Archive for the 'Personal Interest' Category

U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the DC handgun ban saying it was a violation of the second amendment. For the first time in years a court held that the second amendment guarantees an individual right to keep and bear arms. The United States Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case. Defenders of the second amendment have been working hard for just this moment in history for years.

Last Friday, the United States Solicitor General filed formal briefs asking the Supreme Court not to affirm the lower court’s decision. This is just outrageous. The Solicitor General is the Federal Government’s lawyer. So, now we have the federal government using our tax dollars to argue for a delay on a ruling concerning our fundamental rights.

Take action today – sign this petition to let the government know that you value your second amendment rights. Together, we can ensure that your rights are protected. For the first time in years we have the opportunity for the Supreme Court to clearly say that the second amendment applies to all Americans and that no government can ban all handguns.

Let your voice be heard – sign the petition.

Here’s a good summary of what John McCain stands for. If you’re interested, you’ll find this article interesting.

I’m not sure there’s anyone in the Republican race that I can get fully enthusiastic about.

How about you?

The “Chuch of the Warming of the Globe” now has more vocal dis-believers willing to question the conventional wisdom that the earth will continue to warm and that it’s our own fault.

The reason I keep commenting on the issue is that this is a classic example of how we human beings add our interpretation to events and then consider our opinion to be the truth. I’m just as prone to doing this as anyone else. I can see where it’s cost me in my life. (I notice that I have a predisposition to see this issue in the way I do even now.)

Something happens, we say something about it, and what we say about it become fact – to us. The problem is, that after just a little of this, we start living out the cliche of the wise guru sitting cross-legged on the mountain and saying, “Life is an illusion.” Our life is no longer a response to facts, but to our own story about the facts. 

Life then becomes a soap opera that looks like non-fiction, double underlined truth to us. After all, ”If it was some other way, I’d know it, wouldn’t I?” We soon forget that we made it up and we defend our opinion like a part of our body.

Al Gore and the whole global warming movement underline and highlight this tendency for all of us to see. Is there global warming? Did human beings cause it? Is it really greenhouse gasses (carbon dioxide, etc.)? Some reasonable questions, but it’s likely some conclusions were reached prematurely, then all contrary opinions were demonized.

Al Gore didn’t say, “It looks this way to me at the moment, but I’m going to check the facts.” Al said, “I am convinced of how it is, and I’ll find the facts I need to support my belief.” One reason for this is that global warming theories fit nicely with Al’s personal need to find an issue that would make him feel important once again.

Here’s the latest for your consideration.

Will a cold spell soon replace global warming? A vocal Russian scientist says it will. He also says those who point to greenhouse gasses as the cause of the current warming cycle are using erroneous thinking. The earth is about to cool off now that a warming trend has reached its peak.

Someone please smack Al Gore for me.

“Earth is now at the peak of one of its passing warm spells. It started in the 17th century when there was no industrial influence on the climate to speak of and no such thing as the hothouse effect. The current warming is evidently a natural process and utterly independent of hothouse gases.

The real reasons for climate changes are uneven solar radiation, terrestrial precession (that is, axis gyration), instability of oceanic currents, regular salinity fluctuations of the Arctic Ocean surface waters, etc. There is another, principal reason—solar activity and luminosity. The greater they are the warmer is our climate.”
Here’s the rest of the story. 

Wishes for You in 2008 :

May peace break into your house.

May thieves come to steal your debts.

May the pockets of your jeans become a magnet for $100 bills.

May love stick to your face like Vaseline and may laughter assault your lips!

May your clothes smell of success like smoking tires.

May happiness slap you across the face and may your tears be that of joy.

May the problems you have forget your home address!

In simple words …………May 2008 be the best year of your life!!!

Rob

You may have heard a little or a lot about the proposal called the “Fair Tax.” It sounds great, but we’ll have to see. Those who are for it like the following:

     1. Get rid of the IRS totally. (Who likes the IRS anyway?)

     2. No more income tax.

     3. Pay tax only when you buy new stuff (23% sales tax level is being floated).

     4. No more complicated tax reporting.

     5. The poor would be compensated up to the “poverty level” (details avail. elsewhere)

     6. No tax on savings and investment.

Naturally, there are those against it who say:

     1. It favors the rich. 

     2. Sending the poor a monthly check to compensate them for the sales tax they paid (based upon the national “poverty level” figures) would be a whole new bureaucratic boondoggle.

     3. 23% sales tax wouldn’t be enough – might need to be up to 50%.

     4. No mortgage interest deduction (yeah, but you’re not paying income tax either.)

     5. “It’s just a crackpot idea and it wouldn’t work.”

If you want to know more (I certainly do) then one place to look is Fairtax.org. 

If you want to see how you’d make out under the Fair Tax there’s a Fair Tax Calculator.

Personally, I’d like to to see a “What’s the Chance It’ll Ever Happen? Calculator.”

Al Gore talks about “global warming deniers” in the same context as  “holocaust deniers” in order to stifle debate. Why does Mr. Gore have so much at stake? Because, he better not be found out to be just a porky, pretentious, pissant version of Chicken Little. His whole identity is now tied up with his global warming theories and prognostications about impending doom. (See original “dark place” post.)

Now, more scientists are questioning man’s role in global warming in a recent report and the earth’s temperature has stopped rising for the last few years. Al is fit to be tied.

Merry Christmas, Al.

Hi all,

I’d love to hear your arguments for and against carrying a concealed weapon with a light attached. I think of a concealed handgun as a reactive, self-defense weapon most often used in situations that last a few seconds. Having a light on your gun seems to indicate an entirely different purpose. Educate me.

I really want some feedback on this please.

Thanks,

Rob

      Tax his land,
      Tax his wage,
      Tax his bed in which he lays.
      Tax his tractor,
      Tax his mule,
      Teach him taxes are the rule.
      Tax his cow,
      Tax his goat,
      Tax his pants,
      Tax his coat.

     Tax his ties,
     Tax his shirts,
     Tax his work,
     Tax his dirt.

     Tax his tobacco,
     Tax his drink,
     Tax him if he tries to think.

     Tax his booze,
     Tax his beers,
     If he cries,
     Tax his tears.

    Tax his bills,
    Tax his gas,
    Tax his notes,
    Tax his cash.

    Tax him good and let him know
    That after taxes, he has no dough.
    If he hollers,
    Tax him more,
    Tax him until he’s good and sore.

    Tax his coffin,
    Tax his grave,
    Tax the sod in which he lays.
    Put these words upon his tomb,
   ‘Taxes drove me to my doom!’

   And when he’s gone,
   We won’t relax,
   We’ll still be after the inheritance TAX!!

   Then, don’t forget -
   Accounts Receivable Tax
   Building Permit Tax
   CDL License Tax
   Cigarette Tax
   Corporate Income Tax
   Dog License Tax
   Federal Income Tax
   Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
   Fishing License Tax
   Food License Tax
   Fuel Permit Tax
   Gasoline Tax
   Hunting License Tax
   Inheritance Tax
   Inventory Tax
   IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax),
   IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax),
   Liquor Tax,
   Luxury Tax,
   Marriage License Tax,
   Medicare Tax,
   Property Tax,
   Real Estate Tax,
   Service charge taxes,
   Social Security Tax,
   Road Usage Tax (Truckers),
   Sales Taxes,
   Recreational Vehicle Tax,
   School Tax,
   State Income Tax,
   State Unemployment Tax (SUTA),
   Telephone Federal Excise Tax,
   Telephone Federal Universal Service Fe e Tax,
   Telephone Federal, State and Local Su rcharge Tax,
   Telephone Minimum Usage Su rcharge Tax,
   Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax,
   Telephone State and Local Tax,
   Telephone Usage Charge Tax,
   Utility Tax,
   Vehicle License Registration Tax,
   Vehicle Sales Tax,
   Watercraft Registration Tax,
   Well Permit Tax,
   Workers Compensation Tax.

   STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?
   Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago,
   and our nation was the most prosperous in the world.
   We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in
   the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

   What happened? Can you spell ‘politicians!’

   And I still have to ‘press1′ for English.

   (author unknown) 
 

This is too true to be very funny. (Author unknown)

     The next time you hear a politician use the
     word ‘billion’ in a casual manner, think about
     whether you want the ‘politicians’ spending
     YOUR tax money.

     A billion is a difficult number to comprehend,
     but one advertising agency did a good job of
     putting that figure into some perspective in
     one of its releases.

     A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.

     B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.

     C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were
     living in the Stone Age.

     D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.

     E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and
     20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it.

     While this thought is still fresh in our brain, let’s take a look at
     New Orleans It’s amazing what you can learn with some simple
     division .

     Louisiana Senator, Mary Landrieu (D), is presently asking the
     Congress for $250 BILLION to rebuild New Orleans . Interesting
     number, what does it mean?

     A. Well, if you are one of 484,674 residents of
     New Orleans (every man, woman, child), you
     each get $516,528.

     B. Or, if you have one of the 188,251 homes in
     New Orleans , your home gets $1,329,787.

     C. Or, if you are a family of four, your family
     gets $2,066,012.

    Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! … Are all your calculators broken??