Conservatism 101

I was talking to one of my dear friends the other night who is attending Columbia for his second Masters. He is an Obama supporter and a life-long Democrat. He understands that I am a Conservative and a McCain/Palin supporter. We are friends and we have had long debates over what is "right" and what is "left."

At the end of our friendly phone call, he made a point to tell me, "You know, liberals are the smartest and most educated in our country." To which I replied, "Well, I consider myself smart and educated, and I am not a liberal." And this is the impetus for my writing this blog.

It is a wonder to me that someone, who believes to know--because they have had the luxury of an Ivy league education--what is best for the average American. It is a wonder to me that one thinks that he has a better understanding of "Joe the Plumber's" needs, because he hires a guy like Joe to fix his plumbing. (Hey, I hire a plumber too. They are what makes things run). And it is a wonder to me that this person thinks that he or his colleagues are smarter and "better" because of their Ivy league education.

Elitism? At its' finest. Please do not tell me that I am not the "most" smart or educated because I am not a liberal. Ivy league education is a privilege. Hard knocks are not, but they can be an advantage.

As an American, I hope to have the freedom and the choices to know what is best for me, my family, my community and my country.

Look, most of us, in our own way, contribute to this country--whether it be through time, work, taxes or charity. We all have a common interest in doing what is best for ourselves and for our community. But, we all have a different opinion on how our contributions are allocated and recognized. The difference, the sheer difference, between a liberal and a conservative is this: A liberal will tell you how they will spend your money. A conservative will let you spend it how you see fit. If you don't have any money? Well, FDR put in place the first of many programs that have been abused by the federal government and welfare opportunists. I am not saying that these programs are not needed, but these programs were developed on assistance, NOT on dependence.

Now come the Taxes! Social Security. AMT. Local Taxes. Federal Taxes. State Taxes. Gas Taxes. Food Taxes. Retail Taxes. Property Taxes. Death taxes. Marriage Taxes. Capital Gains Taxes. Property Taxes. Liquor/Tobacco Taxes. User Taxes. And the list goes on and on and on and on.

Now, imagine my surprise when I hear that Obama/Biden want to just tax more. Instead of creating opportunity, they choose to inhibit it by giving handouts. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had forced banks to lend to anyone and everyone. The list of government programs and opportunities for the "needy" go on and on and on. WHERE DOES ALL THE MONEY GO? HOW HAVE THESE PROGRAMS, IN THE LAST 30 YEARS, LIFTED THE POOR? Oh, and by the way, if you ever want to pay more taxes because you feel like you haven't paid enough, there is a form for that. Talk to your accountant.

You see, most of use working, middle class, Americans DO NOT have an Ivy League education. Most of us working Americans do pay taxes. Most of us working American's have never wanted kids to go without education, elderly to go without healthcare, and the environment to go without consideration and conservation. Yet, as a conservative, I am constantly accused of wanting destruction of these very issues. This is simply not the case.

Us conservatives are constantly being accused as a party of the "wealthy." What is most ironic about this statement? Many conservatives do not have an Ivy league education. Many conservatives are not wealthy. We are hard working and educated and eager to lessen government intervention. We are eager to spur entrepreneurship, job creation, smart funding for those who truly, truly need it, and opportunity for those that are able to achieve and want a piece of the American dream.


All of these forementioned programs have not solved the poverty crisis. Democrats, for the past 30 plus years, have expanded these programs, through excessive taxation, in order to make their constituents reliant on their party. Entrepreneurs and small business take on huge amounts of risk. Liberals do not reward risk--they tax it.

Conservatives have a fundamental belief that government has gotten too large and too complicated. We recognize need and are, therefore, the most charitable of the parties. It is a fact.

So I close in asking this: If liberals are so smart and the most educated, why am I even writing this blog? They have had numerous opportunities and years to right the wrongs. They say they are the champions of the middle class. Well, behind every champion there is a team.

The next four years will prove whether entrepreneurship and risk thrive, or if we have created a larger dependency on government. If conservatism has a chance, we will not forget where we came from.

I am Miss Tory, and I approve of this message.

Let's play 10 questions!

We have two more weeks to go and the race is looking good! We are within 10 points in the polls. I know, I am the eternal optimist and a reader of "The Secret." You know that book that so profoundly "taught" us that if you believe it, it will be yours. I still kick myself for not having written a self-help book. They all seem to be so logical and based on simple common sense. But now that I see the people rallying behind a Junior Senator from Chicago to become the leader of the Free World and who wants to "spread the wealth around", well, I may just quit this blog soon, and author a self-help book.

Nonetheless, I have been registered to vote since I was 18, and I have always been interested in politics and the political system. But never in my adult life have I defended my views with such veracity. Equally, it seems as though the media has abandoned any ounce of objectivity, and has given greater veracity to their bias. It is unfortunate that the media has publicly embraced and endorsed Obama. It is even more unfortunate that the Media is responsible, to a great extent, for educating the General Public on current issues and events. But then don't you find it frustrating that the average American paper is written for someone with a fourth-grade education? Can we,then, really expect the General Public to do their own due diligence based on this fact? Isn't it alarming that the Media will not do it for them? Can we really expect the General Public to take a look at the voting records to find the truth because the media does not care to report the truth?

Speaking of bias and alarming facts, do you think it is appropriate for teachers to wear political pins in the classroom? Seriously?! How about picking up a book and reading to your students? How about staying after school and answering questions in math and science? How about just making sure that an 8th grader can read, write, add and subtract? Why must our teachers become political advocates? If you haven't noticed, WE HAVE AN EDUCATION PROBLEM! We are not world leaders in education, so, let's get back to teaching, shall we? Let's leave the pins at home or in the teachers' lounge.

But before I leave and start on the first draft of my self help book, let's try to challenge some of those folks who still haven't made up their mind. Heck, let's just annoy some of our liberal friends, because I am annoyed at the thought that anyone could really vote for this man---a man that we really don't know. We do know he has the audacity of hope; we know that he has had some shady associations; we know that he was a cocaine user; we know that he was a community organizer; we know that he sat in the pews and listened to sermons given by a radical, bigoted preacher for 20 years; we know that we aren't really sure where he was born; we know that he wants to spread the wealth around; and, we know that he wants change. Change. CHANGE---Yes we can. Yes we can what?

So, in order to get to the bottom of this "change" thing, I thought I would put together 10 questions that we could ask our Liberal-leaning or liberal-for-life friends. If you have more questions that I should use to vet my liberal friends, please leave me a comment. If you get anyone to answer even half of these questions, please leave me a comment. I would love to hear what this CHANGE is all about.

1) Please tell me why you are voting for Barack Obama?
2) What has he done as a Senator that you agree with and support?
3) What does Barack mean when he says he wants Change? Does he want to Change America or Change Government?
4) If he wants to change America, how is he going to do that?
5) If he wants to change Government, how is he going to do that?
6) When he talks about Hope, what is it that you identify with most strongly?
7) How does the proposals of tax increases, specifically in capital gains and small business, help our economy?
8) How is he going to pay for $1 trillion dollars in his proposed spending and programs?
9) All leaders have weaknesses, what is Barack's weakness?
10) Do you want your government to take care of you and take from you to take care of someone else?

Game On!

I am Miss Tory, and I approve of this message.

Up North

Amazing.  If Obama wins in November, Canada would have a more conservative government than America.  As would Germany.  And France.  And Italy.  And . . .

Electoral Dysfunction

The massive fraud by ACORN in their "voter" registration drives continues to be exposed.  The Cincinnati Enquirer reports:

Late in the day – in a victory for Republicans – the full Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a decision made last week by three of its members. The result: Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner must create computer programs to cross check all new voter registrations so that county boards of elections can doublecheck new registrants.  The Secretary of State will now have to verify new registrations by comparing information on them with data from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles or the Social Security Administration.

The article goes on to report a list of other ACORN fraud news, including:

• The Hamilton County Board of Elections is checking whether ACORN fraudulently submitted multiple voter registrations for people who don’t exist; The board has received at least 10,000 duplicate voter registrations this year and possibly thousands of fictitious ones, deputy director John William said earlier. Julie Wilson, a spokeswoman for Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, said Tuesday she could not comment on cases, but said, “Any violation of Ohio law Joe is going to treat seriously.”

• In Washington, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican and member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Michael Mukasey asking the Department of Justice to immediately launch a nationwide criminal probe into ACORN’s voter registration activities and investigate ACORN as a “criminal enterprise.”

Buck Up, Republicans!

This election isn’t over. Despite the best efforts of the media, the Democrats, and their amoral allies such as ACORN, McCain is close and has a damn good chance of winning . . . IF WE BUCK UP. Don’t get demoralized, get pissed. Fight back. Take your anger over the Obama whores in the media and contribute and volunteer at your local Republican HQ. Take your anger over Democrat lies and arm yourself with the facts and correct the record with your neighbors and those who don’t follow politics. Take your anger over a candidate who isn’t a pure conservative and fight for him knowing he’s a great man who is a hundred times better than the alternative. With McCain, we’ll have no Fairness Doctrine, no tax increases, no Hillary Clinton on the Supreme Court, no withdrawal in defeat in the War on Terror. Republicans, the country needs you. We must fight. Now is the time to fight hard, to fight dirty, no holds barred, which can be done without sinking to the low levels of the left who use a newborn with Down ’s syndrome as a political weapon. For God’s sake, the future of this country, in fact the very idea of what we know as America, is at stake. Republicans, it is time to kick some ass.

Obama, Acorn, Housing Mess

This is a fascinating flow chart on Obama's radical connections and their involvement in the housing mess.  You should read it, memorize it, and send it as a link to every contact in your email.  This Marxist must be stopped. Via The Corner.

Unto Us A Child Is Born

If you think the criticism of Obamamania stretches the limits of credulity by characterizing him as "The Messiah," please watch this creepy, creepy, creepy video of children singing hosannas to their lord and saviour. Oh, and remember that Obama isn't the Second Coming. Jesus was just the first coming of Barack Obama.

Bernie Ebbers, you were CEO of the wrong company.

To state that we are in a financial crisis is to put it mildly. Every day we hear $700 billion. Today we saw the market plunge 777 points. Is there something with 7's? Obviously, it's not a lucky number after all. I keep thinking...how do they, the government "they," arrive at $700 billion dollars? Where did this number come from? I have the answer, but you have to keep reading....

I don't even want to look at my 401k statement. Ignorance is bliss. But, you know, this crisis reminds me of a couple of guys who cooked their books and and rode regulation and deregulation like a cowboy on a mechanical bull. Well, they did ride, until the Wall Street Music stopped and those things called numbers....those good, old, truthful numbers, once again proved to never, ever lie.

Remember Enron and WorldCom? After a couple of whistle blowers were heard, there was a stampede of lawyers, forensic accountants, auditors and politicians breathing down these companies books/backs. These two companies were the impetus for Sarbanes-Oxley. Many consumers, employees and investors lost their pensions, retirement savings, investments and jobs because of Bernie's and Ken's oversight, or lack thereof, of the financial reporting and profits that were practiced by a couple of their renegade CFO's...or so we are to believe. Bernard Ebbers, I hear, is in some comfy, white collar prison in the South. And, Ken Lay? Well, the stress got to him and he passed away of a heart attack before he was sentenced.

Does this financial story sound familiar? I don't think I am painting with a broad brush, so, let me just cut to the chase. I am surprised that there hasn't been an investigation into the obvious fraud and corruption that had taken place in Fannie and Freddie. More surprisingly, Franklin Raines, CEO of Fannie, was fired by "regulators" over "accounting problems" and walked away with a severance package from Fannie of $19 million dollars. Now, that is $19 million more than the $90 million he collected between 1998 and 2003.

If I do my forensic math correctly, Franklin Raines, in 5 years at Fannie Mae, earned, $109 million. Fannie Mae's accounting "practices" between 2001-2004 forced them to restate over $6.3 billion dollars in accounting errors. Yes, you heard me $6.3 Billion clams. Now, I know, I know, Worldcom was $11 billion clams. But, I have to stop and ask myself, would Bernie rather be in a "comfy" white collar prison, or would he rather be Senator Obama's economic advisor.



I am Miss Tory, and I approve of this message.

Okay, here is the answer if you are just reading this to get to this:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE6D9103EF930A15756C0A9609C8B63&sec=&spon=

Media... it bites

Hopefully some of what we'll hear of the aftermath of this debate will be comprised of Senator Obama's phrase repeated several times to his unwitting detriment, "I agree with you, Senator..." That would make him a more fitting running mate than his own Biden. He looked and sounded like a student trying to debate with his professor, which is exactly the situation when little inconsequential factors like political experience, military service, tenure and life experience are considered.

Let's see a new commercial that looks something like this:
OBAMA: "I agree with you, Senator."
MCCAIN: "I'm John McCain and I approve this message."
THE END

That's a positive message, right?