon the brave men and women in law enforcement. I now understand the idiocy of declaring that law enforcement across the nation is discriminatory against African Americans and Hispanics. I have never spent a single day of my life in harms way in attempt to help bring safety and peace to my fellow citizens. I, in fact, place hundreds of men and women in harms way everyday simply by my existence as president. Given this complete absence of any basic understanding of the circumstances involved in the day to day task of keeping a community safe, it was unwise to pass judgment upon the entire scope of law enforcement in reaction to my buddy Skip getting arrested. I did not comprehend the additional pressure and the increased stress that my gaffe would place upon law enforcement. It is my hope that these brave men and women will continue to keep me, my family, and each American safe no matter how much I choose to besmirch their character and malign their integrity. I now understand the idiocy of calling into question the integrity and authority of those that volunteer to put themselves at risk to protect others. In my defense, Reverend Wright did always teach us that white people were constantly oppressing African Americans by abusing their power.

In conclusion, I am an idiot. I spoke with the forethought of a drunken frat boy enraged by the detention of his friend. It is my hope that this instance will not have a lasting effect to the detriment on the growing racial peace and tolerance in America. It is my hope that my comments will be drowned out by the steady flow of speeches and press conferences that I will continue to give as long as I continue to find unexplainable joy in the sound of my own voice. Please do not take this comment as an omission of guilt or in any way interpret and apologetic tone. It is like I stated to begin my address, I only wish to saliently and candidly pronounce and explain a simple concept. I am an idiot.

Good night and God Bless America.”

- The Banker

Just a bunch of junk

Government is a lot like junk food. Junk food is technically food and an option when you are hungry. The problem is that when you are hungry it is usually a bad idea to satiate that hunger with potato chips and candy. As adults we understand that junk food does not satiate our needs and will typically lead us to having an upset stomach. Worse than replacing a meal with junk food is making junk food a part of your diet. As poorly a substitute as junk food is in the short term, the long term effects of having junk food as a part of a person’s diet are far more damaging. Instead of supporting life, which is the basic purpose of food, junk food actually will damage life.

Now that is not to say that junk food is always bad. Junk food has a designed purpose and it serves that purpose well. Junk food is there for a snack. It is there for people to enjoy occasionally and with moderation. Ice cream is good for desert. A candy bar is a good snack when you have sweet tooth. Some potato chips are a good addition to a well made sandwich.

There is a perfectly good purpose for junk food and junk food is amazing when used for that intended purpose. It is when we stray from that intended purpose that we begin to harm ourselves. The important thing is that we understand that it is our responsibility as junk food eaters to eat it right. It is not the junk food’s fault if we lack the will power to resist the temptation of a tasty treat, and if we find ourselves obese from too much junk food then we must accept the difficulties of regaining our health.

Government is just like junk food. Government has a purpose, and it suits that purpose very well. We even have instructions as to what is the purpose of government. We as a people find ourselves at fault when we begin to overindulge in government. Much like junk food is always tasty, the idea of passing off our responsibilities and problems to a faceless institution seems to be quite provocative. But much as junk food fails to satiate our hunger, government will fail to adequately address our responsibilities and problems. If as a nation we begin to use government in ways outside its purpose then we will find ourselves quite unhealthy as a people.

- The Banker

The Stress Tests Have Me Stressed

I couldn't be more irritated by the "stress tests".

I want to make sure I have this right. The federal government (all knowing) is going to assign a group of people to "project possible future economic stress" and determine if our banks are capitalized enough to deal with these imaginary conditions. Oh, and by the way, the government is retroactively going to apply these arbitrary outcomes to imaginary situations to how they will allow banks to repay the loans that the previous administration gave out.

This is the equivalent of getting a loan from a bank and then having the bank decide a year later that they are going to imagine what it would be like if you got fired from your job, then tell you that you need to have more money in your savings account in order to make more than your minimum payment to them.

If something like that were to happen to an individual from a bank it would be wrong and a clear indicator of corporate greed.

Well, while corporate greed is for money, government greed is for power. The stress tests are little more than a power grab by Geithner and Barry. To be fair, the banks were stupid for taking the TARP money in the first place. The money may have been offered by the Bush administration with benevolent intentions, but banks needed to have the foresight to see the socialist sharks circling the water. The gem of the industrial might of America is the auto industry and Barry controls two-thirds of that (thank God for Ford). Barry controls the gem of the insurance industry in AIG. With the stress tests, Barry is looking to take control of the gems of the financial industry, consumer banks. The hooks are fairly well in Citibank. The next big target is Bank of America.

Bank of America is the largest holder of home loans and credit cards. It is also the second largest holder of American deposit dollars and banks two-thirds of American households in some form or fashion. Now, it doesn't take a whiz kid to see how the stress test is a convenient way to take control of a whale like Bank of America. All you have to do is project the economy to worsen to a point that is so bad that the bank with the most exposure in home loans and credit cards would invariable come up short of capital. It does not matter if the bank is currently properly capitalized. You project the economy to get worse to a point that the bank needs to raise so much capital that you will do all but force them to have the government convert their preferred shares into common equity shares. Once you do that, you have control of arguably the most powerful bank in the world, and you definitely have control of the US economy.

If you are at all interested in social engineering (spreading the wealth) all you have to do now is take control of energy, education, and the media....

-The Banker

Excellent Tea Party Video and Message.

The following is a video of the Dallas Tax Day tea party I found on the web. Not only is the video good, but the video message is phenomenal. Please enjoy.

-The Rocker-

RE: Arlen Specter's New "Affiliation" Should Come as No Real Surprise

A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.

Arlen Specter becoming a democrat on paper does little, if anything, in regards to the balance of power on the Hill. Much like Joseph Lieberman becoming an Independent did little to change the balance of power when he made the switch. Specter will vote the same as he always has, especially on major issues where a Senator is responsible more to his constituents than his party. If there is an effect it will be on small issues in which he is whipped into voting with the party.

The real significance of the move is that it means that Democrats are now completely responsible for what happens over the next few years. They will reap the rewards or take the blame. There is nowhere left to hide. Republicans can no longer be blamed for obstructing "progress". Democrats, and liberals by and large, will now live and die by the value of their own ideas.

Republicans should be excited about this idea. The last time that liberals had this much control was in 1978. It was a miserable failure and gave birth to the Reagan Revolution. With the success of the Tea Parties and Obama's falling approval rating, it is fairly likely that Republicans will gain seats in the House and Senate in 2010, at least until you look at the numbers.

The House is wide open and if the Republicans are to make an serious movement, then it will be in the House. The Senate is not nearly as favorable. There are likely to be 10 Senate seats that will be seriously contested. Only four of those seats belong to Democrats. Two of the seats belong to Harry Reid and Chris Dodd. As unpopular as those two are amongst conservatives, they will probably be re-elected in their home states of Nevada and Connecticut. The third seat is Burris in Illinois, and I don't see Republicans picking up that seat in Obama's backyard. The only seat that Republicans can reasonably pick up is the seat in Colorado, and only if Ryan Frazier stays an "it" guy.

The problem is that the six contested Republican seats could all possibly fall. There are open seats in Florida, Missouri, New Hampshire, and Ohio. Florida and Ohio are toss ups, but both states voted Obama and neither state has a real solid Republican candidate. New Hampshire is very blue and will likely vote in a Democrat, and the Democratic candidate in Missouri has a very well known and respected family name, Robin Carnahan (she is Secretary of State in MO, her dad was governor, her mom was a Senator, and her brother is a Congressman).

Other problem seats for Republicans are in Louisiana and North Carolina. The Republican Senator in Louisiana, David Vitter, will have an uphill fight due to his involvement in a sex scandal. Sen. Richard Burr (R) will have a tough time in North Carolina. North Carolina voted for Obama, ousted Elizabeth Dole (R) in the last election, and voted in a Democrat as governor.

While it may be conventional logic, and the hopes of Republicans, that Americans will tire of Democratic control of Capitol Hill and the White House and vote in Republicans in 2010, the breakdown of the actual races does not match up with the logic, at least in the Senate.

In order for Republicans to not lose even more control of the Senate in 2010, there is going to have to be a dramatic shift to the right by Americans. Democrats are going to have to fail, and that fail is going to have to be epic. So epic that it will cause a real political shift in currently blue states. Democrats are going to have to prove completely inept while in power to cause such a dramatic shift, much like they did in 1978 and 1979.

Oh yeah, Republicans also have to find a charasmatic leader. Luckily, the last time Democrats were in total control, Republicans found that leader.

-The Banker

Arlen Specter's New "Affiliation" Should Come as No Real Surprise.

So if you've been paying attention to the news today, you may have noticed that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) has switched his affiliation from Republican to Democrat (so I guess now D-PA). This is important because assuming that Al Franken takes the Senate seat in Minnesota (which he most likely will), it gives Democrats at 60 person majority, and makes them filibuster proof.

There are a few ways to look at this sort of thing. The first way is to realize that this won't change Specter's voting record. He probably would have voted with the Democrats anyway, as it has been his common philosophy. I've been angry as Specter for quite some time, as he doesn't typically act like someone from his party. He is a moderate, a Repube-lican, if you will. He is one of these people that leans sharply to the left, yet for some reason or another, claims an affiliation with the Republican party. While Republicans everywhere should be angry at Arlen Specter for this decision, it's important for the party that we realize it's a good idea to oust these sort of people from the party anyway. Specter (along with Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins) makes his agenda clear as day. Therefore, it is good for the Republicans as a party that we do away with the "moderates" and replace them instead with people who look more towards our ideals. Arlen Specter is not a Republican. He does not act like a Republican. He does not vote like a Republican. He would probably vote with the Democrats anyway.

That being said, the truth remains that Republicans should not only be angry, but fired up. With this supermajority in Congress we (as Americans) should be scared. The leftists are going to try to push every single piece of liberal legislation that has ever come to light. Therefore, what we look at here is a loss of liberty, a loss of freedom, bigger government control, government owned healthcare, and all of the like. Esssentially, here's what we have going on: a soft tyranny headed by the Obama administration, and a bunch of leftists controlling Congress. It's not a pretty thing. However, given the current state of affairs, there's nothing that can be done about it at this time. Therefore, what the Republican party needs to do is concentrate on having sharp people run for the 2010 Senate and House elections, and we need stronger candidates in the 2012 Presidential election. This year, we ran a bumbling old man (J Mac), and a strong woman who was unfortunately an easy target for the Obama loving lib media (Sarah Palin). While I do like Palin, I think the Republican party needs some strong backbone in there. Mark my words: run her in 2012, and we will lose the election. Keep in mind, I like Sarah Palin...a lot. But the Republican party really needs to get it together.


So yes, Arlen Specter changed sides. Screw him. He's a piece of trash, has been a piece of trash, and will continue to be a piece of trash. He is irrelevant. What Republicans need to do is get their act together. We have to stop being so soft skinned. I know plenty of well educated people out there. It should be easy to defend the things that we stand for (or are supposed to stand for): smaller government, a broader emphasis on personal liberty, national security, and tax issues that do not screw hard working Americans over (ie - a "progressive" tax or those proposed by the liberals - which are not fair, and do not ever work). The Republican party needs to return to the values upon which it should have been embracing the entire time. We've done it to ourselves, and need to return back to it. The Republicans should learn their lesson - they ran like Republicans in 2004, and immediately started acting like Democrats once they got into office. They expanded the government and turned their backs on some of these founding principles.

It is time to take back what should be rightfully ours in 2010. So good riddance, Arlen Specter. We hope you nothing but a loss in 2010. You're a worthless, bumbling, old man. I will raise my middle finger in the air, and laugh at your disgrace. For the rest of you real Americans out there, let's take this chance to sit back, contemplate, and understand what must be done in order to revilatize the party. Let's start running the right candidates, and start embracing the ideals that we should stand for in the first place. Let this be a lesson to us all. Go listen to some Reagan speeches and listen to what a real leader sounds like. Read the Constitution. Embrace liberty. Embrace freedom. Let's bring it back in 2010.We must take the leftists out.

-The Rocker-