Tracking Suspicious Activity...or TSA for short.

There is much talk recently about the TSA and airport security. Finally deciding to put my two cents onto the Internet, I give you my thoughts.

National security is of vital importance. Since September 11, 2001 airport security has been amped up. However, since then there have been several attempts of terrorist activity on planes. May I recall your memory to the Christmas day underwear bomber, and just last month with suspicious packages aboard flights from Yemen. We should all be wondering how these attempts were not stopped before they got on the plane. For instance, the underwear bomber was already on the “DO NOT ENTER LIST.” Why wasn’t he stopped before getting on the plane!? Kudos to those passengers who stopped this guy.

Just recently, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to adopt a policy of full body scanners. The body scanners are supposed to detect any possible threat while looking at an x-ray of you naked. From what I have heard and read, it cannot detect instruments of destruction inside of a person. Hopefully, the metal detectors can do that.

If one feels insecure about the full body scanners there is another option, the more “traditional” option: pat-downs. TSA and airport security used to have to use the back of their hands to pat passengers down, now they can use their palms to get a “better feel.” You read that right, TSA officials can get a quick feel and grab if they so choose. Better yet, you might get asked to go through the body scanner too! You better not be shy if you are planning on flying anytime soon!

Now you might be wondering what the big deal is. Why are people getting all fired up about this issue? Well there are few explanations: 1) people feel that their personal privacy is being violated and 2) people are thinking the government is being too intrusive. Remember back to the Patriot Act and my last post on the Patriot Act, people thought that this is going too far; the government is getting too involved in our personal lives. Well, this issue, I feel, falls into the same category.

From what I have read and gather, the images from the full body scanner depict us completely naked. This might not be that big of deal if it prevents attacks on the plane. However, these images are stored somewhere; we don’t know exactly where but the government now has naked pictures of us. Hopefully they have a warning on there that says, “You must be 18 years or older to view these pictures.”

The government can claim that there have been no successful attacks on our country, via planes, since the full body scanners have been implemented. This is a true statement. However, the government seems to be going against their ideals on personal privacy. For instance, in the Supreme Court case Rowe V. Wade, the Supreme Court ruled that the women have the right to privacy. Wouldn’t one think that, if this issue of full body scanners reaches the Supreme Court that the Court will have to strike it down since it is an attack against personal privacy? Obviously you can refuse to go through the body scanner and you can refuse to get the pat-down but that means you might get fined and you definitely will not be getting on your flight.

One would think that it is hard to argue against the government, and this is also a true statement. However, on this issue, it seems that the people are winning. Many people feel that the TSA is going too far. I tend to agree with those that are outraged. This has gone so far that one passenger has chose to strip down instead of getting touched by a TSA agent. Even worse, one passenger got so embarrassed that he peed his pants. I am quite surprised that the Department of Homeland Security has decided to keep going with the full body scanners after all of this outrage.

The TSA has said that they will have the scans on a minimal during this holiday season. Hopefully the TSA comes up with a better way of screening passengers because this is not acceptable. Does this mean going back to racial profiling? Probably not. Just to clarify, I am not too worried about going through the scanner because I have nothing to hide and if it is for safety measures. However, I feel like this might be going a bit too far and I am not too sure how comfortable I would be with some TSA agent grabbing my junk. But I strongly believe there has to be a better way for those who would prefer not to go through the scanners…

Who likes Earmarks?

We just witnessed one of the biggest swings of political power in our nation’s history. In 2008, many people thought the Republican Party was done. Then again, they also thought the Republican Party was done in the 1976 too. Needless to say, in 1980 and 2010 the Republican Party has bounced back; and this time, we’re here to stay.

My previous post was about the elections and how the Tea Party and those who were supported by the Tea Party got there. The Tea Party movement should not be taken lightly. They are not a political party by any means. However, they can and have made an impact on the previous election(s), remember January 2010 and November 2010. Let me take this time to remind everyone that the Tea Party, the Republican Party, and Conservatives want to be fiscally responsible. The Republican Party wants to be fiscally responsible as of late because they have seen what the Tea Party movement can do during the election. Maybe the Democrats have noticed too? We shall see.

How does a country that is approximately $14 trillion in debt and in a recession become fiscally responsible? Good question. Obviously this cannot and will not happen over night or in the next two years. However, the incoming freshman class and now some top Republicans have joined together to try and solve this problem.

Newly elected Republicans, (that includes the newly elected Tea Partiers) won based on anti-Obamanomics. The majority of the country did not like the way the country was headed and they have bought into the notion of being fiscally responsible. For those of you that do not know who Congressman Paul Ryan is, I suggest you look into him. Congressman Ryan has a 5 point roadmap to recovery seen here. Due to the objective of this post, I will not go into detail of his plan, but I will say that I approve of it and wish high ranking Republicans in both the House and Senate would jump on this.

What newly elected Republicans would like to see is a stop in wasteful government spending. Now, wasteful spending has been going on for years. Will it ever stop? Probably not. One issue that gets the Tea Party and now Republicans upset is earmarks. Once again, earmarks will probably never cease to exist. Just recently, top Republicans have vowed to put a moratorium on earmarks. This is exactly what the American public wanted to hear. Hopefully, they will keep their promise.

I am totally for stopping earmarks. Unfortunately, I do not think this will stop them from being placed in legislation. Some people that get into a position of power realize they now can benefit from their position and will include pet projects in legislation. These pet projects could range from literally anything! Is this wasteful spending? You bet! Don’t get me wrong, Republicans, just like Democrats have had earmarks put in legislation. I for one, think this is totally unacceptable. Why should someone in New York pay for some bridge in Florida that they will never use? I thought states were supposed to regulate and appropriate funds for projects inside their own state? This is the reason why the federal government should not bail out California or New York! But that is another issue for another time.

To the more serious point to this post: I strongly believe there is someone in the Republican Party who is a closet Liberal. He is a closet Liberal because of his stance on earmarks. There are other issues that make him a closet Liberal too, but for the sake of this post, I am focusing on earmarks.

The award for closet Liberal goes to: Senator Mitch McConnell! Now I know some of you might be confused why I am making this claim. I will explain. Senator McConnell reminds me a lot of Senator John Kerry, Mr. Flip-Flop himself. Right after the elections two weeks ago, McConnell said that he does not think they should ban earmarks. Now, Mr. McConnell has done a 180 and decided that we should ban, or at least temporarily stop earmarks from happening. There is two possible answers to his change-of-mind: 1) He strongly believes that earmarks are wasteful, or 2) he realizes that he will get ousted if he continues to not work to be fiscally responsible and listen to the people. I’m going to go out on a limb and say answer number 2 is the right choice.

Still, this allegation of mine, that McConnell is a closet Liberal, may come to a surprise to most. For instance, McConnell has an American Conservative Union Lifetime rating of 89.66%. The reason why McConnell did not want to ban earmarks is because in the fiscal year 2008-2009 he has asked for 158 total earmarks. For instance, in 2009 he asked for $21,400,000 to build an elementary school and the University of Louisville Research Foundation got $5,709,000 from the tax payers. Check this out. Closet Liberal? I think so.

But why did McConnell change his mind so quickly? Probably because he did not want to be found out. Most of the earmarks he asked for were put under “military spending/funding” but had nothing to do with the military. Mr. McConnell most likely did not want to be challenged in the next election and/or challenged for the Senate Republican leadership position. So the easy way out is to follow party lines and this new wave of being fiscally responsible. I have no problem if someone has a strong conviction and truly believes that earmarks are completely acceptable. However, earmarks for the most part is wasteful spending. I do not think there is an argument there. If earmarks are not wasteful, please prove it to me. I stand on the position that I should not have to pay for some other states bridge, school, roads, etc. etc. just because some politician wants the federal government to pay for it.

Senator McConnell, you may have fooled the rest of the Republican Party, Conservatives, and Tea Partiers, but you have not fooled me. You, sir, are a flip-flopping closet liberal.

Pelosi was FIRED!

November 2008 was a gloomy month. Then, Senator Obama was just elected to become the next president and the Democrats increased their lead in both of the houses. Being a Republican was not fun. Most people then wrote the Republican Party off and thought they would get passed by a third party. Plenty of pundits strongly believed there would be no more Republican Party in the near future.

Some of us, however, kept the faith. Some Republicans, like myself, realized that this might be an opportunity for us to reorganize. The reorganization of the Republican Party started with Senator Scott Brown’s victory in Massachusetts, Chris Christie’s victory in New Jersey, and Bob McDonnell’s victory in Virginia. First off, nobody thought a Republican would ever win a Kennedy’s former seat, especially in Massachusetts. All of the pundits that wrote off the Republican Party back in November 2008 were shocked to see a resurgence of the Republican Party.

This was not your grandparents Republican Party anymore. This resurgence was helped along with a group that calls them self the Tea Party or Tea Partiers. This group simply wants less government, stricter interpretation of the Constitution, and less taxes. Oddly enough, this group was formed by libertarians who usually align themselves with conservatives or Republicans.

Some in the Republican Party, like Michael Steele, refused to acknowledge the Tea Party group. Some, even most of the media pundits and liberals called the Tea Partiers “extreme racists.” However, the Tea Party persevered and the Republican Party was reluctant to start taking the Tea Party seriously. There is some areas that still need improvement between the two, but things seem to be on the upside for them.

These past two years were tough for the entire country. These past two years were also tough for Tea Party supporters and Republicans. However, yesterday that all changed. If anyone would have asked leaders of the Republican Party or the Democrat Party if the Republicans would gain control of the House in 2010 they would have laughed at you. Look who is laughing now, the Republican Party.

Yesterday, Republicans regained control of the House. Republicans gained a net total of 60 seats, as of right now. They have a total of 239 seats while the Democrats have 185. Most people were not expecting gains this big. Most expected Republicans to gain control of the House but not by this much. Before the 2nd of November, some people thought there was an outside chance of the Republicans gaining control of the Senate too. Well, the Republicans only gained a total of 6 seats.

As the lame duck session is about to begin, Republicans need to remember how and why the won this past election. Some people think that this election shows that the country is more divided than ever. However, that is a complete lie. If anything, this election shows that the country it more untied than ever. This election shows that people are sick and tired of the way the Obama administration and the Democrats have been handling issues such as the economy. The American people spoke. The American people are upset with the Obama administration. The people are also upset with Republicans too. This is not the time for Republicans to sit back and relax but it is a time for the Republicans to do what the American people want and listen to them! I am more than confidant that the Republican Party realizes they will be out of a job just as quickly as they got their job if they do not listen to the American people.

This was truly an exciting election. For you Democrats/liberals, you now know how I felt in 2008. I can assure you that you will eventually get over it. But if you are a Republican/conservative, be wary. This is just the beginning; we have 2012 to look forward to too. This might have been one of the most, if not the most significant election of our lives so far. Only time will tell what will happen in the ensuing months. Hopefully the economy will get better and we will be prosperous once again!

Economics.

Apparently, economists have said that the recession is over. The summer of recovery worked! Oh, never mind the thousands of people that apply for unemployment everyday, never mind the increasing unemployment rates, and never mind the continued decrease of the U.S. dollar. It is all part of the mast recovery plan.

This week in the political arena the House was debating on whether or not to extend the Bush-era tax cuts to everyone or just to some. Despite the four dozen plus Democrats that were in favor of extending the tax cuts, the House decided to adjourn so they could hit the campaign trail a week early. Seems to me that the Democrats are really nervous about this upcoming election.

As of June unemployment is 9.6% nationally. Yes, it could be worse, but wouldn’t one think that since the recession is over that the unemployment rate would be down to around 6%? Just the other week, unemployment claims rose another 456,000: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/23/AR2010092301481.html
I think someone should tell those 456,000 people that just filed for unemployment that the recession is over. However, an interesting article that appeared in yesterday’s Washington Post said that Americans are still least likely to work farm jobs: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/09/27/AR2010092701753.html.

It really seems like the Democrats know that they are going to lose the House in November and possibly lose the Senate too. President Obama and Vice-President Biden continue to lambaste voters and telling them to “buck-up” : http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704116004575521901674416306.html. They are having a tough time reconnecting with voters because the voters are totally disgusted with Congress. For instance, Speaker Nacy Pelosi’s approval ratings are as low as BP’s: http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/Pelosis-negatives-hit-all-time-high-as-unpopular-as-BP-103977024.html#ixzz10sylHcYh.

The point of this post is not to explain why the American people are disgusted with Congress right now and why the Democrats are going to lose in November, rather, it is about why the economy is still not recovering.

Essentially, China owns the U.S. It might be true that China needs the U.S. more than the U.S. needs China. Simply put, without the U.S. China would not be able to sell or buy as much debt or businesses. Everyday the U.S.’s debt continues to rise. Congress continues to spend billions, even trillions of money that is not there and yet they still cannot decide to extend tax cuts for all or some. The U.S dollar is struggling against every other currency: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-09-29/dollar-is-near-five-month-low-versus-euro-on-fed-debt-purchase-speculation.html. However, on a good note, now would be the ideal time to buy gold. When the U.S. dollar is struggling do politicians and economists really expect the American public to have confidence in the economy? I think not.
There are rare signs that the economy is doing slightly better than it was in 2008. For instance, the stock market is supposed to have its best September since 1939: http://www.cnbc.com/id/39430155. This is still concerning. If one remembers the Great Depression of the 1930s the economy of today almost mirrors it, except on a smaller scale. During the Great Depression, the economy showed signs of recovery about 2 years in but then had another horrible collapse. I am not an economist but some economists have projected another economic collapse sometime in the near future.

To prevent further damage several things need to happen. First off, tax cuts for all need to be extended. Along with that, spending needs to be cut. After both of those things are done we would see a little positive shock to the economy. Tax cuts will create incentives not only for tax payers to spend their money but it will also give businesses incentives to create more jobs. It is a fantastic idea. When spending is cut, we could hopefully start paying off our national debt. That might be a good start. When there incentives out there for tax payers and businesses we might see a resurgence of the U.S. dollar which will create consumer confidence. A strong dollar means a strong U.S. economy.

By no means are we in a depression. However, the recession is still here and for those of us about to graduate college, we should be nervous about finding a job.

Patriot Act 2.0

Does everyone remember October 26, 2001? It was the infamous day that liberals screamed afoul. It was the day that President Bush signed H.R. 3162. For those of you that do not know what bill that was, it is the Patriot Act. Just a quick reminder, the bill passed the House 357-66 and passed the Senate 98-1.

One might be wondering why I bring this topic up. Just recently, the Obama administration has proposed legislation to tape the internet. For instance, they could check our emails, Facebook, Twitter, etc. because they are looking out for our security. Or is there another reason they proposed this legislation? I thought that these same people were the ones to speak out against the Patriot Act because it violated privacy. (Check out the source at the bottom of this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA_PATRIOT_Act)

The Patriot Act seems legitimate at its core. The purpose is “To deter and punish terrorist acts in the United States and around the world, to enhance law enforcement investigatory tools...” (http://epic.org/privacy/terrorism/hr3162.html). When this bill was passed, mostly everyone was feeling patriotic after the attacks on our land. Most people wanted those who committed these atrocities to pay and we would do anything and everything to make sure they were held responsible and answer to our wrath. Ensuing September 11, 2001, we went to war against terrorism, we passed the Patriot Act, and we created the Department of Homeland Security. Everything seemed to be running smoothly.

All of a sudden, our post-9/11 sentiment ended. Some people started to hate the war because they thought it was just like Vietnam via the interpretations made by the media. Liberals started to hate Gitmo because they wanted to give terrorists their rights. Also, some people hated the Patriot Act because they wanted to be left alone and not have their private lives under scrutiny and this fear of the government listening into your phone conversations and what books one would take out of the library swept the nation. Most liberal leaders like the ACLU, Feingold and countless others screamed with outrage.

May I pose a question: where are these leaders now that Obama has proposed similar legislation but to look at personal emails, Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc.? Does this not seem a bit like a double standard? This legislation would not only affect private citizens but it would affect businesses. It could affect our trading policies, our open markets, and countless other parts of our economy too. For instance, how much would this cost our already ailing economy? Two interesting articles are as followed: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_hi_te/us_internet_wiretaps and http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN2026411320100921

Now for the fun part: my personal opinion. I have had no problem with the Patriot Act. I understand that some people feel that it violates their privacy. I totally understand that. Here is one question for those that are anti-Patriot Act: if you do not check out any books that have to deal with making bombs or terrorist activities and if you do not have phone conversations planning to blow something up, what is there to fear the government listening or looking at your life? I have nothing to hide. I’m sure 99% of Americans have nothing to hide, maybe even more. As for this new legislation being proposed, I feel the same way, to an extent. I have questions to whether or not this is looking for people that speak out against the administration (which I highly doubt is the case since that is unconstitutional), or is this to actually look for suspected terrorists? Like I said before, I have nothing to hide; I’m not a terrorist, contrary to popular belief. However, I would like to see those who so vehemently opposed the Patriot Act oppose this legislation too. Double –standards at its finest.

Republicans vs. Tea Partiers

The Republican Party is a bit torn right now. After a clear domination of Tea Party candidates in primary races in many states this past week, the Republican Party needs to decide if they are with or against the Tea Partiers.

After Delaware’s Republican Senate primary on Tuesday many Republicans were upset that O’Donnell won a close race. These upset Republicans were hoping the very moderate Republican, Congressman Mike Castle won the primary. Maybe these Republicans don’t realize that Mr. Castle was ok with siding with Obama and the pretty liberal members with Congress. The upset Republicans apparently think that it is an ok thing to not stand up for your true beliefs and follow the “flow.” But these upset Republicans are forgetting something: the “flow” is what people are upset about.

All of that “Hope and Change” that Obama has promised hasn’t come true. It has continued to be politics as usual; lobbyists, big corporate money, favors, and games continue to dominate Washington. That is exactly what the Tea Party wants to stop. Sounds pretty familiar, huh? I think I remember. Back in the presidential election I think I remember Obama wanting to “change” Washington. Well that hasn’t happened.

I am not saying that the Tea Party candidates that are hopeful Congressman/women, Senators, and Governors will do any better. However, they would be elected by people who are not afraid to throw them out of office. Last time I checked, the Republicans used to stand for this too. However, they have lost their ways. If the Republicans do not side and support those Tea Party candidates that won their primary races, November will not be as victorious as hoped for.

Here is what the Republican Party needs to do. First, they need to come out and support the Tea Party candidates. They need to funnel money into their campaigns and do whatever they can to help. Second, the Republican Party needs to embrace this new movement of angry voters and use it to their advantage. If the Republicans do this, they can see their lead in many of the close races in November go in their favor and potentially it could carry over to 2012. Thirdly, the Republican Party needs to admit that they did not help their cause these past two years. They did not stand up against Pelosi, Reid, and Obama. They were weak and afraid of losing their seats. The Republicans need to realize (and the Democrats) that every seat is the people’s seat!

Only time will tell what will happen in November. As it looks right now, the Republicans will gain the majority in the House and who knows what will happen in the Senate. My suggestion to the Republicans is that they use the Tea Party movement to their advantage and not throw them under the bus for their own political safety.

Beginning of the Last Year.

And the summer is over. So what if that was my last summer of being a “kid.” So what if after May I have a college bill to pay. So what if after May I have to go into the “real world.” That can all be put on hold for the most epic senior year ever.

As most of you know, unless you are not an avid follower of yours truly, this fall semester I am in our nation’s capitol: Washington DC. I am spending the semester interning with the American Conservative Union (ACU) who is in charge of CPAC and basically enjoying life. Needless to say, I am super pumped to start but I am also super pumped to be in one of the best cities in the world.

First off, my apartment is in an awesome location. I am less than a block from the Capitol building and when I step out onto my balcony, I see the Library of Congress. The Metro station is less than a half mile from the apartment, and there are countless bars within the vicinity. Awesome? I think so.

Since I have not started my internship I cannot say how it is going. However, I am sure I will love every minute of it. Also, I will be sure to have weekly, maybe even daily, updates of what is going on the the great city of Washington DC. Until then, keep it real.

New York state's Republican Governor's race.

As November looms for politicians and hopefuls to take office from the incumbents, these people who seek public office are gearing up for the races. The first step is to win their primary race. Most states have already had their primaries and some states are getting ready for their own primary races. In New York there is one primary race that I am very interested in: the Republican primary for Governor.

The Republican primary is between Rick Lazio, a three-time loser running for Governor, and Carl Paladino, a successful self-made businessman. As I have never met either one of these men, I have been hearing quite a bit about them through radio ads and emails that I have signed up to receive from both candidates. The question that I have now is, who do I vote for?

Obviously there are questions that arise when a Republican is trying to win the Governor’s race in New York state. The first question is: how do you honestly think you can win? One would guess they would have to kind of be somewhat of a liberal at heart. With Democrats running Lieutenant Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Robert Duffy for Governor and Lieutenant Governor it will be hard to overcome the general view that they are a shoe-in to win this race. However, questions about how Lazio or Paladino will achieve their stated goals could give the Republican Party in New York some help instead of the same old same old from the Democratic Party in New York.

This post is more about who I will most likely end up voting for in the primary but to give some of you that are registered Republicans a look at both of the candidates to decide for yourselves!

One thing that makes this election season interesting is the angry voters. Especially in New York (upstate), many voters have had enough of the same old same old. New York has just passed the state budget, only four months overdue. Most people recognize that the entire nation is in a financial crisis that was supposed to be fixed by now. As of the end of June, New York’s unemployment rate is at 8.2% (https://ui.labor.state.ny.us/UBC/home.do) which is better that the national unemployment rate. But living in Western New York, I do not personally see any signs of a decreasing unemployment rate anytime soon.

So what do Mr. Lazio and Mr. Paladino have to say about creating jobs and reducing the unemployment rate? On Lazio’s website (http://lazio.com/), he has four key points to creating jobs: “1) We must get spending under control, 2) We must improve and expand both our public and private centers of higher learning so that they can serve as resources for job opportunities, 3) We must invest more strategically in critical infrastructure, and 4) We must create an outstanding elementary and secondary education system.” He proposes doing all of this by lowering taxes, being more flexible, and being more productive. My question to him and his points are that all sounds good, but how will you do that? Every politician says that they will “lower taxes” but why don’t any of them put out a plan with programs they will cut or save and allocate money? One person that sort of does that is Carl Paladino. His plan for creating jobs is: “Cut taxes and spending by ten percent in the first six months of his administration and cut spending by a total of twenty percent in his first year” (http://www.paladinoforthepeople.com/index.php). At least Paladino is coming out and saying what he wants to do. Paladino believes that by reducing spending and cutting taxes it will provide relief for many New Yorkers (which it will).

Lazio is running on three things: 1) getting the state’s financial situation in order, 2) create jobs and, 3) returning integrity to government. These are three very broad topics, which is good to do when one is running for public office. However, this is a time where the people want to know exactly what will be done if elected on almost every issue. Paladino on the other hand, gives his opinion on eleven issues and is running on the premise of not being an Albany insider but rather a hard working businessman. (So I might be a bit biased). But there is one thing that I am concerned about with Paladino and that is the issue of the Mosque in New York City. Paladino claims he would use the power of Eminent Domain to make sure the Mosque is not built at a “war memorial site.” And for those of you who do not know what that is: “Eminent domain refers to the power possessed by the state over all property within the state, specifically its power to appropriate property for a public use. In some jurisdictions, the state delegates eminent domain power to certain public and private companies, typically utilities, such that they can bring eminent domain actions to run telephone, power, water, or gas lines. In most countries, including the United States under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution, the owner of any appropriated land is entitled to reasonable compensation, usually defined as the fair market value of the property. Proceedings to take land under eminent domain are typically referred to as "condemnation" proceedings” (http://www.expertlaw.com/library/real_estate/eminent_domain.html). As I do not agree with Eminent Domain (and neither should any Conservative, Republican, Democrat, or Liberal) the issue on the Mosque is for a different post. Mind you, Lazio does not agree with the Mosque either but he has not said he would use Eminent Domain.

I strongly suggest that you registered Republicans in New York check out both Lazio and Paladino’s websites before the primary. I also strongly suggest that everyone that is registered to vote in New York, regardless of party to check out both of their websites (and Cuomo’s) so you can be better informed come November.

64 days and counting...?

Dear Mr. President:

Have you seen your latest approval ratings? According to the Rasmussen Reports, your approval rating is: “24% strongly approve” of you and your job while “41% strongly disapprove” of your job (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/obama_administration/daily_presidential_tracking_poll). This report came out on June 15th, 2010 and it claims that the gulf oil spill has had no affect on your approval ratings. Did you know that President Bush had around a 63% approval rating around the same time during his first term!? (http://www.gallup.com/poll/113641/despite-recent-lows-bush-approval-average-midrange.aspx). Mr. Obama, wasn’t the person you blamed everything for former President George W. Bush? I thought so. Currently, President Bush has a higher approval rating than you do.

Mr. President, do you remember Hurricane Katrina in 2005? I literally destroyed the same region as the current gulf oil spill is destroying. Let me ask you another question: Do you remember your fellow Democrats and Liberal friends blaming Bush for the hurricane? Do you remember Kane West saying “Bush hates Black people” after the hurricane struck. I want to know, sir, why we do not hear that you have caused the oil spill or why we have not heard that you hate the people of Louisiana. Oh, but if we ever heard any of that you and your main-stream media friends we blow that off and say something like: “These people are just right-wing racist fascists’.” A bit of a double-standard, is it not? You can dish it out but you can’t take some criticism.

President Obama, this letter to you is filled with criticism and a different perspective. I hope it sheds some light, but why would you ever listen to a concerned citizen?

Like your Chief of Staff said: “Don’t let a crisis go to waste” you have continued to take that advice; except you are going about it wrong! You have been wrong with the mass spending through bailouts (along with President Bush) and stimulus packages filled with earmarks; you have been wrong in shoving cap and trade down our throats which has only raised taxes and will continue too; you have been wrong on shoving healthcare down our throats and NOT listening to the majority of Americans; you have been wrong about the boarder and Arizona’s immigration law; and you have been wrong on the gulf oil spill and putting a moratorium on deep water drilling. That is quite a long list.

Did you not promise to get us out of this recession and create jobs? May I ask where they are? No, temporary Census jobs do not count, because they are temporary. Did you not promise to not raise taxes? So where is the money coming from to pay for all of your “economy saving” legislation? I didn’t realize that money grows on trees and it is okay to continue to print more money. I think I read somewhere, and I am sure your top economists have read also, that printing more and more money leads to inflation. Maybe it is time to start listening to your “experts.”

I realize it is a good thing to have “experts” on many subjects that can brief you on whatever topic is relevant for the day. Wouldn’t you think that sometimes it would be a good thing to not take every challenge personally? For instance, did you honestly have to get involved in a dispute between a cop and a Harvard professor? Do you have to claim responsibility for everything that needs to get done and accomplished? No. It is impossible for one man, no matter how powerful, to get every little thing done. This is why you have failed as the chief executive; you have no experience in how to govern.

The oil spill has now gone on for over 2 months. I understand that it is a catastrophe and one cannot clean it up immediately but the people on the gulf coast are suffering economically. It is not BP’s fault that it took you over 50 days to meet with them, it is not BP’s fault that your administration has refused help from other nations, and it is not BP’s fault that you have decided to put a 6-month moratorium ban on off-shore drilling. This was your one opportunity to show that you know how to govern and you messed it up. However, the American people know exactly what you and your administration are up to. We understand that you are against off-shore drilling and we strongly believe the reason you have allowed this to go on for longer that it should have was because you want more criticism and more reasons to not drill for oil. Do you not understand how many people are affected by your decision? I thought you wanted to help create and save jobs? You are obviously not doing what you promised. Wouldn’t you think that if you go through with this ban that you should start creating more bans for other catastrophes? For instance, the next time there is a plane crash maybe you should put a 6-month moratorium on airlines. Your logic makes no sense.

I am also not too sure on why you think you can force BP to pay not only for the oil spill but compensate all of those affected by it too. Last time I checked you have a law degree and you should be the first to know that the Constitution clearly states that the government cannot take over something private without due process of law. There has been no legislation saying that BP has to pay people for this problem so where do you get the authority to “make them” do this?

I have a question for you: is your continued support of the ban of off-shore drilling just a distraction for the American people? Your approval ratings keep on dropping and you realize you need to gain political confidence again. You seem to be losing your confidence and you seem to not fully understand what is going on. Maybe this is a sign for you to not take everything so personal. Maybe you should allow those countries that want to help clean up the oil spill help! Maybe you should allow your experts to advise you like they are supposed to.

I hope as the days pass and the gulf continues not to be cleaned that more and more people realize that you have no executive governing experience. I also hope that this oil spill does eventually get cleaned up and the people and economies affected by it return to normal. I hope that another oil rig explosion never happens (even though that is unlikely); I hope that we continue to support off-shore drilling; and I hope we figure out why this happened.

27 up and 1 missed call.

June 2, 2010 was probably one of the biggest, most historic days in baseball. Two amazing things happened last night, and as you can tell, this will be about the great game of baseball.

First, a tribute to one of the greatest baseball players of all time: Ken Griffey Jr. He has finally decided to call it quits after 22 years of playing in MLB and I am glad he decided to retire as a Seattle Mariner. He is leaving the game with 630 homeruns (5th on the all-time list), 10 gold gloves, 13 all-star appearances, 1,836 RBIs , a MVP in the AL in 1997, and virtually saving baseball in Seattle. http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=5244661
Unfortunately, Griffey’s announcement last night was overshadowed by one of the biggest missed calls in baseball history.

The Cleveland Indians were visiting the Detroit Tigers last night. I must say, being a Royals fan I hate both of these teams. However, this game was something special. During the Reds at Cardinals Wednesday night baseball game on ESPN, the channel decided to change over to the Indians and Tigers game because it was that awesome! Going into the 8th inning, Pitcher Armando Galarraga for the Tigers had a perfect game. Mind you, this would have been the 3rd perfect game this season, which has never happened.
Now, Galarraga got through the 8th and headed to the 9th. His center fielder made and incredible catch for the first out of the 9th to save the perfect game. For the second out he got and easy ground-out. For the 3rd out…it was blown by 1st base umpire, Jim Joyce. The batter hit a standard ground ball where the Tigers’ first baseman went over to get it and Galarraga covered first to get the 27th out. Jason Donald of the Indians was called safe at first base when he was clearly out by at least a full step! Nobody in the stadium could believe it, nobody watching the game on television could believe, and certainly no Tigers’ player could believe it.

Why is this missed call such a big deal? Well, this could have been the 21st perfect game in major league history and it could have been the 3rd perfect game this season and 4th in two years! This missed call could also be a determining factor about instant replay in baseball. If not a determining factor at least another argument for instant replay in MLB. Personally, I do not think MLB should use instant replay because it is one of those sports based on honesty and human mistakes. However, I feel real bad for Galarraga because it would have been awesome to see since he is not a big name pitcher. I do hope that MLB does reverse Jim Joyce’s missed call and give Galarraga the perfect game.

Drill baby, Drill!

The recent oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could not have come at a more inconvenient time. Why do I say this? Well, Congress and the Obama Administration were just about to pass legislation for some off-shore drilling. This is one thing that I like what Obama is trying to do!

This oil spill is one thing that both sides of the aisle can agree on to fix. First off, the people in charge need to figure out how to clean up the spill. If you know me, I am not too big on protecting the environment or hugging any trees. However, this oil spill affects more than just the environment; it affects the wildlife (which I do not car too much about either) and the people who depend on the water and the wildlife as a means of food and income. And I do realize that the oil is now about 20 miles away from the coast line of Louisiana which could create another disaster all in itself.

Unfortunately, the “experts” on this case are still unsure what has caused the explosion. This is not good for people on the side that I agree with. The people who are against off-shore drilling will most likely use this spill/explosion as a reason why we as a nation should not drill off our shores. My counter-argument to that is: an explosion like that is very rare. The chances of another explosion or spill like what has just happened is very slim because of the stricter regulations and more precautions that will be taken.

Before we jump to any rash decisions on whether or not we should drill off-shore, we should weigh the options.

Pro-drilling:
-Chances are slim that another spill will happen again.
- It will start to wean our country of the dependency of foreign oil.
-It would create jobs.
-There is a potential for a decrease in oil/gas costs.

Con-drilling:
-Another spill/explosion could happen again.
-The environment will could get hurt.
-There is a potential of the loss of wildlife and drinking water.
-It could cost too much to do this.

I am not an expert on this issue by any means and I am more than sure that all of you know where I stand on this issue. But on a final note, this oil spill could be a good thing! At least we know there is still oil off our shores! Hopefully this mess can get cleaned up soon and some off-shore drilling legislation will come about.

Illegal means Illegal.

As a few days have passed since the passing of Arizona’s new law on immigration, I feel it necessary to bring light on the subject from a slightly different perspective. There has been a lot of talk about the constitutionality of this law and how Arizona could have done such a horrible thing. However, when one truly examines this law (not that I have read the entire law) I strongly believe that this law will hold up constitutionally.

Immigrants have been a key factor to America ever since, well, colonial America. My relatives came to this country trying to start a new life. Most of my relatives came from Ireland and my last name used to be O’ Connor but my great great grandfather wanted to become more American and dropped the “O.” Well, my relatives that came to America to change their lives came over the legal way.

The one reason why Arizona decided to make this law was because of the illegal immigration. If the Mexicans that come to America looking for work would only come over the legal way, there would not be any problems. However, just like most things here in America, the system is a little broke and people take advantage of it. Simply put, people come over illegally because they can.

In the department of Homeland Security we have the Border Control Agency. Their responsibility is to secure our borders and make sure the only people crossing the borders are legal immigrants and travelers on both sides. Since the Border Control Agency seems to neglect their responsibilities and countless presidents have refused to do something to secure the borders America is facing a difficult problem of illegal immigration. This is where Arizona has stepped up to the plate.

Some question the validity of the Arizona’s new law which does not actually take effect until late-July. Those who question this law ask if this law is “legal stereo-typing.” Seriously, how could a country that prides itself on everyone being an individual and privacy ask people if they are citizens or here legally? Well my friends, for one, it is pretty easy to tell who is Mexican when one lives in the Southwest. But, let me remind you that this law does not just apply to illegal Mexicans, it also applies to illegal students who stay longer than their visas allow. The justifiable reason the state of Arizona has in this law is the Supreme Court case in 1968 called “Terry v. Ohio” when the Court ruled with the Fourth Amendment that there is a thing called “reasonable suspicion.”

Reasonable suspicion will help Arizona’s law in courts because the state can claim they had “reasonable suspicion” that this person or that person is here illegally. Arizona’s Governor, Jan Brewer has said that this law will not allow racial profiling (check out the link): http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/04/30/arizona-governor-signs-revising-new-immigration-law/

Let us say the Governor Brewer is right; let us now examine why Arizona would pass such a law. First off, this law was passed because the people of the state are affected by illegal immigration every day. Living in New York, I do not experience this as much mainly because I do not live next to the Mexican border or live on a farm and in need of cheap labor. Studies have suggested that illegal immigration has been the cause of violent crime rates going up in the cities and states that are most affected: http://ccis.ucsd.edu/PUBLICATIONS/wrkg131.pdf

The hope of this law is that by catching illegal immigrants the crime rate will be reduced. Another good source you should check out is this: http://www.dallasfed.org/research/border/tbe_orrenius.html
This site explains the effects of illegal immigration. Back to Arizona’s law we should wonder if this law came in part because the national government has done little to nothing to prevent illegal immigration. Illegal immigration and border control is the national government’s responsibility but states are allowed to have their own policies. Arizona has felt like the national government has not done enough to keep the state safe so they took matters into their own hands. Arizona is more affected by illegal immigration that states like Colorado, Nebraska, Montana, etc. Therefore, Arizona has every right to protect its interests.

Am I concerned with some of the questions that are brought up by this law? Of course. However, I feel that good things can and will come from this law. Just like syndicated columnist George Will: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/04/27/AR2010042702741.html
I feel that this law will help Arizona in the long run. President Reagan and his Administration have come the closest to immigration reform but it did not work in the long run. Their policy was to grant amnesty to those illegal immigrants that were caught. They way they were given amnesty was by having to pay a hefty fine. However, people were just willing to get pay the fine if they were granted amnesty. Arizona has now taken the next step to try and stop illegal immigration. They are actually trying to make something that is already “illegal”, illegal. Hopefully President Obama and national lawmakers see that Arizona is willing to stand up against illegal immigration and start passing national legislation.

My one and only concern of this law is that it could have potential backlash against the Republicans in November. But, I do have faith and I think this is one of the first steps to real change. I hope that all of you who read this get a chance to check out those links I posted.

The NYT finally got something right! Tea Partiers are being heard!

As most of you know, this past Thursday, April 15th, was tax day. About two years ago there was a protest in Washington D.C. and this group called themselves the “Tea Party.” The symbolism behind this was and is dating back to the Boston tea party when American colonists were fed up with extreme taxes put upon them by the British government. The rationale behind the modern-day tea party protests seems to be legitimate. However, there are those who insist that the Tea Partiers are the following: obnoxious, racist, unrealistic, and uneducated. To those of you that believe this, I am here to counter your argument.

Let us take a look back at why the American people are mad. This all started back during the Clinton Administration, then moved to the Bush Administration, and now the Obama Administration. (I am going to focus more on the Bush and Obama Administrations). Obviously, people are mad that during the Bush Administration there was too much spending with war and at the end, the bailouts (there were other things but I am only focusing on economic policies). Better yet, at the end of the Bush Administration, it was officially announced that we are in an economic recession. We saw the recession as a horrible economic collapse and then we watched Bush bailout the banks and auto industries because those companies were “to big to fail.” As a side note, the bailouts have totaled $8.5 Trillion (this continues into the Obama Administration). Now, during the Obama Administration, nothing has changed, unlike the promise of “change” we expected. Obama is Bush on steroids and has spent even more! The bailouts have continued, a stimulus package has been passed (total, $3.27 Trillion) and a healthcare bill has passed (total $894 Billion*). Mind you, this is all during a recession and the unemployment rate still around 10% (http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds=usunemployment&met=unemployment_rate&tdim=true&dl=en&hl=en&q=unemployment+rate).

There are other reasons why people are mad but once again, I am focusing on the economy. The Tea Party protests are trying to get a message across to our elected leaders that this mass amount of spending is getting a bit ridiculous. Economists on both the left and the right can debate all day long on what this spending and bills will do to the taxes. Personally, I believe this will end up raising our taxes. But the real question is: are these people who show up to these protests uneducated? Not according to the New York Times. I will admit that sometimes people do spell things wrong on their signs and posters but that happens in most protests regardless of the issue. In Thursday’s paper (check out the link), they explain these “Tea-baggers” are actually MORE EDUCATED. Mind you, the NYT is one of the most liberal papers in the country and yes, sometimes I do read it but I have learned to filter it. But here is the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/15/us/politics/15poll.html?ref=todayspaper

As most of you know, I attended a Tea Party protest on Thursday in Rochester, New York. I thought there were only about 450ish people but I heard on the local news that there were actually around 1000 people. That is a good showing seeing that Rochester’s Tea Party was organized the New York state libertarian party. But the Democrat & Chronicle, Rochester’s newspaper had a very good article in Friday’s paper: http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100416/NEWS01/4160351/-1/archive1/Tea-Party-helps-to-revive-N.Y.-Conservative-Party Check it out if you get a chance.

I think that some media outlets and those who do not actually know what the Tea Parties are actually about are using scare tactics claiming all of the above problems. Isn’t that funny how the media outlets and those who are truly uneducated can say a group or political party is using scare tactics but when they do that nobody questions them? Seems a bit contradictory to me. I think the real problem the media has and those who just do not know and only listen to the media, is that they are actually scared because these Tea Parties are being heard and they are a strong force. Those who do not like the Tea Parties realize that the mid-term elections are coming up quickly and these protesters can change the outcome of some elections. I suppose we are going to have to wait and see what happens.

1991, 1992, 2004, and 2010.

After taking a long hiatus from blogging, I am back and trust me, I have plenty to say. For those of you that know me, you know that I am huge Duke Blue Devils fan. For those of you that did not know that, you know now. Anyways, after Monday night’s National Championship game against Butler I have been reading and watching a lot of sports commentator’s responses to the game. I am going to set the record straight right now and do what sports commentators refuse to do.

Being a Duke fan, I may have a slight bias. However, many casual sports fans and the people that get paid to watch and comment on major sporting events get many things wrong! Maybe there is just a lot of hate on Duke or on any of the big name schools or teams that get to the championship game when their opponent is the “underdog.” Granted, everyone does seem to like the underdog story or the “Cinderella” story. But, I am fed up with it.

Monday night, Duke won the National Championship game. Butler lost. Butler should have lost that game. Butler should have lost to Syracuse, but Syracuse seemed to choke when it counted most. Don’t get me wrong, I was rooting for Butler until they played Duke. When a team reaches the Championship, or any game for that matter, they either win or lose; both teams cannot win the game. Butler deserved to play in the National Championship game because they were playing fantastic basketball. So to you casual fans and “sport experts,” they were not a “Cinderella” story because they won 25 consecutive games to get there! Butler was a good team. Duke was better.

During the game, it was pretty obvious that the NCAA did not want Duke to win. I am not trying to imply that Butler was not playing good, because they were. I am simply saying that the refs for the game were awful! They gave Butler a lot of calls. Re-watch the game if you don’t believe me. As for the last shot, I personally had no doubt that that shot was not going in. I knew it was going to be off. When Duke stormed the court there were smiles all around the Duke team and fans. On the other side, Butler, there were tears of disbelief and sorrow. Guess what sport commentators, Duke won the game and Butler lost. Cinderella missed her carriage.

Butler lost. Butler did not get a moral victory or any other type of ‘W.’ I know that the sport experts are supposed to make story out of these situations. But where is the credit to Duke? You can look at various sport websites and television stations and all you will hear them talk about is how Butler was that close to winning; or, how Butler won for all of those small schools and underdogs out there. Actually, Butler lost. Yes, they were close but close does not win you games. Am I happy that Butler lost? Of course, but that could be because I am a Duke fan. However, it seems like one would never know that Duke won the championship because nobody is giving them credit! Last time I checked, we are supposed to congratulate those who win a major event like that. I realize that UNC fans probably won’t say “Congrats Duke.” But I think Duke needs to be recognized as the winner of the NCAA Championship game.

As for Butler, they played a good game. Better luck next year. However, this does go to show that in the NCCA tournament bracket, anything can happen. Go Duke!

New York state politics at it's finest...

Everyone loves sketchy politicians. Well, maybe not love, but we do enjoy the stories of pure stupidity. This post is unlike the last post that I wrote about famous scandals. However, this will be mostly on New York State politics (and maybe a few others).

Everything seems to be crashing down on Democrats around the country. First, they lose the Governors races in New Jersey and Virginia. Second, they lose a key Senate seat race in Massachusetts. Third, polls are showing that Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Kansas could be losing some congressional seats to Republicans and Republicans could win the Governor’s races too! Great news if you are a Republican running for office come November.

The last thing that the Democrats needed was some “missteps” in one of their key states: New York. In the past couple of weeks there have been several Democrats in NY taking heat. I will start with Congressman Rangel, the chairman of the House Ways and Means committee.

Congressman Rangel allowed for a private corporation to pay for him to take a trip to the Caribbean in 2007 AND 2008. The Ethics committee originally said it was “ok” for Rangel to go on the trip but then later question how it was paid for. Obviously, Mr. Rangel forgot that he is not supposed to take money to go on trips unless it is coming out of his own pocket. Congressman Rangel has since stepped down from being the chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.

Sometimes I wish the Governor Paterson was not blind so that he could see all the red he is putting the state in! Obviously, it did not start with him and he was put in a pretty bad position, but he has been in office for almost 4 years now and he now gets the credit for putting the state in more debt than ever before. Well, maybe you have not heard, Paterson is under some heat too. Apparently, stepping in to a close friend’s domestic dispute (that friend also works for him) gets people in high political offices in trouble. He somehow thought that trying to convince the court to brush the problem off their shoulders. Better yet, Paterson also thought he did not have to pay for last year’s World Series tickets. I know David, you can’t see, but there was actually a price-tag on those tickets. I think the best news that has come from this situation; Paterson has said he will not be running again. And if one looks at the polls, they claim that the Governor’s race is wide open but we all know that it will unfortunately go to Andrew Cuomo the current Lieutenant Governor.

The third and final huge misstep for the Democrats in NY is Congressman Eric Massa (NY-29). A couple of days ago he released a statement saying he will not be seeking re-election due to health problems. Almost a day later we found out that Massa approached a male intern. We all know where that leads and we can recall countless examples of politicians that created political suicide for their careers because of this. As of today, March 8, 2010, Congressman Massa decided to resign from office. Now this gets interesting. Apparently there is going to be a “special election” to fill the vacant seat which will guarantee the winner the seat until November 2012. The current front runner is Tom Reed, the former mayor of Corning, NY. However, there are several other interested Republican candidates including Monroe County Executive, Maggie Brooks, and the 29ths former Congressman, Randy Kuhl. If this was my district, I would vote for Reed but that is a different topic for another post. (After the special election I will write-up a summary of that).

My final ranting point for this post is going to deal with Nacy Pelosi. In her infinite wisdom she has said the following statement: “A bill can be bipartisan without bipartisan votes.” Now maybe she knows something that I do not. However, let me explain how stupid this comment is: 1) a bill can only be bipartisan if both parties agree 2) more than 1 person of the opposite party needs to vote for the bill. Now, I realize that some Democrats will cry and say this: “well the Republicans are just the party of ‘no.’” Here is my counter to that statement: you are completely wrong in that the Republicans want to make sure that these bills will not destroy or country and our country’s economy. The Democrats have consistently not listened to any Republican ideas. But wait, aren’t the Democrats the ones who are crying for bipartisanship? Well the Democrats want to shove these bills down the American people’s throats and could actually careless about bipartisanship. That there folks is truly the party of the American people (and just in case you do not have a functioning cerebellum, that party is the Democrats who are doing this). Listen Democrats, you had a super majority and didn’t accomplish anything except make a lot of voters extremely angry. This is why 2010 will be another 1994. Mark my words.

The Conservative Movement is ALIVE!

I do realize that I did promise that I would update you all every night of the CPAC. However, as you will learn while reading this, I was extremely exhausted by the end of the day and had no will-power to stay up any later than I did. Anyways, this is an update of the rest of the CPAC.

Day 2 at the CPAC:
I really had no idea what I was getting myself into. This day was basically set-up day for the entire day. We were supposed to be up and in one of the ballrooms by 9:30, not too bad considering what was to come in the next 3 days. In the ballroom we were told that we will be stuffing CPAC bags, 10,000 bags to be exact. With about 50 volunteers all spread out putting the contents in the bag one would think that it wouldn’t take too long. Well, your assumption is wrong. We were stuffing bags from 10 until 4pm with about a 30 minute lunch break. The contents of the bag varied from magazines to newspapers to flyers. I did manage to get one bag and the items are interesting.

The best part of bag-stuffing day was the two special guests that came and gave us a little talk. The first guest was Mit Romney! It was a complete surprise and I was glad that I had my camera with me to get some good pictures. His little speech was basically him thanking us for the hard work that we are and were about to do to make the CPAC happen. Mit even explained that volunteering on various campaigns and at political organizations is how he got started in politics. I think he actually got started in politics from his father, but that is a different topic. Well Romney was a complete surprise. I don’t think anyone was expecting the next guest either. About 2 hours after Mit came, maybe earlier, we were told another special guest would like to talk to us. In comes Wayne LaPierre, the chairman of the NRA. This was just as exciting and once again, I was lucky to have my camera handy because not only did I take a picture of him speaking but I got a picture with him. Both Romney and LaPierre seemed really nice and it was pretty cool that they took time out of their schedules to come talk to the volunteers.

We finally finished bag stuffing and all of us were exhausted. Around 7pm I found my roommate, who got stuck on pre-registration and asked what we wanted to do for dinner. We decided to go into the capitol itself, near the White House, out to dinner (I forgot the name of the restaurant but it was good!). After dinner, we did a little site seeing which is always an amazing thing to do. Yes, I did take a picture of my future house.

Day 3 at the CPAC: the real first day.
The mayhem started. As volunteers, we were supposed to be up and in the volunteer lounge by 7:30 so we can eat breakfast and start working by 8ish. I knew that there were some pretty awesome guest speakers today and I really wanted to hear some of the speeches. Some notable people that were scheduled to speak were: Marco Rubio, Senator. Jim DeMint, Liz Cheney, Mit Romney, and Minority Leader John Boehner. I really wanted to meet Boehner because I think he is one of the Republicans that we can count on in the near future but I do not believe he will run for President. As a volunteer, we were told that if we would like to meet anyone that is speaking we would be able to but we just had to let them know.

Well, I was scheduled to work the main entrance to the ballroom. Well just before we started to let people in, I was asked if I would go stand at the entrance to the back of the stage so people would not try to get behind stage. I was a little bummed because I thought that I wouldn’t be able to hear anyone speak. Well I was standing back there making sure that media personnel did not get back there. I had to fend off several people and attempt to be a tough guy. I believe I was successful. Just before noon I overheard one of the directors of CPAC talking on the phone saying this: “Did you hear who is making a surprise visit? Well, keep this a secret; Dick Cheney is coming to speak while after his daughter.” I couldn’t believe it. Liz Cheney was scheduled to speak at 12:30 and as soon as she took the stage I was told to follow someone to the backstage area because as the person put it: “I want him to be able to see this.” Someone covered for me and I followed them to the backstage area. Over in the corner, I see Dick Cheney sitting and waiting patiently to surprise everyone in the crowd. I got a few pictures of him while he was waiting to speak and when he finally took the stage, I was told that I would get to meet him after! Well when he finished speaking we got positioned to get a hand shake and a quick picture. The people from the CPAC have a picture of me shaking his hand! I thought that was one of the coolest things I have ever done.

I resume my position while being totally excited. Well next up to speak was Mit Romney and I was told he was going to enter through the way that I was guarding. So I got ready to fend off a huge crowd that followed him to the entrance. At first I didn’t realize that he also had a special guest with him. Romney brought Senator Scott Brown along with him and he walked right pass me and I didn’t recognize him at first! Well I finally realized it was him and I was determined to at least go shake his hand. So I got someone to cover for me real quick again and I went to the backstage area looking like I belonged there. Well I saw Scott Brown standing there and I took a quick picture of him. He saw me do that and said: “Want a picture with me?” I went over there and handed my camera to someone who took the picture. Let me say this, Scott Brown is a freaking rock star! He loves it and he is probably one of the nicest guys out there! My day could not have gotten any better.

Like I said earlier, I really wanted to meet John Boehner. He was scheduled to speak at 3:45. Just after he took the stage, someone came and got me and said “Let’s go, you wanted to meet Boehner, right?” So I followed him and we (there was a group of us) sat in the waiting room behind stage for him to finish. He came right into the room and we all lined up and he shook each and every one of our hands and thanked us for all of our hard work. So I also have a picture with him too. This was one of the best days ever!

Day 4 at the CPAC: officially day 2.
Friday I was scheduled to work the book signing down in exhibit hall. This is usually a pretty good job because you get too meet some important people. However, Friday’s book signers were not that important except Ann Coulter. However, there was also a speaker that day that I wanted to meet: Governor Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota. So when he took the stage someone came down and got me and I got to meet Pawlenty too! Again, he is one of the nicest guys too. Well I went back to book signing and had to wait until 4 when Ann Coulter was scheduled. It got crazy busy real fast and as she was signing books I was assigned to keep people moving from the signing area. I was literally 3 feet from Ann. Ann finished signing everyone’s books and I asked if I could get a quick picture with her. She was more than happy to do that too! Unfortunately, she isn’t as attractive in person as she looks in pictures.

After book signing I was told that I can get dinner up in the volunteer lounge. When I was in there, there was on 2 other people in there with me. All of a sudden, two body guards come in along with Ann Coulter and the door shuts. Ann was on a personal phone interview and they decided to come into that room. So we basically got a personal radio show and when she was done we asked if we could get a picture with her. She was once again, more than happy to do that even though her body guards wanted to get her out of there and moving on to the next event. So we got a quick picture. What a great day!




Day 5 at the CPAC: last day.
There were some pretty big speakers scheduled for the last day. Here is some: John Bolton, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Bob McDonnell, and Glenn Beck as the keynote speaker. As the day was going on, I was at the exit of the main ballroom so I got to listen to the speeches. During one panel session, I heard someone announce that Amity Shlaes is about to speak. Well Amity Shlaes wrote The Forgotten Man which I had to read last semester for my independent study. I was pumped. I really wish I had my book with me because I would have loved if she signed it but I asked if I could go backstage to meet her and possibly get a quick picture with her. They let me go because she isn’t a big speaker. So I went back and got a quick picture with her and got to talk to her for a minute. While I was back there, I met John Bolton and shook his hand. Unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture with him but I did get a picture of him. He seemed like a nice guy too.

Obviously, Glenn Beck was the last speaker of the night and of the event. Well, I made a move to get into a good spot to hear his speech and get as close to the stage as I could, which is pretty easy to do when you are a volunteer. His speech gets going and he is all fired up, I personally liked his speech better than when I watch him on tv. 35 minutes into the speech, one of the volunteer organizers finds all of us and tells us that we have the chance to meet Glenn Beck but we could choose to stay and listen to the rest of the speech. Of course all of us wanted to meet him. So we go to the back where he was going to be taken to avoid the media and a huge crowd. All of us lined up the way that was convenient for a group picture. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to use all of our cameras so they used theirs and the picture will be sent to us very soon. However, I did get to shake his hand and he just seemed like a real nice guy and I truly believe now that he believes every word that he says.

Well that was my CPAC experience. I got to meet some pretty famous people and I made a lot of new friends. I do want to say this though; the conservative movement is NOT dead. In fact, it is the complete opposite, the conservative movement is ALIVE and well and we are fired up! I wish I had more space to talk about everything that I saw and got and did while I was there. I also wish I had time to talk more about the speeches some people gave but I can’t wait to re-listen to the speeches online. This was one of the most exciting experiences of my life and I really cannot wait until next year’s CPAC! 2010 elections are going to be fantastic!!!

If you want to know what I thought of any of the speeches or if you want to know anything specifically, let me know.

Day 1... CPAC!

As most of you know, I am now in our nation’s capitol for the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). For the next couple of days, I will be updating all of you as frequently as possible about 1) my experiences 2) and about what is going on here. Enjoy.

Today was travel day. My flight out of Rochester was scheduled for 5 a.m. which means I had to get to the airport at 3:45 a.m. the latest. Not a big deal but let’s just say that I have been up since then. Security at the Greater Rochester International Airport was actually pretty good; well at least I did not have any problem. My flight from Rochester left and I connected in NYC at LGA (I don’t know how to spell that airport’s name and I am not about to look it up). When I got there I was scheduled to have a lay over until 9:59 a.m. Not a problem except the fact that I was exhausted! Around 9:30, they announcer says that the flight has been delayed until 10:20. No joke, 15 minutes later the announcer gets back on and says the flight to BWI is cancelled. Crap. I go up to the counter to get re-booked and she was saying that there was a later flight that would be leaving around 2:30ish or I can catch a flight at 11:30 that flies into Reagan National. I chose the Reagan National flight mainly because it was earlier and a whole lot more convenient to get to the hotel.

Anyways, I get to DC and I take the Metro to the hotel. Let me just say that this hotel is one of the biggest hotel’s I have ever stayed in and one of the nicest Marriot’s ever! To prove this statement, in the room there is a 40inch plasma flat screen television. Pumped!

Today’s basic itinerary was check-in, go to the volunteer dinner (which was fantastic), take a group tour of the hotel for the lay out, and discuss the schedule for the upcoming days. I found out that I will be manning the main guest entrance and on Thursday and Friday I will be manning the book signing station. At the book signing station I will be basically seeing people like Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, and various other people. I’m pissed that I left my Coulter books at home because I would have totally had her sign them! As the days continue I will share each day’s events.

I am really looking forward to the rest of the week! I also cannot wait to share my experiences either. Do not worry, I will try to take plenty of pictures which will be available to see on my facebook page.

A sense of pride watching team USA.

The Winter Olympics are upon us. The Olympics in general are a time of competition and a time that countries usually put aside their differences and come together. There has already been a tragic event at this year’s Olympic games; a Georgian Luger, Nodar Kumaritashvili, only 21 years of age had a horrific accident during a practice run and passed away on Friday. This blog post will reflect on and question in the Winter Olympic “sports” are really sports and some other notable stories of this year’s games.

Apparently, Vancouver’s luge track is noted to be one of the fastest and most dangerous tracks in the world. The average speed of this luge track is around 15 miles per hour faster than other tracks (average speed ranges from 80-85 but Vancouver’s averages around 90-95mph). Now, if you are not familiar with luge I will explain a little bit about it. It is a “sport” that involves a sled going down a hill in a carved out path for the riders, which happens to be a sheet of ice. The riders have to be the fastest down the track (there are numerous competitors and they all go at different times). Some of the turns on the course are pretty sharp and are sloped so riders can use that to their advantage. Sometimes that advantage turns into a wipe out/crash. At Vancouver there were several accidents before Nodar took his final ride. Apparently the IOC and the officials did not think this track was too dangerous because they took no prior precautions. The day Nodar passed, the IOC and other officials decided to change the spot of the men’s starting point to where the original women’s starting point was supposed to be. This is so that the average speed will be reduced. They also “improved” the turn where the accident happened.

My main question is why were there precautions not taken care of beforehand? Granted, these precautions are a good thing. Unfortunately, this time the precautions had to come at the cost of someone’s life. My other question is this: is luge really a sport? Personally, I do not believe that it takes any athletic skill to compete in luge. Does it look fun? Of course, I would love to be on a sled that is going 80mph, but I do recognize there are serious risks. When someone explains to me that luge is really a sport, and no, stupidity does not count, I will continue to believe that luge is not a sport. However, my thoughts go out to the luge community.

There are a lot of “sports” in the Winter Olympics that people try to convince me are sports. For instance, the biathlon, skeleton, Nordic skiing, snowboarding half pipe, curling, and figure skating. I will give all of these “sports” some credit that it does take stamina to compete in them. However, I do not see any athletic ability in any of that. Last time I checked the only sports in the Winter Olympics would be speed skating, hockey, and cross country skiing. Blood, sweat, and tears should be a requirement of any Olympic games. Another thing that makes me real mad about the Olympics is they put on stupid figure skating more than hockey. Figure skating is a lot like watching golf on television: boring.

While I am on the subject with things that annoy me about the Winter Olympics I want to put all of you bandwagon fans of Apollo Ohno in your place. First off, I will give him kudos for tying the record for most American winter Olympic medals. However, Apollo Ohno is not a dominate speed skater! If he was so dominate, why does he not win a gold medal every single time? I will tell you why, because he gets lucky at best with coming anywhere near a medal! Yesterday, the Koreans had him beat but made a stupid mistake at the very end which gave him 2nd place. If you go back and look at all of his medal races, something crazy has happened in all but 1 race where he got a gold medal. He is not that dominate of an athlete. Get off the bandwagon.

I do think that the opening ceremony was pretty good but still not as good as Beijing’s opening ceremony in 2008. However, Beijing did not have the Great One lighting their caldron. Anyways, these Olympic games seem to be a very promising one for team USA. Currently, we are in the lead of the medal count with 6 (1 gold, 2 silver, 3 bronze). Personally, I am looking forward to hockey. I think we have a very good chance at winning gold. But, if I was putting money on this I would pick Canada, Sweden, or Finland. Any medal for the USA in hockey would be great.

Time to get back into this.

It is already February 2010. Obviously, you already know this unless you have somehow time-traveled. January absolutely flew by. I still have not started classes yet, but they start soon so don't be too jealous! Anyways, in this posting I figured that I would reflect on the past month and talk about what I have done in 2010 so far. Are you ready? Good.

As most of you know, I was lucky enough to intern at Congressman Christopher Lee’s (NY-26) office in Greece. It was a great opportunity for me and a real eye opener too. Though I did not get to meet the Congressman I will hopefully get a chance next fall when I try to intern in his D.C office. Congressman Lee and I have a lot in common (due to the fact that I interned in his office I will not put him in a bad position by saying too much). One thing that we have in common is that he is fiscally conservative. Though I have never owned my own business I have the same beliefs as the supply-siders which really gained ground during President Reagan’s administrations. Before taking office, Congressman Lee ran his own business which most Representatives cannot say. Because Mr. Lee has done this, he is on the House Committee of Finance. Another thing that I have in common with the Congressman is that we both love running. Congressman Lee has run in numerous 5k’s and 10k’s and he has completed one marathon. He is ok in my book and he definitely has my vote this coming year.

Overall, the internship was fantastic. At times there was not much to do (though I did read a few books which I will talk about shortly) but I did learn a lot. I have a few laughs and I met two great guys who work for the Congressman who really know the ins and outs of the House of Representatives. I strongly urge everyone to get more involved in politics and or call their representatives and ask a few questions.

Like I said before, I got a chance to read a few books while was interning (of course it was on the down time). Two books that I read were Glenn Beck’s Common Sense. I know a lot of you disagree with his politics, and my politics for that matter. However, what I will say about Beck’s book is that it is a really easy read and easy to understand. Personally, I do not think the book was “radical” in any way rather, it questioned the way our country is going and where the values have gone. It does remind me a lot of Thomas Paine’s Common Sense which is included in Beck’s book at the back. On a scale of 1 to 10 and 1 being do not read and 10 a recommended read I give this book a 7. The second book I read was Ann Coulter’s If Democrats had any Brains, they’d be Republicans. Now this book was more a fun read for me personally and something where I could laugh and agree with. I do not recommend this book for anyone that sees themselves as a left-leaning Democrat. However, I have read several of her other books and those ones I would recommend to anyone. And currently, I am reading another conservative book: In Defense of the Religious Right by Patrick Hynes. So far I am enjoying it and I think Hynes makes a pretty strong argument. The real reason I am reading this book is because I slightly disagree with one of his main arguing points: I do not believe that the religious right helps the Republican Party (but to a degree it sort of does). This is a debate that I will write about at a later time.

January was another big month for Republicans and another set-back for Obama and Pelosi. It was also a slap in the face to the Kennedy legacy. Senator-elect Scott Brown, a Republican, won in one of the most liberal states in the country: Massachusetts. One might wonder why this is such a big deal and why Obama has failed pretty hardcore. Well, Obama went to Massachusetts in a final push to campaign for Maratha Coakley who was supposed to win by a landslide. When the President went there, it was a complete and utter disaster for him because he lost his super majority in the Senate. The Democrats no longer hold the 60 vote-filibuster proof majority to pass anything they want. My advice to any Democrat, November is right around the corner, be careful of what you wish for. And my note to President Obama and Speaker Pelosi: you had a full year with a super majority and you couldn’t get anything passed except a $1.4 trillion deficit. Good job. The people have spoken, mainly the people that call themselves Independents.

Just a few days ago I received some more good news. I get to attend this year’s CPAC, also known as the Conservative Political Action Conference. This is biggest conference of all year for the nation’s biggest conservatives. This is a once in a life time opportunity to get to go to and I am. Crazy story of how this opportunity presented itself too! I was actually looking online for something to help my Republicans club at school and I stumbled upon the CPAC’s website. While there I saw a section where it said I could volunteer there. So I emailed the guy and asked for an application and he sent me one and I filled it out. He called me a few days later to interview me and I got the spot. Apparently only 55(ish) people get this spot because they provide room and board. Not a bad deal. So I get to rub elbows with some pretty important people in the conservative movement. Oh yeah, did I mention I might get to meet Glenn Beck since he will be there!? Totally pumped.

Before this is finished I would like to write a little eulogy for my grandfather who passed away exactly four years ago today. To spend the day today, I went out to eat with my grandma who really misses him and she was a mess. I just want to say that I miss you to grandpa and I wish you could be here. But, I know you are in a better place and I will get to see you someday. Love and miss you.

Oh you know, 13 days into the New Year and what do you get....

Thirteen days into the New Year and it has already been pretty interesting locally and nationally. Essentially, I would like to cover some stories I deem appropriate for some discussion and mainly to laugh at stupidity.

I believe we should start with some local news. Real important news that happened yesterday: Congresswomen Louis Slaughter took a little tumble. Apparently she was not feeling well and took some Motrin (probably children’s Motrin) with an empty stomach. Next time you take Motrin, watch out! you might fall. Seriously though, Congresswomen Slaughter is alright.

In other local news, a day care provider (who was licensed) decided to change a baby on an electric stove. Are you kidding me!? Last time I checked, and I am no professional here, changing a baby on an electric stove even if it is not on is not the best place to change a baby’s diaper. Let’s just say this day care provider will no longer be providing services to babies; more like providing services for inmates.

Let me ask you a question: if you were an employee of mine and I trusted you to take care of bank transactions (withdrawing/depositing money), wouldn’t you expect me to make sure that the transactions were safe? Well one company in the Rochester area was robbed by an employee. Not only was this company robbed, but it was $2.5 million over a few years. The employee, Ms. Oathout, claims she “suffers from memory loss.” Yeah right! I am pretty sure that boss who trusted Ms. Oathout will never trust anyone but himself to take care of banking issues.

The final piece of local news I have to provide you is about the shooting that took place in Brockport. One avid reader of my blog was actually in the Brockport area and was locked-down in SUNY Brockport’s library for a period of time during the incident. This gun man was in a domestic dispute (there should be a poll of how many domestic disputes there are in the U.S every year) and shot the lady and a cop. Seriously, who the hell brings a gun to an argument and not only shoots the person they are mad at but shoots a cop who is there trying to keep the peace!? Well, this man who made the entire village of Brockport be on lock-down claims he has a mental disorder. Do people know how many times people claim they have a “mental disorder” when they do something stupid. I know what your mental disorder is, it’s called being STUPID! A claim of “mental disorder” should be completely dismissed in the court room for any case because too many guilty people get away with stupid shit because they have a said “mental disorder.”

Anyways, I believe it is time to move onto some national news. If you live under a rock, you probably do not know about Conan O’ Brien giving NBC the proverbial middle-finger. Yes, I am going to throw my two cents into this because I like Conan and I have a blog where I am allowed to complain or write about whatever I want. Conan is getting screwed. Just because Jay Leno cannot get good ratings does not mean Conan should get thrown under the bus. He wasn’t even given a full year to prove his stuff. NBC should be telling Jay Leno he’s done even though he has been with the company for years and people love him. However, throwing Conan under the bus does not fix the problem of ratings for the 10 pm Eastern Time slot. So NBC, good luck getting someone as talented as Conan and a youthful audience when you throw him under the bus some more.

Who doesn’t remember the Christmas day would-be suicide bomber, more appropriately called a terrorist. Thanks to lack of communications among numerous high-level governmental agencies airports have decided to put full-body scanners in to protect people. Some people claim this is a violation of privacy. To those naysayers I ask this: do you want your flight to be safe or do you want your flight to be hijacked or blown-up? The likely answer would be you want your flight to be safe. Obviously if you have done nothing wrong and you are not the threat to the flight or international security then you should have no problem with being checked out quick. The other solution is stereotype people, but obviously we can’t do that because that is mean. But go ahead and search 85 year-old grandma and her walker because we all know they hijack planes.

How about this! Did you hear the Federal Reserve has made more money than it should have! That’s right, the Federal Reserve made around $46 billion more than they should have. Now, the details are still a little unclear but remember when the same people got made at upper-end banks and “important businesses” (Exxon Mobile) because they made too much money. Obviously the Fed’s should give back the money because they are a shady business. Obviously the government should take over the Fed’s. Oh wait, they are the government. However, they did say they are going to help start to pay off our $1.3 trillion deficit, which is a start.

Again, if you live under a rock you probably missed what some are called a double-standard that involves Senate Majority lead Harry Reid. Personally, I feel that if Senator Mitch McConnell said the same thing Reid said, McConnell would be crucified politically. But, because the President accepted Reid’s apology that makes everything ok. Now do you remember 2002 when Senate Majority leader Lott used “in-artful language” and apologized he still got crucified and was forced to give up his position. That to me seems like a double-standard. So Mr. Reid, go ahead and use your in-artful language but the rest of us know if you were a Republican you would not be the Senate Majority leader anymore.

Well, that wraps up some interesting news from the past thirteen days (and more). I can already tell that 2010 is going to be a great year.