The Unknown Unpopular Conservative Candidate

In his latest Politico post, titled "Who is the real RINO?", Joe Scarborough poses twenty multiple choice questions where you can choose between Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich and Jon Huntsman to answer the questions. His answer to the title question about who is not a RINO becomes fairly obvious as he ends with these questions.

• Which candidate is the only GOP presidential contender to come out in full support of the Ryan plan?
• Which candidate was ranked by Cato Institute in 2008 one of the most fiscally conservative governors in America?
• Which candidate was cited by the Pew Center for running the “best-managed” state, hailed by Forbes magazine as the “most fiscally fit” and ranked first in the country for job creation?
• Whose economic plan does The Wall Street Journal consider the most impressive and conservative of the Republican presidential field?
• The American Conservative wrote this about which GOP candidate, “For the past two decades a ‘moderate’ Republican was one who didn’t generally side with his party on three issues: taxes, guns and abortion. [This candidate’s] record on those isn’t just to the right of the moderates. It is to the right of most conservatives”?
• Which candidate was praised in a Club for Growth report for reforming health care with “no individual mandate, no employer mandate and no provision for a massive expansion of subsidized care unlike Obamacare or Romney’s plan”?

Perhaps Joe does not understand that it is not Forbes, the American Conservative, the Cato Institute, the Pew Center or the Wall Street Journal who defines what a conservative is and which candidates are RINOs. Everyone know that it is squawk radio hosts and cable TV celebrities that define these terms. Duh!!

Who is Buddy Roemer?

I was surprised this morning to learn that this man is running for president. It speaks to how a former governor and congressman can be excluded by the powers that be in the Republican Party. Here are a few of his quips:


"Washington works for the 1%.
DC gives tax breaks to corps that send jobs overseas;
lets top campaign contributors write policy."

"We've Become a Government of Big Checks"

"Occupy Is Fighting Against Corruption"
If you want to find more about Buddy check out his website or follow him on Twitter here. He might surprise you!

Did you know that Buddy is running for president?

Is Warehouse Shopping a Scam?

When I was younger and shopped for a family of four these kind of places seemed like a good idea. Then I started comparing them to Walmart prices and found them lacking. I checked one of them out this afternoon and my mind was not changed.. especially when the membership is over $50.

Do you warehouse shop? If so, what do you like about it?

Preventing Cyber Monday Identity Theft

Sadly this is a time of the year that identity thieves prey on folks making purchases online. So on this day called Cyber Monday I give you the following checklist with complements of the folks at ProtectMyID.com and ConsumerInfo.com:

• Don't access secure websites, such as online banking, from shared computers or in public.
• Use the privacy settings on social networking sites to ensure you're only sharing information with those you trust.
• Only provide your Social Security number when necessary, such as for employment, tax forms or bank records.
• Be careful opening files, links, emails, etc. from unknown sources or from a friend's account that may have been hacked.
• Check the security of online stores before you purchase.
• Shred all sensitive information before throwing in the trash
• When sharing personal information with certain professionals, such as tax preparers or mortgage lenders, be sure to choose companies you trust.

Ann and I will probably do a bit of online shopping this season. How about you?

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Does God need a Lobbyist?

Many of us in the religious sector decry the systematic abuses of lobbyists in Washington, DC. With that backdrop I read with interest a post titled Lobbying for the Faithful. Here are a few interesting bits from it:

"The number of organizations engaged in religious lobbying or religion-related advocacy in Washington, D.C., has increased roughly fivefold in the past four decades, from fewer than 40 in 1970 to more than 200 today."
...
"Efforts by religious groups to influence U.S. public policy are a multimillion-dollar endeavor, with combined annual expenditures conservatively estimated at more than $390 million."

Do you think that religious folks should be using lobbyists and spending millions of dollars trying to influence public policy. I have my doubts.

Happy Bottoms

I am always amazed by the creative and imaginative ways that people find to help folks who are struggling and in need. Consider this clip from the Happy Bottoms website:

Imagine choosing between diapers or paying your electric bill. Or putting gas in your car. Tough choice, right? Now imagine making that decision every day. Chances are you won’t face this scenario, but it’s a common one for low-income families.

We hope to alleviate situations like these by holding diaper donation drives throughout Kansas City, and we ask you to join us. Whether you’re donating or sponsoring a drive, it’s a simple, easy process that supports a basic need – and makes a big difference in children’s lives.

The need is so great because federal programs like food stamps do not help with this basic need. I plan to check Happy Bottoms out further and see how I can help. Does your town have a group that helps in this area?

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Made in Dagenham | ★★★★★★★

I think that the Occupy Wall Street protests could take a cue from this 2010 flick that tells the story of a 1968 labor strike initiated by hundreds of women who rebelled against discrimination and demanded the same pay as men for their work in a Ford manufacturing plant in London. Here are a few pointers the OWS could learn from these passionate women:

1) A great cause requires a great leader. In the film the amazing Rita O'Grady (played by Sally Hawkins) rises from obscurity and defeats a gigantic auto maker. It is a great David and Goliath story.

2) You have to know what you are protesting about. Equal pay for equal work was uncommon in the 60s but these women knew they were in the right.

3) You need the support of others. At first the men were not on the women's side because the strike was negatively affecting their jobs. Things changed when the men changed. Shared sacrifice was essential to succeed.

I enjoyed the film and its message. On a scale of ten I give it ★★★★★★★.

Interesting to note that some think that women's pay may overtake men's pay by 2020. Do you think it will?

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FYI: Access my new movie reviews web page by clicking on "Movie Reviews" in the navigation bar above.

Happy Thanksgiving

In honor of the day I am giving thanks for our troops and for you.

- Have a Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving -

Occupy Black Friday?

Saw this image on the Occupy KC website along with a few videos of folks being trampled trying to get into stores and score deals on Black Friday (i.e. the day after Thanksgiving). Also saw a few clips on TV of folks camping out at Best Buy and Target waiting for the great deals on that day. Seems like a bit of insanity just to score a few hundred bucks off a big screen television.

Guess Black Friday has never been much of an attraction for me.

How about you? Are you planning to get to a store before the sun comes up?

Gas in KC :: Barely Below $3

Glad to see gas in our area dropping.


How much does gas cost where you live?

Crony Capitalism: Socialism for Tycoons

Many of my libertarian and conservative friends often regale the virtues of capitalism and free markets. Some of them however understand that much of what our system looks like these days is an example Crony Capitalism. Here is how Wikipedia defines it:

Crony capitalism is a term describing a capitalist economy in which success in business depends on close relationships between business people and government officials. It may be exhibited by favoritism in the distribution of legal permits, government grants, special tax breaks, and so forth.

Nicholas D. Kristof shares this about it in his New York Times opinion piece titled "Crony Capitalism Comes Home".
Here are a few of his thoughts:

I’m as passionate a believer in capitalism as anyone. My Krzysztofowicz cousins (who didn’t shorten the family name) lived in Poland, and their experience with Communism taught me that the way to raise living standards is capitalism. But, in recent years, some financiers have chosen to live in a government-backed featherbed. Their platform seems to be socialism for tycoons and capitalism for the rest of us.
...
Capitalism is so successful an economic system partly because of an internal discipline that allows for loss and even bankruptcy. It’s the possibility of failure that creates the opportunity for triumph. Yet many of America’s major banks are too big to fail, so they can privatize profits while socializing risk.

The upshot is that financial institutions boost leverage in search of supersize profits and bonuses. Banks pretend that risk is eliminated because it’s securitized. Rating agencies accept money to issue an imprimatur that turns out to be meaningless. The system teeters, and then the taxpayer rushes in to bail bankers out. Where’s the accountability?

The lack of accountability in Crony Capitalism is troubling. The lawmakers in DC do not seem to have it. The executives in Corporate America do not want it. And the rest of us seem powerless. Small wonder that some feel a need to protest.

On Education and Learning ...

In light of this interesting chart I thought that I might share a few thoughts from educated folks on the topic ...

"The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education." -Albert Einstein

"Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching." -Oscar Wilde

"No man ever prayed heartily without learning something." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We do not learn; and what we call learning is only a process of recollection." -Plato

"The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all." -Harry S. Truman

I tend to agree with Einstein's sentiment about education and learning. What do you think?

America is 83% Religious

To listen to many folks these days one might think that there is an onslaught invasion by a massive anti-God army in America taking place. This USA Today Faith Topography seems to indicate otherwise. I guess many atheists are outspoken causing them to seem to be large in number while many religious people exercise a faith that is a bit quieter.

Feel free to check out the faith topography of your state here.

Stress Test | Not the Treadmill Type

Yes, I have had several treadmill stress tests that have evidenced a healthy heart. I take them because my cholesterol levels run a bit high. But that is not what this post is about. It is about the other kind of stress - sometimes I forget that stress is something that I can do something about. Consider this excerpt from Kim Allen's post Storm Warning ...

When did we forget that stress is the body's way of warning us something is out of kilter? Take this short 'stress test' if you're still not sure it's time to stop all the talking and do something about it. 

Low stress levels

• I feel well
• I am able to relax
• Physical recreation brings me pleasure
• Increasing pressure enhances my performance
• My thinking is clear and I learn easily
• I am able to say "No"
• Others see me as adaptable & approachable
• Others see me as energized and successful

Moderate stress levels

• I feel driven, hyperactive, and restless
• I tend to make snap decisions but with errors
• I feel over-burdened but can still say "No"
• I often feel tired but am taking steps to recover
• I often try to squeeze a few extra drops out of my performance
• Discipline, fitness, social pressure & stimulants play a greater role in my ability to perform
• My sleep is just about adequate
• Others see me as tired yet successful

High stress levels

• I often loose perspective
• I feel irritable & on edge
• I complain and grumble regularly
• I work longer hours but get less done
• My home/work balance is suffering
• I have repeated minor ailments, aches and pains
• I don't think as clearly as I used to
• I have sleep problems
• I feel like I'm operating in survival mode

Now don't get stressed out about stress! Events and situations (the traffic, the deadlines, the bills, etc.), don't cause the damage; our negative reaction to these events –how we feel –do. And how we react is something we can change.