JOHN BOEHNER Condemns the Attack in Tucson, AZ

JOHN BOEHNER

Speaker Boehner’s Remarks on Resolution Condemning the Attack in Tucson, AZ

Washington (Jan 12)House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) delivered remarks on the House floor today during consideration of a resolution condemning the tragic shooting in Tucson, AZ and honoring the victims. Following are Speaker Boehner’s remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Today, we are called here to mourn. An unspeakable act of violence has taken six innocent lives, and left several more – including our colleague, Gabrielle Giffords – battling for theirs. These are difficult hours for our country.

“Among the fallen is Gabe Zimmerman, a member of Congresswoman Giffords’ staff … a public servant of the highest caliber … one of our own.

“Even in our shock, we are composed and determined to fulfill our calling to represent our constituents. This is the great cause for which Gabe gave his life. Like us, Gabe swore on oath to uphold and defend the Constitution. At the time of the attack, he was engaged in the most simple and direct of democratic rituals: listening to the people … to his neighbors.

“The brutality that shattered Saturday morning’s calm was devastating, but brief. Bravery and quick thinking prevented a massacre, turning innocent bystanders into heroes. The service and skill of first responders and medical professionals saved lives. Law enforcement officials are working to ensure swift justice. Look to Tucson right now, and you will be reminded that America’s most plentiful source of wealth and strength is her people.

“We are so thankful Gabby is still with us. We are so thankful that two of her staffers who were also wounded – Ron Barber and Pam Simon – are still with us. These are days they were not supposed to see, and we can only pray there will be more of them.

“In her stead, Gabby’s staff has pressed on, opening for business Monday morning, right on schedule. The men and women who faithfully serve the people of Arizona’s Eighth Congressional District have signaled that no act – no matter how heinous – will stop us from doing our duty and being among the people we serve.

“To all of the dedicated professionals we rely on to make this institution work, to each of you: thank you for what you do. To Gabby’s staff – and their families: please know that our hearts and prayers go out to you.

“This body has yet to fully register the magnitude of this tragedy. We feel a litany of unwanted emotions no resolution could possibly capture. We know that we gather here without distinction of party. The needs of this institution have always risen above partisanship. And what this institution needs right now is strength – holy, uplifting strength. The strength to grieve with the families of the fallen, to pray for the wounded, and to chart a way forward, no matter how painful and difficult it may be.

“Today it is not ceremony, but tragedy that stirs us to renew our commitment to fulfill our oaths of office. Let us not let this inhuman act frighten us into doing otherwise. The free exchange of ideas is the lifeblood of our democracy, as prescribed by the First Amendment, that beacon of free expression Congresswoman Giffords recited in this well just days ago. These rights have not been handed down by dictate – they have been preserved and protect through generations of hard sacrifice and commitment. We will continue this unfinished work.

“We will do it for Christina Taylor Green, Dorothy Morris, Phyllis Schneck, and Dorwan Stoddard, ordinary citizens who died participating in their democracy. We will do it for Judge John Roll. We will do it for Gabe Zimmerman. And we will do it, God-willing, with Gabrielle Giffords.

“Our hearts are broken, but our spirit is not. This is a time for the House to lock arms, in prayer for those fallen and wounded, and in resolve to carry on the dialogue of democracy. We may not yet have all the answers, but we already have the answer that matters most: that we are Americans, and together we will make it through this. We will have the last word.

“God bless this House. God bless this Congress. God bless America.”

Military Industrial Complex

Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense, flies to China to discuss China’s growing military size with the Chinese. Is he likely to convince them that they should not build an ever larger military organization? Obviously the answer is no. As he travels there he warns America by way of releases to the press of China’s growing military strength. Those releases telling all of us that the Chinese could become a threat to America.

The six largest military contractors earned $222 Billion in 2009. Those companies employ lots of people and are spread throughout the country. What’s the likelihood we will reduce defense spending? Not likely given the income and jobs that are at stake.

		Billions of Dollar Revenue in 2009
Lockheed Martin		45
Boeing		34
Northrop Grumman		34
Raytheon		24
General Dynamics		32
United Technologies		53
TOTAL REVENUE		222

Death in Acapulco

It’s a beautiful city. The beaches are a pristine white. The water in the bay is so warm you will think your mother has just drawn a bath for you. It’s all a lure that could result in your harm or perhaps your death.

Police found the bodies of 15 slain men, 14 of them headless, on a street outside a shopping center in the Pacific coast resort of Acapulco on Saturday. The bodies were found in an area not frequented by tourists. This is part of an AP report.

Is it worth taking a chance?

There Really are Witches in Romania

I base this title on the following facts.

This was reported by the Associated Press: Romanian witches from the east and west will head to the southern plains and the Danube River on Thursday to threaten the government with spells and spirits because of the tax law, which came into effect Jan. 1.

I have never told anyone about this before but I come from a Romanian clan that has had many witches. My mother’s family did come from Romania. If you check the map you will see that the Transylvanian Mountains are in the north side of that country. Of course you all know that was the home of Dracula who was a fictional character. However south eastern Europe was known to be the home of many strange peoples. It is believed to be the home of most Gypsy clans.

The stories I tell you were related by my mother. Added to my own experience they do cause me to believe there is an element of truth.

-My mother does look like a witch. She has a long pointed nose and did have a cyst on her chin. She cut that off with a kitchen knife when I was about 16 years old. It grew back.

-The entire clan or family moved to Winnipeg, Canada in about the year 1900. As a boy I returned to my grandparents home every summer. My mother was one of 4 children but there was a 5^th child, a girl, who died at about 10 years old. So one evening I went from my bedroom into the dining room. The lights were out but there were candles on the table. Everyone was holding hands and chanting together in a language unknown to me. When I asked what was going on my mother got up from the table and rushed me back to bed.

-My mother went by the name Sadie but her birth name was Sarah. My mother explained that an aunt of hers had given that name to one of her children. The aunt told my grandmother that she must change her daughter’s name from Sarah or she would put a curse on her.

-My great grandmother became infuriated with my mother’s older sister. She did put a curse on her. She said that Elsie would marry after her younger sister and never have any children. That is precisely what happened. Elsie was engaged and suddenly the groom broke the engagement. My grandparents sent Elsie to Paris to find another love. That did not happen. In the late years of her life she telephoned relatives and friends screaming incoherent things. The phone company did disconnect her service.

-I have no powers at all. My children ignore me and the curses I put on my bosses all failed. I believe my sister is wicked but fear telling her that.

-I do not fear black cats, Friday the 13^th, or walking under a ladder. In all other matters I am a failed witch.

Bad Words or Realism

Mark Twain wrote that “the difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter.” A new edition of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer will try to find out if that holds true by replacing the N-word with “slave” in an effort not to offend readers.

The N-word is Nigger. It is an offensive word. It is also a word that was in common use during the 19th century. According to the publisher, NewSouth Books, the N-word appears 219 times in “Huck Finn” and four times in “Tom Sawyer.” In addition to replacing the N-word, the publisher changes the villain in “Tom Sawyer” from “Injun Joe” to “Indian Joe” and “half-breed” becomes “half-blood.”

Recently a voice was recorded at a California Democratic party planning meeting for the upcoming governor’s election. Someone was heard calling the GOP opponent a “whore.” That recording was re-played repeatedly on radio and television.

Ray Bradbury’s book, Fahrenheit 451, is about censorship and those who ban books for fear of creating too much individualism and independent thought. In late 1998, this book was removed from the required reading list of the West Marion High School in Foxworth, Mississippi. A parent complained of the use of the words “God damn” in the book. Subsequently, the superintendent instructed the the teacher to remove the book from the required reading list.

Many have read John Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath. Several months after the book’s publication, a St. Louis, MO library ordered 3 copies to be burned for the vulgar words used by its characters. It was also banned in Kansas City and in Oklahoma.

Favorite plays have depicted things we don’t like with language we find hateful but realistic. Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and A Street Car Named Desire come to mind.

If you don’t like to hear or read those words no one is forcing you. Just don’t take away my freedom to make the choice.

Unrealistic Inflation

In 1971 I bought my first home for $28,000. My annual income was $10,000. I was buying a home within the usual guideline parameters for buying at home 2 ½ to 3 times my annual income. Excluded was my wife’s income because I knew she would stop working once we had children. I sold that house in 1979 for $88,000. I could not afford to buy the house for that price because my salary had tracked the median household income and was $17,000. I was fortunate and my income did exceed the annual average in the following years. However, it certainly did not rise sufficiently to enable me to afford buying my second home at its market price in 2000 and beyond.

The U.S. Census Bureau currently publishes median household income data from 1975 until present day.

Year

No. of Households

Nominal $

Inflation Adjusted $

2009

117,538,000

$49,777

2008

117,181,000

$50,112

2007

116,783,000

$50,233

$52,163

2006

116,011,000

$48,201

$51,473

2005

114,384,000

$46,326

$51,093

2004

113,343,000

$44,334

$50,535

2003

112,000,000

$43,318

$50,711

2002

111,278,000

$42,409

$50,756

2001

109,297,000

$42,228

$51,356

2000

108,209,000

$41,990

$52,500

1999

106,434,000

$40,696

$52,587

1998

103,874,000

$38,885

$51,295

1997

102,528,000

$37,005

$49,497

1996

101,018,000

$35,492

$48,499

1995

99,627,000

$34,076

$47,803

1994

98,990,000

$32,264

$46,351

1993

97,107,000

$31,241

$45,839

1992

96,426,000

$30,636

$46,063

1991

95,669,000

$30,126

$46,445

1990

94,312,000

$29,943

$47,818

1989

93,347,000

$28,906

$48,463

1988

92,830,000

$27,225

$47,614

1987

91,124,000

$26,061

$47,251

1986

89,479,000

$24,897

$46,665

1985

88,458,000

$23,618

$45,069

1984

86,789,000

$22,415

$44,242

1983

85,407,000

$20,885

$42,910

1982

83,918,000

$20,171

$43,212

1981

83,527,000

$19,074

$43,328

1980

82,368,000

$17,710

$44,059

1979

80,776,000

$16,461

$45,498

1978

77,330,000

$15,064

$45,625

1977

76,030,000

$13,572

$43,925

1976

74,142,000

$12,686

$43,649

1975

72,867,000

$11,800

$42,936

Home prices have not kept pace with median family income for most people. We saw an unrealistic acceleration that was boosted by the government and home loan companies. From the Business Insider comes this graph created by economist Robert Shiller that supports my contention that the housing bubble will not be inflating any time soon.

Click on graph to enlarge

Gasoline Going to $5 a Gallon

For the record regular gasoline throughout the nation now averages above $3.00 a gallon. In Los Angeles the price is ranging from $3.20 to $3.25 a gallon.

John Hofmeister, former president of Shell Oil, is a recurring contributor on CNN. He offered his expert opinion during the BP Gulf Oil Spill incident. He says in this Youtube copy of an appearance on Parker-Spitzer that the cost of gasoline could reach $5 a gallon by 2012. (December 30, 2010: part of this clip appeared on ABC World News this evening). The cause will be world-wide demand that will exceed supply by 5 million barrels per day. Furthermore the United States now drills about 3 million barrels daily less than were drilled in 1970 due to prohibitions on drilling off the coast of California and Florida. Mr. Hofmeister is a proponent of clean coal technology.

After you watch this video you will have another reason to wonder if Barack Obama will be elected in 2012. Maybe the real question should be: Can America’s system of government survive in the 21st century?