Want versus Need

I want to help those who need help.

I don't need to help those who want help.

It should be my choice!

Datadiver08

A Parable

It's been a long time since my last post. Too long. I hope someone is still out there. I think a parable is a very clear way to make ideas understood. Don't get me wrong, I am not putting myself in competition with the master of parables, but perhaps it will help me be clear. The parable of two concepts Once there were 6 men without shoes. Their path through the stony field was difficult and painful. Passing through the area were two groups of 3 men each from different cities. These two groups saw these 6 men and within their separate groups they said to themselves, we must help these shoeless men. These two groups were prepared for a long journey and were prepared with spare shoes lest they bruise their feet on the rocky ground. The first group, which was from Obnphr, said; we are prepared and they are not. Since we have and they do not, let us take this opportunity to make them our followers. Yes, said the remainder of the group from Obnphr, but once we give them shoes, what control will we have over their path. The self appointed leader said; we do not know the reason why they have no shoes. No matter said another of the group; it is our chance to make them our followers. Their solution was to give each man one show. With only one shoe each the shoeless men had to hop in the path blazed by the Obnphr group. The 6 shoeless men dutifully followed the Obnphr group and soon became dependent on them. The second group, which was from Rlgbsh said, how did these men become shoeless? They are 6 men and we have on shoes for 3, what shall we do. The group met and decided that they should talk to the 6 men and find out what brought them into this situation. The discussions were long and hard and not all 6 shoeless men were honest. They found that 3 of the men, through no fault of their own, were without a means of providing for their families. The other 3 men had abandoned their families and set out on the path to avoid being a productive member of society. This group decided to give the 3 men who wanted to provide for their families the shoes so they could traverse the rocky ground. These 3 men made their own way among the rocks. The other 3 men bruised their feet and fell to the creatures of the path. The moral. Do the hard work of dividing those who need help from those who only want help. Helping all 6 equally would only mean no one would me helped enough to make their own path through life. A social safety net is for those who fall, not those who jump.

.

.

Datadiver08 December 20, 2009

Are we a Christian nation?

President Obama recently stated that the United States is not a Christian nation. The United States was most certainly created by Christians who used the Judeo Christian ethic as a model for the basis of our nation and laws. While he is historically incorrect, perhaps we should use his statement as a warning. I think our nation is indeed sliding toward becoming not only a non Christian nation but a non religious nation. This can only lead to moral decay and corruption, which has in human history always lead to the downfall a civilization. What can we do to reverse the degradation of our society? It is up to us to do the very hard work of making sure the leaders we elect are worthy of our Founding Fathers. On what framework can we make this decision? The Bible and U.S. Constitution are the best resources we can use to elect wise leaders. Anyone who tells you that the Bible and Constitution not relevant today is not to be trusted. The Bible and Constitution are based not on a historical timeframe, which changes, but on human nature which has remained a constant throughout recorded history. I ask that you consider what I have written. Datadiver08

This must be relayed to your friends

It's not typically my style to present others words, but when they make such a profound statement, I am compelled to make the exception.

Following is a speech given by Darrell Scott, the father of Rachel Scott, a victim of the Columbine High School shootings in Littleton, Colorado, who was invited to address the House Judiciary Committee's sub-committee. They were in for quite a surprise.

I am sending a copy of this to my state and federal representatives.

Now for the kicker, Mr. Scott gave this speech in June of 1999.

Do you remember ever seeing this in print or TV news? Interesting how selective our news organizations seem to be.

Datadiver08

************************************************************

Since the dawn of creation there has been both good &evil in the hearts of men and women.. We all contain the seeds of kindness or the seeds of violence. The death of my wonderful daughter, Rachel Joy Scott, and the deaths of that heroic teacher, and the other eleven children who died must not be in vain. Their blood cries out f or answers.

The first recorded act of violence was when Cain slew his brother Abel out in the field. The villain was not the club he used.. Neither was it the NCA, the National Club Association. The true killer was Cain, and the reason for the murder could only be found in Cain's heart.

In the days that followed the Columbine tragedy, I was amazed at how quickly fingers began to be pointed at groups such as the NRA. I am not a member of the NRA. I am not a hunter.. I do not even own a gun. I am not here to represent or defend the NRA - because I don't believe that they are responsible for my daughter's death. Therefore I do not believe that they need to be defended. If I believed they had anything to do with Rachel's murder I would be their strongest opponent.

I am here today to declare that Columbine was not just a tragedy -- it was a spiritual event that should be forcing us to look at where the real blame lies! Much of the blame lies here in this room. Much of the blame lies behind the pointing fingers of the accusers themselves. I wrote a poem just four nights ago that expresses my feelings best.

Your laws ignore our deepest needs,

Your words are empty air.

You've stripped away our heritage,

You've outlawed simple prayer.

Now gunshots fill our classrooms,

And precious children die.

You seek for answers everywhere,

And ask the question "Why?"

You regulate restrictive laws,

Through legislative creed.

And yet you fail to understand,

That God is what we need!

Men and women are three-part beings. We all consist of body, mind, and spirit. When we refuse to acknowledge a third part of our make-up, we create a void that allows evil, prejudice, and hatred to rush in and wreak havoc. Spiritual presences were present within our educational systems for most of our nation's history. Many of our major colleges began as theological seminaries. This is a historical fact. What has happened to us as a nation? We have refused to honor God, and in so doing, we open the doors to hatred and violence. And when something as terrible as Columbine's tragedy occurs -- politicians immediately look for a scapegoat such as the NRA. They immediately seek to pass more restrictive laws that contribute to erode away our personal and private liberties. We do not need more restrictive laws. Eric and Dylan would not have been stopped by metal detectors. No amount of gun laws can stop someone who spends months planning this type of massacre. The real villain lies within our own hearts.

As my son Craig lay under that table in the school library and saw his two friends murdered before his very eyes, he did not hesitate to pray in school. I defy any law or politician to deny him that right! I challenge every young person in America , and around the world, to realize that on April 20, 1999, at Columbine High School prayer was brought back to our schools. Do not let the many prayers offered by those students be in vain. Dare to move into the new millennium with a sacred disregard for legislation that violates your God-given right to communicate with Him. To those of you who would point your finger at the NRA -- I give to you a sincere challenge. Dare to examine your own heart before casting the first stone!

My daughter's death will not be in vain! The young people of this country will not allow that to happen!

Gaia Worship?

In the local newspaper today was an column titled "Go on a picnic with the sun". While I agree that going on a picnic on a sunny day is preferable, that was not what the column was about. Gaia worship is a movement that is sometimes called earth worship. The best definition I have seen of Gaia worship is that Gaia worship is diametrically opposite to Christianity, Judaism and Islam beliefs and makes no allowance for a one true God who created all things of nature. Instead, it holds that all earth and all of nature is god, comprised of many gods and goddesses. I enthusiastically sent an e-mail to the newspaper hoping they will have the courage to print it as a letter to the editor. You can read the column at http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2009/03/22/columnists/orso.txt In case the newspaper decides not to print my letter to the editor I will add it to this blog. ************************************************************ If you did not read Joe Orso’s March 22 column titled “Go on a picnic with the sun” I would encourage you to do so. I read it four times.

• The first time I thought that perhaps he was a flower child misplaced in time from the 60s.
• The second time I thought the column should have been on the religion page with the sub title “How I became a Gaia Worshiper”.
• The third time I thought surly he was being sarcastic.
• The fourth time I became concerned that he was being serious.

A few of the more memorable excerpts are; “The sun can no longer be only a source of light ……….. we have to make friends with it” and “…. we must come to see the obvious, we are not the only things alive here, nor the most important” and “you can ask ……….. the cardinal can teach you about death.

I certainly hope my thought about this column being sarcastic was right because if it was not, Joe it’s time to go on a picnic with a psychiatrist.

************************************************************

Datadiver08

Setting the record straight

I am getting quite tired of watching and hearing the Democratists play the saint when it comes to the current economic problems. 1977: Pres. Jimmy Carter signs the Community Reinvestment Act into Law. The law pressured financial institutions to extend home loans to those who would otherwise not qualify. 1992: Despite warnings from GOP members of Congress in 1992, Clinton uses Carter's Community Reinvestment Act to push through extensive changes, which included harsh new regulations, that require lenders to make questionable loans that they previously would not have. 1995: Robt. Rubin’s Treasury (Clinton administration) reworked rules, forcing banks to satisfy quotas for sub-prime and minority loans to get a satisfactory Community Reinvestment Act rating. 2003: Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), at a hearing in 2003, “I do not think we are facing any kind of a crisis. That is, in my view, the two government sponsored enterprises we are talking about here, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, are not in a crisis”. 2004: Rep. Frank ignores the warnings, accusing the Bush Administration of creating an "artificial issue." 2005: the Senate Banking Committee, then chaired by Republican Richard Shelby, tried to rein in the two organizations by passing some strong new regulations. Democrat Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut successfully threatened a filibuster. Barney Frank continued to defend Fannie and Freddie as "fundamentally sound" and labeled President Bush's proposals as "insane". All the Democrats, including the current chairman, Senator Chris Dodd, voted against it. Both he and Frank blocked the Housing Reform Act, which would have forced oversight and audits of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 2007: Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Chairman Democrat Christopher Dodd ignores the President's warnings and calls on President Bush to "immediately reconsider his ill-advised" position. 2008: President Bush urges Congress to pass the much needed legislation and "modernize Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. 2008: Democrats in Congress forget their previous objections to reforms, as Senator Dodd questions "why weren't we doing more, why did we wait almost a year before there were any significant steps taken to try to deal with this problem? Now, two questions for you to ponder. When demand exceeds supply what happens to prices? They increase. When demand is less than supply what happens to prices? They decrease.

1. Forcing lending institutions to give questionable loans increased the demand for house purchases and therefore stimulates increasing prices.
2. When the prices get so high that the demand equals supply prices become stable.
3. When more housing is built on the premise that demand is still strong then the scale tips to supply exceeding demand and prices fall.
4. About the time prices started falling, adjustable rate mortgage balloons come due. Since the house is now worth less than size of the loan, there are a limited number of possibilities,and here are two of them. (1) Defaulting on the loan and (2) the inability to refinance, both of which bring more housing into the market and driving prices lower.
5. Recycle to point 4 and keep repeating the cycle.

What is ironic, and sad, is that the persons who have been put in charge of remedying the problem are; drum role ....................... Barney Frank and Chris Dodd who both played a large in creating the problem.

Are you having fun yet? If you want an eye full go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HQWk1Wp3L4 Datadiver08

Tipping the scale

We need to start planning to win the war against the gimmies and guilty white people. First, I want to make sure you know my definitions of gimmies and guilty white people.

Gimmies are anyone who want the government to provide for their existence. Examples of gimmies are;

• Unions, especially the Teachers Union. Actual teachers are not necessarily included in this category. The Teachers Union is another matter. The Teachers Union is really a big bad pseudo corporation and they act as such. Most of the teachers I know are held back by the Teachers Union rather than promoting the good ones. As with most unions, the good workers are held back while that bad workers are propped up.
• Anyone who can but won't support themselves. This includes the majority of persons who have been on welfare for more than 2 years total in their life. As with politics, welfare was never meant to be a career.

Specifically excluded from the list of gimmies are those who cannot help themselves.

Guilty white people are primarily white liberals who have taken it upon themselves to make sure minorities are held down by telling them repeatedly that they cannot make it in society unless the guilty white people help them. Examples of guilty white people are;

• Liberals who have money. They just know that at some point one of their ancestors made their money on the backs of minorities and others to which they feel superior.
• The Jessie Jacksons of the world (yes, you can have 'black' angry white people) who have made a great deal of money through the extortion of business, primarily owned by other guilty white people.
• Liberal politicians of all colors. Yes, being a guilty white person is an equal opportunity position.
• Anyone associated with the ACLU.

If the balance tips, us who fund the "gimmies / angry white peoples" projects (of course they would never think of using their own money) will become an endangered species and the United States will go the way of the Roman Empire. If we all do our part, we can stem the tide and prevent the destruction of the greatest, most generous, and benevolent country the world has ever known.

How can you stem the tide? Let your senators and representatives, both state and federal, know your thoughts. Use the Internet to find out who they are and do it!

Datadiver08

Get Involved

It came to my attention that there were a couple of items at the state government level needed my attention. What I did you can also do. Please get involved in matters that are important to you. Below is a copy of the e-mail I sent to my state senator and state representative. It took very little time and you can have an impact.

To: Sen.Kapanke@legis.wisconsin.gov Rep.Shilling@legis.wisconsin.gov It has come to my attention that there are two matters that important to me that are being considered in the legislature.

• Castle Doctrine http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Castle_Doctrine legislation one of the pieces of legislation. I believe it is sponsored by State Senator Jim Holperin in the Senate and Chris Danou and Ann Hraychuck in the House. As I understand it there is not bill number assigned or I would have provided it in the e-mail. I have read a considerable amount on Castle Doctrine legislation and it seems to be little more than common sense. Also it appears that a number of other states have enacted similar legislation. A person must have the right, and I think the civic responsibility, to defend one's family and community from the persons who have no regard for the law and no regard for civility. Please act favorably toward, and help sponsor this bill.

• The second piece of possible legislation is the increase of gun ownership background check fees from 8 to 30 dollars. This is an insult to the intent of the second amendment and should be immediately removed from consideration.

I trust that as my representatives you will consider my views and requests. Sincerely,

datadiver08

How slippery has our slope become?

There seems to be drastic shift in some of the basic tenets of our society.

• Right and wrong have been replaced by an infinite number of shades of gray.
• Fair has morphed from making sure everyone has the equal opportunity into the quest for equal results.
• Honesty for its own sake has developed into anything is OK if you don't get caught.
• Integrity has been replaced by naked ambition.
• Compassion has changed from empathic kindness into a self serving search of love from anyone who wants something.
• Being humble has become an embarrassment instead of a virtue.
• Patience has given away to impulsiveness.
• Peace has changed from a goal worth fighting for (no, peace and fighting are not mutually exclusive concepts) into an excuse for avoiding conflict at all costs.

We must take it upon ourselves to teach our children and each other what is really important in this life. The alternative is one that I would rather not encounter.

Datadiver08

Liberal / Democratist compassion, I think not!

The thought of liberals / Democratists showing true compassion is as absurd as trying to fly a kite to Mars (which is also going through planetary warning). True compassion is composed of;

• Telling the truth. Without one knowing the truth, there can be no improvement.
• Doing the hard work of determining who really cannot help themselves versus those who will not help themselves. If this hard work is done, there are enough funds to help. If the hard work is not done, there are insufficient funds and no one is really helped.
• After deciding, being willing to let the group who will not help themselves live or die by their own efforts.

If you know any democratists, you know that they don't want to do the hard work of determining those who cannot versus those who will not. This means that they will not really help anyone, but they will still manage to feel good about themselves because they tried.

It's time for tough love welfare.

Datadiver08

E-mail to Gevernor Doyle

Below is a copy of the e-mail I sent to Governor Doyle earlier today. If I get a response, other than the bland auto reply platitude that thanks me for my interest, I will post it. ************************************************************ Governor Doyle, in your proposed budget you stated that “big oil” company profits would be taxed. I will use “big oil” in my example below, but it would equally apply to any other type of business large or small.

PLEASE PAY ATTENTION.

BUSINESSES DO NOT PAY TAXES!

This is a basic economic absolute. If you didn't know this you should, and if you do know this, you shouldn't lie to the people of Wisconsin. If you think you can keep "big oil" from passing the tax along to the consumer, you are quite naive. To even try to do this is would be a very socialistic action. Increased taxes to “big oil” are simply a cost of goods sold. Any business bases the retail price of the goods they are selling on the all costs to bring their goods to market. Taxes are simply another cost. Any time you do something that takes money from my pocket and it ends up in the state’s coffers, it is a tax on my income. What makes this situation worse is that we are paying this increased cost (read tax) with income on which we have already paid taxes. ************************************************************ Datadiver08

Good words gone missing!

Last Nov 24 I wrote about good words gone bad. Now it's time to look at good words gone missing.

• Pursue

Webster's dictionary defines pursue as "employing measures to obtain". The related word pursuit has the same meaning. You may have heard this word in the Declaration of Independence. The entire sentence is "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

There is no guarantee of happiness, no right of happiness, no entitlement of happiness and no assurance of happiness. Don't wait around for someone else to get it for you. Go pursue it!

• Self Esteem

While technically not a single word, in common usage it's treated as a single word. Webster's dictionary defines self esteem as " a confidence and satisfaction in oneself ". Far to many people are waiting around for someone to give them self esteem. This is especially true in our school systems. Self esteem is best found and kept by treating others in a respectful manner. A person who does not act respectfully does not deserve any self esteem and I certainly an not worried about giving it to them.

• Work

Webster's dictionary defines work as " a duty that is one's accustomed means of livelihood ".

Unfortunately the more common definition is "the measure of effort one makes to avoid doing any useful activity" or "the measure of effort one makes to live by means of using money taken from others against their will". The modern phrase used is working the system.

Enough for now. Sorry for the gap between the last log and this one. I was having a bout of OID (Obama Induced Depression).

Datadiver08

Global Warming, what's really happening.

Man made global warming proponents think that everyone who doesn't agree with them are ignoring the overwhelming body of scientific evidence and consensus of scientists. Is global warming real, or man made? Let's take a look. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070228-mars-warming.html Simultaneous warming on Earth and Mars suggests that our planet's recent climate changes have a natural—and not a human-induced—cause, according to one scientist's controversial theory. National Geographic News - Feb 28, 2007. http://www.canadafreepress.com/2007/global-warming030207.htm Global Warming on Mars & Cosmic Ray Research Are Shattering Media Driven "Consensus". Canada Free Press - Mar 2, 2007. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Story?id=3061015&page=1 The fundamentalist doom mongers also ignore scientists who say the effects of global warming may be benign. Harvard astrophysicist Sallie Baliunas said added CO2 in the atmosphere may actually benefit the world because more CO2 helps plants grow. Warmer winters would give farmers a longer harvest season, and might end the droughts in the Sahara Desert. Why don't we hear about this part of the global warming argument? "It's the money!" said Dr. Baliunas. "Twenty-five billion dollars in government funding has been spent since 1990 to research global warming. If scientists and researchers were coming out releasing reports that global warming has little to do with man, and most to do with just how the planet works, there wouldn't be as much money to study it." ABC 2020 - Apr 20, 2007 http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/may/16/global-warming-myth/ On May Day, Noah Keenlyside of Germany's Leipzig Institute of Marine Science, published a paper in Nature forecasting no additional global warming "over the next decade." Al Gore and his minions continue to chant that "the science is settled" on global warming, but the only thing settled is that there has not been any since 1998. Washington Times - May 16, 2008 The national review posted the top 10 myths on Feb 20, 2007. Here are the top 10 in brief. You can read the full story at http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19468 10. The U.S. is going it alone on Kyoto and global warming.Nonsense. The U.S. rejects the Kyoto Protocol’s energy-rationing scheme, along with 155 other countries, representing most of the world’s population, economic activity and projected future growth. 9. Global-warming proposals are about the environment. Proponents candidly admit desires to control others’ lifestyles, and supportive industries all hope to make millions off the deal. 8. Climate change is the greatest threat to the world's poor. Climate -- or more accurately, weather -- remains one of the greatest challenges facing the poor. Climate change adds nothing to that calculus, however. 7. Global warming means more frequent, more severe storms. Here again the alarmists cannot even turn to the wildly distorted and politicized “Summary for Policy Makers” of the UN’s IPCC to support this favorite chestnut of the press. 6. Global warming has doomed the polar bears! For some reason, Al Gore’s computerized polar bear can’t swim, unlike the real kind, as one might expect of an animal named Ursa Maritimus. On the whole, these bears are thriving, if a little less well in those areas of the Arctic that are cooling (yes, cooling). 5. Climate change is raising the sea levels. Even the distorted United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change reports refute the hysteria, finding no statistically significant change in the rate of increase over the past century of man’s greatest influence. 4. The glaciers are melting! The glacial retreat we read about is selective, however. Glaciers are also advancing all over, including lonely glaciers nearby their more popular retreating neighbors. 3. Climate was stable until man came along. Swallowing this whopper requires burning every basic history and science text, just as “witches” were burned in retaliation for changing climates in ages (we had thought) long past. 2. The science is settled -- CO2 causes global warming. What scientists do agree on is little and says nothing about man-made global warming. 1. It’s hot in here! The claim that the 1990s were the hottest decade on record specifically targets the intellectually lazy and easily frightened, ignoring numerous obvious factors. “On record” obviously means a very short period, typically the past 100+ years, or since the end of the Little Ice Age. I could go on and on, but this is already long enough. Datadiver08

What if?

The government is proposing the registration of guns and a ban on certain types of firearms. If this happens the citizens of our land will be denied the right to protect themselves, their family and their community. The government wants to control who has firearms so they will be the sole authority of the society in which we live. To which government am I referring? The British. If the British could have imposed the control President Obama wants to establish, the revolution could not have taken place and the United States would still be a British Colony. For this exact reason the framers of our government included the following in some of our most revered documents.

• ...the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. (second amendment to the constitution, ratified December 15, 1791. http://www.usconstitution.net/
• ...it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government. (the Declaration of Independence) http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/index.htm

We must all be watchful of creeping government control. If the U.S. government is really a "government of the people, by the people, for the people" (the Gettysburg address) such control is not necessary. However, …………………………

Datadiver08

A new way of voting

Now that the election is over (except Minnesota) I thought I would take a few moments to tell you all one of the best ideas that came to me during the past election season. As with most good ideas they are not created in a total vacuum, but also through observation of others.

We now can only vote for someone. I think we should be able to vote against a candidate. When faced with a choice among candidates have you ever thought I could support anyone expect that one.

An example to illustrate my idea.

If there were 4 candidates and one, in your opinion, would be outstandingly bad but you could live with any of the other 3, why shouldn't you be able to cast a vote against the bad one?

• Candidate 'A' 413,500 votes.
• Candidate 'B' 339,785 votes.
• Candidate 'C' 98,667 votes.
• Candidate 'D' -87 votes.

With this way of voting, the winning candidate 'A' would feel confident that they have broad support since they either received a large number of positive votes signaling they were liked by a larger number of voters, or a large number of voters though candidate 'A' would be acceptable so they cast a vote against one of the other candidates.

It would also give a clear message to candidate 'D' that they should look for another line of work.

I think it could work.

Do any of you have ideas you would like to share?

Datadiver08

Obama's sly plan

Barak Obama is one sly fox. All the discussions of where the unnecessary "stimulus" package funds will be distributed is a red herring. All of this time President Obama has been concentrating on the question of "where will the money come from". He has found, and is beginning to tap, a heretofore unexploited revenue source. The potential of this source of income is like comparing a drop of oil on the garage floor to an Anwar gusher. The source is, of course, unpaid taxes owed by his Democrat appointees. Let's take a closer look. Within a short period of time Tim Geithner, Nancy Killifer and Tom Daschle have coughed up about $167,084 for an average of $55,695 each. The reported size of the "stimulus" package is one trillion dollars. Here is the math. One trillion divided by $55,695 means 17,955,041 individuals are needed to meet this expense. It has been reported that the popular vote for President Obama was 69,456,897 so he should not have a problem paying for the stimulus package without raising taxes. In fact, he should be able to pay off the national debt if these three are representative of his supporters. The one possible downfall to his plan is that it is likely most of the persons (alive, dead, legal, illegal, etc...) who voted for President Obama aren't required to pay taxes. Maybe he's not so smart after all. Datadiver08

Me and Ron Kind (my congressman)

I sent an e-mail to Congressman Ron Kind (Wisconsin’s third congressional district) regarding the Iraq war. Below is his reply to me and my return e-mail. I encourage everyone to become involved. So few individuals contact their government representatives that you can have a disproportionately large voice. Take advantage of this. @@@@@@@@@@ Ron Kind’s e-mail to me Thank you for contacting me about the war in Iraq. I appreciate hearing from you on this important matter. This is a critical period of transition for us in Iraq. With our help, the Iraqis have established a coalition government, and we have trained more than 250,000 Iraqi Security Forces. Further, troop causalities are at the lowest point since 2004, more security is being entrusted to the Iraqi security forces, and the Iraqi parliament has passed a U.S.-Iraq security agreement which stipulates that American forces leave Iraq by the end of 2011. As we move forward, it is imperative that we continue to send a message that the patience of the American people is not endless, and that the Iraqi people must take control of their future by making the tough political compromises essential to living in peace. In short, it is time to take the training wheels off. During my three visits to Iraq, I consistently heard from our military command that our objective cannot be achieved through military means alone. The Iraqis must be willing to make crucial political compromises to find a way to coexist peacefully and work together among the various factions to move the country forward. We cannot continue to ask our troops to baby-sit a civil war. I am confident that President Obama will develop a comprehensive strategy for responsible redeployment of our armed forces. With the security situation in Afghanistan continuing to worsen and Osama Bin Laden still at large, I believe we must renew our commitment to the unfinished work there. As the situation in Iraq continues to progress, please know I will keep your thoughts in mind. I remain hopeful, as do all Americans, that our brave men and women serving in our armed forces will be able to come home soon. Again, thank you for contacting me. Please do not hesitate to be in touch with additional comments or questions. I also encourage you to visit my website, www.house.gov/kind, where you can find updated information, sign up to receive my electronic newsletter, and send me e-mail. Sincerely, Ron Kind Member of Congress @@@@@@@@@@ My response to Ron Kind Thanks for your reply. I agree that we cannot forever babysit the situation in Iraq and other areas of the Middle East. I am not sure I agree totally with your assessment of Iraq situation as a civil war. It is certainly that, but so much more. Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and certain other nearby countries are an incubator for terrorists. The most effective way to fight terrorism is to go to the source. I have traveled to the Middle East on business and I have friends who are Iraqi, Lebanese and Indian with whom I still keep in touch. Because of communications with these friends I think I have a better understanding of the dynamics in the Middle East than most. My frank opinion is that if this were only a civil war and the combatants would stay in the Middle East we should let event play out without intervention. Since this is certainly not true, we must take steps to ensure the safety of United States and our true allies. Please take care so that our actions do not bring this conflict to our shores. Please also remember that Islamic terrorists do not hate us only because of our actions in the Middle East, they hate us because we are a Christian country and not an Islamic state. Best Regards, P.S. I would like to continue our dialog on this and another other subject you would like. If you need a citizens input on a continuing basis, I volunteer. I will keep in touch. If you would like to see my thoughts on varying subjects, you can view them on my weblog by doing a search for DATADIVER08.

Time to look through my local newspaper

Glass ceiling still solid in Wisconsin government. The gist of the article is that since only 22% of the state Assembly and Senate, there is a disproportionate number of women serving in Wisconsin government. This would only be a valid argument if the Lt. Governor goes on to say that "women candidates often have to pushed to run". From this statement I infer that there are fewer women running for office than men. That means perhaps the number of women running are disproportionately successful. To illustrate, there are 100 positions available.

• 500 men run for the 100 positions.
• 50 women run for the 100 positions.
• 22 of the positions were won by women.
• 78 of the positions were won by men.

This means that women, based on the number of women running, were successful 44% of the time. Men, based on the number of men running, were successful 15.6% of the time. It looks to me like women have the advantage when you base it on the mix of the candidates.

The moral of the story is statistics can be used to support any claim. Beware.

*****************************************************

Blagojevich won't attend impeachment

It's nice to see an honest Dem. for a change.

Datadiver08

The big day

Today was a big day no matter which party better reflects your political philosophy. During the oath of office, there was a little 'wording' mix up between Justice Roberts and President elect Obama. I don't really know or care who was responsible. I don't judge intelligence based on eloquence, unlike some others. I did however find it interesting that during the main stream radio news reports of the inauguration, there was no mention of the verbal gaff. It was almost as if the main stream radio networks were afraid to broadcast this very minor, insignificant part of the oath. If this were George Bush would it have been treated differently? I think yes. It remains to be seen if the main stream media will be consistent with their coverage of the president, or will they give President Obama a pass. In other words, will they be equal opportunity destroyers? Datadiver08

Approval Ratings

Much has been made lately of President Bush's "historically low" approval ratings. The results of the three most recent polls are; • ABC/Washington Post 1/13-16 2009, 33% • CNN/Opinion Research 1/12-15 2009, 31% • Fox/Opinion Dynamics 1/13-14 2009, 34% • Average rating = 32.7% As a point of comparison, let's look at the Democrat controlled congress approval ratings. The results of the three most recent polls are; • Fox/Opinion Dynamics 1/13-14 2009, 23% • NBC/Wall Street Journal 1/9-12 2009, 23% • USA Today/Gallup 1/9-11 2009, 19% • Average rating 21.7% I could accurately state that the President Bush's approval rating is 50% higher than the Democrat controlled congress. President Bush is leaving office, the Democrat congress is staying. Who do you think should be in the news?

Datadiver - Jan 18, 2009

My list of undeniable truths

• Labor unions never create innovation, but they do suppress innovation.
• National Public Radio, and the state affiliates such as Wisconsin Public Radio, is politically at the far left.
• Shame needs to recreated in society. Being on the dole (welfare) was such a shameful proposition that people would do anything to avoid the shame.
• Welfare needs to be unmasked. There are many euphemisms used to disguise welfare such as school lunch programs, pre-kindergarten, any "tax refund" that is more than the amount withheld etc...
• Governments can do nothing as efficiently and cost effectively as private industry.
• To be considered qualified by the Democrats to oversee an industry, one must have no knowledge of that industry.
• The Democrat party is not democratic and should not be so called.
• Affirmative action is racism.
• Jeremiah Wright, Jr. is a bigot and raciest.
• Jessie Jackson's greatest talent is extortion.
• Martin Luther King had a great vision, it's to bad none of the current crop of black leaders follow his vision.
• George Bush kept his pants zipped up for 8 years.
• The crime of invading the United States has been softened by calling the perpetrators undocumented aliens. They should be called criminal aliens and prosecuted at every opportunity.
• The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution really does means that all citizens can have firearms.
• Gun free zones are the safest place for a criminal to attack.

You can expect to see additions to this list in the future. Perhaps I will also expand on them.

Datadiver08 Jan 17, 2009

Electric cars a danger!

One topic concerning electric cars that no one has reported on is that they are very quiet. While some may view this as an advantage, there are others that view this as a dangerous situation. I am a cyclist (bicycle) and I am very safety conscious. I had a helmet when they were unattractive and so heavy neck hurt. Safety when riding takes not only your eyes, but also your ears. Hearing the sound of cars come from behind you is an early warning safety factor. Quiet electric cars will deprive cyclists of an important aspect of safety. In addition to cyclists others may view silent cars as a problem. I would think sound would be quite important for individuals who use a white cane. I am not sure how this can be remedied. Perhaps each electric cars should have a sound generator to simulate a combustion car engine. Am I serious or not. You decide. Datadiver 1-10-2009

Zero sum economics

Many politicians (in particular Democrats) subscribe, or at least pretend to subscribe, to the economic theory called zero sum. Wikipedia defines zero sum mentality as a way of thinking in which "there must be one winner and one loser, for every gain there is a loss." Politicians seem to like using the zero sum game as a wedge to divide their constituents into segments that can more easily manipulate. Blame the rich for the poor. Blame those that have for those that do not. The best way to test the zero sum economic theory is to apply it in the reverse and see if it holds true. Let's try it. In the last 6 months I have become poorer. That means someone else must have become richer. I would like to meet that fortunate individual who benefited from my stock market misfortune. We might have a few things to discuss. Datadiver 1-7-2009

A New Organization

I would like to announce that I have been named the president of a new liberal think tank. Just Kidding! First, I know that the words liberal and think together are oxymoronic. I was thinking of what could I come up with that would seem worthy of a liberal think tank that had not been, to my knowledge, addressed. Then it stuck me, I could write about anything that was intrusive. To get myself into the mood I first had to make up a liberal alter ego and decide what was important to them. Here is the list.

• Global warming is real and man made.
• The government is the solution to all problems.
• The minority should rule the majority.
• Some people need preferential treatment because of past wrongs.
• I am superior to anyone who is not a liberal.
• Individual rights are not important for the greater good of society.
• Rules are for others, not for me.
• The most important thing the Unites States should work for is to be loved by other countries.
• The Unites States should use international interpretation of laws as a guideline for U.S. law.
• The U.S. Constitution is outdated and needs to be revised. The revision committee should include "nationality challenged individuals".

Here it is.

**************************************************

For the purpose of saving the planet, vehicle speed limits should be set for each vehicle based on the EPA highway mileage ratings. These speed limit guidelines have been approved by the United Nations but are not binding for developing countries.

• Ratings below 15 MPG would be limited to 40 MPH.
• Ratings 15 - 20 MPG would be limited to 45 MPH.
• Ratings 20 - 25 MPG would be limited to 50 MPH.
• Ratings 25 - 30 MPH would be limited to 55 MPH.
• Ratings 30 and above would be limited to 60 MPH.

Addendum A

• E-85 vehicles can jump up 1/2 a category.
• Gas - electric vehicles can jump up 1/2 and category.
• E-85 - electric vehicles can jump up 1 full category if random E-85 testing is done.
• Diesel vehicles using bio-fuel can increase by 1 a category if the exhaust does not smell like McDonald's french fries.
• Diesel bio-fuel (non McDonald's smelling) - electric vehicles can increase up to 1.5 categories depending on the source of the electricity used to charge the vehicle. Call the U.S. Government power plant hot line at 1-666-262-5223 (1-666-COA-LBAD) to determine the source of fuel used by your local power plant.
• Full electric vehicles can go as fast and as far and they can.

Any vehicle not specifically defined by the above regulations should not be driven until you petition the U.S. Government Department of Speed Regulation for their verdict. E-mail your petition to http://www.us-gov-dsr-un.org/. Speed of reply will depend upon completeness of your petition. Please call the U.S. Government Department of Speed Regulations hot line at 1-666-786-2986 (1-666-RUN-BYUN) for assistance in determining the completeness of your petition form.

**************************************************

Please don't send this to a liberal. They might think it is a good idea.

Datadiver 1-1-2009