THE MORNING AFTER

Many of my fellow conservatives are dismayed and depressed this morning after the drubbing that the GOP took last night. I have to admit, watching the returns on TV it felt like I was getting punched in the face over and over again. I have shaken the pain off and I've now had a little time to reflect. Surprisingly I am at peace knowing God is in control of this situation which in many ways is beyond my understanding. I am not angry or saddened as many who know me might be thinking. Here are some thoughts I have regarding what has just transpired in the last 24 hours.

Last night was an historic evening. The day has come when a man is elected without regard to his color which is something that should make every American feel proud. As a true conservative I can take pride in that. In contrast, Liberals trashed Condi Rice and Clarence Thomas and called them “House Negros” when they achieved and earned their positions. I take pride in being a Republican because we are the party that ended slavery (Abraham Lincoln), stood up for the working man (Teddy Roosevelt), defeated the USSR (Ronald Reagan) and defended our country against Islamic extremists (George W. Bush). Nonetheless, President Bush's legacy will forever be tarnished because he and the Republican party did not live up to the Conservative ideals that he ran for office on. While I am proud of America's triumph of racial equality I feel as if it is marred slightly by the fact that the majority of the electorate bought into the promises of more entitlements and the redistribution of wealth from the successful and productive. Americans voted based on "what is good for me?" rather than "what is good for my country?".

I am reminded of a quote by one of my favorite founding fathers. "If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home from us in peace. We seek not your counsel, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

A government that can give you everything can take everything away from you. Opportunity and hard work are the key to success not entitlement. The Marxist ideology "from each according to his ability, to each according to his need." is Godless. I don’t need the wealth of others to be confiscated then redistributed to me by my Government in order for me to succeed and enjoy the pursuit of happiness. The bottom line is if you are not happy now you won’t be any happier 4 years from now, you will blame someone else for your lot in life just as liberals typically do. Many Americans now think like the typical personal injury lawyer, Blame the other guy. Blaming others is easier than blaming yourself for the education you chose, the career you chose, and the lifestyle you chose. Choices have consequences and you are personally responsible for the choices YOU make.

One of the most divisive issues in this election has been tax policy. I for one am no fan of the current progressive tax policy that punishes the productive. No matter what changes are made to the current system it's still a broken system. Now with President-elect Obama preparing his transition team, there is talk of a new economic stimulus plan which equates to the US borrowing even more money and mailing out checks to folks that don't even pay taxes. It's time for the party of BIG ideas to step up and promote a real plan for stimulus and tax reform that will set this country on the right course economically.

http://www.fairtax.org/site/PageServer?pagename=economy

Conservatism is a good thing when it's principals are followed. If my fellow conservatives are honest with themselves they will admit the Republicans only have themselves to blame for the situation they are in. Conservatives did not walk the talk. President Bush's veto pen is still like new, Congress borrowed and spent, expanded entitlement, expanded the federal government, oversaw poor fiscal policies in regard to Fannie, Freddie, the Federal Reserve, Wall Street Regulation, and the list goes on. At the end of the day the GOP welcomed the greedy Gordon Gecko types with open arms. While many of the politicians, bureaucrats, and businessmen that perpetrated these heinous and irresponsible policies of greed and vote buying were Democrats ,the GOP was in charge at a time that they could have put a stop to it. Many like John McCain and even President Bush tried to sound the alarm only to have congressional liberals like Barney Frank and Chris Dodd run roughshod over them.

I think the outcome of this election should be a lesson for the GOP to return to their principals and quit acting like Democrats. The GOP also needs to get its fight back. This is an opportunity for conservatives to reflect and regroup. I am not depressed, I will continue to press on with optimism and speak out against policy that threatens the Constitution and hence threatens my life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness. I will pray for Obama to lead this great nation with God's help and grace. I believe that conservatism will triumph again.....someday. I can only HOPE someday is 4 years from now.

Posted by Brewmaster Ben

Burning Down The House: What Caused Our Economic Crisis?

'Our Country Is the Best'

August 18, 2008

Assorted TV commentators keep opining that the Olympics are all about the brotherhood of man, rather than national ambition or patriotism. But don't tell that to the fanatically nationalist Chinese -- or to Kobe Bryant, the NBA star who is playing with Team USA in Beijing.
[Kobe Bryant]
AP

In an interview Friday on NBC, the world's most famous basketball player told Chris Collinsworth how he got "goosebumps" when he received his Olympics uniform. "I actually just looked at it for a while. I just held it there and I laid it across my bed and I just stared at it for a few minutes; just because as a kid growing up this is the ultimate, ultimate in basketball." The Los Angeles Laker went on to call the U.S. "the greatest country in the world. It has given us so many great opportunities, and it's just a sense of pride that you have; that you say, 'You know what? Our country is the best.'"

Mr. Collinsworth seemed either startled or impressed by such sentiment, and asked, "Is that a cool thing to say in this day and age? That you love your country, and that you're fighting for the red, white and blue? It seems sort of like a day gone by."

To which Mr. Bryant replied: "No, it's a cool thing for me to say. I feel great about it, and I'm not ashamed to say it. I mean, this is a tremendous honor."

Cynics will claim that this is merely about marketing, with Mr. Bryant hoping to use the Games to burnish his public image. On the other hand, he and his rich teammates on the basketball squad are giving up their offseason to play for nothing save possible medals. Mr. Bryant has also been an enthusiastic spectator for other U.S. Olympians, waving the Stars and Stripes at various events.

To the kind of Americans who consider themselves primarily "citizens of the world," nationalism at the Olympics is déclassé, even embarrassing. We're with Kobe.

Copyright Wall Street Journal 2008

New McCain Ad

McDonalds to power Manila's police cars

Okay here is a story I read on Drudge Report this morning. Here is totally a brilliant idea. Bio diesel powered vehicles for law enforcement! How much fuel does the local law enforcement fleet consume anyways? It has to be a ton since they all drive V6 and V8 vehicles. We could put a small dent in our dependancy on foreign oil with this idea. Maybe Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts can start refining their used cooking oil into B20 Bio diesel and selling it on the cheap to the cops, just think they can fuel up while they are picking up their daily dozen. The idea to put some advertising on the car is another good one. Right under "To protect and serve" they can have the Dunkin Donuts logo and "NYPD run's on Dunkin" or something to that affect.


AFP Jul 29 06:00 AM US/Eastern

Police in Manila are looking to convert their patrol cars to run on a mixture of diesel and used cooking oil from McDonald's, officials and the company said Tuesday.

With oil prices at crippling highs, the project would convert cars in the Makati financial district to run on a mix of 40 percent diesel and 60 percent cooking oil, its police chief Senior Superintendent Gilbert Cruz said.

Used cooking oil will be donated by Makati outlets of the hamburger giant, said McDonalds franchising manager Buth Salaya.

Other restaurants are also considering donating their used cooking oil as well, Cruz said.

One police car has been converted to use the diesel/cooking oil mixture and is already in use, and the government is studying how viable it is to convert more vehicles.

"It's a win-win situation for us because we will both benefit," Cruz said. "The cooking oil of their Makati stores will be re-used and the Makati police will use it as a component for their biodiesel and also save money."

The head of police forces in the capital Manila, Geary Barias, said that if the project is successful, he may recommend it being adopted by police forces across the Philippines.

Posted by Brewmaster Ben

Fossil fuel doesn't have to be a dirty word

For those of you unfamiliar, the Honda Civic GX is a Civic Sedan powered by Compressed Natural Gas (CNG). Read more at http://automobiles.honda.com/civic-gx/. This vehicle carries a price tag of roughly 25,000 dollars. This chart should pretty much calm the nerves of anti fossil fuel green freaks that are now hearing about The Pickens Plan which involves using Wind and Solar power to replace the generation of electricity in order to divert the use of CNG as a transportation fuel to help secure America's energy independence. This chart further illustrates the cleanliness of CNG as a transportation fuel. I am sure as re-fueling infrastructure and more carmakers bring product to market big gains will be made in range. CNG is also easy on the wallet at the pump, CNG can cost as little as $1.00 per equivalent liquid gallon. For all the talk of hybrids and electric cars, solar, wind, and ethanol you really don't hear much about CNG or for that matter Clean Diesel or Clean Coal. Beijing will beat the US in the bringing a Clean Coal plant online by opening the worlds first Clean Coal power plant in the Summer of 2009. This is technology that the US should have had up and running by this year. In terms of clean and efficient transportation fuels, clean diesel is the clear winner in the MPG column. Companies including GM and Ford now offer clean diesel models in the European market where diesel vehicles now comprise 53 percent of all new vehicles sold. By the year 2010 we will start to see more clean diesel models coming here to the US. VW, Honda, GM, Nissan, BMW, Audi, and Mercedes Benz have announced plans to market vehicles with clean diesel engine options. Clean diesel uses very different technology than Diesel cars of even 3 years ago. Throw out the notion of a noisy, dirty, smelly, and sluggish vehicle. Take the Honda Accord sold in Europe as an example. This is the same body as the Acura TSX sedan sold here in the US. When the EU Accord is equipped with a 2.2 Liter i-DTEC 4 Cylinder Diesel it gets 41MPG by US standards. In contrast the gasoline TSX get's 23MPG. The diesel option is also affordable and would likely cost US consumers no more $2,000.00 more than the unleaded model. This makes far greater sense than hybrids which cost the consumer 4-10,000 dollars more than a comparably equipped gasoline model. Clean Coal, Natural Gas, and Clean Diesel are CLEAN technologies that we have existing or growing infrastructure for. We should not allow the environmentalist whackos to shape public opinion of these efficient and clean technologies just because they use fossil fuels.

Instability Only Fuels Higher Fuel Costs

The time to act is now. Our leaders in Washington, D.C. and in state legislatures across the US must take action to secure our country's energy independence. They will NOT act if you and I do nothing. Call, Email, and Fax your elected representatives today and let them know you are fed up with high gasoline prices and our dependence on foreign oil. Corn based Ethanol is not the answer, the evidence of that is the increase in food prices and reduced food exports which is causing a food shortage in some nations of the world. I believe if the situation with Iran were to escalate where Israel or the US were to take military action against the Iranian nuclear installations it would push the price of gas to double or triple what it is now. Take a moment to checkout www.americansolutions.com and www.pickensplan.com. These are practical ideas on the table that if properly supported can secure Americas energy independence and lower fuel costs for hard working Americans.