the Statue of Liberty


On Oct. 28, 1886, the Statue of Liberty, a gift from the people of France, was dedicated in New York Harbor by President Grover Cleveland.  The inscription inside the statue, written by Emma Lazarus, is

 

Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses, yearning to breath free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore,
Send these, the homeless, tempest tossed,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door.


We should try to remember the thought when we consider our dealings with illegal immigrants.

Separation of Church and State

The divide between church and state is historic.  It started with the First Amendment to the Constitution that starts by saying “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…”  That sentence has been understood by most people to mean that the government shall not be involved in religious affairs.  Despite that understanding Christmas is a national holiday and the words “In God We Trust” appear on our currency.

The Associated Press reports that “Colorado Republican Senate candidate Ken Buck has questioned the separation of government and religion.”  He is not the first candidate to question the separation.  Christine O’Donnell, the Republican Senate candidate in Delaware made a similar statement in a debate just last week.

Both Buck and O’Donnell are referred to as Tea Party candidates.  The Tea Party groups have been running on a theme of fiscal responsibility and have stayed away from social issues.  This change in direction will put a new meaning to that group and may alienate many of its supporters.

Have the Know Nothings returned or is there another move afoot?

Buying Gold – Think Again

This excellent page was scanned from Businessweek October 18-October 24, 2010.  The key point by Mr. Ritholtz is that “gold shouldn’t account for more than 5% of your portfolio.”  The gold hawkers on talk radio will not be happy with that advise.  One click to enlarge the page.  It’s worth your time.

Responsible for Your Words!

 

Juan Williams is quoted as saying “I’m not a bigot.”  NPR was correct in firing him.  I started writing a defense for his words until I read the definition of a bigot.  “a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially : one who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance.”  This definition can be found at http://www.merriam-webster.com/.  An example of use was provided: He was labled a bigot after making some offensive comments.

It is the same reason that Rick Sanchez was fired from CNN.  Words matter.  In private, with your friends, you can say what ever you like.  When you are a public figure you must think before you speak.

Do You Know the Bill of Rights?

The qualifications to hold a Senate or House of Representatives seat are very low.  You must meet an age requirement and be a resident of the state you represent.  There is no requirement for specific education or experience.  You do not need to know the U.S. Constitution.

Thus we have the case of Christine O’Donnell who is running for Senator from Delaware.  Her opponent, Chris Coons, gave an approximate yet accurate summation of the first part of the establishment clause, “Government shall make no establishment of religion,” O’Donnell responded by asking, “That’s in the First Amendment?” The exchange takes place at the 4:40 mark in the video below.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper recently took a deeper look at O’Donnell’s repeated claims of constitutional expertise and filed the following blistering report, noting that beyond the First Amendment, O’Donnell needed to be reminded of what the 14th and 16th said, despite claiming to have conducted “a deep analysis” of the founding document.

O’Donnell blanks on First Amendment

Should we ask our representatives about the Bill of Rights?

Where are the Proud Americans?

The United States has lost its way!   How many Americans are proud of their country?  Apparently too many Americans long for their native countries.  That fact is displayed by the waving of flags and banners as well as auto license frames and decals announcing their nation of origin.  In addition to that outrage many Americans refuse to say the “Pledge of Allegiance” or stand up when the “Star Spangled Banner” is played.

Compare that behavior with Canadians.  An example is a Canadian from Sudan who running for office in a small town in Alberta.  The sign on the back of his car says “Proudly Canadian.”  Michael Mayen arrived in Brooks three years ago after fleeing the brutal civil war in Sudan. He is running for council.  His story is reported in detail in the Toronto Star.

Proud Americans are in short supply.  How do we change this situation?

THE RICH WIN!!

It is a mystery to me how government decides when to prosecute someone for a financial crime.

The injustice being perpetrated against society in the Angelo Mozilo case only goes to support the common view that the rich are treated differently from the rest of us.  Here is a man that has a reported $1 billion net worth but rather than taking back his illicitly gotten gains they take little or nothing away from him personally. The government then settles for money from escrow accounts established by Countrywide and Bank of America.

Martha Stewart spent five months in jail and was under house arrest for five months.  Her crime was lying about her stock transactions.  Stewart avoided a loss of $45,673 by selling some stock.  I guess she was too poor to justify just a fine.  Wikipedia puts her wealth at $913 million.   

There are special interests in America.  They do have overwhelming power in the government.  Barack Obama talks a good line but he is part of the power elite.  He surrounded himself  with a group of advisers who are all well connected.  It has always been this way.  “Who Rules America?”  details the fact that the wealthiest 1% of Americans control 42.7% of all wealth in the country.  No doubt it is class warfare.  THE RICH WIN!!

Despite Warnings, Mexico Still Draws Americans

FALCON LAKE, Texas (AP) — Despite a bloody drug war raging just across the border, some Americans living near Mexico act as if it’s still a backyard playground.

In the last two weeks alone, two American tourists have been killed in Mexico in vicious attacks — one while riding a Jet Ski and another when his bus was hijacked. And a Mexican police commander investigating one of those deaths was killed this week, his severed head delivered in a suitcase to a local Army post.

But Texas officials keep encouraging boaters to enjoy the bass fishing on a border lake. And Gov. Rick Perry has not urged people to take any special precautions.

Tiffany and David Hartley decided to take Jet Skis across Falcon Lake, which is divided by the border, to photograph a historic church. They were on their way home when pirates opened fire, killing David Hartley, according to his wife.

Just days later, a student from the University of Texas-Brownsville was shot and killed in Mexico. Jonathan William Torres, 19, was one of two people killed when his bus was hijacked in Matamoros, across the border from Brownsville.

The State Department has issued repeated travel warnings to Americans traveling to or living in Mexico, with a particular focus on the area just south of the border. The warnings say that kidnappings are occurring at “alarming rates” with U.S. citizens often the target.

See the link to Mexico Vacation Awareness on the right of this screen.

No Social Security COLA Expected for 2011

On December 24, 2009 President Obama issued an executive order implementing an overall 2.0 percent 2010 federal pay raise for government civilian employees.  On July 29, 2010, the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a spending bill which included a 1.4 percent 2011 federal pay raise.  The argument for these adjustments is that the government must stay competitive with private enterprise and have nothing to do with cost of living.  For reasons that escape me, arguments for adjusting Social Security benefits to account for higher living costs that are not represented in the CPI are deemed invalid.  Congressman Henry Waxman’s office has no comment.  Everyone should send a barrage of calls and e-mails to their congressman.

Sarah Palin Tests 2012 Message

So far Sarah Palin has come off as a sloganeer with little real message.  This new slogan could easily rally her followers.  It goes to the heart of everyone wanting to restore America to greatness.

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By ANDY BARR | 10/11/10 12:21 PM EDT Updated: 10/11/10 12:47 PM EDT

Sarah Palin spoke publicly over the weekend about the 2012 race for the first time in months, mapping out what she sees as the themes for the presidential election.

“These two elections, 2010 and 2012, go hand-in-hand,” Palin said Sunday at a business conference in Bakersfield, according a report from NBC. “The theme of 2010 has got to be rebuke their errors, reject, repeal; and then the theme of 2012 — it’s renew, revive and restore.”

Up until the weekend, the former Alaska governor had been deflecting almost all 2012 speculation by saying only that she was focused on November’s midterm election.

But in her speech Sunday, Palin outlined the message she or other potential Republican candidates should push to counter President Barack Obama.

Palin said that Republicans should pledge to “renew our optimistic, pioneering spirit, revive our free market system and restore constitutional limits and our standing in the world, as that abiding beacon of freedom.”

The message, she said, should be “not transformation but restoration with a ‘Great Awakening’ that we already feel emerging across America.”

“We will win this year, we will win this year,” she said. “And I believe we will win in 2012.”

via Sarah Palin test drives 2012 message – Andy Barr – POLITICO.com.