Perception vs Reality

The lines are blurred, but are they blurred purposely, or maybe because people think too much into words or is this the way culture is headed?

Politicians blur the lines purposely. For instance, Nancy Pelosi said during the health care debate that the bill had to be passed so that the American people could find out what's in the bill. As though the people have no interest or no right to know what the options are, or the debates are that are eing presented. Does she really believe that people trust politicians?

These lines blurring have moved into television programs. The program "House" is an excellent example of this. The character is constantly analyzing why people do things, say things and what they mean by what they say without taking into consideration that the patient may actually be telling the truth about the events, pain or whatever is going on in that episode. But it's scripted television so he's always going to guess right (or analyze correctly) by the end of the episode because it's a script. It's not real life.

These lines are becoming more and more blurred in everyday life as well. If you say something to someone else, are they hearing what you are saying or are they hearing what they think you "really" mean? An event is relayed to another person, and the person hearing it reacts to the last part of the event, but not the rest of the event, and because that is their reaction, the person relaying the events questions the reaction thinking there is a hidden meaning other than what's actually said because the first comment made is regarding one particular thing in the event rather than talking about the event as a whole or even one item at a time.

The Republicans put out a pledge during the campaign. One of their pledges was to repeal the health care plan that was passed without one Republican vote and without the backing of the people. This plan can be voted for repeal in the House and would likely pass. It will then be voted on in the Senate and may pass. But the assumption is that if it reaches the Presidents desk, that he'll veto the repeal and we'll continue to be stuck with the expensive and poorly put together Obamacare. There aren't enough Republicans in Congress to override his veto.

So the talk the past few weeks has been about getting rid of parts of the Obamacare plan but keeping the good parts. The lines are being blurred. This is not what the Republicans ran on. They ran on repealing Obamacare. They ran on cutting spending. They ran on being more accountable to the people which government has not been the past year and a half to two years.

It seems that it's almost useless to say what you mean and mean what you say any longer. It is only say what you mean, get what you want and to heck with what you mean because you didn't mean what you say.

A husband and wife Michigan were recently divorced. This came about because the husband used the wife's password to his wifes E-mail and discovered that she was having an affair. Divorce proceedings ensued. However, now the husband is being charged with a crime for hacking into her E-mail and finding out that she was having an affair. The divorce was finalized in recent weeks, but his felony trial comes up on February 7 for the hacking.

The divorce coming about because of an affair makes perfect sense. It happens everyday, but charging the man with hacking into a computer in his own house, that both he and his wife use, and charging him with a felony to boot, seems to be something other than what the law was intended for. But since the prosecutors, if successful, gets another felony conviction under their belts. Was the law created for this purpose? I think not. I think it's just an unintended consequence of the law being created.

There seems to be no common sense left in government nor even in the country any longer. The perception becomes reality, whether it was the reality or not. With everyone analyzing every thing said that others say, or everything done that others do, the perception becomes the reality and the poor slob that may never have intended anything that the other has decided, is the one that suffers.

If someone was to ask me what it's like outside, if I say the sky is a deep blue, will another person then get upset with me because they heard that the sky as it looks puts me deep in the blues? When in fact, the sky being blue might please me because the sun is shining, and it's not raining or snowing.

The people of this country did not like what they were hearing from the leaks about the health care bill. They wanted to know what was in it, they wanted some parts to be voted down, and then when the final bill came up, they wanted it defeated. They didn't want it to pass and become law then find out what was in it. They wanted to know before it was voted on. They didn't want the 2,400 page bill passed until it was fully read and understood.

The man didn't hack into his wife's E-mail to stage a terrorist event or steal state secrets. He looked at his wife's E-mail supposedly to try to help his stepchild, but discovered his wife was having an affair. Why is this a felony?

Legislators represent us. We should be informed before the bills pass and if we choose to not be informed, then it's our fault. But to accept how good a bill is going to be because it's named "Health Care Reform" and to be told how happy we'll be after it's passed and find out what's in it, is wrong. Perception is reality until the reality is discovered.

The Republicans asking for a vote based on their statement that they'd repeal the health care bill and then deciding to keep parts of it and get rid of parts of it rather than doing as they said is again, perception (they'll do it, we'll vote for them) but once elected the reality is we'll still be stuck with Obamacare.

I like a deep blue sky because it usually means warmer weather, but definitely not any precipitation. That's the reality. Thinking that I mean it put me deep into the blues is the perception that someone else has decided by analying my words without regard to how I put them together let alone what I really meant by my words.

I can think of one way that reality can be reality rather than someone making a decision based on their own perceptions of what is voted on, looked at or said. Discuss it. Find out the truth rather than guessing at it.

It's beginning to appear that we're going to get more of the same from the Republicans as well. It's too bad if it happens this way because it's not what I voted for.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

Government Schools Continue to Fail Students

In the past month, there have been two incidents in the Public School systems, or Government schools, that show very clearly the failure of the system and those running the schools.

We send our kids to school to learn. One of the ways you learn is to make mistakes. One of the ways you mature is to experience things. My son turned 18 a couple of years ago. Shortly after his birthday, he wanted something or to do something. I don't remember what it was, but he wanted to argue about it. At one point, he said "Dad, I'm an adult now."

My response to him was that he may be legally an adult, but he's not mature. The 18th birthday didn't turn him into a man. His actions and inactions showing his maturity or lack of it, it was determines he's an adult.

Last week, in Florda, there was a high school basketball game. A player pushed an opposing player and was called for a technical foul. He didn't like the call. So he pushed the referee. The referee promptly ejected him from the game which made the kid even madder and he grabbed the ref and threw him over his shoulder and to the floor. The referees then called the game, awarded the win to the other team.

Then punishment was discussed in the press, on the talk shows and just about everywhere else. The kid could be charged with assault. A high school kid charged with assault. A kid that isn't mature, which he made very obvious with his reaction to a call. This is a missed opportunity.

In my perfect world (ahem), this kid would be permanently suspended from playing. He'd still be forced to be on the team, which means that he would sit on the bench in street clothes with the other players for the rest of the season. He'd be forced to watch his teammates play and when he would normally be in the game, he wouldn't be allowed and have to watch as his friends and teammates had to do his work for him that he can't do because of his actions. He'd be forced to meet the refs before each remaining game, and shake hands with them and call the sir, and smile.

When the game is over, he'd be ordered to approach each referee and congratulate them on the job they did refereeing the game. During school hours, he'd be in detention each day for the remainder of the basketball season and for each day he missed, whether due to illness or other absence from school, he'd make up each day following the season until his time was served.

He's a teenage kid. Do we give up on him? Or do we correct his behavior? There is only one reason to prosecute this kid. If the referee was injured, then I can understand involving the law. He has to pay the price for his actions. But, why involve the legal system on a school incident if there is no injury to the referee? To charge this kid with a felony for his actions on the basketball court, removes his chances to better himself and likely improves his chances for more problems later.

The second incident happened in Howell, Michigan at their high school. Apparently, a female student was wearing a belt buckle with the confederate flag symbol on it. A teacher, Jay McDowell, ordered her to remove the belt buckle apparently saying that it was intolerant of gay students and bullying of gay students. Another student criticized the teacher for wearing an anti-bullying gay pride shirt with the gay pride symbol on it. He supposedly said "I don't accept gays, it's against my religion." McDowell ejected him from class.

For ejecting this student from class, McDowell was suspended for one day without pay. Since this happened, it's been an ongoing topic in Howell, Michigan.

A 14 year old student in the Ann Arbor school system came to the board meeting in Howell and sang the praises of this teacher. That student claimed he's gay.

An ACLU attorney for the group Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) group praised McDowell for his support of "gay rights" but also said that he was wrong for taking away the students freedom of speech. McDowell is an economics teacher.

Again, in my perfect world, this was another opportunity lost. Rather than ejecting the student from his class, the teacher could have opened up a discussion on anti-bullying and even anti-gay-bullying. Yes, it's an economics class and probably not within the scope of the class, but the teacher made it a part of his class by telling the one student to remove her belt buckle and also by his own wearing of the gay pride shirt.

Bullying is a problem. Any sort of bullying is a problem. It's been a problem since the beginning of time. But what this teacher did was nothing more than bullying. He took his position of power and forced someone in his charge to either tolerate his position on a topic or leave. However, the student didn't have the same opportunity. He couldn't order the teacher to change his shirt or take the day off work.

Even a discussion on gays probably wouldn't have changed this kids mind on the gay lifestyle. I know that it wouldn't change my mind. But at least each sides positions would be aired out, and the teacher could actually lead by keeping it a civil discussion with open ideas. When intolerance is the answer, the result is a battle with one side or the other moving to a more drastic action to get his/her point across.

Even if the kids didn't learn that there is no moral or legal reason to think the gay lifestyle is wrong, and on the other side, even if the teacher didn't learn that the gay lifestyle is wrong in many religions and should be illegal (if that's the kids position), the free discussion done in a respectful and tolerant way, would have been more towards teaching than anything else.

The kids would have learned that even though people disagree, they can still discuss topics and draw their own conclusions from the discussions on whether the topic is something that they are for or against.

Instead, what the students seem to have been taught is that they must accept a position even if they are against it because someone with power has deemed it so. They've just learned that they are not free to believe as they choose and they are not free to state what they believe.

Maybe, just maybe, had the tolerance been displayed allowing all sides to state their positions, it could end some of the bullying at least in the area of bullying gay students. Although, I have a hard time believing that there are that many students in one high school that are gay. But that tolerance exhibited with a discussion may have also helped in other areas that bullying takes place in.

So in one instance, we have a school system insisting on treating a student like an adult by possibly prosecuting him and in another we have a school system that doesn't allow for a student to learn by treating them as though they have the wrong opinion on a topic.

At home, the kids should be punished. If the basketball player was my son, he'd have been turned over my knee that night when he got home (if that bothers you non-spankers, then don't look). In school, the basketball player should get punishment for his actions in school, but his punishment should be to face what he did not to be tossed out and ignored and given up on.

The student in Howell, if he was my child, if he spoke disrespectfully to the teacher, and there is no indication of that, would also have been given a lesson on speaking respectfully at home by me. But at school the discussion should have taken place because it was a learning experience even if there is no certain outcome on the topic.

It's annoying to see people with their children acting up in public and they try to reason with them, but at the same time, it's annoying to go too far in public in meting out punishment to them. But that's a topic for another time.




There is no wonder to why the Government School Systems are failing our children in this country. These are just two examples.





You're welcome to comment.





Brett

Socialism Loses Twice More

Socialist policies in this country took two hits today! First, the House of Representatives. The Speaker couldn't get the votes on the rules to pass the Bush Tax Cut Extension. Finally, in the early evening, they came up with the rules and debate is going on as this is written. It is expected to pass the House.

It's a little disconcerting to see that the Democrats are still claiming that it is unfair that this tax cut for the rich is going to pass because President Obama agreed to this deal which is to include no amendments.

It's also a bit unnerving that the Democrats think that taking the money from the rich to give to those that don't have as much is perfectly acceptable. The rich earned their income as we all earn our incomes. They were just better at making money than others whether it's due to a better education, harder work or an inheritance or even a combination of the above. Someone worked for that money and to take it from them, to give it to someone that hasn't earned it is redistribution of wealth or socialism. All rich people didn't make their money at the expense of others. They made their money because they took advantage of all the country has to offer. Many of them failed the first few times they tried a new venture before finally finding their niche.

The rich are not getting a tax cut. They are having their current rates extended just as the rest of us are having our current rates extended. Yet, the Democrats have fought this and are now whining about it.

In the Senate, the Democrats brought out the Omnibus Appropriations bill and laid it out for everyone yesterday. 1,924 pages were slapped on the table and they said "we're voting on this." Nobody has read it. The Democrats planned to just put it out there to be voted on without the opportunity to read the bill.

Included in that bill were over 6,700 earmarks. The very item that the American people told the government they no longer wanted. The people said they wanted the spending stopped.

The Republicans were doing everything they could think of to stop it. They put out a 1 page continuing resolution that would keep the government running into next year until they can deal with the appropriations in a sensible manner.

The appropriations bill has been in the works for months and many earmarks were put into the bill long before the election. The election had a resounding no attached to it when it came to earmarks and ridiculous spending.

When the Democrats dumped it on the table yesterday, it included all of those earmarks. Had they listened to the people following the election, AND been smart, they'd have offered the Continuing Resolution because of all of the earmarks. Instead, they chose to ignore the people and stick it to them one last time while they still have the power.

Then Senator Jim DeMint (R) of South Carolina requested the entire bill be read before a vote. Late today, the reading began. During that time, Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid (D) found he didn't have the votes for cloture. So a little bit ago, he went to the floor of the Senate and announced that he was stopping the reading and the Continuing Resolution would be the way to go.

One page, trumped 1,924 pages. 42 Republicans stopped 58 Democrats. This is a good example of why the filibuster and a 60 vote majority works, but that's a discussion for another day.

During this back and forth before DeMint requested the bill be read on the floor, CNN and MSNBC were talking about the hypocrisy of the Republicans because they too had earmarks in the bill. However, as many times as they were told that the earmarks were put in before the election and these Senators changed their positions because of the elections and what the election meant, they dismissed that response and continued with calling one side hypocrites but didn't complain that Obama would sign the bill even though he promised too, transparency and earmark free bills.

There were a couple of Republican Senators that still wanted the earmarks in the bill even though Republicans had decided to forego earmarks. Kit Bond of Missouri, George Voinovich of Ohio and Bob Bennett of Utah all were for leaving their earmarks in and likely would have voted for the bill had it come to a vote. All three are leaving the Senate for good in the next week. Not a proud commentary on their service to the nation to leave with that as their last act. I'm particularly surprised at Senator Kit Bond being part of this.

These earmarks took money which comes from the American people and gives it to others. $10 million to the John Murtha Foundation for example. Another took $48 million and distributed it to inner cities. Just given to them. This to fight poverty. Again, Socialism. Take from those that have and give it to those that haven't earned it.

In one day, Socialism was handed two resounding defeats! If the Republicans can keep this up in the new Congress during the new year and for the next two years, there is still hope for this country to survive this debacle that began in December 2007.

If the Republicans follow through and actually repeal the Health Care law that was just put in place last March, that will be three strikes on Socialism and that one will be out. But it's just one batter in the first inning of a nine inning game. There are many more issues to deal with. The Republicans are off to a good start and the new Republicans aren't even in office yet.

These next two years are looking better and better. The Republicans need to keep this pressure up and the American people must keep writing their legislators on each issue to see to it that these elected officials do things the way the people want them done.

Who knows, we could see Socialism only in other parts of the world.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

Congress Proves Elections Turned out Correct

This President and this Congress have proven themselves to be silly at best. They just don't get it. After two years of passing legislation in spite of being told by the American people that they didn't want these bills. The stimulus passed with just three Republicans, who are really not Conservative and one of those Republicans made it official by changing to the Democrat Party. That would be Arlen Specter.

The House passed the Cap and Trade bill, aka Cap and Tax. The American people didn't want it. Then came the health care debacle. The Senate passed the Health care takeover bill against the wishes of the American people. When Scott Brown replaced Ted Kennedy in the Senate, the Republicans now had a way to stop the health care bill. Unless the Democrats in the House passed the bill exactly as the Senate had passed it. If there were any changes it would go back to the Senate for a vote and Scott Brown would have been the vote that stopped it from reaching 60 votes and passage.

The Health Care bill came with a pricetag. The Louisiana Purchase to get Senator Mary Landrieux's vote. The Cornhusker Kickback to get Senator Ben Nelsons' vote. A buyout in Connecticut to get Senator Dodd's vote.

Then in the House, Representative Bart Stupak of Michigan agreed to vote for it along with his coalition because Obama promised to stop abortion from being in the bill with an Executive Order. Not one Republican voted for the bill and many Democrats backed away from it, but they got enough to pass it. Again, against the will of the American people.

With the largest tax increase in history looming at the end of the year, the Democrats shut down Congress to go and campaign for the upcoming election rather than pass the extension to the Bush Tax cuts.

The people spoke. Democrats were voted out across the country. The Republicans gained 63 seats in the House and added Senate seats as well. More importantly over the long haul, they also took over many many more state legislatures and Governorships across the country.

Obama, who didn't include Republicans in anything the last two years, now worked out an arrangement with the Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts. This time, he didn't include the Democrats in the deal. They were left out and they were livid claiming that Obama "caved".

To make matters worse, he then came out and instead of praising the two sides for working out a deal for the American people that they said loudly and clearly that they wanted in the election, he instead said that he had to negotiate with "hostage takers" (the Republicans) and told the Democrats it's the best deal to be had and they should get over it.

After this monumental screw up, he needed damage control. So he called in former President Bill Clinton and Clinton took over the press conference. Obama actually walked out and left it all to Clinton to deal with.

Today, the Senate passed the tax cut extension with a vote of 81-19. The House Democrats are still angry.

But then today, the Democrats came out with the appropriations bill. Another 1,900 page monstrosity. Included in this were earmarks totaling $1.1 Trillion Dollars!!

Both Republicans (who agreed recently to a moratorium on earmarks) and Democrats put in big dollars for their districts. Dollars we don't have. Not one legislator is going to have time to read this before the vote. Democrats have been whining that the tax deal was going to blow up the deficit and the debt, then turn around and add $1.1 Trillion dollars to that shortfall.

The American people have said loudly and clearly that it's time for Congress to get it's financial affairs in order. Cut spending. Stop taxing. Stop passing bills that we don't want. But this Congress flipped the bird to the American people by putting out this massive spending plan.

We are 16 days from taxes going up, and finally the Senate passes the tax cut extension bill. They've only had 8 years to do it. They still have to wait for the House to pass it. We are 21 days from all of those that we elected this year to taking over the House and their new Senate seats and this current Congress is spending as though the people didn't matter. But then, the people haven't mattered to this President and this Congress for the past two years, so I guess we shouldn't be surprised.

Prior to the election, the question was beginning to be asked 'how long can this country survive'. Now the question seems to be 'can the country survive another 21 days.

This new Congress that comes in is going to have it's work cut out for it. Repealing Obamacare (which also failed in Federal Court this week), cutting spending in massive amounts, not to mention dealing with the border issue and Americans dying on the border that this Congress and this President don't seem to care about.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

Deal? Or No Deal!

President Obama hasn't just blinked, he's now hammering those eyelids up and down he's creating a windstorm. Word came out this morning that he's open to renegotiating the tax deal that he entered into with Republicans earlier this week.

You'll remember that earlier this week it was announced that the Bush tax cuts would be extended for everyone. In addition to keeping the tax rates the same, they agreed to lower the payroll tax, leaving more of your hard earned money in your pocket rather than in the hands of the government to misuse. They did agree to set the estate tax at 35% beginning at $5 million.

This infuriated Democrats! Apparently, they were left out of the discussions. They were so mad that one Democrat was heard to say "F*** the President", making Joe Wilson's "You lie" comment during a speech to a joint session of Congress, seem like a compliment.

This president seems to have a problem getting along with others. For the first 18 months of his Presidency, he never met one on one with Senator Mitch McConnell who is only the leader of the Republicans in the Senate. Now that the Republicans are on the verge of taking over the House following the election which gained them 63 seats, and the Senate Republicans have gained six seats, he's now willing to talk to the Republicans, but not to his own Democrats.

In response over the deal, Obama came out and lambasted the Democrats and the Republicans. He said that Republicans had held the middle class hostages and that while he wouldn't deal with hostage takers, he makes an exception when the hostage is in danger. Calling Republicans hostage takers after having just come to an agreement with them is not working and playing well with others. Telling his own Democrats to in essence "man up" shows that he can't play well with friends either.

Now he's showing that his word means nothing. Actually, this the second time on this topic that he's gone back on his word. During the campaign, he said that he would see to it that the Bush tax cuts for the rich would be rolled back. Then he agrees to extend them, then he is open to renegotiate.

We've all seen how meanings have changed. Sports figures have contracts and they renegotiate them while still under contract. I remember a day when a handshake was as good as any contract. Now, a signature on a piece of paper isn't worth the ink used.

If the Democrats can't honor an agreement, the Republicans should demand more and give less in the next agreement. They should argue to extend all of the tax cuts, remove the estate tax, extend the payroll tax decrease to two years and get a 10% decrease in spending across the board. I would also add a repeal of Obamacare to the bill. They might as well go for everything because the Democrats can't honor agreements.

If the Democrats can't accept that, let them go home for Christmas and come back after the holidays. The Republicans can then come back with the majority in the House and a larger minority in the Senate and pass their own plan, and make that plan retroactive to January 1.

The Republicans have something more powerful on their side that Obama and the Democrats don't have. The American people behind them.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

Profiling: What??? I'm a White Guy??!!???

In the 1930's, there was a baseball pitcher by the name of Dizzy Dean. He was from the deep south and was quite a character. He mangled words purposely, as well as having a way of making complicated things simple and maybe simple things complicated.

When he retired, he became a broadcaster on the radio for baseball games. In those days, announcers weren't permitted to say anything about the weather. In one game, the clouds burst out with a rainstorm. Dean was announcing the game and naturally, when the game is delayed, he has nothing to say because there is no game going on.

Wanting to inform his audience about the situation but unable to tell them it was raining, Dizzy said in his deep southern drawl, 'well, we have a delay of the game heah. I cain't tell ya'll why, but if you poke yer haid outta the winder, I'm sure ya'll will figgure it out.'

Today, the police, the feds, the TSA agents aren't permitted to profile anyone. This is partly what the Arizona law passed recently has been fought about with the liberals claiming it's racist because it targets hispanics.

We have tied our own hands to protect people's feelings. Unfortunately, we're protecting the wrong people. If a store is robbed and the call goes out over the police radio, it's gotten so ridiculous when it comes to profiling that I don't know how they know whom to look for. Suppose it's a white guy that robs the store. The calls goes out saying we're looking for someone wearing a light blue hooded jacket that zips up the front, blue jeans, tennis shoes and white socks and has a handgun. Are they not allowed to say he's a white guy?

Suppose it's a black guy. Same mode of dress. We're not allowed to say he's black? Suppose there are five people walking down the street all wearing the light blue hooded jacket, jeans, tennis shoes and white socks. One is white, another black, another a blonde hair blue eyed female, one hispanic and one is an old man with gray hair, stooped over from age and arthritis. When the police come up on these people, which do they look to as a suspect? They don't know the race of the perpetrator because nobody is allowed to say.

The gun is naturally concealed, so the only way to find the person is to stop them all and treat them all equally. Do we now need one officer of each gender and race and age to check out the like person in that crowd of five?

What is the problem with saying it's a white guy that robbed the store? Or saying he was black or hispanic if that's what they were. Are we afraid that if we single them out that we'll destroy their self esteem when they find out they are white? Black? Hispanic? Blue eyed blonde female? What white guy doesn't know he's white? What black guy doesn't know he's black?

How many more people are put in danger because we can't identify people by their race or gender along with the rest of the description?

What happens is that we now have 7 year old boys strip searched at airports or 23 year old white men having to say "Don't touch my junk" all because we're afraid that he could be a middle eastern man that is a terrorist. We have women that are possibly singled out for an agent to grab women in areas that only their husbands grab, but not because they fit the profile, but because they may be well endowed or in great shape.

In Arizona, the majority of those that are in this country illegally will have brown skin. It seems to me that the obvious place to be suspicious is when you have someone with brown skin pulled over for a traffic violation.

We're going so far to avoid even a hint of racism, that in nearly all aspects of law enforcement, not to mention day to day living in offices and factories we're getting to be afraid to call an apple an apple.

Back in the 30's and 40's, announcers couldn't tell you that there was a rain delay. They dumped that rule because it was silly. Banning profiling is silly in the same way. If we follow through to the nth degree with this profiling, fingerprints will not be allowed on criminals. Everyone has a unique fingerprint. If we fingerprint one, and it's not the same as the other, isn't that too profiling? Each fingerprint is an individuals. Just like each person is an individual.

The fact is that not everyone is same. Not everyone is the same color. Not everyone has the same color hair. Not everyone is a criminal and not everyone is honest. The laws should be enforced against the lawbreakers to protect the innocent, not enforced against the innocent to protect the lawbreakers.

If a criminal is surprised that he is the race he is, I think singling them out for breaking the law is the least of that criminals worries. To use Dizzy Deans vernacular, maybe he ought to look in a mirror with a color chart next to him so that he's not surprised by his race when he eventually is arrested.'

You're welcome to comment.

Brett

Obama Finally Agrees to a Stimulus Package that Works!

President Obama has been dragged kicking and screaming to a Stimulus package that works. Earlier today, he finally came to an agreement with Republicans to extend the Bush tax cuts. He now has his liberal buddies mad at him.

During the Presidential campaign he ran on eliminating the Bush tax cuts. Instead he spent more money than George Washington through George W. Bush combined.

The day after Presidents Day in 2009, less than one month after he took office, he signed into law his stimulus package which paid out billions of dollars calling them shovel ready jobs. A problem he had was that apparently, nobody owned any shovels. The stimulus failed. He tried cash for clunkers. It too failed.

He then moved to health care reform and plowed in tax increases and government intervention into the health care reform plan. The American people were against these initiatives and more not mentioned. This was shown with the elections of Chris Christie in New Jersey as Governor and in Virginia with the election of now Governor Bob McDonnel. Both Republicans. As the health care reform was nearing a vote, the House was held by Democrats and only a simple majority was needed to pass their plan.

In the Senate 60 votes were needed to pass it and they had the 60 when they passed their version. However, Senator Ted Kennedy died and a special election was held. The Republican, Scott Brown won and promised to be the 41st vote in the Senate against health care reform which would then stop the health care takeover.

However, the Democrats had already passed health care reform in the Senate when they had the 60 votes. So the only way to get health care through was to have the House vote on the Senate plan as it was. It couldn't be changed or it would have to be voted on in the Senate again and it would have lost with Brown's vote.

So without any markup between the two Houses, to prevent the Republicans from stopping a flawed health care bill which they were not included in, they passed the Senate version to keep Senator Brown from putting an end to that plan.

The American people were livid and in November, the Democrats were kicked out in massive amounts. At last count 64 House seats went to Republicans. The Republicans gained seats in the Senate as well and they also gained in massive amounts around the country in Govenorships and state houses.

Obama then changed his tune somewhat and the Republicans warned the Democrats. They will not allow any bills to pass until the tax cut extension was handled. The Democrats already shut down both Houses in September to go and campaign. So they were obviously not interested in fixing the problem of taxes increasing on January 1.

Following the Republican overwhelming victories in November and with the majority of seats up for re-election in 2012, not to mention Obama's own job, he had no choice but to give in on the tax cut extension debate.

This is interesting because for years the Democrats have been claiming that the only ones that got a tax break from Bush was the rich. Now they've had to admit that everyone's taxes would increase after the first of the year. For 18 months, prior to the election of 2010, Obama didn't even meet with the Republican leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, one on one.

They continued to fight to increase taxes (as Democrats do) on the rich. They apparently don't believe that all men are created equal. The rich were apparently created as better Americans and the Democrats wanted to punish them. In the meantime, not knowing what was going to happen with tax rates after the first of the year, the rich kept their money on the sidelines. They weren't hiring, they weren't investing.

Today, Obama had to give in. He's now come to an agreement with the Republicans, albeit for only two years. This will stimulate the economy. Following the first of the year, the Republicans, if they follow the voice of the people, will start cutting spending. That too will stimulate the economy.

When Bush signed these tax cuts back in 2001 and 2003, revenue to the government set new records. So why did the deficit increase? Because the Republican Congress spent the additional money. The Democrats continued to spend when they took over in 2007.

Why was job growth slow during the Bush years? Because for the first six years, the average unemployment rate was 4.5%. Full employment is considered at 5%. How do you have higher employment numbers when everyone is already working?

Why did the tax cuts expire at the end of 2010? Because the Democrats that voted for the tax cuts wouldn't vote for them unless there was an end to them.

In 2007, Democrats were elected and took over both houses of Congress because Republicans spent as though they were Democrats with all of that extra income created by the tax cuts.

Just this agreement alone, should decrease the unemployment rate over the next two years. If they Republicans are actually successful at cutting spending, the economy could come roaring back even faster.

This will make the 2012 election very interesting. Will Obama get credit for the pickup in the economy or will the American people realize that Obama had to cave on this?

It will also be interesting to see if the Republicans follow through on their attempt to repeal health care reform, and if they do, will enough Democrats get on board to override an expected veto. Or will Obama realize that he blew it with health care and sign a repeal to health care to get himself re-elected next time around.

I've been flipping between Fox News and CNN since this announcement came out. Fox News is upbeat that a deal was reached. CNN and their "best commentators on TV" are all nailbiting and saying that this tax deal is not paid for and the deficit will have a hole blown in it, and saying that Obama has lost his Democrat base.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Tax cuts don't cost money. These aren't even tax cuts. These are maintaining the current tax rate, although they are apprently giving a one year payroll tax cut.

The money does not belong to the Government. It belongs to the people that earn the money. The goverment only confiscates some of those earnings when they tax us.

Obama was dragged kicking and screaming to agreeing to extending these tax cuts. I'm now hoping that the Republicans can drag him kicking and screaming to cutting spending and to repealing health care.

The beneficiaries of this deal are the American people. While it won't be an immediate effect on unemployment, and economic growth, it won't be a long delay before we start seeing this deal working for everyone.

It is nice to see that Obama now agrees that Americans don't need a tax hike next year and that it would be bad for the economy and for the people.

You're welcome to comment.

Brett