It's a Choice between Popularity or Principles Thing

Dear America,

I'm just sorry I didn't see it before.

All this time, wasted.

I could have been running along totally stoked about a candidate for presidency, instead I had to...wait for it.

You might say I'm a wee bit annoyed upon this happy blue moon Friday morning.

Yes -- in a perfect world -- someone with more libertarian roots would have been more ideal.  In order to take America truly back, to a level of fiscal responsibility we haven't seen in decades and survive, the people's mandate grew into a platform professing the need for hardcore values, principles and promises of total restraint.   To be sure, a moderate man, echoing the Republican establishment, was, is, by all accounts, not what the people wanted....

...before this week took center stage.

Honestly, this morning, I may still find myself to be a little speechless.

Last night took my breath away at multiple times -- either through tears, laughter, or sitting there just stunned thinking, 'did he really just say that?  go Clint'.

I will not pick Mitt's speech apart, that is for sure.  I just can't do it.  So you can go HERE to read the entire thing.

My favorite Mitt moment was this one:

"President Obama promised 

to begin to slow the rise of the oceans.  

And to heal the planet.  

My promise is to help you and your family."

of course, there was also this one:

"Many Americans have given up on this president, but they
haven't ever thought of giving up, not on themselves, not on
each other, and not on America.  What is needed in our country
is not complicated or profound.  It doesn't take a special
government commission to tell us what America needs.  What
America needs is jobs, lots of jobs."

which kinda goes along with something he said just before it, which was this:

"Now we weren't always successful at Bain, but no one ever
is in the real world of business.  That's what this president
does not seem to understand.  Business and growing jobs is about
taking risk, sometimes failing, sometimes succeeding, but always
striving.  It's about dreams.  Usually it doesn't work out
exactly as you might have imagined.  Steve Jobs was fired at
Apple, and then he came back and changed the world.  It's the
genius of the American free enterprise system to harness the
extraordinary creativity, and talent and industry of the
American people with a system that's dedicated to creating
tomorrow's prosperity, not trying to redistribute today's."

honest.  genuine.  experienced.  businessman.

Americans have been fed total lies and misconceptions about this man for months on end.

and for what?

"The president has not disappointed you because he wanted
to.  The president has disappointed America because he hasn't
lead America in the right direction.  He took office without the
basic qualification that most Americans have, and one that was
essential to the task at hand.  He had almost no experience
working in a business.  Jobs to him are about government."

let's make room for a little mitt-re-mix:

"What is needed in our country
is not complicated or profound.  It doesn't take a special
government commission to tell us what America needs.  What
America needs is jobs, lots of jobs."

and speaking of jobs -- the job for the presidency is up for grabs, and....

"You know there is something wrong with the kind of job he
has done as president when the best feeling you had was the day
you voted for him."

this is the real deal and this RNC video biography was really well done.

Surprisingly, I will be very proud to cast my vote for Mitt Romney.

Romney and Ryan are aligned with America's fundamentals through and through; while the true character of both men has been illuminated over these last several days, as these United States of America can finally exhale knowing two proven leaders with exemplary career histories are on their way to the rescue.  Last night, America was able to take a little peek at a very bright horizon.

What we have now is a popularity contest when what will win the day are principles.
Real Americans know the real difference; and I can only imagine that just the confidence factor alone is enough to sway a nation...not to mention that TWELVE MILLION new jobs.

and yes, Clint was weird, but fantastic.

Make it a Good Day, G

Rubio's speech was phenomenal -- we will hopefully get to parts of that real soon.

It's a Speech Worth a Trillion Words Thing

Dear America,

"I accept the duty to help lead our nation out of a jobs crisis and back to prosperity – and I know we can do this.

I accept the calling of my generation to give our children the America that was given to us, with opportunity for the young and security for the old – and I know that we are ready.

Our nominee is sure ready. His whole life has prepared him for this moment – to meet serious challenges in a serious way, without excuses and idle words.  After four years of getting the run-around, America needs a turnaround, and the man for the job is Governor Mitt Romney."

and so it begins, day two of the convention, with our Vice Presidential candidate taking center stage [full transcript].

"I’m the newcomer to the campaign, so let me share a first impression.  I have never seen opponents so silent about their record, and so desperate to keep their power.

They’ve run out of ideas.  Their moment came and went. Fear and division are all they’ve got left."

it's true.
Do you think we are gonna hear about all those "shovel ready" jobs putting Americans back to work or our precious tax dollars propping up unworthy green energy schemes, like Solyndra?

Are we going to hear about the "Affordable Care Act" double-counting 716 Billion dollars to cover for ObamaCare and Medicare at the same time or how [still] two-thirds of the population wants it repealed, in part or the whole entire thing?

Do you think we are going to hear him promote the "democratic process" of the Arab Spring -- now unraveling into chaos [again] after this administration intervened in Egypt, leaving the region wide open for the Muslim Brotherhood to continue the "caliphate process"?   and don't even get me started on the success rate we are seeing out of Iraq and Afghanistan....Or, bringing in an entirely new subject, how Israel is being surrounded by those who simply hate them -- on the verge of war any day now while America walks by their side, for all intents and purposes, utterly silent...  [See also the Condi Rice Speech of just last night in reference to all of the above...Hold up...Let me get that for you....Go here]

Do you think we are going to hear about that stellar unemployment rate -- which, we were assured, would be held to 8% or lower, if we passed the president's stimulus bill?  An unemployment rate that went to TEN before inching back down again -- an unemployment rate that isn't even adjusting for those of us under-employed or who have simply stopped looking for work; all for a stimulus that began at a cost of 767 BILLION dollars, only to rise to 862 BILLION dollars, only to really be more than that, considering our addiction to freemoney.com these days and costing us at a rate of 40 cents on every dollar.

But I digress.

Let's get back to the speech --

"So here’s the question: Without a change in leadership, why would the next four years be any different from the last four years?"

actually, we can only imagine that things, without a shred of doubt, will only get worse; without the concern to be "liked" -- without the worry of re-election in another four years -- this presidency is set to operate totally unhinged and unchecked.

What fuels this presidency?What is at the root of every presidential action, and sometimes in-action, thus far? What makes this leadership, this presidency, seem so foreign to the great majority of Americans?

It's called four more words:  Dreams FROM My Father.  Here's some background for you.

I really don't want to dwell on Obama's "memoir" -- I only wish to tie the narrative that got Obama elected in the first place to a little bit of what we heard last night from Paul Ryan...

"It all started off with stirring speeches, Greek columns, the thrill of something new.  Now all that’s left is a presidency adrift, surviving on slogans that already seem tired, grasping at a moment that has already passed, like a ship trying to sail on yesterday’s wind.

President Obama was asked not long ago to reflect on any mistakes he might have made.  He said, well, “I haven’t communicated enough.”  He said his job is to “tell a story to the American people” – as if that’s the whole problem here? He needs to talk more, and we need to be better listeners?

Ladies and gentlemen, these past four years we have suffered no shortage of words in the White House.  What’s missing is leadership in the White House.  And the story that Barack Obama does tell, forever shifting blame to the last administration, is getting old.  The man assumed office almost four years ago – isn’t it about time he assumed responsibility?"

WORDS have created or saved Barack Hussein Obama.  Lots and lots of words -- either his own or masterminded by like minds for the purpose of propaganda and deception.  And Paul Ryan hit this note more than once last night.

"Maybe the greatest waste of all was time. Here we were, faced with a massive job crisis – so deep that if everyone out of work stood in single file, that unemployment line would stretch the length of the entire American continent.  You would think that any president, whatever his party, would make job creation, and nothing else, his first order of economic business.

But this president didn’t do that.  Instead, we got a long, divisive, all-or-nothing attempt to put the federal government in charge of health care."

yes. this is a good point.

and it's topped off with a whole lot of common sense:

"They have no answer to this simple reality: 

We need to stop spending money we don’t have.

My Dad used to say to me: 

'Son.  You have a choice: 

You can be part of the problem, 

or you can be part of the solution.'

The present administration 

has made its choices.  

And Mitt Romney and I have made ours: 

Before the math and the momentum 

overwhelm us all, 

we are going to solve 

this nation’s economic problems.  

And I’m going to level with you: 

We don’t have that much time.  

But if we are serious, and smart, and we lead, we can do this.

After four years 

of government trying to divide up the wealth, 

we will get America creating wealth again. 

With tax fairness and regulatory reform, 

we’ll put government 

back on the side of the men and women 

who create jobs, 

and the men and women who need jobs."  

 Dividing things -- whether it be economics or demographics -- wealth, special interests or people -- is all Obama knows.   Obama never really got Dreams FROM his father -- that was pure illusion, pure spectacle, pure narrative, pure fraud.  Obama was -- and still is -- mentored and misguided mostly by his own love of self, getting major assists by suspect influences over the years:  Frank Marshall Davis, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, his stepfather Lolo Soetoro, Bill Ayers, Saul Alinsky...and the list can go on.

[Revision:   For more background on Obama's background, simply read today's post by Mark Alexander.  Located at one of a few of my favorite things: The Patriot Post -- Mark says so much more and so much better than me, but just gotta love the synchronized patriot spirits colliding.] 

What kind of an American president has these radical associations to back him up?

It was a good speech last night.  There is a whole lot more that can be said for it.

But all I really need to know [besides what I learned in kindergarten] is that I want the guy who got his best advice from his mom, who didn't become a small business owner until after going back to school in her fifties and ultimately creating a brand new life for herself following the American way ---- and from his dad, who said things like, "Son.  You have a choice: You can be part of the problem, or you can be part of the solution."

"I learned a good deal about economics, and about America, from the author of the Reagan tax reforms – the great Jack Kemp.  What gave Jack that incredible enthusiasm was his belief in the possibilities of free people, in the power of free enterprise and strong communities to overcome poverty and despair.   We need that same optimism right now.  And in our dealings with other nations, a Romney-Ryan administration will speak with confidence and clarity.  Wherever men and women rise up for their own freedom, they will know that the American president is on their side.  Instead of managing American decline, leaving allies to doubt us and adversaries to test us, we will act in the conviction that the United States is still the greatest force for peace and liberty that this world has ever known...

...None of us have to settle for the best this administration offers – a dull, adventureless journey from one entitlement to the next, a government-planned life, a country where everything is free but us.

Listen to the way we’re spoken to already, as if everyone is stuck in some class or station in life, victims of circumstances beyond our control, with government there to help us cope with our fate.

It’s the exact opposite of everything I learned growing up....

...When I was waiting tables, washing dishes, or mowing lawns for money, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life.  I was on my own path, my own journey, an American journey where I could think for myself, decide for myself, define happiness for myself.  That’s what we do in this country.  That’s the American Dream.  That’s freedom, and I’ll take it any day over the supervision and sanctimony of the central planners. " 

Central planners, central banking, central redistribution of wealth, central economic divide between the haves and the have-nots, central engineering of a false racial divide, central control and over-regulation in places where there should be none...this speaks of the dreams of Barack Obama.

Paul Ryan spelled it all out like a polished politician -- adding in his natural, boy-next-door, common man 'I drive a truck' fashion -- he propelled his entire audience from its shaky beginning, through jubilant fits and spurts, to moments feeling a surge of unexpected relief, all building to a rather raucous ending [because, after all WE BUILT IT! is the theme] saying:

"So here is our pledge.

We will not duck the tough issues, we will lead.

We will not spend four years blaming others, we will take responsibility.

We will not try to replace our founding principles, we will reapply our founding principles.

The work ahead will be hard.  These times demand the best of us – all of us, but we can do this.  Together, we can do this.

We can get this country working again.  We can get this economy growing again.  We can make the safety net safe again.  We can do this.

Whatever your political party, let’s come together for the sake of our country.  Join Mitt Romney and me.  Let’s give this effort everything we have.  Let’s see this through all the way.  Let’s get this done.

Thank you, and God bless."

We can do this -- oh yes we can.

Make it a Good Day, G

But my personal favorite-- and totally having nothing to do with anything important:

"We’re a full generation apart, Governor Romney and I.  And, in some ways, we’re a little different.  There are the songs on his iPod, which I’ve heard on the campaign bus     and on many hotel elevators....[laughter]   He actually urged me to play some of these songs at campaign rallies.  I said, I hope it’s not a deal-breaker Mitt, but my playlist starts with AC/DC, and ends with Zeppelin.[heavy metal laughter]"

It was a Good Night for America Thing

Dear America,

ROMNEY  [as in ANN Romney]:  Hello!  What a welcome.
   (APPLAUSE)
   Thank you.  And thank you, Luce.
   I cannot wait to see what we are going to all do together.
This is going to be so exciting!
   (APPLAUSE)
   Just so you all know, the hurricane has hit landfall and I
think we should take this moment and recognize that fellow
Americans are in its path and just hope and pray that all remain
safe and no life is lost and no property is lost.  So we should
all be thankful for this great country and grateful for our
first responders and all that keep us safe in this wonderful
country.
   (APPLAUSE)
   Well, I want to talk to you tonight not about politics and
not about party.  And while there are many important issues that
we will hear discussed in this convention and throughout this
campaign tonight, I want to talk to you from my heart about our
hearts.
   (APPLAUSE)
   I want to talk about not what divides us, but what holds us
together as an American family.  I want to talk to you tonight
about that one great thing that unites us, that one great thing
that brings us our greatest joy when times are good and the
deepest solace in our dark hours.
   Tonight, I want to talk to you about love.  I want to talk
to you about the deep and abiding love I have for a man I met at
a dance many years ago.  And the profound love I have and I know
we share for this country.  I want to talk to you about that
love so deep, only a mother can fathom it.  The love that we
have for our children and our children's children.
   And I want us to think tonight about the love we share for
those Americans, our brothers and our sisters, who are going
through difficult times, whose days are never easy, nights are
always long, and whose work never seems done.
   They're here among us tonight in this hall.  They are here
in neighborhoods across Tampa and all across America.  The
parents who lie awake at night, side by side, wondering how they
will be able to pay the mortgage or make the rent.
   The single dad who is working extra hours tonight so that
his kids can buy some new clothes to go back to school, can take
a school trip or play a sport so his kids can feel, you know,
just like other kids.
   And the working moms who love their jobs, but would like to
work just a little less to spend more time with the kids, but
that is just out of the question with this economy.
   Or how about that couple who would like to have another
child but wonder how they will afford it?  I have been all
across this country and I know a lot of you guys.
   (APPLAUSE)
   And I have seen and heard stories of how hard it is to get
ahead now.  You know what?  I have heard your voices.  They have
said to me, I am running in place and we just cannot get ahead.
   Sometimes, I think that, late at night, if we were all
silent for just a few moments and listened carefully, we could
hear a collective sigh from the moms and dads across America who
made it through another day, and know that they will make it
through another one tomorrow. But in the end of that day moment,
they are just aren't sure how.
   And if you listen carefully, you'll hear the women sighing
a little bit more than the men.  It's how it is, isn't it?  It's
the moms who have always had to work a little harder to make
everything right.  It's the mom's of this nation, single,
married, widowed, who really hold the country together.  We're
the mothers.  We're the wives.  We're the grandmothers.  We're
the big sisters.  We're the little sisters and we are the
daughters.
   You know it's true, don't you?
   (APPLAUSE)
   I love you, women!
   (APPLAUSE)
   And I hear your voices.  Those are my favorite fans down
there.
   (APPLAUSE)
   You are the ones that have to do a little bit more and you
know what it is like to earn a little bit harder earn the
respect you deserve at work and then you come home to help with
the book report just because it has to be done.
   You know what those late-night phone calls with an elderly
parent are like, and those long weekend drives just to see how
they're doing.
   You know the fastest route to the local emergency room and
which doctors actually answers the phone call when you call at
night, and by the way, I know all about that.
   You know what it is like to sit in that graduation ceremony
and wonder how it was that so many long days turned into years
that went by so quickly.  You are the best of America.
   (APPLAUSE)
   You...
   (APPLAUSE)
   You are the hope of America.  There would not be an America
without you.  Tonight, we salute you and sing your praises!
   (APPLAUSE)
   I am not sure if men really understand this, but I don't
think there is a woman in America who really expects her life to
be easy. In our own ways, we all know better.  You know what,
and that's fine. We don't want easy.  But the last few years
have been harder than they needed to be.  It is all the little
things, the price of the pump you could not believe and the
grocery bills that just get bigger, all those things that used
to be free, like school sports are now one more bill to pay.
   It's all the little things become the big things.  And the
big things, the good jobs, the chance at college and the home
you want to buy just get harder.  Everything has become harder.
We're too smart and know that there are no easy answers, but
we're not dumb enough to accept that there are not better
answers.
   (APPLAUSE)
   And that is where this boy I met at a high school dance
comes in. His name is Mitt Romney and you should really get to
know him.
   (APPLAUSE)
   I could tell you why I fell in love with him; he was tall,
laughed a lot.  He was nervous.  Girls like that.  It shows the
guy's a little intimidated.  He was nice to my parents, but he
was also really glad when they were not around.
   (LAUGHTER)
   I don't mind that.  But more than anything, he made me
laugh. Some of you might not know this, but I am the
granddaughter of a welsh coal miner.
   (APPLAUSE)
   He was determined -- he was determined that his kids get
out of the mines.  My dad got his first job when he was six
years old in a little village in Wales called (inaudible).
Cleaning bottles at the (inaudible).
   When he was 15, dad came to America.  In our country, he
saw hope and an opportunity to escape from poverty.  He moved to
a small town in the great state of Michigan.
   (APPLAUSE)
   Michigan!
   (APPLAUSE)
   There he started a business, one he built by himself, by
the way.
   (APPLAUSE)
   He raised a family and he became mayor of our town.  My dad
would often remind my brothers and me how fortunate we were to
grow up anyplace like America.  He wanted us to have every
opportunity that came with life in this country, and so he
pushed us to be our best and give our all.  Inside the houses
that line the streets in downtown, there were a lot of fathers
teaching their sons and daughters those same values.  I didn't
know it at the time, but one of those dads was my future
father-in-law, George Romney.
   (APPLAUSE)
   Mitt's dad never graduated from college.  Instead, he
became a carpenter.  He worked hard and then he became the head
of the car company, and then the governor of Michigan.
   When Mitt and I met and fell in love, we were determined
not to let anything stand in a way of our future.  I was
Episcopalian, he was a Mormon.  We were very young, both still
in college.  There were many reasons to delay marriage.  And you
know what, we just didn't care. We got married and moved into a
basement apartment.
   (APPLAUSE)
   We walked to class together, shared the housekeeping, ate a
lot of pasta and Tuna fish.  Our just was a door propped up on
saw horses, our dining room table was a fold down ironing board
in the kitchen. But those were the best days.
   Then our first son came along.  All at once, a 22-years-old
with a  baby and a husband, who's going to business school and
law school at the same time, and I can tell you, probably like
every other girl who finds herself in a new life far from family
and friends with a new baby and a new husband, that it dawned on
me that I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into.
   (APPLAUSE)
   Well that was 42 years ago.  I survived.  We now have five
sons and 18 beautiful grandchildren.
   (APPLAUSE)
   I am still in love with that boy that I met at a high
school dance and he still makes me laugh.
   I read somewhere that Mitt and I have a storybook marriage.
Well, let me tell you something.  In the storybooks I read,
there never were long, long rainy winter afternoons in a house
with five boys screaming at once,
   (LAUGHTER)
   and those storybooks never seemed to have chapter's called
M.S. or breast cancer.  A storybook marriage?  Nope, not at all.
What Mitt Romney and I have is a real marriage.
   (APPLAUSE)
   I know this good and decent man for what he is.  He's warm,
and loving, and patient.  He has tried to live his life with a
set of values centered on family, faith, and love of one fellow
man.  From the time we were first married, I have seen him spend
countless hours helping others .  I've seen him drop everything
to help a friend in trouble, and been there when late-night
calls of panic come from a member of our church whose child has
been taken to the hospital.
   You may not agree on Mitt's decisions on issues or his
politics -- by the way Massachusetts is only 13 percent
Republican, so it's not like it's a shock to me.
   (LAUGHTER)
   But -- but let me say this to every American who is
thinking about who should be our next president.  No one will
work harder.  No one will care more.  And no one will move
heaven and earth like Mitt Romney to make this country a better
place to live.
   (APPLAUSE)
   It's true -- it's true that Mitt's been successful at each
new challenge he has taken on.  You know what, it actually
amazes me to see his history of success being attacked.  Are
those really the values that made our country great?
   (AUDIENCE MEMBER):  No.
   ROMNEY:  As a mom of five boys, do we want to to raise our
children to be afraid of success?
   (AUDIENCE MEMBER):  No.
   ROMNEY:  Do we send our children out in the world with the
advice try to do OK?
   (AUDIENCE MEMBER):  No.
   ROMNEY:  And let's be honest.  If the last four years had
been more successful, do we really think there would be this
attack on Mitt Romney's success?
   (AUDIENCE MEMBER):  No.
   ROMNEY:  Of course not.  Mitt would be the first to tell
you that he is the most fortunate man in the world.  He had two
loving parents who gave him strong values and taught him the
value of work.  He had the chance to get the education his
father never had.  But, as his partner on this amazing journey,
I can tell you Mitt Romney was not handed success.  He built it.
   (APPLAUSE)
   He stayed in Massachusetts after graduate school and got a
job. I saw the long hours that started with that first job.  I
was there when he had a small group of friends talking about
starting a new company.  I was there when they struggled and
wondered if the whole idea was just not going to work.  Mitt's
reaction was to work harder and press on.
   Today, the company has become another great American
success story.  Has it made those who started the company
successful -- made them successful beyond their dreams?  Yes, it
has.  It allowed us to give our sons a chance at good educations
and made those long hours of the reports and homework worth
every minute.  It's given us the deep satisfaction of being able
to help others in ways that we could never have imagined.
   This is important.  I want you to hear what I am going to
say. Mitt does not like to talk about how he has helped others
because he sees it as a privilege, not a political talking
point.
   (APPLAUSE)
   We are no different than the millions of Americans who
quietly help their neighbors, their churches and their
communities.  They don't do it so that others will think more of
them.  They do it because there is no greater joy .  Give and it
shall be given unto you.
   (APPLAUSE)
   But because this is America, that small company which grew
has helped so many lead better lives, the jobs that grew from
the risk they took have become college educations and first
homes.  That success has helped scholarships, pensions and
retirement funds.  This is the genius of America.  Dreams
fulfilled, help others launch new dreams.
   (APPLAUSE)
   At every turn in his life, this man that I met at a high
school dance has helped lift up others.  He did it with the
Olympics when many wanted to give up.  He did it in
Massachusetts where he guided the state from economic crisis to
unemployment at just 4.7 percent. Under Mitt, Massachusetts'
school for the best in the nation.  The best.
   (APPLAUSE)
   He started something that I really love.  He started the
John and Abigail Adams scholarship which gives the top 25
percent of high- school graduates a four-year tuition-free
scholarship.
   (APPLAUSE)
   This is the man America needs.
   (APPLAUSE)
   This is a man who will wake up every day with the
determination to solve the problems that others say cannot be
solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair, this is the man
who will work harder than anyone so that we can work a little
less hard.
   I can't tell you what will happen over the next four years.
But I can only stand here tonight as a wife and a mother and a
grandmother, an American, and make you this solemn commitment.
   This man will not fail.
   (APPLAUSE)

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/08/28/transcript-ann-romney-speech-at-republican-national-convention/#ixzz24Qmxym6L

yes. it's the whole transcript of her speech.  It was so good -- she was so dynamic -- I didn't want to leave any of it out.  Of course, as expected by now, my favorite parts are highlighted in my favorite color...

she made me cry, a few times.  but no surprise there.

 

between Ann's natural ability to connect and speak her truth and love of Mitt and country -- only to have it topped off with a huge closer like Gov. Chris Christie -- President Obama has his work cut out for him.  At this moment, the Obama team is scrambling to reframe every single political talking point they have, considering that everything they are running on is either a big fat lie or an unconscionable divide through the prism of hate, envy, or ignorance.

As of tonight, TRUTH is king; as of tonight, brotherly-love is stronger than anything that divides us; as of tonight, we are reminded that the pursuit of Happiness and becoming successful in America  is the American way to pay it forward; as of tonight, we have Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan just waiting in the wings 

"who will wake up every day with the
determination to solve the problems that others say cannot be
solved, to fix what others say is beyond repair"  

 

for

"This is the genius of America.  Dreams
fulfilled, help others launch new dreams."

 

this was a very good night for America --

 

Make it a Good Day, G

It's About Sweet Nothings and Every Thing

Dear America,

"It is free men and women 

that drive our economy. 

Freedom is what makes America work. 

And President Obama, 

bless his heart, 

has tried to substitute government 

for free people–

and it has not worked, 

and it will never work," 

Romney said 

at LeClaire Manufacturing 

in Bettendorf, Iowa.  

[this quote captured from here]

this stuff is real, people -- and out of the mouth of a guy who truly knows a thing or two about business.

[that is a link to a WSJ article by Romney....and it's lip smackin' scrumpdilly-iscious]

and this is exactly what America needs right now....especially when it comes alongside someone we can totally trust to see the idea through, like Paul Ryan.  Getting Ryan is like getting penuche icing layered in between what could have been a very ordinary cake;  and please, don't get me wrong -- the cake is good alright; only now -- it's that much better.

But don't you just love that:  "bless his heart..."

It's like getting a twisted interpretation of Alinsky's Rules for Radicals, isn't it?   Kill'em with kindness; random acts of political engineering just dripping with honey, sprinkled with sugar angels, and finished off with patting the opposition in their little behinds as we shoo them off to bed like a little Cindy-Loo Who.  nite nite and buh bye.

Romney really gets the business side of America; while Ryan really gets our roots, through and through.

You know, that little bless his heart was so truly scrumptious, I seriously think we need a live re-play, so here ya go:




The Left just doesn't understand how the real world really truly works.

take Rachel Maddow, for example -- she totally misses the point of an iconic figure in American capitalism history, Ayn Rand.  And to make that point, let's go right to the source at the Ayn Rand Institute, with a piece explaining Atlas Shrugged the right way, by Don Watkins.

First, Maddow said this - - in the company of Paul Ryan, Tuesday evening:

"In Ayn Rand’s novel, she leads her readers to see the wealthiest people as heroes, heroes that must be protected. . . . The rich are heroes and everybody else is a taker. The more the rich have, the better. The better for everyone. That is not fiscal conservatism either. It is something else."  sez the journalist.

Watkins notes right off the top, that "it is the left that divides up the world into 'the rich' and 'everybody else.' Rand doesn’t think in those terms." [and neither does Romney & Ryan, compounded daily by The Right]

And then adding the real pop, "the real division in Atlas is not between rich and poor but productive and unproductive. Rand lionizes producers: anyone who works to the best of his ability to create material values."

Do ya get it?  Of course you do.  For it works much like this:   what we give, what we put into it -- especially after applying a little someth'n-someth'n, a secret ingredient we like to call  love.  This is what makes each of us special, unique, and when tied to our natural abilities and talents,  allows for the opportunity to reach our full potential -- be it for financial abundance or any other personal motivation and aspiration in our Pursuit of Happiness.

Will The Left ever get it?  That's like trying to answer the age-old question of how many licks to the center of a tootsie roll. 

The thing is, America seems to be in the middle of a history brain-freeze; perhaps it's just a sugar high after all the years we had it soooooo good without much of any effort at all.  But make no mistake, we are experiencing a clash in the kitchen, so to speak -- all because a growing, bubbling population is hooked on entitlement and big government; a group with their only wish --  to fundamentally transform America.



The Romney and Ryan ticket is hardly about the rich against "everybody else"  -- no matter what silly, stupid, ridiculous, radical rhetoric that comes out of the mouths of the other side (especially that Joe).  That's like, nice try...   and @Maddow -- nice try.

What we have here -- in America -- is a country confection beginning with a simple family recipe:

"It is free men and women 

that drive our economy. 

Freedom is what makes America work. 

And President Obama, 

bless his heart, 

has tried to substitute government 

for free people–

and it has not worked, 

and it will never work,"

So in a context The Left can truly understand -- maybe we can all start blaming the roads, and bridges, and perhaps even the Internet for our woes, as America seems to be facing a few technical difficulties in the production department .  But let's be clear as a simple syrup, it's not the fault of the pan, or the oven, or even the recipe -- it's human error.

Whether rich or poor, we need to get back to being proud of whatever it is that we, personally, do.  And while we are at it, we should return to a practice that began decades ago -- something called Random Acts of Kindness; it begins with sprinkling our smiles, and thank you's, and appreciation, and 'bless     your     little      heart',  to everyone we come in contact with each and every day.   

Let's give each other our full support to do our best, dagnammit.

Our success, as a whole, rises -- if not multiplies -- from whatever it is we produce of value. This is how true, honest to goodness wealth is handmade over and over again, just like grammy's famous cinnamon roll recipe past on through the generations.  

While the "unproducers" -- the moochers, some may say -- need to get their sticky fingers out of other people's cookie jars right quick.  For they aren't your cookies, are they.  Hands off.  Make your own schnicker-yankee-doodles.   

I mean, c'mon -- the whole idea of borrowing a cup of sugar from your neighbor works because it is based on that sugar coming back, perhaps with interest -- and conjoined with a plate of rocky road brownies to earn your trust to cover for any future delinquency.  Otherwise, would your neighbor honestly keep giving you some sugah, sugar?  I think not.

The thing is, if all we do is produce a really good cup of coffee for the commuters everyday, we better do it well; if all we do is pick up trash, we better do it well -- because, goodness grief, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we really appreciate you; if all we do is teach, teach it well -- and be thorough and honest and truthful and really care about the kids; if all we do is run for office, do it well -- operate from a platform every American can be proud of....ahhh you get were this egg beater is going....

BUT first, and foremost, the emphasis is on every single one of us to produce something of value, no matter what it is.  When we produce something -- anything! -- of value, we can 'sell it', and for a profit!  -- for then perhaps the happy commuter comes back the very next day, and the day after that.... and then perhaps the next generation grows up recognizing the difference between the productive and the unproductive without the typical liberal class warfare bias, and grows up to be real adults.   

When it comes to our ability to produce something of value -- it doesn't matter if we are rich or poor at all; that argument is hardly relevant or germane, not even a quarter cup's worth.  Most people, generally speaking, started out at the soda fountain making a really yummy root-beer float with a smile and a cherry on top and often a broomstick and worked up.  [Before he grew to become one of the wealthiest liberals on the planet and slow burned the Bank of England before coming to America blessing us with his progressive presence, even George Soros (schwartz) was quite poor]

Rand gets it.  Romney gets it.  Ryan gets it.   Oooooh and Rachel*, not so much.  bless her little heart.

Make it a Good Day, G

*interesting, a net worth of 12.5 million -- for producing something of value.  thatta girl.

It's About a New VP Thing

Dear America,

It's about what the people want.

Sean Hannity interviewed Paul Ryan last night and here are just some of the reasons why we love this VP pick:

[and paraphrasing from memory here; do not quote me]

• "people want to be spoken to like adults"
• the other side just wants to reduce us to the little [petty] things in order to distract us from the big [f*&%ing deal] things  [you all remember that Joe, right?]
• "I'm not really worried about this fall...people see through this"
• the more he [BO] goes negative, the less credible he becomes
• "people want CANDID... REFRESHING ...leadership"
• it all gets down to a clear difference of objectives -- we are about changing the economic environment to create jobs and work for everyone in order to create real revenue growth -- we are about cutting spending and borrowing -- we are about reforming government programs.  WE CAN balance the budget.
• all Obama has created is a 'mountain of uncertainty" -- from tax rates that automatically increase come January to the brand new health care legislation, adding huge costs for every business
• it's about "championing small business not demeaning success"

Versus the VP we got:



there is simply no sign of Joe tempering his rhetoric to anything close to sounding Vice Presidential -- heaven forbid, presidential, if forced to step up.
 
And apparently, yippie skippy, the Republican National Convention will get a little Joe up close and personal.  Bring it, Joe -- give it everything ya'll got.

And speaking of conventions, I have to give props to Gloria Steinem today, after she said this: "Women are the key to a Democratic victory, and sometimes, children are the key to women.  It’s both right and smart for the Democratic Convention to behave as if children exist."  wow.

Read more: http://dailycaller.com/2012/08/21/feminists-slam-dnc-for-discrimination-against-mothers-during-convention/#ixzz24CpsgvZy

Currently, the DNC is not providing child care. While the policy for children to attend goes something like this:

"The DNC requires children and babies to have a credential to enter the convention, and then denies these credential requests from moms. The DNC credentialing process is being used as a tool to prevent mothers from participating at the convention and is nothing short of discriminatory,” according to Lindsey Horvath, of the NOW Hollywood branch.

Now, there is more than one way to look at this, really.  Sure, it may appear like discrimination at first blush; but then again, it may just sound like a bunch of squealing feminist pigs. I mean, are we not capable as women to get our own babysitter?  Perhaps have our husband (or partner) take the kids?   It would seem that 'The Left' continues to drive an agenda based upon pure unadulterated dependency, rather than self-reliance -- whether it be large or small.

and on that note, I must be on my way.

Make it a Good Day, G

It's What a Little R & R Can Do Thing

Dear America,

It's Monday and my August recess is officially over.

Having been gone for a little R & R -- remember, by rail -- let it be known that my girl and I logged roughly fifty-seven hours partially reclined and regretfully, a wee bit uncomfortable, and a whole lot bored for one fifteen year old.  I do believe I killed the romance of it for her forever....oh well.

We've been back for days now; even so, I feel like my thoughts are still being drowned out by the continuous purr of a rolling rrrrrrrrrrrr.  And it certainly doesn't help that my witty little mama managed to squeeze in an inquiry to her latest idea for a bumper sticker (for the GOP, of course) -- pirating a common phrase among marine navigation:  "Red Right Returning."    

While remarkably, it was while we were gone that the GOP found itself a Vice President; and how fitting, another R to round out the ticket.   And are we all quite giddy about it, or what?

LOVE Paul Ryan.   love love love this pick so much.  This ticket has got America Red Right Returning all the way; we're coming home!   We're returning from being virtually lost at sea, fully ready to restore honor, revitalize our community with one another, and revolutionize our federal government all over again.

It's kinda like coming back from vacation.

Now, we may come home feeling utterly exhausted, as if we need another vacation to recover from our vacation.   But quite honestly, after keeping our feet grounded for a day or two, with the help of a good night's sleep in-between, we begin to feel ready to take on the world again.  Our physical dimension has been given quality time to recalibrate with our soul, and suddenly, almost out of the blue, we begin to blend into one moving body, with all of our parts, and thoughts, and feelings, getting back on track.

We begin to hum along, returning to a world we now see with brand new eyes.

We are refreshed in every way.

I left town with a little apprehension -- for contrary to the president's understanding of how the real world works -- I was feeling uncomfortable about pulling up stakes and leaving my life even for a brief period of time; for who would write my day in the life of America?  It's not like I can just not show up, you know.  If I don't show up, nothing gets done, not a word gets scribed.

Which reminds me of something I read before leaving --simply titled, "Thank you, Road" by Keith Koffler, @whitehousedossier.com . good stuff indeed.

cue the A-na-lo-G:  Giving thanks for being back home, returning to my kitchen -- it's kinda like, according to the president's beliefs -- anyone with an oven can bake a decent casserole; anyone with an oven, never burns a cookie; anyone with an oven, cooks like an Iron Chef.   The tools don't do a thing, Mr. President, until someone steps up to create something of value...but then, we digress....

Returning to the train of thought, please don't misconstrue -- it's not like I'm anything big, either.  I recognize how wee I am [and grateful for it, really --for  my little g-ness kinda keeps the riff-raff at bay].

The thing is -- it all comes down to ME wanting to show up, for it feeds a part of me that I can't even put into words. [yes, selfish, I know]

Besides marking my RED RIGHT RETURNING, today celebrates a process that began three years ago.

Somehow, I've rolled along long enough, keeping a diary of all things Americana, and have reached a milestone; for this day, this happy monday, this day in the life of America,  marks my 500th entry.

Granted, sometimes I'm just full of myself and it's all about me; sometimes, I've just simply had enough, totally exasperated by the political environment; sometimes I venture to make a point, still other times, I try to make too many; while even though it's called a day in the life -- realistically, it's like every third day...but who's counting, right? -- the thing is this little engine that could shows up when I it's time to blow.  And besides, all in all, it's my blog and I can say what I want to, often cry if I want to.

America has been holding, treading water at a turning point, for the last three and a half years -- while it's all coming 'round right quick.  And here are a couple of my favorite quotes capitalizing on the sea change while I was gone:

"So, Mr. President, take your campaign of division and anger and hate back to Chicago, and let us get about rebuilding and reuniting America."  Mitt Romney

"The last time I was filling my truck up, it cost 100 bucks, the only reason it cost 100 bucks is because the pump cut me off at at 100 dollars. I didn't even fill the gas tank! Enough! We have our own oil and gas. We have nuclear. We have all of the above: Wind, solar, coal. Let's use it. Let's make us energy independent...

I don't know about you,but when I was growing up, you know, when I was flippin' burgers at McDonald's, when I was standing in front of that big Hobart machine washing dishes or waiting tables, I never thought of myself as stuck in some station in life. I thought to myself, I'm the American dream on a path and journey so that I can find happiness however I can find it myself."  Paul Ryan

[this versus the train wreck that needs no more introduction than 'just Joe':  courtesy of ABC news, "We got a real clear picture of what they all value,” Biden said. “Every Republican’s voted for it. Look at what they value and look at their budget and what they’re proposing. Romney wants to let the — he said in the first hundred days he’s going to let the big banks once again write their own rules, ‘unchain Wall Street.’ They’re going to put y’all back in chains.”]


Perhaps it's all the rest and relaxation messing with my head, but I do say that We, the GOP, have a perfectly well-rounded ticket for the American people to be very much excited about.

You know what else we can be excited about?

Are you ready for some football?  Just the music alone is enough to send chills all up and down my leg.

And the kids ...they all go back to school......

ahhhhhhhh just breathe, G, just breathe in the RED RIGHT RETURNING of fall; we are rebuilding and reuniting with all things good for America.

All is right with the world again.

we are comin' round the mountain, we are pulling up to port,  happy days are here again.

Make it a Good Day, G 

Number 500 is dedicated to my mama xoxo

[you'll get the next one, papa x]

It's Truth, Trains and Ordinary Time Thing

Dear America,


old gthing is beginning to power down for a well earned vacation; it's been a hectic week, one totally empowered by a furious charge of rational self-interest to the max.  The hope is that the crazy days leading up to the leave will be totally worth it -- for the incentive to get it done is greater than leaving things undone for upon my return.

Speaking of which, it is the rational self-interest drive that systematically fuels our capitalist society -- no, scratch that, make that a virtuous capitalist society.

Moreover, it the the rational self-interest of learned men and those who make it their mission to break down the principles and teachings of economics and society, growth and stagnation, and just exactly how the intangible qualities of life become oh so tangible, easily enough for all the rest of us to understand, becomes essentially priceless -- priced right out of the market even.    The wealth of knowledge that ordinary people can acquire and share and express and make abundant and bear fruit becomes utterly limitless.  AND if we remain good people -- enriched in spirit, in soul, in compassion, in love -- the greater good becomes that much greater.

The chatter of the last couple of days has included the celebration of life and works of such -- a remarkable American really -- Milton Friedman.   He would have turned one hundred years old on July 31st... if we were just so lucky to have him on this earth still.

I first want to link to a great article for you to read on the man -- by Donald J. Boudreaux, for a little 'centennial celebration.'   go on now.... g can wait....


super good huh.  love that whole pencil thing.

and for a few words from the man himself, let me switch gears to a wee bit of GTV:



so true! 

"imaginative packaging and deceptive labeling"  -- how simple.

That is how all big bad government grows.

I can only imagine how Milton must be thinking of the unconscionable packaging of the "Affordable Care Act."

The thing is -- and what most people seem to no longer recognize -- is that the beauty of capitalism works for us without us even thinking about it; while the things we seem to think need fixed  -- by more regulation, taxation and control --  ultimately tie us down.

Right now, just a few days out from a very long train ride, I am beginning to get excited. For I can go on vacation without a care in the world because  ---

• I have someone taking care of my baby Boo; 
• I have someone making sure the electricity still keeps my fridge cold, saving that pound of bacon for when I come home; 
• I can do my banking from anywhere, giving me pocket change for trinkets and cocktails anywhere, anytime; 
• I can entrust my travels to the pilot, the conductor, and all who came into the making of that fine plane and train; 
• I can organize my work schedule for time off from my day's labor, reaping the instant benefits of not owing my own business and being able to walk away at any time;
• I can choose to go anywhere I want, anyway I want;
• I can choose to fine dine or find the nearest food truck;
• I can sleep on someone's couch or lay up in a swanky hotel;
• I can leave for a humanitarian project or just slip away purely for my own self-interest;
• I can take a giant leap from a life ORDINARY to extraordinary in a day;
• and I could go on and on...you get my drifter dribble

Anywho, as you are my witness, on this day, I make a pact with my rational self-interest self.

When I come home, I pledge to listen to more Milton and less Real Housewives.  I will soak up more Ayn Rand and less Jack Daniels.  I will become a student of all things Adam Smith and less anything to the contrary.

Sure, call me narrow-minded, I don't mind.  I know what I like.

I like the truth.

I like plain and simple talk explaining the truth.

So, if you'll excuse me, I need to gather my reading material for a grand total of 48 hours of uninterrupted peace and quiet.to and fro.  yippie skippy to me

Make it a Good Day, G

and now talk about all things celebratory...next blog is a very big day for gthing....but don't hold your breath, for I come and go as I please.