Tag Archives: election

If Obama Wins – Then What, Montana?

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courtesy ConsumerBoomer.com

  • No fracking, drilling, or pipelines – guess what that does to our Montana and US economies – and our future?
  • No coal plants in the US – if we are allowed to mine coal at all, we will probably not be allowed to ship it to the coast by train to meet the huge demand for Asian coal.  Coal dust blows off the train cars, you see.
  • Energy prices will double within a year – (see above).  We will continue to subsidize wind and solar energy companies, electric car manufacturers, and other chosen “winners”, many of whom will not survive economically.
  • $8 per gallon gasoline within two years.  Remember, Energy Secretary Stephen Chu said he wants our gas price to be the same as Europe.
  • At least two more far-left Supreme Court Justices take the bench.
  • Severe restrictions on gun ownership and use (see above – Sotomayor says “the right to possess a gun is clearly not a fundamental right.”)  Hunting on government land is forbidden, and is severely restricted on private land.
  • Health care will be expensive and rare.
  • Government employee unions will rule with impugnity.
  • Inflation will skyrocket as national debt soars and the Fed continues to print funny money.
  • Conservative talk radio, free speech, free internet, and Fox News are toast.  The first amendment fades in our memories, like most Constitutional freedoms.
  • Our government will never again write a budget – as Harry Reid said, “There’s no need to have a Democratic budget in my opinion.”  Budget, schmudget.  They can always print more money and spend it however they want.
  • Obama and his administration will make life hell for everyone who opposed them.  Listen to Valerie Jarrett:

    …Valerie Jarrett is letting it be known that if Barack Obama secures election victory next week, there may be, quite literally, hell to pay for those who opposed him…

    …Jarrett told (staff members) ‘After we win this election, it’s our turn. Payback time.

    Everyone not with us is against us and they better be ready because we don’t forget. The ones who helped us will be rewarded, the ones who opposed us will get what they deserve.

    There is going to be hell to pay. Congress won’t be a problem for us this time. No election to worry about after this is over and we have two judges ready to go.’

    She was talking directly to about three of them. Sr. staff. And she wasn’t trying to be quiet about it at all. And they were all listening and shaking their heads and smiling while she said it…

Obama has promised revenge too. If you ever spoke out against the left, watch your back.

I could go on, but it’s more than I can bear on the night before the most important, and the closest, political race of the modern political era. There is so much at stake. We can only pray for God’s mercy at this point. It may be our last chance before prayer is outlawed.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

So let’s bow our heads and pray –
with the unbelievable ZZ TOP

Have Mercy – and – Jesus Has Left Chicago

Sandy Welch Understands Economic Literacy

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Has there ever been a politician who didn’t tout the importance of a good education system?  I’ve never seen one.  They all agree.

Ask any citizen or businessperson what’s really important for success individually, or as a nation.  The answer will almost certainly include, “a good education.”

I find that education is like the weather – everybody talks about it, but nobody does anything about it.

We now have a chance to do something about education.  We can elect Sandy Welch as Montana Superintendent of Public Instruction.

A former math teacher and a successful school administrator, Welch certainly has the academic chops to qualify her for the position.  More important to me is her understanding of economics.

Schools today fail to equip our students with economic literacy.   We continue to turn out graduates who do not understand the basic facts of economic life, and they are walking targets to any financial or political shyster.  No subject is more critical.  Every American sets out each day to improve his or her family’s standard of living.

Sandy Welch gets it.  Early in her career, she worked for an accounting firm.  She wrote a book about financial fundamentals for teens.   She supports a curriculum that emphasizes a firm, internal understanding of basic economics that will accelerate every student’s success in life.

Welch has a clear understanding of the State Superintendent’s role on the State Land Board.  Unlike the incumbent, Denise Juneau, who lines up with environmentalists in opposition to coal extraction in Montana, Sandy Welch appreciates the importance of resource development to our school funding, and to the state’s economy and jobs.

We don’t do anything about the weather because we can’t change it.   But we can no longer consider education a spectator sport.  It’s time to do something.  We can get involved directly with our student’s coursework and classrooms.  We can participate in school board meetings and provide input to administrators.  We can view our schools as more than athletic venues.

And we can elect Sandy Welch as our next Montana Superintendent of Schools.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

The dancing is kinda weird, but you gotta
love the sound of those great Fender amps –
It’s only two minutes . . . watch this
oldie but goodie by Herman’s Hermits

Don’t know much about geography
Don’t know much trigonometry
Don’t know much about algebra
Don’t know what a slide rule is for
But I do know that one and one is two
And if this one could be with you
What a wonderful world this would be

Why Do Liberals Hate Romney?

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Ask any liberal why he or she doesn’t like Mitt Romney.

You likely won’t get any reason based on policy – most liberals don’t do the homework required to articulate any policy position.  The main complaint I hear is, “He’s just another rich white guy, who got his money by taking advantage of poor people.”

A few will say they just can’t support him because he’s a Mormon.  And now, after the debate, some say Romney is a liar, although anybody who looks closely sees a straight-laced family man, and the accusations are based on what his opponents claim about him, rather than anything he has said himself.

Throughout history there have always been rich people.  Always will be.  Admittedly, some people became wealthy by taking advantage of others – including many public officials.

Harry Reid, for instance, came from very humble beginnings.  He never held a private job, choosing instead a career in politics.  He is now one of the wealthiest members of Congress, on the modest salary of a public servant, leaving a slime trail of corruption behind him .

Ask any liberal why he or she likes Harry Reid.  Again, you likely won’t get any reason based on policy.  They just like him.

Barack Obama is also wealthy.  Liberals love him.  He’s a rich, black guy.  He was briefly employed in the private sector, but his legal work mainly centered on government-related issues.  He made some money writing and selling two autobiographies which were successful because of his involvement in government.

So, liberals.  Do you dislike Romney because he is rich?  No, Obama is rich and you like him.  Do you dislike Romney because he is white?  No, Harry Reid is white and you like him.  Do you dislike Romney because he is a Mormon?  No, Reid is a Mormon, too.  And rich.

Maybe liberals dislike Romney because they now think he is a liar.  Well, no, that can’t be right – they love Bill Clinton, and he was impeached by Congress for lying.  Oh, and he is rich.  And white.

Some say liberals vote for the candidate who promises them the most stuff.  I pray for the future of our kids if it’s true.  That’s just immoral.

I have no problem with a person becoming wealthy.  In fact, deep inside, I think even most liberals believe in the American Dream.  What is important, though, is how a person becomes wealthy.

I rather like the idea of having a leader who has built wealth with his own skill, judgment, and hard work, and especially if he helped others achieve wealth and success.  We need leaders who possess economic skills and don’t need to enrich themselves via government.

Why does that bug liberals so much?

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

I had the privilege of meeting
David Clayton-Thomas a few years ago –
a great musician and a very, very nice man

Yes, the strong get more,
While the weak ones fade.
Empty pockets don’t ever make the grade.
Mama may have, Papa may have,
But God bless the child that’s got his own!
That’s got his own.

God Bless the Child – Blood Sweat and Tears

Simon Says

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Can we take a break from politics for a minute?

Sometimes I think it’s good to stop and think about what’s really important to us.  I know you care deeply about the direction of our nation, and the upcoming elections, and the battle of beliefs.  And I think I know why you care.

It’s all about the ones we love.

We conservatives are into facts, organization, and logic.  Our liberal friends base their judgments on feelings.  It’s hard for us to understand each other.  Can an artist be a conservative?  Can a progressive be logical?  Do conservatives have a heart?

As a musician and songwriter, and a conservative, it’s an ongoing struggle for me, with one foot grounded in the world of hard numbers and reality, and the other mired in poetry and hope.

I’d like you to listen to a song written by perhaps the most brilliant American songwriter of our generation, Paul Simon.  Whether you are a conservative or a progressive, I’ll bet you connect on a gut level with Simon’s observations about our deepest human emotions – the depth of passion for a partner or spouse, the insecurity and doubt about the choices we have made, and the unspeakable love a parent has for his or her child.

Please enjoy the work of an American master songwriter, Paul Simon.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Do You Vote By Color?

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I have enjoyed some outstanding speakers on television from the Republican convention.

Condi Rice was firm, clear and decisive about the importance of maintaining our military strength in the face of a “chaotic and dangerous world”.  And she hit the nail on the head when she said, “When the world looks at us today, they see an American government that cannot live within its means.  They see a government that continues to borrow money, mortgaging the future of generations to come.”  I’m a huge Condi Rice fan.

But I wouldn’t vote for her or support her just because she’s black.

I was impressed by Puerto Rico’s young and very bright governor, Luis Fortuño.  He has proved Paul Ryan’s contention that “we can do this”.  “We cut government expenses by almost 20 percent, starting with my own salary,” Fortuño said.  “We reduced our deficit 90 percent, while continuing to invest in our schools, hospitals, and highways.  At the same time, we slashed taxes 50 percent on individuals and 30 percent on businesses, the largest tax cuts in Puerto Rico’s history.  And our private sector – the real economy – began to create jobs again.”  As I listened I realized that this is a government leader who ‘gets it’.

But I wouldn’t vote for him or support him just because he’s Hispanic.

Nikki Haley is a pistol.  I couldn’t help but grin when she talked about “watching that first brand new, mac daddy plane rolling onto the runway sporting a ‘Made With Pride In South Carolina’ decal and surrounded by 6,000 nonunion employees, cheering, smiling and so proud of what they had built.”  And I felt pride in America hearing how her family came from India and muscled together a $30 million company that started in their living room.

But I wouldn’t vote for her or support her just because she is a woman.  Or from an immigrant family.

I could care less what color our political leaders are, or where they were born, or whether they cry at sad movies.

I just want people who understand the realities of economics, love the USA, and are LEADERS.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

Said the fight to make ends meet
Keeps a man upon his feet
Holding down his job
Trying to show he can’t be bought

Ooh, it takes every kind of people
To make what life’s about, yeah
Every kind of people
To make the world go ’round

Every Kind of People – Robert Palmer

Paul Ryan – Honorary “Old Bean Counter”

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Today’s selection of Paul Ryan as Mitt Romney’s running mate is encouraging to me.  Not because I have any great insight as to which candidate gives Romney the best chance of beating Obama this fall – I don’t know anything about the art of politics.

What I do know is that our nation’s greatest problem is the state of our economy – the debt, the sagging GDP, the drop in productivity, the unemployment rate, declining personal wealth and income, and the inability of our government to change its failed fiscal policies.   If we solve our economic problems, most of our other problems will solve themselves.

On this blog you’ve heard me opine about how us “Old Bean Counters” could get things straightened out.  I feel like Ryan is one of us.  Not so much old, but he is definitely a Bean Counter.

He stands alone as the only person in DC able to produce a do-able budget that points to a brighter future (although I would advocate a more aggressive turnaround).  He knows that any successful business – or government – must be run by the numbers.  Not by feelings, or wishes, or diplomacy, or hope.

Ryan has shown that he is practical, realistic, and optimistic.  He is able to cut to the chase and make a decision.  He knows how to hold people and processes accountable through controls.  Our government is no different from a business – Dollars In, Dollars Out.  Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.

From the somewhat benign position of vice president, Ryan would not be able to make sweeping changes on his own.  But the fact that Romney chose him indicates to me that Mitt “gets it”.  He is a realist, and he knows that straightening out the economy must be top priority.

So in addition to his veep candidacy, I would also like to hereby nominate Paul Ryan for the lofty position of “Chief Bean Counter”.  We need ya, buddy.

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

‘Cause he’s oh, so good,
And he’s oh, so fine,
And he’s oh, so healthy,
In his body and his mind.
He’s a well respected man about town,
Doing the best things so conservatively.

A Well Respected Man – the Kinks

 

How Stupid Do They Think We Are?

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Last night I got an amusing “push poll” telephone call from the Democrats about the Montana governor’s race.

From Wikipedia: A push poll is an interactive marketing technique, most commonly employed during political campaigning, in which an individual or organization attempts to influence or alter the view of respondents under the guise of conducting a poll. Little or no effort is made to collect and analyze response data. Instead, the push poll is a form of telemarketing-based propaganda and rumor mongering, masquerading as a poll.

The use of push polls as a political tactic has grown tremendously in recent years, as campaigns have realized that direct marketing calls on behalf of their candidates just don’t work.  Depending on the political orientation of the receiver, honest political messages either “preach to the choir” or are summarily rejected.  So the campaigns must rely on deceit to win votes.

I rather enjoy receiving a push poll call, especially from “the other side”, because it gives me insight into how stupid the political organizations think we are.

Would you say this call makes you annoyed, disgusted, or homicidal?

I always ask the telemarketer (usually a young, oh-so-polite female) if she can identify who commissioned the poll, knowing that the answer will be:  “I’m sorry, but I am not allowed to know who is requesting this information – I just work for the XYZ Research Company.”

This call started out with the usual classification queries: do I consider myself a Democrat, Republican, or Independent?  If I had to vote today, would I vote for Hill (the Republican) or Bullock (the Democrat)?   Then came the obligatory effort to feign neutrality by asking a few mildly provocative questions about each party’s candidate.

And then the fun began.  “Please state the level of your concern when you hear the following question:  It has been reported that Rick Hill has supported euthanizing all senior citizens and wants to cut education budgets by eliminating cafeterias and making children eat insects for lunch in the school restrooms.  Would you say you are very concerned, somewhat concerned, concerned, not very concerned, or not at all concerned?”

It’s tempting to “mess with” the caller.  “Well, it depends on how much we have to spend on those insects . . .”   But the girl on the other end of the phone is just a kid making minimum wage, totally oblivious to what she is doing, or why.  I usually try to gently educate, but I can’t claim much success.

The “poll” questions are always multiple-choice.  Just once I wish I could answer fill-in-the-blank.  My answer would be:  “How stupid do you think we are?”

Tom Balek – Rockin’ On the Right Side

What kind of fool
(What kind of fool do you think I am)
Do you think I am now
(What kind of fool do you think I am)

What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am) – the Tams