Will America Survive?

For the first time in my life, I am afraid for the future of America. Not only do we remain deeply divided, but many of the current happenings place our future in jeopardy. To name a few:

We are short of water, electric and potentially natural gas, but building goes on unbridled.

The current administration shut down a key pipeline project, cut off others, halted oil production, yet we are dependent on foreign oil when we could become energy independent. 

Governmental entities, state, local and federal are mandating renewable energy sources such as wind and solar. Some are forbidding natural gas in new homes. However even the top experts say we cannot be self-sustaining on those sources; the wind does not blow at sustained speeds all the time, turbines are subject to catastrophic failure, and on dark, rainy or snowy days the solar output is often negligible. California for one is all agog at getting everyone in an electric car, while they have power grid failures all the time, and are frequently asking people to conserve as the grid is overloaded. And on housing...how can we sustain all those new all-electric homes with such a fragile national grid? For some levity, after California dumped all their fossil fueled plants, when the grid was close to blackout they added more...yes..natural gas peaker plants to supplement energy, and will build more. What a joke! 

We have a housing shortage but truly “affordable” housing is a myth in many areas. A working family making $100,000 combined salary can hardly afford a home in an area nobody wants to live in.   

The current open border policy continues to allow huge numbers of unvetted illegal migrants to enter the country. Most will end up living on the government dole and we don’t even know how many who enter have terrorist leanings.

Lies and innuendo pervade Washington, with the current administration disavowing the Afghanistan debacle and the future terrorist issues we will face. 13 Americans were sent to their death and during their transfer to American soil, our demented president couldn’t tear himself away from looking at his watch. What an affront to those who died protecting American lives during that tumultuous time, and their devastated families.   

There is a shortage of workers because the government made it easier to sit at home instead of working. This impacts every lower and middle echelon occupation from restaurant workers to truck drivers.

Speaking of truck drivers, gasoline and fuel oils in many areas are in short supply because no truck drivers are available to move it to market. Same with many food chains who cannot get drivers to move groceries to the stores.

Crime has mushroomed in the cities and has spread to the suburbs as well. The number of homicides is out of control; imagine 60 shootings in a weekend in your city, as it was in Chicago this past weekend. The anti-gun folks want you to believe it's because of legal gun ownership and want to decimate the Second Amendment, while turning that blind eye to the criminals who commit this violence. Illegal guns on the street are the problem; most gun related crimes take place with a stolen gun or one that has been "ghosted" and is untraceable. Not what a legal gun owner has. But while the far left cries foul when anyone is stereotyped or broad brushed with a moniker, they don't mind broad brushing legal gun owners as criminals. And when the multitude of shootings and murders is in black and Hispanic neighborhoods, why does it become a white problem when the politicians in those cities, mostly black themselves, fail to address the problem and blame it on "white oppression". 

Why is it that antifa, Black Lives Matter and other far left organizations seem to have no accountability for mayhem; those in political power refuse to have them arrested, charged and prosecuted, yet more than willing to spend millions or more to identify, capture and prosecute anyone who dares fall on the right? Why is it "First Amendment" rights to maim, loot and destroy, but not tolerated if a white person has something to say? They are then deemed to be "racist" or a "white supremacist" even though they just want their voice to be heard too. Why is arson, property damage, destruction of public property and injury to others all okay if the leftists do it, but when confronted by people who believe in the law, they are wrong? Something has gone very wrong in the way the law is being addressed in America.

Law enforcement officers are retiring or leaving the profession in record numbers. Vilified by the far left government and media, those who risk it all every day to protect our land have become fed up. People want the police to have their backs when trouble comes visiting, but won’t stand up and have the officers back when some low life or politician makes him, instead of the criminal, to be the bad guy.

Fewer people working and contributing to Social Security means the system will run out of funds many years sooner than predicted, leaving many who depend on that meager income in jeopardy. Current estimates are that by 2035, the benefits will be lowered to 75% of current benefit levels. In addition, those not yet of retirement age will find their future Social Security benefits reduced because they are not working and contributing. And, the politicians see Social Security as a political football, so they don’t fix the system at all. Increasing taxes, and benefits, on those high wage earners, over a million dollars for example, would buoy up the system to solvency. But God forbid the politicians tax their big donation benefactors. They would turn a blind eye until the inevitable failure occurs.  

Speaking of Social Security, the programs to target and prosecute scammers on Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income is dismal. Tens of billions of tax dollars are diverted to scammers every year and the actual rate of successful prosecution is minuscule.

Medicare is another political football. Each year Washington spends billions massaging the plan to make it less effective and penalizing physicians who actually care for their patients. When Medicaid, a social program that serves indigents and illegal immigrants as well as welfare recipients pays better than Medicare, many doctors are no longer accepting Medicare patients. Sad when those are the people who likely need care, especially preventive care, the most. When an illegal immigrant can get a kidney transplant, while an American citizen waits, is just incomprehensible.

Veterans, who laid it all on the line for America, continue to be short changed. The Veteran’s Administration is short-handed and overwhelmed with the healthcare needs of veterans. Getting an urgent care or dental emergency appointment is impossible, leaving either a self-pay or simply going without care if one cannot afford the out of pocket payments. Veterans who were exposed to toxic agents and other ravages of war wait decades for adjudication of claims; many die long before they receive any payment that is due. Agent Orange veterans suffered for many decades while Washington battled whether to give them the care and benefits they were due. Imagine being exposed in 1961 or even as late as 1971 and being denied benefits until 2020? That’s what happened with the Blue Water Navy operation off the cost of Vietnam. Even the “Brown Water Navy” who operated in and around the coastal waters and rivers didn’t receive recognition until 2011.

Taxation of those who are honest and pay their taxes will become yet another burden as the unbridled spending in Washington continues. The promise to increase tax only on those who make over $400,000 annually is a lie; trickle down politics will end up costing all taxpayers in the end. And those with multi-million dollar incomes have means to shelter their income against taxes. Many have moved money offshore to avoid taxes at all. “Jeff Bezos, chief executive of Amazon and the owner of The Washington Post, paid $973 million in taxes on $4.22 billion in income, as his wealth soared by $99 billion, resulting in a 0.98% “true tax rate.” Jun 8, 2021.  Another political football as the incumbents don’t want to rattle their sponsors. 

Why do we send millions and billions of dollars to foreign countries that hate us, and happily accept the money because we are fools? What was once the strongest nation on earth has become a folly and fodder for shame and humiliation worldwide. It's inconceivable we sent money to the Taliban after leaving Afghanistan! On Sept 13, 2021 the US sent 64 million dollars to Afghanistan as part of a humanitarian aid package. And the UN whined about needing 600 million. And, get this, the Taliban said we need to give more because we have it! They took the country…let them deal with it! When did it become in vogue to give aid and assistance to an enemy?

Where are we headed? I have no clue. We are on a severe downward slide that appears to have no end. Criminality appears to be okay as long as a person is of color or otherwise non-white is involved. If a Caucasian or other race is shot righteously by the police it’s not even mentioned, but if that person is of color, it becomes a protest, riot or whatever you want to call it. The race card is thrown at every opportunity, turning races against each other. That fermentation of discord is fostered by those in Washington, especially the “Squad” comprised of people who actually seem to hate America while holding office as “elected” officials. When did it become their right to hate the country they were elected to serve? When did the criminals and illegals have more rights than a law abiding citizen? 

I am more than worried for sure...only time will tell how America fares...and it doesn't look promising right now. 

A country deeply divided

America is no longer a united country. In the past 18 months or so we became a deeply divided troubled country that has allowed what were heretofore splinter groups to take over, overrule the majority, and force their will on our citizens.Everything now hinges on race or some perceived "right" to do whatever they want. Miscreants protest that they have the right to free speech and want their First Amendment rights, as they scream profanities in your face, but do it back and you seem to have no right to free speech. A far left radical can speak anti-American rhetoric and hate to your children in school, yet if your child, or you protest, you will be ostracized and ridiculed. Something went way wrong in how our Constitution and laws are interpreted.  

The far left has not only allowed, but actually fostered, violence in our streets. Leftist politicians have goaded on and supported violent groups that have destroyed tens of millions dollars in property, looted, injured people, and left what were beautiful cities a shambles. Police were forced by politicians to stand by and watch the carnage and not to act as they had been trained, to maintain peace and order.Cancel culture is destroying our history, some which was not to pretty, but history all the same. Just because someone doesn't like what happened is no reason to change it. And worse, absolutely no reason to allow it to be changed to some unicorn and rainbow idea to assuage some splinter group.

Citizens and police are assaulted, and when arrests are made, the left leaning district attorneys and politicians collude to let them loose with no charges. The miscreants then go out and do it again. The no bail system allows hardened criminals to roam the streets free of concern they will be in jail with a high or no bail. A true catch and release system with virtual impunity to the offenders.

The leftist politicians, including governors such as Newsom of California, have opened the prison doors and allowed those who should be behind bars to live among us, continuing their criminal activity without fear of the police or prison. Numerous convicts have been released from jail, only to murder, rape and otherwise cause mayhem upon the citizens of our country. One city in California wants to drop all “enhanced gun charges’ that were imposed on criminals who used a firearm during a crime. Their logic? That it is unfair because 89% of people in prison for a firearms enhancement are of color! That should speak volumes in itself…when statistics show that many crimes are committed by people of color the incarceration levels sure seem commensurate?

The widely held belief by the left that criminals are the result of poor upbringing and just maladjusted is bullshit to say the least. They don't bother to tell you that many are the result of fatherless homes where the mother has a dozen kids with "baby daddies" who never take responsibility for their offspring, generations of welfare recipients who never work but generate income by birthing more children they won't take care of. And a system that won't force fathers to contribute to their child's living expenses and require birth control to stem the huge populations of unwanted children.  And, regardless of race, color or origin, parenting is a lost skill among many families. Parents are too much trying to either "keep up with the Jones'" or just so self-centered they don't take the time to be real parents. Many parents want to be their child's friend instead of a guardian and mentor. Latchkey children have become the norm, rather than unusual. Babies dumped in daycare from infancy to the time they go to school; then taught by teachers who are no longer the true mentors of children. Many intelligent parents no longer trust the education system with their children due to the far left and hate America curriculum.

 Educators use the leftist, Marxist and communist ideas to indoctrinate and brainwash children from the time they enter school. Teaching a child they can be whatever sex they choose at any time, or be sexless, and change it at will is ludicrous. Fostering the idea that any sexual deviancy or alleged preference is "normal" and should be embraced by all? Respect and tolerate but embrace? Putting forth educational materials that require children to not only accept, but embrace other lifestyles, is not what most parents want. However, with the parental abdication of responsibility that is so prevalent, they leave the door wide open to this type of teaching and forced conformity. A child that does not accept what they are being fed is ostracized and often retaliated against for not following the line. Kind of what happened in China and Russia where people were sent to concentration camps for not following the "party" line. How far are we from that?

Our elected officials, and I use the term “elected” loosely, have manipulated and bastardized the voting system to push into office people who actually hate America, and who spend their time on the taxpayer’s money spewing vitriol against the American people. The “squad” in our nation’s capital is a perfect example of people who were elected by those who could care less about the country, but rather themselves and what they can get for free. When an elected official can spew hate against America and not be censured or ousted, you can see where we are heading. The Democrats are protecting the haters and penalizing those who would dare speak against them.  

The police are aggressively targeted by criminals because they are supported by far left wing politicians and groups, whose sole purpose is to destroy the America we loved. When antifa or Black Lives Matter riot, destroy loot and injure, they are allowed to do so with impunity. Yet when a police officer legitimately strikes at one, they are disciplined, criminally charged and often fired, based on the complaints of minority groups.  It seems the far left has made it okay to shoot an officer but if one shoots a criminal armed with a gun, the far left caves to the cell phone video of an alleged witness, and the officer becomes the victim of a merciless crusade to destroy him and his career. The activists state that all police are bad, but if someone says that all blacks are criminals the uproar is unbelievable. Of course, neither statement is true; there are a few bad apples in every barrel, but the leftist narrative pushes the bad cop agenda every time. Guess they never read the stats.

The far left wants everyone to believe guns are the problem in this country, but not the criminals who have them. They believe it's necessary to register those with legal ownership of firearms, try to confiscate them, but that doesn't dissuade the criminals from having a gun and using it. When an elderly woman who steals a few cans of cat food that she intends to eat, because she didn't want to take the tuna that was more expensive,  receives a harsher jail term than a career criminal who beats someone senseless and takes their wallet, the system is way more than broken. 

We have become a country where work ethic is failing, where simply demanding more gets the attention and action of politicians who just want a vote. Instead of handing out free alcohol at the polls, they promise more freebies for the lazy and ungrateful.  Those who demand everything free are getting what they demand, and the administration has no idea how they will pay the piper when time comes due. Those who were never slaves demand reparations from people who never owned slaves, yet the politicians will spend millions figuring out a "fair" way to give those people money for something they never witnessed or endured. 

People who took out student loans and remained in school for a decade or more taking useless courses, some to avoid real work, now demand the student loans be forgiven. Yet they have done nothing to deserve it; just more far left rhetoric from politicians to promise something for nothing. Veterans who were willing to give their life for their country didn't have their GI Bill loans cancelled...they just keep paying. 

Senior citizens have gotten the bad end of the stick for years. In California, Governor Gruesome Newsom has handed out millions in funds to illegals and low income families yet senior citizens, many whom live way below the poverty line, got nothing.  The Governor found that allowing people to take the child credits and other credits not available to seniors could entitle them to money in the form of tax rebates. I can only hope the recall against this useless politician is successful. 

 Housing is certainly in short supply, but the infrastructure to support new housing is woefully inadequate. In California, for example (as well as many other states) electricity demand already outstrips production and rolling blackouts and outright shut downs are not uncommon. Water is in severe shortage due to the numerous droughts with no rain in the foreseeable future that could help fill the reservoirs. But the politicians constantly approve new housing developments, some with a thousand or more homes. In 2020 for example, there were 59,000 single family homes and 47,000 multiple housing units (apartments and condos) for a total of 106,000 new homes built. Yet there is no water and a sparse supply of electricity. To add comic relief of sorts, the politicians want to cut the credits and credit for excess generation from solar panels people already own, so they can give more freebies to people who don't have solar. Guess they see anyone who bought solar an elitist and deserving of flogging by the electric company! Nobody seems to recognize how much solar cost people to install, even on modest homes it was a mandated expense to have it installed  on all new homes as of January 2020. So, instead of selling power back to the grid, people have installed batteries for their nighttime use, or stopped conserving at all, which will make the electric problem worse. Nice work, politicos!

There was a time when many of us would lay down our lives for our country. Many did, some of whom were friends and colleagues. The times now dictate we would lay down our lives to protect our families from what this country has become. What a sad commentary on how America has devolved. Our current administration in Washington DC is pushing, not leading, our country into an abyss we will never crawl out of.

 

Veterans Day 2020

The 11^th hour of the 11^th day of the 11^th month in 1918. That’s when the Armistice was signed, signaling the official end of World War I. For years it was called Armistice Day and honored our men and women who served our country so valiantly in the defeat of Germany. In 1954, the name was changed to Veterans Day.

Those who served, and continue to serve our country, come from every walk of life. Age, color, creed, national origin or political beliefs aren’t of importance when you are facing an enemy on the battlefield. They all work as brothers and sisters in arms with a common goal, protecting the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, and helping give the oppressed and enslaved the opportunity of freedom.   Many are injured, sickened, maimed or killed as a result of their service; unselfish sacrifices made by those who keep our freedoms intact, and fighting for people they will never know. Many residents in the United States owe their life here to those who fought in their countries to give them a chance at a better life.

Veterans' Day isn't simply an identified moment in time. It's a day where every one of us needs to thank those who served this great country, both the living and those who have passed on. Those of us who served will never forget them; please take a moment to remember them too

 I know this is Canadian but it is so appropriate to honor all those who sacrificed so much for our nation and the world. Please remember and honor all veterans on November 11. 

The Thin Blue Line

It's a very sad time for the Thin Blue Line. The left portrays them as crazed killers, the liberal media portrays them as hired thugs, politicians see them as a pawn to use in maintaining their personal status quo, and the "activists" use them as a stepping stone to further their own warped agenda.

Officers getting hit by explosives, lasers and Molotov cocktails is okay, but cops firing less lethal munitions or crowd control gas is inhumane. Take away crowd control means and then tell them they cannot use deadly force. Meanwhile, the citizens who deserve protection and service get screwed as the politicians keep them from doing their job the right way. When a cop is murdered there might be a one-line somewhere in the press; when a thug is righteously dispatched they get front page coverage and the cops are denigrated and vilified.

Brothers and sisters, you have become cannon fodder in a war you don't have options to fight. When did it become okay to have a politician say you simply stand and be hit, assaulted, abused and killed? When did it become okay for politicians to stand by and watch their cities be destroyed? 

I don't have the answers but by God's help, we need to turn this around fast. Time is running out on the America we love and cherish and are willing to lay down our lives for. Yes, willing to sacrifice for America and not some scumbag politicians.

Priority Mail...isn't!

 I sent a package to the east coast and sent it three day Priority Mail. It took 8 days! Someone sent me a package from the east coast 3 day Priority Mail and it took over a week. Now I ordered stamps from the USPS and guess what? They sent them Priority Mail and here it is a week later and nothing. From the damned Postal Service no less. They cannot get their own parcels or envelopes in a timely manner! 

Okay, what goes on? I heard that because so many commercial flights are cancelled due to COVID-19, there are fewer planes to ship Priority Mail which usually goes via air. So the postal service ships by ground and it then takes at least a week coast to coast, or in the case of the stamps, a week or more from the Midwest to California. Of course you have to pay the same outrageous Priority Mail fee regardless of how they decide to send your package or letter. In contacting the USPS their answer is wait ten more days and then file a claim. Idiots!

UPS and FedEx use their own planes so they don't do this. If you ship two day air it goes by air. Ship ground and it goes ground. They guarantee their services and the post office does not. Unless you use Express Mail they could care less about timely service. And good luck in making a claim for lost or undelivered packages. They take an eternity, IF you ever get reimbursed, and make you think you did something wrong rather than them. And of course, your postage cost is gone forever. 

When mailing for the holidays, ship early. I am talking about right after Thanksgiving or even sooner. If their current handling of mail and parcels is any indication of their performance, two weeks or more could become the norm. Maybe if they would get rid of the dead wood at the post offices and distribution centers we could have Amazon like performance for a decent cost. Of course, that will never happen. The unions protect the dead wood and I know from people who are actually good workers how difficult it is to get rid of a poor or non-performing employee in the postal service.

Insanity is ruling America

"This morning, I realized that everything is about to change. No matter how I vote, no matter what I say, lives are never going to be the same.

I have been confused by the hostility of family and friends. I look at people I have known all my life so hate-filled that they agree with opinions they would never express as their own. I think that I may well have entered the Twilight Zone.

You can't justify this insanity. We have become a nation that has lost its collective mind!

We see other countries going Socialist and collapsing, but it seems like a great plan to us.

Somehow, it’s un-American for the census to count how many Americans are in America.

People who say there is no such thing as gender are demanding a female President.

Universities that advocate equality, discriminate against Asian-Americans in favor of African-Americans.

Some people are held responsible for things that happened before they were born and other people are not held responsible for what they are doing right now.

Criminals are caught-and-released to hurt more people, but stopping them is bad because it's a violation of THEIR rights.

People who have never owned slaves should pay slavery reparations to people who have never been slaves.

If a dude pretends to be a woman, you are required to pretend with him.

It was cool for Joe Biden to "blackmail" the President of Ukraine, but it’s an impeachable offense if Donald Trump inquires about it.

People who have never been to college should pay the debts of college students who took out huge loans for their degrees.

Immigrants with tuberculosis, HIV, and polio are welcome, but you’d better be able to prove your dog is vaccinated.

Irish doctors and German engineers who want to immigrate to the US must go through a rigorous vetting process, but any illiterate gang-bangers who jump the southern fence are welcome.

$5 billion for border security is too expensive, but $1.5 trillion for "free" health care is not.

If you cheat to get into college you go to prison, but if you cheat to get into the country you go to college for free.

And, pointing out all this hypocrisy somehow makes us "racists"!

Nothing makes sense anymore, no values, no morals, no civility and people are dying of a Chinese virus, but it is racist to refer to it as Chinese even though it began in China.

We are clearly living in an upside down world where right is wrong and wrong is right, where moral is immoral and immoral is moral, where good is evil and evil is good, where killing murderers is wrong, but killing innocent babies is right.

Wake up America, the great unsinkable ship Titanic America has hit an iceberg, is taking on water and sinking fast.

The choice is yours to make. What will it be? Time is short, make your choice wisely!"

Bring back trade schools!

It seems in today's world, the old fashioned trade or technical school has vanished from the landscape. In its place have mushroomed public learning venues that fail to teach young Americans the basics of survival, work ethic and earning a living with their hands as well as their minds. In its place has become the sterile environment of a classroom, where children sit in rows, many holding electronic devices, and what may be called a mindless educational system. Classes formed to brainwash children into whatever the current mold of education seems to be...teach them that anything is okay as long as the left says it's good. Feed them information that sexual aberration is acceptable, that they can be boys or girls or neither or both as they desire, and can change depending on what their mindset is for the day. Teach that God is bad but evil is good, that criminal behavior is acceptable, and those who commit crime are doing so because they have been "marginalized" by society and have no other recourse. That incarceration of criminals is evil, and that drug use is okay. That protest with violence is okay if you get your message across, but the police enforcing the law are bad.

We NEED trade schools again. Teach children how to work and be inventive and creative. Learn how to shape a piece of wood into a piece of furniture or a knick-knack, build a house, repair an automobile engine or car body, fix a furnace, work on sheet metal, wire a house or factory, repair electronics, do metallurgy, and so much more. Working with your hands and seeing what you created is so rewarding and leads to a more satisfying life. I went to a trade school and learned skills I still use 60 years later. I can still install electrical wiring, wire lights, troubleshoot electrical circuits and more. I first learned these skills in a trade school at the age of 13 and in four years became a pretty decent electrician had I decided to continue my path in that vein. Those are skills that will live with me forever. I have friends who have very successful careers as electricians, carpenters, auto mechanics, and even scientists based on their education in that trade school.

We now place our children in front of a computer or tablet and allow that to be their teacher, mentor and amusement all in one. Whatever is placed in front of them kids will absorb like a sponge. Teach children to sit in front of that device and accept all that it spews is like allowing your child to be in the care of an electronic genie who suddenly pops forth and seems to know everything. And it will teach children many things you may disagree with, but have no control over, unless YOU take control.

Teaching diversity should be done at home, not in school or over some device. It needs to be a conversation parents have with their children on how to be a good citizen and a good human being. How to accept other people based on the individual, and not some stereotype of race, color or creed. Teach children that crime is always wrong regardless of the reason someone gives for their behavior. Teach children love of self, others and love of country. Teach them they can be whatever they accede to if they work hard and strive for it. Teach them the values of saving for a rainy day, sharing with others, and making it on their own.

Teach them that failure is their own choice, as is success. Working through failure is part of the road to success, and that the bumps in that road teach a valuable lesson in overcoming adversity. That challenges are a part of life and never to give up trying. 

We need to fix our schools as well. Stop allowing teachers and "professors" to teach socialist and communist propaganda to our children. Parents need to become more involved in what their children are learning. Stand up for your kids; don't abdicate the raising of your children to a school or electronic device that doesn't have your family values.