Monday, April 30, 2012

Obama Overreaches—Hands Get Slapped!

By William L. Garvin

Growing up in Southwest Idaho, summer always brought a radical change of scenery  for those of us living in town.  As soon as school was out, many of us were  shipped off to the farms and ranches of assorted grandpas, uncles, and cousins  for summer.  I don’t know how we survived without President Obama and his  Department of Labor!

My grandparents had a small farm in the Owyhee mountains way outside a wide spot  in the road called Reynolds Creek.  Grandpa Bass was a quiet, hard working man,  as he had to be to make a living farming in the high desert. My first driving  lessons were sitting on grandpa’s lap high up on a John Deere tractor.  We  weren’t wearing helmets, my feet couldn’t reach the pedals and we didn’t have  seat belts or airbags.

I also had a horse to ride for the summer, a big buckskin gelding named Midas.  He didn’t come free of charge.  You see, I had to get up at first light and as  soon as Grandpa saddled Midas, I had to ride out and bring in the cows for  milking.  Again, no helmets, airbags, or seat belts.  Sometimes I had to slop  the pigs.  Other times, I had to gather eggs and fend off nesting hens and  overly protective roosters.  Pitchforks and pitching hay were also parts of
the  summer routine as was riding on top of mountains of hay on a horse drawn wagon.  I believe it was a state mandate that every hayloft had to have a rope tied to  the rafters for kids to swing as high as they could and then drop into the hay.  I don’t believe it was OSHA approved.


When it came to Sunday fried chicken dinner, we had to catch the chickens and  off with their heads.  Grandma would dip them in boiling water and then we had  to pull off the feathers and pinfeathers.  We carried in the pails of milk in  the morning so she could separate the cream and make butter.  We were often  forced into service to turn the crank on the churn.  We usually volunteered to  turn the crank when it came to making ice cream.

We had an outhouse and bathed in the horse tank.  We went to bed at dark because  there was no electricity and the only light came from kerosene lamps.  If  company came, we slept on the front porch and listened to coyotes, owls and  other night birds hunting prey.  If we didn’t have any chores, there were always  BB guns and lizards.  We could also ride our horses up to the many caves in  search of the elusive Indian arrowheads.  No chaperones,
no GPS, no guidance  other than being home by dark.  We left Idaho after I finished the sixth grade  and my summers on the farm ended.


If President Obama’s Department of Labor would have had its way, they would  never have started.  In response to his presidential Executive Order, DOL  drafted regulations which would ban children under sixteen on farms from “hazardous work” which is defined as over six feet high or using tools which are  “power take off driven,” such as battery screwdrivers!  Whereas we thought we  were developing a sense of responsibility and a work ethic, DOL
sees  exploitation.  Whereas we thought we were contributing to the family welfare,  DOL sees child endangerment.  DOL Wage and Hour Division inspectors were fully  prepared to charge onto family farms armed with their citation books.  Much like  EPA inspectors, they were ready to “crucify” violators.


After the public outcry and concern that even 4-H and FFA projects would be  endangered, DOL backed off and has begun a series of “clarifications.”  This  does not sit well with nanny state surrogates such as Human Rights Watch who  complained that “the most vulnerable working children in America” are being  abandoned.  “Instead of protecting child farm workers, the Labor Department will  look the other way when children get crushed,
suffocated, and poisoned on the  job,” said Zama Coursen-Neff.  Check this out, Zama.  On average, 113 youths die  annually from farm related injuries.  Thirty-five percent are due to motor  vehicle and ATV accidents, or drowning.  In 2007, 700 kids under 14 drowned; in  2008, 716 bicyclists were killed.  Why don’t you outlaw biking and swimming?  Better yet, why don’t you mind your own business!  We don’t need you or DOL to  extricate the
poor downtrodden and exploited masses of grandkids from beneath  the iron heels of Grandpa’s capitalist oppression!

Sunday, April 22, 2012

“Smokescreens Versus Accountability”



By William L. Garvin

If any additional proof was needed as to the idiocy permeating the Potomac, it was provided by Senate Leader Harry Reid.  The senior senator from Nevada refuses to close any post offices because “seniors love junk mail.”  In all your years, have you ever encountered a senior who waited breathlessly for the next postal delivery because junk mail “was their only contact with the outside world”?  What a bunch of…rubbish.  However, it is indicative of Washington’s patrician attitude that they know what’s best for the drooling, senile, out of touch, incompetent members of the senior country class.  It’s just another smokescreen to avoid focus on Senator Reid’s dereliction constitutional duty to pass a budget by April 15th.  He has now failed to do so for over 1100 days.

 Then there’s the smokescreen “war on women” Democrats concocted to exploit the gender gap.  Boy did that one backfire!  Davids Axelrod and Plouffe don’t seem to be nearly the political geniuses when it comes to strategy this time around.  Of course, a few people finally seem to be doing some fact checking, unlike 2008.  How could they not have known that women are underrepresented on the presidential staff and paid approximately 18% less than their male counterparts?  How could they not have known that the President paid a lesser percentage rate of income taxes than his secretary?  How could they not have known that 858,000 more women have become unemployed during this administration?

Then Democrat operative, Hilary Rosen, fires her idiotic salvo at Ann Romney and stay at home moms.  Another smokescreen example of the patrician and statist attitude that confuses their education with their diplomas.  Anyone who thinks stay at home moms don’t work and don’t have enough intelligence to understand or comment on matters of importance epitomizes the height of condescension.  As one mom noted, “I wish I had an outside job—they’re required to give you a break!” 

Then there’s the “Buffett Rule” smaokescreen.  If the President wants to pay higher taxes, all he has to do is write a check.  All he has to do is stop taking deductions.  The same goes for Warren Buffett.  Plus, Warren can stop fighting the billion dollar back tax bill the IRS says he owes  The real smokescreen is that even if the Buffett Rule is enacted, it can be collected over the next 250 years and that will not even for the deficit the Obama administration ran up in 2011 alone!

Then there’s the smokescreen and fanning the flames by Al Sharpton and the increasingly dangerous racial warfare.  The vast majority of crime is black on black and white on white.  There is less white on black crime than the reverse.  Of course, the media never chooses to publicize those incidents.  Similarly, they never choose to publish photos of the atrocities committed by enemies of America.  They have an agenda that works hand in glove with the Washington establishment.  It is a symbiotic drive to control more and more facets of life in this country from an all-wise elitist pedestal.

The arrogance behind the GSA scandal, the Secret Service scandal, the extravagant bonuses handed out to “green energy” executives just before they go bankrupt, are just the tip of the iceberg.  A very simple analysis shows what’s looming underneath.  On January 31, 1981, President Reagan inherited a debt of $847, 695 billion.  Over eight years, he increased it by $1.6 trillion.  President George H.W. Bush inherited a debt of $2.448 trillion and increased it by $1.36 trillion in four years.  President Bill Clinton inherited a debt of $3.809 and increased it by $1.9 trillion over eight years.  President George W. Bush inherited $5.716 trillion of debt and increased it by $4.916 over eight years.  President Barack Obama inherited a debt of $10.632 trillion and in 3 years and 2 months (3/31/12) has already increased it by $4.906 trillion with no end in sight!

The economy continues to stagger and sputter.  Unemployment claims climbed over 380,000 for the second straight week.  The trillion dollar stimulus that was supposed to keep unemployment from reaching 8% can’t even get it down to that number.  Gasoline was $1.86 when the President took office. That’s a distant memory.  The housing market continues to struggle.  Bush tax cuts and the payroll tax cuts expire and Obamacare taxes kick in January, 2013.  Unless there’s accountability in November, we’ll all be needing food stamps and that’s no smokescreen.          

Monday, April 9, 2012

With Malice of Forethought

By William L. Garvin
"No person shall be ... deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law ...." Fifth Amendment, United States Constitution

One of the most basic tenets of American jurisprudence is that one is innocent until proven guilty. Apparently, the uber-intelligent modern media thinks this is an outmoded concept. A significant portion of this liberal elite think they are perfectly capable of acting as judge, jury, and executioner. Take the unfortunate case of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin.

At this point, no charges have been filed against Mr. Zimmerman in the shooting death of Mr. Martin. No trial has been held. No evidence has been entered into the record. A special prosecutor, Angela Corey, has been appointed but she has decided not to convene a Grand Jury. Ms. Corey has the authority to file charges herself or to drop the case. As of now, she has done neither. That has not stopped the media from stampeding to judgment and declaring Mr. Zimmerman guilty in the court of public opinion. Furthermore, they have conducted a deliberate media lynching and have conspired (by their combined actions) to prevent Mr. Zimmerman from receiving a fair trial in any venue.

For example, NBC News broadcast the police audiotape of Mr. Zimmerman’s phone call as "This guy looks like he's up to no good. He looks black." They deliberately doctored the tape to eliminate the three sentences between the two they spliced together. One critical sentence they deliberately eliminated was the dispatcher asking “OK, and this guy--is he black, white or Hispanic?” It was not Mr. Zimmerman that raised the issue of race.

The once honorable New York Times created the new journalistic description of “white Hispanic.” Then there was ABC News. They aired a surveillance video obtained from the police station after Mr. Zimmerman claimed that Mr. Martin had attacked him. Their meticulously measured and incessantly repeated mantra was that the video showed that Mr. Zimmerman “has no apparent injury.” To the mottled media mind, this proved that he could not have been attacked. Subsequent magnifications of the video show what could be cuts on the back of his head. Oops.

Then there’s MSNBC and CNN repeatedly reporting that audiotapes of Mr. Zimmerman’s calls contained racial slurs. This was supposedly supported by “independent experts.” The only problem is that enhanced audio versions indicate that Mr. Zimmerman was using the word “punks” rather than the oft-repeated racial slur. CNN has now backed off their assertion but MSNBC remains undaunted by the truth.

How about the New York Times and National Public Radio leading the pack in spreading the word that Mr. Zimmerman was paranoid because he had called 911 forty-six times in fourteen months. Of course, the truth was that he had called 911 forty-six times but over the course of EIGHT YEARS not fourteen months! Calling 911 once every two months as a member of Neighborhood Watch doesn’t fit as nicely into the predetermined media verdict, does it? The NY Times should never try to guess anyone’s weight at the carnival either. They attributed 240 pounds to Mr. Zimmerman instead of his actual 170 pounds. Never let facts get in the way when your mind is already made up.

NBC has finally admitted that an “error” was made in the “production process” and has allegedly fired the producer of the segment. They have refused to name the person they allegedly fired. No such restraint or consideration has been shown in any of their coverage of the Zimmerman-Martin affair.

MSNBC’s Al Sharpton demands the immediate arrest of Mr. Zimmerman or he will incite massive civil disobedience. After the Tawana Brawley hoax and the $65,000 in damages he had to pay, you’d think he would have learned a little about discretion. NBC may have ignored Mr. Sharpton’s past and made a mistake in hiring him. They may have erred in using five-year old photos to advance their storyline but deliberately doctoring tapes to create false narratives is tantamount to falsifying evidence. NBC and their cronies have lost all perspective. They have forgotten that it is their job to report the facts, not to create them. They have abandoned journalistic integrity and every shred of credibility they once had.

Monday, April 2, 2012

A Potpourri of Political Pratfalls

By William L. Garvin

“A man begins cutting his wisdom teeth the first time he bites off more than he can chew.” Herb Caen

In bygone San Francisco, many a local enjoyed a morning ritual of “coffee and Caen.” Herb Caen, the self described “Sackamenna Kid,” became the ultimate Mr. San Francisco and the master of “three-dot journalism.” With just a couple of short sentences, he could skewer the egos of socialites and politicos of every stripe. Many of his targets bore his darts as badges of honor. In fond memory of the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist, here is a potpourri of political pratfalls.

*** We’re Number One! Now that Japan has lowered its corporate tax rate, the United States has the highest rate in the industrial world. So what’s it gonna be, America—lower the tax rates and simplify the tax codes or watch the unemployment rate go up and up and jobs go three strikes and out?
*** After years of denying his support, George Soros is out of the closet and into the open with his support of leftist Media Matters. Rather than funneling funding through Moveon.org, the Center for American Progress and closely related friends and organizations, he visibly dropped a cool one million dollars on Media Matters to “hold Fox News accountable.” That’s akin to Bill Maher holding the National Organization of Women accountable for “fair and balanced” representation of conservative women.
*** Not that there’s a media bias but why are they using five-year-old photographs of George Zimmerman and Trayvon Martin? Is it because the old mug shot of Zimmerman makes him appear more sinister and the early teen picture of Martin makes him appear nearly cherubic? While you seldom see more recent pictures of either, they tend to reverse the preferred storyline.
*** Ninety-three percent of the murders of black Americans are committed by other black Americans. Where’s the outrage?
*** Now that the federal government has taken charge of student loans, what about the twenty-seven percent of loans that are over thirty days past due? That’s a potential $270 billion in losses that working taxpayers could get stuck with. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau says the total student loan debt now exceeds ONE TRILLION dollars!
*** Last year, the Senate voted down the President’s budget by a 97-0 margin. This year, the House followed up with a 412-0 shutout. If the President can’t even get a Democrat to vote on his budget, why should he be trusted with another one-sixth of the economy via Obamacare? The Congressional Budget Office has already said Obamacare costs are double the original pie-in-the-sky projections.
*** How has the Republican Party managed to stay in existence if it only caters to the wealthy one percent? How can the Republican Party stay in existence if it is at “war on women,” who represent 51% of the voting population? Both liberal premises are foolish from the get-go!
*** Liberals say there’s no war on religion, however it’s curious that Stony Brook University in New York will no longer observe Christian and Jewish holidays. They even scheduled final exams on Saturday and Sunday. Moving hostility up a notch, England’s Equality Minister, Lynne Featherstone has ordered government lawyers to oppose Christians wearing a cross in the workplace. “Equality Minister”?
*** Speaking of hostility, the New Black Panther Party is at it again. They have put out a bounty of $10,000 on George Zimmerman. Then Chief of Staff (Hashim Nzinga) is arrested for being a felon in possession of a firearm! Will Eric Holder’s Department of Justice ever investigate this obvious hate crime? Maybe the National Football League could give DOJ some lessons on dealing with bounties.
*** Leftist blogs plummeted to new lows in civility by wishing that Dick Cheney would die. Only slightly less civil were the television commentators querying whether or not he was “too old” for a transplant. This is the mentality that could easily end up on the death panel known as the Independent Payment Advisory Board.
*** Does the Party of No (Democrats!) ever intend to propose a budget? Do Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid even know how?
*** R.I.P., Mr. Caen.