Work is a four-letter Word
There are certain words that most people consider unacceptable in polite conversation. Most of them have four letters. Thus they are commonly referred to as four-letter words.
Monday night, in the GOP presidential debate in South Carolina, Newt Gingrich used one of those four-letter words. He did not get bleeped. In fact, he got a standing ovation after using it again and again and again. The word was W-O-R-K.
Over the years, the left has demonized those of us who would dare use this word in a polite discussion of poverty and welfare, so much so that most people simply have eliminated it from their vocabulary. Read the rest of this entry »
Mitt has the Skill, not the Will
“U.S. files for Chapter 11!”
That should be the headline the day after the new president takes over next January. Chapter 11 is not bankruptcy, per se, it is a chance to reorganize.
When a business is unable to service its debt or pay its creditors, the business or its creditors can file with a federal bankruptcy court for protection while this reorganization takes place. During this process, all existing contracts may be cancelled and assets are sold in an attempt to put the company on the road to recovery. This week, we learned that the U.S. debt is now equal to the size of the entire U.S. economy. Read the rest of this entry »
Gingrich reignites Climate Change Controversy
“Climate is what we expect, weather is what we get.” Mark Twain
Does a leopard change its spots? Does a tiger change its strips?
Newt Gingrich is what you might call a striped leopard or a spotted tiger. When it comes to what some see as the impending doom of climate change, the former speaker of the House is trying to have it both ways.
On December 20, at a campaign stop in Iowa, he looked more like a deer than a leopard or tiger – a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. When confronted by a woman who expressed concern about a chapter on climate change being written for his post election book on the environment by climate change apologist Katherine Hayhoe, Newt began backpedaling. “That’s not going to be in the book,” he said. “We didn’t know that they were doing that, and we told them to kill it.”
Ah, the proverbial “we.” Who are/is the we? The book’s editor, some unknown puppeteer who is out of sight pulling all the strings or Gingrich himself? Read the rest of this entry »
Need a little Christmas?
Christmas is, without a doubt, the happiest holiday of the year. The hustle and bustle, the decorations, the lights, the parties, the holiday cheer usually bring a smile to the most dedicated sourpuss. The magic and warmth of this holiday brings out the best in people who give generously at this time of year. The music and laughter brightens our spirits and everything looks better, at least in the short term.
After three years of an economic downturn there seems to be no light at the end of this tunnel. The economy is now on life support and many are struggling to hang on. Who knows how long this will last?
For we need a little Christmas
Right this very minute,
Candles in the window,
Carols at the spinet.
This song from the musical Mame was sung by the madcap protagonist who had just lost her fortune in the stock market crash of 1929. It easily could have been written today for it sums up our feelings in 2011. Read the rest of this entry »
The Unwanted Christmas Gift
Ronald Reagan correctly stated that the nine most terrifying words in the English language are “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
The very last thing we need is a new government agency micromanaging the financial decisions of banks, businesses and individuals. We already have seven powerful entities tasked with the oversight of the banking, lending and investment industries.
We have the Federal Reserve. We have the Comptroller of the Currency. We have the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. We have the Securities and Exchange Commission. We have the Commodities Futures Trading Commission. We have the National Credit Union Administration and the Federal Housing Finance Agency. They have done such a wonderful job. Just look at the mess we’re in!
Now, the Obama Administration and the Democrats have given us a new, onerous, unaccountable regulatory agency with virtually unlimited power to control all of our money that isn’t hidden under a rock somewhere. It’s called the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If you are the least bit familiar with Washington, the name alone is enough to leave you shaking in your boots. Read the rest of this entry »
