It's About Character and Wisdom

   The campaign process leads us into a forest of emotional uncertainty where we easily get hung up on one issue...many times it is just the last issue we got hung up on... of many. We get tired of see-sawing back and forth between politicians. It's too bad. And as the Internet gets itself more and more into our lives the problem of sound-bite thinking will grow. So it is important for me to remind myself that the really important consideration is not what other people say about the candidate, but whether or not I think he or she has the character and wisdom to make the decisions and provide the leadership that will result in a stronger nation and people, and world in the long run.
   You know, the difference is that Conservatives focus on the long term, Liberals focus on the short term.    

Money Talks, BS Walks...If You Allow It.

   Watching the primary campaigns I find myself wondering if money really is the deciding factor in gaining the votes of trolls. I call voters trolls because they, we, are easily swayed by the sophisticated kinds of influence being IV pushed into our veins every day. Make no mistake, we are being overwhelmed to the point of voting as single issue trolls.
   Donald Trump is clearly a front runner and Hillary and Bernie are pretty much neck and neck. Both Hillary and Trump have huge money advantages over their opponents, so much so that their message is the only one we are hearing. Everyone else spends most of their time on the defensive. This is what happens in the absence of campaign finance reform...something I have heard absolutely nothing about so far. The front runners are the ones with the most money. That might be all right if that money consisted of funds donated by voters wishing to project a message, using their voices politically. But here it is that Clinton spends money donated by corporations donated at a half million dollars per speech, donated by those same corporations who she bedevils and vilifies as producers driven by greed, gained from the blood of the underclass...So she is clearly driving Class Envy and then she is benefiting from it in a big way... currying votes of blacks.  Mr. Trump's money? Well, he has declared bankruptcy 4 times. Would you lend him any money? How can he be trusted? How's he going to deal with us when he goes under another time? Is he going to say, "Sorry. Sue me."? That's what Obama has done with the Affordable Care Act. It is more expensive. Premiums are way up. Deductibles are way up. We are being fined for failing to buy it. He says what? Essentially..."Sorry about that but it is what it is. Sue me."
   There are no magic fixes for our debt. Lowering spending and raising taxes are the only sources of water we have to fight this fire. Sanders is wrong about the amount of money available from the 1/2 of 1%. Given his objectives...these taxes will come from us. And they will be permanent.  His goals won't change. His revenue sources will change. That means high taxes on the middle class. What will he say? "I know it hurts but it is necessary and you will pay it." Just like Obama and the Democrats told us about the ACA. Get ready. Sanders...Clinton...the Dems and the new entitlements are coming.
   We trolls are lollying about watching the media coverage wash Donald Trump up onto our beach to save us. Good God!
   If he is nominated, I predict that the majority of Republicans will stay home in November. She will unleash her money and Trump will be cast as the devil himself.  Hillary will have her cake walk.
   Before we left for Myrtle Beach we both voted...for Bush. He and Kasich are the only Governors running and Bush is a conservative...that means he has a history to examine, he speaks the truth, he shows that he has common sense and I am familiar enough with him to trust him. How much do you know about any of the others?  Ya gotta make a decision. 30% for Trump means 70% are not for him. This thing is not over for the candidates until they withdraw. Your vote is important.  Staying home is a vote for Trump...and so it is a vote for Hillary. Please! Money talks. Don't let BS walk!

Joint Chiefs Decided It's Important To State Their Position On Bringing "Murderous Animals" Here From Guantanamo

   Killers. Murderous animals. No better than that. It sounds more appropriate than "Terrorist", which implies some tenuous but somehow real link to validity through murder of innocents. Maybe it would be beneficial if we called them "murderous animals".
   The JCS got it right. Charlestonians I talk to do not want Gitmo's "murderous animals" here in our brig. Our brig is not a high security facility. It is located within a high density residential area. It's a stupid idea. We should appreciate the JCS taking the time to clarify their position that since there is a law against spending any money to move the "murderous animals" here or to build or improve any present facility to contain these "murderous animals".  Lt. General William Mayville Jr., Director of the JCS, said this in a letter to Congress recently. So...Thank you, JCS. And Thank you, Lt. General Mayville.  It looks to me like this pronouncement probably places your job security at risk because it suggests that the JCS intends to resist any attempt by our President to use his executive authority to bring the "murderous animals" here. Sir, it is nice to see someone in Government still has courage and common sense.  Jim Self
 

Morning Coffee...Brian Hicks, Hillary is Coming, Why She Needs Hoplessness

Sunday Morning Coffee, February 14, 2016 Jim Self
   Just a few points on this Valentines Day, commenting on stories from the Post and Courier.
   Page A2: Brian Hicks says that the Summerville Police did not alert the public after having to release on bond a person suspected of raping/assaulting two women in the area. He got caught again...in Berkeley County... and bail was denied. Summerville did try to have bond denied. Give them that. So why didn't they let us, the public, know the guy was back on the street and suspected of committing two acts...which makes him a serial rapist? It's not their policy to do that? Here is a sad, avoidable and completely unnecessary reason why women must arm themselves if they expect to survive lawless behavior that the POLICE ARE UNABLE TO PREVENT AND UNWILLING TO WARN US ABOUT. I am with Brian on this. Let's take another look at that policy.
     Page A3...Appeal...The law says, "The hand of one is that hand of all" is alive and well and is something that our kids need to know about. Not to let bad parenting and bad example setting off the hook, my opinion is that peer pressure influences a lot of our kids to take that first step into lawless behavior.  Marley Lion was napping in a shopping center West Ashley in 2012 and three young men showed up to rob him. One of them fired a gun through the window, striking the victim five times, killing him. All three went to jail. Doesn't matter if one of them cried innocence, wet his pants and ran off screaming for his Mama...which none of them did...but still...just saying...and it doesn't matter if they were  high as a kite on drugs. Again, don't know and I don't care. Doesn't matter. Still guilty.
   My point? Kids need to know that if they run with criminals they cannot "pull back" at the last moment and elude legal responsibility for the behavior of their comrades. All will go to jail, ruining their lives, forever. Telling your kids about these things is loving them.
   Page A7 Bill Clinton Rallies Pee Dee for Hillary...He is trying to claim some of the responsibility for  Charlestonians now "moving forward". Why else would he be here? The truth is that we Charlestonians have moved forward...the past 50 years for me to experience...and have come to where we are today without the help of and in spite of national Democrat,  dependency building and hate producing politics. Here's a reminder for you, Bill and Hillary...something that we all know but you find it inconvenient to acknowledge...There is nothing about being black that assumes a nature of dependency and requires government support. There IS, however, a government that uses racist qualifications for everything that happens as a matter of normal, expected and  otherwise, easily understandable events. Hillary and Bernie are the leaders of those politicians who hope and expect to benefit from voters whose hopes and dreams have been systematically crushed by fellow liberal politicians over the last 50 years.
   Let me ask you this...Hillary Clinton's speaking fees run 1/2 million dollars per event. She demands a private jet for transport by the event organizers. How much of that money has made it to the local NAACP? Hillary Clinton is after two things...her own fame and fortune.
   Economic progress is an absolutely huge process for a family, requiring all members to work together for their dreams and goals to come to reality. The government is not and never has been able to acquire that kind of success for a family. To suggest otherwise implies complete misunderstanding of what success and satisfaction comes from. Success and satisfaction can only come from what brings it to reality in the first place.  We all achieve whatever success we have in life by doing the same things: going to school, going to work, keeping ourselves presentable and positive, and being ready to take advantage of the next opportunity to move forward and advance our goals and dreams. That includes believing in each other and wishing success for each other no matter what race or ethnicity we are.
  Soon we will have Bernie and Hillary in our midst telling us of how different we are...and how much we need them when in fact we have each other and we do not need them at all. They say they will bring progress...when they hope to bring division...because without division they gain no votes.