A local high school student has made headlines recently via an opinion piece published in the Wall Street Journal about her recent experiences during her college search. Having just gone through the same experiences for the third time with our youngest child, Suzy Weiss’ sentiment rang very true;
This is not an article about retirement planning. I had been smarter I would have 20 pounds of gold buried somewhere rather than my investments in the stock market, retirement plan, and IRAs. I have heard speculation since Obama was in office about a move to “take” over our individual retirement accounts. By all accounts there are trillions of dollars out there in which the federal government has no control over. Both Demoncrats and RINOs will salivate at the thought of having that much money to spend to ensure their re-election. They’re not likely to just take it, but will offer you the ability to convert your accounts to government guaranteed annuities. Think of Social Security again…many promises and IOUs and your beholding to the government for your daily bread. Any guess who you will vote for?
A sampling of yesterday’s headlines:
Forget about the John McCains, the Mitt Romneys, the Newt Gingrichs, the Rudy Guilianis, the Mike Huckabees, and dare I say it…the Karl Roves. These politicians had their day, but now it is time to fade away. These folks have done their damage to the Republican Party and seem to enjoy the lame stream media limelight too much for my taste. I no longer want a party that goes along to get along. I want a party and leaders within that party who FIGHT for American values of small government.Â
News briefs are a collection of interesting news stories and this edition is all about Obamacare…
Brief 1: Many seasoned citizens were shocked at AARP’s support of the Obamacare legislation which contained a significant cuts to doctor’s fees and cuts in allowable payments to hospitals. The fear, of course, is that many provider would simply stop accepting Medicare patienst, a majority of which are the aforementioned senior citizens. One had to wonder who the AARP, a membership organization, was actually lobbying for? Just recently the AARP had announced that their employees will see a rise in their health care costs in a statement from an AARP spokesperson;
No this is not a post about the American peoples’ rejection of Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Washington politics. Many others are having fun welcoming the Republican wave that swept away many notable Democrats…though not nearly enough. Jerry Brown as governor? California you have got to be kidding me. I am holding in a wait-and-see position having been sorely disappointed by Republicans far too many times.
Unbeknownst to many Americans the Federal Reserve (The Fed) had scheduled a meeting today to decide future monetary policy. I find it interesting that they chose the day after a hotly contest mid-term election to meet and announce their policies. The centerpiece of their plan is Quantitative Easing 2 (“QE2”). The Wall Street Journal describes QE2 as:
The practice of professing standards, beliefs, etc., contrary to one’s real character or actual behaviour.Synonyms:Â deceit, insincerity
What does Edmond Burke think:
“Hypocrisy can afford to be magnificent in its promises; for never intending to go beyond promises; it costs nothing.”
How about Billy Connolly’s thoughts:
“Hypocrisy is the vaseline of political intercourse.”
Can you give some examples?
Barney Frank (D-MA) may be the quintessential corrupt (allegedly) politician on Earth. That’s saying something these day with the likes of Rangell, Waters, and Jefferson evading taxes, helping friends and hiding cash in the freezer. Countless journalists have investigated and provided a significant amount of proof of Frank’s fingerprints all over the implosion of the housing market resulting in a global economic meltdown. In his chutzpah he and equally sleazy Chris Dodd (D-CT) had the unmitigated gall to write financial regulations. Even sicker was watching this bill pass and get signed into law.Â
As my two eldest children prepare to go back to college life our house we again begin looking at ways to pay for our portion of the bill. We have been fortunate because the schools that they chose (both are private schools) have been very generous with scholarships, grants, and work-study jobs. There still is, however, a significant portion of the bill that we have to pay in some way.
Famously known as the demon barber of Fleet Street, Sweeney Todd slit the throats of unsuspecting customers before dumping them through a trap door into his basement. His partner in crime used the meat to make pies to sell at a sidewalk shop. Though these were fictional characters we may have a more destructive duo around today.
