You better THINK!

Posted on May 23, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

Aretha - think As I have pointed out to you, my fellow Rockers on the Right Side, I get regular e-mails from the Obama camp. They ask me for $5 every day, and they assume that because I logged in to their website once during the last election campaign that I am one of them. It’s amazing to me that they are still gathering campaign contributions despite the fact that their leader is a lame duck in his second term.

Anyway, the messages are usually amusing. The Obama group often publishes a “letter” supposedly written by a kid to tug at my heartstrings and shame me into sending my daily $5. They want me to FEEL, but they certainly don’t want me to THINK.

A while back they used this one, ostensibly composed by a 17-year old whose father was murdered by one of his former employees, along with a UPS driver and three other employees:

Friend —

My dad, Reuven Rahamim, was killed this past September in a mass shooting. I was 17 years old, one of 15 children who lost a parent that day. I’m honoring his memory — and those of many others who have fallen — by doing something about gun violence.

Whether you’ve been personally affected by gun violence or not, you need to be part of this fight, too. Since my dad’s death, I’ve learned that my family’s experience is not as uncommon as one might expect. The statistics are horrifying: 12,000 Americans are murdered with guns every year. But the true toll of gun violence is borne by the tens of thousands of sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, and wounded survivors left behind.

When I think of the number of lives that could have been saved by universal background checks or better access to mental health services, I simply don’t understand why Congress doesn’t act right away.

So join me in speaking out. Our stories from all across the country will reaffirm the all-too-real consequences of this unending violence and the need for sensible solutions. Share why you support legislation to keep dangerous weapons out of the wrong hands.

I know my dad is watching right now as I fight alongside many other Americans for common-sense legislation. He deserves a vote. We all deserve a vote. Now is the time.

Thanks,
Sami Rahamim, Minneapolis, MN

Sad story, and probably a good kid. But think about it — this family is being used. No way any 17-year old product of our public schools wrote that letter. Look at the construction and vocabulary. How many teenagers use phrases like “the true toll” and “reaffirm the all-too-real consequences”? How many can correctly spell “borne”, let alone use the word in a sentence? If this letter had included the words “I’m like” twice in every sentence, I would trust that Sami wrote it, not a group of leftist zealots in a backroom of the White House.

The messages from the Obama camp are always simplistic and emotional. They never include any background from which the reader can make an informed decision. The premise of this letter is based on one statement: “12,000 Americans are murdered with guns every year.” Okay, who pulled the triggers — mostly drug dealers and gang-bangers? Who were the victims –mostly other drug-dealers and gang-bangers? How many of these murders took place in areas under strict gun-control laws? What is the real cause of gun violence, guns? Or is it drugs and gangs? And what are you doing about drugs and gangs, besides opening our borders to create more of both?

Unmentioned is this fact: gun violence decreased by 49% from 2003 to 2011, despite an increase in gun ownership.

Unfortunately, the average American is no longer capable of discernment. With our embarrassingly tiny little attention-spans, and having been thoroughly indoctrinated by the education/news media/government cabal to swallow everything shoveled our way, we are easily steered to the desired conclusion.

Call us “low-information voters”. “Sheeple.” “Slacktivists”.

Like Aretha says, “We Better Think.”

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

You better think (think)
Think about what you’re trying to do to me
Yeah, think (think, think)
Let your mind go, let yourself be free

Let’s go back, let’s go back, let’s go way on way back when
I didn’t even know you, you couldn’t have been too much more than ten
I ain’t no psychiatrist, I ain’t no doctor with degree
It don’t take too much high IQ to see what you’re doing to me

Think – Aretha Franklin

You HAVE TO stop what you are doing and enjoy this classic cut – ‘Aretha, Matt “Guitar” Murphy, Akroyd and Belushi, and the rest of the Blues Brothers – 1980

Livin’ In a Land Down Under

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 2

kangaroos I spent a day with some friends from Australia last weekend. It’s sad to say, but they were more engaged in and knowledgeable about American politics and economics than most fellow Yankees I meet.

We had riveting discussions comparing the political and economic situations of our two countries. One thing became obvious right away – wage rates “down under” far exceed ours. While the Aussie dollar and the American dollar are near parity, Australian laborers earn $25 or more per hour, while the norm in my American city seems to be about $12 per hour. Australian professionals appear to earn considerably more than Americans do as well, but taxes take a pretty healthy bite, and prices are high on some items.

Our three guests were all government employees, yet they were very fiscally conservative. One was a nurse who works for a government-owned and operated health care system. She explained that citizens who purchase private health insurance can choose their own (presumably superior) doctors and care facilities. No one is refused care at the public hospitals.

I was surprised to learn that the unions and government are combatants in Australia. And my friends were shocked to hear about the circle of corruption in the US, where government employees’ unions get politicians elected in exchange for favors and more government jobs. They wondered why they had not heard about some of the issues I presented, and I explained that for many years our news media have been bedfellows with the democrats, and their reporting is rigidly slanted in that direction (with the exception of Fox News, for whom my guests had no respect). The Aussies are not impressed with the dearth of real news here, lamenting that they never hear their nation even mentioned in the media.

When we expressed our concerns about vote fraud in recent elections, especially in Montana, they described how their election system requires each citizen to vote – and failure to do so results in a hefty fine. “We don’t use voting machines, it’s all done manually under great scrutiny,” we were told.

They weren’t pleased that their current prime minister, Julia Gillard of the Labor Party, was not elected by the people. She assumed office in 2010 when her predecessor, Kevin Rudd, was ousted as the Labor Party leader. “And she won’t be elected this September, either!” they announced with firm resolve. It bothered me greatly that until our visit I didn’t even know who the leader of Australia is.

We shared common concerns about the leftward (and downward) drift in education, and the over-reaching environmental movement. They understood our worries about illegal immigration: “You mean your immigrants don’t have national identification cards?” they asked. Of course their border is protected by a rather large ocean.

The big eye-opener for the Aussies was our commitment to the second amendment. At age 30, one of our guests had never seen or touched a gun. I showed her mine, and it was as if all the oxygen was sucked out of the room. My wife and I explained concealed carry permits, and our belief in the fundamental right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. They insisted that the bad guys in Australia don’t have guns, so the good guys don’t need them either. I hope they are right about that. In our case, unilateral disarmament would be suicidal.

Our friends are well aware of the United States’ tenuous economic condition and our stifling $16 trillion dollar debt. We pondered where is the “best place” to be, economically and politically, in a world where trouble lurks in every corner.

“We think we have it pretty straight,” they said. I couldn’t disagree.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Livin’ in a land down under,
Where women glow and men plunder,
Can’t you hear, can’t you hear the thunder?
You better run, you better take cover!

Land Down Under – Men at Work

Obama Regime Kicks Max Baucus Under the Bus

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 3

Max Baucus I would bet that most of you who Rock with me On the Right Side probably are not on the President’s mailing list. I am.

Call it espionage, if you must. Actually, I just find the way the Obama regime manipulates its subjects so entertaining.

Today the administration is blasting Max Baucus for finally – finally – representing his Montana constituents. And as they almost always do, they lied to their gullible subscribers without shame. Here’s the e-mail they sent me:

Friend —

Senator Max Baucus is hoping you weren’t paying attention.

Last week, he was one of 45 senators who decided to stand with the gun lobby, blocking a bill to expand background checks — a measure that 79% of Montanans support.

OFA supporters across the country are holding their senators accountable — today, Senator Baucus needs to hear directly from the people who sent him to Washington. One simple, very public way of doing that is to get on Twitter.

Tweet @MaxBaucus now:

We have your senator’s Twitter handle and a sample tweet ready to go, but feel free to make it your own. As long as Senator Baucus hears from you today, that’s what counts. And believe me, the senator and his staff are watching their Twitter accounts pretty closely.

The reality is, keeping guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally unstable should be a no-brainer. It’s overwhelmingly popular. Senator Baucus could have easily stood up to the gun lobby and said, “I have to do what my constituents sent me here to do.”

Instead, he caved and we took a step backward in the fight to prevent gun violence.

Whenever this happens — whenever Congress chooses to cater to special interests at the expense of the common good — OFA is going to hold them accountable in a very public way.

It’s why we’re here.

After years of selling out to the big political contributors who got him re-elected six times, Baucus finally grew a spine. He admitted that the Obamacare program he co-sponsored is “a train wreck”. He voted against the Democrats embarrassingly bloated budget, saying it raised spending too much. He stood up to the over-reaching gun control extremists – and by the way, if you believe 79% of Montanans support gun control, you have never whiffed one breath of Big Sky air.

The left is on him like magpies on a road-killed whitetail. Washington Post: “Baucus Retires, A Grateful Nation Cheers”. The Daily Beast: “Good Riddance, Max Baucus”. And, of course, the divider-in-chief, through his puppets, grabs his smelly bite of scavenged meat, booting his once-faithful comrade to the curb with snarling contempt. Stay classy, Mr. President.

Announcing his retirement, Baucus said in an AP interview, “I don’t want to die here with my boots on. There is life beyond Congress.” I think it’s kind of cool that he finally bought a pair of boots. He hadn’t seen Montana for so long, I doubt he knows which one goes on which foot.

One of the last letters I wrote Senator Baucus was a promise. I told him that if he continued to push for ObamaCare I would do everything in my power to see that he would never be elected again. We both lost. ObamaCare became law, and Max will never be elected again.

I guess Montana lost twice, though. Here comes Brian Schweitzer.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

No one knows what it’s like to be the bad man
To be the sad man behind blue eyes.
No one knows what it’s like to be hated
To be fated to telling only lies

But my dreams they aren’t as empty
As my conscience seems to be
I have hours, only lonely
My love is vengeance that’s never free

Behind Blue Eyes – the Who
with rare footage – Keith Moon Speaks!

Yesterday’s News

Posted on March 24, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 2

news One year ago the news media fixated on a single story for several weeks. It was so terribly important that it superceded everything else that was going on in the world. It was as if nothing else mattered – this story was so critical to the life and welfare of every American that there was no room for any other news. Even President Obama had to take time from his schedule to express his concern and thoughts about the topic.

Don’t remember? Does the name Trayvon Martin ring a bell?

What have you heard about him lately? Do you know how the case turned out? Has anything changed in our lives because of the Florida incident in which Martin, a neighborhood watch volunteer, followed a young man he thought was suspicious, and ended up shooting him in a scuffle?

My point is this: our news industry has devolved to the point where they now pick a salacious and often irrelevant or marginal news story and elevate it to crisis pitch, while ignoring everything else that happens worldwide. If the Trayvon Martin case was so earth-shakingly important, why have you not heard anything about it for a year?

Whatever happened to the Occupy Wall Street crowd? Our media elites climbed all over each other to recount every syllable uttered by a tiny group of incoherent losers, affording them status on par with world leaders and history-makers. Where are they now? What happened? Is it possible that MAYBE THEY WEREN’T NEWSWORTHY IN THE FIRST PLACE?

The media was quick to report that the Tea Party is dead. It isn’t. But the Occupy Movement sure as hell is. Who is reporting on that?

Remember all the hoo-hah about ObamaCare? We would all die if it was implemented. Or we would all die if it was NOT implemented. Either way, we were all going to die. Three years later, not much has happened.

Michael Jackson. Lady Diana. Stories about pop culture icons deserve a headline, not an entire page of the calendar.

It’s a sad fact that the news business has become so much more business than news. Rather than reporting actual news and letting the informed public determine what is important to them, the media now chooses the story it feels has the most commercial potential and milks it to the bloody end.

So when you see today’s front-page bold-type stop-the-presses big story, don’t get your underwear in a knot. There’s a good chance it will be completely forgotten a year from now.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Who wants yesterday’s papers?
Who wants yesterday’s girl?
Who wants yesterday’s papers?
Nobody in the world!

Yesterday’s Papers – the Rolling Stones

If I Had a Million Dollars, I’d Live Like a Retired Govt. Worker

Posted on February 24, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 9

As a kid I thought it must really be something to be a millionaire. We read “Richie Rich” comic books and imagined how cool it would be to live in a mansion, with servants and cooks and an indoor swimming pool.

Of course, it was the impossible dream. Only a rare few Americans could ever be that rich, and they were born to wealthy families. Still, back then, life was good for most Americans. Dads went to work, paid the bills, bought modest homes and Chevies, and took the family on a summer road trip to Mount Rushmore. Moms stayed home, raised the 2.1 kids, attended PTA meetings, and always had a hot, healthy meal ready when Dad came home from work.

What happened?

A million bucks sure isn’t what it used to be. With CDs paying maybe 1% interest at best, those who worked hard and saved a million dollars can now look forward to a retirement income of – wow – $10,000 a year. Add that to social security income, of course, but still. No indoor swimming pool. No servants.

And it’s not like there are other investment opportunities for retirees. The only guys making money in the stock market are the hedge fund operators and the machine traders buying and selling at the speed of light. Municipal bonds pay a couple percent and are tax free – oh that’s right, most city and county governments are bankrupt.

There is one group of really wealthy American retirees. Retired unionized government workers get guaranteed pensions. Most receive over $60,000 per year. There are many government employees who toiled for 25 or 30 hard years, sometimes even working over 35 hours per week behind a hard, cold desk with only 7 weeks of vacation and 15 holidays off each year. Poor souls, at retirement they must make do with $100k per year plus full medical benefits.

Do the math. In order to pay a retired teacher $60k per year, we American taxpayers are putting up $6 million at 1% interest. The retired county engineer who receives a $100k pension requires a taxpayer investment of $10 million to fund his checks.

In an economy where many moms and dads both work long hours and are barely able to feed their families, let alone save anything for retirement, it’s hard to feel sorry for government employees who will retire with multi-million dollar nest eggs.

When I see a headline like this:

Obama Sequester Speech: Republicans Are Putting Economy At Risk To Help The Wealthy

I shake my head in amazement at the level of deceit our President and his followers continue to get away with.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

If I had a million dollars
We wouldn’t have to walk to the store
If I had a million dollars
We’d take a limousine cause it costs more
If I had a million dollars
We wouldn’t have to eat Kraft dinner

If I Had A Million Dollars – Barenaked Ladies

The Left Knows What Men Want – Dumb Blondes and Bison

Posted on February 18, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

meghan kelly Today, while waiting for a haircut at a local “clip joint”, I looked for a magazine to pass the time. Of the 50 or so in the rack, I found only one that was not written for women. I admit I was tempted to open one of the ladies’ rags to find out “What Men Really Want”, as promised on the cover. Not that I care about other men, mind you – I just wanted to see if the editors got it right. But my old-school inhibitions kicked in, and I reached for the men’s magazine instead.

It was called “Men’s Something or Other” – I had never seen or heard of it before. The titles on the cover left no doubt that the editors knew exactly what would catch the eye of any reader under the influence of testosterone. Like, “The Sexy Blondes at Fox News”.

As soon as I opened the cover, I realized something was wrong. None of the articles resembled the titles. In fact, each was a left-wing political manifesto, thinly veiled as an article of legitimate interest to men.

The piece about the Fox News women was hilarious. The writer expressed how aroused “he” is whenever “he” sees “fake blondes” Gretchen Carlson or Meghan Kelly. “He” fantasizes about sexual encounters with them, sharing with the world how their stupidity makes “him” all the more horny. The language was reminiscent of seventh grade locker room talk, except when describing the specific political issues that demonstrate how stupid the Fox women really are.

Note the quote marks I placed around “him”. I inserted them because there’s no way in hell that article was written by a man. At least not a heterosexual one. I’m sorry, but no man on earth would admit – repeatedly and enthusiastically – that he experiences physical arousal from watching the news. Or that the more he politically disagrees with a woman, the more physically aroused he becomes. Or that he gives a hoot whether a woman’s hair is artificially colored or not.

The article was mercifully short, and with trepidation I thumbed to the next item of primal interest to us manly men – a passionate tome about the “Ten Most Urgent Steps To Stop Global Climate Change.” Number one was the mission to stop burning coal, followed by the worn-out left-wing checklist: more wind and solar power, eliminate all offshore oil drilling, and ban fracking.

It was item number five that made my jaw drop:

“Place free-roaming bison herds in the CM Russell Wildlife Refuge of Central Montana”. What the hell does that have to do with Climate Change?

The hair-person (I sure miss barber shops) called my name and I shuffled to the chair, my mind reeling from all the things that are wrong with this picture. Was the “men’s” magazine a fake-out, actually written by Valerie Jarrett to subliminally indoctrinate us unsuspecting neanderthals? Or was it an actual attempt to publish a real men’s magazine by female editors who have never had a date?

Anyway, it again illustrates that there are no “special interest” groups on the left. All leftists support all leftist causes. What else could explain the promotion of bison – specifically bison dropped into the CMR of Montana – as a solution to climate change?

Rockin’ On the Right Side – Tom Balek

I know what boys like
I know what guys want
I see them looking
I make them want me

I like to tease them
And they want to touch me
I never let them

I Know What Boys Like – the Waitresses

This may be the campiest video ever featured in “Rockin’ On the Right Side” . . .

How Do You Do It, Max Baucus?

Posted on January 20, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 5

baucus Max Baucus has represented Montana in the U.S. Senate since 1978, and has been re-elected six times. He plans to run again next year.

Baucus has overcome a slew of criticisms to maintain his grip on the biggest pot of money on planet Earth. Critics say Baucus has lost touch with Montana, doesn’t live there, and rarely visits the state he represents. I believe voters cut him some slack on that one. His work is in the nation’s capital, and it makes sense that he should have a home there. Still, many Montanans are concerned that 91% of his previous campaign funds came from out-of-state sources.

Max’s personal morals have also been called into question, including lurid stories in the national press of divorces and infidelity, jobs for girlfriends, and crony capitalism. The video of Baucus’ apparently-inebriated speech on the Senate floor has 2 million YouTube hits. Defenders say he was just “tired” – watch the video and judge for yourself. But Bill Clinton lowered the threshold of voter pain on skanky behavior, and Barack Obama has established crony paybacks as an acceptable primary fundraising strategy in the expensive world of national politics. The “Foster Brooks” impersonation was avoided by the mainstream media. Montanans might believe lapses in personal ethics can be overlooked if their congressman votes right.

Montanans should be alarmed, however, when Baucus’ votes and considerable influence run counter to their principles. Responses from the last five years of Montana Chamber of Commerce surveys indicate:

64% (5-yr. avg.) of Montana voters say our national economy is on the ‘wrong track’, versus 23% ‘right track’, with chronic unemployment, anemic GDP growth, and irreparable debt and deficits. All that time Senator Baucus has been at the helm of Senate committees including Finance, Taxation, IRS Oversight, Long-term Growth, Fiscal Responsibility and Economic Growth, and Deficit Reduction. The Senate has not passed a budget for four years, and looks as if they never will.

While Montanans’ top financial concern continues to be health care costs, Senator Baucus led the charge for ObamaCare, despite knowing it would raise taxes on Americans, damage Medicare, and add to the national debt and deficits. He has always been tight with “Big-Pharma” lobbyists, and remains one of the leading recipients of political contributions from health insurance and pharmaceutical companies.

A solid majority of Montanans have unfavorable opinions of environmental groups, labor unions, and trial lawyers. Baucus supported unpopular global warming legislation, the unions salivate over the millions of new members they will gain thanks to his health care reform plans, and trial lawyers shovel endless money to Baucus campaigns in exchange for avoiding tort reform in Max’s health care bills.

With all of this baggage, and Baucus’ apparent disdain for Montana voters, how does he keep getting re-elected?

Is it the huge sums of money required for an opponent to even consider going toe-to-toe with the well-connected incumbent Senator? (He has already amassed a $3 million war chest for the the next go-around.)

Is it the decades of pork he has funneled to his state? (Montana receives $1.47 back from the federal government for every dollar it pays in taxes.)

Is it his personal charm and boyish good looks? (Women do tend to vote for Democrats.)

It’s time for good conservatives (some of whom are Republicans) to start a serious search for a Senate contender who does not have personal baggage, who can win the hearts and minds of those with financial means, and who is serious about a calling higher than re-election.

Can anybody displace Max Baucus? It just doesn’t seem like it should be that hard.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

How do you do what you do to me?
I’m feeling blue.
Wish I knew how you do it to me,
But I haven’t a clue.

How Do You Do It? – Gerry and the Pacemakers
(also recorded by the Beatles)
Here’s a great video of one of the most under-rated musicians (Gerry Marsden) and bands (the Pacemakers) of the sixties and the British Invasion. Enjoy!

Do Our Leaders Really Care?

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 3

Listening to the media and to our political leaders one would think it is impossible to straighten out our nation’s fiscal mess, and that we, our children, and our grandchildren are doomed to mediocrity for decades to come. Oh, they want to help us, they “feel our pain”, but the task is just too difficult.

Hogwash.

If our federal government really wanted to cut spending and reduce the debt and deficits, they would immediately:

Sell all of the excess, obsolete and unused federal property, including land, buildings, military bases and equipment. Where does our constitution authorize the federal government to buy up all this private land, anyway?
Compensate federal employees similarly to comparable private sector employees – reasonable pay rates, raise the retirement age, replace defined benefit pensions with 401(k) plans, require full forty-hour weeks, and implement the same social security and health care treatment as taxpayers have. Government-sector unions must be eliminated because the pay-for-play election scam is irretrievably corrupt and imperils democracy.
Pay senators and representatives each $1 million per year, and make them responsible for all of their own costs – staffing, transportation, office expenses, mailing, etc. If they want to take a “fact-finding” junket to Tahiti, have a girlfriend in Brazil, or travel home every weekend, they can pay for it themselves. Term limits might not hurt either.
Outsource most of the costs of government to co-ops made up of top private companies. Social security and welfare fraud would be zero if administered by IBM and Visa. Defense contractors have proved they work better together than they do in competition. With co-ops, the winning private companies will regulate each other.
Establish a real, non-partisan budget and cost management department, led by private-sector experts and technicians instead of political lackeys and cronies. Pay commissions to those who find corruption, and prosecute the offenders.
Implement zero-based or priority-based budgeting. Start every department and program at zero and require true cost justification for all expenditures every annual or bi-annual cycle. Same process for entitlements – disability and unemployment must be verified. Eliminate unnecessary, duplicative and obsolete departments.
Replace unemployment compensation and most direct welfare payments with honest work projects. No work, no money.
Tie all foreign aid and investment to our own national interests. Not one dollar to nations or despots whose actions are damaging to the US. That includes the United Nations.
Simplify the tax code and work with businesses instead of against them.
Eliminate the EPA and make the United States the energy provider to the world – aggressively develop natural gas and liquefied natural gas as an alternative to oil. Abandon the infaturation with ridiculously inefficient wind and solar energy and pour our efforts and investments into the efficient use of proven energy sources.

I could go on. Maybe some of these ideas have holes, or need development. Surely there are many more opportunities – bigger and better ones. But if you and I can discuss many methods of improving our government’s performance, why can’t our leaders talk about it?

Do they really want to solve the problem? Are they actually interested in reducing the drag of bloated government on our economy? Obviously, no. Otherwise they would be doing it.

So the only remaining solution is to replace all the self-serving charlatans with motivated leaders who ARE interested. And the only way that will happen is if we can educate and win the majority of Americans who currently don’t get it or don’t care – our neighbors, our friends, and any stranger on the street whom we can engage.

Time is of the essence.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Whatever happened
To all the good times we used to have
The times we cried and laughed
I wanna know, I wanna know

Don’t You Care? – the Buckinhams

Cowboys and Cowgirls Needed – Apply Now

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

I am more concerned every day about the lack of leadership in our national affairs. As the well-being and security of our citizens continues to decline, the dearth of leadership among our federal political officials becomes more evident and more critical.

There’s a big difference between leadership and arrogance. Just saying “follow me” isn’t helpful when the leader is stumbling off a cliff. A true leader must have:

vision – a clear understanding of the situation as it is and the correct path to what it should be
honesty – zero-tolerance of any person or action motivated by personal gain ahead of mission
optimism and inspiration – the genuine desire to make things better for all, and the belief that improvement is not only possible, it is necessary
resolve – shared goals that are unshakeable, and determination to accomplish those goals
responsibility and accountability – willingness to shoulder burdens for the benefit of others, to admit and recover from failures, and to be open to criticism
courage – the ability to stay cool under fire and focused on the goal

Where are the true leaders today? We have plenty of idealogues. Demagoguery has become an art form. Politicians have learned to exploit the weaker instincts of their constituents – fear, envy, selfishness and laziness – using psychology to manipulate voters. Public officials seem to be only inspired to gain and hold power, without even bothering to seek solutions.

Where are the principled journalists? The pursuit of truth has been replaced by a vapid addiction to titillation and sensationalism. We are told that “sex sells”, and that the pursuit of profit is now the sole motivator in the the news business. That in itself is deceitful because consumers of news are not given a choice. The reality is our elite news media seek to empower themselves using the same psychological manipulations employed by our self-serving political leaders.

Is the lack of leadership a symptom of what’s wrong with America? Or is it the cause? Do we still believe that the qualities of true leadership matter? Do we employ them in our own lives?

I contend that we don’t need more new ideas. We don’t need more laws. We certainly don’t need more self-absorbed charlatans in public office.

We can get out of this mess and back on the right track. We just need to find, encourage, elevate, and empower true leaders at every level of our society, bottom to top. Are you one?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Where is my Marlboro man?
Where is his shiny gun?
Where is my lonely ranger?
Where have all the cowboys gone?

Where Have All the Cowboys Gone – Paula Cole

Herman Cain Calls Out the Racist NY Times

Posted on December 21, 2012 by Tom Balek Standard 1

I was reminded today why I am such a huge Herman Cain. Here is a man with that rare gift of clarity – the ability to cut right through to the truth. I call it “lazer vision”. My wife has that gift too, and it’s why I don’t try to pull even a thread of wool over her eyes.

Just to be clear, I don’t favor Herman Cain because he is African American. I abhor bigotry of any kind, in any direction, by anyone against any perceived or actual “group”. I couldn’t care less what color Cain, or any other public figure, is. What I like is his strong conservative values, his business sense, and his ability to filter out all the nonsense and get down to what’s important and what’s right, with a brevity that every writer or speaker should envy.

Today’s reminder is the response he wrote to a New York Times article by Professor Adolph Reed, Jr.

Professor Reed was critical of South Carolina governor Nikki Haley’s decision to name Tim Scott, a black Republican, to replace Jim DeMint as the state’s US senator. DeMint is retiring from the Senate to take a post as president of the Heritage Foundation. Reed cynically claims that “modern black Republicans have been more tokens than signs of progress.” He says that Scott’s politics are “utterly at odds with the preferences of most black Americans. Mr. Scott has been staunchly anti-tax, anti-union and anti-abortion.” Is he saying African Americans are required, because of their skin color, to be pro-tax, pro-union, and pro-abortion?

Most putrid of all is Professor Reed’s contention that all whites are racist: “whites . . . are inclined to vote Republican but don’t want to have to think of themselves, or be thought of by others, as racist.” If he were in front of me, I would punch him in the nose. I don’t “have to” think of myself as a racist?

Clear-thinking Herman Cain nails Reed and all the other Democrats who just can’t remove the tired, old race card from their playbooks. Cain says:

So it’s worth asking, then: What, exactly, are “black interests”? To hear Professor Reed tell it, blacks are a monolithic group of people whose best interests are served when they can be recipients of redistributionist policies at the hands of big government. Let me simplify that for you: He thinks black people need welfare, and can’t make it under the kinds of free-market policies advocated by the likes of Samuel Pierce, Clarence Pendleton, Clarence Thomas and Tim Scott.

When are black Democrats going to reject the continuing insults and humiliation hurled at them by their sacrosanct political leaders and media? When will they stand up and protest their second-class status in the eyes of their “benefactors”? While I’m punching noses, I would certainly tweak the beak of anyone who told me I am so stupid and unmotivated that I, like anyone whose skin pigmentation is similar to mine, am not capable of feeding myself and my family without their merciful help .

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

(What they do) They smile in your face!
All the time they want to take your place,
The back stabbers (back stabbers!)
They smile in your face!
Smiling faces, Smiling faces sometimes tell lies (back stabbers!)
They smile in your face!
I don’t need low down dirty bastards (back stabbers!)

Back Stabbers – the O’Jays