Should US Have Publicized Bin Laden Operation

Should the United States have openly admitted killing Usama Bin Laden? Retired Colonel Oliver North says no! On Sean Hannity's radio show this week North said that operatations like the one carried out by Navy Seal Team 6 should remain covert, that the results of the mission should not have been made public and that, if asked what happened that night at Bin Laden's compound, the US Government should respond, "No comment."

North says President Obama blew a huge advantage by letting the enemy know exactly what happened, that Bin Laden was killed. Instead, North said, the enemy should have been left guessing, wondering if Bin Laden is dead or alive, talking or not talking.

Do you agree with Oliver North?

Is Taxation With Representation Really That Much Better?

How much of your income did you give to government last year? Think about it. If you are like most people you paid federal taxes. You likely also paid state sales tax and possibly state income tax. Some cities have a city income tax. Some people even pay borough taxes. If you are a home owner you also paid property taxes.

This sounds like a lot, but it's really just the beginning. Take a look at your regular monthly bills. I did. My last electric bill included $18.27 of taxes. This doesn't sound bad, but compared to the $193.75 of charges for electric service this amounts to 9.4% taxes. My cell phone bill, 14.3% tax. My home phone bill, 45.6% taxes and other government fees. About $0.55 for each gallon of gas we purchase goes to the government. Currently, this is the equivalent of about 21.5% tax. All these taxes on top of federal income taxes!

We give money to the government in other ways as well. When we register a car, we have to pay the government. If we want to fish, we have to pay the government for the privilege of a fishing license. When we drive on a toll road, we pay the government. There is almost nothing we do involving money that does not require us to pay one government agency or another.

Homeowner associations are quasi governments. Anyone who lives in one must pay the association either monthly, quarterly, or annually. Homeowner associations have the power to impose special assessments and to foreclose on property if homeowners don't pay their share of fees.

There are heavy taxes on such items as cigarettes and alcohol. The theory is that these heavy taxes act as a deterrent to limit smoking and drinking. However, there does not seem to be much evidence that increasing taxes on legal stimulants actually leads to decreased consumption.

In 1773, three years before the signing of the Declaration of Independence,colonists in Boston, MA, expressed their outrage at the passage of the Tea Act by the British Parliament. Their main objection was that the Tea Act was passed by Parliament in Britain, not by officials elected by colonists in Massachusetts. Ultimately, the Boston Tea Party is credited as the event that began the revolution which led to the establishment of the United States of America.

Imagine what the colonists would think now! What have we allowed to happen to the country they fought to create? It is almost certain this is not what they envisioned when they were throwing crates of tea in to Boston Harbor, risking their freedom and risking their lives for what they believed to be a fundamental right.

Does representative taxation mean that it is OK for law makers to pass tax after tax and allow bureaucracies to impose "fees" and "surcharges" that, since they are not called taxes, they can impose without an act of Congress? If the colonists were able to look in to the future and see the state of the union today with respect to taxes, would they even bother? Would the Revolution have even taken place?

Why do we allow ourselves to be taxed so much and in so many different ways? This is not to say that taxes are not necessary. Taxes are absolutely necessary. Tax revenues fund our military which helps to keep us free from any attempts from outsiders to take control of our land and resources. Taxes pay for road building and maintenance. Taxes also pay for police and fire rescue as well as libraries and parks. However, taxes (including all fees, surcharges, etc. collected by government agencies) do not have to be such a big part of our lives.

Government in the United States, at all levels, has gotten too big. We need to take a good hard look at everything our tax money, fees, surcharges, whatever name is given to money collected by government, is used for and decide if we really need it. Once we do this, we can say to the colonists, "Thank you for your efforts, your sacrifices. We are doing everything we can to uphold everything you worked for."

Gun Control

So long as the people have guns the people will be in control. Take away guns and the government is in control.

Eminent Domain

The US Supreme Court decision in Kelo v. New London was just plain WRONG! The case established that government has the right to sieze anyone's property and turn it over to developers in order to increase the property tax base. This means that virtually everyone's home is at risk, all farms are at risk, all small businesses with low property tax rates are at risk, any piece of property with vacant land is at risk.

The solution is obvious, but, for some reason, has not been sought. We need a Constitutional amendment dealing with private property rights. Some say there has not been such a move because the Democrats are in control of both houses of Congress and the White House. However, Kelo v. New London happened during George W. Bush's administration when the Republicans had control. Why didn't the Republicans do anything about this?

We need to pressure our members of Congress, both the House and the Senate, to take up this matter NOW and we need to elect candidates who support a Constitutional amendment dealing with private property rights.

By the way, after the city of New London, CT, won it's case in the US Supreme Court and siezed Kelo's property, the company that planned to redevelop the land changed its mind and left town!

Healthcare

Obamacare is not good for this country. We all know it. Some don't want to accept it. The only healthcare reform I currently support is an end to the "pre-existing condition" rule for individual or group coverage. It is odd that a person cannot be turned down for healthcare coverage due to a pre-existing condition when the individual participates in most group healthcare plans. Yet, that same person can be turned down for individual coverage and with some group plans. Why are the rules different?

I changed my mind on this subject due to a personal experience. I was denied coverage as an individual in 2008 due to a recent diagnosis of psoriatic arthritis, a degenerative disease that can cause tremendous pain and lead to loss of mobility. I was at the point that I could not use my hands for anything other than picking up light objects. I would literaly cry at the thought of standing up because I knew the pain would be intense. I felt hopeless and helpless. I had a new born child and feared I would not be able to be the father I should be to my three kids. I was able to get the medication I needed through the manufacture at no charge for a period of time and soon found employment that included a group healthcare plan.

I do not agree that everyone has the "right" to healthcare. At the same time, I do not think we should turn people away in times of catastrophic illness. If someone is involved in a severe auto accient or is stricken with an illness that causes them to stop being a productive citizen and they do not have health insurance, we should provide healthcare. Once the healthcare has been provided, we can send them a bill for the full amount and allow them to pay it over time with no interest with payments as low as $5 per month.

I also do not agree with providing free healthcare, except in times of catestrophic illness, to illegal immigrants. If illegal immigrants want healthcare coverage they should return to their home country and apply for a visa to enter the United States legally. Once in this country legally, they can apply for health insurance just like we do.

Fair Tax

I support the Fair Tax. The Fair Tax, in a nutshell, eliminates the Federal income tax process, as well as corporate Federal taxes, taxes individuals only when they spend not when they earn money, and allows everyone to know exactly how much they pay in taxes each day, each month and each year. Ask anyone how much they paid in Federal income taxes last year and many will say, "I didn't have to pay. I got a refund." In reality, these people likely had a tax liability of between 5% and 15% and have no idea how much of their money the Federal goverment actually kept.

By taxing individuals only when they spend the Fair Tax encourages savings. You don't need to put your money in a specialized retirement savings account to avoid tax penalties. You are not punished when you decide you need to spend a little of your savings instead of keeping it until age 65. If you earn $1,000 (net of deductions such as health insurance, child support, employee loan payment, etc.) you keep $1,000. There is no deduction for Federal income taxes, no deduction for F.I.CA., no deduction for Medicare.

The Fair Tax, being a national sales tax, makes it possible for the Federal government to tax foreigners on all of their purchases, thereby spreading out the Federal tax burden of US citizens. Think this isn't fair to foreigners? Well, they already pay sales tax at the state level any time they make a purchase. They pay taxes when renting cars, buying airline tickets, staying at a hotel. In essence, by way of corporate tax payments, foreigners pay Federal taxes that are built in to the price of the items they purchase.

Some may say the estimated 23% tax is too high. Not so! Most Americans currently pay between 5% and 15% through Federal withholding. They also pay F.I.C.A. and Medicare, as do their employers. Depending on the way a business is set up, either the business or the business owner pays Federal income taxes. These taxes drive up prices not only on the retail price of the product, but also at every step along the production process. Each business/business owner that makes a component or ingredient of the end product pays taxes! Add all of these taxes together and you will see 23% is a good number.

The Fair Tax is the fairest way for all Americans to pay our share of taxes and is the best way for each of us to know how much we owe the Federal government. The current Internal Revenue Code is more than 9 million words long! It is so cumbersome, that the IRS doesn't even know how to interpret it. Accountants and Lawyers become rich helping people fight the IRS. Let's stop the insanity and pass the Fair Tax!

Abortion

For too long we have focused the nations attention, via the two major political parties, in the wrong place when it comes to deciding the issue of a woman’s right to chose versus a fetus’s right to exist. We have all chosen a side, some based on political affiliation, some on conscience. Some have even chosen political affiliation based solely on the pro-life/pro-choice debate.

There is, unfortunately, a side of the debate that is never…well, debated. That is, the idea that people who don’t want to have children should put forth every effort to prevent conception to begin with! For some reason the debate has always focused on the consequences of unwanted pregnancies; should we have it, or should we not have it, rather than, what can be done to make sure we don’t reach the point that such a decision is necessary? This makes no sense! We don’t focus on dealing with the aftermath of our homes burning down. We focus on preventing them from catching fire. We don’t focus on which auto body repair shop is the best. We focus on not crashing our cars.

Roe v. Wade brought the issue of abortion to the forefront of politics. The debate even reaches into local politics, which is odd considering the US Supreme Court’s decision in Roe v. Wade made the debate a federal one. Local politicians have no say in the matter. It would take the US Supreme Court reversing itself or an act of Congress, likely a Constitutional Amendment, to change the law.

This is a very divisive issue that, if left with only the two choices we have always been faced with, will never be resolved. It is time to get to the root of the issue. It is time to start talking about the other option. It is time to call on both the Democrats and the Republicans to focus their efforts on preventing unwanted pregnancies. The way to put out a fire is to extinguish it at the base, not just blow the smoke away.