Category Archives: Conservatives

I’m Crossing Geico Off My Christmas Card List

Posted on by Standard 12

Geico geckoI just about fell off the couch.

While enjoying a TV football game this weekend, I was subjected to a Geico Insurance commercial featuring that cute little British (or Aussie, or Newzie, or some other “smarter than American”) gecko.  To my surprise, the commercial was not about insurance.

It was a snarky little victory dance celebrating what the gecko proclaimed to be the end of the Tea Party.

In the commercial, the gecko has ordered a cup of tea at a ritzy Boston dockside restaurant, but the wind blows his tea bag into the Boston Harbor.  “Oh deah . . . ”  the aristocratic little amphibian laments.  “I’ve dropped my tea into Boston Hah-bah.  Huh, I guess this pahty’s ovah!”

For me, this was a first.  I don’t recall ever seeing an American business buy expensive nationwide advertising time to make a left-handed, snarky bitch-slap at a large group of American citizens – many of whom are its own customers.   What the hell?  Does this company have more revenue than it wants or needs?

Apparently it does.  Turns out Geico is owned by Berkshire Hathaway – aka Warren Buffett, the uber-wealthy Obama-defender who bravely “supports Obama 100%”.  Buffett also strongly believes that we should all pay more taxes, while he employs an army of accountants to avoid paying his.  A 2012 report in the Huffington Post said Berkshire Hathaway, the eighth-largest public company in the world at the time, admitted owing taxes all the way back to 2002.

The ownership and management of Geico has no qualms about showing its disdain for conservative Americans and, apparently, for free speech.  You might recall Geico’s 2012 commercials featuring the hilarious drill-sergeant “Gunny”, portrayed by R Lee Ermey, an accomplished actor and Vietnam vet.  Ermey made the mistake of speaking out against Obama’s policies and was abruptly and loudly fired by Geico.

You know, I had enough of Warren Buffett quite a while ago.  And I’m getting pretty tired of that stupid little gecko too.  I think it’s time to cross Buffett and Geico off my Christmas card list.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right SideNow you can save your lip, And pack your grip,
And leave a trail of smoke behind ya,
Who needs ya? Think about it, baby.
Who needs you!

Who Needs Ya – Steppenwolf

Canadian rocker John Kay and his band Steppenwolf had some huge hits in the late sixties.  Everybody remembers “Born To Be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride”.  But I think this song is Steppenwolf’s best.  Here’s a live look at an aging but still rockin’ John Kay in 2009.

Boehner Splits The Sheets

Posted on by Standard 8

AP Photo - J Scott ApplewhiteLast week the big-government agenda of the liberal Democrats was on the ropes.  The American public had finally come to realize that they had been lied to, used, abused and kicked to the curb by the arrogant ruling class.  The ObamaCare power grab was exposed as an impossible and unworkable idea, poorly planned and executed, one which can only result in an epic fiscal disaster and do serious harm to American citizens.  Conservatives who warned for years of the perils of big government were finally vindicated in the public eye.  After all the hard work, the snarky ridicule at the hands of brainless media mouthpieces, and the worry that the American public might never hear or understand the truth, we conservatives were able to catch our collective breath.  For a brief moment.

Now, just one week later, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, the liberal news media, and our fearless leader himself are dancing a jig, clinking their champagne glasses, and singing with glee “the wicked witch (Tea Party) is dead”.

What happened?

In a cynical leftward lurch, Congressman Paul Ryan, at the direction of House Speaker John Boehner and Republican leadership, caved in to a Democrat budget plan that increases spending and debt and pushes any potential reductions in spending increases (no spending cuts) into the far distant future.

Boehner showed his true colors – he and his circle of entrenched insiders are more concerned about re-election than they are about the well-being of the nation and its citizens.  By relinquishing ground already won – the budget sequestration of 2011 – they not only gave aid and comfort to the enemy, they waved the white flag to the big-spenders.  They endorsed the Democrat fairy tale that our $17 trillion and growing debt is not a threat to our economy or the future of our kids (we can always print and borrow more money!).  They crossed over to the dark side to join those who believe big government trumps private enterprise and personal freedom.  Boehner has already set his liberal friends up for gun control and amnesty, coming soon to a theater near you.

They showed that they would rather maintain their personally-lucrative positions of minor influence than stand on principle against the destruction of our economy.

Boehner said of us conservatives, “they’re using our members and they’re using the American people for their own goals.” 

The response by the Tea Party Patriots was powerful and succinct:  “The last time we checked, we are the American people. The Tea Party Patriots all across this country are the last hope for reining in this out-of-control government and protecting our Constitution.”

OUR members?  THEIR goals?  The single-minded goal of the Tea Party is to make our nation stronger, safer, and more prosperous for the benefit of all.

Mr. Boehner, if any of YOUR members are opposed to OUR goal, you can all go to hell.  Do not pass go, do not collect $200.

Mr. Boehner may have finally sealed the fate of the Republican party once and for all.  While conservatives have almost universally supported Republicans with votes, campaign work, and financial resources, it appears that the GOP prefers to go on without us.

At your peril, Mr. Speaker.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side Feeling better now that we’re through
Feeling better ’cause I’m over you
I learned my lesson, it left a scar
Now I see how you really are!
You’re no good, you’re no good
You’re no good, baby you’re no good.

You’re No Good – Linda Ronstadt

And They Blame the TEA PARTY?!

Posted on by Standard 3

blame-gameTea Party conservatives think our government is too big and inefficient, it wastes tons of hard-earned taxpayer money, and it is destroying our economy by trashing the dollar while doing nothing to promote growth and employment.  We believe in personal responsibility, free markets, and taking care of only those who truly need and deserve help.  We would like our kids and grandkids to have a shot at a decent standard of living.

More people now receive entitlement checks than full-time paychecks, and the national debt continues its meteoric rise.  But when is the last time you heard anybody – ANYBODY in the government or the media – express interest in doing something about jobs and the economy?

Our nation is going to hell in a jet-fueled handbasket, and instead of working toward solutions, all fingers point to blame the Tea Party.  Somebody tell me: How does anybody find fault with the Tea Party’s economic principles?  If you disagree with anything I said in the first sentence above, please e-mail me or call me on my Obama Phone.  I welcome the debate.

The media and the Democrats are terrified of the Tea Party and continue their wild-eyed personal attacks.

Recently the Beltway Republicans have decided the Tea Party is a threat to their re-election – a higher priority than doing actually something constructive while in office.

Now large business groups are turning on the Tea Party as well.

What do they fear?  What harm could come to any American from embracing the conservative fiscal principles of the Tea Party? 

Is it wrong to allow working men and women to keep more of their earnings with which to take care of their own families?  Do they think the government cares more about children than parents?  Could they possibly believe that we can just keep printing money until everybody is stinking rich, with no repercussions?  Are Americans now so pathetic that we have to rely on the government to feed, clothe, house, and care for us all, cradle to grave?

If you think the Tea Party is the problem, please go back to the top of this article and read it again.

But if you agree with us, please teach your children and your friends.  Stand up and defend us.  Better yet, join us – before it’s too late.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

Don’t blame me if I just don’t like it that way,
Please let me go, don’t ask me to stay,
I’m beggin’ you please, just don’t blame me!

Don’t Blame Me – Little River Band

Surviving the Shut Down

Posted on by Standard Reply

Shut DownWe are in the seventh day of the federal government “Shut Down”.  By now, according to the dire predictions of the Democrats on Capitol Hill and the elite media, we should all be dead.

Actually, things don’t seem so bad.  If there are hardships, they appear to be rare and minimal.

Our federal employees are enjoying their paid vacations.  As I predicted, Congress voted unanimously to provide back pay for all 800,000 furloughed federal workers.  It isn’t enough that they earn double what private-sector employees do for comparable work, or that their benefit packages are far more generous than ours.  Now they are on extended paid leave, with no end in sight.  Children used to dream of being princes and princesses.  Now they aspire to be Assistant to the Undersecretary of Diversity for the Department of Sustainable Green Diaper Recycling.  Have a Corona for me, guys, and don’t forget the sunscreen.

Disappointed that Americans are not feeling enough pain, the Obama administration has worked diligently to manufacture some in the most unexpected places:

Each of these shameless, finger-in-the-eye provocations has been turned back by public outrage, but our shameless imperial leaders offer no apologies.  Many more insulting shutdowns are being revealed by the hour.  When the government spends tax money to shut down services or facilities that did not cost anything to keep open in the first place, their motivation is obvious.  This is nothing more than arrogant, childish bullying, and flat-out disrespect for the citizens.

Obama/Reid defenders claim these spiteful political actions are self-defense against the growing opposition to their train-wreck ObamaCare program.  We Americans are more than justified taking whatever action is necessary to stop this monstrosity – my health insurance premiums have increased by more than double (please check yours).  And we know damn well that a government who can’t even make a website work in three years is not capable of managing the complexities of our entire health care system.

Please, Congress stand your ground.  Our children will pay the price if we allow this insanity to continue.  If our government can no longer operate within a budget and a constitution, if it has nothing but contempt for the very citizens it pretends to serve, if it refuses to reverse its tragic mistakes and prevent more in the future, then now is the time.  Shut her down!  Somehow, I think we will survive.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

Shut it off, shut it off,
Buddy, gonna shut you down!

Shut Down – the Beach Boys

Why Do Democrats Hate the Working Class?

Posted on by Standard 4

foodstampFor years the media has claimed that the mean old Conservatives (especially the Tea Party) only care about the rich, and don’t give a damn about anybody else.  Only progressive Democrats care about the poor, the average Joe, the “working class family.”

Huh?

Wasn’t it the Democrats who rammed ObamaCare through against the wishes of the majority of Americans?  This is the program that cuts the work hours of millions of “working class” employees, forces them to buy insurance that they don’t want or can’t afford, raises the cost of their existing insurance, or causes their employers to drop coverage.  Here’s a dirty little secret – most of the working poor who are not already on Medicaid are not going to buy their own insurance whether you threaten to punish them at tax time or not.  They don’t know how, won’t learn how, don’t pay taxes, and frankly aren’t interested.  They will still be getting their medical care at the nearest hospital emergency room – after all, the hospitals have not been relieved of the legal responsibility to care for everybody regardless of ability to pay.  Remind me again now, how does ObamaCare help the poor?

Wasn’t it the Democrats who fought like crazy to stop drilling and fracking and pipelines for oil and gas, and mining for coal – resources that would create millions of jobs, lower the cost of energy for all Americans, and get the economy back on track?  Instead they continue to print fiat money, devaluing the currency so the average Joe can’t even afford to put gas in the family wagon.

Wasn’t it the Democrats who refused to allow working-class families to choose the school that will best meet the needs of their children, and instead herds them into chronically under-performing, high-cost schools, wasting students’ time with ideological nonsense instead of teaching them how to make a living?  Don’t even get me started on Common Core.

Wasn’t it the Democrats who destroyed the manufacturing job base in our country by taxing our corporations at the highest rate in the world, making them move production facilities overseas?  We could straighten out our negative balance of trade and bring those jobs back in a few years with some intelligent management of tax rates and tariffs to level the playing field with China, who continues to eat our lunch and demand dessert.

Wasn’t it the Democrats who demanded amnesty for illegal aliens, and called for open borders so that the few available low-tech jobs open to Americans are even harder to get, and pay third-world wages?

Wasn’t it these same Democrats who destroyed the American family, the traditional work ethic, and the economy by replacing the role of working fathers with a huge and growing  “entitlement” culture?  Fewer than half of our citizens pay income tax, and one in five families is on food stamps.  Illegitimacy is normal now as single mothers no longer need to worry about feeding and housing their children.

The news media has been little more than a propaganda wing of the progressives for a long time.  All of their so-called “compassion” since the onset of LBJ’s Great Society has only resulted in more misery for the poor, the average Joe, the “working class.”  And they didn’t do it alone – some corrupt and self-serving liberal Republicans along the way did not exactly help the situation.

Conservatives do care about the poor, the average Joe, the “working class.”  We know that a functional free-market economy offers the best opportunity for everyone to succeed, and is healthy enough to care for those who deserve help.  History proves that heavy-handed, top-down, corrupt big-government enriches those few in control, and steals freedom, opportunity, and wealth from everyone else.

Next time some phony Beltway progressive politician or MSNBC lacky feigns outrage because “Conservatives don’t care about the poor”, you might hear a loud bang – that would be my head exploding.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

With you by my side
They can’t keep us down
Together we can make it baby
From the poor side of town

The Poor Side of Town – Johnny Rivers


Good Day To Be A Conservative

Posted on by Standard 4

sunshineToday it feels good to be a conservative.  Heck I might even claim the Republicans again for the first time in a long while.

Last week John Boehner finally listened to the people and decided to stand his ground against the intransigent, ideologue Democrats.  Many weak-kneed squishy Republicans spent the last few weeks hiding under their desks, afraid to be “blamed” for fighting a program that they know is harmful to the nation – and even they have now sheepishly joined the fray.

Then Ted Cruz jumped to the front of the battle, his brave filibuster inspiring everyone on the right side to finally stand up.  Well, almost everybody – John McCain showed us why it’s probably a good thing he was defeated in his presidential run.  Cruz was still making perfect sense and a compelling argument against the Train Wreck after a physically grueling 21 hours on his feet at the microphone.

How refreshing to finally see some leadership in the GOP.  It’s about damn time!  Where were the Ted Cruz’s during the last two presidential elections?  Will we ever learn the futility of running milk-toast candidates?

Today the federal government is shut down.  Oh, we know that it’s a charade.  We aren’t really going to stop, or even slow federal spending.  In a few weeks the federal employees who are now furloughed will receive full back-pay – it’s just another paid vacation to them.   The grants will still flow, the cronies will line up at the trough, and we conservatives will still be branded as hard-hearted meanies and racists for even questioning the insanity.

But today there is big-time symbolic significance.   Finally somebody has gathered the fortitude to Just Say No.

It’s a good day to be a conservative in America.  There may be hope after all.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

Good day sunshine!
Good day sunshine!
I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I’ve got something I can laugh about!

Good Day Sunshine – the Beatles

John Lennon – Liberal? Or Conservative?

Posted on by Standard 2

beatlesI’m a Beatle baby.  I grew up with the Beatles.  In my pre-pube years I watched their movies, listened to their hit songs on the radio, saw them on Ed Sullivan, and tried to figure out why all the girls were screaming.  Like every other music-aware and girl-aware boy, I wanted to be a Beatle.   I just couldn’t decide which one.

At first I thought being a British Invasion drummer would be the pinnacle of success. Here’s my story, a song I wrote and recorded a couple of years ago:

To this day I revere the Beatles (living and dead) – their magical songwriting skills, their charisma, their larger-than-life grip on pop culture, and their legendary worldview that grew beyond anything that could have been scripted.   John, Paul, George and Ringo set the tempo of the universe, both musically and socially.  They had the world by the ass.

Many of you who Rock with me On The Right Side might think that the long-haired, dope-smoking, guru-worshipping Beatles of the sixties were on the wrong side of political history.  How on Earth could conservative Tom still get such a big buzz when he hears “Baby, You Can Drive My Car”, or “Lady Madonna” ?

Well, to tell you the truth, I never really tried to extract any deep message.  Nor did you.  Much of their lyrical message was nonsense.

I am the Egg Man! They are the Egg Men! I am the Walrus! Goo Goo, Goo Joob!

Lennon and McCartney occasionally tried to convey an overtly political message.   Usually it was something basic, like “Give Peace A Chance.”  But let’s face it: they weren’t world leaders, they were relatively uneducated twenty-something kids who were getting a lot of attention. They had no clue what message would have positive results for their world and that of the future.

But they did have the world by the ass, and still do.  I still love to play and sing Beatle songs.  I plead guilty to the crime of passionately singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” to audiences of all persuasions, including Montana cowboys:

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion, too

Could there be a more liberal, “one world order” message than that?  I kind of hope that nobody really pays attention to those lyrics when I sing them.  Just enjoy the beautiful song.

But then I revel in Lennon’s totally conservative anthem “Revolution”, in which he proclaims:

You say you’ll change the constitution, well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it’s the institution, well, you know
You better free your mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right?

Was John Lennon a liberal, or a conservative?  I don’t think he really cared.  He was just searching for reality.  For truth.  Hell, maybe he was so stoned most of the time he couldn’t tell the difference.  I suppose he stumbled onto wisdom and dreams from both sides, like many of us who try to make sense of the news today.

Anyway, thinking about Lennon, and the Beatles, and the huge philosophical and political differences between the left and the right today, it reminds me to . . . just keep an open mind.  Listen.  Think.  Teach.  Stay level.  And do your best to help make the world a better place for our kids and grandkids.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

But if you want money
For people with minds that hate
All I can tell is brother you have to wait
Don’t you know it’s gonna be all right?

ALL RIGHT!
RIP John Lennon

The Political Winds Are Changing

Posted on by Standard 1

newspaperCONSERVATIVE GOOD NEWS HEADLINES TODAY

“SENATORS CHALLENGE KERRY’S SYRIA CLAIMS – (McClatchy Washington Bureau) – Senators from both parties pressed President Barack Obama’s top Cabinet offices Tuesday to provide guarantees that no U.S. troops would be sent to Syria . . . ”   We can’t afford any more lame attempts at nation-building or world-policing.  Let’s build some infrastructure here instead of in the Middle East for a change.

“NC HOUSE VOTES TO OVERRIDE 2 VETOES BY MCCRORY – Charlotte Observer – The (NC) state House on Tuesday took little more than half an hour to override the governor’s vetoes of two bills, on immigration and drug-testing welfare recipients . . . The votes marked the first split between Republican lawmakers, who control the General Assembly with a veto-proof majority, and the new governor of the same party.”  Isn’t it refreshing that Republicans are beginning to self-police?  Those whose main interest is re-election must be replaced or overruled by elected officials who stand on conservative principles.

“CITY’S STREETCAR MISSES GRANT, SUFFERS SETBACK – Charlotte Observer – “. . . the city would use $63 million in reserve funds and also apply for a $63 million federal TIGER grant.”  These federal grants are so out of control – why should taxpayers in Billings pay for a boondoggle streetcar project in Charlotte?  Or vice-versa?  Grant money does not grow on trees – it comes out of family budgets.

Last weekend I attended the “Saving the American Dream Summit” in Orlando, where two potential Republican contenders for the 2016 presidential race learned that the Republican “base” has turned resolutely to the right.  Sen. Marco Rubio was met with a strident chorus of “No Amnesty!” calls throughout his speech, and the large crowd erupted into applause when Gov. Rick Scott was admonished to “Stop Common Core”.

I sense a definite turn in the political winds, as lately we see incumbent liberals deflecting scandals and questions about their motives, and squishy Republicans facing a recharged constituency that demands adherence to true conservative principles.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side The wind of change
Blows straight into the face of time
Like a storm wind that will ring
The freedom bell for peace of mind

The Wind of Change – the Scorpions

 

I Had A Blast on the405Radio at RightOnline

Posted on by Standard Reply

image courtesy of MetalInsider.netI just returned from the 2013 RightOnline blogger’s and social media conference in Orlando.  What a blast!

An early highlight for me was doing a one-hour radio show with host John Grant on the405Radio.  It was a wide-open talk-show format with John, myself, and Jordan Bosstick, the young conservative founder of Volkalize.com, a new political-social networking site.  Topics ran the gamut from “twerking” to illegal immigration.  The collision between pop culture and politics was probed from every angle.  We even had some fun with my Obama phone.

Jordan and I come from very different cultures and perspectives – young vs. older, female vs. male, California vs. Montana.  It made for some cool dynamics but it was also interesting to see how closely we aligned on important conservative concepts and issues.

I enjoyed the show tremendously and think you will find it really fun, fast-moving, and entertaining.  This is a one-hour program, but worth listening to on your computer as you are doing something else. Enjoy!

VIP Bloggers Tom Balek & Jordan Bosstick with host John Grant on theRadio405



Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

All we hear is Radio Ga Ga!
Radio goo goo, Radio Ga Ga!
All we hear is Radio Ga Ga!
Radio blah blah!
Radio what’s new?
Radio, someone still loves you!

Radio Ga Ga – Queen

Maybe this is where Lady Gaga got her name . . . cool and artsy video by Queen:

Right OnLine – Let’s Get This Party Started!

Posted on by Standard Reply

ROL2013This weekend I am headed to Orlando for the big conservative media event of the year, the RightOnline bloggers and social media conference and the ‘Defending the American Dream Summit‘.

AmericanDreamSummit2013Last year Americans for Prosperity made it possible for me to attend RightOnLine, and I came home energized and motivated to get involved.  It was the genesis of Rockin’ On the Right Side.  Over the course of the year, I learned a lot, worked on my writing and persuasion skills, connected with many great patriots, and most importantly won a few converts over to the Right Side.  It has been great fun and I consider it important work, as I am truly motivated to help stop our nation’s headlong rush toward a bleak future for our kids and grandkids.

At this year’s conference I will get to meet many of my new conservative friends and some of the brightest stars in media and politics, like Michelle Malkin, Ted Cruz, Greg Gutfeld, Rick Perry, and Marco Rubio.   A rich slate of technical, political, and journalism training sessions are also on tap.

RightOnline and Defending the American Dream is an enriching and exhilarating event.  Let’s Get This Party Started!

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Rockin' On the Right Side

I’m comin’ up so you better get this party started!
I’m comin’ up so you better get this party started!
Get this party started on a Saturday night,
Everybody’s waitin’ for me to arrive.
Sendin’ out the message to all of my friends,
We’ll be lookin’ flashy in my Mercedes-Benz.

Get the Party Started – P!nk