tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-117563682024-03-12T20:58:10.896-05:00Writes in His SleepRon Estrada - Christian Suspense NovelistAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-9974829347941093382013-02-17T08:36:00.003-05:002013-02-17T08:36:32.638-05:00Wanted: Tribe - No Spam<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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A few weeks ago I posted an article on my <a href="http://20stuff.com/">"Stuff I Wish I Knew when I was 20" </a>blog about hanging out with the people who will lift you up, who are most like the person you want to be. Another similar post discussed pursuing those who have succeeded where you would like to succeed. Not to be a stalker, but to seek their council and advice.<br />
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For the writer, this is difficult. At least it used to be, way back in the dark ages before facebook and twitter. Now we can jump online and find a group of like-minded folks, what Seth Godin calls a "Tribe." Heck, you can decide one day to be a Christian Boston Terrier Mystery Novelist and find a group of people within five minutes who share your passion for Christianity, Mysteries, and hyper-bouncy dogs. Indeed, the age of social media has made finding and joining a tribe as easy as finding a re-run of MASH on satellite TV. Friend an author Edie Melson even wrote a book on the subject (writers must write a book on every subject, it's just what we do). <a href="http://www.novelrocket.com/2013/02/connections-social-media-and-networking.html">Check out Edie's post and book over yonder at Novel Rocket.</a><br />
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What Seth or Edie don't bring up is that we may have come full circle. Where once anyone calling herself a novelist would have had a lonely existence anywhere outside of New York, now this same aspiring author will find a dozen facebook groups, twitter hashtags, and Google+ Communities just full of folks who share her passion.<br />
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This is where the trouble begins. So many people have figured out that social media opens up a whole new world for marketing that they do nothing but that--market. I can go onto twitter right now, type #acfw, and find the same three people posting the same one line sales pitch for their latest romance. Over. And over. And over. I wonder if these folks sit down for a cup of coffee with their BFFs and say, every two minutes, "She's from the wrong side of the tracks and he's a billionaire. What can they possibly have in common? Everything!" Then plop down a book order form.<br />
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Seriously guys? What part of the "social" in social media are you missing?<br />
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One of my friends over on Google+ coined the phrase "#linktoilet." I find it fitting. It's as if the ability to copy and paste a link has given us all license to turn our facebook walls into the Times Square of the internet. Really, I'd much rather know what you had for dinner than to see a constant advertisement for your latest book. And so would your readers.<br />
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Social media is not a place for advertising. The new marketplace demands, more than ever before, that you establish relationships. We are the most marketed to generation in world history. Just like the survivors of the Bubonic Plague developed an immunity to the disease in Europe, 21st century Americans have developed a very strong immunity to marketing tactics.<br />
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You've got to be their friend before they'll be your customer, or in our case, your reader. People are looking for tribes to join, not billboards to read.<br />
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I've probably hurt some feelings. You're a writer, you should be used to it. Your marketing approach demands the same tough criticism as your prose. Once you've received the label "Spammer," you would have been better off if you'd never started a facebook or twitter account. It's an easy trap to fall into. Don't let it happen to you.<br />
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Start now. Go onto your favorite social network, resist the temptation to post a link to your book, and say "Hello" to someone. No links. No self-promotion. Just socializing. You can do this, people. Be strong. Go find your tribe.<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-85858295649145842922013-02-15T07:15:00.001-05:002013-02-15T07:20:32.917-05:00Time Thoughts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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My current novel, or series as it turns out, uses time as a central theme. It's almost to the point that time is a character in itself. No, time isn't going to get up and start speaking, though for anyone over the age of forty, it often seems that way.<br />
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I guess this has a spark in the back of my cobbled brain for many years, ever since my college physics classes. I loved physics so much that I considered making it my major instead of engineering (my physics teacher at Lawrence Tech University asked me one day, "Are you a physics major or only an engineer?"). <br />
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One of my favorite topics was Einstein's Theory of Relativity. That's the one that states "Relatives visiting on holidays appear to stay for days when only a few hours has passed." Okay, just kidding.<br />
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Most of us are familiar with the simple version of relativity. If you're on a train going 100mph and another train passes you at 110mph, from your viewpoint, the other train is moving very slowly, even though it is passing yours. That's the basic principle.<br />
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Some of you may even know that the theory applies to traveling near light speed. If you hop into a spaceship and travel near light speed, you'll come back in a few hours to find that twenty years has passed on Earth. Your twin brother will be an old man. Pretty cool, huh?<br />
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The movie <u>Genesis Code</u> does an excellent job of explaining how this applies to the book of Genesis and the seven days of creation. The movie may or may not have it right. I have my opinion as I'm sure every other Christian does. But the concept is staggering.<br />
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I think all Christians will agree that time through the eyes of God is completely different than the way we view it. To us, it is uni-directional constant. There must be a beginning and an end. We measure it in known constants like years, days, minutes, and seconds. But what if, in the eyes of God and other residents of Heaven, time were not so clear cut? What if it were more like an idea, or an emotion, something that really has no units of measurement?<br />
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Or, as is explained by Einstien and <u>Genesis Code</u>, the units of measurement aren't constant? Five minutes today may have been shorter than five minutes near the start of creation, or when, as stated earlier, we travel near the speed of light.<br />
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The implications for the theologian are interesting. For the novelist, they open up a whole new world. Literally. And that's what I hope to accomplish with my new venture into the world of fiction. I'd like to get people thinking about time, how we view it, and how God views it. <br />
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It may change the way we think about everything.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-424113935476550242013-02-13T07:22:00.001-05:002013-02-13T07:22:59.890-05:00Peter the RomanI'm one of those closet prophecy junkies. I imagine there are a lot more out there among my Christian brethren. So, like many of you I sat up and took notice when the Pope announced his retirement. While a Protestant like myself isn't effected by a change in management in the Catholic Church, the significance of a retiring Pope cannot be ignored. As I understand it, the last time this happened, in the 15th century, had more to do with a rift in the church and the existence of two men claiming the title of Pope than any real desire to spend more time on the golf course.<br /><br />That alone is enough to make one think. For those of you who've toyed with prophecy, you also know of the prophecies naming this next Pope as the last. Now, I try not to get too caught up, because prophecy is a funny thing. It is written in such a manner that you don't understand it's significance until after the fact. Most of the prophecies about Jesus were somewhat useless in predicting when He would arrive on Earth, but in hindsight their accuracy was amazing.<br /> <br />Then there is the problem of the Peter the Roman prophecy not existing anywhere in the bible itself. It's a Catholic prophecy, and I don't believe it's recognized by the hierarchy of the church herself. The prophecy comes from two sources--Nostradamis and St. Malachy. Hardly basement conspiracy theorists. <br /><br />What I take from prophecy and the times we live in is this: we are heading toward Earth's final chapter. But God's time is not our time. When I say time I mean it in the literal sense. For those who saw The Genesis Code movie, you have a fantastic understanding of time from God's perspective. The engineer in me rejoiced when I saw this movie (though the movie critic thought the plot a bit thin). I rejoiced because I've never seen the theory of relativity explained so well outside my college physics classes. They nailed it.<br /><br />My point is this: we shouldn't stop working toward our goals, give up on our dreams, empty our 401k's because of this prophecy, or any. Remember, Moses took 80 years to come back and free the Israelites. The shepherds at Jesus birth probably wondered what happened to the baby in the manger. I wonder how many of them remembered thirty-three years later.<br /><br />My new novel uses the concept of time as a focal point. I believe prophecy is being fulfilled and the little things that occur in our world are actually pivotal in the fulfillment of God's plan. I hope you'll join me on this little journey through our future. It will bring together the almost unnoticed events of the day and point them toward a final event that will close the book on all prophecy.<br /><br />So I'll watch with some excitement as they announce the next Pope. If his name is Peter, I'll get somewhat more excited. If not, I'll write it off as another prophecy that was really no prophecy at all. What I am confident in is what's written in God's word. I can assure you that His time is coming.<br /><br />Are you ready?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-35918137726613649092013-02-12T07:11:00.001-05:002013-02-12T07:22:24.387-05:00Mountain Guides<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1591842336/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1591842336&linkCode=as2&tag=themarkwrit-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=1591842336&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=themarkwrit-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=themarkwrit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1591842336" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
I've been listening to Seth Godin's <u>Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=themarkwrit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1591842336" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> </u>on CD during my dr
on CD during my morning drive in to work.<br />
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Seth has made a name for himself as an innovative thinker and marketer. I suspect they'll erect a bronze statue of him at the soon-to-come SEO hall of fame. While I don't intend on becoming a leader among internet marketing circles, there is value for a writer to listen or read guys like Seth. He ranks up there with Zig Ziglar and Stephen Covey as the great motivational writers of our time.<br />
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I'll save my marketing speech for another day. For now, I'd like to talk about this little habit I've gotten into of starting my day with positive input. I'm a lot of things--husband, father, Christian, engineer, writer, blogger--and each of those jobs requires a certain amount of motivation to get me going. It's easy to become discouraged by the negative impulses of the world, making our dreams and goals seem insurmountable, to the point where we become just like the other millions of Americans who drag themselves in and out of work five days a week, nothing to look forward to in their lives other than the weekend and two weeks of vacation.<br />
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I have been there. I shall not return.<br />
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Am I living the dream yet? No. But I would argue that living the dream and pursuing the dream are not too far apart on the "satisfaction scale." I like what Joyce Meyer says: "If you can't be happy where you're at, you're not going to be happy with where you want to go."<br />
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We have to find peace in our current situation, or the weight of our frustration will never allow us to move forward. <br />
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Which brings me back to Seth. Writers and speakers like Seth Godin stir us to think beyond the four walls we've built around our minds. But few of us have the discipline to get up each day and say, "I will overcome and achieve great things!" For one thing, my wife would make me sleep on the couch if I woke her up with that little speech at 5am.<br />
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Because few can be self-motivating, we rely on the great thinkers to give us a jolt of confidence. To me, it's better than a cup of coffee. I need my spirit stimulated more than my heart.<br />
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So I shut off the morning news (after I get the traffic report), and plug into a devotional, a uplifting blog on my Feedly reader, and a book on tape in the car, or at least the Christian FM station. I know the bad news is out there. If it's important, it will catch up to me eventually during the day. But I refuse to start my day without hope or encouragement.<br />
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While Seth and Zig are not writers by trade, they do wonders for writers like me who see a mountain of rejection in our future. The good news is that mountains are made for climbing. Guys like Seth Godin are always behind us shouting "Just one more step!"<br />
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Thanks, Seth. And Zig. And Stephen. I'm glad you're there. It makes those mountains look less like an obstacle and more like an adventure.<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-26696193161116020602013-02-10T09:18:00.004-05:002013-02-10T09:20:27.556-05:00Praising the SnowIt's been an interesting weekend. I watched all week as the "snowstorm of the century" rolled across the midwest. Even more so was the timing that solidified by week's end. The storm was schedule to dump snow on our home in Michigan Thursday night and well into Friday morning. <br />
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I had a 6am Friday flight out of Detroit Metro.<br />
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The storm was then scheduled to hit New York about midday Friday, where it would join forces with an Atlantic storm to really stir things up.<br />
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My flight was to New York LaGuardia Airport.<br />
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The New York storm was expecting to dump over a foot of snow statewide throughout Friday night.<br />
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I would be driving my daughter home in our PT Cruiser, starting out Saturday morning.<br />
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Ever prayed a lot for better weather?<br />
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I did pray. A lot. And was somewhat disturbed when God allowed that snowstorm to not only hit, but in numbers greater than originally expected. Sydney and I stayed at the Quality Inn in Hyde Park Friday night, and we woke up to this Saturday morning.<br />
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Somewhere under that hill is a blue PT Cruiser. Meanwhile, my wife, back in Michigan is reading various reports on the internet about New York highways being shut down. Let me tell you something: even in this day of instant news, exaggerations abound. Oh, it was bad, no doubt about that, but once I realized the deed was done and I had a job to do, I felt at peace with it.<br />
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I borrowed a snow shovel from the hotel, dug out "Petey," and got us on the road. The freeways were slushy and down to one lane in spots, but passable. We spotted some interesting accidents in which the drivers all appeared unharmed, and had plenty to talk about.<br />
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God works that way, doesn't He? What I saw as a disaster of epic proportions turned into a daddy-daughter adventure, possibly one of the last I'll ever get with my now 19 year-old. It also turned into a great learning opportunity. She got to be a little scared of driving in bad weather. It's a fear that will serve her well. She was also in Hyde Park when Hurricane Sandy hit last year, so she's had the chance to witness the awesome power of God's nature that she probably never would have seen in our safe little corner of east Michigan. <br />
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The next eleven hours of our drive were mostly uneventful. We admired some beautiful snow-covered scenery and marveled at the efficiency of the New York and Pennsylvania Road Commissions. I also sent up a little thank you for salt.<br />
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I felt a little inconvenienced by the whole trip when my wife first announced I would be making it. I have work to do, writing to accomplish, my days are jam-packed. No time for this two day misadventure.<br />
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But, as a writer, I have a new dimension to add to my writing. I quickly forget that I will little to offer the world if all my time is spent hovered over a keyboard. Unless the world of my character's remains within the four walls of my den, I'd better get out and see what's out there. And yesterday I did.<br />
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So thank you, Lord, for giving me, once again, what I need instead of what I want. Thank you for the storm that I may rejoice in dry pavement and sunshine.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-40349329497549117862013-02-07T07:17:00.001-05:002013-02-07T07:17:12.339-05:00How to Feed your Muse<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004MYFL3Q/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004MYFL3Q&linkCode=as2&tag=themarkwrit-20"><img border="0" src="http://ws.assoc-amazon.com/widgets/q?_encoding=UTF8&ASIN=B004MYFL3Q&Format=_SL160_&ID=AsinImage&MarketPlace=US&ServiceVersion=20070822&WS=1&tag=themarkwrit-20" /></a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=themarkwrit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004MYFL3Q" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />
You know, I like to read one of my favorite "how-to write" books as I'm working on a new novel. This time it's <a gp="" href="http://www.blogger.com/%3Ca%20href=" http:="" product="" ref="as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004MYFL3Q&linkCode=as2&tag=themarkwrit-20" target="_blank" www.amazon.com="">The Breakout Novelist: Craft and Strategies for Career Fiction Writers</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=themarkwrit-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B004MYFL3Q" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /> ">The Breakout Novelist by Donald Maass. Last night I'm laying in bed reading his section on subplot, how it should have an impact on the main plot, the characters should have several touch points in their relationships, and so forth.<br />
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That's when it hit me out of the Kindle what I needed for my current WIP. All of a sudden, a fairly flat idea for my story took on life. I became excited about the project again. While I had intended for my current WIP, Time as This, to be a supernatural thriller, new elements sprang out of the subplot ideas that were racing through my mind (you know, it's hard to sleep when you've got racing subplots in your head...give it a try, you'll see what I mean).<br />
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My supernatural thriller suddenly developed components of a romance, a mystery, maybe even a hint of chick lit. And a really great novel should contain elements of just about every genre imaginable. And that's what the subplot does for us.<br />
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I don't want to reveal my book just yet. I think this one's a winner. Of course I do, or I wouldn't wear out my keyboard on it. But it's fun, even at forty-six, to feel myself growing as a writer. No, I never got to be the twenty-two year old wonder boy who sold a million copies of his first novel and lived the life forever after, but that's okay. Man, life begins when you live it. And I'm livin' it.<br />
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So thank you (again), Mr. Maass and all those other wonderful folks who've written books to help me write mine. I wish I could just remember all those little bits of advice you give without having to re-read your work once a year or so, but I'm glad it's there when I need it.<br />
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How about you? Do you have a how-to write book that you return to each time you start a new project?<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-68570897708855653842013-02-06T07:27:00.001-05:002013-02-06T07:27:51.656-05:00My bad-writing-behavior listToday's <a target="_blank" href="http://stevelaube.com/the-writer-as-editor-tools-to-use-2/">blog post</a> over at the Steve Laube Agency is from literary agent Karen Ball. It's called <i>Writer as Editor: Tools to Use.</i> Karen's writing a series on editing for the fiction writer. This one I found especially useful, if not a bit painful.<br /><br />Karen's literary tool du jour is a personal list of bad writing habits. I'll let you read her article to get the details, but it got me thinking about my bad writing habits. What is it I do over and over again that I need to be on the lookout for? I currently do not have any critique partners (shopping...if you're interested and willing to buy the coffee, give me a shout), but when I did, they would highlight my repeat offenses, much to my aggravation. Men do not like to be told what's wrong with them, it serves a painful blow to the Rambo-esque image we have of ourselves.<br /><br />But Karen's article got me to thinking about the list I need to have in front of me when I edit my work (not while I'm writing, gotta let the juices flow then). So here's my short list. Maybe you can identify with a few.<br /><br />1. The use of "was" too often in a paragraph.<br /><br />2. Characters who "laugh without humor" way too often.<br /><br />3. Characters who press their hands flat on the table too often.<br /><br />4. Characters who "press their lips together." (My characters press a lot).<br /><br />5. Male characters who don't talk for entire chapters...yes, it's realistic, but boring.<br /><br />6. Too many cold, blustery days (I need to get out of Michigan).<br /><br />7. Characters who continuously glance out the window when they talk.<br /><br />8. Comparing villains to living congressmen and MSNBC talk show hosts...okay, I never do that, but it's tempting.<br /><br />I'm sure I could come up with more if I dug back through my old critiqued manuscripts. What about you? What bad writing habit is on your short list?<br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-86545525602471539992013-02-05T07:31:00.001-05:002013-02-05T07:31:30.682-05:00The Quick Start Plan for CharactersMy biggest source of writer laziness is character development. I'm sorry, I just find it painfully boring to hash out all the details of my protagonist's life from birth to the point where he's falling from an airplane at the opening of my novel. I know I know, it's important to develop my characters. Otherwise, how will they know what to do when presented with obstacles?<br /><br />So I use something I discovered in Weight Watchers--the quick start plan. For those of you in the know, WW gets you going in your first week by planning out your meals for absolute minimum calorie intake. It's bare bones. The goal, or course, is to get you to shed a few pounds while you're still hot with the program. By week 8, you're ready beat up your leader in the parking lot, take her money, and go out to buy as many boxes of Thin Mints as your car can carry. So the Quick Start plan is a way of at least getting you off the ground early.<br /><br />I use the same method with a new novel. I just dive in. Bare bones. Start writing just to see if the plot I have in mind has teeth. My protagonist isn't much more than words on paper, a name and maybe a hair color. I've got him getting into the trouble that will blossom into a full-fledged plot, having a few discussions in his two-dimensional midwestern tone, and see where things go.<br /><br />Somewhere around page 50...yes, page 50, I stop and look things over. Is the plot holding my interest? Is it feasible (when the supernatural is involved, this gets tricky)? Can I wrap this up in less than 800 pages?<br /><br />If the answer is "yes" to all those questions, I grab a notebook and start giving my protagonist flesh. Then my antagonist and cast of support characters. <br /><br />Yes, 50 pages is a lot of writing if I decide to scrap the idea, and I have scrapped a few. But a lunchtime novelist needs to get writing on paper. Not character development for two weeks before we begin. Maybe some of you can do that, but it would make me crazy to write character sheets for a month and then decide it won't work. That's a month of no writing. I suppose the blogs count, but fiction is different.<br /><br />Occasionally, rarely for me, I'll have a character in mind before I begin. I envy those people who can build an entire life in their heads while mowing the lawn. I could barely describe my own life in one-hundred thousand words or less. Of course, that's probably a good clue as to why we shouldn't shoot for too much detail in our fictional characters. We're way too complex. And our character today is not the same character we were twenty years ago.<br /><br />I understand now why series are so popular. You only have to develop your protag once, maybe adding a bit as you go along. Perhaps I'm not the only one who struggles with character development. If Tom Clancy had to keep Jack Ryan going for decades, why should I expect to do any better? <br /><br />So how abut you? At what point to you build your characters? <br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-17995643160952271062013-02-03T09:04:00.001-05:002013-02-03T09:16:13.272-05:00The Value Added Life<br />
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We often hear the phrase "Is it worth the effort?" It's one I've asked myself a thousand times during the years I've been writing and attempting to make at least a meager side income from it. In our world, any effort, especially when done alone and having no impact on another human, should provide some material benefit. <br />
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But perhaps I've been looking at this the wrong way. I recently volunteered to work in our church's Sunday school class. I don't get paid for it. And I actually sought it out. But I can point to a group of 2nd grade boys and know that I've made a difference in their lives. That I've served some higher purpose. It's not money, but it's something I can call profit. Because value has been added. For those of you not in the manufacturing world, Value Added is a commonly used term. It means that a step in a process adds another component or functionality to a part, value has been added. Other processes, like a quality inspection, are not Value Added, but essential nonetheless. It pays off greatly when customers are not returning their defective product in droves and dragging your company's name through the muck.<br />
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Each of us applies that same principle to our lives. The problem is that we're all accountants. Accountants hate non-value added processes. Any step that has cost associated to it but no direct value added to the product ranks right up there a trip to the dentist as far as the accountant is concerned.<br />
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The Quality Manager, on the other hand, would have some sort of inspection after every step in the process and his own personal kill switch to the assembly line. Nothing is too expensive to ensure a quality product, he'd say.<br />
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We can't be like the QM either. We'd be perfectionists who never completed anything out of fear it wasn't perfect. <br />
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The guy we need to be like is the CEO. He's the one that has to take all the information provided by the QM, the accountants, the engineers, etc. and come to some rational decision. One that will be profitable to the company. He usually makes every other department head angry when he makes his decision, because none of them is getting everything they want. There's no guarantee that the CEO is correct. No formula he can use to check his math. Most of his decision is determined by past experience and the good old-fashioned gut feeling.<br />
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Which brings me back to my writing. The accountant in my head is screaming that there are more profitable ways to spend my time. The quality guy drives me to keep it all under wraps until every line is perfect. The engineers don't understand why anyone would write fiction to begin with.<br />
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But I have to be the CEO of my life. My gut says that the writing will pay off. Maybe not monetarily, but through some unmeasurable benefit to my spirit. Even as I sit here and write this, I feel a peace that cannot be garnered through the television, fishing, reading, or any other "normal" activity. When we release our body and minds to pursue our passion, we are allowing the natural influences of our spirit to take control. Otherwise, we're at odds with our spirit. Disharmony of that sort creates chaos of spirit, mind, and body.<br />
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That, my friends, is not an efficiently running machine. Like the Sunday school class, it is benefitting my being, though to the outsider it may not be apparent. This is why I write. Publication will come because I'm confident that hard work and perseverance will always pay off. <br />
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But even if I never see a royalty check, my life has been greatly profited by the time I've spent at the keyboard.<br />
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Be the CEO, my friends. He's not always right, but the company cannot run without him. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-91790102373090397332013-02-02T06:32:00.000-05:002013-02-02T06:32:46.886-05:00Give a LittleMy morning Spurgeon reading dealt with the issue of giving. This has always been a sore point for me. Not because I dislike my church asking for my monetary assistance, but because I cannot give the way I'd like to. When I fantasize about having all the money I could want, my fantasies tend to revolve around how much of that money I could give away. Wouldn't it be wonderful to pay off a relative's debt or mortgage? Or drop hundred dollar bills into the Salvation Army Kettle? Sponsor a dozen Compassion International children?<br />
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That's what giving is supposed to be. A Christian should never feel guilted into giving. We give because it brings us absolute joy. The same way it gives our Heavenly Father absolute joy to give to us, especially when He gives us the salvation we have not deserved and have no way of earning. To me, that's what it means to love as Jesus loved. To give abundantly. Of both our money and our time.<br />
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So why does it bother me to think or read about giving? Because I'm the typical American. I was brought up in the "stupid tax" generation. Stupid tax, for those of you who don't listen to Dave Ramsey, is the interest we pay on our cars, to Visa, Discover, AMEX, etc. We are the generation that is the polar opposite of the Greatest Generation. We don't save. We spend ourselves two paychecks in advance and send 18% of our income to Chase Bank's prfofit margin.<br />
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It took me 40 years to figure out that the way I was living, which is the "acceptable" way of living for most of America, was so fundamentally wrong that it could even be labeled sinful. Who am I to expect something I haven't yet earned? It has caused me such great stress that I cannot stand the sight of my new car, my TV, or any of other toys I've financed over my lifetime.<br />
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Now, I've started to reverse the process, and will soon be out from under the bondage of Visa, but the thought of the years I've wasted, unable to give as I'd like, sends me to my knees to pray for forgiveness. It has effected me so that I started another blog called <a href="http://20stuff.com/">Stuff I Wish I Knew When I Was 20.</a> It's a bit of a tongue-in-cheek look at all the mistakes I've made and written for my kids, who are now entering young adulthood. Of course, anyone can find a bit of un-wisdom there. The beauty of making mistakes is that you can warn those behind you. They rarely listen, but I can try.<br />
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It serves no purpose to say "If I could do it all over again." These are some of the most wasted words in our language. A better phrase is "It starts now." Forty-six is not old. Neither is sixty. No matter what we've done with our lives up to this moment, we can change direction. Oh, how I'd love to grab those who are in despair, their lives wrecked by drug and alcohol abuse, bad choices, and monstrous debt. No matter how deep your pit, God will show you the way out. But you (and I) have to accept the fact that we are responsible for the choices we've made. No one else. And we must make the first step toward the light.<br />
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Follow me folks. No, wait, follow Him. I'll walk alongside you.<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-42218564993293583232013-02-01T21:15:00.001-05:002013-02-01T21:15:16.457-05:00The Next Page<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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My attitude toward writing has changed significantly over the last ten years or so. At first, it was all about the romance of it. The lonely writer locked away in his room, bent over a keyboard, his fifth cup of coffee that day sitting next to his stack of notes.<br />
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I know...heaven, right?<br />
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But things are different now. At 46 and coming to the realization that the majority of my working life is just about behind me, I see the writing as something that I simply must do. My defenition of success is not about publication, book contracts, or even a well-traveled blog. It's more about just getting to the next page.<br />
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It's similar to our walk in life, is it not? We come to appreciate each day as if it were our first. Even if we are rushed, we don't feel it in our spirit. We pause, we watch, we listen. A flock of geese, one of thousands we've seen flying overhead during our lifetime, captivates us. We find ourselves staring at our spouse as if it were that first moment when she first caught our eye. The simple things reach out to us and pull us into the flow of living.<br />
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So it is with the writer. We find pleasure in completing the perfect sentence, even though we know it will not be perfect when we revisit it in the second draft. A new chapter sparks an excitement inside us. What will happen to our character? How can I really mess him up this time? It's a world we create, and we are mesmerized by our own ability to both create and be surprised by it.<br />
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I hope, I pray that you will never grow weary of rising in the morning. That you will look into your lover's eyes through your bifocals and hers, and still see beauty and a whole new person to explore. We're here for a short while. We may spend it writing or we may spend it fishing. I've had many a good day fishing where nary a fish has been caught. We do it for the love of the chase, the pursuit of dreams.<br />
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I know 46 isn't old by any stretch. I'm in good health (my doctor just told me I was boring), I take care of myself, so I expect I'll see another 40 years or so on this planet if The Lord remains patient with mankind that much longer. But I feel the wisdom of wonder settling in. I've learned to be happy no matter my circumstance. Do I worry? I suppose I do, a bit. But it's always laced with a fresh optimism.<br />
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So before you turn in for the night, take a moment and breath in the wonder of it all. God has given us a life, not as a boot camp for heaven, but to taste the fulness of His creation before we are forever separated from it. Good night, friends. God's blessings.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16473774179937702258noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-4691305411381869882012-08-27T19:01:00.000-05:002012-08-27T19:01:05.448-05:00Apocalyptic Tremors - a Review<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LLJ3usF9eGA/UDwIIgC9LnI/AAAAAAAAAH0/Ve8l8lpzxS8/s1600/_225_350_Book.600.cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LLJ3usF9eGA/UDwIIgC9LnI/AAAAAAAAAH0/Ve8l8lpzxS8/s320/_225_350_Book.600.cover.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
I love everything related to the End Times. And for a good reason. Only a fool could look at the world today and not wonder if civilization isn't coming to a close, at least the civilization as we know it. For the Christian, we're told to always be watchful. Watchful for signs. Watchful for opportunities to share the Gospel. And watchful for any chance to dig deeper into the Word of God and understand His plan.<br />
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That's why I picked up <u>Apocalyptic Tremors </u>by C.R. Chapman. It looked like it might be something different than the standard "Left Behind" assessment of the End Times. On that account, I was not disappointed. Chapman covers the book of Revelations from a different angle, one more in keeping with the text, in my opinion. She doesn't give credit to the standard pre-trib, revived Roman Empire eschatology that seems to dominate the bookshelves and airwaves, despite perfectly sound evidence that these folks may be disastrously mistaken.<br />
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Now the negative. And this hurts to say because I love a well researched commentary. But Chapman is sorely in need of an editor. She was very hard to follow and often repetitive. I say this as a writer because I know she's got talent. She just needs to take all that info and structure so the laymen with little time can get through it quickly and understand it immediately. It's a tough read as is. Worth the effort. But tough to slog through.<br />
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Do I recommend it? Yes. Mostly because there is just not enough information out there that opposes the typical "Rapture Ready" theology. Thank God (quite literally) there are a few writers willing to break from the pack and take a harder look at the scripture as written. <br />
<br />Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-51548442222830104782010-05-14T06:06:00.000-05:002010-05-14T06:06:16.359-05:00We've let down our guard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.dougjumper.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.dougjumper.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/06/1984.jpg" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I just read the conclusion of Elena Kagan’s college thesis. You can read the entire manuscript </span><a href="http://www.redstate.com/erick/files/2010/05/kaganthesis.pdf"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">here</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. I guess what shocks me the most is that we, as a nation, have become all too receptive of those who are receptive to socialistic idealism. Not that there’s anything wrong with open minds exploring differing viewpoints, but our President’s tendency to surround himself with cabinet member and czars who are quite open in their radical socialist beliefs is more than troubling. It’s just scary.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I understand that those who’ve made politics a career will always delve into various social and economic theory. I’ve read writings of Marx myself, and had little trouble seeing the folly, by the way. I expect that anyone rising to the level of President or advisor of the President has studied just about every type of governance offered by man. After all, one must know the bad ideas in order to argue for something better. The founders of this nation understood the bad ideas. That’s why they established what still stands as the greatest solution to government ever devised—the U.S. Constitution.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So the political spectrum is broad, and our nation’s leaders have immersed themselves in all known theory. So my question is a simple one:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">If the President is representative of everyone in this nation, why are his advisors made up almost entirely of socialist radicals? <o:p></o:p></span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Elana Kagan is just the latest. Pick any other. Van Jones, Cass Sunstein, Davis Axelrod, Bill Ayers, Eric Holder, Carol Browner, Valerie Jarrett, and his latest gem, Donald Berwick. That’s just the short list. It’s gotten to the point that we’re so immersed in his progressive agenda that we don’t notice, or just don’t care anymore, that our capitol has become the stomping grounds for the people we defended our country against through two world wars and the cold war.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I need to get into detail about these people, about progressivism, and how this socialist agenda has slowly eaten at American society since Woodrow Wilson was in office, perhaps before. See why the party politics is just a distraction? It goes much deeper. Not a conspiracy, just a letting down of our defenses. Our founding fathers warned us that, in order to defend this republic we’ve created, we must always be alert. We’ve not been alert.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I’ll continue on with more postings once I get myself organized. There are plenty of others doing the same, most better connected (and more talented) than I. But I hope that a few of my friends will understand. This isn’t about a political party. It’s about saving this country. All one has to do is look to Europe to see our future. We’ve been fighting hard to align ourselves with European social philosophy. I fear we will get our wish.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For today, I’ll simply ask you to keep an open mind. Research anything I or anyone else tells you. But be prepared to accept what you discover. Let me leave you with these final thoughts.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">One of my favorite books that caused me the most grief was 1984 by George Orwell. There are lyrics to a song at the end of the book that have haunted me since I read them more than twenty years ago:<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Under the spreading chestnut tree, <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I sold you and you sold me. <o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">There lie they, and here lie we<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Under the spreading chestnut tree.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">In Orwell’s book, those who rebelled against a tyrannical government were easily found out because the masses had been trained from birth that it is their civic duty to rat out the non-conformists. The hero and heroine of our story, after their mini-rebellion is discovered, sit in a diner at the end of the novel, this song playing while they sip their drinks. Their moment of victory smashed, their hope gone, they play the game, walk the walk, and behave as good little patriots who serve Big Brother without question.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Fiction is funny. It has a way of becoming reality. Or, perhaps writers have a special antenna that picks up on social trends. Orwell was one of those. So was Ayn Rand. Atlas Shrugged so mirrors what is happening in America today that I almost weep when I read it. It’s prophetic.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">My friends, I don’t care what your party affiliation is, but what’s happening in America is nothing less than the steady dismantling of our founding principles, to be replaced with the progressive utopian dream. Unfortunately, the utopian dream has been tried over and over, from the French Revolution to modern Europe. Each and every time, the dream has been turned into a nightmare. I’d give my life to keep that nightmare from our shores and away from my children.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">By the way, for those of you who’ve subscribed to my blog, I’ve moved it to a more permanent site. Go to </span><a href="http://www.teapartyfg.com/"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">www.teapartyfg.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. I’ll continue these postings there (don’t wanna lose you, Tom).<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">God bless. See you next week.<o:p></o:p></span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-63609058579280906622010-05-12T04:54:00.000-05:002010-05-12T04:54:55.751-05:00Taxing the Rich...and other fairy tales<div class="MsoNormal"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.spmichigan.org/e107_files/images/New-SPUSA-Logo.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://www.spmichigan.org/e107_files/images/New-SPUSA-Logo.gif" width="320" /></a></div>Here’s my new favorite word: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">fair</i>. Despite the attempts of many (okay, hardly anyone) in the mainstream media to educate the populace on how the economy works, the most popular American argument to solve the debt crisis is to raise taxes on the wealthy. After all, there comes a point where you’ve made enough money (put a little inflection on “money” so you sound really hep). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Here, I’m going to say something that will really piss off a lot of people: you’re not interesting in fairness, you want to punish people who’ve succeeded where you’ve failed. It’s kinda like the high school kid who spreads nasty rumors about the girl who got elected prom queen. It doesn’t matter that you never showered and scowled at everyone who roamed into your personal space, it just isn’t fair. You know, I agree, I think Stephen King should be taxed 90% of his income because he can publish his grocery list and I can’t get my masterpiece into print. He’s not very pretty, either. So there.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But let’s try it. Let’s tax everyone making over $100,000 per year 100% of their income. That would come out to about $3trillion. Not bad. That would cover more than half of the budget. Except, of course, that the top 5% of earners already pay 85% of the taxes, so we’re really not gaining that much. All of this is easily found on the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">internet</span>, by the way. The IRS is full of little tidbits. I suggest a little Google-<span class="goog-spellcheck-word">ing</span> before casting in stone something spouted by <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Whoopi</span> Goldberg.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Speaking of hypocrites. Why, in <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>, is someone who makes millions per year by acting, singing, or sports considered a hero, while anyone making millions providing a product or service that we all need considered greedy? Here’s my favorite: Michael Moore earns millions a year making “documentaries,” all while bashing capitalism. I believe we call this “eating the hand that feeds you.”</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Getting past all that, here’s the common sense that ain’t so common anymore: the nasty rich people you so despise are the ones who got rich by building companies, big ones and small ones. And guess what those companies do? Right! They hire you! That way, you can buy the wide screen TV (made by a filthy capitalist), SUV (made by a filthy capitalist), and 2000 sq.-ft. house (made by a filthy capitalist). Then you can drive home from your filthy capitalistic job in your SUV, walk into your big house, turn on the wide screen, and watch Keith <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Olbermann</span> (getting richer every day) bash the guy who gave you the job, built your car, your TV, and your house. Only in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">America</st1:country-region></st1:place> (or any other country with socialist aspirations). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So how hard do you think your employer is going to work in building your company if you tax the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">jeevies</span> out of him? Let’s see, I can bust my arse 70 hours a week, pull down half a million a year, and have it taxed 89%, leaving me a cool fifty or sixty grand. Or I can push a pen 40 hours a week, pull down $70,000 per year, taxed at 39%, leaving me forty or fifty grand a year. Ummm….think I’ll take the less stressful route. Sorry, employees, you’re all fired. I’m going to <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Wal</span> Mart!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It is not a crime to grow rich. It certainly wouldn’t be a crime if you suddenly had a flash of brilliance, invented a device that would double fuel economy, and made a few million this year, would it? The rich are people who made smart decisions. Most didn’t luck into their wealth. It wasn’t taken from you and given to them. However, most seem happy with the idea of taking it from the rich and giving it to the poor. Somehow, though, the idea of allowing the rich to invest their wealth into more job-creating businesses is heartless and cruel. Better to just rip the money out of their hands, launder it through the bureaucratic maze in Washington, and hand the remaining 10% to the poor. Then, of course, push lottery tickets on them so the state can get the rest of its money back. Fairness, American style.<br />
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I suppose, since the federal government is now the biggest shareholder in General Motors, that we could just let them do the company building. That way, they could build the things that make the most sense to them. Things like electric cars, solar panels, paper shredders. Why bother with capitalism at all? Looks like Uncle Joe Stalin and Fidel were right. We just didn't get it. We understand now. Workers of the world unite!</div>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-27868859628132131662010-05-08T09:24:00.001-05:002010-05-08T09:25:26.882-05:00It's not all Greek to me<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.inkycircus.com/photos/uncategorized/needle_sxc_nr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://www.inkycircus.com/photos/uncategorized/needle_sxc_nr.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>I think the biggest obstacle conservatives face is this: Americans simply do not make the connection between our national debt and the freedoms we enjoy. It's almost like the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Meijer</span> Bucks we get in newspaper ads here in Michigan. It's not real money, but a <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Meijer</span> Buck gets you a dollar off your next purchase. But instead of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Meijer</span> Bucks, what we have in Washington is <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">GovBucks</span>. It's not real money, you see. You can use it to buy neat stuff like highways, aircraft carriers, and health care, but we don't really have to pay it back, because it never really existed in the first place. I suppose there's a bit of truth to that. It didn't exist in the first place. We had to borrow it, either from ourselves or other countries.<br />
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This of course, is a fallacy. <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">GovBucks</span> do need to be repaid, and at interest. I won't get into the whole debt to GDP ratio, because honestly, there's no need to. This really is common sense. If you spend more than you take in, and continue doing so year after year, you will lose your house, your car, everything you own. What does that mean to a nation? Well, Greece is showing us.<br />
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Greece is a typical nation that had been drawn into a European style socialism, where services were provided to the populace by a generous government. We call them "entitlements." It's a word tossed around so often I think we've grown numb to it. I prefer the term "social narcotics," or <i><span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span></i>.<br />
<br />
The pushers of these <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span> are those who we refer to as "progressives." So the entitlements are the drugs and the progressives are the pushers. Follow me? I love a nice word picture.<br />
<br />
Let's use our biggest <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarc</span> as an example: social security. Social security was one of many <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span> established by FDR, a progressive of monumental proportions. An interesting side note about <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span>. Like drugs, the negative effects are rarely immediate. The repercussions often take years, even decades. This results in the initial orchestrator of the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarc</span> looking like a hero because that first hit felt so darn good. That's why I often refer to the Democratic Party (the official home of pushers) as the Party of Unintended Consequences. Social security, established during the Great Depression (remember, never let a crisis go to waste), when Americans were desperate for any hope the government could offer. They could not see seventy years into the future, when this program would begin to bankrupt the nation. Other disastrous <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span> include <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Medicaire</span>, HUD, the central bank, etc. All seem wonderful ideas at first, but soon prove to cause far more harm than good.<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, like the drug user, we the people soon discover that<br />
a) we cannot live without our <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarc</span>, and<br />
b) it will eventually kill us.<br />
<br />
Such is the case in Greece. So addicted to their "free" government programs have they become that they simply do not care that it will kill them in the end. But there is simply no choice, the pusher is out of product, therefore he must cut off his customer cold turkey. And, like the addicted drug user, the people of Greece are responding with violence.<br />
<br />
Here's what foreclosure means to a nation: no more public services. No highway repair, no military, no police force, no public education, nothing that requires federal or state funds. In a word: anarchy. Ironically, anarchy is what liberals claim that conservatives aspire to. When, in fact, it is liberal-progressive policies that will lead us there. The pusher will not stop pushing as long as he maintains power over his victim. You see, the drug works two ways. We get our <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span>, the pusher gets power and our admiration, though only as long as the <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span> continue to flow.<br />
<br />
When a third party steps in and offers intervention, both the pusher and the addict hate him. Much like a family member is hated by the addict when intervention is attempted. That's why conservatives are so viciously attacked on both sides. We are hated because we love. We love our country and countrymen so much that we are willing to endure endless assaults upon our character, our patriotism, even our personal lives. All because we see the blindness of the addict and the cruel intent of the pusher and work tirelessly to save them both.<br />
<br />
American must decrease the flow of <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">sonarcs</span> before we are forced to go cold turkey. While things like the health care bill may appear compassionate on the surface, they do nothing more than increase our reliance on our pusher, the federal government, and draw us one step closer to anarchy. This, the liberal Democrats say, is compassion. If you don't stick just one more needle in your arm, you'll suffer withdrawals. Please, they say, stick with us and we'll make your life better, you need not think for yourselves. We're here for you. Just one more, buddy. And all the pain will go away.<br />
<br />
It's time to send the pushers packing my friends. Take a good hard look at what's happening in Greece. This is our future if we continue down the path the progressive Democrats have set us upon.Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-19145498365124533082010-05-07T05:58:00.001-05:002010-05-07T14:09:22.893-05:00My Politics from the heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/large/c4610-9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://www.reagan.utexas.edu/archives/photographs/large/c4610-9.jpg" width="265" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Politics was never something I aspired to. So I only have two solid memories of political moments during my youth. The first was when I was eight years old and walked into my grandmother’s living room, having just returned from Cedar Point. My mother sat in front of a TV. She was crying. I saw a man on the screen who I think I recognized as the President. I asked mom what was wrong, and she said the President was resigning. I had no knowledge of Watergate, only that it was a word I’d heard often on the news each night. But I did know something wasn’t right. Presidents were not supposed to make my mom cry. They were supposed to be fearless leaders, heroes who lead our nation and inspired millions.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">My second “political moment” came in 1981. By then I was fourteen and a sophomore at <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:placename w:st="on">Bruton</st1:placename> <st1:placetype w:st="on">High School</st1:placetype></st1:place> in Virgina. Dad was a career Navy man and we’d just moved to Yorktown Naval Weapons Station. As it turned out, 1981 was an important year in <st1:place w:st="on">Yorktown</st1:place>. Two-hundred years prior, the new Americans handed the British a decisive defeat on that peninsula. In 1981, we got a whole week off from school to participate in the bicentennial celebration.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I’d spent that week with my friends, checking out all the displays, cannon demonstrations, girls, and re-enactments, slowly developing a sense of awe over what had happened there. Toward the end of the week, our new President was scheduled to make an appearance. Oddly, I remember nothing of the speech itself, though I’m sure I listened with my father. What I do remember is standing along the road that entered the park. The Presidential procession rolled in, sirens flashing, the long black limos crawling along between the crowds.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When President Reagan’s limo rolled by, I caught a glimpse, just a glimpse of him as he waved at us. Now, at fourteen I still knew little of politics. Military families tend to lean Republican, so my parents were happy with the new President. But when I saw him, I felt a sense of pride. Reagan had that way about him. All he had to do was show up and we had the feeling that all would be well. President Reagan would never make my mom cry.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Again, at that moment in time, I didn’t know what were the differences in the parties. I certainly didn’t know what a “conservative” was. By the time I finished my own tour of duty in the Navy, I still didn’t know. It wouldn’t be until the early 90s, having met my wife-to-be and getting started in college, that I would learn. I took the pre-requisite courses in American Government and Economics, usually taught by Democratic ex-politicians. I disagreed with much of what they said, but couldn’t articulate why I disagreed. I found this quite frustrating.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Then I discovered (my wife will say she discovered) a boisterous, somewhat obnoxious man on the radio. I’d never imagined I’d listen to talk radio. That’s something that old people did. But Rush Limbaugh brought something new to the format. He brought a passion that was contagious. He also brought with him the best education in conservatism I’d gotten up until that point. His simple message of self-reliance, personal accountability, and limited government filled the missing gaps in my knowledge of the conservative movement. Later I would read for myself what the core beliefs of conservatism were. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I also discovered that conservatism, not Republicanism, was at the base of my system of values. A party is just a shell, a home club so to speak. The party is made up of men and women with varying opinions and beliefs. But I had to choose a party that fit most closely with my conservative values. Naturally, I assumed the Republican Party—Reagan’s Party—would always be a safe home. I was wrong.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Politicians are driven to find approval. It’s how they get elected and re-elected. And the temptation to stray from their core values for the sake of re-election is often more than they can withstand. Oddly, it was those core values that got them elected in the first place, but the fickle winds of public opinion, driven by a questionable media, often steer them off course. I saw my Republican Party break free from the solid moors of conservatism in the last decade. Spooked by a couple of Democratic victories, they shifted into the mushy world of the “moderate.” I prefer to call it the “Can’t we all just get along” mentality.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">By the time I hit forty, I knew enough of history and politics to realize that what is happening in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:state w:st="on">Washington</st1:state></st1:place> is far from what the founders intended for this nation. Any personal sacrifice I had to make was insignificant compared to the consequences of silence. I, and millions of others, did not go to a Tea Party. The Tea Party gravitated toward us. We did not follow. We made the movement, much like William F. Buckley and like-minded conservatives created that movement fifty years ago. We were not blindly following a man shouting “Hope and Change.” We already knew where our hope rested, long before the ’08 campaign rhetoric. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">As individuals, we hold certain truths to be “self evident,” that we are accountable for our actions, responsible for our futures, and no man-made government maintains either the right or the wisdom to direct the fortunes of hundreds of millions of people. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For those who disagree, who think that we the people are not smart enough to handle our own affairs, they will point to the Tea Party and denounce it as a fraud. They fail to see, because to them everything that matters is on the surface, the underlying pulse of conservative, freedom loving Americans who somehow managed to pull away from their busy lives and gather under signs and yellow flags. Take away the Tea Party if you wish. The patriots will remain. Yes, they won’t annoy you as much if you can’t see them, but the sleeping giant still lives whether he shouts or whispers. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Only a fool believes he has silenced the will of the masses by diminishing the importance of the banner under which they stand. Take my yellow flag, take my sign, take my buttons. That which you fear still remains. We are tens of millions strong. And we are not going away.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The city on a hill will shine again, Mr. President, with our without your approval. Follow your beliefs, my conservative friends, speak boldly and passionately your convictions, do not fear disapproval, know that you are more intelligent than those who claim to hold all wisdom, and nothing can stand in our way.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let’s get this party started.</div>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-46047547992387473722010-05-05T05:16:00.001-05:002010-05-05T08:16:45.306-05:00The Fix is In<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://powerfulbeyondmeasure.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/casablanca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://powerfulbeyondmeasure.files.wordpress.com/2008/12/casablanca.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Senator Harry Reid said yesterday that the Republicans want to block everything they do. I certainly hope so. Maybe, Senator, if everything the Democrats tried to do wasn’t a disaster to the economy, security, and overall well-being of this nation, the Republicans might be easier to get along with.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Senator was speaking, of course, about the bill now on the floor of the Senate that would essentially give the U.S. Government sweeping control over financial institutions. This, of course, is not a step toward socialism. It’s a giant leap.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But here’s how the Dems work. The economic downturn of 2008 was primarily brought about because of a bill first signed by Jimmy Carter and given teeth by Bill Clinton. This is fairly common knowledge now, but the Dems have done a good job of denial. In a nutshell, Fannie May and Freddie Mac, two entities that have no purpose but to suck money from the economy, were “strongly encouraged” to make more home loans available to low-income individuals. Because bankers are not in the business to lose money—the greedy bastards—this went against common business sense. But we’re not talking about common sense, we’re talking about the U.S. Government.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">So, as was predicted by a couple thousand economists, George Bush, and Mrs. Tracy’s Oak Hill Elementary third grade class, the housing market boomed, then busted. The point here is this: the government was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">cause</i> of the economic meltdown. Please repeat that as many times as necessary. Lay down if you need to. It hurts…I know.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">And now we have this bill. President Obama, Harry, and Nancy all proclaim that it will “protect the taxpayers from any future bank failures.” Oh how sweet. Let’s see. The government caused the economic downturn, the government took over a trillion dollars of our money and threw it at the banks, and now they’re proposing a bill to protect us against…what? Them? </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Don’t be silly, Ron. You know better. What the Bailout Bill does is authorize the federal government to decide which banks live and which die. What lovely power. In fact, here’s a thought, and I’m sure no Dem ever considered this. Since there is one party rule in our government right now, I bet that these banks will make darn sure they stay on the Dems good side. The campaign coffers will be flowing with bank money this fall. I mean, if it’s one lesson us peons learned from the health care bill, it’s that if you don’t have enough allies, you simply buy them (we call it a Blanching). </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Now why do you suppose the Republicans would do everything possible to block a bill that would almost guarantee Democrat rule for the next fifty years? How rude of them. Oh, let’s not forget the fact that the government simply has no place in business. If I were a bank that was too big to fail, I might consider making myself small to avoid government attention. I’d be the Bank of Casablanca. Keep a low profile. No gambling going on here. No risk. No loans. Which is probably okay, since the government has sopped up all the available cash anyway, making it darn near impossible for small businesses and private citizens to get credit.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Let’s see. Obama, Harry, and Nancy now have control over health care. They have control over two of our three auto companies. They want control over the banks. And they’ve already tied up a huge chunk of available cash.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">But it’s not socialism. Nossir. It’s protecting the taxpayer. Kind of like being in a great big bear hug. From a great big bear. A great big hungry bear.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Republicans need to block harder. Don’t be the party of No. Be the party of OH HELL NO. Get the job done boys. The <st1:place w:st="on">Cavalry</st1:place>’s coming in November.</div>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-32400256236079080932010-05-03T05:39:00.003-05:002010-05-03T13:33:55.317-05:00My Congressman and yours-Nancy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef012876a9339d970c-600wi" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="323" src="http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/.a/6a00d8341c630a53ef012876a9339d970c-600wi" width="400" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The current regime in <st1:state w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Washington</st1:place></st1:state> has done us all a great favor. Remember the embarrassment you faced when someone asked you who your congressman was or who your senators were and you struggled to come up with a name? Well, guess what, those days are over.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Your congressman, and mine, is Nancy Pelosi.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Your senator, and mine, is Harry Reid (we don’t even need to remember two!).</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">This is so much easier than those backward days of long ago, when congressmen and senators in the same party would vote differently on each bill. They’d actually read the bills, formulate their own opinions, and vote accordingly. My gosh…how did they ever get anything accomplished with all those people thinking for themselves?</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When John Conyers (aka. <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:city w:st="on">Nancy</st1:city></st1:place>) <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACbwND52rrw">announced to the world that he couldn’t be expected to read the health care bill</a>—it was just too darned long with all those big hard words—you could almost hear a sigh of relief from Capitol Hill. Finally, the pressure was off. When John-Nancy, a man who’s been in Congress FORTY FIVE YEARS, two years longer than I’ve been alive, made the decision to throw in the towel on all this silly individualism, he unwittingly released every single Democrat in Congress from hours and hours of boring research and reading. It was like a med school student who’s been told that all homework for the duration of his time has been cancelled! And, since med school students, along with doctors, are dropping like campaign promises, that may be the next trick to reversing another unintended consequence.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Of course, John needed the name change. As <st1:city w:st="on">Nancy</st1:city>, maybe no one will connect him with his wife, Monica Conyers, sentenced to <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/03/10/monica-conyers-wife-to-jo_n_494305.html">jail time after accepting bribes while on the Detroit City Council</a>. It makes one proud to be a Michigander you betcha!</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At least some Democrats in the House voted in opposition to their Dear Leader. Oddly, though, <st1:city w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Nancy</st1:place></st1:city> always gets the votes she needs. I’m sure those few renegades aren’t just tokens to appease the curious masses. That would involve political gamesmanship, and something as important as government takeover of health care would certainly be above politics.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I wanna believe it, don’t you? But then we look toward the Senate. Now, I’m sure I’m the only one here who’s had nightmares in which 59 Harry Reid clones invade my small town and stalk about in search of human brains to devour. They’ve certainly devoured our desire to return to the voting booth. I mean, what’s the point? Fifty-nine men and women, all Democrats, and not one of them had an issue with the most expensive and complex bill in this nation’s history? I suppose that’s possible…I mean, if you ask fifty-nine high school boys if they’d rather go to a lecture on quantum physics or be special guests at the next <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sports Illustrated</i> swimsuit photo shoot, you’d probably get a unanimous vote. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">I should just be more open-minded, I suppose. This is, after all, the twenty-first century. Look at all the problems caused by individuality. Wars, pestilence, disease, the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lifetime</i> channel. Imagine what we could accomplish if we all shared the same ideas, the same thoughts. No dissent. No time wasted on monotonous debate. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In fact, why should we even have to remember Nancy and Harry? Since they’re only following the orders of One, we can just skip the middle man and cut right to the chase. This whole democracy thing is way overrated anyway. Finally, we’ve got our hero to take up his place in the hall of great world leaders, so well loved that they only need one name—Mao, Stalin, Hitler, Che, Castro. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It just shows what can be accomplished if we shed our liberty and individuality and follow the wisest among us. Let’s all write to our congressmen and senators today and let them know they can take the next century off. Obviously, their services are no longer required. </div>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-84886705334538510042010-04-30T05:36:00.003-05:002010-04-30T05:38:19.365-05:00And I didn't even know I was racist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.pjhlaw.co.uk/uploads/images/racist.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://www.pjhlaw.co.uk/uploads/images/racist.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Just so we understand each other, I want to go over the list of activities that are now considered "racist" in this country. I just want to be sure, you know? Having grown up as a Navy brat and spending another four years in the service myself, I've always been color blind. I don't think I heard a true racist statement until I was a teenager and home in Michigan. At least I thought they were racist statements. Now I see I must have been mistaken, because the people uttering them were union Democrats. Just not possible.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> <br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's a good thing, then, that our current leadership and media is doing such a wonderful job at explaining the definition of racism. Here's what I've got so far. These activities are the new racism:</span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Speaking out against your President's policies.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Making illegal immigration illegal.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Owning a Confederate flag.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Failing to mention slavery at an event involving southern history.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Voting for anyone other than Obama.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Voting for a Republican (even if it's an African-American Republican...they don't count).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Disparaging any Democrat who ever uttered anything that used to be considered racist.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drinking Arizona Iced Tea (even though it's brewed in New York).</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Calling anyone a socialist.</span></li>
</ul><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm sure that list is incomplete. Please let me know if I've missed anything. I'm almost afraid to step out the front door or speak in public. What if I ask for a vanilla shake at McDonald's...is that racist? And if I hand the kid at the counter a dollar bill, which contains the image of George Washington, a confirmed slave owner, is that racist? I just don't know anymore. All this time, I thought I was not a bigot. Thank goodness for decent folks like Nancy Pelosi and Janeane Garofalo, who have been so kind to inform me of my hatred toward non-whites. And all this time I thought I was okay.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can we get serious here? These race-baiting liberals are pathetic. The game plan has always been the same: if you can't defend your policies or want to distract the public from figuring out what you're up to, call someone a racist. May I suggest this to those of you who've actually been the victim of racism: you need to stand up and tell these morons to stop using a serious issue like racism for their own political gain. When Janeane Garofalo has the audacity to say that the Tea Parties are the result of racism, somebody in the black community needs to get seriously pissed off. She's cheapened your struggle. So has Nancy Pelosi and any other vicious liberal politician who's only goal in life is to get re-elected and maintain power over all of us, black or white.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those of us on the right don't see color. We see character. If an African-American conservative (yes, they exist) were in the White House, there would be no protests. If there were a white socialist in the White House, you'd have the same people waving "Don't tread on me" flags in every corner of this country. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here's my message to those who are driving a wedge between races and classes in this country: Cut the crap. Stick to the issues and explain to us why it's okay to expand the government into every aspect of our lives. Tell us why it's okay to force disastrous bills down our throats and put honest companies out of business. Explain to us why Arizona should simply be tolerant of thousands of illegals crossing its borders and the violence that has followed. And, by the way, the one in ten of us who are unemployed with no way to provide for our families would love to see these "jobs Americans won't do." And since job creation is so important, please explain how Cap and Trade will not destroy millions of manufacturing jobs in this country. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We so eagerly await your response. Wait a minute...I think I hear something. "He's a racist." Ah, thank you so much for your well thought-out rebuttal. I stand corrected. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe on the November ballot we can simplify the process. We'll just have a box for "Democrat" and one for "Racist Gun Loving Bible Thumping Bigot." That oughta clear things up for those of us who are confused.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br />
</span></span></div>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-44132463751358067492010-04-28T08:59:00.000-05:002010-04-28T08:59:25.912-05:00Why Conservatives can't win, but will anyway<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.thebluehyena.com/linkedimages/Quad/PV-LionTamer-d.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.thebluehyena.com/linkedimages/Quad/PV-LionTamer-d.jpg" width="234" /></a></div>The liberal machine will work hard toward creating a necessity for their existence. It is the conservative's goal to eliminate a reliance on government, even a conservative government. It is this uphill climb, one with no mountain peak in sight, that the conservative finds himself upon. It is why Franklin responded to the woman on the steps, who asked what sort of government they'd given us, "A republic, if you can keep it." There is nothing more tenuous than a government of powerful men and women willing to take a back seat to the will of the masses. It's contrary to human nature. The only way a republic can survive is if the will of millions of people stand firm against a central government that has, as its very core for existence, a desire to grow and gain control over those that give it life.<br />
<br />
It is a fragile balance. We need a government, otherwise anarchy would result. And, as is the nature of men, the government will daily try to convince the masses that they need more of it. When, in fact, it is the government that cannot survive without <i>us</i>. The government, though, is comprised of very intelligent, very well-spoken men and women. Imagine the time and effort it takes to get elected. These are people who have lived every moment of their lives learning to be convincing and likable. So when they tell us we need them to be more powerful--for our own well-being of course--we tend to yield to their demands. We've done it for 200 years. The process of government growth accelerated quickly during the last century as the ability to reach larger number of people grew with technology.<br />
<br />
I won't re-hash the old "boiling frog" analogy, though it may fit. I think a better picture is that of a man living in the jungle. He's unprotected and vulnerable to the wild creatures that surround him. One day he finds a lion cub and thinks, "Aha, I'll befriend this lion and he'll be my protector." Each day he feeds the cub and, indeed, it grows and fights off the other animals that try to attack his master. One day, however, the lion realizes he's much bigger and stronger than his master. He turns to him and says, "Now you will serve me."<br />
<br />
We cannot eliminate our government, but we can restrict its growth, even reverse it (yes, I know, my lion analogy breaks down here...please feed your lion). The simplistic beauty of the Constitution is that it gives a permanent overriding power to the people, not the central government. It is only by our willingness that the government can grow out of control. Hard working men and women, who are most affected by their government, are least likely to step in and control the beast. They simply possess neither the time nor the energy to make a stand. And the larger the government grows, the more it taxes them, forcing them to work even harder and longer to simply provide for their families. In this continuous cycle of work-get taxed-work harder, the master quickly becomes the servant.<br />
<br />
But, as we've seen over the last year, there comes a breaking point into what we are willing to accept. While the collective intelligence and shrewdness of several hundred politicians is, indeed, difficult to surmount, it pales in comparison to the will of hundreds of millions of "simple" men and women whose desire for liberty, though rarely stirred, will crush any hint of tyranny and drive it back to submission.<br />
<br />
No, we cannot appeal to millions of people whenever we choose. We have no access to a constant parade of television crews and well-groomed news anchors. We have no single voice that will stand against an onslaught of half-truths and deception. What we do have is a will to be free. It hasn't changed in 200 years, though the faces may have. It's a will that has stopped one tyrant after another, those who would snatch our freedom from us to expand their own power and wealth. It is the most powerful force this world has ever conjured.<br />
<br />
Many will say I'm being dramatic. This is just partisan politics. America is not going to go the way of a socialist regime. I ask you to step back and consider the big picture. Look at the slow, methodical intrusion of government into our lives over the last century. And always under programs with sweet sounding names--The New Deal, The Great Society--that promise more fairness and protection from uncertain economic forces. All of these programs have produced horrific debt and "unintended consequences." The government solution to the problems it has created is--you guessed it--more government programs. That's a hungry lion, brother, and we're fresh out of steak.<br />
<br />
Americans of every race, gender, and religion have a much greater hunger. We hunger for freedom and the right to choose our own destiny. We often choose poorly and fail, but it's our choice, and unhampered freedom allows us to recover quickly from those poor choices. It is insulting for any politician to stand and claim to represent one ethnic or gender group. Last I checked, they're supposed to represent Americans. Any claim of representation to one group or another is, in itself, divisive and racist. We won't tolerate it any longer.<br />
<br />
There's a big whip lashing out across this country. It's time to put the lion back in its cage.Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-3799377487753402792010-04-26T05:28:00.000-05:002010-04-26T05:28:46.880-05:00Profit: the 8th deadly sin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Tymms-Illuminating/pages/43-letterP/43-letterP-q75-339x409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://www.fromoldbooks.org/Tymms-Illuminating/pages/43-letterP/43-letterP-q75-339x409.jpg" width="265" /></a></div>Like many of you, I watched in horror as 15,000 protesters from teachers unions rallied in Springfield, Illinois to demand--are you ready for this--that the legislature raise their taxes. Like most states, Illinois is experiencing a budget crises. And, unlike our federal government, they understand the injustice of mounting debt to pass along to the next generations. Like a company, a state must make cuts when times are tough and they're not taking in enough cash to cover costs. For those of you who never took basic accounting or have spent too many years in Washington, D.C., the calculation is quite complex:<br />
<br />
Profit = Income-Expenses<br />
<br />
Yes, I used the "P" word. Punishable by imprisonment inside the beltway. I believe they're working on a death sentence now. For my liberal friends, profit does not equate greed. Profit means you're not losing money, going out of business, firing all your employees, eating Alpo, etc. I know, in the perfect world we'd all break even, or at least have all our profits taxed 100% to give to one of the thousands of illegal aliens on the verge of receiving amnesty. After all, they'll need a car so they can go vote for their Democratic friends who penned the amnesty bill.<br />
<br />
Back to Illinois. The teacher's unions are rallying the troops to demand that the <i>taxpayer</i> foot the bill to ensure that none of them lose their jobs. Let me help with another definition. Taxpayer: they guy who just got his salary or hours reduced but is happy to have a job so he can support his wife and three kids. Yes, he should turn over some more cash to the state employees. That's fair.<br />
<br />
I can help Illinois out. Go to YouTube and search for "Illinois teachers protest." You'll find about a dozen of your best and brightest spouting nonsense (not to mention very bad singing) about their incredible lack of economic knowledge. My favorite is the woman who said she owned a business, but her taxes shouldn't be raised because "those other" businesses make a much bigger profit. Oooh, there's that word again. I think any business person who claims a profit on their tax forms should be forced to wear a scarlet "P" on their lapel. That way society will know exactly who is to blame for the economic meltdown, global warming, and the Lion's 0-18 season. This woman, like many others there, exemplify the liberal position of "tax the rich, but make sure you draw the poverty line just a smidgen over my income level."<br />
<br />
Now, I want to compare this rally with those of the evil Tea Partiers.<br />
<br />
The Illinois show was arranged by union leaders. The protesters were bussed in (kind of like election day). They protested for higher taxes against the working man to support their income. The prevailing theme was money. More money for them, less for the 99% of the population who do not belong to a public service union.<br />
<br />
The Tea Parties are the most disorganized rabble this nation has ever known, save for the aforementioned Detroit Lions. They check the internet for a local Tea Party, hear about one through the grapevine, or just start one themselves. They drive themselves during off hours or take vacation time. They are peaceful, full of energy, and love their country. And what do they demand?<br />
<br />
Sacrifice.<br />
<br />
Sacrifice for themselves so that their children will not inherit the mess we've gotten ourselves into. Tea Partiers are willing to give up their social security checks even though they'll probably have to pay into it for their entire working lives. Tea Partiers want less government services for themselves, less "free" health care, less government intrusion. Despite the rhetoric from the left, conservatives aren't fixated on money. Who do you see shouting "show me the money!" at their rallies? Not Tea Partiers. Not conservatives. Conservatives are interested in the maximum level of prosperity for ALL.<br />
<br />
If a kid growing up on the streets of South Central L.A. wants to start his own business and pull out of the mire, the government needs to get out of his way. Not hit him with so many taxes, fees, and unnecessary regulations that he can't even get the doors open.<br />
<br />
Who is going to stand by that kid's side and demand fairness? Not the unions. He's too small. Not the Democrats. They need him on the government dole so he'll continue to vote for them. It will be Tea Partiers, conservatives, the greedy "Profiteers."<br />
<br />
One party has done an excellent job of convincing the world that they stand for the little guy, the working man. It's the greatest con game in history. Since Johnson's Great Society sunk it's claws into our economy, the plight of minorities, small business, and every taxpayer has gotten worse. If the Republican party cannot stand up and shine a light on this obvious fraud, we'll continue to have more of the same. So far, it looks like the Repubs are getting the message. Don't blow it. Stand with the Tea Partiers and conservatives and be the party of the little guy. I'll proudly pin on my scarlet "P" and stand by you.Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-37348259097564137132010-04-24T06:59:00.002-05:002010-04-24T07:00:34.291-05:00Stick to the premise<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.black-and-right.com/wp-content/uploads/Chris-Matthews.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="297" src="http://www.black-and-right.com/wp-content/uploads/Chris-Matthews.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A classic liberal tactic is to distract his conservative counterpart with specific incidents that have occurred in the long battle for the direction of this country. A good example is the one I presented in my previous post, where the liberal brings up the fact that George Bush also spent wildly over what the government took in. This somehow makes it palitable that the current administration doubles that deficit spending and then some. Another example is the case of the Tea Party movement. If the liberal can find just one case of racism among the millions of protestors, the entire movement is disqualified. </span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">This is where it's important for the conservative to stick to his or her premise. That's the baseline of our argument. Essentially, it's this: </span></span></span></span><br />
<ul><li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">limited government as is <i>clearly</i> outlined in the U.S. Constitution</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">free market</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">personal accountability</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">respect for the sanctity of human life</span></li>
</ul><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">State your belief that these simple steps will create an environment that will allow greater prosperity for a larger number of people. Then ask your liberal friend which of those points he or she disagrees with.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">The liberal will continually try to pull you from your premise because he has no real argument against it, other than "corporations are greedy" or some other tired catch phrase. Of course, the corporation that provides their paycheck, house, TV, and electric vehicle is not the problem. It's all those other ones.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">History has proven irrifutably that conservatism, even in small doses, results in unprecedented prosperity while socialism (which is the end result of the liberal playbook) causes suffering and poverty on a mass scale. Therefore, the liberal must focus on the issue of the moment to prevail in any debate. As I've stated previously, racism is the issue du jour. Other popular distractions include: the war, housing market crash (remind me to illustrate how liberal polices created that one), health care, and the most recent sex scandal (unless, of course, a liberal is involved).</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Let me illustrate the liberal rationale:</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">A conservative football coach and a liberal football coach meet on the field after the game. The liberal coach says, "Man, you must be terribly embarassed by that fumble in the second quarter." The conservative coach looks at his opponent as if the man had just fallen off the carbon truck and says, "Not really, we beat you 63 to nothing."</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;">Don't get into an argument about the second quarter fumble, my friends. Stick to your game plan. A free market, limited government, and low taxes will deliver prosperity for the maximum number of people at any given time. Write it on your palm if necessary. By sticking to your premise, which you know to be true, no argument can overpower you. No matter how eloquent the speaker, how famous the writer, how prestigious the university professor, a well spoken bucket of dung is still a bucket of dung.</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 13px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: medium;"><br />
</span></span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">Simple truth trumps an elaborate lie every time.</span>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-62472806877099766362010-04-23T05:35:00.000-05:002010-04-23T05:35:40.944-05:00Bush spent money too!This is my favorite argument fired from the liberal left: Tea Partiers didn't protest the deficit spending of President Bush, so they're hypocrites for protesting the spending of President Obama. Actually, we're referred to as racist for protesting deficit spending, but I won't even dignify that childish claim with a response.<br />
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First of all, conservatives did protest the deficit spending of President Bush. No, we didn't gather in crowds at the time. The level of spending hadn't quite reached critical mass. The only acceptable deficit spending is that done in time of national emergency, like, say, killing 3000 Americans because we have the audacity to be Americans. Even then, conservatives protested, albeit silently. Conservatives make lousy protesters. You see, it is in our nature to actually work for a living. Any protest must be carried out during our lunch hour. That doesn't allow much time to get a really good frenzy going. The liberal protesters are awe-inspiring. They take to the streets for days at a time. If not for my selfish need for a paycheck and a shower, I'd be all over that game plan!<br />
<br />
Back to the spending. Seriously, are these people really going to compare the Bush spending to Obama? That's like comparing a shoplifter to Al Capone. It reminds me of a passage in the Bible: Saul has killed his thousands but David has killed his tens of thousands! Unfortunately, the tens of thousands, actually trillions, being killed are dollars that my kids will be straddled with. I know liberals prefer name-calling to facts, but please bear with me. Facts are just so much darned fun! Take a look at this graph, if you can do so without crying:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/obama_budget_deficit_2010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="587" src="http://blog.heritage.org/wp-content/uploads/obama_budget_deficit_2010.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />
The deficit under Bush, in his worst year, was just shy of $500billion. Again, I can't defend that. Bush clearly lost his conservative moorings during his presidency. But look at Obama's very first year in office. Yes, I've heard the arguments that it was "necessary" to get the nation on the road to recovery. That's crap. The last president who tried to spend his way out of a recession took this country into a ten year depression that "ended" only with the outbreak of WWII (another myth, by the way, otherwise, let's just find a good war and all our problems will be solved).<br />
<br />
The premise of those opposed to the Tea Party movement is that if Bush did it, it's okay for Obama to do it, even on a grander scale. Sounds a bit like my kids. "All my friends are going to see <i>Texas Chainsaw Gang Rape IV</i>, so I should get to go too!" May I be the first Tea Partier to apologize for not taking to the streets ten years ago. Now that I've taken that first, bold step, can we move forward?<br />
<br />
What I see ahead of us is unsustainable debt, inflation, higher taxes, and (dare I say it?) a once proud nation groveling before the United Nations or the EU for a bail out. Remember, whoever holds your debt is your master. And our master will insist that we model our nation after their European-socialist structure. If you're in favor of that, you may return to your previously scheduled Tea Party bashing. If you believe that America is still the greatest nation ever conceived and a shining example for the oppressed masses living under socialist regimes, then let's get off the couch and have ourselves a good old-fashioned protest. I'll bring the snacks.Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-76556110495273673422010-04-22T04:45:00.000-05:002010-04-22T04:45:51.536-05:00That troublesome Bill of Rights<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.cqpress.com/incontext/constitution/images/Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="262" src="http://www.cqpress.com/incontext/constitution/images/Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">A new label has sprung from the bowels of the liberal left: <i>Tenther</i>. A "tenther" is someone who believes that individual states should maintain most of the power to govern their respective peoples. It's not a new idea. In fact, it's that silly old Constitution that guarantees it. The tenth ammendment of your United States Constitution states:</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's put that into some simple language: The United States is to be governed by a small, limited government. The vast majority of power will exist at the state level. That means, my friends, that things like the Department of Education, Health Care, free mopeds, what have you, are to be voted upon at the state level. The federal government has far overstepped the boundaries established in the U.S. Contstitution so often that an semblence to the actual United States of America is purely coincadental.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You don't agree? Let's try taking that nasty old tenth ammendment apart. Remember these fun "skill builders" from 5th grade English?</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<b>The powers NOT DELEGATED to the United States by the Constitution,</b>" That means, kids, that this amendment refers to everything, and I do mean everything, not mentioned in our 4 page Constitution. <a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html">Specifically, Article 1, section 8</a>. If the Constitution doesn't grant the power to the federal government, they don't just get to make one up under the guise of providing for the "good and welfare" of the general public. It's interesting to note here that our founders felt so strongly about limiting the powers of the central government that they felt the need to write an amendment to support what was already made clear in the original document. Apparently, it takes at least three documents to convince our current leadership.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<b>nor prohibited by it to the States,</b>" Unless the Constitution spefically prohibits something from the individual states, it's fair game. For the states, <i>not</i> the federal government.</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span> </span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<b>are RESERVED TO THE STATES respectively, or to the PEOPLE</b>." Say, that's us! If we put the first and last part together and paraphrase, the tenth amendment says:</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Any power not granted to the United States government by the Constitution may only be taken up by the individual state governments. </b></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The U.S. Constitution still exists as one the most endearing governing documents in human history. The men who wrote it were all too familiar with governments that grew out of control and, in essence, reduced their masses to servants of the government, instead of the other way around.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The founders of this nation established the levels of government from a "bottom up" viewpoint. The majority of the power would remain at the state and local level. That way, we could never end up with a system in which 300 million people were governed by a few. Because the founders understood the nature of men, they understood all too well the disaster of that scenario. Even if the current administration doesn't abuse the power it has granted itself, it has created the environment for such abuse to exist. Unless every President from this point forward is the absolute picture of morality, we're leaving the door to the hen house wide open. It only takes one fox.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Someone is taking issue...ah, you there in the back row. Yes? I see. The comment is that our nation today does not resemble that of the loosely scattered colonies to which our founders drafted the Constitution. At that time, each state had different economies, a different societal make-up, specific needs. Very true. No doubt, today's America is much more homogeneous than the America of the late eighteenth century. Clearly, back then, it would have been prudent to allow each state to master its own destiny.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The founders, however, weren't only concerned with maintaining socio-economic make-up of each state. By the way, I would argue that there are still large differences between the individual states today. If that statement is wrong, then we have no use for state level governments. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What the founders understood better than most, like I've stated, is the nature of man. Those in power will invariably believe that their's is the only possible solution, and will take whatever steps necessary to maintain their position. We're not talking vicious dictators here. Those in power honestly believe they are doing the right thing, and will argue passionately their cause. In order to achieve those high levels of office, they must be well-spoken, charismatic, and convincing. This is why their power must be held strictly to what the Constitution allows. George Washington said that "we are not a nation of men, we are a nation of laws." The laws penned in the Constitution establish a solid foundation on which this country continues to stand. Today, we're chiseling away at that foundation. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What, exactly, do we plan on replacing it with?</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #463e3e; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution.html">Check out the Constitution and other founding documents here.</a></span><br />
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</span>Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11756368.post-88035675711356136122010-04-20T12:35:00.000-05:002010-04-20T12:35:28.112-05:00An Exchange of Ideas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2008/09/elephant-donkey-boxing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2008/09/elephant-donkey-boxing.jpg" width="299" /></a></div>A very good friend of mine expressed his concern that my political posts on Facebook were getting a bit too polarizing. That's unfortunate, because it's not my intent to place a wedge between free thinkers on opposite sides of the issues. I'm not sure when it happened in America, but we've somehow tumbled from a nation of ideas, in which folks gathered in taverns over a pint and discussed issues and theories, to a nation that forces each of us to choose sides and toss mud over a concrete wall.<br />
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I must admit my own guilt first. I've gotten caught up in the hyper-dramatization of of opposing viewpoints. Perhaps it's too much reality TV. I think, if America is to remain a great nation, it will be when individuals return to some state of open dialogue. We fought a war with real bullets so that we'd never have to return to such extremes again. But if we continue to build this wall between Americans who differ even slightly in opinion, I fear we are heading down that path again. Besides, you simply cannot get a decent bottle of ale on the battlefield.<br />
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What I find most concerning is that there are truly intelligent, even brilliant, people in this country who are not willing to voice their opinion for fear it may alienate those close to them. That is a tragedy. America was built on ideas. For the new generation of builders to suppress their gift of intellect is akin to a great artist fearful of displaying his work in public.<br />
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In the world of fiction writing, tension is the bond that holds a story together for two-hundred pages or more. It is the same in real life; without that intellectual tension, our minds stagnate and we end up a generation incapable of expressing ideas. If we go about our days discussing nothing more intellectually stimulating than the latest episode of <i>American Idol </i>or the Lotto jackpot, then that life transcript will end up on the reject pile within two sentences. <br />
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If we cannot discuss our differences on the battlefield of ideas without reducing ourselves to public shunning, then America, like a novel with no tension, will slip off into mediocrity. As it stands, all sides are preaching to their respective choirs. How great is thy comfort zone.<br />
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So let's begin here. I'll post my thoughts on this here blog. I'm very conservative, so that's where my debate will always begin. For a good explanation of what that is, check out the <a href="http://www.heritage.org/Initiatives/First-Principles">Heritage Foundation "First Principles</a>." I also base my economic theory on that of the <a href="http://mises.org/">Austrian School of Economic Theory</a>. I'm not an economist by any stretch, but I like the free market approach.<br />
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The rules (because it's my football and my backyard) are simple: comment with thoughtful responses, ones that you think will change my opinion (if you disagree) or support my opinion (if you agree). Once the debate is reduced to numerous exclamation points or ALL CAPS, we call a truce and move on. Fair 'nuff? Trust me, my friends, both those who agree and those who disagree, there is nothing more fearful to a tyrannical government than a society of thinking men and women who are willing to boldly voice their opinions.<br />
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Just ask a King named George.Ron Estradahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02541815617206061088noreply@blogger.com0