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http://www.rantsofajew.com


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Final post before new blog comes online

Well, most of the modifications for the new blg have been completed, later today we will import the posts and comments from blogspot and then walla the new blog will be online.

This is still somewhat of a work in progress, so feel free to let us know what you think, and any suggestions for improvements will be appreciated.

Giving Credit where Credit is Due

Ever since the election some 24 days ago, I have been pondering how Obama's team won this election. Granted, the economy did not help the Republican Party, an unpopular President pushed voters into the Democratic corner; that is all important, but what really won the election?

I have to give credit where credit is due. Given the same set of circumstances, I would have turned down public financing for the general election. Why hamstring yourself when you are breaking every fundraising record in existence, not to mention that the attention span of an American voter is less than three days, so Obama's promise to use public financing was not going to cost him any significant amount of votes.

Obama campaigned in all 50 states. He forced McCain to defend territory that he normally would not have to defend. Obama took the fight to McCain, instead of doing what the McCain people did and waited for the final three days to put up any significant fight.

Obama did not concede a single state during the campaign. McCain out the door handed Obama California, New York, Illinois and Michigan. Those four states accounted for 45.9% of the electoral votes needed. When you give your opponent that much of a head start, you are going to lose.

Although this election was more about firing George Bush than it was electing Obama, I will give credit where credit is due - they ran one helluva campaign from a strategic point of view.

This should serve as a lesson to the Republican Party that if you want to win, you need to campaign in all 50 states.

Park Closings are Blagojevich's Doing

The ustoday.com has an article about the park closings in Illinois due to the budget shortfall and several posters to the blog and comment section are blaming everything from the Republican Party to the Bush Administration.

The bottom line is the Blagojevich Administration has spent itself silly since they came into office and this is the result of that action. Blagojevich has been in office long enough and you cannot continue to blame previous administrations for his inept handling of the state finances.

We had a chance to solve the problem, instead we made it worse by nominating the worst possible Republican candidate in the field and she had her perverbial fanny handed to her on a silver platter.

Illinois may be a blue state at this point, but nothing lasts forever.

The Fat Lady is Warming UP Rosie

Rosie Odonnell's new variety show has flopped. Ratings were poor, reviews were and are negative, and the fat lady is warming up for her debut; so practice that wave good bye Rosie because you are about to be history.

Walmart Worker Killed by Out of Control Shoppers

A Temporary Walmart employee was killed this morning when out of control shoppers broke down the door just after 5am, crushing him in the enslaught.

I hope those gifts were worth this 34 year old's life; how anyone could step on another in an attempt to be the first is beyond me and Walmart bears responsibility as well.

These stores encourage this type of behaviour with their "early bird", "door buster" sales.

It is time for them to stop, and if they will not do so on their own, then I encourage the local authorities to step in and ensure that they do; this world has now been robbed of a 34 year old man's contribution to society and for what? A lousy material item. It stinks.

Newsweek is anything but objective

I spent the better of the afternoon reading through the December 1 edition of Newsweek and I have not come across a magazine or newspaper that has shown its bias more so than I saw today.

Jonathan Alter and Dahlia Lithwick are two of the worst offenders. They are not reporters, they engage in partisan, anti-Bush, Republican bashing, diatribes that are not worthy of the National Enquirer.

I have no problem with reporters discussing their opinions, their views; however when they do they need to make it crystal clear that they are NOT REPORTING, but engaging in a personal dialogue. Crossing the line between news and editorializing is a sin for reporters, or was at one time; I suppose for these generational individuals, I am the old fuddy duddy who needs to shut up and go away.

Fat chance that is going to happen. I will continue to point out what I see as violations of the unwritten rule of editorializing in the name of news.

MIchele Obama needs to be careful

In a joint interview with her husband on 60 minutes Michele Obama recently made the statement "Since when was it ever soothing for you to wash the dishes?"

My mother would take exception with that statement. In her 70+ years the one time of the day she enjoyed the most, the time that she was able to relax and take a moment to reflect was during the time she spent washing the dishes.

I would venture to say that Michele Obama has not actually washed a dish in a number of years.

I would caution her to be careful and not make the same mistakes that Hillary did. She is the First Lady, not the Assistant President.

Congratulations to Brian Hampton

Brian Hampton has won the Windland Smith Rice International Awards 2008 Grand Prize for his image of an African Lion.

Congratulations Brian on an outstanding achievement.


© Rockford Register Star

Some Libs Will Not Give Up the Lies

From time to time I read through the blog postings on other sites, news organizations, etc., more for entertainment purposes than to actually acquire any knowledge because frankly most of those I read on those sites are just off the deep end.

That said, I do read several blogs from Illinois that I find not only enjoyable but informative and those include Backyard Conservative, Wilmette, The Illinois Review, Second City Cop, etc.

Well tonight I was reading some email and then decided to check out a few blog postings on Comcast.net. What I found was disheartening and laughable all at the same time. There are some people that just cannot give up the rhetoric, the lies, the mis-information campaigns, even after they have won the election.

An example is Warren Sanford of Sacramento:

For President Bush-this is going just fine. The looting goes unchallenged, pardons for drug dealers are flowing like a river and everyone is so distracted, Bush can sneak in charming little laws with no oversight. Maybe both administrations should be briefed at the same time....but how much of this mess do you wanna get on Obama? as it stands now-George is the one wearing this egg on his face.

"The looting goes unchallenged..." What looting are you talking about Warren?

"pardons for drug dealers are flowing like a river..." You are kidding right? Bush has issued less than half the pardons of Clinton or Reagan and you are still unhappy? Are you familiar with any of these cases Warren to know the reasons behind the pardons? I doubt it.

"...Bush can sneak in charming little laws with no oversight." You are really losing your mind there Warren, because the President cannot implement any laws without Congressional OK. However in my attempt this week to be positive and fair, I ask you what little laws are you talking about?

"Maybe both administrations should be briefed at the same time..." Uh, Warren listen carefully here ok? OBAMA DOES NOT HAVE AN ADMINSTRATION YET, NOT UNTIL HE IS SWORN INTO OFFICE AND HIS TRANSITION TEAM IS BEING KEPT AWARE OF EVERY SINGLE DETAIL EVERYDAY.

Did you hear that Warren? His transition team is being briefed and they are briefed on a daily basis.

Whether you like it or not, Bush is President until January 20, 2009 12:00pm. Like it or lump it that is the way it is. Making up lies in an effort to confuse and obfuscate the truth will not change that one iota.

Iraqi Parliament Approves U.S. Security Pact

Within the past few hours, the Iraqi Parliament has approved the U.S. Security Pact. Part of the deal has U.S. Forces pulling out of most cities over the next few months and all troops to leave Iraq by 2012.

Our prayers are with the hostages in Mumbai

With today being Thanksgiving, our prayers are with those hostages and victims in Mumbai.

Alan Colmes to leave Hannity

Last night Alan Colmes announced that he would be leaving the highly rated show that pairs him with Sean Hannity.

Although Alan is leaving the show, he is apparently staying with Fox, who he said has treated him extremely well over the years.

So much for Fox being one sided eh?

Alan is a class act.

Foxnews getting the cold shoulder?

The question is this "Is Fox News getting the cold shoulder from the Obama camp?" Apparently in the last four press conferences Fox News has not been allowed to ask a single question.

Obama spokesman, Robert Gibbs says "I would tell them, get a good question and stay tuned".

Emphasis was added there.

So who gets to decide whether a question is a good one or not? Apparently the Obama Administration will decide whether a question is appropriate and "Good Enough".

Hmmmmm makes one think.

Paul Volcker - Is this really what we need?

Paul Volcker is apparently being tapped by Obama for his economic team, a man that was Fed Chairman under Carter and was directly responsible for the economic disaster that this country endured during the late 70's.

That is not an attack, it is a fact. Facts are not negative, they are simply spelling out the truth.

So far, Obama has been pretty decent with his picks, not the same individuals I would have chosen, but certainly not off the radar screen either - until now.

Paul Volcker is a bad choice Mr. Obama and I would hope that you would reconsider this decision before we find ourselves in another deep deflationary period where prices drop and the monetary costs, inflation skyrocket and drive us into a depression.

Doom and Gloom is not my forte' but I am very concerned with this choice. Maybe Volcker has learned from his past mistakes, are we willing and able to risk that? At this time I say no.

What is the "Office of the President-Elect" ?

This one is a new one for me, and I am all ears if someone would explain what this office is? Is it defined somewhere in the Constitution? Is it a matter of public law or statute?

How long has this office been around? Who are the members ?

Inquiring Minds wanna know!

Status of new site

Just a quick FYI, the new site is coming along, we have the domain name registered and the DNS setup, just waiting at this point for everything to start propagating so we can test it.

I am excited about this change.....and looking forward to being able to have better control over the site.

Best emergency landing I have ever seen

As a private pilot, I have seen many emergency landings, accidents, etc., here is a video clip of what I would consider one of the best I have ever seen.

Obama's Agenda will not change

There seems to be this notion floating around that with the economy in its current state Obama will not be able to push his liberal agenda because there will not be the resources to do so.

It is precisely due to the economy that he will not only push his liberal agenda but will have a blank check in doing so. The deficit will approach 1 trillion dollars next year; we will see spending like we have never seen it before, and all of it in the name of strengthing the economy and providing jobs.

This is the time for all to pay attention and hold their feet to the fire and not allow them to spend ourselves into a hole that we cannot ever recover from.

The Shield - Final Episode

I was actually looking forward to watching the finale episode of The Shield tonight and with all the build up that we would not be left disappointed or hanging, well what can I say...

I promised to remain positive for this entire week, so........here are my thoughts:















































That about sums it up! :)

Will Black Friday produce?

With Black Friday almost upon us and with the economy still teetering on the edge of disaster, I am not alone in wondering how the day wil fair in the end?

In a short search of specials being advertised for that day, I have seen stores such as Best Buy offering HDTV units for upwards of $700.00 off the list price, Circuit City is offering over 50% discounts on selected items and thus the race begins.

It is interesting to note though, Apple Computer, Inc. so far has refused to get in the middle of the price slashing; which of course has been something of a common trait for Apple, they refuse to price their wares at prices below what they consider them worth and guess what? They are still in business AND turning a profit.

What happened to Civil Discourse?

It seems that in today's world of blogs, internet message boards, etc. that all civility and measure of decency has evaporated. Members of Congress attack each other with a viciousness that has not been seen since the early 1800's.

During the Reagan Administration (I know, some are already rolling their eyes), there was an honest and open disagreement on policy but the parties remained cordial and respectful; today, that is not longer the status quo rather it is the exception.

I recall seeing President Reagan and Speaker O'Neil talking in the White House and honetly enjoying each others company. They disagreed on policy, they disagreed on spending, but they remained friends and it showed.

It is time to bring back civility to the process, to show respect whether it is deserved or not, and even when we disagree remain cordial and polite.

Williamson Makes a Good Point

Sheriff Neil Williamson has made a good point that it is not good policy to just lock up every single person regardless of the offense. The Sangamon County Jail is not big enough and we cannot possibly build a jail big enough to lock everyone up.

Some are going to accuse the Sheriff of getting soft in his old age, or they may accuse him of being senile, but he makes sense. Unless there is an overriding reason, we need to use better discretion.

Hats off to Neil for trying to improve a bad situation.

A Happy Thanksgiving to Everyone

I would like to Extend a heartfelt Happy Thanksgiving to everyone, despite the turmoil we currently face, there are still so many things to be happy and thankful for.

May G-d bless all of you.

Footloose and Cancer Free

In the spirit of remaining positive this entire week we are on day two and what better news can there be than to be told that the latest test results show we are still cancer free, three years and counting now.

All else pales in comparison.

The Biggest Shopping Day of the Year

While many others will be out shopping on Friday, November 28, 2008 - I will be taking in a wonderful day of history as I join with three friends for a day of pheasant hunting.

Yes, you heard me right, I am going to be loading up the dogs, the shotguns, and a pocket full of shotgun shells and head out for a brisk morning of coffee and the smell of burnt powder as we lay claim to the all American tradition of hunting pheasants in Central Illinois.

It will be the first hunt this season for all of us, and probaly one of the last for any hunter in Illinois, but since I promised to spend a week of writing nothing but positive comments, I will leave it there.....a happy day of hunting! Nothing could be better!

Rockford Visitors Bureau Downtown Plan

The Rockford Visitors Bureau is working on a plan that has been in the making for five years - namely to create a downtown hotel and conference center.

This is based on the original plan of a convention center but on a more scaled version.

Rockford has never been able to generate much interest in the downtown district due to the lack of accomodations and they have yet to get a developer interested. With the river front, the Metro Centre, the Coronado Performing Arts Center, etc. the Visitors Bureau believes that now is the time and the economics would work.

I hope the plan succeeds.

Brett Favre does it again!

Brett Favre has done it again, the Jets have handed the Titans their first loss of the season with a 34-13 loss in Tennessee.

Congratulations to Favre and the Jets! You have proven that you are still the best of the best.

Congratulatons to SHG

I would like to extend my congratulations to Sacred Heart Griffin's football team for advancing to the finals.



Good luck!

Republicans have a wonderful opportunity

With only 708 days until the mid-term elections the Republicans have a wonderful opportunity to redefine themselves to the the voters.

I have three positive suggestions for them over the next 708 days that they can do that will give them a huge advantage going into the elections:

1. Remain positive. When you need to attack an Obama position, do so by offering an alternative, an alternative that is WORKABLE.

2. Stay true to the basic principles of supply-side economics which has in all cases proved to be the one economic plan that works.

3. Get your message out, engage the party at not only the national leve, but get them engaged and onboard at the state and local level, right down to the precinct committeeman. They will have the ability to tailor that message to the voters and without the Presidential bully pulpit, we need them.

Three basic steps that will greatly aid in reversing the losses, three positive steps that will allow the party to gain seats instead of losing them and three steps that are SIMPLE AND EASY.

We will be moving

I have been working for some time now to move the blog from blogger.com to a Wordpress based blog. Partly I just want a change of scenery, part of it is I want a bit more control and I am already using wordpress for some other business related projects.

So in the next month or so I hope to complete the move to Wordpress, which will provide far more features, skins, and sort of spruce the place up a bit.

I know I am excited about it for several reasons, one of which will be that I handled the complete installation myself.

A week of positive posts

Since the election my tone and tenor has been, well, a tad on the ranting side; then again this is about the rants of a Jewish Republican, but I have probably ranted more in the past two weeks than in the past.

So, I have decided that in taking some of my own medicine I will spend an entire week writing nothing but positive posts....whether those are about things the new incoming administration is doing that I agree with, positive news in the world, etc.

I wonder how many positive posts I can crank out in seven days? Care to take a guess?

Agree with Marathon Pundit

I read the posts on other blogs all the time, sometimes for entertainment, sometimes because I happen to enjoy reading the the writers, other times it is because I am wondering what others are thinking, and there are times I do it because I happen to see something that catches my eye.

Tonight I was browsing through the blognetnews.com/illinois website and I came across the article by Marathon Pundit regarding Durbin possibly renominating U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald for another term. I agree with MP in that Durbin finally got one right.

When Fitzgerald was first confirmed as AG, I had my doubts about him, and in some cases have been hostile to his actions or decisions but his desire to bust corruption has been the best we have ever seen. Nobody comes close to his ability to weed out the bad politicians in Illinois.

Now, that said, I do have my doubts about Obama actually following through on it. Fitzgerald's investigations could very well lead to the new administration and Obama could easily prevent that from happening if he just allows Fitzgerald to go away quietly.

Regardless, Marathon Pundit deserves a hat tip for giving credit when credit is due, Durbin is right on this one.

Cabinet choices will make for interesting hearings

Make no mistake, as it stands right now Obama's choices for his cabinet will be confirmed. The Democrats hold a large enough advantage in the Senate that even if one or two break ranks they will still have plenty of room for confirmation. That does not mean though the hearings will not be lively, interesting and in some cases messy.

Janet Napolitano appears to be the choice for Homeland Security Secretary and with her comes the past baggage of the Anita Hill Sexual Harrassment matter which was orchastrated by Democrats in an attempt to keep Clarence Thomas from his Supreme Court Appointment.

We have already discussed Eric Holder and Bill Richardsons involvement in the Monica Lewinsky matter may come up as well.

I do strongly suggest the Republicans tread carefully with these issues. If there is clear and convincing evidence that wrongdoing was involved, fine use it; otherwise, leave it alone. Right now the Republicans have a great opportunity to show that they are willing to fight on important issues and will be as the Democrats were for the past upteen years, obstructionists with no agenda of their own.

If the Republicans want to challenge a bill, policy fine....do so, but offer something in return. If you want to attack an appointment make sure you have your ducks in order and they are lined up bill to tail, anything less is well just show and we have endured enough show already.

Returning to Prominence - Cont'd

This will be the final post on the returning to prominence issue. One only has to go back to the 1980 election of Ronald Reagan to see how campaigns should be run.

Everyone seems to think that Obama was the first campaign to use detailed information to build a coalition of voters, Reagan was the first and did so without the benefit of computers and the internet. They developed detailed notes and information on the voter base on a precinct by precinct basis. They knew how those voters had voted, what issues were important to them, what issues were not.

All of that information was gathered, cataloged and perfected on a local level, at the precinct, street by street, house by house with just volunteers. That information is what helped Reagan hone his message so that it had broad appeal, but even more importantly they tailored their campaign material to each group and area.

All we saw with McCain was the same ads, same stories, in every locale and it had a look of being tired, old and worn. I do not fault McCain directly, his campaign staff was horrible, they did a poor job showing that their candidate was a candidate of change. They were yes man and women and did not do McCain any service with their actions.

If the Republican party truly wants to return to prominence they need to get back to the local level, they need to gather information on the voters, their patterns, their wants, their desires, what issues are important to them and then tailor the Republican message to those voters.

Remember all elections are local, and they won ONE VOTE AT A TIME!

Citigroup next in line to fail?

Is citigroup the next banking and investment company that is poised to fail? Citigroup which has operations ranging from banking to mortgages to investments watched their stock fall more than 50% in the past week, with the bottom still not in sight.

There is the real danger of additional investors who operate on the premise of not owning, buying or holding stock that is below the $10 and $5 per share benchmark, selling off their holdings driving the stock price down even further.

With the board of directors meeting on Friday in an attempt to stop the bleeding and or find a suitable company to buy them out, the writing is on the wall, Citigroup will fall, the ony question is when and how hard.

What is MSNBC's Problem with Palin?

I have to ask the question and it truly is an honest one. What is MSNBC's problem with Governor Sarah Palin? They apparently have one and you only need to read the last few articles on their website to come to this conclusion.

The most recent which was posted today asks "Is Alaska big enough for celebrity Palin?" As if she is the one seeking out the interviews, book deals, couch sessions with the likes of David "Mr. Crass" Letterman, Oprah "I got Obama Elected" Winfrey, etc. They also take great pains to mention she was on the losing end of election time and time again, as if we did not already know the McCain-Palin ticket did not win the election.

They go out of their way to mention that she lost not just once in the article but five times and two of them occuring in the first three paragraphs. They continue to hammer away at her answers to some questions saying that she "flubbed" the answers, using terms that imply she is an incompetent redneck that has no place in national politics.

I expect and demand that any news organization present the news straight and without bias. I expect more from MSNBC but then again, this is the same organization that employs the likes of Rachel Maddow and Keith Olbermann so one has to wonder if they truly are interested in presenting the news in an honest manner.

It goes deeper than just their pundits and website, their news has continually hammered at Governor Palin even three weeks after the election, so it begs the question of what their problem is, I just would not be holding my breath for an answer; you might not live long enough to hear it.

New Deal II in the making

Obama has instructed his economic team to come up with a plan that will create 2.5 million jobs by 2011 and is calling for a plan that includes using them to rebuilding roads, bridges, etc.

This is shaping up to be the New Deal II and will include government spending that will completely and totally dwarf anything we have previously seen.

History has shown that the New Deal actually prolonged the Great Depression and the steps Obama is taking now are the same ones and we can expect a similar result.

Zimbabwe Rejects Carter

Apparently the Zimbabwe Government has refused to cooperate with former President Jimmy Carter and UN Chief Kofi Annan.

This should not suprise anyone; the citizens of the United States rejected Carter 28 years ago, apparently he never received the message.

2.5 Million Jobs - Who actually creates them

It is being reported today that Obama is claiming that he will create 2.5 million jobs.

Really? I did not know that Presidents actually ran a business that created jobs, well other than giving their cronies government jobs.

It takes years in most cases for economic policies to have an actual effect on the economy and the creation of jobs is much more complicated. Then there are certain policies which can lead to the destruction of jobs or loss of jobs in an area.

We all know that no matter what the actual results are, or what the causation may be, Obama nonetheless will take credit for any jobs that are created, even though he will not be the one actually doing the work.

Obama woefully late with Treasury

Word is coming out of Washington late this afternoon that Obama has chosen Tim Geithner, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, for Treasury Secretary, and Bill Richardson, Governor of New Mexico as Commerce Secretary.

It has been almost three weeks since the election and the nominations are still not official. These decisions, albeit some of the most important ones that President-Elect Obama will make should have been made days after the election.

Part of the meltdown is Obama and his indecision on who he will nominate. This never should have happened; and its obvious that with Obama change means bringing back 90% of the Clinton Administration.

A bold move would have been to nominate a Republican, show that he is willing to cross party lines to attract the best of the best and all we have seen so far is a regurgitation of the past. I cannot help but be pessimistic.

GM Cancels Private Jet Leases

Fox News is reporting that GM is canceling the leases for two of their five private jets after the debacle the executives created with their use of a private jet with hand out asking, in fact begging for taxpayer money.

They claim the move is to "cut costs", which if that were the case, they should cancel all five leases; when you are raiding the US Treasury for a bailout package and expecting the taxpayer to pay for it, you have an obligation to cut costs everywhere you can.

I still say Congress needs to use my bailout plan as a blueprint, actually they need to use it in its entirety and with no changes. The auto industry needs to make some fundamental changes, which must include employees paying a fair share of their health insurance, the end of executive perks, and the elimination of a defined benefit pension plan.

Those need to be DOA in Washington, but with the Democrats running the show do not hold your breath.

Is Obama letting the Economy Fail ?

With the economy in tatters, with the stock market plunging on a daily basis and with retirees losing hundreds of thousands of dollars on a daily basis, one has to ask "Where is Obama"?

He talked a big game, and everyone was expecting him to come out strong by naming his Treasury Chief immediately, but so far the only sound coming from the Obama camp on the economy is silence.

Are they still putting together their plans? Are they still interviewing candidates? Is the problem too big for Obama to get his mind around it, or do they really care at this point?

Strictly from a political viewpoint, it hurts them nothing to sit and let it fester, its still the watch of George W. Bush and they know it. He will take the blame for the economy even though the President has little to no influence over the economy. Obama seems to be perfectly willing to sit back and let it get worse, because if it turns around on his watch, it will appear to be that much more dramatic.

Conspiracy theory? Maybe, but usually where there is smoke a fire is lurking around the corner.

Season Opener - slugs be a flying

Today marks the opening day of the Illinois Deer Season; alas I sit in an office reminiscing of the days gone by where I sat freezing my hindparts in a tree stand waiting for that rack of a lifetime to pass me by.

I am disappointed that I was not able to deer hunt this year, but I will spend several days bird hunting between now and January so all is not lost.

I wish every hunter has a safe and enjoyable experience....

Now if I could moose hunt with Governor Palin, that would be a trip worth making!

Letterman is a crass old man

David Letterman's recent comments regarding Governor Sarah Palin are just more evidence that he is not only out of touch, but a crass old man that has outlived his usefulness on television.

Bottoming out the ratings between himself and Leno, Letterman needs to retire.

Free Money Is it possible?

J.P. Morgan economist Michael Feroli recently predicted that the Fed will probably slash interest rates to 0% to stave off deflation and that would in effect make it "free" to borrow money.

I am no economist but that seems illogical to me. If someone is willing or able to explain how that would truly benefit the country, I am all ears.

Hillary to get Post Holiday Nod

It appears that Hillary Clinton will receive the nod for Secretary of State post Thanksgiving.

Given a choice between Hillary and Kerry, I will take Hillary every day of the week and twice on Sunday. It does however raise the issue of where is Obama's change? This administration is looking more and more like Clinton Act II.

Wanting something for free is not the American Way

George Hall, a GM retiree, worked at the Linden, NJ GM plant for 33 years and recently retired at the age of 54. that provides him with the prospect of living in retirement for over 21 years. That is based upon the average lifespan of an American male of 75.2 years.

George Hall is upset with the management of GM for "lying" to him about having a secure pension and health insurance. Now, I do not believe that they "LIED" to him, but I do believe management has done a horrible job running the company. The employees and union are to blame as well. They have lived a life of greed for so many years, a greed that has now come home to roost in corporate losses that exceed those of many countries.

George Hall was promised "free health care", well guess what George, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and its about time you and the rest of the GM employees live under the same rules as the rest of us....YOU PAY FOR HEALTH CARE.

Defined pension plans are a remnant of the past and all three auto makers need to do away with them. Employees need to take responsibility for their own retirement with 401k's and IRA's and not expect the company to continue to pay everything, assume all the risk and they assume the benefits.

In addition, George Hall's 16 year old is upset that there will not be a free ride for college. Apparently Grampa has put up two years worth of money, and good ole Avery was expecting Mom and Dad to foot the rest of the bill.

I have a suggestion for Avery, GET OUT AND WORK FOR IT! As for George, sorry that times are tough, and I truly mean that, but the bottom line is nothing lasts forever and you should know that, and wanting something for "FREE" is not the American Way.

Roger Penske has been sniffing the oil again

Roger Penske is floating an auto bailout idea of levying a one time fee on all auto sales to bail out GM, Ford and Chrysler.

Roger Penske has apparently been sniffing too much motor oil again, because he is woefully out of touch. The company executives and their antiquated ways of doing business have put the big three in trouble and there is absolutely no reason or justification for anyone including the buying public to bail them out.

Roger, if you are so concerned, how about you take a few million out of your checking account and loan it to them? As for me, let em fail.

Eric Holder to get AG Nod

Washington attorney and senior member of the Justice Department under the Clinton Administration is poised to be the next Attorney General of the United States. Although Mr. Holder will have to be confirmed by the full Senate, there does not appear to be a ground swell of opposition to his nomination.

I have always been a believer that when a President selects a candidate for a cabinet post the Senate has to only answer ONE question: "Are they qualified to serve?" Their political views should never be considered a part of that process, simply because cabinet posts are a POLITICAL appointment.

Mr. Holder would not make my top 20 list for Attorney General and I personally would have disqualified him over the Rich pardon, but hey, that is me. If Mr. Obama selects and submits his name, I will again say that unless he is somehow unqualified to serve, his nomination SHOULD BE CONFIRMED.

Sports Related - How about that Favre

I wonder if Teddy "I want Favre Gone" Thompson is regretting his decision to send his hall of fame quarterback packing to New Jersey yet?

If not, he should be. I take that back, he should be fired. The question is does anyone in Green Bay have what it takes to show him the door? Doubtful.

Hillary as SoS?

Well I have seen worse:

1. Madeleine Albright
2. Warren Christopher
3. Colin Powell
4. Edmund Muskie
...

I could go on, but why give myself indigestion.

Mark Ritchie Must Step Aside

Mark Ritchie, the Minnesota Secretary of State is responsible for the recount of the hotly contested contest between the Republican Incumben, Norm Coleman and Democratic comedian, Al Franken.

However, Mr. Ritchie's recent comments and statements that are ON THE RECORD and his previous ties to ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) make his ability to perform his job as top elections administrator impossible.

The only way for Mr. Ritchie to come out of this looking like anything but the rear end of a horse, is to step aside and do so immediately.

Mr. Ritchie is biased and his comments in recent days have proven that and you cannot fairly judge an election recount when you have a stake in the outcome.

Mr. Ritchie I am calling on you to step aside and allow the Governor to appoint someone else to manage this mess.

Duties of the Vice President

There are numerous articles floating around about the duties of the Vice President, especially in this last election cycle, and most of them have missed the boat. The Vice President is President of the Senate, which means he/she/it gets to set the rules of the Senate and this is outlined in Rule XVI.

Mr. Biden's claim that the Vice President only has the power to break a tie is wrong and he knows it.

I hope he pays more attention after taking his oath.

Obama to Quit Senate

Well its about time. Personally, I wanted Obama to resign the moment he ran for the White House, as I did McCain, Biden and Palin.

If you are going to seek a higher office, it should be a requirement that you step down from the office you hold, regardless of what it is.

Not to mention that Obama assured Illinois residents that when he was elected to the Senate he would not seek higher office during his term.

Ok, that was a lie, and when someone lies that makes them what?

Poll finds Great Expectations for Change

I read the CNN article this evening on the recent poll that found 2/3 of those questioned (of course I would love to know the details of the polling - interesting that the statistics were not disclosed hmmmm wonder why?) have high expectations for the Obama Presidency, especially when it comes to change.

I ask the same question I asked during the campaign....."WHAT CHANGE ?" BE SPECIFIC! Obama is the first candidate elected to the highest office in the land without having to explain his policies in depth, and he is the first candidate to get a pass from the press like no other.

GM Bailout proposal

With General Motors asking, in fact begging Washington for a bailout I thought I would come up with a bailout package of my own.

Its simple and straightforward.

1. All executives, members of the board, will have their compensation reduced to $1.00 per year for the next three years. No exceptions at any time.

2. All executive expense accounts are eliminated for 18 months and if the company has returned to profitability, they can be reinstated to a max of 25% of the pre-bailout level.

3. An across the board cut of 10% on all wages.

4. Employees must begin contributing towards their health insurance of no less than 15% of the single coverage and no less than 25% of the family coverage.

5. No retirement benefits will be paid to any employee or executive during the first 3 years and no more than 50% of the pre-bailout rate while the bailout loan is still unpaid.

6. The bailout loan cannot exceed 25 billion and must be repaid within 10 years, at a per annum rate of 8.5%.

Simple, straightfoward, effective.

Got a better one? Let me hear it

Bailout largess

This U.S. Government bailout of the financial industry just keeps on getting worse.

First, they were supposed to be buying up mortgages from companies that never should have extended credit to people who never should have applied for loans all because someone in some boardroom somewhere on wallstreet decided they could make a buck at it.

Then it morphed into a well of money for insurance carriers and now appears on the edge of giving the big three automakers a line of credit they do not deserve.

The bottom line is, these companies need to be held responsible for their own actions. If you make mistakes in business, you fail. Period. The U.S. Government does not have a responsibility to bail out every company that has screwed up due to inept management and wasteful spending.

Now, we are faced with Secretary Paulson changing the rules midgame. It is time to put an end to this nonsense. No more money, no more bailouts, no more Paulson.

The largess udder has dried up, and its time for those in Congress, Bush and Obama to realize that they only way to improve this, is to let this run its course. Obama on the other hand wants to be the "Saviour" and "save America".

The question is, who is going to save America from the Obama bailout?

Obama Please Do it

I would love to see OBama appeal to Congress for a private bill for citizenship for his Aunt Onyango.

There is no doubt that he would succeed, and I would stand up and support the decision.

Then again, I may have an ulterior motive....What do you think?

No explanation

On a day when the market drops 411 points, and oil drops a whopping 3.17 per barrel, the local price of gasoline in Springfields shoots up $.25 per gallon. Inventories are higher than they have been in a year, and consumption is down.

Considering all that, I would like someone to explain to me how in the world there is a price increase today?

Please, someone explain it.

Just what I thought, there is no explanation, except GREED!

Two steps I hope the Democrats make

I sincerely hope that the Democratic leadership on day one of the Obama administration makes it a point to bring this bill forward for a vote. Do it, please do it.

While your at it, please bring the "Fairness Doctrine" forward at the same time.

Those two actions would prove more harmful to the Democrats than anything the Republicans could do on their own in an entire year.

Progressive Taxes - The Worst of the worst

There are some rumblings from those on the left that Illinois needs to move to an progressive state income tax. That would be the worst decision this state could make.

Progressive taxes stifle creativity, they punish those that work hard to improve and what it will generate in additional income will be temporary and outweighed by the increase in costs associated with processing the state income tax returns.

I have a better suggestion, how about we cut spending 20% across the board and reduce the tax base by 20%. You want to bring more business into Illinois? Lower the costs of doing business here. You want to be a haven for technology? Lower the taxes on companies that base their corporate headquarters here.

It is not rocket science, but I am beginning to realize that for some Democrats, its all about taking from the haves, regardless of how it effects the economy.

Chicago Tribune has lost all credibility

The Chicago Tribune in their efforts to make money has sold their soul, in their greed they have given up the pursuit of the truth, and in their desire to be first they have lost all credibility.

Tonight they were running an advertisement offering a limited edition Obama picture, what got me about was the following quote:

"Barack Obama has inspired millions of Americans with his authentic message of change, hope and equality..."

Authentic message of change, hope and equality....I literally was left sitting there with my mouth open and no words, which does not happen often, as a matter of fact, I cannot remember the last time it happened.

The message of Obama is simple, if you have it I am going to take it. His message was anything but authentic and with that ad, the Tribune has made it clear that they are no longer about the truth, its all about the money.

I wonder if they will be asking for a piece of the bailout as well?

Palin in 2012 is really out of her conrtrol

Sarah Palin in her interview with Greta Van Susteren left open the door for a possible Presidential bid in 2012. There is no doubt that she can energize the base of the Republican Party and that if she handles herself with distinction in Alaska over the next four years that she will gain among women and independents alike.

What she cannot control is how the press paints her and you can be assured they are watching and waiting for every opportunity to keep her from launching a serious campaign.

I personally would love to see her make a serious run, if for no other reason that to piss off Rachel Maddow and the ever moronic Keith Olbermann, you know the guy that has been fired from every single broadcasting job he ever had.

Minnesota - did you expect anything less?

I will keep my thoughts short, but it is obvious that something is disturbingly wrong in Minnesota when before the automatic recount fires, Senator Norm Coleman has lost 500+ votes. It smells bad, it tastes bad, and it smacks of fraud.

When they are showing Franken having more missed ballot counts in a county that Obama received in the entire state, one can easily draw the conclusion that someone is up to some serious games.

You can be sure of this, before it is over this will be ANOTHER election result that will end up in the courts.

Hey Al Gore, thanks again...

Wild Prediction

I am going to make a hugely wild prediction as it pertains to the economy and gas prices.

Today, the Dow is already down another 277 points at 1:43pm and appears to be sinking further. The American people are opposed to another bailout package just as they were with the first. So here is the prediction:

1. Oil will continue its slide all the way to $25.00
2. Gas prices will sink to $1.25 a gallon
3. The Dow will drop below 5,000

And nothing that Obama tries to do will work, he does not seek a second term.

Wild prediction, we can only hope that I am right and wrong at the same time.

Aaaay aaaay good byyyyyyyyyyyye

Hey Howie, nice knowing ya, now get lost would ya?

That is about all I can muster up for the departing Howard Dean. He has been without a doubt, the biggest demogogue this country has ever seen and frankly it cannot come a moment too soon.

Make no mistake, he got things done, a far sight better than the Republicans, but hopefully with the thumping they were just handed, the arrogance we are already seeing from Obama, the guaranteed overreaching by the Congressional Democrats, I already feel a new wind blowing.

Of course, for the next several weeks we are going to hear what a great leader Dean was, well, he was for the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, but he was certainly no leader for America.

Howie, can I help ya move dude?

Dan lungren - Is it possible? Could we have hope?

Dan Lungren a Representative from the 3rd Congressional District of California is reportedly considering challenging John Boehner for the House Minority Leader.

The House Minority Whip, Roy Blount, has already indicated that he will not seek the seat again; of course he is stating family reasons, but we all know its because of his inept leadership that has Blount stepping down.

Dan Lungren is the former Attorney General of California and now represents the 3rd district which includes parts of Sacramento, Solano county.

Lungren definitely has a strong conservative bent and could be considered a tough challenge for Boehner; we can only hope.

Boehner is a nice enough fella, but his time has come and gone and we need new leadership, so I say bring it on Dan......

Returning to Prominence (Cont'd)

Point two on returning the Republican Party to prominence, requires that the party as a whole returns to its roots of fiscal responsibility. There is absolutely no doubt that after the '94 elections, the Republicans in Congress became drunk on their own wasteful spending.

You cannot stand for one thing and do something else and not expect the public and especially the press to take notice. It is a simple philosophy, so simple it smacks of grade school intellect; you only spend what you have! You do not increase spending when you do not have the money. Now, when faced with a 300 or in the case of 2008, a 455 billion decifit, you have backed yourself into a corner.

Make no mistake this is not just a Republican problem, members on both sides of the isle are drunk with spending, earmarks, and projects that are designed only to gain votes for reelection. The American public and voters at large expect that their money will be properly managed; at least they did at one point in time, I doubt at this stage with the excess we have seen in the past 16 years they are going to easily trust anyone.


The problem now is manifesting itself even more so with the 700 billion bailout of Wall Street and others to the point that it will take no less than a decade to get ourselves out of this mess. You can expect the decifit under Obama to increase substantially, unless the Republicans, especially in the Senate unite behind this principle - No increase in spending without a legitimate source from which to fund it. Period.

With the economy in a contraction state at the moment, it is imperative that Congress manage this situation delicately and eliminate all new increases in spending.

That means NONE, not a single one, not without a funding source. Pretty simple, if you do not have the money, you do not spend it.

My plan is even simpler. A complete hiring freeze in Washington for 4 years. For 24 months no increases in spending. The second 24 months spending increases is limited to 1/2 the rate of inflation. Year 5-8 Spending increases is limited to the rate of inflation.

In addition, we streamline the Department of Homeland Security, and eliminate the Department of Education.

Basic, straight forward approach that will eliminate the deficit within 10 years without requiring a single tax increase.

Speaking of taxes, well, I will save that for another day.....

Illinois Review makes the call

A cudos to Illinois Review this morning for making the call on Paul Volker. In case anyone has missed it, Paul Volker has been named as a part of Obama's economic team, a team that is comprised of former Clinton Administration officials and a few like Volker, from the Carter Administration.

He is the last one this country needs right now, and I salute the Illinois Review for making the call.

Obama's first acts should come as no suprise

Now that Obama is a President in waiting, he has wasted no time in sending his mouth piece John Podesta out to float the first acts of an Obama Administration.

It should come as no suprise that Obama has every intention of legislating with Executive Priviledge; yes I know Bush used the EP pen as did Clinton, Reagan, Bush Senior, etc. They were all wrong.

Obama has every intention of rescinding or reversing Bush policies on stem cell research, rules pertaining to us financial assistance for abortions, and drilling for oil.

Considering that Obama has made his support of abortions front and center and he has a dislike for the oil and gas industry, this is something that all should have expected; if you did not, well, then you are asleep at the wheel.

GOP Bloggers gone?

Returning Republican Party to Prominence (Con'td)

As I indicated previously, I was going to outline what I believe the Republican Party needs to do in order to return to prominence in Illinois politics and in the US in general.

I will expand each original comment and not in any specific order.

This time I will concentrate strictly on the issue of new leadership and I will probably be in a minority when I say this.

Its time to fire the entire leadership team from Mike Duncan all the way through to the local county chairman that did not get the job done. The bottom line for each party is to get people elected, and not just on the local front. They have an obligation to support the national party as well, and its candidates at the top. Mike Duncan is responsible overall for the performance of the Republican Party on the national scale and he failed MISERABLY.

John Boehner not only failed to get new members elected, he lost additional seats in the House. His performance has been horrible. the question is will anyone else step forward to challenge him? Probably not, and that will only result in more losses in two years.

Mitch McConnell is a nice guy, I happen to like Mitch and agree with a lot of his philosophies; at the same time though, he failed to not only hold onto the Senate seats he had, he lost at least six more. That is frankly unacceptable in today's world.

If any county in the U.S. suffered more Republican losses than gains, that chairman should get the boot. Period. Nada, gone say Asta Lavista Baby.

That is one of the biggest problems right now for the party is the lack of leadership, someone to stand up and say "Hey, this is what we are about and we will not accept defeat, we will not accept the notion that we have to make ourselves Democrats in order to win, that we do not need to compromise our values in order to win elections."

In essence we need someone to stand up, paddle the party on the fanny and say let's go! The also need to repudiate the statements of individuals like Jim Edgar that seem to think that they only way to win an election is to be a Democrat in sheeps clothing. In case anyone noticed he played with the idea of running for Obama's Senate seat four years ago, what did he do? He bailed. He then touted with the idea of running against the incumbent Rod Blagojevich, again, he bailed.

Why? Is it because with his liberal bent he knew that running as a Republican liberal would result in nothing more than a loss?

The last thing the Republican Party right now needs is to take advice from someone who does not have the party's interest at heart.

Even in victory Democrats still cannot help themelves

Even with the resounding thumping that the Democrats handed John McCain on November 4, 2008, they cannot help themselves with accusations of Bush stealing elections, approving the bombing of the towers, etc.

It really is sad that some will always see a conspiracy in everything. How incredibly shallow their lives must be.

I suppose it should not suprise me, they really cannot help themselves.....they have nothing else.

One Final word on the Palin Blame Game

I have just one final word on this fiasco and I am hopefully going to be able to move past it.

Actually it is in the form of a question. "Where in the hell is John McCain?"

This trash talk and blame game has been going on for almost a week now and John McCain has been noticeably absent. Now, is that because he is refusing to give credence to the outrageous comments, does not want to give an unnamed spoiler more press time, or he actually believes some of the crap that is being fed to the media.

If McCain had any decency whatsoever, he would have had his ASS in front of the cameras immediately and put an end to these ridiculous accusations, but then again, I am not suprised that he has remained silent.

McCain cannot accept the fact that this loss was his and his alone. He had no message, had no money, and was willing to allow Obama to get away with too much. He conceded race after race and you cannot win unless you are competitive. He is to blame for this loss, not Sarah Palin.

Will Obama ride to the rescue of his Aunt?

With Obama's aunt facing almost certain deportation, unless of course an INS judge gets cold feet in sending the President Elect's aunt packing back to Kenya, will he step in and ensure she stays?

It is hard to believe that as President or even President-Eelct is not going to have some influence on this case, and even if he does not get involved personally, the perception will be there that he influenced any decision to reverse course.

The best action that can be taken, for Obama and for the country, is to send her back to Kenya and let her make her appeals from there.

Rally around the President-Elect? Why?

Give me one good reason why I should rally around a man whose policies I rejected two years ago and still reject today?

Give me one good reason why I should support a man who happens to stand for everything I oppose?

Rally around Obama? No, I reject Obama now as I did then. If the Republican Party wants to regain the White House in four years, they will heed my advice.

"Never concede anything, and do not rally around a man whose principles are the very ideas you oppose".

Arrogance cometh forth

Well it did not take long; within days of winning the election Barack Obama has shown what will be his trademark over the next four year - arrogance. His comment regarding Nancy Reagan during his press conference shows how arrogant he can and will be.

He can apologize afterwards if he likes, which according to Fox News he did, but that does not take away from the fact that he said it to start with.

Barack Obama has always been an arrogant politician, he believes that he knows best on how to spend our tax dollars, more so than we do. He believes that government is the answer to our problems and the historic waste of taxpayer money associated with the Bush financial bailout now looking at a second round, his arrogance will only grow.

It is going to be a long four years.

Transition Council of Economic Advisers

I wonder if Obama is going to release the minutes from the meeting today? He was blasting Cheney about having secret meetings, its time to see if he will do as he says....

I would not be holding my breath though, one might pass out if you do that

Obama is elected / Markets crash

I know that I am not the only one that has noticed that since Obama won the election that the markets two days in a row went into the tank......

Hmmm, I wonder why that is......

I know, some will say correlation is not causation, but it damn sure smells that way to me.

Returning the Republican Party to Prominence in IL

It is simple, so simple that everyone skips the basics. So I am going to layout over the next several weeks exactly what the Republican Party needs to do in order to return to prominence in Illinois.

1. Elect new leadership. Andy McKenna needs to go and go now. It has been during his tenure that the party has suffered its greatest losses and ultimately as State Chairman he is responsible for that.

2. Return to its principles of fiscal responsibility; low taxes and controlled spending.

3. Operate on the basic and time proven principle that all politics is local. That means you concede nothing, The State Chair needs to emphasize to each county chair that they must have Republican Representation in each and every precinct. Without fail.

4. Articulate the position of the party in a clear and concise manner, and do not act ashamed of it.

Those are simple, probably too simple for the leadership, but its the basics at which the Republican Party has failed.

Some will argue that the Party needs to move to the left, well we did that with Topinka and look where that got us? She was stomped by 10 points. Some will argue that we need to moderate our views, or positions. That is a recipe for failure. We cannot out-dem the Democrats and any attempt to do so will fail.

The last time a Republican carried the state in a Presidential election was when? Anyone know? 1988 - George Herbert Walker Bush. We have moved left since then and what has it got us? Nothing.

I am not advocating that the party move to the fringes on the right, I am advocating that the party re-position itself back to its core, the same core that Reagan espoused.

If we fail to do that, this state will remain a blue state.

Economy is not the worst since FDR

It is in trouble, there is no doubt about that, but calling it the worst since FDR is just plain irresponsible. In 1980 we had interest rates reaching 20%, inflation running out of control at a staggering 12% and unemployment that was close to 8%.

Someone, please anyone show me where that is better than today?

That cannot because it is not. The last thing we need as well is another government funded bailout package. If these companies cannot survive on their own, then they should be allowed to fail.

This is going to turn into the largest grab of private enterprise by the federal government in the history of the country.

Blaming Sarah Palin is shameful

With the election over and McCain being handed the biggest thumping of his career, McCain staffers have started making exuses over their inept handling of the campaign by blaming Palin for their loss.

The smacks of sour grapes, grasping to find someone to blame other than the people they should - Themselves. Let's face it, they screwed up. They conceded far too many races, left no room for error and got away from the basic philosophy of all elections are local, they deserved to lose. To come out after the election and blame someone who their own guy selected is shameful and am embarrassment for McCain.

Own up to your own mistakes, you had a candidate that could not find his own rear with both hands and an Admiral Bird expedition in this campaign, his mistakes are long and stupid and frankly I had a tough time voting for him, in the end I chose McCain over socialism but Palin was a non factor and anyone claiming anything different is a liar and they know it.

Step up and face the music staffers, you blew it and blaming her only makes you look worse.

Fitzgerald as AG? Not gonna happen

The IllinoisReview blog had an interesting discussion on the prospect of U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald being appointed as Attorney General.

http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2008/11/getting-rid-of.html

I would bet the mortgage that it will not happen, I seriously doubt they want him anywhere near Obama, especially with his desire to get everything Tony Rezko has.....

Lindsay Graham needs to make some decisions

You are either a Republican and support Republican causes, or you are a Democrat in sheeps clothing.

Step up Lindsay or Step Out! Your choice.

Governing will prove far harder

than campaign speeches. Obama campaigned far left during the primary (typical for the Democratic Party) and center left during the general election. He gave wonderful, inspiring speeches, and that halting stepping stone voice of his was resounding with crowds.

Now, the election is over and he is faced with cobbling together an administration in 75 days and then govern. He will find that speeches will no longer carry the day, voting present will no longer be acceptable to America, he will have to actually make decisions and take stands; that will prove to be the hardest thing he has ever had to do.

Introspection is a good thing

It allows us to closely look at the causes for our failures, it allows us to adjust and regroup, choosing new leaders that will help guide us back to our place.

There are so many areas that our party needs to concentrate on, reasons why we lost and it will not be accomplished in a day, week or months; but it has to happen or we will be right back here again two years from now, licking our wounds miffed at the world.

Politics is local, always has been and I venture to say it will always be that way and the Republican party ignored that this time. Who was the Sangamon County Chairman for the McCain campaign? Do you know? Because I damn sure do not. I did not have a single Republican candidate call me, or send me a card, or knock on my door. Where was the precinct captains in all this? They did not do their job. Period. Tony Libri, Sangamon County Republican Party Chairman, made a big splash when the party endorsed Rudy, and then guess what? Nothing, nada, dead silence from that moment on.

If we are to make a difference we need to return to the roots, our core values and work up from there, I am willing are you?

Ok I am a little miffed

and I will admit I am sorely disappointed in the election results last night. I am still amazed that any American of Jewish descent actually gave the thought of voting for Obama more than a second thought, let alone actually pull the handle, but I can understand the feeling of helplessness.....I had it too.

After '94 when the Republican Party swept the Democrats out of control in the House and Senate, they went on a feeding binge as though they were a great white shark that had not had as much as a sliver of squid in six months. They increase spending, they spent more, increased spending and still spent more. Along came Bush with his compassionate conservatism and actually did pretty decently through the first four years before losing his senses in the second.

See, the difference between a conservative like myself and the Democrats (or those claiming to be a compassionate conservative) is that I am willing to admit when we make a mistake. I have never heard a single Democrat admit their administration or policies were a mistake or failure.

The Republicans have a rare opportunity here to clearly show the difference of someone of the far left like Obama and themselves, the only question is will the have the nerve to actually do it, polls be damned?

Chris Wallace might need a new career

predicting what politicians will do is probably beyond his pay grade. With Obama tapping Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-IL) as his Chief of Staff, he has once again proved that he has every intention of operating from the fringes of the far left.

Emanuel is an extreme socialist that has removed the words centrist and center from his dictionary.

I really want to say "I told you so" but I will refrain until I see who else he appoints....the flood is coming America and its going to get ugly.

Nancy Pelosi - What happened to the last two years?

Speaker Pelosi made the following statement today "The American people have called for a new direction, a very important part of that change will be the bipartisanship, the civility in which we engage in our dialogue and the fiscal responsibility that we bring to our legislation".

I ask her, where the hell have you been for the past two years? Because I certainly have not seen an iota of civility from the Democratic leadership and bipartisanship? That is code for "Do it MY WAY".

You have had two years in which to engage in civility and bipartisanship and you have not done it, but since the Republicans had their head stuck in the sand pretending to be something they were not, they handed you another election.

I suppose this is no different that Mr. Obstructionist Barney Frank talking about the housing meltdown, of which he was the prime architect.

Oh well, I have 3 years 363 more days of political drama to write about...that is if I am still permitted to write.

Compassionate Conservatism is a joke

and here is a primary reason why. Over the past eight years, President Bush has operated not as a Republican, a keeper of the faith, a guardian of the people, and a stalwart of limited government; rather, he has operated as a "Compassionate Conservative".

Compassionate Conservatism is a euphemism for liberalism. It is a liberal who wants to sound like he is something he is not, it is a liberal that wants to be all things to all people.

We (Conservatives) lost this election because we forgot who we were and we allowed a President to operate as a liberal and defended him as though he was one of us; he was not, never was.

It is time that we return to our roots, return to what made us great, return to our values and refuse to compromise on those principles, if we do not we will never return to the position of gatekeepers of freedom.

I never could concede gracefully

so I figure why start now?

Barack Obama did not "win" this election, the Republican Party lost it. Pure and simple and there is no mistaking it. They lost it with an unpopular President, a faltering economy, and a party that has lost its vision and direction. These problems extend from Washington right down to Sangamon County.

It is time to take back the party from the old guard, the Libri's and Cellini's of the party who have forgotten what the party stood for. The time to start cleaning house is immediately, we do not need a week or two or a month or even six to think about it. We need to immediately start tomorrow morning getting rid of every single one of them that are responsible for putting us in this position.

To think that 28 years ago, Ronald Reagan defined the greatness of this party is difficult to recall when you look at what we have today.

Change may be coming but it damn sure needs to come from within the Republican Party and there is only four years to get it done.....I am not sure that is enough time.

Its finally here - Election Day

Election day is finally upon us and starting tomorrow we can hopefully return to a sense of normalcy; however, something eating away deep down inside tells me that will probably not happen. We will be faced with the prospect of listening to the same old rhetoric crapola day after day.

For what it is worth, I did my part, I walked into the voting booth, I held my nose and I voted for Obama.









JUST KIDDING!!!!! I chose faith over ridicule, I chose fiscal responsibility over socialism, and I chose for my second amendment.

It is important that everyone that is registered to vote votes. In the end you may not like the results, but at least your voice was heard.

Now, time will tell.

Will Obama do for us what he has done for his Aunt?

As it turns out, his aunt is living in Boston in PUBLIC HOUSING. Mr. Obama who is worth millions of dollars and can afford to take care of his own family, has saw fit to let his aunt feed at the public trough of public housing.

Oh, lest one forgets to mention - SHE IS HERE ILLEGALLY! Her request for asylum was denied by an IRS administrative law judge 4 years ago. 4 years ago! Here she is, an illegal living on public money.

Put us all in public housing, just give our checks to the government, let someone else take care of us....is that it Mr. Obama ? Or should I say Mr. Socialist.

I have but one thing to say to Mr. Obama

From My Cold Dead Hands!

Clinton is Liberal, but this guy is SCARY

The more I read Barack Obama's positions the more I am amazed that anyone in their right mind supports this man. He is a socialist, and of that there is no question. Mr. Obama can deny that all he wants, his entire career has been based upon the belief of socialism.

Today's liberals are nothing like the liberals of the 70's and even the 80's. The days of common sense liberals who, although misguided, believed in personal responsibility and a sense of fairness are long gone. What we have today is extreme liberalism that makes no apologies for their firm belief in wealth redistribution, bigger government, and the mindset that they know best.

One can argue that socialism has failed so many times in so many countries that history should prove the system as a complete and utter failure; the problem is people like Obama do not believe that socialism is a failure, its implementation was and they would do a better job of that implementation.

I am, for the first time in my life, truly scared of a politician. The tag team consisting of the two most liberal members of the United States Senate running the White House should have every red blooded American shaking in their boots - these guys are SCARY!

Eugene Robinson - article is one big lie

I was reading today's op-ed piece by Eugene Robinson in the State Journal Register and had to comment.

Mr. Robinson is a typical liberal talking head that loves to opine about the failures of the Republican Party and Republican members of Congress, the President (provided, he is a Republican)and refuses to acknowledge any Democratic involvement in any thing.

This despite the factthat Congress has been controlled by the Democrats for the past two years.
So in order to be fair to Mr. Robinson, I will go through his article pointing out every single mistake he has made, and when I agree with him, I will.


Issue One:

Mr. Robinson starts out by stating that since the President was elected "...The Republican Party has presided over massive, out of control spending, converted a federal budget surplus into a half trillion deficit and looked the other way while Wall Street's greed and stupidity turned the hallowed free market into scorched earth."

Ok, I have to stop here and address the issues. First he incorrectly stats that "SinceGeorge W. Bush became President..." implies from that moment up to the current date and time. Mr. Robinson knows that is incorrect. The Democrats have controlled both the House and the Senate for the past two years. Knowingly writing something that is incorrect is a lie.

In addition, he falsely states that we had a budget surplus, which is in fact wrong and Mr. Robinson knows it. There never was a budget surplus, that so called surplus was a result of accounting trickery that has been used for quite some time. In all fairness though, both parties have played that game and they are both at fault for the misleading statements of asurplus.

This may be semantics here, but Mr. Robsinson states that the deficit is half a trillion dollars. That is also FALSE. According to the Wall Street Journal Market Watch dated October 14, 2008, the federal deficit is $455 billion. That is still $45 billion short of Mr. Robinson's statement. That is a 10% mistake, or should I call it something else?

Mr. Robinson further states that the Republicans in Congress looked the other way while Wall Street's greed ran unchecked. I seem to recall that Chris Dodd, Barney Frank opposed any additional oversight on the biggest fiasco of them all, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. I found it a convenient item left out of Mr. Robsinson's article. In reality the Republicans asked for additional regulation and oversight to no avail. However, I will concede they did not do enough; that does not excuse the fact that the Democrats who have been in control of Congress for the past two years have not done a damn thing.

Ok, let us move on.


Issue Two:

Mr. Robinson further states "Can any Republican candidate claim with a straight face to represent the party of small government? For that matter, can any Republican candidate plausibly explain what the party is supposed to stand for these days?"

Just because the President has made some stupid choices in bailing out failed banks that should be allowed to fail, just because the Democrats in Congress want to pass another round of social engineering masked as an economic bailout, just because we have some of the most inept economists running the Treasury department, does not represent the entire Republican Party and Mr. Robsinson damn well knows it.

Here he is talking out of one side of his mouth criticizing the President for taking this action and out the other complains it did not happen fast enough and does not go far enough.


Issue Three:

"It's pathetic to hear right-wing talk radio blowhards try to associate Barack Obama with "radical" or "socialist" views when a Republican administration is tossing aside "Atlas Shrugged" and speeding reading "Das Kapital".

No, I will tell you what is pathetic, it is the complaining from left wing socialist liberalslike Mr. Robinson who want their cake and eat it too. President Bush has made some of theworst decisions a President could make as it relates to this bailout; but the problem here is the Democratic machine wants to pass it, and bitch about it at the same time. Ala, step forward Mr. Robsinson.

By passing this legislation and allowing the government to take a financial stake directly in banks, is a huge leap forward on the trail to socialism, and that is exactly what Democrats like Mr. Robinson want; they just want to pin the inherent problems of that failed system on someone other than themselves.


Issue Four:

"The question isn't whether some kind of drastic, frankly socialistic measures are needed to save the American economy, but which ones.."

What utter hogwash. There has not been a single case of socialism working in the entire world and Mr. Robinson knows that. He, like so many of today's modern day Stalinists, believe that they are so smart, so all knowing, that it is not the model that is the problem but how the socialistic model is "implemented". There have been people far smarter than Mr. Robsinson try, and they have all failed.

You will never convince him of that though.

I could continue to pick apart the rest of Mr. Robinsons article, but doing so literaly is making me ill. I cannot believe that someone can honestly sit there and spew forth such utter nonsense and keep a straight face. Well now that I think of it, his picture is definitely not that of a straight face, more like a smirk an "aha got one over on ya didn't I?".

I will agree that the leaders of the Republican Party, including John McCain have made a mess of the party and for that I cannot forgive them; the President, while honorable and I believe honest has made far too many critical mistakes that have led me to look forward to the end of his term.

I was not, and am not a John McCain supporter, I am however a supporter of the free market, a supporter of supply side economics and a believer in the American spirit and dream. I believe in lower taxes, I believe in a slimmed down and efficient federal government that stays out of peoples homes, lives and businesses unless such intrusion is absolutely necessary to the safety and welfare of society at large. I believe in allowing businesses to operate in such a manner that they can be an effective member of society without all the red tape that the current system requires.

I have no doubt that Mr. Robinson loves his country, but he has a tendency to stretch the truth, refuse to acknowledge that the Democratic Party is as much at fault as the Republican Party, and he has, at times, flat out lied.

I cannot lend credence to someone who is so willing to obfuscate the truth for political expediencey.

Mr. Biden you have no clue

He opposes drilling in Alaska, yet he has never even made a trip to the "frozen tundra" and I am not talking about Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Can this guy actually tell the truth?

He calls wealth redistribution "fairness", I have to tell you Mr. Biden its not fairness, its not redistribution......I have a better term for it - THEFT!!!!!!!!

I earned that money, its MY money, its NOT YOURS; so do not tell me that it is patriotic for me to send YOU more of my money.

VP Debate - Home mortgages

One comment that struck me as be amazing was Biden's suggestion that we should allow bankruptcy judges to adust the PRINCIPAL amounts on home mortgages......

So people get into trouble, they bought more house than they can afford and they are supposed to get a break by not just adjusting the interest rate (which I might be persuaded to support) BUT TO BASICALLY ELIMINATE PRINCIPAL AMOUNT!

I am sorry Mr. Biden but that is the quickest way to destroy this economy. If there is anything in this world that could be defined as redstribution of wealth more so than this I do not know what it is.......

Ike - Why risk it

I am amazed at the number of people, I would call them idiots but I am trying to be nice today.....I am amazed that anyone in their right mind would even risk staying behind. Its fool hardy and I have no sympathy for them.

Personally, if you stay behind, you are on your own - no services, no search and rescue, no food, no water, nothing.

Illinois just got screwed

Governor Rod Blagojevich and Speaker Michael Madigan have been hobnobbing in Denver when their asses should have been in Springfield working on maintaining our resources, namely the 11 state parks that were just ordered closed.

These two men are an absolute disgrace and should resign, although we all know they are either too stupid or ignorant to do either.

Once these parks are closed, you can rest assured they will never be reopened. Lowden State Park in Oregon Illinois boasts the Blackhawk statue which will most assuredly fall into disrepair now. Kettle Moraine View State Park which has provided a wealth of services and activities is now gone.

Once again the Governor and Madigan have found a way to screw the citizens of this state.

Instead of hobnobbing in Denver on the taxpayers dime Governor and Mr. Speaker, how about getting your ASSES back to Illinois and actually putting in a full weeks worth of work? Oh I am sorry, you are too busy....

Screwed again.....

Carter - As if anyone was really listening

Former President Jimmy Carter was spewing forth his venom again tonight, castigating McCain by saying he was "milking every possible drop of advantage" from his POW experience in Vietnam.

Well Mr. Carter, I am by no means a McCain lover, but I can tell you that you could not hold his jock strap let alone match his integrity and patriotism.

Its time for the old, bitter, washed up, former President to fade quietly into the background and resume his position as a nobody, just like he grew up.

Democratic National Convention

I do not know if this event should be called a convention or not; it is beginning to appear more like a 60's lovefest, and now with the "hugfest" of the Illinois delegation, I have come to one conclusion......

The only way this gets worse is to have an all out orgy.

I shudder at the thought.

Are you crapping me Mark?

Today, Mark Murphy, the CEO of the Green Bay Packers made this comment in regards to the split between Favre and Green Bay:

"..."It's like a marriage that ends," It happens. Neither party is at fault."

Are you crapping me Mark? Neither party is at fault? If you honestly believe that your management team is not at fault in this fiasco, then you need to be fired as well.

When you have individuals, purposely planting false stories in an attempt to sway public opinion; when you have a general manager that says one thing and does another; when you have a marquee player tell you that he no longer trusts the GM and you do nothing to investigate - YOU HAVE A HUGE PROBLEM. PROBLEM = A MISTAKE WAS MADE = SOMEONE MADE THAT MISTAKE = SOMEONE IS AT FAULT!

A marriage does not end Mark without someone making a mistake.

I honestly thought you were the intelligent one in this mess; your latest comments call that assumption into question.

All Aboard!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mike McCarthy stated the "...train has left the station..." in his presss conference last night; well Mr. McCarthy there is one more train that is going to be leaving Green Bay; most assuredly that train will have Ted Thompson on it, the only question now is - will you be on it?

All Aboard!

Mark Murphy still has one job left to do

IN Announcing the Packers had officially traded Brett Favre to the New York Jets, Mark Murphy, CEO and President of the Green Bay Packers, made the following statement:

..."Moving forward, we are dedicated to delivering a successful 2008 season for all Packers fans."

I have a simple suggestion for Mr. Murphy, if you truly want to have a successful 2008 season, your first order of business upon completion of this trade would be to terminate the employment of Mr. Ted Thompson. Were it not for his inept handling of this entire saga, you would not have had to deal with any of this.

To place this decision solely in the lap of Favre is a bit of a reach. Not that he does not share part of the blame, Ted Thompson made it clear from the start that he did not want Favre on the team and he would stop at nothing to ensure Favre did not return.

Mr. Murphy, you do seem like an honorable gentleman, and I trust that you have the Packers best interest at heart, however if you fail to take action on Thompsons' share in this mess, I will lose faith in your ability to maintain the high standards the Packers require.

Its over

Well the marriage between Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers is over; all we are waiting on now, is the signing of the divorce papers.

Favre left Green Bay at approximately 12 noon today flying back to Hattiesburg to await a trade decision. Word has it that the Jets and Bucs are now in a bidding war.

Thanks Teddy, you took the greatest player in Green Bay history and ran him out of town on a rail. I bet your proud.

Mike McCarthy Press Conference a Waste

I listened to the Mike McCarthy press conference tonight on the status of Brett Favre and I have to say that it was a complete waste of time, and he provided no additional insight as to the mechanisms of what has transpired.

Mike did a great job imitating Ted Thompson, with his song and dance. When asked a direct question as to why number 4 was not the starting quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, he dodged, he ducked, he spun to the left and juked to the right; McCarthy did everything but answer the question.

My question for him would have been, why did you and the Packer organization feel it necessary to play this out in public? The answer would have been the same - a dodge, a duck, a juke, a spin, you name it; everything but the truth.

I said it before and I will say it again, this never should have been about Favre, and the entire Packer organization has been badly damaged from this sad episode and if heads do not roll over it, the Packers will lose fans.

This should never have been about Favre

The situation in Green Bay has become such an embarrasment, that the club felt it was necessary to bring in an outside PR representative, Ari Fleischer.

Now, I happen to like Ari, and have a great deal of respect for him; however, his job right now is untenable. The relationship that the Packers have with their fans, has been tarnished and in some cases, downright broken. Good luck Ari, you are going to need it!

This whole drama from the start was supposed to be about what is best for the team, what is best for the organization. If Thompson and McCarthy no longer had confidence in Favre getting the job done, or if they did not believe that he would be 100% commited to the team, part ways. That should have happened a long time ago; but it did not and the reason it did not was Thompson allowed his ego to get in his way.

Granted, Favre is not larger than the game and he certainly is not better than the entire organization but let us look at what transpired here.

Favre in June contacts the Packers and indicates a possible desire to play again. At that point, the Packers only had one decision to make - is it in our best interest to entertain this? If not, they had two options: 1. trade Favre, or 2. give him his outright release. Thompson flat ruled the latter out. Keep in mind that at this point, Favre is still listed as retired; which means that the Packers have no marketing deal with him, are receiving absolutely no financial or good will benefit from him and frankly I doubt that Thompson really cared about that. Favre was gone, and that was all that mattered to him.

At this point, if the Packers had released Favre, they would be in no worse position than they are now; and frankly, the public would have given them a lot of credit for doing what was "honorable". You no longer want the player, so you allow him to go somewhere else. The PR would have been quite beneficial to the organization, an organization that has always stood up for what was honorable. The problem with this approach was it meant giving Favre what he wanted, and its been obvious for a long time that Thompson was not about to allow some snot nosed, 38 year old punk tell him how to run the operations.

What happened since has been a media nightmare, a disaster for the club, a tarnishing of a brilliant career, and a general manager stomping his feet like a two year old.

Football is a business, its not about egos, its not about whose right or wrong, its about winning PERIOD! I am sure that after seeing the season that Favre had last year, not that prior success can guarantee a Super Bowl win, Favre provided the Packers with the best opportunity for a winning season. Thompson keeps talking about what he is doing is the best thing for the club, well I have to tell ya, right now I do not believe a word from Thompson.

Thompson allowed his ego to get in the way of better judgement and for that he should be terminated. He made this fight and fiasco about Favre, and it should have been about business, and if Mark Murphy is not smart enough to see that, he needs to be fired as well.

What in the hell? - 40 cents?

I am sorry, but on the heels of Exxon/Mobil showing the largest profit by an oil company in the history of the U.S., I find it offensive that they can justify a 40 cent a gallon increase in price when the price per barrel is still dropping.

40 cents a gallon? Come on, there is no way that Road Ranger or any of the other local suppliers can show any justification for this. I spoke with Road Ranger this morning to inquire how they could possibly justify such a large increase and of course I received the usual diatribe of "Well its a complicated formula, no one person sets the price..." blah blah blah

I will tell you what it is......its Bull spit pure and simple and its GREED.

I have no problem with companies making a profit and typically I want the government to stay out of private industry; however, oil is not a typical commodity in that our entire system is based on the use of oil and petro related products. This allows a very small number of companies to control a very large segment of society and that my friends is never a good thing.

If Road Ranger or any other company wants to explain this to me, I am all ears.

Oh, and so far today price per barrell is down over $2.00 a barrel.

So the blogging community should be ignored

On 1450 WFMB this morning, Anne with an "E" 's father made the comment that the blogging community should be ignored because we are too small to matter.

I have news for Anne with an "E" 's father, the blogging community, and I am not referring to the quips that are found on the online version of the State Journal Register, is far more knowledgeable on the issues than you are yourself. The difference between the blogging community Anne with an "E" 's father and you is simple - we do not spend every waking moment playing kiss ass with the politcians.

When they are right, we applaud them, when they are wrong - we point it out. Sometimes we get a bit obnoxious, but that just counter balances the sappy feel good pat everyone on the back crap that is heard on your radio program day in and day out.

By the way, is it not time for another one of your company paid junkets to Las Vegas?

Happy Trails Anne with an "E" 's father!

Green Bay Cannot Win

The boxing match of the Green Bay Packers versus their HOF quarterback, Brett Favre is a fight the team cannot win. No matter what Ted Thompson and Mark Murphy do it is a losing battle that only gets worse with each passing day.

If they release Favre, they get nothing in return for his value, which right now is considerable, although with every other NFL team knowing the Packers are in a lurch can afford to wait, thus drive down the price. In addition, if they release him, they run the risk of Favre signing with the Vikings which would immediately make them a Super Bowl contender. Thompson has ruled this out.

If the Packers bring him back as the starting quarterback or even allow him to compete for the position, they will have dissed the heir apparent, Aaron Rodgers. Thompson and McCarthy have made the huge mistake of promising the starting position to Rodgers without thinking of all the possibilities and have dug themselves into a hole here that all be rules this option out.

The Pack can offer him up for a trade, which they have apparently done, but that is a huge risk...one from the perspective of destroying completely the relationship that the Packers and Favre have spent 17 years developing. In addition, putting him up for a fire sale draws little money; not to mention that Favre has the right to refuse any trade.

If they decide to allow Favre to return but only as a backup they will be spending a fortune for a QB they have all but said they do not want. To relegate a HOF quarterback to the sidelines wearing a ball cap and carrying a clipboard will put a tremendous amount of pressure on Rodgers that would not be fair.

Thompson has created a mess. Favre has his share of blame in this, but the bottom line here is, Thompson is the General Manager and its his job to solve this issues. He first said Favre would have to compete for his job, then he can't. He is welcome back, then he isn't. We want you Brett, well actually we don't.

There is still plenty of juice left in Favres' tank and to relegate him to the sidelines is not good for the Packers and is not good for the NFL. Obviously if Favre stayed retired things would be easier for everyone, but that is not going to happen. Training camp is going to be a circus, moreso than it already is and the Packers are hanging a lot of future on a three year unproven QB while forcing their HOF QB to leave. That does not speak well of the management of the team.

Rodgers is deserving of a starting position, but it very well may be that he and the Packers are just not the right fit here. It is time to consider other options.....Favre is coming back. With the fax requesting reinstatement having been delivered to the NFL, that question is no longer a question......and thus other options.

I think the Packers would be better off trading Aaron Rodgers and allowing Favre to return. In addition, for creating this mess, Thompson deserves no less than his immediate termination.

The current circus will only get worse the longer it goes; no matter what, its a fight the Packers have already lost.

Ted Thompson miscalculated

General Manager Ted Thompson of the Green Bay Packers has really dug himself a hole. A hole that right now appears to be a mile deep and dropping fast.

When Brett Favre started talking and thinking and talking and thinking about UN-retiring, Thompson gambled that he would stay retired, making it clear that the time had moved past the Favre era and was now entering the Rodgers era; albeit, an era that is unproven and inexperienced. Thompson figured that by refusing to give Favre his outright release and playing the "We are protecting your image by keeping you on the sidelines" intimidation, it would force Favre to stay put; at home, in Mississippi drinking cold tall ones.

What he did not expect was for the future hall of famer to call him out, which is exactly what Favre did on the Greta Van Susteren show on Fox News. Favre came very close to calling Thompson a outright liar. What a mess we have in Green Bay.

Let us step back to the end of last season for a moment, Favre was going to take his yearly sabbatical and weigh his options, all the while he wanted and needed the team to let him know if he was still wanted in Title Town USA; Thompson really did not want him and made sure Favre knew it by limiting his contact with him. A player of Favre's stature deserves to hear from the GM and Thompson considered it beneath him to ask Favre to stay, frankly he was counting on Favre retiring so he could move with Rodgers, his personal pick.

Favre retired, in a tearful farewell he was all nicey to Thompson, McCarthy and the Packers, all the while po'd to no end for getting what he considered to be the boot. After a few months, Favre toyed with the idea of returning and in early July decided he definitely wanted to play. Problem now is Thompson gambled on telling Favre to stay away, he would ruin his image if he attempted to return. Miscalculation.

Favre informed the team that he either wanted his helmet or his release. Keep in mind, he was not demanding a release, just that if you are not going to use me then let me go where I can be of use. Thompson refused.

So, here we are today. Favre can force Thompson's hand by petitioning the Commissioner for reinstatement, a formality, and show up at training camp. Talk about a bold move!

I would not put it past Favre to do exactly that, force the Packers to put him on the roster or trade him.

Either way, the public relations disaster on this is immeasurable for the team and Thompson is walking around with egg on his face. A complete miscalculation that has come back home to roost on Thompson's shoulder......now the fun begins!

600 only buys a pair of earrings?

Michele Obama was recently complaining that the $600.00 stimulus check was not enough to make a difference, in fact she complained that it barely was enough to buy a pair of earrings.

$600.00 for a pair of earrings? What are the made of? Platinum? It is apparent that Michele Obama suffers from the same disease as many other Democrats.....it is the Governments job to provide for us financially, and when they do, it is not enough.....

It is apparent that Michele Obama has not had to operate in th real world lately, if she had, she would have realized that the average American would not even think of spending $600.00 on a pair of earrings.

I do not know if I should laugh or cry at her stupidity.

What is it about seeing eye / Services dogs that people don't get

I have a difficult time understanding what it is about people that they honestly and truly believe that they can refuse service to someone because of a seeing eye / service dog if they want to.

The law is clear - you cannot prohibit either of these animals from going anywhere that the general public is allowed to go. That means if you allow people access to your restaurant, then you must allow the dogs. If you have a hotel, you MUST allow the dogs in the hotel; if you allow people access to your kitchen - YOU MUST allow the dogs access to your kitchen. Period, and no you cannot refuse.

Federal law as well as state law is clear - crystal clear but I'll be dammed if it does not happen on a daily basis; and not just here in Illinois.

These dogs provide a service to their owners, without which they would not be able to function. It is not unlike a cane or a walker. I wonder if some of these people would refuse to allow those individuals in their establishment as well?

It is time that everyone realize that you cannot refuse access or accomodation and doing so, you will run the risk of severe penalties.

Tony Snow

I know that everyone will be posting both positive and negative comments about Tony Snow, so I will refrain from joining in the fray; except to say that Tony exemplified the character qualities that are missing in politics today.

Rest in Peace Tony, you will be missed.