Sunday, February 20, 2011

We’re Not in Kansas Anymore Toto- Beyond Big Labor Brick Road


“Education is not the means of showing people how to get what they want. Education is an exercise by means of which enough men, it is hoped, will learn to want what is worth having.”- Ronald Reagan

I know it seems like many moons ago when then candidate Barack Obama was talking about how he was going to go through the federal budget line by line to scrap any needless programs, well did a budget come out of Congress last year for 2011? No they didn’t, they signed a extension to get them through I believe September, plus I guess it would be easier for them to plunge our country further in debt by spending money that isn’t there.

Unlike the federal government, states are required to operate within a balanced budget and the case in Wisconsin is no different. Governor Scott Walker campaigned on reform and getting the state budget under control, well that is just what he’s doing. The same is being done here in the State of Arizona. Now many “compulsive spending Democrats” would claim that the state that are asking for huge cuts are coming out of states that are governed by Republicans, but they would be wrong for thinking that, governors in California and New York are pushing for large cuts to their state budget.

Now onto the unfolding issue in Wisconsin with the ‘Big Labor’ crowd. Everyone’s favorite VP, Vice President Joseph Biden said that “We all need skin in the game.” Now if I heard him correctly, that means labor unions as well, but labor unions are trying to get a pass on all these mandates that affect the budget as a whole.

Labor unions pleaded to get an exemption from participating in Obamacare, and now they wish not to chip in a little more for their great benefits. A friend of mine said that teachers don’t make all that much, but in the State of Wisconsin on average make as much as I do. Plus how is the cost of living?

Now I do not want to come across as a man that is against the teacher union, because I do support great teachers and my daughter has one of them educating her. I feel that organized labor does not have the best intentions in mind for the employee or the employer and in this case it is the State of Wisconsin. If the labor unions want to be more liked by the majority instead of being a “bully” that demands their way or the highway then they need to take a look in their trunk and consider a reform themselves, because they spend oh so much money asking the Democrat Party to their bidding.

The argument in Wisconsin is that Gov. Walker is trying to destroy labor unions, but he is simply saying no collective bargaining at this time. Collective bargaining is like bipartisanship, both sides come to an agreement and in most cases one side is asked to compromise their principles in order to move the process forward. Gov. Walker stated that in order to get the state budget under control he will need for union members to pitch in more or face a massive lay-off.

I don’t know about you, but it appears that the teachers can careless where the money comes from. Teachers left the classrooms to ask the government to contribute to deficit spending, which is not a good lesson in economics. In order to save the organization, if it calls for me to contribute a little more towards my benefits and pension then I’m game. The labor unions do not create jobs, nor do they care about where the organizations budget lies. They fight for high wages and Cadillac benefits for everyone, but it is unsustainable over the long run.

In closing, these labor union bosses need to go and allow the union be the strength of the business not the cancer. Profits are ate up by labor unions and not used for their needed purpose and that is for times like this, a slow economy. Big Labor needs to reform and think about the company they work for. If that company were to board up their doors one day, where is the labor union then, assed out of a job? God bless America and I pray that the protesters will come to a sensible resolution and not demand to have their cake and eat it too.      

Sunday, February 13, 2011

B.O. - International Man for Humane Treatment of Civil Peoples Practicing Aggressive Demonstrations for a New Democratic Egypt Take 2



“Freedom is not a gift bestowed upon us by other men, but a right that belongs to us by the laws of God and nature.” Benjamin Franklin

Following the news that broke Friday afternoon stateside, it took the people of Egypt eighteen days to force the sitting president that was re-elected in 2005 to step down and retire his powers to the vice president and the military. The military has come out saying that they will insure fair and free elections this coming September in which would have marked the end of Mubarak term.

This is a big victory for liberty and people for freedom, but now the tough road in protecting liberty and freedom lies ahead. With Muslim Brotherhood wading in the wings, the People of Egypt need to set their sites on what is best for their nation. Muslim Brotherhood can be detrimental to the movement towards a country of free peoples. Groups like the Brotherhood will use revolts to usher in their ideology, phasing in their radical form of control, government, almost without the citizen knowing that the corruption is taking place.

If it is a free country not pinned down by the fist of a heartless tyrant they want, then the Egyptian people need to be very careful on who they elect into office. If the people want to continue to have positive relations with surrounding nations then electing the right person is very important. They also need to consider electing cabinet members that will represent districts in Egypt, and not allow them to be appointed. Representation.   

Should the United States have any role in Egypt picking their next president? No! President Obama misstep when getting on television broadcasting to the world that Mabarak needs to step down, when only a few short weeks prior praising this man.

I have said that the road towards a free nation will be rough, but worth while. Like in Iraq, Egypt may encounter resistance towards democracy. There will be those that will see their influence stomped out by this new hopeful way of governing and do everything in their power to disrupt this progress.

If Obama wants to be of any help, he would be the needed support this country hungry for reform needs by supporting them behind the scenes not on television. Keep in mind, Egypt along with Israel are among the few strong allies we have in the region. With the latest news coming out of Pakistan, anti-America protesters will be encouraging Egypt to support their cause. Only time will tell if the vacuum created by the ouster of Mubarak will show signs of positive change or begin to look like what we saw in Iran.

My prayers are with the people of Egypt. My prayers are for their courage to stand for freedom and not fall for shady tactics that will further repress them.    

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/pakistan/8318826/US-contractor-in-Pakistan-accused-of-cold-blooded-murder.html

Sunday, February 6, 2011

B.O. - International Man for Humane Treatment of Civil Peoples Practicing Aggressive Demonstrations for a New Democratic Egypt

“Europe will never be like America. Europe is a product of history. America is a product of philosophy.” Margaret Thatcher


Man, woman and child set out leaving all that was familiar to them to come to a land that was untamed and filled with many unknowns. There are those that hate the fact that the white man came to what is now known as the United States to colonize and develop, but we have become a place where people aspire to be like. When I say “like” I mean similar. The United States is like no other nation on God’s green earth.

Through the times of human history we have seen similar stories. One that comes to mind is when Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt which you can read for yourself in the Book of Exodus chapters 5-13. Living under the hands of a tyrant was not living at all and that is what we are witnessing in today’s events. We Americans did it during the Revolutionary War 1775. The colonist had a yearning that is in all men, a yearning to be free.

Many nations around the globe today find that element of freedom a foreign concept. I will allude to the campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan a bit for my analogy. Think of freedom being a foreign food or candy. At first taste you don’t like or afraid to admit you like in fear of being ridiculed over becoming to much like those that offered the treat, but over time after being exposed to this foreign treat you begin to like the taste of it. You begin to notice all the flavors of culture and heritage that went into producing this treat called freedom. Not wanting this experience to end you want to have some for yourself so you can share with others knowing that they will respond like you once did, unsure.

Freedom is mans every desire. We saw this reaction in 2009 with the re-election of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. The people felt that their voices were not properly considered, so they took to the streets to voice their outrage with the results. The people felt they were cheated by this tyrant, dictator and now wanted the free countries around the world to stand with them in protest, well where was the United States in matter? Obama chose not to get involved even after Ahmadinejad turned off all internet connections and TV broadcasting showing the riots in the streets.

We are seeing people wanting to be free. With the continual development and unfolding of events in Egypt, Jordan, Yemen and Syria following suit, Americans need to support Democracy. President Obama did take an admirable approach to the issue, but his lack of American foreign policy experience left him in a bad position due to his past comments when he gave a speech in Cairo before winning the election in 2008.

Allow me to use an example I learned when taking a class in world perspectives. When serving in the missions’ field you must allow those that give their lives over to Christ to worship the way they are lead to worship. We can not expect people in the Amazon to worship Christ like those in a Baptist church located in the Heartland of America. Freedom in Christ is what these believers in the Amazon are living out, so must democracy.

All America can and should do is encourage the people of Egypt to demand fair elections this September. If they want democracy then they should practice it now. Prospective leaders or candidates should be groomed and vetted to ensure the peoples desires are met and free of any pressure made from terror groups that see an opportunity to capitalize on the situation. Egypt needs to hold elections that will elect a man or woman that best represents Egypt.

How President Hosni Mubarak stayed in power this long, 30 years, is beyond me. Who elected him in the last 30 years? Mubarak needs to be a man of his word and not run for re-election, on the other hand appointing a president because he is a face in the crowd could also be equally bad for Egypt.

Mohamed ElBaradei may be a Nobel Peace Prize winner, but does that make him president material? If he truly believes in a free democratic Egypt then he needs to show a degree of tolerance to Israel and that he is willing to allow the sitting president to finish out his term, which ends in September. Then and only then if the electing body of Egypt concludes that he is what they want, then the throne of the presidency is his for the time being.

Freedom takes responsibility from all that enjoy it. Freedom can come at a cost that many do not want to put up. Freedom is still a foreign substance in many regions around the globe and America needs to be that model of freedom. My prayers go out to those that want freedom, but don’t know how to get it. My prayers go out to those that find themselves in leadership positions that require them to protect freedom. Man was created to be free, not enslaved or repressed.