Gonna go to the range and try out my new rifle yesterday. I had planned this day, based on weather reports. A rare thing…..A day off in the middle of the week, when the range is less crowded….

But when I woke up feeling like I had been in a bar fight (I don’t mind feeling this way, I just prefer to drink enough to be hung over and remember why the fight started….Except that I haven’t been in a bar in weeks) running a fever and all that, I wasn’t too sure that I wanted to go…..Chills, fever, runny nose and the shakes weren’t gonna make for the best day at the range.

But after a shower, I wasn’t nearly as shaky, so I thought that I’d give it a try, even if it meant that I might not be able to really find out how well the new rifle would shoot. So I loaded the rifle, the range bag, the benchrest  and a whole shitload of .223 (Lake City) (it goes stale you know….you might as well shoot it before it goes bad….) into the car and began the journey to the DNR range, about 35 minutes away.

Less than halfway there, I realized that I was sick enough that I should not be driving a car, much less handling and firing a lethal weapon. So I turned around and went home. Unloaded the car and went into the house and crawled back into bed.

Bummer. It is supposed to be rainy and windy for the next week. I’ll likely not get to the range for at least another 2 weeks.And that is if the weather cooperates with me on my days off.

Hope the Lake City doesn’t go stale in the meantime…..

No wonder NASA can’t get anything done. They waste too much money.

Not only are they GIVING away Space Shuttles, they are spending significant dollars decommissioning them so that they can safely be used as a draw for tourists in major metro areas. Why is NASA spending the money, and why are they giving them away? They aughta be auctioned off to the highest bidder, be that a private individual or a municipality. Big bux to be made there. The caveat to the purchase would of course be that the buyer, not the seller, pay for the decommissioning and decontamination so that the public can be safe while viewing/climbing on/photographing them.

Go HERE to learn even more….The SRB’s  (Solid Rocket Boosters) get transported back to Utah and REFURBISHED before storage, just in case we ever need them again (4, 17). AFAIK, they were designed for, and used only on, the Shuttle. Why refurb and store these when they can only be used on a platform which is being decommissioned?  Anyone….Bueller?  (one hint….Smells like Bacon/rhymes with “fork”)

Billions of dollars of hardware given away, and millions more to make them safe for public consumption. Why? Political connections? Favors? Cronyism?

It’s easy to give away things purchased with other peoples money

After sleeping, that the gist of Mr. Obama’s speech is that his vision of the United States is one of continued (if not expanded) Socialism.

He stated that he will not allow any decrease in government assistance to those folks who, for whatever reason, cannot take care of themselves. He feels that it is the responsibility of those who are, shall we say, more successful, to provide for those who are….not successful. There is no provision made for, or consideration of, why there is a relative difference in the level of “success”. Forward planning, life choices, levels of saving, etc. have no bearing.

Further, he stated that he would remove “spending reductions in the tax code”…..”newspeak” for increased taxes and reductions of exemptions in order to increase tax revenues at the expense of those of us who actually pay federal income tax. He will punish those who have chosen to invest in their future by purchasing a home, or working harder in order to advance in their field in order to increase their earning power to create a solid, secure future for themselves and their descendants in order to provide for those who for whatever reason, are unwilling or unable to provide for themselves

As Marx said: “From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs”… The issue is what we each feel are needs, and the choices that we make in order to meet those needs, both in the present and in the future.

Ultimately, it comes down to the philosophical difference between those of us who feel that it is the responsibility of the individual to provide for his or her needs, and those who feels that it is the responsibility of the State to provide for our needs….much less decide what those needs might be. He somehow finds meaning in the Constitution that I miss….that it is allowed that the State do things that I do not see in that document with taxes…..More than roads, and military, and coinage and such.

Would that I could give up the future help from the State (providing, of course, that I get the money that has been taken from me by force I have already contributed (with appropriate interest)) and be allowed to opt out of the system that Mr. Obama envisions.

What Mr. Obama has stated, if only in veiled words, is that it is appropriate action to take from those who make good decisions and invest in their future, and give to those who make poor decisions and live in the “now”, without a thought for the future.

And let us not forget that it appears that he finds the bloated, inefficient government departmental bureaucracies to be a Good Thing, if only because they provide jobs for many people who would otherwise not be as successful in private industry. He thinks that there will be no innovation which is not provided for, and financed by, government oversight (with your tax money). DOE, etc will do the job that (in his belief) private industry can’t or won’t.

His vision of our country is in opposition to mine. He appears to be, at heart, a Statist, and a redistributionist, and a Socialist.

And I am none of those.

What HE said.

(hey, it works for me)

Now just add in that there can be no spending beyond what the above code brought in LAST year.

another view HERE

If all these folks quoted by the Won are so keen on getting taxed at a higher rate and all that, why aren’t they writing checks to the US Treasury right now? It’s not like they US is going to turn the extra cash down or something. I mean, if they (and you!) really believe what you said and all….

I smell something, and it smells like ass, Mr Obama. No one is stopping you from returning your salary while you are in the White House, with all those folks stepping and fetching for you, and free transportation and free food and rent…..After all, by your own definition, you are “rich”

Step up, or shut up.

Put yer money where your mouth is. Set the example. Be the leader. Write the check for the past 2+ years of Presidential salary. Make it out to the U.S. Treasury. Failing that, then pledge this year, and next years salary.

Or shut the fuck up. I tire of your platitudes.

I’d be PISSED if this happened to me.

Mistakes do happen, but what if the guy or gal who won threw away their tickets?

Just a prediction before Mr. Obama’s speech:

“Equitable.”

“Fair Share.”

“Balance.”

“Equitable.”

“Share the pain.”

Betcha he uses ’em all. More than once.

Oh, and let us not forget his favorite: “Rich”.

Bet he pegs the use meter on that one….

You heard it here first!

An email from Mr Boehner, speaker of the house, to whom I had written in support of real budget cuts.

The return reply I got sometime today was, to be honest, a disappointment.

April 12, 2011 Mr. B Thank you for taking the time to contact me. It’s good to hear from you. Your ideas, comments, and questions help make possible my goal of leading a House of Representatives that listens and reflects the will of the American people. That’s why I’d like to ask you to keep speaking out by: Visiting Speaker.gov to sign up for email updates on issues that concern you; Offering your solutions and engaging other Americans on the challenges facing our country at AmericaSpeakingOut.com; Joining the conversation on Facebook.com/OfficeofSpeakerBoehner/; and Connecting with my office on Twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner/. I made a Pledge to America to focus on removing government barriers to private-sector job creation and economic growth – that includes cutting spending to help end the uncertainty facing job creators; repealing the job-crushing health care law and replacing it with common sense reforms that lower costs; reining in excessive regulations; and promoting an American Energy Initiative that increases energy production to create jobs and lower energy prices. I also pledged to lead an effort to reform Congress and rebuild the bonds of trust between the American people and their representatives in Washington. I hope you’ll stay engaged and keep me updated on your thoughts as we work to keep this pledge. Thank you again for contacting me and please stay in touch.

Sincerely, John Boehner Speaker of the House

My reply:
You ass. You are either a total loser at negotiating, or you are stupid enough to let the Democrats lead you around by the nose, or you are actually in league with the tax and spend folks.

Either way, you disappoint me, and many of my fellow citizens. You screwed the fiscal conservatives in this deal, and effectively were complicit in damaging the country farther. How did you serve the people of the United States in any way with your actions regarding the budget of the government of the United States? How did you help any citizen by allowing the incredible amounts of deficit spending to continue?

I had respect for you, once. No more. You have shown yourself to be either in league with those who would spend this country to bankruptcy, or you are a weak leader who cannot fight the good fight in order to better serve the citizens of the United States.

You are not fit, in my opinion for your current position. In fact, your actions on the Budget show that you are not fit to be dogcatcher in a small town. You sir, by your actions, have shown that you should not be Speaker of the House, nor should you represent the Republican Party. You have, by your own actions, damaged this country.

You have failed in your promise to the American people, and have shown yourself to be a failure of the worst kind. I hold nothing but disgust for your actions.

No, seriously:

” But the fact is that elections shouldn’t matter as much as they do“

Again: It be interestin’ how dese folks be thinkin’…..

I find it frightening that these people are in Washington, making decisions that affect the country.

Not that her Republican counterparts are showing me much either.

Romney enters the race.

What a waste of time, effort, and  a bunch of money that could be used to support a viable candidate.

If he is the best that they Repubs have got to offer, then we had better look forward to another 4 years of the Big “O”.

I mean, seriously? As far as I am concerned….No. Just no. Not a chance. Not even a remote one. I won’t hold my nose and vote for him like I did McCain in the last election. Just fucking “NO”. Fuggedaboutit.

One word: Rommneycare. Need I say more?

He’ll crash and burn like a shot down fighter jet over Libya. The sad part is he’ll bring a lot of folks down with him. And waste a lot of effort and money doing so.