If voters across the country are not thinking about the economy, they should be.
Mr. Obama has generated deficits of $1 trillion each year he has been in office.
Our overall debt has grown 50 percent under his leadership.
And I use the word "leadership" sarcastically – because I don’t think he has a clue.
He is a professor and a community organizer and was overrated at both jobs. He never has turned a profit nor has he made a payroll. He doesn’t understand the private sector. As for politics, he never even ran a legislative committee in the state legislature of Illinois. That is part of his record.
Here is some more of it: He has invested lots of taxpayer dollars in the economy in the last four years: Solyndra (bankrupt), Beacon Power (bankrupt), Abound Solar (bankrupt), Amonix Solar (bankrupt), Spectra Watt (bankrupt) and Eastern Energy (bankrupt). It seems what he does best is to lose our money! Billions wasted on dumb investments, usually linked someway to a friend or contributor. No jobs created here.
Look at his opponent, Mitt Romney; he is a genuine leader. His private sector company has made many companies better and more successful, doing billions of dollars in business, and created thousands of jobs. Examples: AMC Entertainment, Burger King, Burlington Coat, Clear Channel Communications, Domino Pizza, Dunkin Donuts, Sports Authority, Staples, Toys R Us, Warner Music Group.
Mr. Romney understands how business works. He CAN grow the economy, which means he CAN get the federal budget under control and reduce the federal deficit. That means our economy will stabilize and begin to grow rapidly again. And private business can and will hire millions of workers again. The American economic engine can once again lead the world forward, creating more prosperity for our country and give us sound government and reasonable politics.
Easy choice!
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Why I'm voting Romney and Ryan
My choice next month is Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan ...
During the preliminary months of the current presidential campaign, I was focused on the Republican side of the ticket. (Of course, the incumbent had the Democratic nomination bagged.) And I will admit Mitt Romney was not my first choice on the GOP side. But he ran the gauntlet that is the primary season, and he won fair and square, on his merits. So I will support him.
But I didn’t know a lot about Romney, I’ll admit.
Then a friend of mine gave me a fact sheet he had compiled from his own research, with nothing coming from any Romney website; so all his information was independently developed. (A long way of saying, it is not "spun" stuff). Independent verification is important, because Mr Romney’s reputation has been attacked fiercely by Mr Obama’s crew, in the usual way of Chicago-style politics as routinely practiced by Obama. Romney has been methodically pilloried by his opponent with misstatements, innuendo and outright lies for months.
But I believe Romney has real qualifications for the job; let’s take a look:
He is well-educated, including two master's degrees from Harvard, one in business and one in law. He was well-prepared for a business career, and he has been very successful as a businessman. His opponent, of course, heaps scorn upon him for this success. Standard Chicago stuff ...
But I don’t. I think Romney is knowledgeable and capable and has real experience in the real economy. (Class warfare as practiced by Mr. Obama has no place in our national politics.) What is important about candidates for president is their motivation, not their wealth; their ability and attitude, not their sociology and religion. Above all, their character and vision for the country. Romney has the necessary qualities and values.
The man has truly accomplished things, unlike his opponent. Mr. Romney turned around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah when called upon to do so: balanced the budget, put on successful events, ending with a $100 million profit – a very rare occurrence for Olympic events! He earned more than $1 million for his work – and gave it all to charity.
He was elected governor of Massachusetts, running on the Republican ticket in a heavily Democratic state. He then developed a genuine working relationship with a Democratically dominated state legislature and accomplished true bi-partisan political goals, not make-believe ones: balanced the budget, while cutting tax rates (19 times), but had increased tax revenues
(!! Yes, it can be done…), and developed a state health care program that ended freeloading on the system (now everyone pays something – which is why the program was enacted).
Mr. Romney clearly believes in "service over self" when those choices have been his. He knows he is wealthy beyond any possible need he might face, so he has consistently:
• served his church for years without compensation.
• gave $4 million to charity in 2011; $3 million in 2010.
• has pledged to return ALL of his presidential salary if elected to the Treasury as a gift.
• has turned down enrollment in Medicare because he can pay his own way.
• has turned down the Social Security payments for which he is eligible because he can pay
his own way.
He has a clear vision for our country based in mainstream American values. He is not radical, either to the right or to the left. He understands the American dream and will work to re-establish the conditions in this country that make it possible for people to achieve it by their dedication and hard work.
Most importantly, he will preserve the American Republic and serve it diligently!
That’s why I will vote for Romney and Ryan.
During the preliminary months of the current presidential campaign, I was focused on the Republican side of the ticket. (Of course, the incumbent had the Democratic nomination bagged.) And I will admit Mitt Romney was not my first choice on the GOP side. But he ran the gauntlet that is the primary season, and he won fair and square, on his merits. So I will support him.
But I didn’t know a lot about Romney, I’ll admit.
Then a friend of mine gave me a fact sheet he had compiled from his own research, with nothing coming from any Romney website; so all his information was independently developed. (A long way of saying, it is not "spun" stuff). Independent verification is important, because Mr Romney’s reputation has been attacked fiercely by Mr Obama’s crew, in the usual way of Chicago-style politics as routinely practiced by Obama. Romney has been methodically pilloried by his opponent with misstatements, innuendo and outright lies for months.
But I believe Romney has real qualifications for the job; let’s take a look:
He is well-educated, including two master's degrees from Harvard, one in business and one in law. He was well-prepared for a business career, and he has been very successful as a businessman. His opponent, of course, heaps scorn upon him for this success. Standard Chicago stuff ...
But I don’t. I think Romney is knowledgeable and capable and has real experience in the real economy. (Class warfare as practiced by Mr. Obama has no place in our national politics.) What is important about candidates for president is their motivation, not their wealth; their ability and attitude, not their sociology and religion. Above all, their character and vision for the country. Romney has the necessary qualities and values.
The man has truly accomplished things, unlike his opponent. Mr. Romney turned around the 2002 Winter Olympics in Utah when called upon to do so: balanced the budget, put on successful events, ending with a $100 million profit – a very rare occurrence for Olympic events! He earned more than $1 million for his work – and gave it all to charity.
He was elected governor of Massachusetts, running on the Republican ticket in a heavily Democratic state. He then developed a genuine working relationship with a Democratically dominated state legislature and accomplished true bi-partisan political goals, not make-believe ones: balanced the budget, while cutting tax rates (19 times), but had increased tax revenues
(!! Yes, it can be done…), and developed a state health care program that ended freeloading on the system (now everyone pays something – which is why the program was enacted).
Mr. Romney clearly believes in "service over self" when those choices have been his. He knows he is wealthy beyond any possible need he might face, so he has consistently:
• served his church for years without compensation.
• gave $4 million to charity in 2011; $3 million in 2010.
• has pledged to return ALL of his presidential salary if elected to the Treasury as a gift.
• has turned down enrollment in Medicare because he can pay his own way.
• has turned down the Social Security payments for which he is eligible because he can pay
his own way.
He has a clear vision for our country based in mainstream American values. He is not radical, either to the right or to the left. He understands the American dream and will work to re-establish the conditions in this country that make it possible for people to achieve it by their dedication and hard work.
Most importantly, he will preserve the American Republic and serve it diligently!
That’s why I will vote for Romney and Ryan.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
More relevant than empty rhetoric, vague promises and poll numbers
As a young student at the University of Oklahoma in 1960, I discovered David Ross Boyd professors. Those named as David Ross Boyd professors in their area of expertise were the best teachers in the institution. Maybe they didn’t know the most, maybe they had not written the most, but they TAUGHT the best. They were passionate about their subjects and loved to teach.
And I took classes from as many Davis Ross Boyd profs as I could.
Thanks to Lew and Myra Ward, Enid has been graced with the presence of Rufus Fears, David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics, at OU lecturing here many times in recent years each Fall. Dr Fears – who died Sunday, Oct 7, 2012, in Norman – was an extraordinary man. And he knew American history cold, pillar to post. He was truly a scholar who loved his study.
OU's Fears, man behind the lecture series, dies | Jesse Rufus Fears obituary
And he was one of the most extraordinary speakers you might ever hear; he lectured without notes, strolling around the room (which in Enid often had more than 400 people in attendance), pointing his finger at you and asking pointed questions about his topic. You could always track everything he said; he never strayed from his subject.
What I appreciated most is his approach: he was a "thematic historian." What he taught was the most relevant and important part of the story. He did not burden you with hundreds of facts, for instance, about a president’s life. Rather, he focused on the most important ones, such as the man’s courage and style, and his dedication to the primary values of the U. S. Constitution – as opposed to the faddish or popular ideas of the time.
And Dr. Fears taught context, giving you a broad perspective on the times and circumstances of events in history. Always, he taught the values that motivated and inspired the special person he was talking about. He demonstrated that these values, informed by the person’s moral compass, guided his decision-making, and often empowered him to make the very hard but necessary decisions. These are the reasons why we treasure leaders like Washington and Lincoln.
Why is thematic history important? I think Dr. Fears understood that weeks later, when "fact-upon-fact" had faded away from memory, one clearly remembered the themes he had taught. And that is the most important thing about teaching thematic history – or philosophy, or English, or geology or whatever. It is what we easily recall that informs us when we are in the world, making real decisions, such as who to vote for. When we have been taught thematically, we make better decisions ourselves.
For instance, Dr. Fears, when discussing American presidents, always talked about a president’s moral compass; was he a moral man, guided by his faith and trust in God? Did he function ethically and honestly?
What about a president’s vision for the country? Is it a good vision? Does he know what is unique about the United States? Will he make decisions guided by the light of that vision? And can he execute that vision, guided by his moral compass, in such a way that it strengthens our
country? (Or will he fail that test and, by implication, let the country down? There are a lot of presidents in our history Dr. Fears never talked about! Can you guess why?)
Very relevant stuff, folks!
More relevant than empty rhetoric, vague promises and poll numbers. More relevant than the nastiest attack ads or the biggest lies in the TV ads that bombard us during the election cycle.
What about the current race?
I can envision Dr. Fear’s asking us, were he here to do it, as he strolled around the hall, talking and asking questions: “Does our current incumbent have a moral compass? Does he have a good and constructive vision that is in line with American values? Has he performed adequately to date?” Yes, I think that might be the line of questions.
But, unfortunately, he is no longer with us. I for one will miss him a great deal. We are poorer in his absence. But he enriched us with his wisdom: So what about moral compass? Vision for the country? Ability to get the job done?
And I took classes from as many Davis Ross Boyd profs as I could.
Thanks to Lew and Myra Ward, Enid has been graced with the presence of Rufus Fears, David Ross Boyd Professor of Classics, at OU lecturing here many times in recent years each Fall. Dr Fears – who died Sunday, Oct 7, 2012, in Norman – was an extraordinary man. And he knew American history cold, pillar to post. He was truly a scholar who loved his study.
OU's Fears, man behind the lecture series, dies | Jesse Rufus Fears obituary
And he was one of the most extraordinary speakers you might ever hear; he lectured without notes, strolling around the room (which in Enid often had more than 400 people in attendance), pointing his finger at you and asking pointed questions about his topic. You could always track everything he said; he never strayed from his subject.
What I appreciated most is his approach: he was a "thematic historian." What he taught was the most relevant and important part of the story. He did not burden you with hundreds of facts, for instance, about a president’s life. Rather, he focused on the most important ones, such as the man’s courage and style, and his dedication to the primary values of the U. S. Constitution – as opposed to the faddish or popular ideas of the time.
And Dr. Fears taught context, giving you a broad perspective on the times and circumstances of events in history. Always, he taught the values that motivated and inspired the special person he was talking about. He demonstrated that these values, informed by the person’s moral compass, guided his decision-making, and often empowered him to make the very hard but necessary decisions. These are the reasons why we treasure leaders like Washington and Lincoln.
Why is thematic history important? I think Dr. Fears understood that weeks later, when "fact-upon-fact" had faded away from memory, one clearly remembered the themes he had taught. And that is the most important thing about teaching thematic history – or philosophy, or English, or geology or whatever. It is what we easily recall that informs us when we are in the world, making real decisions, such as who to vote for. When we have been taught thematically, we make better decisions ourselves.
For instance, Dr. Fears, when discussing American presidents, always talked about a president’s moral compass; was he a moral man, guided by his faith and trust in God? Did he function ethically and honestly?
What about a president’s vision for the country? Is it a good vision? Does he know what is unique about the United States? Will he make decisions guided by the light of that vision? And can he execute that vision, guided by his moral compass, in such a way that it strengthens our
country? (Or will he fail that test and, by implication, let the country down? There are a lot of presidents in our history Dr. Fears never talked about! Can you guess why?)
Very relevant stuff, folks!
More relevant than empty rhetoric, vague promises and poll numbers. More relevant than the nastiest attack ads or the biggest lies in the TV ads that bombard us during the election cycle.
What about the current race?
I can envision Dr. Fear’s asking us, were he here to do it, as he strolled around the hall, talking and asking questions: “Does our current incumbent have a moral compass? Does he have a good and constructive vision that is in line with American values? Has he performed adequately to date?” Yes, I think that might be the line of questions.
But, unfortunately, he is no longer with us. I for one will miss him a great deal. We are poorer in his absence. But he enriched us with his wisdom: So what about moral compass? Vision for the country? Ability to get the job done?
Saturday, October 6, 2012
We need to fire this guy and get a better one!
Those of you who have read my columns before know I am a fan of Thomas Sowell.
He is an acute observer of our society, he is based in fundamental and conservative values and he speaks with great clarity. I admire all these traits, so I listen to Thomas Sowell.
Several years ago (in August 2010) he wrote several columns titled ‘Dismantling America,’ in which he pointed his finger at the Obama administration and, in effect, said: “We need to watch these guys. They are up to no good.”
Here is the gist of his articles.
• The U.S. Constitution was written in the 18th century, during a time of authoritarian kings in Europe, and it clearly challenged the monarchic assumptions that ‘bloodlines’ positioned one to rule over others.
• The fundamental premise of our Constitution is ordinary people are perfectly capable of ruling themselves; they do NOT need to be ruled by ‘... an elite of blood, or of books, or of whatever else gives people a puffed-up sense of importance."
This includes people like Mr. Obama with his concealed agenda he is determined to put in place because he believes he is smarter or more knowledgeable than the rest of us!
• Sowell: “The Constitution of the United States is the biggest single obstacle to the carrying out of such rampaging presumptions (that the few a more able to rule than the many), so it is not surprising that those with such presumptions (e.g., ‘I am more capable than you to rule!’) have led the way in denigrating, undermining and evading the Constitution.”
The so-called ‘progressives’ of a century ago, led by Woodrow Wilson, begin this process of denigrating our Constitution when they proclaimed the Constitution did not "meet the needs of the times." The Democratic party adopted much of their agenda, and Mr. Obama certainly is propagating Progressive values now in Washington!
• Sowell: “... those who imagine themselves so much wiser and nobler than the rest of us (are) … in the forefront of those who seek to erode Constitutional restrictions on the arbitrary powers of government. How can our ‘betters’ impose their ‘superior’ wisdom … on us when the Constitution gets in the way at every turn …?”
Well, by getting the Constitution out of the way!
Mr. Obama has worked cleverly to subvert and avoid our Constitution. In a long-term perspective, this is a much greater "sin" than his poor performance on the job with the economy, etc., cited by Clint Eastwood during the Republican Convention a few weeks ago.
But Clint’s conclusion was correct: We need to fire this guy and get a better one!
Obama needs to be defeated in this election. For his primary goal, as Sowell says, is the “... most dangerous corruption (that of corrupting) the nation’s soul.”
He is an acute observer of our society, he is based in fundamental and conservative values and he speaks with great clarity. I admire all these traits, so I listen to Thomas Sowell.
Several years ago (in August 2010) he wrote several columns titled ‘Dismantling America,’ in which he pointed his finger at the Obama administration and, in effect, said: “We need to watch these guys. They are up to no good.”
Here is the gist of his articles.
• The U.S. Constitution was written in the 18th century, during a time of authoritarian kings in Europe, and it clearly challenged the monarchic assumptions that ‘bloodlines’ positioned one to rule over others.
• The fundamental premise of our Constitution is ordinary people are perfectly capable of ruling themselves; they do NOT need to be ruled by ‘... an elite of blood, or of books, or of whatever else gives people a puffed-up sense of importance."
This includes people like Mr. Obama with his concealed agenda he is determined to put in place because he believes he is smarter or more knowledgeable than the rest of us!
• Sowell: “The Constitution of the United States is the biggest single obstacle to the carrying out of such rampaging presumptions (that the few a more able to rule than the many), so it is not surprising that those with such presumptions (e.g., ‘I am more capable than you to rule!’) have led the way in denigrating, undermining and evading the Constitution.”
The so-called ‘progressives’ of a century ago, led by Woodrow Wilson, begin this process of denigrating our Constitution when they proclaimed the Constitution did not "meet the needs of the times." The Democratic party adopted much of their agenda, and Mr. Obama certainly is propagating Progressive values now in Washington!
• Sowell: “... those who imagine themselves so much wiser and nobler than the rest of us (are) … in the forefront of those who seek to erode Constitutional restrictions on the arbitrary powers of government. How can our ‘betters’ impose their ‘superior’ wisdom … on us when the Constitution gets in the way at every turn …?”
Well, by getting the Constitution out of the way!
Mr. Obama has worked cleverly to subvert and avoid our Constitution. In a long-term perspective, this is a much greater "sin" than his poor performance on the job with the economy, etc., cited by Clint Eastwood during the Republican Convention a few weeks ago.
But Clint’s conclusion was correct: We need to fire this guy and get a better one!
Obama needs to be defeated in this election. For his primary goal, as Sowell says, is the “... most dangerous corruption (that of corrupting) the nation’s soul.”
We need to fire this guy and get a better one!
Those of you who have read my columns before know I am a fan of Thomas Sowell.
He is an acute observer of our society, he is based in fundamental and conservative values and he speaks with great clarity. I admire all these traits, so I listen to Thomas Sowell.
Several years ago (in August 2010) he wrote several columns titled ‘Dismantling America,’ in which he pointed his finger at the Obama administration and, in effect, said: “We need to watch these guys. They are up to no good.”
Here is the gist of his articles.
• The U.S. Constitution was written in the 18th century, during a time of authoritarian kings in Europe, and it clearly challenged the monarchic assumptions that ‘bloodlines’ positioned one to rule over others.
• The fundamental premise of our Constitution is ordinary people are perfectly capable of ruling themselves; they do NOT need to be ruled by ‘... an elite of blood, or of books, or of whatever else gives people a puffed-up sense of importance."
This includes people like Mr. Obama with his concealed agenda he is determined to put in place because he believes he is smarter or more knowledgeable than the rest of us!
• Sowell: “The Constitution of the United States is the biggest single obstacle to the carrying out of such rampaging presumptions (that the few a more able to rule than the many), so it is not surprising that those with such presumptions (e.g., ‘I am more capable than you to rule!’) have led the way in denigrating, undermining and evading the Constitution.”
The so-called ‘progressives’ of a century ago, led by Woodrow Wilson, begin this process of denigrating our Constitution when they proclaimed the Constitution did not "meet the needs of the times." The Democratic party adopted much of their agenda, and Mr. Obama certainly is propagating Progressive values now in Washington!
• Sowell: “... those who imagine themselves so much wiser and nobler than the rest of us (are) … in the forefront of those who seek to erode Constitutional restrictions on the arbitrary powers of government. How can our ‘betters’ impose their ‘superior’ wisdom … on us when the Constitution gets in the way at every turn …?”
Well, by getting the Constitution out of the way!
Mr. Obama has worked cleverly to subvert and avoid our Constitution. In a long-term perspective, this is a much greater "sin" than his poor performance on the job with the economy, etc., cited by Clint Eastwood during the Republican Convention a few weeks ago.
But Clint’s conclusion was correct: We need to fire this guy and get a better one!
Obama needs to be defeated in this election. For his primary goal, as Sowell says, is the “... most dangerous corruption (that of corrupting) the nation’s soul.”
He is an acute observer of our society, he is based in fundamental and conservative values and he speaks with great clarity. I admire all these traits, so I listen to Thomas Sowell.
Several years ago (in August 2010) he wrote several columns titled ‘Dismantling America,’ in which he pointed his finger at the Obama administration and, in effect, said: “We need to watch these guys. They are up to no good.”
Here is the gist of his articles.
• The U.S. Constitution was written in the 18th century, during a time of authoritarian kings in Europe, and it clearly challenged the monarchic assumptions that ‘bloodlines’ positioned one to rule over others.
• The fundamental premise of our Constitution is ordinary people are perfectly capable of ruling themselves; they do NOT need to be ruled by ‘... an elite of blood, or of books, or of whatever else gives people a puffed-up sense of importance."
This includes people like Mr. Obama with his concealed agenda he is determined to put in place because he believes he is smarter or more knowledgeable than the rest of us!
• Sowell: “The Constitution of the United States is the biggest single obstacle to the carrying out of such rampaging presumptions (that the few a more able to rule than the many), so it is not surprising that those with such presumptions (e.g., ‘I am more capable than you to rule!’) have led the way in denigrating, undermining and evading the Constitution.”
The so-called ‘progressives’ of a century ago, led by Woodrow Wilson, begin this process of denigrating our Constitution when they proclaimed the Constitution did not "meet the needs of the times." The Democratic party adopted much of their agenda, and Mr. Obama certainly is propagating Progressive values now in Washington!
• Sowell: “... those who imagine themselves so much wiser and nobler than the rest of us (are) … in the forefront of those who seek to erode Constitutional restrictions on the arbitrary powers of government. How can our ‘betters’ impose their ‘superior’ wisdom … on us when the Constitution gets in the way at every turn …?”
Well, by getting the Constitution out of the way!
Mr. Obama has worked cleverly to subvert and avoid our Constitution. In a long-term perspective, this is a much greater "sin" than his poor performance on the job with the economy, etc., cited by Clint Eastwood during the Republican Convention a few weeks ago.
But Clint’s conclusion was correct: We need to fire this guy and get a better one!
Obama needs to be defeated in this election. For his primary goal, as Sowell says, is the “... most dangerous corruption (that of corrupting) the nation’s soul.”
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