Union dues should be voluntary, and the state should not be in the business of collecting them. Union certification should require a secret ballot. Collective bargaining should not be used to force extravagant pension and health benefits that cripple state budgets.
These common-sense reforms have made the union bosses desperate to disrupt Wisconsin government and overturn an election. They must not be allowed to succeed. In fact, every state should adopt Governor Scott Walker’s common sense reforms.
With the approach of the November 2012 election, things are really heating up.
This promises to be so much more than the usual incumbent election.
Since before 2000, America has been closely divided on some crucial issues, and elections seem to be intensifying in passion.
Divisions are deepening and polarizing, not only between left and right, but are deepening and polarizing within the two major parties, Democrat (Liberal) and Republican (Conservative).
In 2000, we fought over chads.
In 2008, Democrats were floored by Obama’s displacement of Hillary.
In 2010, Wisconsin went Republican, and Governor Walker took charge of making some conservative fiscal changes.
Democrats rebelled; in March of 2011, unions converged on Wisconsin to show their displeasure.
Now, on June 5, 2012, Wisconsin faces the potential recall of a Governor– not for high crimes and misdemeanors– but for fulfilling the conservative fiscal promises he made during his election.
Many view Wisconsin as a preview and as a test of the ability of conservative fiscal policy to solve budget problems while retaining the support of voters as difficult yet responsible sacrifices are shared. What “goes down” tomorrow in Wisconsin is thought to be predictive of the direction soon to be taken by many other states, as well as by the coming Presidential election.
In 2011, President Obama took charge of implementing some liberal fiscal policies, including stimulus and ObamaCare.
This time, Republicans showed their displeasure; not through massive demonstrations, but through the filing of massive legal challenges.
In 2012, as the two groups prepare to face off in the coming election, there is conflict within the Republican Party. There is also conflict among Democrats.
Both parties are split between moderates who wish to continue attempts at compromise with the opposition, and those who are less compromising and believe that the time for stalemate and delay has expired.
The ultimate conflict will be resolved in November, when Americans vote either to keep or to discard President Obama. So far, historically, incumbent Presidents have been unseated by a challenger 10 times.
The two positions, Liberal and Conservative, are stalemated on several issues for which it is difficult to imagine any compromise:
With the intensification of divisions in the United States, and with escalating pressure for action by elected officials in place of rhetoric, many forecast the coming election to be historically decisive in determining the future direction of the United States.
An increasing number of Americans, myself included, are turning more and more toward conservative approaches for the solution to the nation’s fiscal problems. Gallup polls indicate a rise in conservatism, as did Wisconsin’s “going Republican” in 2010.
Some would like to cast the trend towards conservatism as a panicked regression towards old and foolish policies. Of course, these would be Liberals, or Democrats, who view conservatism with such a negative spin.
Others would argue that the meaning of the word conservative (to conserve, or to save) is the no-brainer solution when resources, including economic resources, are in short supply, as they are today. Of course, these would be Conservatives, or Republicans.
Few would argue that in times of famine food should be consumed at an increased rate instead of being saved and rationed. For this reason, a shift towards conservatism can only be good in tough economic times.
Generosity to the point of wastefulness characterizes prosperous times, while austere measures, and shared sacrifice characterize austere times.
See Conservative is the New Liberal for a historical discussion of the liberal-conservative shift.
And there do seem to be a number of signs of shift towards conservatism in the works, coming up right now:
Act III comprises the final segment of a classic three act play. It is in the third act that the climax occurs, as well as the denouement, a period of calm at the end of a play where a state of equilibrium returns.
The suspense and the drama are building towards determining America’s future direction as we approach the November 2012 election, and we are in for an exciting June.
Of course, it is my optimistic hope and prayer that June will bring auspicious events, not catastrophic ones.
Time will tell.
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I’ve just been “followed” on Twitter by an anonymous somebody who calls themselves ifollowHATE.
Most people on twitter follow what they LIKE, not what they HATE.
Hate is quite discordant with the cute little twitter bird, which represents a social network with members “chirping” or “tweeting” information to each other for the purpose of networking.
Yes, I know, ifollowHATE is not indicating that he or she hates me. They are implying that I hate, and this is their attempt to label me as hateful.
You do have to wonder about people who define themselves not by what they believe, but by whom they judge, whom they oppose, and whom they hate.
The Freedom From Religion Foundation, for example, has been one of those rare groups which define their beliefs by a negative and whose activities center on interfering with the beliefs of others.
ifollowHATE has by no means isolated me alone. ifollowHATE follows 2,247 people and groups on Twitter, and has made 7,544 tweets. Clearly not a casual tweeter, nor a casual activity. Quite a bit of effort has been invested in this hate-labeling campaign.
ifollowHATE was probably inspired to follow me on Twitter by my recent article on Gay Marriage and Homosexuality. ifollowHATE self-identifies on Twitter as:
“I follow people that follow the group that fans the flames of hostility against blacks and gays (their words, their admission)”
Ironically, my article, although disagreeing with the radical gay agenda, was anything but hateful. I challenge ifollowHATE or anyone else to find a hateful remark in my article.
Most would expect those who promote the gay lifestyle to direct their efforts toward explaining the benefits of their philosophy.
Or, perhaps, to defend criticisms others make against their philosophy.
But scanning the Internet for websites which disagree with you, and labeling them hateful without explanation is not a marketing philosophy that is likely to sell an idea.
So if ifollowHATE’s motivation is not promotion of the gay lifestyle, what is it?
ifollowHATE’s intention is probably intimidation. Conservative bloggers are frequently targeted by radicals, as Michelle Malkin describes.
Yesterday, Michelle Malkin posted Free Speech Zone, showing solidarity for targeted conservative bloggers, whose ranks I have apparently officially joined today. Michelle writes:
Over the past eight years that I’ve been blogging and operating Internet media companies, I’ve witnessed or experienced firsthand some of the most unhinged behavior against conservatives — from individual harassment and intimidation, to e-mail bombs and e-mail hackings, to troll infestations, distributed denial of service attacks, coordinated spam block attacks, and death threats.
Michelle’s reaction to threats:
Over the past twenty years that I’ve worked in daily opinion journalism, written books, and traveled across the country speaking in every type of venue, I’ve always believed that the most effective response to attempted censorship of conservatives is more speech, not less.
More. Louder. Bolder.
This internet targeting of conservative bloggers, or internet bullying, seems to be a common tactic utilized by the left.
All part of Alinsky tactics, or trying to justify the use of dirty tactics to achieve one’s goals.
And, like most bullies, ifollowHATE is cowardly and hides behind anonymity. Like most bullies, their chances of success are slim.
So ifollowHATE spends his or her time pursuing, judging and labeling others, behind an anonymous mask.
Ironically, this makes ifollowHATE more hateful than the people they are presuming to judge. ifollowHATE really does follow hate; but the hate is found in their own heart, not in the hearts of those whom they try to label.
Some of the individuals and groups labeled by ifollowHATE as being hateful include:
American Papist, Catholic Music, Catholic News Service, Catholic Radio Dramas, Catholic Writers Guild, National Organization for Marriage, and The Witty Catholic
Not bad company I have just joined!
This list also indicates that ifollowHATE’s hate seems to be directed primarily at Catholics.
And, according to ifollowHATE’s definition of hatefulness – disagreement with the radical gay agenda –half of America must hate, too.
When it comes to the marriage question, 1.7% of the population, gays, is trying to dictate the law to 98.3% of America, those who are straight.
It’s actually even less than 1.7% trying to dictate the law, since the vast majority of gays do not seek gay marriage.
What can radicals be thinking? That Americans will take well to intimidation by minority? The more they step up the aggression and the ridicule, the less likely they are to succeed. They are shooting themselves in the foot.
Am I planning to return ifollowHATE’s follow?
Not highly likely.
So ifollowHATE is not likely to network effectively on Twitter.
Will ifollowHATE succeed in spreading their philosophy by this method?
Probably not.
Actually, by focusing all his or her efforts solely on attacking all who disagree with them without explanation, ifollowHATE simply makes themselves look foolish, damaging their cause.
What a sad waste of time!
Homosexuality is a hot topic that was bound to make it onto this cultural values blog at some point.
The Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality (which I support) is not popular in Madison, where I live. Madison is a very liberal– no, radical place. Home of the Freedom From Religion Foundation, and numerous other radical groups.
I have delayed discussing homosexuality on my blog in the past. Primarily because I would rather focus on the “wooden beam in my own eye” before pointing out “the splinter in my brother’s eye.” Matthew 7:3 In other words, I am in no rush to discuss the sins of others. I am also no expert on this subject.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye. – Matthew 7:3
However, recent events in the news have brought the subject of homosexuality to the forefront of public discussion again, and perhaps it is time for me to weigh in with some thoughts. I will defer to experts on the subject and provide some useful references below for those who are interested in understanding why the preservation of traditional morality and of traditional marriage is so important to so many Americans.
Vice President Biden announced five days ago that he was ‘absolutely comfortable” with homosexual marriage, thus putting President Obama on the spot regarding Obama’s position on homosexuality.
Most recently, President Obama had said that his position on homosexual marriage , although he was opposed a few years ago, is “evolving.” So now President Obama was placed on the hot seat regarding this issue.
Three days ago, North Carolina approved and amendment banning gay marriage, and banning same-sex civil unions as well.
Yesterday, President Obama announced his personal support of gay marriage, after statements in the past opposing gay marriage. He attributed this change to his “evolving stance” on gay marriage.
The other two Presidential candidates (Mitt Romney and Ron Paul), mirroring the values of the majority of Americans, still stick to the traditional definition of marriage as one man- one woman. And no, the Republican primary is not yet over! (Updated post coming soon.)
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Gallup results indicate that half of Americans support legal gay marriage.
The results seem to be hovering right around 50/50, within the margin of error, within the last two years.
CNN polls indicate that a slight majority of Americans support gay marriage (50% support, 48% oppose).
North Carolina’s passage of a state constitutional amendment legally preventing gay matrimony yesterday makes North Carolina the 30th state to implement a ban on same-sex marriage. 30 States out of 50 is 60%. This implies that 60% of America opposes gay marriage. continue reading…
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Putin was President of Russia for two consecutive terms, from 2000 to 2008. Due to constitutionally mandated term limits, he could not run for a third term. His right-hand man Medvedev ran instead, and appointed Putin as his Prime Minister for the past 4 years. Now, after “sitting out” one term, Putin is again eligible for two more terms, this time 6-year terms, through 2024. This “election” has effectively put Putin (and his right-hand-man Medvedev) in control of Russia for up to 24 years.
Today, May 7, 2012, about 1,000 protesters tried to protest along Putin’s motorcade route to the Kremlin.
Putin’s response was unprecedented security measures in the center of Moscow, where streets were closed to traffic and passengers were prevented from exiting subway stations. Over 700 people have been detained.
The Kremlin ceremony of passing the “nuclear suitcase” from outgoing leader Dmitry Medvedev to Mr Putin was overseen by Russian Defence Minister Anatoly Serdyukov, news agency Interfax reported.
Widely seen as a relic of the Cold War stand-off between Moscow and Washington, the suitcase accompanies the Russian president on all his foreign trips. – The Australian
In the light of above facts, how can anyone call Russia a democracy today?
We are back in the USSR.
I come from a Lithuanian family displaced by Soviet (U.S.S.R.) occupation, annexation, deportation of 120,000 people in 1940, followed by attempted sovietization of Lithuania.
I can only hope and pray for the Russian people today, as well as for the rest of us. An old Soviet brand of autocracy seems to be creeping back into the government of Russia, against the wishes of the Russian people, and under the guise of democracy. Putin continues to quote democracy, while defying all democratic principles shamelessly.
Attempts to shut people’s mouths with the help of a police baton are senseless and extremely dangerous. – Gennady Zyuganov, Communist Party leader.
The ex-state security officer (Putin was in the KGB) is inclined to see hidden enemies and conspiracies where others only see coincidences. The level of suspicion of Putin and his supporters will only increase. Now that the opposition has become more active, it will not stop, maybe even get stronger, especially if the opinion of some observers happens to be true that the protests in response to the fabricated election results showed to the Russian people that the king was naked, that, despite the talks about the ruthless government of Putin and their own qualms, the Kremlin was vulnerable.
Let us hope, work, and pray that Election 2012 is a fair election, that Americans realize what is at stake, and that Vladimir Putin’s buddy Obama loses the traitorous “flexibility” he promised Vladimir Putin after the election, because Obama has been removed from office.
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Recent Gallup polls indicate a neck-in-neck competition between Mitt Romney and Barak Obama in the Presidential race.
Some are worried whether Romney will be able to beat President Barack Obama.
Others are worried whether Romney can be relied upon to repeal ObamaCare and refrain from issuing his own health mandates, if elected to the Presidency.
Find someone more conservative and more popular than Mitt Romney!
Would anyone have guessed that according to the TIME Person of the Year Poll, Cardinal Dolan is way more popular than either Mitt Romney or Barack Obama?
Cardinal Dolan placed #16 globally in the TIME Person of the Year Poll, and about #4 nationally.
Cardinal Dolan got almost twice as many votes as Barack Obama, and about 6-fold more votes than Mitt Romney.
More famous people who were less popular than Cardinal Dolan:
The only presidential candidate more popular than Cardinal Dolan was Ron Paul.
The only American more popular than both Ron Paul and Cardinal Dolan was Jeremy Lin, a famous baseball player.
Not too many people beat Ron Paul and Cardinal Dolan.
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Among those who did globally, were Vladimir Putin and the hackers called Anonymous, reputed to have hacked into the Vatican (and many other national websites). Of course, in the case of Anonymous, there is the suspicion that they were not voted into #1 position globally, but could have hacked themselves into that position. 🙂
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Whether these results could impact the Republican Primary, or simply be a reflection of national opinion which can impact the Republican Primary, is a matter for speculation.
Clearly, neither I, nor anyone else, including Cardinal Dolan, are seriously considering Cardinal Dolan for President. But this popularity poll is interesting in the light of my previous articles on President Obama and President of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Cardinal Dolan. They have butted heads in an important religious freedom confrontation, and it’s interesting to see which President is so much more popular with Americans.
But back to serious consideration of the Republican Primary.
Most believe that the Republican Primary is all but over.
Some cling tenaciously to alternative possibilities. These include a Ron Paul, whom many consider to be an ineffective eccentric.
Now, Ron Paul’s ability to top so many national figures in the TIME Person of the Year Poll indicates we should take him much more seriously than we have in the past. He has beat Cardinal Dolan, Barack Obama, Lady GaGa, Steven Colbert, Hillary Clinton, Queen Elizabeth II, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich.
Could Ron Paul be the next giant political surprise?
There’s already been some discussion of whether the Republican Primary is over yet.
In the light of this TIME poll, and taking into consideration that politics is complicated and is often filled with unexpected surprises and results (like Hillary Clinton’s defeat in 2008 by Barack Obama), in the light of these facts, we better keep an eye on Ron Paul, the pro-life doctor who has delivered over 4,000 babies and now wants to be our President.
Ron Paul shows no signs of giving up. He is actually making great strides towards taking over state Republican parties and delgations to the Republican National Convention. His campaign shows no sign of giving up. As of last weekend, Ron Paul has locked up at least half the delegates in at least 3 states (Iowa, Minnesota & Washington). He only needs the majority of delegates in 2 more states (like North Dakota and Maine) in coming weeks to be entered officially in the nomination at the Convention at Tampa, FL.
Romney, with only 847 if the 1144 delegates needed for the nomination (74%), will still have to contend with Ron Paul for quite some time.
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So, last night, Romney swept 5 states and may have picked up as many as 200 delegates out of the 231 up for grabs.
Romney needs 1144 delegates to win.
As of last night, he has 844, according to the Associated Press.
Candidate | Number of Delegates |
Percentage of Total (2286)Delegates |
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Romney | 844 | 37% | |
Conservatives: | 476 | 21% | |
Santorum | 260 | 11% | |
Gingrich | 137 | 6% | |
Paul | 79 | 3% | |
Delegates still up for grabs in future primaries |
966 | 42% |
May 8 – 132 delegates up for grabs, 55 from NC
May 15 – 63 delegates up for grabs, 35 from NE
May 22 – 81 delegates up for grabs, 45 from KY
If Romney got 100% of the delegates from May 8-22, the total would be 1120, still short of the 1144 he needs.
May 29 – 155 delegates up for grabs, all from TX
Jun 5 – 299 delegates up for grabs, 172 from CA
Jun 26 – 40 delegates up for grabs, all from UT
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Judging from the numbers above, at earliest it will be over on May 29, and only if Texas, which has winner-takes-all, goes for Romney. Previously, Texas was likely to lean toward a Tea Party conservative like Santorum.
More likely, it will not be over until Jun 5, when California votes.
It is still possible that that this could go to a brokered convention, although much less likely after Tue, Apr 24th.
Unless Newt and Paul are persuaded to quit before then.
Will Ron Paul single-handedly be able to force Romney into a brokered convention?
Somebody should be interviewing Ron Paul and reporting on his intentions.
President Harding had only 20% of the leading candidate’s votes in 1920, yet he ultimately became President.
This will be an exciting election to watch.
Is it to be President Romney, President Paul, or President Obama?
Or will Gingrich stay, and Santorum un-suspend, and all go into a very exciting brokered convention?
Of course, probability is on the side of a Romney nomination and a Romney-Obama fight.
In which case, I plan to put all my energies behind Romney.
May God steer us wherever America needs to go.
Taking Over From Barak
Is Barak Obama Losing It?
President Barak Obama enlisted the Democrat swing votes for passing one of the largest and most far-reaching pieces of legislation in the history of the United States, ObamaCare, by assuring Democrat Congressman Bart Stupak and his Democrat allies in March of 2010, that federal funding of abortion (something opposed by 70% of America) would be barred from ObamaCare. As it turns out, the President of the United States was lying to his own party members, to manipulate them into passing legislation which the President misrepresented to them and to which the President later added autocratic mandates which wiped out all the promises he had made to Bart Stupak, to his allies, and to the American people.
ObamaCare was thus passed under false pretenses.
Time was not allowed for anyone to read the (now 2,700 pages of) legislation; Congress was forced to vote on a bill they had not read.
And of course, not only abortion (abortifacient drugs), but also free contraception and free sterilization were later added to the services which taxpayers must fund under ObamaCare.
Religious exemptions were not given to those whose religious beliefs prohibited paying for abortion.
The ObamaCare budget was misrepresented; recent cost estimates are double those claimed in March 2010, and continue to grow.
The majority of states, as well as numerous organizations and individuals, have filed actions in federal court challenging the constitutionality of ObamaCare.
ObamaCare alone, is sufficient reason to demand the removal of Barak Obama from the office of President of the United States.
The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. – U.S. Constitution, Article II, Section 4.
Definition of Misdemeanor
Dictionary.com: Misdemeanor:
1. A criminal offense defined as less serious than a felony. Examples of misdemeanors include traffic violations, disorderly conduct, trespass, reckless driving, public intoxication. Examples of felonies include perjury, check fraud, and tax evasion, in addition to treason, murder, assault, rape, and arson.
2. Any minor offense or transgression.
Lying to members of Congress to influence their votes on a piece of legislation which will affect the health and well-being of all the citizens of the United States, and inserting mandates into previously passed laws which violate the wishes (the votes) of 70% of the citizens in a democracy are more easily compared to felonies (perjury, check fraud, tax evasion) than to misdemeanors (traffic violations, trespass, reckless driving).
Either way, impeachable offenses.
President Obama and his administration:
President Obama submitted such a pathetic budget that it was turned down by the House of Representatives by a completely unanimous vote of 414-0; a record vote of no-confidence in the President in which every single Democrat opposed the President — something which was not reported by many major media networks, which are liberal, biased, and not interested in reporting the truth. (Googling “Obama budget 414-0” turns up zero abc, nbc, msnbc, cnn reports. Wisconsin State Journal (Madison) buried the story with one sentence halfway through an article entitled “GOP-run House easily rejects bipartisan budget.”)
Obama instructed the press on how they should report on him, telling them that lately their reporting was too balanced.
Most of the above shockers were not reported by the “mainstream” (actually liberal) media.
For example, Obama’s budget was rejected unanimously by the House of Representatives, and the “mainstream” media did not deem this worthy of reporting. The “mainstream” media has, for the most part, become a radical arm of the Obama administration, which usually serves no purpose other than fanning Obama’s ego and promoting his reelection.
But today, the list of Obama’s recent crimes and misdemeanors has been topped by an item that even the uber-liberal New York Times and msnbc deemed worthy of reporting: the fact that Obama has been aggressively trying to circumvent Congress and to claim power for the Presidency– an executive unilateralism tactic which Obama himself had previously vehemently opposed.
Obama’s power grab and his disregard for the United States Constitution and for the will of the people has now become so noteworthy that even the liberal “mainstream” media has noticed.
Obama is either a madman, or a traitor. Either way, everyone is noticing.
Enough is Enough. The urgency of removing Barak Obama from Office of the President of the United States increases with each passing hour. He has reneged on virtually every promise he has made, he is discarding the Constitution which he had sworn to uphold and to protect, and he is rapidly steering us into a totalitarianism that makes the British rule of the 18th century pale by comparison. It bears repeating – Obama is either a madman, or a traitor.
Obama’s Approval Index has plunged from the initial +30 in 2009 to -19 today, according to Rasmussen reports. Today, 43% of Americans strongly disapprove of Obama (24% strongly approve), and 54% of Americans total disapprove (45% total approve).
Obama is on his way out. Despite the liberal media, the truth is getting through somehow, and Obama is on his way out.
May God bless and may God help America!