Wealth Inequality In America: REMIX

This is my reaction to the "Wealth Inequality In America" video that went viral.  These are my thoughts as a young conservative living behind enemy lines in the Common Wealth of Massachusetts.

This is the original video that went viral getting over 4 million views in 10 days.  The narrator claims that a little bit of socialism would be a good thing.  I don't buy it.

Chris Christie Greatest Clips September 28, 2010

Chris Christie is the Governor of New Jersey who was elected in November of 2009.  If you believe in fiscal responsibility and small government this guy will really light your fire.  Check out his top 12 greatest clips as reported by The Blaze.  Do you think having more people in government like Christie would benefit our country?

Vote Yes On Question 3 August 31, 2010

On November 2nd you can "Vote Yes On Question 3" to reduce the Massachusetts sales tax from 6.25% to 3%. Please visit Roll Back Taxes for more information.  Thank you Carla Howell for orchestrating this initiative to cut the waste.  Since Teachers, Firemen & Police Officers are funded locally, why would anyone be against this?

Rasmussen Report August 27, 2010

Trust on Key Issues
Surveys of 1,000 Likely Voters
August 19-20 & 23-24, 2010

Issue	Democrats	Republicans
Education	40%	41%
Health Care	40%	48%
Iraq	40%	43%
Economy	39%	47%
Social Security	38%	44%
Government Ethics	38%	40%
National Security	37%	49%
Afghanistan	36%	43%
Taxes	36%	52%
Immigration	35%	44%

I Want Your Money August 27, 2010

Set against the backdrop of today's headline - 67% of Americans don't approve of Obama's economic policies, the film takes a provocative look at our deeply depressed economy using the words and actions of Presidents Reagan and Obama and shows the marked contrast between Reaganomics and Obamanomics.

Massachusetts Fishing Industry Under Attack August 26, 2010

New Bedford Fishing Boats to Join Vineyard Protest

Under the direction of Dr. Jane Lubchenco, former board member of the Environmental Defense Fund, now the head of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for the Obama Administration (NOAA), the New Bedford fishing industry is on the verge of being destroyed. The Obama/Lubchenco "Fish Tale" is stinking up the industry, and as usual, the fish rots from the head down. While the industry is sinking, this administration is saying "Let them eat fish."
Already suffering from catch limits, high taxes and high insurance premiums, middle class family fishermen in the 4th Congressional District are struggling to earn a living here because of the Obama administration's oppressive and unprecedented intrusion into their livelihood. Now NOAA wants to put a moratorium on lobstering. These new fishing regulations fly in the face of traditional American work ethics that include self-reliance, independence and opportunity which all lead to prosperity.
I warned of the death blow aimed at our fishing industry when Lubchenco was confirmed by the Senate in March of 2009. Her "spatial planning techniques", including smaller allocations, big-brother reporting, electronic tracking, and putting government observers on board fishing vessels, will devastate struggling family fishermen. The only beneficiaries of these misguided policies will be large foreign and domestic corporations.
With a $4 billion budget and 12,800 government employees, Lubchenco's interests, which mirror Obama's, lie in consolidating our fishing industry under the management system of "catch shares" - the buying, selling or trading for catching rights, or "catch credits". Unsurprisingly, this is the same type of system that's used in the Democrats' Cap & Trade scheme. They're both scams intended to enhance government revenues and exert more government control. This is just plain un-American!
Lubchenco is leading the direction of commerce on our waters by regulating the fishing industry through her tunnel vision of environmentalism. Her vision for the future? A more "consolidated" fishing fleet managed by the government with oceans that are more "ecologically diverse... and more reflective of society's values". In other words, social engineering... for fish, at the expense of an industry which has been the life blood for family fishermen for hundreds of years.
Fishing is a billion dollar industry in New Bedford. New Bedford also has one of the highest unemployment rates in New England. This administration's oppressive-style intrusion is going to turn New Bedford into a ghost town if the people don't take back control of their own government and this great country.
Fishermen across the region are holding a boat protest just outside Vineyard Haven harbor today because they're rightly angered by the fact that they don't even have a seat at the table for deciding their own industry's interests. Their voices must be heard.
This is just more evidence that the current administration and Congress are out of touch with the average working man. Barney Frank, cheerleader for bigger government, talks a good game when it comes to helping fishermen, but actions speak louder than words. Family fishermen need action now!
I have been a strong advocate for family fishermen and have spoken out on this vital issue many times. The first maxim of law is that it should do no harm. We don't need or want incompetent bureaucrats or government-sponsored corporations running the fishing industry.
Save the Family Fishermen!

Earl Sholley,
Republican Candidate for MA 4th Congressional District

www.sholleyforcongress.us

60 Mile Traffic Jam Agust 25, 2010

Traffic has been snarled along the outskirts of Beijing and is stretching toward the border of Inner Mongolia ever since roadwork on the Beijing-Tibet Highway started Aug. 13. The following week, parts of a major road circling Beijing were closed, further tightening overburdened roadways. WSJ.  FOX.  CBS.

"Welcome to the First World, China! It's where you pay first world taxes, lose your job to third world people and sit in all the world's traffic. " —Michael Priestly



As China continues to develop what is the long term impact on the US economy?

Those Voices Don't Speak for the Rest of Us August 18, 2010

Is there another Ronald Reagan out there who can lead this country?

Jobs and Economy Update August 4, 2010

Dear Friends,
Our state remains severely impacted by job losses, especially in our manufacturing sector.  Our domestic auto industry is facing one of the most challenging times in its history, which presents a period of unprecedented challenges for our community and our country.  With Michigan’s unemployment rate at 13.2% and more than 650,000 Michiganders out of work, too many families know the pain of having to tell children their parent no longer has a job; and there will be harsh sacrifices for the entire family.  Despite this suffering, as in other difficult times in the life of our community, we persevered; we surmounted; and, ultimately, we prospered.  We will do so again.
Communist China’s unfair trade practices have resulted in a crippling U.S. trade deficit, a Chinese foreign exchange war chest of $2.4 trillion, and China's emergence as an industrial superpower.  A recent report commissioned by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce asserted China is becoming increasingly aggressive in using its vast market to push foreign companies to transfer leading-edge technologies in exchange for market access.  

Creating and Protecting American Jobs

• Lead Republican Sponsor of H.R. 5438 which directs the EPA to publish annually the list of fuel efficient vehicles to include domestic automobiles which were previously and unfairly omitted. The legislation will highlight and promote the ingenuity and efforts of the Big Three Automakers to design and manufacture fuel efficient vehicles
• Lead Republican sponsor of H.R. 4788, to prevent domestic airlines from outsourcing their aviation jobs to their foreign partner airlines, and will prevent them from outsourcing American jobs
• Co-sponsored and voted for H.R. 2751 which created the bipartisan “Cash for Clunkers” program. The success of this program allowed auto makers to build and sell more care, and keep Michigan residents working
• Co-sponsored H.R. 4850 the American Jobs Creation and Investment Act, to allow companies to accelerate the use of their alternative minimum tax (AMT) credits for job creation and to spur new investment in the United States
• Original co-sponsor of H.J.Res.77 which would disapprove of the ruling submitted by the EPA relating to the endangerment and cause findings for greenhouse gas. This would defend American manufacturers and other energy consuming businesses from any harm as a result of the EPA's ruling on greenhouse gas consumption
• Introduced H.R.4344, to prohibit the Environmental Protection Agency from obligating any amounts for the regulation of emissions of carbon dioxide. This, too, would defend our manufacturers against any penalties for using energy to do their jobs

Cutting Taxes and Wasteful Spending

• Proposed the elimination of the Republican House Policy Committee, which he chairs, to save taxpayers $362,000 annually
• Co-sponsored H.R. 143 which would provide a two month suspension of taxes on employment and personal income
• Introduced the Fiscal Integrity Through Transparency and Technology Act (H.R. 1648), to ensure the federal budget does not grow faster than the American families’ budgets
• Co-sponsored H.R. 240, which would protect working families from paying higher taxes by eliminating the alternative minimum tax on individual taxpayers for taxable years beginning after 2008

Assisting the unemployed

• Co-sponsored H.R. 155 which would suspend all taxes on unemployment     compensation for a two-year period
• Voted for H.R. 5618 which extended unemployment benefits through December 1, 2010
• Co-sponsored H.R. 5453 which would extend unemployment benefits and COBRA

Promoting Small Businesses and Entrepreneurship 

• Co-sponsored H.R.294 which reinstates and expands the veteran-owned small business loan program, under which the Secretary of Veterans Affairs may provide loans to veteran-owned small businesses
• Co-sponsored H.R. 2672 which provides tax credits to veterans who purchase a franchise
• Co-sponsored H.R. 5141 which lessens the amount of paperwork required of small businesses as a result of the Healthcare Reform bill

Defending the Benefits of Hard Working Families

• Co- sponsored H.R. 2793 which would require the Presidential Task Force on the Auto Industry to address the pensions of employees of Auto Dealerships who were displaced because of the Chrysler and GM bankruptcies in a report to Congress
• Lead Republican Sponsor of H.R. 3455 which provides for healthcare benefits for Delphi retirees who lost their benefits in bankruptcy

Fighting Unfair Foreign Trade Practices

• Co-sponsored H.R. 2378 which would neutralize the negative effects of misaligned foreign currency by allowing injured American industries and their workers to seek remedies under current trade laws
• Introduced the Freedom Trade Act (H.R. 3347) to withdraw normal trade relations (NTR) treatment from the products of foreign countries which do not respect their citizens’ human rights. This will end the permanent normalization of trade relations with communist China which guaranteed this communist country’s irrevocable and low tariff access to our market; and, thereby, devastated our manufacturing base
• Co-sponsored the Textile Enforcement and Security Act of 2010 (HR 5393) to more aggressively enforce our nation’s trade laws so we are not being negatively impacted by trading partners who are circumventing the rules set forth in trade agreements
• Co-authored letter to the President urging an in-depth investigation of China’s illegal subsidization of its domestic paper industry

  Sincerely,

Thaddeus McCotter
Member of Congress

Yes We Can...Vote Deval Out July 10, 2010

Eric Cantor: "You Cut" Program June 24, 2010

YouCut – a first-of-its-kind project - is designed to defeat the permissive culture of runaway spending in Congress. It allows you to vote, both online and on your cell phone, on spending cuts that you want to see the House enact. Vote on this page today for your priorities and together we can begin to change Washington's culture of spending into a culture of savings.  Could this simple idea change the way government works forever?

Joe Barton Apologizes to BP June 20, 2010

Congressman Joe Barton (R) who represents the 6th district of Texas is under fire for accusing the White House of engaging in what he called a "$20 billion shakedown" -- requiring BP to establish a fund to compensate victims of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.  He apologized to the oil giant's CEO, Tony Hayward, on Thursday morning during a congressional hearing into the April 20 oil rig explosion that killed 11 workers, unleashed a flood of oil that has yet to be stemmed and has been widely called the worst environmental disaster in U.S. history.  Read more at Politico, or Fox.  See Ben Steins take on the issue at The American Spectator.  Even if the right thing for BP to do would be to set up an escrow account does that justify the Obama administration forcing their will on a private company?  Should proper legal measures be taken?  Or is this a special case where the ends justify the means and it is ok to side step our legal system and have government function like a dictatorship?

AZ: $1.25M Spent On Squirrels June 19, 2010

Arizona is spending $1.25 million on the Mt. Graham Red Squirrel Recovery Program so they don't become roadkill and then monitor their health. The money is being spent, officials said, because cars kill about five of these squirrels each year. Assuming the bridges work and no squirrels die, over 100 squirrels could be saved throughout the 20 to 25 year lifespan of the bridges. Arizona Department of Transportation Community Relations Director Timothy Tait (602-712-7070) supports this project. Tait said, "It's a pretty specialized item. They are made of military grade nylon. They're fire retardant and will be dyed a green color to fit in with the environment." Graham County Supervisor Mark Herrington thinks that the money could be better spent elsewhere.  "I don't think it's the smartest allocation of resources," he said. "With all the problems were facing today, with the economy the way it is…that's a huge expense and how do you guarantee that the squirrels are going to cross the bridge?"  Read the full story at ABC.  Don't Shoot The Squirrels.  Who supports this decision to spend $1.25M on 250 squirrels?  Who thinks the squirrels will understand how to use these bridges?

Riots in Greece May 6, 2010

Greek Parliament Voting On Austerity -Fox
Crisis Deepens; Chaos Grips Greece - WSJ
Greece Debt Crisis May Spread - CBS
Violence-Hit Greece Votes On Austerity - CNN
Athens Bank Blaze Kills 3, Greeks Protest Cuts - MSNBC
Violent Protests Leave 3 Dead In Greece - Boston Herald
Greece: Bailout Only Way To Avoid Collapse - Daily Caller
Greek Protests Against Austerity Package Turn Violent - USA Today
Timeline: Greece's Debt Crisis - Reuters
Three Die In Athens Riot Over Cutbacks - Washington Times
Will bail outs ultimately lead to the end of civilization?  Do bail outs do more unseen long term damage?

Who Bet Against The American Dream? April 22, 2010

CDO - Collateralized Debt Obligation
CDS - Credit Default Swap



Not many Americans are familiar with these financial terms and probably didn't learn about credit derivatives in high school.  WBEZ is a Chicago Public Radio station that runs a program called This American Life.  Last weeks episode was entitled "Inside Job".  They did some investigative journalism to uncover some of the risky investments that became wildly popular just before the economy crashed.  Despite the risk, banks still made money in the form of fees each time a deal was made so they kept making more risky deals.  Fair Housing laws allowed people take out mortgages even if they were not likely to pay it back.  Forward thinking investment firms like Magnetar Capital saw the writing on the wall in 2006 and placed some strategic bets.
Are the government and wall street equally to blame for creating this economic disaster? Is the Stimulus Package working?

Contract Nets $74M for Boston Firefighters April 20, 2010

The Boston Firefighters Union is negotiating a new deal with the city.  The new contract would include random drug testing which seems to be driving up the cost.  See the full story at the Boston Herold and NECN.  Should firemen and police officers be expected to take random drug tests as part of their job anyway?

Obama Doesn't Get It! April 16, 2010

November 2nd is coming quickly and President Obama seems to be in denial about the growing group of TEA Party citizens who are getting ready to elect leaders in Washington DC who will exhibit financial responsibility.  See the full story by the Daily Caller.  Is the TEA movement only fired up about taxes this year? or the fact that the current administration has written into law damaging legislation that will cost our children for years to come?

Tax Day April 15, 2010

Don't forget to file your 2009 state and federal taxes. Curious about how the current federal tax system works? Use this online tool to see what percentage you pay. Should people earning more be taxed more to spread the wealth around? Or should the IRS and the income tax be eliminated and an equal national tax be put in place?

Boston TEA Party April 14, 2010

Radio talk show host Michael Graham was the MC of this event on Boston common. See his new book on the subject That's No Angry Mob, That's My Mom.  Do you agree with the main stream media that TEA Party people are violent right wing radicals? or just normal people like your mom?