10 Reasons Why Obama Will Get Re-Elected

 

#1   Mitt Romney—Need I say more? Going into a general election, the incumbent always has the

advantage, and it’s pretty tough to beat an incumbent. To do so, the opposition needs a really

strong candidate. In this case, the Republicans need a Ronald Reagan. Unfortunately, Mitt

Romney isn’t that candidate. First, he comes across as an elitist…just like Obama. However,

the liberal media is going to exploit Mitt Romney’s wealth and paint him as out of touch with

normal Americans. Second, Romney is going to lose a debate with Obama. There’s no doubt

that Obamacare will be a big issue, regardless of what the Supreme Court does. Obama will

simply say that he modeled Obamacare after Romneycare in Massachusetts. That will suck the

life out of the room. Look, Mitt Romney has no credibility on this issue. He was for it before he

was against it. Sound like another politician from Massachusetts…John Kerry…who was also a

loser.   ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#2   The Polls don’t lie—Let’s consider another factor in this election…the polls. These polls are

pretty well dialed in. The pollsters have this down to a science. Look back at 2008. At this

point in the 2008 election, John McCain was the Republican nominee. Hillary Clinton and

Obama were still battling it out for the Democratic nomination. John McCain never led either

of the challengers in the hypothetical polls and the polls had him trailing all the way to the

election…and he ultimately lost. To date, only one Republican has beat Obama in a head-to-

head match-up and that candidate is Ron Paul. Sadly, he’s not going to be the nominee, and

we’re stuck with Romney who has never led Obama in a head-to-head match-up in the polls.

He’ll likely suffer the same fate as McCain.    ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#3    Battleground States—This election may ultimately hinge on a couple of battleground states

like Florida and Ohio. In both states, Mitt Romney isn’t doing well with blue collar voters. Take

Florida, for example. The election will be decided by the voters in the I-4 corridor from Tampa

to Orlando and up to Jacksonville. You’ve got a lot of blue collar service industry workers there

who are predominantly younger and they just don’t like Mitt Romney. If they vote, Obama

wins. If they don’t vote at all, slight advantage goes to Romney.     ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#4   Economic data being manipulated—Notice how the unemployment figure that gets reported

in the media keeps dropping yet job creation isn’t enough to actually bring the figures down?

You guessed it…the figures are being manipulated. This isn’t new, however. The data is always

suspect. For example, the unemployment figures don’t include the unemployed who have given

up searching for work or those who have exhausted their unemployment benefits. Each week,

a lot of unemployed folks are exhausting their benefits and dropping out of the statistics. So

naturally, the unemployment figure is going down. If these people were actually counted in the

figures, we’d have an unemployment figure of somewhere in the neighborhood of 18%. As we

get closer and closer to the election, the unemployment figures are going to continue to drop

which will look good for Obama. And what do you want to bet that gas prices are going to fall as

we get closer to the election?

 

At the end of the day, has the economy improved since Obama took office? No. Real estate

markets still suck; foreclosures are going to continue to increase and prices will continue to

drop. The real unemployment isn’t any better and will continue to get worse. Gas prices are

almost double what they were when Obama took office. Food prices are higher than four years

ago, even though the inflation figures say there isn’t any inflation despite the massive amount of

money printed by the Federal Reserve.

 

So, are you better off than you were four years ago? No, but the data that is going to be

presented to the public will make voters think things are better than they were four years ago.

ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#5    Voters not able to think for themselves—This one is pretty easy. The general public and voters

don’t think for themselves. They’re actually pretty dumb when you boil it down to the simplest

terms. They generally won’t consider all the facts and they won’t consider all the things that

Obama has done that are ruining America. They simply don’t care. They’re too busy with

their insignificant daily lives to take the time to educate themselves about the issues and how

the President’s decisions impact America, their future, and their lives. So, they go about their

business and as long as they’re doing all right—they’ve got a job, the lights come on, gas in the

car, etc.—they don’t care and they’ll vote for the incumbent because everything seems ok and

he seems like a good guy and Mitt Romney seems like the bad guy—the rich, evil Republican.

The voters are lazy and apathetic, and they’ll find reasons to justify not voting for another

candidate over Obama or they just won’t vote, which is in essence another vote for Obama.

They are victims of political spin and they aren’t smart enough to realize it. They’ll believe the

negative attack ads that Obama’s re-election campaign will launch against Romney without ever

verifying the facts or questioning the validity or substance of the ads.    ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#6    $1 billion war chest—Obama has a fundraising machine that is far superior to Mitt Romney’s.

At the end of March, Obama had over $100 million in the bank for the re-election campaign—

ten times as much as Mitt Romney. For the campaign cycle, Obama has raised nearly $200

million while Romney has raised only about $90 million. Obama’s base and contributors

are energized and they’re giving a lot of money to the re-election campaign (let’s call it the

Committee to Re-Elect the President or CREEP to borrow a term from the Nixon era). By most

accounts, it looks like Obama will have about $1 billion to spend on the re-election. Romney

hasn’t even energized the Republican base, and they don’t seem too willing to open their

wallets at this point. Every day that goes by, Romney falls further and further behind Obama

when it comes to fundraising. Don’t get me wrong…Romney has a powerful machine that is

raising money but he’s dwarfed by the President’s re-election machine. If Romney expects to

have a flood of money after the convention in Tampa to rival Obama’s political war chest, he’s

living a fantasy. He’ll get plenty of donations, but it will be too little and too late at that point.

ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#7    Charisma—I’ll give this to Obama…he is very charismatic. And he might be a really nice guy…but

he doesn’t know what he’s doing and he’s ruining the country. However, his charisma is a very

valuable asset in the election. And he promotes this superstar image that all the younger voters

really like. They think he’s one of them. I’ve often said we need to measure candidates by who

you feel would most likely sit at the bar and have a drink and conversation with you. In this,

Obama has that quality hands down in the minds of a lot of voters. I don’t have that perception

of him, but a lot of people do. He’s got the charisma and Mitt Romney doesn’t. It’s just that

simple. Why do you think Obama polls so well among women voters and Mitt Romney doesn’t

poll well among women voters? It’s all about charisma. Obama has plenty of it. Romney has

none.    ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#8    Election Fraud—Why did JFK and Obama get elected? Election fraud plain and simple. It’s

pretty easy to stuff the ballot box with dead people or illegal votes when you control a handful

of election officials in various states. Why didn’t the media put more focus on the fact that the

entire Dallas Cowboys football team voted in Ohio in 2008—no doubt for Obama? We’re just

now starting to hear about investigations into election fraud in Indiana in 2008. Obama may

not even have had enough signatures to get on the ballot there, but he did and he’s president

now. Still no big media coverage of this. If this happened in Indiana and Ohio, where else did it

happen? And now we know why Obama and the liberals oppose voter ID laws—they won’t be

able to stuff the ballot box with dead people or multiple votes or illegal immigrant votes.

 

It’s pretty simple…Obama doesn’t want to lose and will do anything and everything to stay in

power. The machine will do what it has to do to help, particularly in swing states. Pretty ease to

stuff a few ballot boxes in Ohio, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, New Mexico, New Hampshire

to ensure an Obama win.

 

And let’s not forget what I also constitute as fraud…the Black Panthers intimidating voters

outside polling locations in places like Philadelphia. It’s not stuffing the ballot boxes but

preventing people from voting by intimidating them ultimately favors one candidate. Thus, it

constitutes fraud. Can you imagine the liberal media hysteria had the KKK been outside polling

stations on Election Day 2008? It just goes to show the hypocritical nature of the media. It was

ok for the Black Panthers to intimidate votes but it wouldn’t have been ok for the KKK to do the

same thing.    ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#9    Media Brainwashing—The media is clearly biased in favor of Obama. They swoon over him like

he’s a rock star. They’ve definitely drunk the kool-aid when it comes to this guy. The media

does nothing more than brainwash viewers with liberal propaganda, and it goes back to the

fact that the public is so stupid they don’t know they’re being brainwashed and manipulated

by the media. First off, anyone who relies on a comedian for their news shouldn’t have the

privilege of voting; you’re obviously too stupid or you think this is a joke. Either way, you

 

don’t have the intellectual capacity to cast a very important vote. These comedians have

no journalistic credibility or integrity. They’re just propaganda machines for the socialist

progressive movement. Second, if you blindly accept what the media tells you is true as being

true without thinking about it or rationalizing it or verifying it, you probably don’t have the

capacity to vote. The media has an agenda whether you think they do or not. And this is for

both parties mind you. Let’s look back at the Dan Rather controversy regarding claims about

George W. Bush’s National Guard service records. Dan Rather knew those documents were

false yet didn’t care about the truth; he was more interested in a story and in smearing the

Republican president. I would guarantee that he was still sore that Al Gore lost the 2000

election despite Dan Rather’s own efforts to anoint Gore president by 8:00 on election night

2000 and was looking for anything and any opportunity to smear President Bush. But there are

millions of people in America who believed what Dan Rather said. There are millions of people

who are convinced that Dan Rather wouldn’t lie to them. Dan Rather said it, so it must be the

truth. This is manipulative propaganda, folks. People need to think for themselves.

 

So how is this going to play out in the 2012 election? Easy to see that the mainstream media

is clearly in the back pocket of President Obama. They’re going to do and say anything to help

him get re-elected. They’ll stop at nothing—outright lies, smear campaigns, you name it. They’ll

keep telling viewers that things are getting better in the economy all thanks to Obama and

people will believe it. There’s an old saying about if you keep telling someone the same lie

that eventually they’ll believe it. That’s exactly what the media is going to do to help with the

president’s re-election.    ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

 

#10    Gary Johnson, Libertarian—I’m probably more a libertarian than anything but libertarians don’t

win many national elections. The only thing the libertarian candidates do is take votes from the

Republican candidate. Gary Johnson is a good guy with some good ideas, but he isn’t going to

win. Ross Perot was a great third party candidate, but all he did was take votes from George

H.W. Bush in the 1992 election in critical swing states which ultimately handed the election to

Bill Clinton. Ralph Nader is accused of taking votes from Al Gore in 2000 and costing him the

election. Gary Johnson isn’t a strong third party candidate of the Perot caliber or even of the

Nader caliber, but he could potentially take votes of moderate Republicans or independents in

crucial battleground states. That could be enough to tip the state in favor of Obama. In 2008,

for example, Obama won North Carolina by only 14,000 votes. Wouldn’t be too hard for the

libertarian to ensure that Obama keeps a slim margin in states like this, particularly given the

less than energizing candidate Mitt Romney.   ADVANTAGE OBAMA.

~Digger

 

6 Signs You’re A Subversive

First, I think it’s appropriate for this article to make the distinction between communism, socialism, and social democracy.  Second, it’s necessary to define subversive to understand how this relates to the topic at hand.  All definitions come from www.wikipedia.com.

 

Communism is a revolutionary socialist movement to create a classless, moneyless, and stateless social order structured upon common ownership of the means of production, as well as a social, political and economic ideology that aims at the establishment of this social order.  According to communist theory, the only way to abolish capitalist inequalities is to have the proletariat (working class), who collectively constitute the main producer of wealth in society, and who are perpetually exploited and marginalised by the bourgeoisie (wealthy class), to overthrow the capitalist system in a wide-ranging social revolution.

Socialism is an economic system characterised by social ownership and/or control of the means of production and cooperative management of the economy, and a political philosophy advocating such a system.

Subversion refers to an attempt to transform the established social order and its structures of power, authority, and hierarchy.  The term has taken over from ‘sedition’ as the name for illicit rebellion, though the connotations of the two words are rather different, sedition suggesting overt attacks on institutions, subversion something much more surreptitious, such as eroding the basis of belief in the status quo or setting people against each other.

 

 It is my contention that there is a vast subversive movement in America right now with these subversives attempting to erode our values and corrupt our system of government.  These subversives are attempting to pit Americans against Americans with the goal of causing our political and economic systems to collapse.  Here are some signs that may suggest someone is a subversive.  If you know someone who exhibits these characteristics, be aware and be advised that they may be a subversive working against America.  Contact your local law enforcement officials at once if you believe someone you know is a subversive.

 

·         You support Obamacare

Universal healthcare is a crown jewel in social democracy, socialism and communism.  Obamacare is a vast government takeover of our healthcare system and takes away the decision making from you and your doctor and puts it in the hands of a few bureaucrats.  These bureaucrats makes the rules on who gets what treatment and who lives and dies and who is worth saving and who isn’t.   More importantly, the individual mandate allows the federal government to force you to purchase something.  If this law is allowed to stand, where does the government’s ability to force you as an individual to buy a good or service or to do something end?  If you’re an able bodied individual and you don’t have health insurance, here’s  a novel concept—get a job where they offer insurance as a benefit or else get a job and pay for it yourself.  If you’re an able bodied individual capable of working, it shouldn’t be my responsibility or your neighbor’s responsibility to pay for your healthcare.  Someone has to pay for it; it isn’t free contrary to popular belief.  If you believe Obamacare is a good policy, you’re probably a subversive.  After all, universal healthcare goes against everything that we as a nation or any capitalist nation stand for. 

 

·         You support Occupy Wall Street

 

If you are one of the mindless, lazy, ignorant individuals who supports the Occupy movement, you really have no clue how the world works.  Capitalism created your iPhone and iPod and iPad.  Capitalism is what created your Prius.  Capitalism resulted in the create of the technology you use.  Capitalism convinced you that you need a Starbucks or a bottled water.  Capitalism resulted in the creation and proliferation of social media—Twitter, Facebook, and the likes.  Capitalism provides you with cheap goods from Wal-Mart.  Capitalism resulted in the creation of the video games you play in your parents’ basement while you don’t work.  You can thank capitalism for the pharmaceutical products you use to treat the sexually transmitted disease you picked up from some skank you picked up in the tent city during your occupy movement.  Guess what?  These are all businesses.  They’re all making money whether you understand that or not.  They’re not doing these things out of the goodness of their hearts.  They’re doing it to make money.  If you want to destroy capitalism, you can kiss all those things good bye.  Consider the former USSR.  Hell, they couldn’t feed their people, keep the lights on, provide adequate health care or life saving treatments, good cars, and the list goes on.  If you want that kind of life, get the hell out of here.  If you don’t support capitalism, you obviously favor either socialism or communism or some form of those philosophies.  If you support the occupy movement, you evidently are brain dead, you’re not competent to vote, you don’t contribute anything positive to society, you’re lazy, and you’re a loser.  Why is it that you don’t have a future?  It’s not because of the big bad businesses or capitalism—it’s because you’re lazy and ignorant.     

 

·         You want everything to be fair

 

Here’s a news flash:  Life isn’t fair.  It never has been fair and it never will be fair.  If you want everyone to have the same amount of everything because it’s fair, you’re a communist.  If you want something, work for it.  You may not be able to have it today, but if you work hard and make sacrifices along the way you can ultimately get what you want.  Sadly, the people who decry that it isn’t fair that someone has more than what they do are the same people who are lazy and don’t want to work. Case in point—the entitlement generation of you people who feel they are entitled to everything but don’t want to work for it.  How did this happen?  Their parents spoiled them and didn’t want them to have to work for anything.  They didn’t teach their children about values and the value of dollar and about hard work and rewards for hard work.  No, parents failed their children by giving them everything they wanted and not making their children make choices, do without, or make sacrifices.  They raised a generation of kids who wanted it to be Christmas every day!

 

Oh, and how about the people who are being subsidized by the federal government…welfare recipients, college students who are getting loans to go through college and live on, people who have milked the unemployment system without ever even looking for a job.  These are people who expect everything to be handed to them, because they don’t want to take a menial job that they feel is beneath them.  Why should I work when I can sit at home on my fat ass playing video games and get Uncle Sam to send me a government check?  It’s not fair that I don’t have a nice car, so I want the government to give me one or take one from someone else and give to me.  I need to make more money sitting here playing video games, so why doesn’t the government tax the people who are working and making money so that I can have some more folding money to go buy cigarettes, alcohol, and video games.  

 

Where has this led?  A whole generation and group of people who don’t want to work for anything and want it handed to them and expect the government to hand it to them.  Oh, and if you have something more than they do because you actually worked hard and earned a good living and made money and made wise decisions and didn’t waste money on frivolities, they want the government to take from you and give to them. Why?  Because that’s what would be fair.  If you subscribe to this way of thought, you’re definitely a subversive…whether you realize it or not.   



There are only 3 signs here...

Look for the next blog post to finish this up tomorrow!

 

7 Stupid Issues in America Today

 

Americans and the media regularly debate a host of social, moral, and religious issues. It is alarming to

see the emotion that many individuals have invested in these issues. Clearly, emotions have clouded

the rational judgment and logic of these individuals. It is good to be passionate about what you believe

in, but such passion is a detriment when trying to work to solve the problems of America and society

and often leads to divisiveness and animosity towards those with opposing views.

 

The debates seem to intensify during each election cycle when the politicians are grilled on their

positions and beliefs on some very divisive social issues. There are many clearly established laws that

relate to the issues being debated. While it may be interesting to see how politicians or candidates feel

about these issues in helping decide who gets your vote, their positions are largely irrelevant as their

ability to change established laws is somewhat limited. Further, these issues are irrelevant when it

comes to solving the greater challenges of America and restoring our greatness as a nation.

 

To me, it seems like there are seven stupid issues that people talk about, particularly in an election year,

and to which they attribute too much importance.

 

Issue #7:  POLITICAL CORRECTNESS

 

Political Correctness—This one really gets under my skin, as I’m sure it gets under your skin too.

We can’t call people fat or short. We can’t use the term midget or dwarf. We can’t say retard.

If you’re offended by certain terminology, get thicker skin. It’s not like these terms are a slur

or racist. They’ve been perfectly acceptable terminology for decades. You can be politically

correct if you want, but don’t look down your nose at me because I’m not.

 

Oh, and let’s not forget that we have to preface ‘American’ with something else like African,

Italian, Chinese, Japanese. If you’re an American, why do you have to preface it with some

other nationality. If you’re more proud of that than you are of being an American, go there.

They’ll be glad to have you and you can live happily ever after.

 

Kids can’t lose these days. If you’re on the winning team, you get a medal and a pizza party.

And if you’re on the losing team, you also get a medal and a pizza party. There are no losers in

today’s society. Guess what kids. The real world doesn’t work that way. There are winners and

losers. You’re one or the other. Get used to it—it’s reality.

 

We can’t talk about Christianity or celebrate Christian holidays because it may offend someone.

This country was founded on Christian values. If you’re of another faith, you’re welcome here

 

and we’ll tolerate you, but we’re not going to bend over backwards for you and marginalize

Christianity because you don’t like it. Did you hear about the university recently that stopped

recognizing Christian holidays because some Muslim or Buddhist complained? Ridiculous. What

do you think would happen if we went to Tehran and complained about their taking off Islamic

holidays? What do you think they would do to a Christian who complained? Got news for you,

you wouldn’t live long enough to find out. There’s an old saying…When in Rome, do as the

Romans do.

 

A friend recently criticized me over my objection to political correctness, saying I was

insensitive. I find that quite offensive. I’m not saying we should deprive someone of their

ability to worship freely or make them drink from a different water fountain or use a different

bathroom or whatever. Political correctness has been taken way too far. If you’re too sensitive

or you’re afraid of hurting someone’s feelings, get over it. The world is tough and can be a lot

crueler than getting called fat or being called a midget or having to listen to a Christian prayer at

a pep rally or seeing a nativity scene in front of the courthouse at Christmas. We’ve got bigger

problems in this world. Channel your energies spent on political correctness to solving some

real problems. We would be a lot better off. Otherwise, get a life.

 

 

As history has shown (think Prohibition), attempts to legislate morality have generally failed miserably.

Legal or illegal, people are going to do what they want. Prohibition made alcohol illegal, but it didn’t

stop people from drinking. Ultimately, Prohibition was repealed. Drugs are illegal, but people still

choose to use them. We’re not going to stop that. In the larger picture, don’t we as a nation have more

important issues than those I’ve outlined? If we’re all dead because the terrorists attack us, does any of

this really matter? If our nation is bankrupt and our financial system collapses, does this really matter?

If the federal government continues to amass unprecedented powers and our liberties are taken from

us, do these issues really matter? These issues only create negative energy that detracts from the real

issues. Let’s focus our energies on issues that we can collectively resolve to make America stronger,

more secure, and financially stable. Without that, these other issues don’t really matter and only divide

us more than they unite us. The enemies of liberty will attempt to exploit the people on these issues,

preying upon their emotions, distracting them while their freedom comes under attack and is stealthily

snatched away.

 

This is the lst one in a series of 7 stupid issues.  Read more on the other issues here:

Read: 7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #1 Abortion

And: 7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #2 Separation of church and State

As well as: 7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #3 Pornography

Read: 7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #4 Gay Marriage

And: 7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #5 War On Drugs

As well as: 7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #6 Gambling

 

Thank you!

 

7 Stupid Issues in America Today

 

Americans and the media regularly debate a host of social, moral, and religious issues. It is alarming to

see the emotion that many individuals have invested in these issues. Clearly, emotions have clouded

the rational judgment and logic of these individuals. It is good to be passionate about what you believe

in, but such passion is a detriment when trying to work to solve the problems of America and society

and often leads to divisiveness and animosity towards those with opposing views.

 

The debates seem to intensify during each election cycle when the politicians are grilled on their

positions and beliefs on some very divisive social issues. There are many clearly established laws that

relate to the issues being debated. While it may be interesting to see how politicians or candidates feel

about these issues in helping decide who gets your vote, their positions are largely irrelevant as their

ability to change established laws is somewhat limited. Further, these issues are irrelevant when it

comes to solving the greater challenges of America and restoring our greatness as a nation.

 

To me, it seems like there are seven stupid issues that people talk about, particularly in an election year,

and to which they attribute too much importance.

 

Issue #6: GAMBLING

 

Gambling—Gaming is one of the best industries around and it is highly profitable, generating

thousands of jobs and something like $7 billion in tax revenue for the states alone. Yet, there

 

is a whole group of people out there that oppose gambling on religious or moral grounds. As

I mentioned before, we can’t legislate morality but people are still trying to force their beliefs

upon others and deprive them of the free will to make decisions whether to engage in gaming or

not. Let’s get real. After all, this is 2012, not 1912. Gambling isn’t going away anytime soon.

 

I recall that South Carolina had the video gaming parlors for years back in the 1990s until the

Bible-thumpers wanted to put an end to the industry…and they did. Successive attempts to

bring gaming back in different forms have failed, and the self righteous morality police even

attempted to stop the casino boats from docking in Little River. It’s just absurd. The federal

government has even gone after the on-line casinos that are offshore and shut them down

here in the U.S. Tens of millions of dollars are wasted in breaking up the gaming parlors or

sweepstakes parlors or whatever form they take. How much tax revenue is being lost when the

industry is shut down? How many jobs are being lost? How much economic impact is being

lost?

 

Furthermore, isn’t it just plain hypocritical to have a legalized lottery in a state but prohibit

other forms of gambling? Let’s consider the lottery. You buy a ticket for a dollar. The numbers

are drawn randomly. If you match the numbers you win. If you don’t, you lost your dollar.

There’s no limit on the number of tickets you can buy. Now, let’s consider a casino. You take

your dollar to the roulette wheel and put it on red or black. Your odds of winning are just about

fifty-fifty. If you bet on black and it comes up black, you double your money. If it comes up red,

you lose your dollar. What’s the difference between the casino and the lottery again?

 

Also read:  7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #1 Abortion

7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #2 Separation of church and State

7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #3 Pornography

7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #4 Gay Marriage

7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #5 War On Drugs

7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #6 Gambling

 

 

7 Stupid Issues in America Today

 

 

Issue # 5:  WAR ON DRUGS

 

War on Drugs—This has been a vast failure for the past fifty years, and drug cartels are bigger

and badder now than ever before despite our federal government spending something like $15

billion annually. I think we could have found a better way to use that money. For $15 billion,

we could probably nuke the drug producing regions in Colombia and elsewhere. Not a politically

good thing to do, but it would effectively reduce part of the problem.

 

Here again, just because drugs have been illegal hasn’t stopped people from buying them and

using them. Instead, it has created an entire underground economy. I don’t support drug use

and think it’s a reprehensible activity, but let’s go ahead and legalize it, regulate it, and tax it.

The underground economy would virtually disappear, there wouldn’t be any need to be fighting

the drug cartels, violence along the border associated with drug cartels should go away, and the

governments can make money off the industry and use the funds for police and educating kids

about the dangers of drugs.

 

I’ve said it before if we want to pay for Social Security or Medicare or pay down debt let’s

decriminalize drugs and regulate and tax them. Taxes on cigarettes raise about $18 billion per

year for local and state government and the fed. In addition to taxes, there would be some

revenues generated for the government from the underground economy associated with drugs

as those monies filter into the broader, general economy. The tax revenue along with the

savings in spending on the war on drugs could help in many ways. Why waste money fighting a

losing battle?

 

Also read  7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #1 Abortion7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #1 Abortion

And  7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #2 Separation of church and State

And  7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #3 Pornography

And  7 Stupid Issues in America Today - Issue #4 Gay Marriage

 

 

 

I was asked today what I wanted for Christmas.  It is rare that I exchange gifts for Christmas.  What do you buy someone who has everything they want or who gets what they want throughout the year?  As a child the prospect of waking up and finding that special toy you’ve been looking forward to under the Christmas tree is very exciting; you’re full of anticipation.  As an adult, the gift exchange seems to lose its luster.  I’ve advocated with friends and family to give to the charity of one another’s choice in lieu of a gift exchange.  Christmas is the season for giving and showing goodwill.  What better way to accomplish that than by giving to charitable causes, particularly charities dedicated to helping those in need? 

 

For me the joy now is making a difference in the life of one in need rather than receiving a gift.  I believe that if the money is going to be spent over the holidays (and people love to spend over the holidays) it is put to better use for charitable causes.  My preference is to find charitable causes and provide them with supplies that can be used as opposed to strictly cash contributions which may or may not directly benefit those in need.  I would encourage you this Christmas season to seize the opportunity to donate to charity and to make a difference in the life of one in need.  And this helps to make the world a better place.    

 

Since the question was posed to me, I thought I would take an opportunity to consider some of the things I want for Christmas.

 

1. I want loving homes and warm beds for all the orphaned animals in shelters who are just waiting to find their furever homes and their family.  They are lost, scared, and abandoned, living in cold cages.  These animals can offer you much love and affection and can make such a difference in your life.  Give one of them a chance this Christmas.  

 

2.I want an end to animal cruelty.  Those willing to harm innocent, helpless animals are vile individuals who are no better than those willing to harm innocent children.  Animals are not here to be abused or harmed simply because they’re animals.  They deserve to be loved and respected.  Those engaged in animal cruelty should be prosecuted in the same manner as child abusers and molesters. 

 

3.I want an end of to the senseless euthanizing of stray and orphaned animals.  Why should these animals be put down simply because they haven’t found a furever home in a certain amount of time?  We need to put an end to the death row in animal shelters.  We’ll keep violent murderers and rapists serving life sentences in prison alive at a tremendous cost to the taxpayers (upwards of $50,000 per year) along with lifers for other non-violent crimes.  Yet, we’re unable to keep orphaned and abandoned animals alive.  We’re quick to give them a death sentence but we won’t execute the violent prisoners serving life sentences.  Who can contribute more and make a difference in others’ lives—the shelter pet or the murderer?  LET’S END THE DEATH ROW IN ANIMAL SHELTERS!

 

4.I want more respect for indie authors.  There is no doubt that indie authors are looked down upon by the mainstream publishing houses and critics.  We’re seen as inferior.  We’re seen as unworthy.  We’re seen as amateurs.  We’re not taken seriously.  As a result, the opportunity for our works to be published by mainstream publishing houses is limited.  To be sure, there are a lot of indie authors who aren’t really serious about writing.  They throw together an e-book hastily and without true dedication to the art of writing; they give all indie authors a bad name.  But, there are many indie authors who take the art of writing very seriously.  We are the ones who are dedicated to our work.  These indie authors produce a wide variety of works—some of which are marginal, some of which are good, some of which are very good, and some of which are excellent (the diamonds in the rough).  Being an indie author is difficult; most of us write because we love the art.  We dedicate ourselves to our work and spend countless hours writing a book.  We deserve to be taken seriously and shown respect.     

 

5.I want more patience.  I want the manuscript I’m working on done and done now, but a good manuscript isn’t written overnight or with haste.  It takes time.  I want things done in a timely manner, and I often get frustrated when tasks aren’t accomplished in a timely manner for whatever reason.  Patience is a virtue.  I need more patience.

 

6.I want Sasha Banks and Alexa Bliss from WWE NXT to be the next divas on Monday Night RAW.  I’m quite tired of the Bella twins and all the girls who want to be superstars on Total Divas.  AJ Lee has carried the divas division for the last nearly two years.  She’s a GREAT diva, but she needs some competition.  The divas division needs some new personalities to spice it up.  Sasha Banks and Alex Bliss are talented wrestlers and have great presence.  WWE, bring them to RAW (and SmackDown) and spice up the divas division!  

 

7.I want to see more people giving to charities.  Christmas is the season for giving and showing goodwill.  What better way to accomplish that than by giving to charitable causes, particularly charities dedicated to helping those in need?  Why not let the charities benefit rather than the retailers?  My favorite charitable organizations are no-kill animal shelters.  For me the joy is making a difference in the life of a homeless animal in need.  If the money is going to be spent over the holidays (and it will be), let’s put it to better use for charitable causes.  Rather than send a check to the shelter and not know how the money will be used or if it will be used to directly benefit the animals, I like to send or deliver supplies and care packages.  The bags of food and the litter, the toys, the bleach, the paper towels, and all the other supplies are going to be put to good use feeding and caring for homeless animals.          

 

8.I want the Dallas Cowboys in the Super Bowl.  What can I say?  The Ravens didn’t do well this year, and I’ve long been a fan of America’s Team.  The Cowboys are playing well and have the potential to go all the way to the Super Bowl.  I hope they can do it.  They’re long overdue for a championship.

 

9.I want more focus on the meaning of Christmas and the Christmas spirit.  Society has gotten too materialistic and has moved away from celebrating Christmas to celebrating materialism and consumption.  In the process, they are hoping to fill a void in life left by the absence of any religious foundation.  There are those who are trying to phase Christmas out and replace it with a more abstract, “Happy Holiday.”  Let’s get back to some basics.  Keep Christ in Christmas.  Keep the spirit of kindness, giving (charitably) and goodwill alive and well.  Let’s keep in mind that Christmas isn’t about gifts and the individuals.  It’s about something bigger than any one of us individually.  Take the Christmas message and Christmas spirit to heart and use it to make the world around you a better place.    

 

10.         I want all the elderly in nursing homes and their own homes who have been forgotten by friends and family or who may not have either to be remembered and to feel the spirit of Christmas.  They may be in need of the basic necessities in life—food, clothing, company, etc.  Remember, sometimes we take for granted the basic necessities that we have.  For the old and the infirm in nursing homes, some time with others to talk and socialize may be all that it takes to make a difference.  And the simple act of caring and giving can do wonders in the lives of those who feel lost, abandoned, and forgotten.  Keep these people in mind this Christmas. 

 

 

About Mr. Cartwright— Digger Cartwright is the author of several mystery stories, teleplays, and novels including The Versailles Conspiracy, a modern day political thriller, Murder at the Ocean Forest, a traditional mystery novel set in the 1940s, The House of Dark Shadows, a psychological thriller, and The Maynwarings: A Game of Chance, a mystery set in the Old West.  His latest book, Conversations on the Bench, is an inspirational/motivational novel.  His books are available in hardback, paperback, and e-book format through his website, www.DiggerCartwright.com, on-line booksellers and bookstores.     

 

Mr. Cartwright has contributed to a number of articles on a wide range of financial, strategic planning, and policy topics.  He frequently contributes articles, commentaries, and editorials focusing on current economic and political topics for the private think tank, Thinking Outside the Boxe.

 

Mr. Cartwright is an enthusiastic supporter of local no-kill animal shelters, the Wounded Warrior Project, and local Meals on Wheels programs.

 

He enjoys golf, participating in charity golf tournaments, and attending WWE events.  He divides his time between Washington, D.C., South Carolina, and Florida.

 

     

Press Contact: 

Executive Assistant to Mr. Cartwright

Telephone:  888-666-1036

Website:  http://www.DiggerCartwright.com

Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/DiggerCartwright

Twitter:  @mysterydigger

Blog:  www.MysteryDigger.com

Daily News Briefing:  www.MysteryWriterNews.com

 

 

###

 

 

Miss Matisse: I will have to check out (Conversations on the Bench) for myself when I can find some extra time to sit down and read! It sounds very interesting…  How long have you been writing?

Digger Cartwright: Many years off and on. I guess I’ve really taken it seriously and been dedicated to writing since 2000. That’s when I sat down and wrote Murder at the Ocean Forest, and I’ve been writing ever since. I tried the traditional means of getting Murder at the Ocean Forest published until I finally decided to self-publish in about 2005.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://diggercartwright.wordpress.com/

Miss Matisse: Yes, I love the worldwide web for the simple fact that now it’s not only Americans who can reap benefits, EVERYONE in the world now can! The “Indie” route whether writing, being a shop owner, music etc. I would say is definitely the way to go nowadays! What genres of stories have you written about?

Digger Cartwright: The Maynwarings: A Game of Chance is a western set in Carson City, Nevada after the Civil War. The House of Dark Shadows is a psychological thriller that is very character driven with what I like to think of as an Alfred Hitchcock-like twist at the end. The Versailles Conspiracy is a modern day political thriller with international intrigue, murders, conspiracies, and a lot of twists and turns that stretch from high society country clubs to strip clubs to political organizations throughout the world. Murder at the Ocean Forest is a period piece set in the 1940s at the famed Ocean Forest hotel in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. It’s a traditional mystery along the lines of an Agatha Christie book where the “locked door” mystery keeps readers trying to solve the puzzle. But there’s also an international intrigue aspect to this once since it’s during World War II. Conversations on the Bench is an inspirational or motivational story that’s based on actual events. It’s a collection of life lessons shared between two friends, and as I’ve said time and time again there is something in that book for everyone who reads it.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://diggercartwright.wordpress.com/

Miss Matisse: This is ALL excellent information and advice you have given to our readers who may be interested in becoming an author, and I’m positive that they will take away a lot from it! Are you currently a published writer? If so, could you elaborate on this a bit…If not, have you ever thought about publishing your books?

Digger Cartwright: When I first started writing, I was one of these authors who had been brainwashed that you have to have an agent to get your book published and be successful. After several years of rejections, hundreds of letters that went unanswered, and getting nowhere, I decided to abandon that failed strategy and self-publish my books. It was probably one of the best decisions I could have made. Since then, I’ve had my team of marketing folks working on different strategies to get word out about each book, interact with the fans and readers, and gain more exposure for me and my work. It’s not easy, but it can work. The entire indie author space has really blossomed as a result of e-books and readers and the internet and social media. Now indie authors can reach just as many readers and potential fans as the traditional publishers. There are tons of marketing options and an abundance of resources for self-published authors. I look at it as another business venture, and I’m in the process of setting up the National Federation of Self-Published Author Entrepreneurs as a resource for indie authors who decide to go the self-published route.

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://diggercartwright.wordpress.com/

Miss Matisse: You are speaking like a true professional! Others don’t always realize just how much can go into writing stories. It takes some serious time, effort, and it isn’t always for everybody! What advice would you give up and coming writers who are interested in your field?

Digger Cartwright: Work hard and give your best. Writing isn’t easy. It’s a big commitment, and it’s very time consuming. Good work isn’t something that you can just throw together in a few days. Those manuscripts end up on the trash heap of history. You have to stay focused and give the best you’ve got. You’re competing with millions of new manuscripts that are produced each year. Poor quality work or marginal work isn’t going to be competitive.

Be disciplined. Allocate a certain amount of time each day or every other day or whatever schedule works for you to your writing and keep that schedule until you’re done. This is a very tough one. If you get started, you can’t walk away for any period of time. If you do, it may be months or years before you come back to it, if you ever do. Once you get out of your routine, it’s hard to get back into it. I know this is tough; I’ve had to struggle with it in the past and still struggle with it since I’m balancing work (running my businesses) with writing.

Decide if you’re going to seek the traditional means of publishing or if you will self-publish. This is tough for most people. They’ve been led to believe that you have to get an agent and that agent will get you published and you’ll be the next bestselling author. It’s tough to get an agent and then it’s tough for that agent to sell your work. Self-publishing was once poo-pooed upon, particularly by the agents and publishers, but the rise of the internet and on demand publishing has really taken the stigma away from self-publishing. Several bestselling authors started out by self-publishing. I chose the self-publishing route because it gives you control over your work and how it’s marketed and distributed. There are pros and cons to both, so make sure you research each option and decide what’s best for you.

Don’t get discouraged. If you go the traditional route, you’re going to get rejection letters and lots of them. If you go the self-published route, your sales may not be up to expectations. It’s going to be discouraging from time to time and it’s going to be frustrating, but you can’t let it get you down. If you’re serious about your work, you’ve got to go full speed ahead. Keep sending out letters. Keep marketing your book. Look for more and better ways to reach agents and readers. Too many writers get discouraged and give up. Let me be clear. Not everyone can be a bestselling author. It doesn’t work that way. I’m saying don’t get discouraged too early until you’ve given yourself a chance. If it doesn’t work out after you’ve put forth the effort, so be it. At least you will have given it your best shot.

Make sure you have a backup plan. There are millions of books that are published each year but only a few of them are commercially successful and enable the writer to earn a living. My advice is having a career first and write on the side until your writing takes off. Too many people put all their eggs in one basket and take a gamble on their writing careers only to get disappointed. Ever heard the term starving artist?

http://missmatisse.com/diggercartwrightinterview/

http://www.diggercartwright.wordpress.com

7 Ways to Fix the Economy

Anyone with half a brain can see that the U.S. economy is in a malaise.  It’s just muddling along.  Unemployment is still high.  Economic growth is low.  Prices are rising for goods and services (just think gas prices and food prices).  Job creation is low (people you know that have been unemployed are still unemployed).  Small businesses are still struggling to survive given decreased demand and tight credit.  The real estate market is in the tank; house prices are still falling and foreclosures are likely to spike this year.  The banks are still in trouble, despite what the Fed says and does.  Federal budget deficits continue to be the norm, requiring additional increased in the national debt.  There’s still a risk to the U.S. economy from the economic crises in Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy and so on.  All of these factors paint a pretty bleak picture for the health of the economy. 

I wholeheartedly believe that the U.S. economy is on the brink of a double dip recession.  I would even argue that the current environment is still recessionary even if it doesn’t meet the technical definition of a recession.  I suspect if you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling right now you’d probably agree with that.  If you’re doing well, you probably haven’t been impacted too much or noticed what everyone else is going through.  Sadly, it’s a situation of those that have a job prosper while those who don’t have a job suffer, which on a side note is a sad reflection on President Obama’s class warfare strategy that is attempting to divide this country.  While we may not be able to stop the economy from slipping back into a recession in the short term, we can take some actions to fix the economy for the mid and long term horizons.  I think there are seven actions that need to be taken to get the economy back on track:'

 

Second Way to Fix The Economy

 

·         Cut federal spending—The federal government has been a spending binge.  These politicians don’t seem to care how much they spend or what they spend it on.  And let’s not forget the bureaucrats in Washington, the career government workers, who seem to have this sense of entitlement to spend the taxpayers’ money.  Just last week, the scandal at the General Services Administration came to light where the agency spent something like $800,000 on a trip to Las Vegas.  It’s disgusting!  This is our tax money and they’re spending it like it’s water.  We need massive cuts in federal spending, no question about it.  It is ridiculous that any politician says it will take a decade to balance the federal budget or cut the budget deficit.  We know what spending was like back in 2000.  Let’s revert to those levels immediately.  Yes, a lot of departments will suffer, but that’s just the way it is.  Every department in the federal government has gotten bloated over the last decade.  Trim the fat from the budgets.  Stop pork barrel projects.  Some departments and programmes may even need to be eliminated in order to get the budget back to a level comparable to 2000 and to accommodate for the increase in spending for Homeland Security, but as I’ve discussed before this isn’t a bad thing.  We need fundamental restructuring and downsizing of the federal government. 

 

Federal spending to stimulate the economy only artificially props up the economy in the short term.  If it’s deficit spending, we’re only hurting ourselves by increasing government borrowing and passing on the debt to future generations and ensuring future tax increases.  There always comes the day when you have to pay the piper.  We can’t escape it.  Ultimately, what’s going to happen with runaway spending at the federal level is higher interest rates to attract lenders to buy the Treasuries and higher taxes to pay for the debt.  Has anyone heard what’s going on in Europe right now, particularly Greece, Spain, Portugal, Italy and so on?  Their government’s embarked on massive spending programmes in the past and now they’re at the tipping point.  It can happen here.  We have to stop the runaway spending sooner rather than later.  It’s disingenuous for any politician to say we can’t balance the budget in less than a decade.  All that’s lacking is the willpower to make the difficult decisions necessary to bring the budget back to more manageable levels.

 If you want to read #1: Lower Taxes, click  http://www.diggercartwright.com/Blog/Entry/7-ways-to-fix-the-economy-1-lower-taxes .

 

~Digger

7 Ways to Fix the Economy

Anyone with half a brain can see that the U.S. economy is in a malaise.  It’s just muddling along.  Unemployment is still high.  Economic growth is low.  Prices are rising for goods and services (just think gas prices and food prices).  Job creation is low (people you know that have been unemployed are still unemployed).  Small businesses are still struggling to survive given decreased demand and tight credit.  The real estate market is in the tank; house prices are still falling and foreclosures are likely to spike this year.  The banks are still in trouble, despite what the Fed says and does.  Federal budget deficits continue to be the norm, requiring additional increased in the national debt.  There’s still a risk to the U.S. economy from the economic crises in Greece, Portugal, Spain, Italy and so on.  All of these factors paint a pretty bleak picture for the health of the economy. 

I wholeheartedly believe that the U.S. economy is on the brink of a double dip recession.  I would even argue that the current environment is still recessionary even if it doesn’t meet the technical definition of a recession.  I suspect if you’re one of the millions of Americans struggling right now you’d probably agree with that.  If you’re doing well, you probably haven’t been impacted too much or noticed what everyone else is going through.  Sadly, it’s a situation of those that have a job prosper while those who don’t have a job suffer, which on a side note is a sad reflection on President Obama’s class warfare strategy that is attempting to divide this country.  While we may not be able to stop the economy from slipping back into a recession in the short term, we can take some actions to fix the economy for the mid and long term horizons.  I think there are seven actions that need to be taken to get the economy back on track.

   1st Way To Fix The Econmomy

Lower taxes—This is a no-brainer.  If you cut taxes on individuals and businesses, the money saved in taxes and not misappropriated to Washington will either be saved or spent by the taxpayer.  It’s just that simple.  If you’re a worker and get a tax cut that saves you $1,000 for the year, you’re probably going to spend that which helps stimulate activity in the economy.  Further, you’re probably going to spend that at a local business—a gas station, restaurant, grocery store, retailer.  That helps more people like you.  High taxes are a disincentive to work harder to earn more if each successive dollar is going to be taxed more. 

 

There is currently an estimated $1.4 trillion, yes, trillion, in corporate profits that are overseas.  The companies aren’t going to bring those profits back to the U.S. because of the tax rate that is one of the highest in the world.  Let’s cut the corporate tax rate or give these businesses an incentive to bring the money back.  How about something like this:  We will allow you to bring back as much profit from overseas as you want so long as at least 25% is used to create new jobs, at least 25% is invested in growth projects or capital equipment, and at least 25% is returned to shareholders.  Of course, we’ll have to prohibit payouts to executives like the payouts to the executives of companies bailed out by the federal government.  This would put a tremendous amount of money back into our own economy instead of some foreign economy. 

 

Look, I favor getting rid of the current income tax system altogether and replacing it with some sort of consumption tax or a flat tax.  Either system would be vastly simpler than what we have now.  It’s a sad state when more people are afraid of being audited by the IRS than they are of being mugged.  Would we be better off with another tax system?  Absolutely!  But this is a fundamental difference in philosophies between political parties in America.  There are those who feel the government is more capable of spending your money, thus they want higher taxes so that the politicians can redistribute your tax money in a way they think better fit.  I fall on the side of those who feel that the individual taxpayer is more capable of deciding how to spend their hard earned money than a politician in Washington.  Here’s what we know, as the government expands, individual liberties contract.  I say the less Washington has to do with the economy and taxpayers’ lives all the better. 

 

Stay tuned for most blog posts where I discuss six more ways to fix the economy!

~Digger