Help! My Friend Barack Needs $5!

Posted on December 30, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 3

Obama-needs-$5 As you know, I get a letter every day from my friend Barack, asking me to send him $5.

Today I got two letters from my friend Barack (I know he’s my friend because when he writes to me he always calls me “friend”).

Poor Barack – he is starting to sound desperate, and today’s letters were not as friendly as usual. I’m afraid Barack has discovered that I have not been sending in my $5 every day.

His first letter today said,

“That’s why we don’t just fight the good fight — we stay at it until we win. Today, I’m asking you to make a commitment — 2014 should be a year of action. Pledge to keep fighting for change.”

Apparently he isn’t happy with the way things have gone the last five years while he has been in charge of the country. I’m so confused. If we are fighting for change, shouldn’t I send my $5 to somebody else?

The second letter said,

“Friend — this can’t be right. We’re just going through our records and — even though you’re one of our best supporters — it looks like you’re not a 2013 founding member. Nothing’s changed: It still takes each of us chipping in what we can, when we can, to build the kind of grassroots movement that can win the big fights.”

I’m starting to feel guilty. I mean, maybe he really needs the $5. Especially if he is in some kind of a fight. But on the other hand, my dad told me when you give money to a beggar he will probably just use it to buy some crack or something. My friend Barack said he snorted cocaine when he was younger, and maybe he still has a problem. That’s why I have not been giving him $5 — I’m afraid he might relapse into drug abuse again.

I wonder who he is fighting, and why he needs $5 from me every day? He’s not running for re-election. His house is paid for. Seems like he goes on a lot of expensive vacations, and his wife buys some pretty spiffy clothes.

Maybe he can’t afford health insurance? If his children are hungry, I know he could get $668 a month for food for his family of four.

Anyway, I’m kind of worried about my friend Barack. I haven’t sent my $5 in yet, do you think I should? It sounds like he really needs me.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Please remember how I feel about you
I could never really live without you
So, come on back and see
Just what you mean to me.
I need you!

I Need You – the Beatles

I’m Crossing Geico Off My Christmas Card List

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 12

Geico gecko I 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 Side Now 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 December 13, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 8

AP Photo - J Scott Applewhite Last 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

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

I Need ObamaCare – My Head is Exploding!

Posted on December 5, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

Exploding head I think I am going to need ObamaCare. Or some kind of care. Every time I read the local newspaper, my head wants to explode.

Here’s what I read in the Charlotte Observer today (and what I am thinking in parentheses):

HEADLINE: MATTHEWS EXPLORES CAR-CHARGING STATIONS (Oh, my God, aren’t the Solyndra-type paybacks ever going to end? Are we ever going to admit that electric cars are a stupid idea in a country with more oil than we could ever use?)

The town of Matthews is exploring a partnership with an Asheville-based company to bring electric-vehicle charging stations to the community. (Partnership. That means both sides benefit, right? Let’s follow the money, I have a feeling it will be going in one direction only).

Brightfield Transportation Solutions is offering to install charging stations for free in towns. (Didn’t your dad ever tell you there’s no such thing as a free lunch?) “We’ve been looking at wanting to do this for the last couple of years, but it’s been cost prohibitive,” said Matthews spokeswoman Annette Privette Keller. (Ding! Ding! Ding! Maybe there’s a reason why it’s Cost Prohibitive! Could it be because NOBODY WANTS IT? Oh, and anybody who uses three names, one of which is “Privette”, has never ever ever cleaned her own bathroom.)

Brightfield is working with Nissan, the US Dept. of Energy, Advanced Energy, and Centralina Council of Governments. (Hmm, let’s see – the money for most of those guys comes exclusively from THE TAXPAYERS. And I’d be interested to know if Brightfield is an Obama contribution bundler. If this was a viable deal, wouldn’t they have investors chomping at the bit to get in on the ground floor?).

Matthews has been selected as one of the preferred sites because of its population demographics. (Let me guess . . . gullible, low-information, high income Obama-Zombies who have no problem taxing the hard-working people and blowing their money on something that nobody wants just because it makes them feel like they are doing something nice for Mother Earth.)

“Matthews has always worked to be PROGRESSIVE . . . and this would be another opportunity for us to be part of a MOVEMENT that we think is going to be SUSTAINABLE in the future,” said Keller. (There’s three Agenda 21 buzzwords in one sentence. Let’s just give our credit card info to the United Nations to spend on caviar, blended whiskey and dancing girls for the benevolent dictator of Outer Bendovia.)

The town has two options. In the first, the town accepts a $50,000 grant (Grant? Hey, that’s free money! It just falls out of the sky! Nobody has to pay for a grant!) and would be responsible for constructing, operating, maintaining and upgrading the station. (Ummm, wait a minute . . . ) The second option is for the town to enter a 10-year licensing agreement with Brightfield at no cost to the town. (Kinda sounds like a free lunch again . . .) The company would collect a fee, expected to be $8 for people to charge their vehicles. (Boy, my new $40,000 electric car sure is great! I can drive it for 90 miles, then I just have to take it downtown, plug it in, wait for three hours and pay eight bucks, and then it will run for another 90 miles. Sounds like fun!)

During the presentation, Keller said that staff recommended the second option. Once they’ve decided on a location, town staff will complete a GRANT APPLICATION with Brightfield. (Isn’t it swell of Brightfield to do this wonderful thing for the 262 owners of electric vehicles in Mecklenburg County, population 1 million, maybe two of whom live in Matthews. And for FREE! Well, there’s that GRANT thing . . . )

I sure hope they get that ObamaCare website working soon. My head could explode any minute.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Well, I think I’m going out of my head.
Yes, I think I’m going out of my head.
Over you.
Over you!

Going Out Of My Head – Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66

Okay, there’s no explaining taste. I have always been a sucker for Sergio Mendez and his corny Brazilian/American samba/bossa/pop music. Maybe it’s the mini-skirts! If you get past the schmaltz, there’s some pretty good music in there somewhere – I think . . .

I Get Knocked Down – But I Can’t Get Up Again!

Posted on November 24, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 1

knockout-game Americans are sickened by news reports of the “Knockout Game”, in which a young black thug, or a group of thugs, sneaks up behind a non-black person and knocks him or her out with a sucker punch.

No, my reporting the fact that the perps in all of these crimes have been black does not make me a racist. Facts are facts. But most of the national media (except USA Today and Fox) is apparently afraid to make that point, referring to these chicken-bleep creeps as “wandering youths” instead of calling them out as what they are: black street thugs. Of course if a white street thug clocked a black Grandma, the media would have apoplexy.

CNN calls them “teens” and decries “youth violence.” ABC says they are “criminals” and refers to them as “kids”.

Reverend Al Sharpton (I really want to attend his service some Sunday, where is his church again?) took to the airwaves and made a half-hearted statement: “No matter who it is . . . we must denounce it.” Huh? We know who it is, Reverend! It’s on video!

Wouldn’t it be great if our “post-racial president” would get in front of a microphone, sans teleprompter, and call out the black moms and dads who raised (or failed to raise) these monsters? Their DNA is in the blood and the fists of these bad-asses – do they have any remorse? Do they feel responsible for the acts of their “children”? Is anybody accountable for anything any more? Obama was quick to excoriate George Zimmerman, at the time believing premature press reports that a white guy had attacked a poor defenseless black kid.

And is it any coincidence that these attacks take place in cities where it is illegal for any citizen to carry a gun for self-defense? You can bet that if a pedestrian witnessing an assault like this popped the perp with a .38, he would end up in the penitentiary. But if these “youths” knew it was a possibility, there might be some deterrence. A knockout game in Lansing, MI went awry when the victim shot the perp twice.

The “Knockout Game” is not new, but it is gaining in popularity. Colin Flaherty wrote a grim report about the black mobs terrorizing St. Louis with impunity in the summer of 2012. And local residents were none too pleased that their local news outlets refused to report the clearly racial motivations of the thugs.

We all hoped that the election of our nation’s first black president would finally, once and for all, end racism. Like almost everything else about life in America over the last five years, it has become worse.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

I get knocked down! But I get up again.
You’re never gonna keep me down!
I get knocked down! But I get up again.
You’re never gonna keep me down!

Tubthumping – Chumbawamba

They Will Still Be Going To the Emergency Room

Posted on November 16, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 4

Emergency-Room Our favorite young waitress was bringing us more sweet tea. As she approached, my wife noticed a little “limp” and asked her about it.

“I got a rash on my leg yesterday and it’s worse today,” she said. “It bothers me when it rubs on my pants.”

Assuming our customary Mom and Pop roles, we chatted about what the cause of the rash might be, considering possible medical solutions. The young lady’s next line was a stunner.

“I guess I will go to the emergency room after my shift,” she said.

We gasped simultaneously – “the EMERGENCY ROOM?! Why would you go there?”

Her response: “Well, I don’t have insurance so whenever I need medical care I just go to the emergency room. They don’t make me pay the bill right away.”

My wife and I exchanged baffled looks and started asking questions. We wondered how, on a server’s wage, she could afford to make payments on what must be an outrageously expensive emergency room visit. Maybe she doesn’t pay at all.

“Why don’t you go to an ‘urgent care’ clinic?” we asked. “There’s one across the street and it probably charges one-tenth of what the emergency room will charge you.” She gave us a curious look.

We also suggested she could stop in at one of the many nearby drug stores who offer affordable minor-medical care and even free advice from the pharmacist. She didn’t know there was such a thing.

Then we pointed out that our county provides a list of free and low-cost medical clinics. But it occurred to me that it would probably cost her a day of work to even get in the door of a government clinic.

The young lady seemed grateful for the Mom and Pop advice, and hopefully she will seek out one of the alternatives we proposed.

Our short conversation with a hard-working young waitress reminds me how badly screwed up so many things are these days: the ridiculous cost of medical care, the failures of our education system, inadequate parenting, bumbling government, our crazy tax system, the challenges of employment, and more. How does a young woman get to the age of 25 without knowing how to get appropriate minor medical care? Where were her parents? Her teachers? Will she still be a low-wage worker ten years from now, or will she have moved up and out? Why is even minor medical care so expensive it is out of reach for many workers? Should restaurant owners pay higher wages or benefits? Would that squash one of the few remaining industries (and employers) left in our teetering economy?

Our waitress will get a W2 from her employer at the end of the year and will probably take it to H&R Block because, like most Americans, she is afraid and ill-equipped to tackle even the simplest short-form tax return on her own. And her tax preparer will tell her that because of the new Affordable Care Act she will have to pay a fine next year if she does not obtain a health insurance policy on her own. I doubt she has ever heard of the ACA — it isn’t listed on I-Tunes. She doesn’t really know what health insurance is, how it works, or how to get it. If she did learn and understand the ACA requirements, would she choose to pay the fine or to buy the insurance? Or would she just continue to use the emergency room?

Lost in the discussion of the ObamaCare mess is the fact that hospitals are still required to provide medical care to anyone who comes in the door, regardless of ability to pay. And a large percentage of the people within our borders have no more knowledge or sophistication than to go, when sick, to the building where the sick people are. The ACA personal “mandate” is a joke.

If there is one good thing about the ObamaCare fiasco, it might be that Americans will finally stop and think about the economics of health care in our country. We only got to this point of helplessness and chaos because for generations we have been dependent on employers and/or the government for our health care. The concept of shared risk for shared cost – insurance, by definition – is still very valid. Sadly, that can only work in a prosperous free market economy, which may now be little more than a distant memory in the age of big government. Every time a government bureaucracy replaces a segment of the free market, disaster results. A train wreck, even.

The bad thing about the Affordable Health Care Act is that it makes health care more Un-Affordable. It is clearly about control, politics, and big government, not cost.

The failure of our elected leaders to deal with the festering health-care issue a long time ago led us to the calamity we face now. They, and we, had better get serious, because, contrary to the campaign speeches, we know there is no such thing as a free lunch.

Oh, speaking of lunch, the gyros were great.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

All over the country, I’ve seen it the same
Nobody’s winnin’ at this kind of game
We gotta do better, it’s time to begin
You know all the answers must come from within

Free Ride – Edgar Winter Group

If You Love Your Children, Hold Them Close

Posted on October 31, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

via T Patrick Duffy

If our elected leaders will lie about the takeover of our health care system, about the deaths of Americans at Benghazi, about Big Brother electronic eavesdropping, about the use of the IRS and other federal agencies to manipulate elections, and about the corruption epidemic in our government – why would you trust their motives with your children?

President Obama, president-elect Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, and the elite progressive establishment really believe that “it takes a village” to raise your child. They are convinced that you are not qualified to make decisions about your family’s well-being, and they have an aggressive agenda that will continue to dilute parent’s rights and personal sovereignty. Next on the list is mandatory government daycare/preschool for toddlers.

Parents, if you love your children, hold them close. They are at risk. Please learn about Common Core. Read the textbooks and other materials they bring home and don’t be afraid to overrule the disinformation you find. See how your childrens’ precious time is being spent at school. Be active in your school district and school board affairs.

Do not allow federal programs to take over your local schools. Take the time to pass on your knowledge, beliefs and values to your children. Do not “trust” the school to raise, feed, educate, or protect your precious children – you must be involved at every step.

If you can home-school your child, you will do your family and your nation a tremendous service. If not, you must fight for your family’s right to choose the approriate school and educational path.

Be aware of what is happening to our economy and our way of life. Your children’s futures depend on you – nobody cares about your children as much as you do. They can’t afford your abdication of parental rights to the government. They can’t afford the insurmountable debts we are placing on them. They aren’t able to defend their constitutional rights – we must fight on their behalf.

There was a time when we could trust our government to tell the truth. We knew that our elected leaders had our families’ best interests at heart. The American Dream was universally understood and shared. Sadly, that time is gone.

I know you are busy, but is anything more important than your children?

If you are already aware of the dangers, and actively involved in protecting and improving their futures, please pass this on to someone you know who is not engaged. On behalf of my kids and grandkids, I thank you.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Hold me tight
Tell me I’m the only one
And then I might
Never be the lonely one

Hold Me Tight – the Beatles

On a lighter note, here’s an old Beatles recording session including outtakes. Note the Fender Bandmaster amp in the photos – I had one of these way back when, and wish I had kept it – they are worth a fortune today!

I Didn’t Just Fall Off A Turnip Truck

Posted on October 27, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

“No matter what you’ve heard, if you like your health care plan, you will be able to keep your health care plan. Period.”

“Your premiums will go down.”

“We have four dead Americans . . . What difference does it make?”

“We’re the most transparent administration in history . . . so long as I’m president, I won’t stop fighting to eliminate waste and abuse in Washington . . . to eliminate what we don’t need to pay for what we do . . . to rein in exploding deficits . . . and I’m going to keep on fighting for real health insurance reform.”

Here are 65 more lies.

Call me and my conservative friends racists, obstructionists, uneducated “crazies”. Accuse us of being the new Ku Klux Clan.

At least we know better than to believe much of anything this group has to say.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ on the Right Side

Well now I don’t read that daily news
‘Cause it ain’t hard to figure
Where people get the blues
They can’t dig what they can’t use
If they stick to themselves
They’d be much less abused

I Know A Little – Lynyrd Skynyrd

My favorite Skynyrd song! Too much guitar-power for one band – enjoy!

Another Letter From My Friend Barack

Posted on October 14, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard Reply

As you know, I am a friend of Barack Obama. I get an e-mail from him every day (personally addressed to “friend”! That’s me!) asking for $5. He even gave me a cool cell phone, with 250 minutes a month, for free!

Yesterday the letter from my friend Barack was all about how much money he gets from these e-mails. I’ll be happy to share it with you:

This is amazing: 355,367 people have chipped in to own a piece of this movement.

Our average contribution is $59 -- that's as grassroots as it gets.

We're standing up to lawmakers who are doing anything to stand in the way.

Shady groups are spending millions to scare folks out of health care.

http://my.barackobama.com/Report-Back-Q3

The other side will spend millions to maintain the status quo. We’re fighting for change —
chip in $5 or more to support OFA today.

Let’s do some quickie math (I learned that before Common Core). 355,367 people “chipped in” to fight for ObamaCare, times an average contribution of $59. Hmmm, that’s about $20,966,653. I have a question for my friend Barack. Where does this $21 million go? Is anybody keeping an eye on it for you, so it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands?

Barack, I know you’re worried about shady groups trying to scare people out of getting health care. These groups are so scary that women will probably stay home and have their babies on the pool table in their rec rooms, rather than go to a hospital. People will be so afraid of health care that they will fix their own broken arms with sticks and duct tape.

Maybe you should use the money to fix your website so somebody could enroll in your ObamaCare program! Then they won’t be afraid, right?

Today I got a letter from Bill Clinton. It said “Friend – send $3”.

I think I like my friend Bill better.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Best Friend – Harry Nilsson

PLEASE WATCH THE SHORT VIDEO OF ME AND MY FRIEND BARACK!

ObamaCare Navigators – Just Another Political Payback

Posted on October 10, 2013 by Tom Balek Standard 3

obamacare [Update 10/14/13 – it gets uglier by the minute]

[Update 10/13/13 – new related post here, by I-4 Activist Watch]

Lost in all the ObamaCare kerfuffle is the fact that President Obama gave the contracts for “navigators”, those in charge of educating the public about enrollment, to crony left-wing organizations instead of insurance professionals.

This is just one more slap in the face to the taxpayer public, as more and more public funds find their way to the people who campaigned for the president (and still do).

A report in the Missoulian illustrates how Planned Parenthood of Montana received $300,000 from Obama to act as navigators. So far the services rendered are two meetings – one had seven attendees and the other had “less than a half dozen”. But Planned Parenthood is getting a ton of PR in addition to the money, and both will go a long ways toward killing more babies.

The navigators were apparently chosen strictly on the basis of political payback – only Obama community organizer types need apply. In addition to Planned Parenthood, the paybacks also extend to the SEIU and Acorn (yes, the group that was convicted of vote fraud , misappropriating HUD funds, and a host of other ugly crimes.) There are no background checks for navigators – an alarming invitation to identity theft and invasion of privacy as citizens divulge their social security numbers, personal and financial information, and medical details to total strangers, some from groups who are notorious bad actors.

I used to think that blatant, corrupt, under-the-table paybacks from elected officials only happened in banana republic third-world countries. It couldn’t happen here.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Too many people need me
I’ve got so much, So much to do
But when my travelling is over
I’ll pay you back with interest
I’ll pay you back with interest

Pay You Back With Interest – the Hollies