The state of Georgia has passed a new law that makes the Arizona immigration law look weak. Did you hear anything in the news about this? If you are in Georgia illegally and you are stopped by the police for any reason, you had better have available identification showing that you are in fact an American citizen or at least in this country legally or you are in trouble. If you are an employer in the state of Georgia and you employ anyone, they had better be legally able to be in America or you are in trouble. Did you hear anything about this in the national media? Probably not. Several other states are also working on similar legislation.
What you probably heard was that President Obama brought together a group of individuals who were purportedly gathered for the purpose of finding a solution to the illegal immigration problem. The group did not include any of the border state Governors who are directly affected by the illegal entry of people from all over the world. No, it was a group of liberal apologists who seemed to be looking for a way to grant amnesty to these illegals without bringing down the wrath of the American people. For some reason one political party seems to think that if illegals are granted immunity they will suddenly become voters for that party. What do you think? As for the big conference, nothing new seems to have come from the event. I think this is called kicking the can down the road.
Meanwhile Senator John McCain traveled to Libya and pronounced that the anti-government rebel fighters were his heroes. He also proffered the opinion that we should further arm them and help in their fight against Moammar Gaddafi. I hope he knows something that the rest of us haven’t learned yet. Like who are these people and who is financing them and what is their ultimate objective? I think a little skepticism might be in order until we know more.
In the rest of the Middle East rebellion is breaking out almost as if by magic. Egypt, Yemen, Libya, and now Syria. Who knows what is next? Are these legitimate freedom fighters or are these groups who will bring about a bigger problem than exists now?
Of course we all will know more as this continues to develop. I hope it is legitimate. I hope their objective is honorable. I hope that the Middle East joins the twenty-first century. If so, the world will be a safer place. Time will tell.
Let’s talk about gasoline prices. Four dollars a gallon and headed higher. Do you think Obama and Biden are in cahoots with the big oil companies? The media decided that during the Bush administration high gasoline prices were the work of the Bush/Chaney/Big Oil cartel. The press now seems strangely quiet on the issue. Does that seem odd to you? Regardless of the reason, the price of everything is headed up and by a lot. Fossil fuel moves everything in this country and will continue to. This current administration needs to understand this, skip the fantasy, and get on with drilling. Perhaps someday other forms of energy will take the place of oil but for now the reality is we must have an increased supply. Deal with it. Meanwhile, social security recipients will not get an increase because the head of that agency doesn’t think prices have increased. Really? I am not making this stuff up.
Finally, sixteen states have sued the Government over Obamacare. The cases will ultimately be in the Supreme Court for final judgement. I believe the law will be found unconstitutional and will be invalidated. Until then states will spend millions preparing for a situation which will be overturned by the Court. No reading of the Constitution could find any other way.
Sometimes I wish I was making this stuff up, but facts are facts. I report, you decide.
Ron Scarbro April 26, 2011
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
IS SOCIAL SECURITY AN ENTITLEMENT?
I have been in Florida for the past few weeks and the news is out. Social Security expects to increase by a paltry 1.2% for the next year. The problem is, the cost of medicare will rise above that amount which means for the third year in a row there will be no increase in benefits to the millions of seniors who depend on their checks for survival. Here in Florida where the average age is considerably higher than the rest of the country, the news has been devastating.
Just last week the head of the Social Security Administration described the reason there would be no increase. His conclusion is that there is no inflation. His belief is that prices are not really going up. Apparently the rising cost of fuel, food, medical care, clothing, services, transportation, and all of the other things you and I spend money on is just our imagination. He seems to believe that Social Security recipients are in better shape today than they have ever been. I have a question. What planet is this moron living on? Does he go to the grocery store? Does he buy his own gasoline? I find that virtually everything my wife and I buy is going up and not by just a little but by a lot.
Social Security is called an entitlement. I believe that calling it that makes it easier for our elected leaders to treat it as some sort of welfare. As I have written before, Social Security is a contractual debt owed by the Federal Government to me as well as all those who have paid into this fund and have reached the age where that payment is due. It is not a gift to be doled out and treated as if it were some sort of privilege. It is instead a debt owed to the recipients just as cost of living increases are owed by the government. We never had a choice of whether or not to invest in Social Security. Our wages were hijacked by the government. Now the debt is called and payment is due. Don’t fall for the notion that senior citizens are some sort of dependents waiting with hat in hand for the largess of the plantation owner to take care of us. Nonsense. We are creditors and we demand to be paid our just and proper return.
I learned that the Social Security Administration has until the end of September to determine whether or not there will be a COLA increase for this year. You and I need to make sure our employees, our Congresspeople, hear our thoughts and know clearly where we stand regarding this debt owed by the government. They need to understand that we will not be passive any longer. It is not welfare. It belongs to us. Past congresses have raided and stolen from our funds and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The reality is that many seniors are living an entire year on less than just the raise Congress voted for themselves. Our elected representatives should be ashamed. Imagine, if you will, how different this all would be if Congresspeople had to follow the same rules as everybody else.
If Congress insists on calling Social Security an entitlement then know this. Entitlement means I own title to this fund. I bought it and therefore I own it, just like you do. Having reached the age whereby that fund has to start paying me back for my lifetime of investing, I expect no less than precisely that.
Ron Scarbro April 4, 2011
Just last week the head of the Social Security Administration described the reason there would be no increase. His conclusion is that there is no inflation. His belief is that prices are not really going up. Apparently the rising cost of fuel, food, medical care, clothing, services, transportation, and all of the other things you and I spend money on is just our imagination. He seems to believe that Social Security recipients are in better shape today than they have ever been. I have a question. What planet is this moron living on? Does he go to the grocery store? Does he buy his own gasoline? I find that virtually everything my wife and I buy is going up and not by just a little but by a lot.
Social Security is called an entitlement. I believe that calling it that makes it easier for our elected leaders to treat it as some sort of welfare. As I have written before, Social Security is a contractual debt owed by the Federal Government to me as well as all those who have paid into this fund and have reached the age where that payment is due. It is not a gift to be doled out and treated as if it were some sort of privilege. It is instead a debt owed to the recipients just as cost of living increases are owed by the government. We never had a choice of whether or not to invest in Social Security. Our wages were hijacked by the government. Now the debt is called and payment is due. Don’t fall for the notion that senior citizens are some sort of dependents waiting with hat in hand for the largess of the plantation owner to take care of us. Nonsense. We are creditors and we demand to be paid our just and proper return.
I learned that the Social Security Administration has until the end of September to determine whether or not there will be a COLA increase for this year. You and I need to make sure our employees, our Congresspeople, hear our thoughts and know clearly where we stand regarding this debt owed by the government. They need to understand that we will not be passive any longer. It is not welfare. It belongs to us. Past congresses have raided and stolen from our funds and now the chickens are coming home to roost. The reality is that many seniors are living an entire year on less than just the raise Congress voted for themselves. Our elected representatives should be ashamed. Imagine, if you will, how different this all would be if Congresspeople had to follow the same rules as everybody else.
If Congress insists on calling Social Security an entitlement then know this. Entitlement means I own title to this fund. I bought it and therefore I own it, just like you do. Having reached the age whereby that fund has to start paying me back for my lifetime of investing, I expect no less than precisely that.
Ron Scarbro April 4, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
ARE WE INVOLVED OR ARE WE COMMITTED?
You may have heard this analogy before. We used it back years ago in business during sales meetings. The question was, “Are you involved with the problem, or are you committed to its solution?” The analogy is the bacon and egg breakfast. In such a breakfast the hen has an involvement, but the pig has a commitment.
I think of this when I consider our bombing of Libya. Are we just involved or do we have a commitment? It’s a fair question when one considers our current use of military forces in two on-going wars. Wars which have been going on for more than ten years now as we have previously reported. Ten years and no end in sight. Are we in those wars as just an involvement or are we committed?
War, by its only definition is an all out affair. It is an unlimited act. For us to be involved must mean that we are committed to win. There is no other reason to bomb and kill thousands of people.
Where Libya is concerned, we are now being told that our commitment is over. We took out Gadhafi’s ability to fight so we can wrap up and go back to other wars. We are told that we will not send in ground troops. I hope that is true.
So, where is this discussion headed? What do you think is going on? Is it an accident that virtually the entire Middle East is rising up and attempting to throw off the oppression of their dictatorial leaders and live as democracys? Is that what we are seeing? I hope so, but I am a bit skeptical. Why, after thousands of years, are the people suddenly demanding freedom? Who is behind all of this? Is this a religious uprising or is this truly an uprising of people wanting to be free? Who is financing this? Where and when will it all end? Will a new Middle East come out of this unrest with a desire to join the twentieth century, participating in the modern world? Again, I hope so.
Even with all the questions, we still have serious interests in the Middle East. Primarily oil. Since we refuse to drill for our own oil and produce our own energy in our own country, we continue to need the oil of the Middle East. It is in our interest that oil continues to flow. In my view that is the reason for our involvement not only in Libya or Afghanistan, but all over the Middle East.
It should be clear to even the most devout liberal that our liberal President Obama has to keep the oil flowing. It is not a choice, it is a requirement. If that means bombing countries like Libya, then so be it. Reasons and excuses will be offered but the real reason is oil. Our economy, and for that matter the economies of the world, depend on oil. They have it and we need it. Imagine how much simpler this all would be if we just got off our duffs and drilled and produced our own oil, but I digress.
So, are we involved, or are we truly committed? Do we have the will and the stomach to face reality and produce our own energy? Do we have the will and the stomach to end our wars in the Middle East, or will we just continue to be involved? As I have said before, the only way a war can end is with a winner and a loser. What we are doing now is just spending military forces and millions of our treasure to keep the game going. We need a commitment. We have the ability. We have the weaponry. The question is, do we have the will?
Are we the chicken or are we the pig?
Ron Scarbro March 29, 2011
I think of this when I consider our bombing of Libya. Are we just involved or do we have a commitment? It’s a fair question when one considers our current use of military forces in two on-going wars. Wars which have been going on for more than ten years now as we have previously reported. Ten years and no end in sight. Are we in those wars as just an involvement or are we committed?
War, by its only definition is an all out affair. It is an unlimited act. For us to be involved must mean that we are committed to win. There is no other reason to bomb and kill thousands of people.
Where Libya is concerned, we are now being told that our commitment is over. We took out Gadhafi’s ability to fight so we can wrap up and go back to other wars. We are told that we will not send in ground troops. I hope that is true.
So, where is this discussion headed? What do you think is going on? Is it an accident that virtually the entire Middle East is rising up and attempting to throw off the oppression of their dictatorial leaders and live as democracys? Is that what we are seeing? I hope so, but I am a bit skeptical. Why, after thousands of years, are the people suddenly demanding freedom? Who is behind all of this? Is this a religious uprising or is this truly an uprising of people wanting to be free? Who is financing this? Where and when will it all end? Will a new Middle East come out of this unrest with a desire to join the twentieth century, participating in the modern world? Again, I hope so.
Even with all the questions, we still have serious interests in the Middle East. Primarily oil. Since we refuse to drill for our own oil and produce our own energy in our own country, we continue to need the oil of the Middle East. It is in our interest that oil continues to flow. In my view that is the reason for our involvement not only in Libya or Afghanistan, but all over the Middle East.
It should be clear to even the most devout liberal that our liberal President Obama has to keep the oil flowing. It is not a choice, it is a requirement. If that means bombing countries like Libya, then so be it. Reasons and excuses will be offered but the real reason is oil. Our economy, and for that matter the economies of the world, depend on oil. They have it and we need it. Imagine how much simpler this all would be if we just got off our duffs and drilled and produced our own oil, but I digress.
So, are we involved, or are we truly committed? Do we have the will and the stomach to face reality and produce our own energy? Do we have the will and the stomach to end our wars in the Middle East, or will we just continue to be involved? As I have said before, the only way a war can end is with a winner and a loser. What we are doing now is just spending military forces and millions of our treasure to keep the game going. We need a commitment. We have the ability. We have the weaponry. The question is, do we have the will?
Are we the chicken or are we the pig?
Ron Scarbro March 29, 2011
Friday, March 18, 2011
VISITING THE SMALL TOWN CAFE
My wife and I are currently on a road trip. We often travel to the south to visit our daughter and our grandchildren. From time to time we try to find new routes to travel so that we may see and experience new territory. We try always, however, to stop in South Beloit, Illinois. Our primary reasons are, number one, it is about as far as we like to drive in one day and the second reason is a little cafe known as Mary’s Place. We accidentally found this gem several years ago on just such a trip south.
Mary’s is a small town cafe where everybody knows everybody. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. From our first experience, we enjoyed the place. It seems the same people are always there. The customers get up and help the waitresses. They help bus the tables and refill coffee cups. The conversation is never ending. Whenever any person comes in, it seems everybody greets them. Large gatherings occur as tables are pulled together. You overhear discussions about politics, national issues, local issues, and of course gossip about whomever might not be there. You hear about someone who is sick. You learn about their children and all they are facing. In other words, you hear Americana.
There are probably many such cafes and restaurants like Mary’s across this country, but I think they are a dying breed. The customers for such cafes seem to be older. People come for more than just the food. They come for the visits. They come to learn the latest gossip. They come because such cafes are friendly places where everybody feels at home. They also come to share their lives with their friends and neighbors. I know we have always felt welcome.
This column is not a commercial for Mary’s Place or for any other restaurant however. No, this is about what appears to be a disappearing part of American life.
Today’s young people seem to go to coffee shops and they bring their computers with them. They have ear phones in their ears. Their focus is never off their computer screens. They never talk with anybody else. All communication is electronic. They have thousands of on line “friends” whom they have never met. Inter-personal relationships are gone. All they know about these “friends” is what that individual has told them from the privacy of their own space.
Now I don’t want to be critical of this new social interchange, but I wonder if there isn’t something missing from such an arrangement. Is this new way the best way? Are these relationships as satisfying as face to face contact? Can true friendships be forged this way? As these young people age and mature will they not miss out on the companionship that our older generation has experienced? To me it seems a little sad. I wonder if, in the future, will a friend cry when a friend dies? I wonder.
In the meantime, we will continue to visit Mary’s Place whenever we are in South Beloit and we will continue to try to find other such cafes and restaurants across this great country in our travels. We will rejoice in the camaraderie we witness. We will continue to look for Americana and wonder if it will all change. I believe it would be sad if it disappears.
Ron Scarbro March 16, 2011
Mary’s is a small town cafe where everybody knows everybody. The food is wonderful and the prices are very reasonable. From our first experience, we enjoyed the place. It seems the same people are always there. The customers get up and help the waitresses. They help bus the tables and refill coffee cups. The conversation is never ending. Whenever any person comes in, it seems everybody greets them. Large gatherings occur as tables are pulled together. You overhear discussions about politics, national issues, local issues, and of course gossip about whomever might not be there. You hear about someone who is sick. You learn about their children and all they are facing. In other words, you hear Americana.
There are probably many such cafes and restaurants like Mary’s across this country, but I think they are a dying breed. The customers for such cafes seem to be older. People come for more than just the food. They come for the visits. They come to learn the latest gossip. They come because such cafes are friendly places where everybody feels at home. They also come to share their lives with their friends and neighbors. I know we have always felt welcome.
This column is not a commercial for Mary’s Place or for any other restaurant however. No, this is about what appears to be a disappearing part of American life.
Today’s young people seem to go to coffee shops and they bring their computers with them. They have ear phones in their ears. Their focus is never off their computer screens. They never talk with anybody else. All communication is electronic. They have thousands of on line “friends” whom they have never met. Inter-personal relationships are gone. All they know about these “friends” is what that individual has told them from the privacy of their own space.
Now I don’t want to be critical of this new social interchange, but I wonder if there isn’t something missing from such an arrangement. Is this new way the best way? Are these relationships as satisfying as face to face contact? Can true friendships be forged this way? As these young people age and mature will they not miss out on the companionship that our older generation has experienced? To me it seems a little sad. I wonder if, in the future, will a friend cry when a friend dies? I wonder.
In the meantime, we will continue to visit Mary’s Place whenever we are in South Beloit and we will continue to try to find other such cafes and restaurants across this great country in our travels. We will rejoice in the camaraderie we witness. We will continue to look for Americana and wonder if it will all change. I believe it would be sad if it disappears.
Ron Scarbro March 16, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
THE BUDGET BATTLES HAVE BEGUN
What you see happening in Wisconsin is about to be played out in many other states as well as in Washington, DC. I am talking about the budget battles. To be sure, not everyone will be happy with the proposals or the end results of these battles, but changes are going to occur. I recently wrote a piece about issues which are, in my mind, untouchable unless they are increased. Those being veteran’s benefits and Social Security. I stand by those words today as I opine about the proposals now being debated.
In Washington the Republicans have determined that ending funding for public broadcasting is one way of reducing spending. They also just passed an amendment ending funding for Planned Parenthood.
First my thoughts regarding public broadcasting. Setting aside the fact that they have become a propaganda arm of liberal politics and also the fact that, in a typical hour of programming, a full twenty minutes is dedicated to commercials on a “commercial free” aired program, I don’t care what they broadcast. My TV and radio are equipped with a station selector and an on/off knob and I use them frequently. My concern is that they operate with taxpayer money and that is wrong. If their programming is of value to their viewers and listeners, they should have to compete along with all other private businesses for customers and advertisers. No free country, least of all America, needs a state run broadcasting outlet of any political view.
Now concerning Planned Parenthood. I personally do not oppose abortion. I do not oppose assistance with family planning. What I oppose is that my tax dollars are being used for those purposes. All across this great country are millions who also oppose this illegal use of taxpayer money. Again, if these services are of such value to their clients, then it is incumbent upon Planned Parenthood to figure out another way to pay for them. In no way should it be at the expense of the American taxpayer. Abortion and family planning are very personal issues and in many camps religious issues and as such are none of the government’s business. They are in no way issues in which the government should be involved. These are but two of many proposals and decisions which will be made in the near future which are going to displease some portion of the public, but hard decisions are going to be made.
Wisconsin is, like many other states, facing huge deficits and they have no choice but to find cuts in their spending. I understand their deficit is about three billion dollars which is small when compared to others. Minnesota for example is twice that amount. Consider California and other big states that have spent like drunken sailors for the past several years. Judgement day is at hand.
The vast majority of citizens of Wisconsin know what is coming and they seem ready for it. That is why they elected the people they did. What is happening in Madison is a small number of union members from Wisconsin as well as other states raising a ruckus as they face the inevitable. The delaying tactics being tried by the State Senate Democrats will only serve to further irritate the good citizens of Wisconsin and will, in the final analysis, fail. Wisconsin citizens’ reality is that either these cuts are made or several thousand of them will lose their jobs. Not a happy choice but reality nonetheless. Wisconsin’s problem is pocket change however when compared to others like California, for example.
I’ll end this piece with these observations. In my seventy short years of life I have seen several fluctuations in our economy. Prices and values have risen and fallen. But, and again this is a big but, we have always recovered and gotten stronger. This is no different. In a few short years we will look back on this time and be amazed by our own resilience and our ingenuity. My word for the day is PATIENCE. While that is a good word for every day it is especially proper now. We all need to adopt this word and look to a bright future.
Ron Scarbro February 20, 2011
In Washington the Republicans have determined that ending funding for public broadcasting is one way of reducing spending. They also just passed an amendment ending funding for Planned Parenthood.
First my thoughts regarding public broadcasting. Setting aside the fact that they have become a propaganda arm of liberal politics and also the fact that, in a typical hour of programming, a full twenty minutes is dedicated to commercials on a “commercial free” aired program, I don’t care what they broadcast. My TV and radio are equipped with a station selector and an on/off knob and I use them frequently. My concern is that they operate with taxpayer money and that is wrong. If their programming is of value to their viewers and listeners, they should have to compete along with all other private businesses for customers and advertisers. No free country, least of all America, needs a state run broadcasting outlet of any political view.
Now concerning Planned Parenthood. I personally do not oppose abortion. I do not oppose assistance with family planning. What I oppose is that my tax dollars are being used for those purposes. All across this great country are millions who also oppose this illegal use of taxpayer money. Again, if these services are of such value to their clients, then it is incumbent upon Planned Parenthood to figure out another way to pay for them. In no way should it be at the expense of the American taxpayer. Abortion and family planning are very personal issues and in many camps religious issues and as such are none of the government’s business. They are in no way issues in which the government should be involved. These are but two of many proposals and decisions which will be made in the near future which are going to displease some portion of the public, but hard decisions are going to be made.
Wisconsin is, like many other states, facing huge deficits and they have no choice but to find cuts in their spending. I understand their deficit is about three billion dollars which is small when compared to others. Minnesota for example is twice that amount. Consider California and other big states that have spent like drunken sailors for the past several years. Judgement day is at hand.
The vast majority of citizens of Wisconsin know what is coming and they seem ready for it. That is why they elected the people they did. What is happening in Madison is a small number of union members from Wisconsin as well as other states raising a ruckus as they face the inevitable. The delaying tactics being tried by the State Senate Democrats will only serve to further irritate the good citizens of Wisconsin and will, in the final analysis, fail. Wisconsin citizens’ reality is that either these cuts are made or several thousand of them will lose their jobs. Not a happy choice but reality nonetheless. Wisconsin’s problem is pocket change however when compared to others like California, for example.
I’ll end this piece with these observations. In my seventy short years of life I have seen several fluctuations in our economy. Prices and values have risen and fallen. But, and again this is a big but, we have always recovered and gotten stronger. This is no different. In a few short years we will look back on this time and be amazed by our own resilience and our ingenuity. My word for the day is PATIENCE. While that is a good word for every day it is especially proper now. We all need to adopt this word and look to a bright future.
Ron Scarbro February 20, 2011
Sunday, February 13, 2011
ARE YOU THERE PATRICK HENRY???
We have just witnessed the overthrow of the government of Egypt. For the past several days all the news has been of the people marching in the streets of Cairo demanding the ouster of Hosni Mubarak. Well, that has happened. He announced his resignation and the Military will take over until a new government can be installed. As I write this, I ask myself, “Is this a good thing, or is this a bad thing? Is this the equivalent of the Berlin Wall coming down or is this another Iranian Revolution?” It is so tempting to be hopeful and believe that this is a revolution of people seeking freedom. Is that what is going on? Is this rebellion what it appears to be? The problem is we really don’t know and neither do the people of Egypt.
Should we believe that this is a revolution much like our own? That this is the same as when we threw off the mantle of oppression from Great Britain? I would like to believe that, but I remember as a very young man how we cheered a radical militant who, with his ragtag army, ousted the dictator Bautista, only to learn to our great disappointment that Fidel Castro was in fact a communist and that his beautiful country would then be cast into despair under his brutal regime. In all the years since, Cuba has never recovered from the communist domination of her people. Even today Cubans are years away from being restored to any semblance of their former self.
Is more disappointment awaiting us?
I have watched the young people in their western dress, jeans and t-shirts with cell phones on their ears and I-Pods at the ready chanting with hope on their faces. In two months will they still be in those clothes or will the girls be dressed in Burqas? Will their pretty faces be covered? Will their hopes and dreams be dashed by oppressive dictators from a religious sect? You see, we don’t know. Will the young men be given jobs with hopes for a future, or will their future be destroyed by radical religious groups bent on domination of the entire Middle East? Again, we don’t know.
For the sake of the Middle East, Israel and freedom everywhere, I hope this is not the case. For the sake of the Egyptian people, I hope this is a revolution similar to our own. I hope the Egyptian version of Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere is there with you and can show you the way to freedom. I hope you can continue to show the courage that you have demonstrated these past few days. When you have to make the difficult choices in the coming days, I hope you make the right decisions. Ronald Reagan told us that all men yearn to be free. I am sure the Egyptian people are just like everyone else.
Egyptians are educated people, with talent in music and poetry. They have existed since well before Christ. Since the early days they were masters of building with great pyramids and statues still remaining after eons of time. Today their future is in their hands. Will they choose wisely? Will they install a democracy? Or will they fall for a Theocracy? In many ways, while they abide in the Middle East, they are Westerners. They have, for years, followed and pursued western ideology.
For now however, like you, I will watch. I will watch hopeful that my worries are silly. I will watch in the hope that Egypt will join The Community of Nations seeking peace, prosperity, and brotherhood with all mankind. I will look for Patrick Henry and hope that he shows up and helps guide these newly freed people in the proper path. Will they seek liberty or will they find death? The choice is theirs.
Ron Scarbro February 13, 2011
Should we believe that this is a revolution much like our own? That this is the same as when we threw off the mantle of oppression from Great Britain? I would like to believe that, but I remember as a very young man how we cheered a radical militant who, with his ragtag army, ousted the dictator Bautista, only to learn to our great disappointment that Fidel Castro was in fact a communist and that his beautiful country would then be cast into despair under his brutal regime. In all the years since, Cuba has never recovered from the communist domination of her people. Even today Cubans are years away from being restored to any semblance of their former self.
Is more disappointment awaiting us?
I have watched the young people in their western dress, jeans and t-shirts with cell phones on their ears and I-Pods at the ready chanting with hope on their faces. In two months will they still be in those clothes or will the girls be dressed in Burqas? Will their pretty faces be covered? Will their hopes and dreams be dashed by oppressive dictators from a religious sect? You see, we don’t know. Will the young men be given jobs with hopes for a future, or will their future be destroyed by radical religious groups bent on domination of the entire Middle East? Again, we don’t know.
For the sake of the Middle East, Israel and freedom everywhere, I hope this is not the case. For the sake of the Egyptian people, I hope this is a revolution similar to our own. I hope the Egyptian version of Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin and Paul Revere is there with you and can show you the way to freedom. I hope you can continue to show the courage that you have demonstrated these past few days. When you have to make the difficult choices in the coming days, I hope you make the right decisions. Ronald Reagan told us that all men yearn to be free. I am sure the Egyptian people are just like everyone else.
Egyptians are educated people, with talent in music and poetry. They have existed since well before Christ. Since the early days they were masters of building with great pyramids and statues still remaining after eons of time. Today their future is in their hands. Will they choose wisely? Will they install a democracy? Or will they fall for a Theocracy? In many ways, while they abide in the Middle East, they are Westerners. They have, for years, followed and pursued western ideology.
For now however, like you, I will watch. I will watch hopeful that my worries are silly. I will watch in the hope that Egypt will join The Community of Nations seeking peace, prosperity, and brotherhood with all mankind. I will look for Patrick Henry and hope that he shows up and helps guide these newly freed people in the proper path. Will they seek liberty or will they find death? The choice is theirs.
Ron Scarbro February 13, 2011
Sunday, February 6, 2011
A REPUBLICAN DOES A DUMB THING
Most of you who read my columns will recognize me immediately as one who thinks and writes from the right side of the political spectrum. I readily criticize those on the left when they do the silly things they do. Today, however, I am forced, by fairness, to criticize a Republican.
Our Congressperson, Michele Bachmann, has proffered the idea that in order to deal with our deficit, we should reduce our funding to veterans by some four hundred million dollars. We are in the middle of two wars. We are experiencing casualties from both Iraq and Afghanistan on a regular basis. To do anything short of increasing our financial commitment to veterans is dumb. That’s all, just dumb. Fortunately she has seen the error of her ways and has since retracted that idea. That is smart, just smart.
Like most concerned Americans, I readily agree that our spending has to be controlled. That having been said, I now suggest that there are two areas where reduction is out of the question, Social Security and the VA.
I am both a veteran and a Social Security recipient. What that means to me is that I have a contract with this government that is inviolate. When I was seventeen years old, I joined the armed forces of this country and signed a contract that gave over to the country everything I had including my life. America in turn guaranteed certain coverages for me in my later years. I kept my end of the contract and I fully expect the government to keep up their end.
In addition, for about fifty years or so, I worked and earned a living for me and my family. The government confiscated a portion of my income to “set aside” for my retirement years. I was never given an option to opt out. I was never offered the option as to how or where that money would be invested. It was clearly understood that when I reached a certain age, there would be money available to me for my “golden years.” I never agreed that the fund should be raided by various congresses to pay for anything other than legitimate recipients of Social Security. Again, I was not given an option or a say in the matter. Now, with prices rising to ridiculous levels for everything most of us buy, our government has not even seen fit to offer us a cost of living increase, all the while increasing their own incomes.
So you ask me, how would you cut our spending, Mr. Smart Aleck? That’s a fair question and I have a few thoughts. I read recently that we send one and a half billion dollars to Egypt every year. It now seems that a majority of that hard earned tax money has ended up in Mubarak’s personal bank accounts. How many other tin horn dictators are we propping up and supporting with our tax dollars? How much American tax money goes throughout the world for who knows what and to whom? My suggestion, quit it. Just say no. Did you know that in the very small state of West Virginia, there exists the best road system, dam system and government buildings of anywhere in America, and that they all seem to bear the name of their benefactor, Democrat, Sen. Robert Byrd? There are bridges to nowhere and highways in the wilderness in Alaska thanks to their Republican Senator, Ted Stevens. No, it would not be very difficult to find a number of ways to reduce the waste in our spending.
We do not need to buy security by funding outlaw governments all over the world. We can enforce our security at any moment of need. It is past time when we must face the very real fact that we can no longer afford to support the world. We need to see to our own needs first.
Let us instead keep some of this money at home. Let us maintain a strong military. Let us never forget our commitment to our veterans and to our senior citizens. Let us take care of ourselves before we begin to think about taking care of other peoples and countries. And finally, let us re-establish integrity in the halls of Congress and put the people of America first.
Ron Scarbro February 6, 2011
Our Congressperson, Michele Bachmann, has proffered the idea that in order to deal with our deficit, we should reduce our funding to veterans by some four hundred million dollars. We are in the middle of two wars. We are experiencing casualties from both Iraq and Afghanistan on a regular basis. To do anything short of increasing our financial commitment to veterans is dumb. That’s all, just dumb. Fortunately she has seen the error of her ways and has since retracted that idea. That is smart, just smart.
Like most concerned Americans, I readily agree that our spending has to be controlled. That having been said, I now suggest that there are two areas where reduction is out of the question, Social Security and the VA.
I am both a veteran and a Social Security recipient. What that means to me is that I have a contract with this government that is inviolate. When I was seventeen years old, I joined the armed forces of this country and signed a contract that gave over to the country everything I had including my life. America in turn guaranteed certain coverages for me in my later years. I kept my end of the contract and I fully expect the government to keep up their end.
In addition, for about fifty years or so, I worked and earned a living for me and my family. The government confiscated a portion of my income to “set aside” for my retirement years. I was never given an option to opt out. I was never offered the option as to how or where that money would be invested. It was clearly understood that when I reached a certain age, there would be money available to me for my “golden years.” I never agreed that the fund should be raided by various congresses to pay for anything other than legitimate recipients of Social Security. Again, I was not given an option or a say in the matter. Now, with prices rising to ridiculous levels for everything most of us buy, our government has not even seen fit to offer us a cost of living increase, all the while increasing their own incomes.
So you ask me, how would you cut our spending, Mr. Smart Aleck? That’s a fair question and I have a few thoughts. I read recently that we send one and a half billion dollars to Egypt every year. It now seems that a majority of that hard earned tax money has ended up in Mubarak’s personal bank accounts. How many other tin horn dictators are we propping up and supporting with our tax dollars? How much American tax money goes throughout the world for who knows what and to whom? My suggestion, quit it. Just say no. Did you know that in the very small state of West Virginia, there exists the best road system, dam system and government buildings of anywhere in America, and that they all seem to bear the name of their benefactor, Democrat, Sen. Robert Byrd? There are bridges to nowhere and highways in the wilderness in Alaska thanks to their Republican Senator, Ted Stevens. No, it would not be very difficult to find a number of ways to reduce the waste in our spending.
We do not need to buy security by funding outlaw governments all over the world. We can enforce our security at any moment of need. It is past time when we must face the very real fact that we can no longer afford to support the world. We need to see to our own needs first.
Let us instead keep some of this money at home. Let us maintain a strong military. Let us never forget our commitment to our veterans and to our senior citizens. Let us take care of ourselves before we begin to think about taking care of other peoples and countries. And finally, let us re-establish integrity in the halls of Congress and put the people of America first.
Ron Scarbro February 6, 2011
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