State of the Wing

It’s been a while since my last post. Mostly because of a sheer lack of time, but I wanted to write one larger post which will encompass a few different topics and be my State of the Wing address.

Debt and Debt and More Debt

As we now sit, the federal government’s deficit is currently at 13.2 trillion and is constantly and consistently rising. It is projected that is will reach 19.6 trillion by 2015. The government wants to spend X amount this year and only has X amount, which is much less. This is known as a budget deficit.

So, what do you do when you need or plan to spend X amount, but do not have that amount available to you? The answer is to put it on a credit card or take out a loan. At least that is what you or I would do. The government essentially does the same thing except they borrow from foreign countries and independent lenders. The problem is that after so many years of borrowing more and more and paying down nothing, lenders and creditors lose faith that the borrower can repay the loans. This is essentially where the United States is currently sitting.

Mired in its own self-inflicted spiraling debt the current administration has done nothing. Instead of creating a solid, feasible plan for paying down the federal debt, the current administration seems to be spending with no regards to how we are going to balance things out. In case you’ve been sleeping under a rock for the last two years, you have probably noticed that instead of figuring out ways to lower spending, the government has increased spending and through the use of “fuzzy math” created countless programs and new laws which will further bury the country in debt we cannot pay back.

The Obama Debacle

Starting to fade from the national news is the ongoing disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. The blame can be mostly cast upon British petroleum (BP) and their lack of planning, but it must be said that the government is at least partly responsible for the spill and the lack of urgency in the plugging and clean-up.

The government, in order to appease its own environmental laws, forced BP to move their drilling platform to a distance off the coast that would cause them to drill quite a ways down in order to reach a pocket of oil. This is why the leak has been so difficult to quell. The sheer distance it takes to get to the leak from the water’s surface makes it impossible for divers to go down and contain the leak, so BP must use robots and other insane methods. Needless to say, nothing has worked and BP has been less-than-honest about their numbers. Meanwhile, the government denies help and useful equipment from other countries and our President seems content to appear indignant on national television in a spot that hurt him more than it helped anybody.

The Conservative Rally

While the President is busy doing nothing in the Gulf and doing even less to suppress illegals from entering through our borders, the Conservative party, namely the Republicans with the help of the Tea Party, have been busy at work pointing out the shortcomings of the current administration.

With no help from the RNC chairman, Michael Steele and his constant debacles and gaffes, the Republicans seem to be growing slowly in both supporters and poll numbers.

This November will tell the major tale of where America is at politically. Do we decide to continue the path of outrageous spending and no communication with the American citizens wants or needs or do we decide to take matters in our own hands and take the country in a different direction.

Maybe the “change” the Obama campaign was talking about in 2008 is the change we are seeing right now. Maybe the change is that we no longer see allies, like Israel, as friends. Maybe the change is really just a chance to build a legacy, albeit a negative one. Whatever the change was that they were talking about in 2008, it’s certainly not the change the people still believe in…at least we’ll see if that’s true come November.

What Does the High-Court’s Ruling on Guns Mean?

In a 5-4 vote by the Supreme Court upholding the principles from a 2008 ruling regarding handguns, the Federal Judicial System created a fairly-clear view of what we can and cannot do and buy, regarding firearms. The ruling was a landmark decision, but what does it mean for us current handgun owners?

There is an excellent article on Yah0o! News by Laura E. Davis which summarizes the specifics of the court ruling. I though I would paste, verbatim, what she wrote to avoid duplication and plagerism.

What are the specific terms of the ruling?

The court essentially said state and local laws banning handguns (which preclude citizens from owning handguns for self-defense in the home) are too strict. The decision flows directly from the court’s ruling in the 2008 case, District of Columbia v. Heller, which struck down Washington, D.C.’s blanket ban on handguns. While that case already addressed the meaning of the Second Amendment by affirming the right of citizens to own handguns, it applied only on a federal level. (D.C. is under federal jurisdiction.) This case — by way of the due process clause of the 14th Amendment — extends the same interpretation of the Second Amendment to state and local levels. Taken together, these rulings say that the Constitution bars various levels of government from banning handgun ownership.

Will this ruling affect gun laws where I live?

For now, this Supreme Court ruling is only likely to affect gun laws in Chicago and Oak Park, Ill. — there is no immediate effect on any other laws. So if you live in another city that restricts gun possession in some way, that law remains in effect for the moment. Both the National Rifle Association and the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence say no other communities currently ban handgun possession in the home, so no other laws are clearly rendered unconstitutional. However, this Supreme Court ruling on the Second Amendment can be used to challenge other gun laws in cities and states. So this case may result in incremental change across the country as gun laws are challenged one by one.

If I live in a city where handgun ownership is restricted, can I buy a handgun now?

No, you will still be subject to the restrictions that were already in place. So if you had to get a license to buy a handgun, you will still need to go through that process. Even in Chicago and Oak Park, the cities where the handgun bans were challenged, the restrictions remain in place for now. The high court interpreted the Constitution but left the actual decision regarding the cities’ laws to a lower court. It’s likely under the Supreme Court’s ruling that the lower court will find the laws unconstitutional, and at that time the cities will probably be able to rewrite their laws to comply with the ruling while still enacting some gun restrictions.

Does this mean I can purchase any kind of gun I want?

No. The Supreme Court has previously ruled that ownership of many kinds of guns, such as assault weapons, can be banned.

Does this mean felons can purchase guns?

No. Just as the Supreme Court has allowed restrictions on the kinds of guns people can own, it has permitted some restrictions on who can own them. The Brady Center notes that the federal Gun Control Act of 1968 explicitly bars felons from buying guns.

How does the ruling affect carrying weapons in public?

It doesn’t. This ruling affects only handgun ownership, not where you can take that gun. So laws that prohibit guns in public still stand.

Could other pending cases further expand what’s allowed under the Second Amendment?

None are before the Supreme Court right now, but UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh told Yahoo! News that the McDonald case “will doubtless trigger a new round of litigation” — for example, challenges to local restrictions on gun possession by people younger than 21 or by noncitizens. And D.C. isn’t out of the legal woods: A plaintiff from the Heller case is trying to gain the right to carry weapons in public, while other gun-rights advocates are challenging the new D.C. law that was written to comply with Heller.

Originally Posted on Yahoo! News.

Obama’s Approval Reaches a New Low

Amid the oil spill fiasco and the way an unfavorable healthcare law was passed, it’s no surprise that the presidents approval rating has been on a slow, but steady decline. Many Americans are unsatisfied and down-right upset over the way the administration has handled many policies and especially the recent gulf tragedy.

According to the Newsroom Blog:

A new NBC/Wall Street Journal Poll  finds Obama’s approval rating to be the lowest it’s been since he took office 18 months ago. According to the poll, only 45 percent approve of the job Obama is doing in the White House, compared with 48 percent who disapprove. And the numbers only get worse from there: Sixty-two percent of respondents believe the country is on the wrong track-the highest number recorded since just before Election Day in 2008- and just one-third believe things are going to get better, a 7-point drop since a month ago and the lowest such number in the Obama presidency.

Another portion of the poll showed that just 49 percent give Obama positive ratings when asked if he has ‘strong leadership qualities’.

As November elections draw closer, it’s not looking good for many democratic candidates, especially ones with the President openly backing their candidacy.

Source: NewsRoom Blog

Obama: Petraeus in, McChrystal, You’re Out!

General Stanley McChrystal was summoned from Afghanistan by President Obama only top be given the proverbial pink slip. Post McChrystal’s remarks regarding administration officials, Obama decided to pull the plug on his troubled leader, citing that the Generals words,  ”undermines the civilian control of the military that is at the core of our democratic system.”

President did claim that the releasing of the General had nothing to do with personal feeling or insult. The President then listed the General’s resume and accomplishments to keep the awkward mood from resonating.

Worth noting is that lawmakers of both parties have praised the choice of Petraeus, the White House is confident he will be confirmed before Congress adjourns at the end of next week

One wonders if the Obama administration will spin the firing of McChrystal and the hiring of Petraeus to take over efforts in Afghanistan, as a way to boost unemployment numbers.

Bush Tax Cuts May be Axed and Taxes Look to be Rising for the Middle-class

This shouldn’t come as a major surprise for most conservatives, but Democrats have signaled that the Bush Tax cuts which passed in 2001 and 2003 will more-than-likely be ending in order to combat the huge federal deficit which we were forced into because of a big Republican government, a liberal Congress and the reckless Obama administration spending spree.

House Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer, said in a speech Tuesday, “As the House and Senate debate what to do with the expiring Bush tax cuts in the coming weeks, we need to have a serious discussion about…whether we can afford to permanently extend them before we have a real plan for long-term deficit reduction.”

While the issue of raising middle-class taxes was glossed over by Hoyer, the ability to raise, “revenue more fairly and efficiently” isn’t fooling anyone. This is a phrase often uttered by those who support the addition of a value-added tax.

Apparently, the Democrats did not see this coming or decided to blindly drag the US into a fiscal whirlwind where the only result is taxing its citizens even more to pay for an ever-growing government. After all, it was only a matter of time before the deficit caught up with the spending and even budget-blind Democrats must now see this.

Things Republicans Hate

In case you haven’t noticed, I’m a big fan of politics. I’m also a big fan of humor, so I found this website and thought it would be humorous to post it for others to discover.

It’s called “Things Republicans Hate” and it is a humourous look at things which irritate and confuse many conservatives and some things which do not. I have only read some of the reasons, so I cannot speak for all of them. Read at your own risk.

A few things we like to hate are:

Peace

NPR

Al Gore

Recycling

Barney Frank

 

Visit the website here for the exhaustive list with the reason behind why we hate these things.

A House Dividing

This is going to be a brief post because I’m extremely busy writing tech stuff for my other websites, but I wanted to note something that I feel is gaining momentum and is quite significant.

For those who watch the “No Spin Zone” aka The O’Reilly Factor, you would have seen a video clip this weekend of, House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi speaking at an ultra-liberal conference known as ‘America’s Future NOW!’. She was barely able to speak amongst the yelling and there were fears by security of the speaker being hit with items which were being hurled. This story brought to my attention a growing rift occurring within the democratic ranks. Many liberals believe that Obama is over-compromising on many of their important issues, such as universal health care.

Here is the video of the speech and the ensuing interruption:

Economics: Does Pres. Obama Even Know What He’s Doing?

Congress and the Obama Administration is considering, yet again, another stimulus package. As if they did not learn their lesson from the first few that have failed. We were promised that the unemployment rate would stay well under 10% and 3.5 million new jobs were promised. According to TownHall.com, the National Association for Business Economics polled 68 private-sector members and 73% said that the stimulus has had zero effect on their employment rate.

Both the private sector and Congressional Budget Office (CBO) have concluded that the multiple stimuli haven’t worked, yet here we are again. Is the old definition about being insane when you continue to do the same things over and over expecting different results applicable here?

The administration left focus on jobs creation to tackle their flagship blunder (also known as healthcare reform). Then moved to a back-and-forth waffling regarding border control and now they are simply indignant puppets in an oil spill that has devastated my community and others for over fifty days.

We have seen a decrease in unemployment, but most economists note that this is simply the result of temporary  employment, such as census workers.

All that talk about “change” and the only thing that hasn’t changed is his ability to figure out why the economy is not recovering. I think we need to ask ourselves if this administration has any clue what they’re doing or are they just trying to make their historical footprint, then leave someone else with the mess to clean up.

Fly-Eagles-Fly, on the Road to Washington D.C.

Of the many primary battles today, one in particular is of interest to this editor. The first reason is because he’s a Republican and the second is because he was (is) a Philadelphia Eagle, of which I am a fan…a big fan. Former eagles tackle, Jon Runyan, is one of the few canidates left standing after Tuesday’s primary battles. Runyan defeated Justin Murphy, a former Tabernacle Committeeman who ran as the tea party candidate for Southern New Jersey’s 3rd Congressional District Tuesday night.. While Runyan is a Republican with fair political views, he is also very inexperienced. Runyan’s response,

“People question me all the time about my experience,” said Runyan. “They question my experience in politics, and the first thing I always tell them is yes, I have no experience raising taxes over and over. I have no experience increasing the debt in a state.”

I’ll try and keep the site updated with most primary news, however, I believed this particular one needed immediate attention.

Americans Tiring of Obama’s Gulf Response (or lack thereof)

It’s no secret that the majority of Americans are getting a bit irritated at the Obama administrations handling or lack thereof of the gulf oil catastrophe. According to the latest ABC/Washington Post poll, more than two-thirds of those polled, 69 percent, disapprove of the federal government’s handling of the spill. What’s amazing is that figure is higher than the Bush administration’s handling of Hurricane Katrina.

Also, the usually “cool-headed” President broke script with profanity in an interview with ABC’s Matt Lauer,

“I was down there a month ago, before most of these talking heads were even paying attention to the Gulf.  A month ago I was meeting with fishermen down there, standing in the rain talking about what a potential crisis this could be,” Obama said, defending his administration’s handling of the spill. “And I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar; we talk to these folks because they potentially have the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.”

This cannot bode well for the Presidents image or satisfaction numbers. It might also spell trouble for a rising number of citizens disappointed with the incumbent party.