Open letter to my congressman Tim Griffin

November 12, 2012

Congressman Tim Griffin, c/o Little Rock Office, 1501 N. University, Suite 150, Little Rock, AR 72207

Dear Congressman Griffin,

I have met you several times and I have always enjoyed visiting with you. I got to hear you speak at a town meeting at Shannon Hills about a year ago and I must say that you did a great job showing how our country is heading to Greece if we do not tackle entitlement reform in a serious way or we will not control our spending. The issue of runaway spending is one of the issues that I wanted to talk to you about today. 

We got to stand up to President Obama on two issues this week. On the fiscal cliff we need to tell him four things that I got from Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute:

I have written a lot on the blog in the last year about the debt ceiling argument. It has been one of the top issues I have dedicated my time to and as result of coming up with interesting issues like that I have experienced over 300,000 hits in the last 12 months on my blog.

Basically on my blog I have spent most of my time on budget issues and the pro-life issues but I also deal with popular culture and sports.

I have written lots of your Tea Party friends in Congress too about this issue of the debt ceiling issue, andI have written a series of letters to the Speaker of the House John Boehner. Here is how I start out in some of those letters:

I know that you will have to meet with newly re-elected President Obama soon and he will probably be anxious for you to raise taxes and  federal spending, but he will want you to leave runaway entitlement programs alone. When that happens then you have one thing you can hold over his head and that is the debt ceiling.

You must stand up to him and tell him that you can not raise it. In December of 2012 or January of 2013 at the latest we will be shutting down the government if we don’t increase the debt limit according to the LA Times. You got to listen to the Tea Party heroes like Rep. Todd Rokita,  Ben Quayle (R-AZ), Jeff Landry (R, LA-03),  Raúl R. Labrador , Tim Huelskamp,  Rep. Justin Amash (R-MI),  , Brooks, Mo (AL – 5), Buerkle, Ann Marie (NY – 25),Chabot, Steven (OH – 1),Duncan, Jeff (SC – 3), Fleischmann, Chuck (TN – 3) ,Gowdy, Trey (SC – 4) ,Griffith, H. Morgan (VA – 9) , Harris, Andy (MD – 1) ,Huizenga, Bill (MI – 2) , Mulvaney, Mick (SC – 5) , Pompeo, Mike (KS – 4) , Ribble, Reid (WI – 8), Rigell, E. Scott (VA – 2) , Ross, Dennis (FL – 12) ,Schweikert, David (AZ – 5), Scott, Austin (GA – 8) , Scott, Tim (SC – 1) , Southerland, Steve (FL – 2) , Stutzman, Marlin (IN – 3) , Walberg, Timothy (MI – 7) , Walsh, Joe (IL – 8),and Woodall, Rob (GA – 7) .

_____________

Mr. Griffin, I have a lot of respect for you because of your conservative views and your defense of the unborn. Now, will you join that group of 66 brave Republicans that voted against the debt ceiling  and oppose it this time around? We must require the passing of the Balanced Budget Amendment before we okay an increase the debt ceiling!!! If not then we will continue to have our credit level downgraded.  Last time you voted for the debt ceiling increase because you said if we did not do it then our credit level would be downgraded but three days later our credit level was downgraded anyway.

Thank you for your time.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, cell ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com, www.thedailyhatch.org

_________

Related posts:

Letters I have written to Congress about the debt ceiling debate

There were 66 brave Republicans that voted against the debt ceiling increase in August of 2011 and I have written posts about 49 of them. Again today we have newly re-elected President Obama coming back for another debt ceiling increase and we need more brave Republicans who will not give in.  I have corresponded with […]

Roll Call of 66 Republicans who voted against debt ceiling increase in 2011

Dan Mitchell of the Cato Institute wrote a very good article and I agree with most of it. However, I do take exception to just one part. He is right to get on to USA Today for calling this current Congress the most unproductive since they only passed 61 bills. Dan rightly pointed out that […]

Mark Pryor responds to me concerning Debt Ceiling email (Part 1)

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Hitting Debt Ceiling soon

There were 66 brave Republicans who voted against the debt ceiling increase last time in the House and I am hoping more will jump on board this time around. Columbia Tribune reported: U.S. on track to hit debt limit, Treasury says Associated PressThursday, November 1, 2012 WASHINGTON (AP) — U.S. Treasury officials said yesterday they […]

Open letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner (Part 3 on debt ceiling)

John Boehner, Speaker of the House H-232, The Capital, Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Speaker, I know that you will have to meet with newly re-elected President Obama soon and he will probably be anxious for you to raise taxes and  federal spending, but he will want you to leave runaway entitlement programs alone. When that happens then you […]

Open letter to Speaker of the House John Boehner (Part 1 on debt ceiling)

John Boehner, Speaker of the House H-232, The Capital, Washington, DC 20515 Dear Mr. Speaker, I know that you will have to meet with newly re-elected President Obama soon and he will probably be anxious for you to raise taxes and  federal spending, but he will want you to leave runaway entitlement programs alone. When that happens then you […]

Obama’s March 16, 2006 speech against raising debt ceiling

Obama’s March 16, 2006 speech against raising the debt ceiling is here: The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from […]

Raising the debt ceiling again so fast?

It seems to me that we should stop raising the debt ceiling so much or we will end up like Greece. Below is some great information from Reason Magazine: Uploaded by ReasonTV on Mar 1, 2011 [Editor’s Note: Go to http://reason.com/blog/2011/03/01/raising-the-debt-limit-it-just for details, charts, and links] Some say the world will end in fire and […]

Federal government spending money so fast they will pass debt ceiling before election

Sen Obama in 2006 Against Raising Debt Ceiling Uploaded by RepCliffStearns on Jun 20, 2011 Rep. Stearns on the House Floor cites Sen. Obama’s opposition in 2006 to increasing the debt ceiling, 6-14-11 ________________________ It has greatly troubled me for sometime that the federal government spends so much over their budget every year. That is […]

China calls U.S. debt a “ticking time bomb” while the Congress keeps raising the debt ceiling

US Vice President Joe Biden (L) and his granddaughter Ashley arrive in Beijing for his visit to China and Mongolia. China is the biggest foreign holder of US debt and the country’s state run media have delivered a barrage of criticism of Washington’s handling of its near-default crisis, which it has described as a “ticking […]

November 12, 2012 – 8:15 am Categories: Current Events, President Obama, Prolife, spending out of control, Taxes | Post a comment

Tennessee going after Petrino?

I heard a rumor on Friday that Kentucky was going after Bobby Petrino and today I read in the Knoxville Paper that Petrino would be a good fit for Tennessee. Where will Bobby land?

John Adams: If not Jon Gruden, how about Bobby Petrino or Tommy Tuberville?

John Adams
  • By John Adams
  • govolsxtra.com
  • Posted November 11, 2012 at 8:12 p.m.

Although Tennessee has yet to announce

footballcoach

Derek Dooley will not return for a fourth season, let’s not get bogged down with formalities. At some point, Tennessee will announce the obvious, and the pursuit of another coach finally will become official.

Some fans apparently believe the pursuit already has succeeded, and that Jon Gruden has agreed to become the next coach once a few trivial details are worked out. I applaud the possibility in that Gruden would give UT a Super Bowl-winning coach as well as a national celebrity — not a bad combination for a football program whose relevance is receding by the game.

In fact, hiring Gruden make so much sense, I would be OK with him bringing along Mike Tirico, his booth buddy on “Monday Night Football,” as defensive coordinator. And if they want to coach Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, so much the better.

But suppose, for some bizarre reason, the Gruden-to-Tennessee deal falls through. Then, where would UT athletic director Dave Hart look?

Hint: As of this writing, Bobby Petrino is still out of work (he won’t be for long).

I realize some people are offended by the circumstances that resulted in the former Arkansas coach being unemployed. The synopsis: He had an affair with a young woman whom he also put on the back of his motorcycle as well as the athletic department’s payroll. One more thing: He lied about the relationship to his boss.

Counterpoint: He wins games. Lots of them.

In weighing Petrino’s off-the-field baggage against his on-the-field success, it’s worth noting that he isn’t the first prominent coach to socialize with a woman outside his immediate household. It’s also worth mentioning that lying is simply a business technique for most coaches.

But it’s not as though you would be asking Petrino to marry you or baby-sit your kids. You would just be asking him to do a job.

Do you check the integrity of your pest-control guy? Do you do a background check on your roofer? And in your last conscious thought before the anesthesia is administered, do you wonder about your surgeon’s character or his skill?

I don’t mean to dismiss integrity as a virtue. I just want to put the situation in perspective.

UT football is in danger of falling off the national map. It’s on the verge of four losing seasons in five years. It can’t afford to make the wrong hire.

Based on what Petrino accomplished at Arkansas, UT would be foolish not to consider him. He faced some of the same challenges there that he would face at Tennessee yet succeeded quickly and dramatically, improving Arkansas’ record in each of his four seasons and taking it to a No. 5 national ranking in his last year.

 

Whom else that UT could get (not counting Gruden, of course) has better credentials for the UT job?

There’s nothing wrong with Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville’s credentials, unless you are disturbed by the video that shows him slapping an assistant coach upside the headphones during Saturday’s victory over Kansas. Of course, some UT fans might find that appealing, given their current lack of affection for UT’s defensive staff.

Tuberville rebuilt Ole Miss from the ruins of NCAA probation in the late 1990s. He led Auburn to an unbeaten season in 2004 and is 20-15 in three seasons at Texas Tech. Moreover, he’s good in big games — and against big-time coaches (see Nick Saban for details).

Maybe UT would prefer someone younger (Tuberville is 58). But I would be more concerned about a coach’s lack of experience than his age.

UT should be looking for someone who has proved himself in a couple of programs, not for a couple of seasons.

This isn’t a job for an up-comer. Tennessee needs a proven winner.

And if the coach is a proven winner in the SEC, that’s even better.

John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or adamsj@knoxnews.com. Follow him at http://twitter.com/johnadamskns.

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Bobby Petrino to Texas in 2013?

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Bobby Petrino was a great coach and babysitter

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Bobby Petrino unloads one of his two Fayetteville homes

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Is Bobby Petrino through or will he return as a top coach in the future?

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You can buy Bobby Petrino’s motorcyle!!!

I wish the Bobby Petrino series of mistakes never started last fall. It all started with eating lunch with a young lady that was not his wife and she said, “When are you going to get around to kissing me?” The Arkansas Times blog reported today:   A Twitter from Mallory Hardin at Channel 4 […]

Bobby Petrino had the whole world at his feet

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Bobby Petrino’s actions and the fallout from them

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino Sometimes we lose perspective on what is really important and I thought I would share this below. Will Davis Jr. is a Christian pastor and here are his thoughts: The Sad Case of Bobby Petrino 11 Apr Bobby Petrino, the three-year football coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, has been relieved of […]

Bobby Petrino and the issue of Integrity

A good article I came upon below: A Question of Integrity Posted by Jerry Godsey in Adultery, BLOG, Family, Featured, How To Be a Man, Leadership, News Media, Sports | Monday, April 16th, 2012 If you are a college football fan, you are pretty aware of the Bobby Petrino scandal at the University of Arkansas. […]

Opinions on the morality of Bobby Petrino

Bobby Petrino and Jessica Dorrell I have read a lot of opinions throughout the USA on the morality of Bobby Petrino and I wanted to share with you some of their thoughts: 1. Columbus Ledger Enquirer 2. Marissa Levy at Fordham Law 3. Curmudgeon’s Attic 4. Vanderbilt Law School Bobby Petrino bears witness: Character Counts! […]

November 12, 2012 – 7:33 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

President Obama should be protecting unborn children!!!! (Part 4)

Church History & Abortion

Uploaded by on Sep 30, 2010

This 10.5 minute Power Point presentation gives statements from Church leaders (early and late) regarding the Christian Church’s opposition to abortion.

__________________

These posts are all dealing with issues that President Obama did not help on in his first term. I am hopeful that he will continue to respond to my letters that I have written him and that he will especially reconsider his view on the following import issue. President Obama should be protecting unborn children!!!!

Should abortions be permitted in the case of rape or incest?

 

When the subject of abortion comes up, rape and incest are often used as an emotional appeal designed to deflect serious consideration of the pro-life position: “How can anyone deny a hurting woman safe medical care and freedom from the terror of rape or incest by forcing her to maintain a pregnancy resulting from the cruel and criminal invasion of her body?” The emotion of the argument often precludes serious examination of its merits.

First, it is important to note that the incidence of pregnancy as a result of rape is rare, with studies estimating that approximately 1 percent to 4.7 percent of rapes result in pregnancy. Thus lobbying for abortion on the basis of rape and incest is like lobbying for the removal of red lights because you might have to run one in order to rescue someone who is about to commit suicide. Even if we had legislation restricting abortion for all reasons other than rape or incest, we would save the vast majority of the 1.8 million preborn babies who die annually in the United States through abortion.

Furthermore, one does not obviate the real pain of rape or incest by compounding it with the murder of an innocent preborn child. Two wrongs do not make a right. The very thing that makes rape evil also makes abortion evil. In both cases, an innocent human being is brutally dehumanized.

In both cases, an innocent human being is brutally dehumanized. Finally, the real question is whether abortion is the murder of an innocent human being. If so, abortion should be avoided at all costs. In an age of scientific enlightenment we now know that the embryo even at its earliest stages fulfills the criteria needed to establish the existence of biological life (including metabolism, development, the ability to react to stimuli, and cell reproduction); that a zygote is a living human being as demonstrated by its distinct genetic code; and that human personhood does not depend on size, location, or level of dependence. Thus, abortion should be avoided even in cases of rape and incest.

For further study, see Hank Hanegraaff, “Annihilating Abortion Arguments,” available through the Christian Research Institute (CRI) at http://www.equip.org.

Proverbs 17:15:
“Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent-the LORD detests them both.”

November 12, 2012 – 7:14 am Categories: Prolife | Post a comment

Open letter to President Obama (Part 168.5)

 

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

Why not be wise with your money like Romney has done? Why is that a bad thing?

Since Mitt Romney Won’t Defend Himself, I Guess It’s Up to Me to Debunk the Left’s Tax Haven Demagoguery

July 14, 2012 by Dan Mitchell

Earlier this year, I defended Mitt Romney and Bain Capital from the absurd accusation that they did something wrong by utilizing low-tax jurisdictions.

So-called tax havens, as I’ve explained on many occasions, play a valuable role in the world economy. Indeed, they should be emulated rather than persecuted.

In a follow-up post, I mocked ABC News for a ridiculous non-story as they tried to make Romney appear guilty for following good business practices.

The issue has become hot again, so I talked about Romney and tax havens with Jason Riley at the Wall Street Journal.

Dan Mitchell Defending Tax Havens (and Mitt Romney) on Wall Street Journal Online TV

Published on Jul 13, 2012 by

No description available.

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Since nobody has claimed that Romney violated U.S. tax law, this kerfuffle only exists because the left wants to create the impression that tax havens are bad and then tar the GOP’s presumptive nominee with guilt by association.

Brian Garst of the Center for Freedom and Prosperity nails the issue in his column for the Daily Caller.

People who invest or bank overseas do not hate America. Oftentimes, they are simply banking where their money is earned to avoid the hassle of exchange rate and wire transfer fees. …It’s also smart practice to diversify. …Mitt Romney should not be cowed into shame over his banking practices just because he doesn’t strictly park his after-tax earnings in American banks, but should instead seize the opportunity to more aggressively defend against populist attacks on financial privacy and explain the benefits of jurisdictional tax competition.

That’s good advice, but I’m not holding my breath waiting for Romney to defend Switzerland and other jurisdictions with good policy. That would require an underlying belief in freedom and liberty, which seems to be lacking.

But you would think that he might respond by noting that many top Democrats directly invest in tax havens, and that presumably all of them – as I noted in my WSJ interview – are indirectly invested in these financial centers.

P.S. It’s probably a lost cause, but I’m an old-fashioned guy who thinks that people shouldn’t blatantly lie, so here’s my obligatory complaint that many politicians, journalists, and policy folks are repeating the debunked assertion that so-called tax havens deprive the U.S. Treasury of $100 billion per year. Obama threw around that make-believe number in the 2008 campaign, as seen in this video. But as shown in the final video of this post, the $100 billion figure was concocted out of thin air by a former John Kerry staffer, who confessed he made up the number when the Congressional Research Service asked for his methodology.

_______________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

November 12, 2012 – 7:12 am Categories: Cato Institute | Comments (1)

Christopher Hitchens’ debate with Douglas Wilson (Part 6)

Christopher Hitchens vs. Douglas Wilson Debate at Westminster Theological Seminary, Part 6 of 12

Douglas Wilson

I am glad that you found my response mildly amusing. I am also grateful we share an appreciation for Wodehouse. And I am extremely glad that you would like me to begin talking about the death of Christ for sin—which I fully intend to do. But the pattern the New Testament

gives us is to address the need for repentance first and then to talk about the need for faith in Christ as Savior. Within the boundaries of our discussion, repentance would be necessary because you have embraced the internal contradictions of atheism, all for the sake of avoiding God (Rom. 1:21; Ps. 14:1-2). So we will get to the gospel, but I am afraid I am going to have to ask you to hold your horses.

So, back to the business at hand, the business of intellectual repentance. Dismissing something as casuistry is not the same thing as a demonstration of casuistry, and refusing to answer questions because the

other guy is being evasive is quite a neat trick . . . if you can pull it off.

I am afraid you misconstrued my acknowledgement that—with regard to public civic life— atheists can certainly behave in a moral manner. My acknowledgement was not that morality has nothing to do with the supernatural, as you represented, but rather that morality has nothing to do with the supernatural if you want to be an inconsistent atheist. Here is that point again, couched another way and tied into our topic of debate.

Among many other reasons, Christianity is good for the world because it makes hypocrisy a coherent concept. The Christian faith certainly condemns hypocrisy as such, but because there is a fixed standard, this makes it possible for sinners to fail to meet it or for flaming hypocrites to pretend that they are meeting it when they have no intention of doing so. Now my question for you is this: Is there such a thing as atheist hypocrisy? When another atheist makes different ethical choices than you do (as Stalin and Mao certainly did), is there an overarching common standard for all atheists that you are obeying and which they are not obeying? If so, what is that standard and what book did it come from? Why is it binding on them if they differ with you?

And if there is not a common objective standard which binds all atheists, then would it not appear that the supernatural is necessary in order to have a standard of morality that can be reasonably articulated and defended?

So I am not saying you have to believe in the supernatural in order to live as a responsible citizen. I am saying you have to believe in the supernatural in order to be able to give a rational and coherent account of why you believe yourself obligated to live this way. In order to prove me wrong here, you must do more than employ words like “casuistry” or “evasions”—you simply need to provide that rational account. Given atheism, objective morality follows . . . how?

The Christian faith is good for the world because it provides the fixed standard which atheism cannot provide and because it provides forgiveness for sins, which atheism cannot provide either.

We need the direction of the standard because we are confused sinners. We need the forgiveness because we are guilty sinners. Atheism not only keeps the guilt, but it also keeps the confusion.

— Douglas Wilson

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Christopher Hitchens discusses Ron Paul in 3-2-11 inteview

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Evangelicals react to Christopher Hitchens’ death plus video clips of Hitchens debate (part 3)

DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 07 Below are some reactions of evangelical leaders to the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death:   Christian leaders react to Hitchens’ death Posted on Dec 16, 2011 | by Michael Foust   DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 08 Author and […]

Evangelicals react to Christopher Hitchens’ death plus video clips of Hitchens debate (part 2)

DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 04 Below are some reactions of evangelical leaders to the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death: Christian leaders react to Hitchens’ death Posted on Dec 16, 2011 | by Michael Foust DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 05 Author and speaker Christopher […]

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DEBATE William Lane Craig vs Christopher Hitchens Does God Exist 01 Below are some reactions of evangelical leaders to the news of Christopher Hitchens’ death: Christian leaders react to Hitchens’ death Posted on Dec 16, 2011 | by Michael Foust Author and speaker Christopher Hitchens, a leader of an aggressive form of atheism that eventually […]

November 12, 2012 – 7:09 am Categories: Atheists Confronted, Current Events | Post a comment

Senator Pryor asks for Spending Cut Suggestions! Here are a few!(Part 165)

Senator Pryor asks for Spending Cut Suggestions! Here are a few!(Part 165)

Senator Mark Pryor wants our ideas on how to cut federal spending. Take a look at this video clip below:

Senator Pryor has asked us to send our ideas to him at cutspending@pryor.senate.gov and I have done so in the past and will continue to do so in the future.

On May 11, 2011,  I emailed to this above address and I got this email back from Senator Pryor’s office:

Please note, this is not a monitored email account. Due to the sheer volume of correspondence I receive, I ask that constituents please contact me via my website with any responses or additional concerns. If you would like a specific reply to your message, please visit http://pryor.senate.gov/contact. This system ensures that I will continue to keep Arkansas First by allowing me to better organize the thousands of emails I get from Arkansans each week and ensuring that I have all the information I need to respond to your particular communication in timely manner.  I appreciate you writing. I always welcome your input and suggestions. Please do not hesitate to contact me on any issue of concern to you in the future.

I just did. I went to the Senator’s website and sent this below:

Here are some great suggestions from the Heritage Foundation.  Alison Acosta Fraser Director, Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies

Nowhere to Cut?

  • A grant totaling $25,000 was used to transcribe a Maldivian love ballad.
  • Taxpayers funded a National Institutes of Health study costing $55,382 in 2011, and $170,000 over three years, to study the hookah smoking habits of Jordanian university students.
  • The Department of Agriculture’s Market Access Program spends $200 million a year to help U.S. agricultural trade associations and cooperatives advertise their products in foreign markets. In 2011, it funded a reality TV show in India that advertised U.S. cotton.
  • The Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $141,450 grant under the Clean Air Act to fund a Chinese study on swine manure and a $1.2 million grant to the United Nations for clean fuel promotion.
  • The Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that some people are double-dipping from unemployment and disability benefits programs. This lack of coordination among government agencies is costing taxpayers $850 million annually. GAO found one individual who drew $62,000 from unemployment insurance and disability insurance at the same time she was working and earning an additional $7,000 in income.
  • In 2011, the top 20 percent of farm subsidy recipients received almost 80 percent of all premium subsidies. Twenty-six farm businesses each collected over $1 million worth of subsidies.
  • Taxpayer losses from the failed solar cell manufacturing company Solyndra, which received a federal loan guarantee, totaled $528 million. Beacon Power and Abound Solar, two other failed alternative energy companies, cost taxpayers $46.5 million and $73.1 million, respectively.
  • A Congressional Research Service report revealed that among individuals earning $1 million or more, 2,840 received unemployment benefits in 2008 and 2,362 received the benefits in 2009.
  • The Conservation Reserve Program pays farmers $2.1 billion annually not to farm their land for a period of at least ten years.

Sources include Congressional Budget Office and Government Accountability Office reports, Wastebook 2011 from the Office of Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK), and news articles from various media outlets, all of which are on file at The Heritage Foundation.

November 12, 2012 – 7:08 am Categories: spending out of control | Post a comment

Music Monday “Ringo Starr tour Part 3”

I went  to a Ringo Starr concert on July 4, 2012 at Orange Beach, AL and enjoyed it very much and here are some of the songs I heard that night:

Concert review – Ringo Starr at Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Tuesday 21st June 2011, 12:52PM BST.

Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band, Birmingham
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band,  Birmingham
Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band,  Birmingham Symphony Hall, Concert review by Phil  Gillam

Yes, yes, of course it was terribly ‘cabaret’ at times, but what were you  expecting, for goodness sake? This is Ringo.

Now, you might say there are two types of performer in popular music: the  artist (such as Bob Dylan) and the entertainer (such as Engelbert Humperdink).  Ringo has never professed to be an artist, but he’s never stopped being an  entertainer. And entertain is what he did supremely well last night.

“If you don’t know this next song, you’re in the wrong venue,” he told the crowd as  he launched, into Yellow Submarine.

Surrounded by top-notch, if ancient, musicians – all of whom were major  players in their time – Ringo, a sprightly 70 years old, gave us energetic  renditions of Honey Don’t, Back Off Boogaloo, Photograph, and of course  With A Little Help From My Friends.

Starr has suffered down the years at the hands of critics.  But it turns out  the mop-top caricatures of John the thinker, Paul the romantic, George the  mystic and Ringo the clown were pretty accurate after all.

Last night he proved he was still the clown, still the master entertainer,  and still, a much better drummer than many give him credit for. Ringo . . .  you’re fab.

Photos – Jason Sheldon /  Junction10 Photography

Read more:  http://www.expressandstar.com/entertainment/2011/06/21/concert-review-ringo-starr-at-symphony-hall-birmingham/#ixzz1zlqZ0umd

Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach at their wedding 1981«

_____________________-

Ringo Starr – “Wings” 1/31/2012 Craig Ferguson

Here is a song off of the new album “Ringo Starr 2012.”

November 12, 2012 – 7:07 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Open letter to President Obama (Part 168.4)

Obama 7.13.2012: If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

Published on Jul 15, 2012 by

Obama at campaign event in Roanoke VA 7.13.2012: “If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business — you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

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President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

You said on July 13, 2012:

Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

I got a simple question. Did Fred Smith come up with the idea for Federal Express and then spend every cent of his own money and gamble to see if his idea was workable or did the government take those risks?

Did you know that Fed Ex started in Little Rock? Entrepreneurs like Fred Smith need to be encouraged, not discouraged by government. This comment by you actually insults them.

 Here is a funny Fed Ex Commercial from the 1980’s.

A few more funny commercials from Fed Ex:

I love the movie Castaway:

 
On July 3, 1981, I was in Prague, Czechoslovakia in the middle of a 20 country student tour. Our group of 48 American students had the opportunity to speak to a Communist government official for over an hour. We asked him several questions. My questions were quite direct and I will share some of them at a later time.
 
However, I did want to share one question that I asked. I told the official about an entrepreneur from Memphis named Fred Smith. Back in the early 1970’s we heard about how Smith had this crazy idea about delivering overnight packages from LA to San Francisco via Memphis. Sounded like it would not work, but Smith was able to invest all his money and eventually it paid off. His idea was successful.
 
I asked the simple question: Could something like this happen here in Communist Czechoslovakia? He responded, “No. That is because no private citizen is allowed to own that much capital. The government must do things like that.”
 
There was no chance for entrepreneurs to exist in communist countries. I was simply pointing out that economic freedom allows an environment for entrepreneurs. Why would someone put the time and energy in putting together a grand plan like Fed Ex when the benefit and reward would just go to a communist government? Entrepreneurship should be encouraged, but many times today in the USA we find that our lawmakers pass laws that discourage entrepreneurs. Now you have insulted these same entrepreneurs!!!!
 

Amy Payne

July 16, 2012 at 9:02 am

That sound you hear is silence—as millions of small business owners and entrepreneurs were left speechless this weekend from President Obama’s latest insult.

The slap in the face to hard-working Americans conveyed Obama’s belief that it takes a village—a heavily subsidized village—to create that venture you’re profiting from:

Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.

Obama pushed his policy goals of infrastructure (aka stimulus) spending and “government research” as part of a collectivist utopia “doing things together.” It’s simply stunning that he would tell Americans, “If you’ve got a business—you didn’t build that.”

After all, could individuals be resourceful and hard-working enough to create whole new enterprises? Obama said:

Look, if you’ve been successful, you didn’t get there on your own. You didn’t get there on your own. I’m always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart.

It is this view of successful businesses—essentially, “You owe us”—that drives Obama’s continued attacks on the country’s job creators in the form of tax hikes and regulations.

It’s a tough time to be a business owner and entrepreneur in America. Surveys show small business owners are struggling, and they are not expanding or hiring because of tax and regulatory uncertainty. Federal agencies, from Health and Human Services to the Environmental Protection Agency, are regulating them to death. And just last week, President Obama announced his latest economic plan was to hit job creators with a tax increase.

The President’s plan to raise taxes on earnings above $200,000 ($250,000 for joint filers) would hit 1.2 million small-business employers who pay their taxes through the individual income tax, known as flow-through businesses. These businesses that are creating jobs earn almost all—91 percent—of the income earned by flow-through employer-businesses.

The new tax increase could be equivalent to one employee per small business. According to calculations by The Heritage Foundation’s Center for Data Analysis, the average American with $250,000 or more in income can expect an average $24,888 tax increase next year under Obama’s proposed policies. That $24,888 figure is often enough for a salary. So the President could be putting about 1.2 million jobs—perhaps even more—at risk with this tax hike.

Hitting private job creators while advocating more stimulus spending and government jobs. That’s the President’s plan for the economy.

Meanwhile, businesses large and small suffer from the highest corporate tax rate in the developed world. This has long made the U.S. an uncompetitive place for new investment and has driven new jobs to other, more competitive nations, meaning fewer jobs and lower wages for all Americans.

If the U.S. is to see economic recovery, we must encourage entrepreneurship. Stopping the biggest tax increase in American history, Taxmageddon, would be a good place to start. It’s a $494 billion tax hike set to hit on January 1, when a number of tax policies expire and just a few of Obamacare’s new taxes kick in. Businesses are already hesitating on hiring decisions because of the impending effects of these taxes.

Democratic leaders are demanding tax hikes, however, and threatening to allow Taxmageddon for the sake of politics—despite warnings that it would send the U.S. back into recession.

Real recovery will take even more than saving job creators from punishing taxes and regulations. It requires leadership that appreciates and values the long hours that America’s business builders put in and the personal sacrifices they make for their dreams. It will take leaders who say, “If you’ve got a business—you built that. And we want more of that in America.”

___________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

November 12, 2012 – 7:05 am Categories: Current Events, President Obama | Post a comment

Johnny Cash (Part 4)

I got to hear Johnny Cash sing in person back in 1978.  Here is a portion of an article about his Christian Testimony.

 

“Being a Christian isn’t for sissies,” Cash said once. “It takes a real man to live for God—a lot more man than to live for the devil, you know? If you really want to live right these days, you gotta be tough.”

What’s more, he was intimately aware of the hard truths about living God’s way: “If you’re going to be a Christian, you’re going to change. You’re going to lose some old friends, not because you want to, but because you need to.”

“I Don’t Give Up”
Especially since June’s death in May 2003, many wondered how much longer Cash could hang on to life—it’s not uncommon, after all, for longtime spouses to die in close succession to each other. And that’s exactly what happened.

But you have to admit those were fightin’ words to Cash. In fact, shortly after June’s death, Cash headed back into the studio to begin work on more songs with fellow rebel and producer of nearly a decade, Rick Rubin. (Truth to tell, Cash’s last two albums, American III: Solitary Man and American IV: The Man Comes Around, were both reckoned as his farewell offerings.)

“He kind of made a decision,” Rubin told Billboard. “He called me a couple of days after June passed and said that he really has dedicated his life to work and wants to be busy all the time and focused on songs. That’s what he wants to do, so that’s what we’re going to do [and] that’s what we’ve been doing.”

And in his final days, despite moment-by-moment battles with diabetes, glaucoma (which cost him well over half of his vision), asthma, and a progressive, debilitating case of autonomic neuropathy (which deadened his nerve endings, complicated his other ailments, and pretty much confined Cash to a wheelchair during his waking hours), the Man in Black was anything but in a black mood. In fact, he was celebrating life—sopping up every second he could, while he could.

“I’m thrilled to death with life,” he told Larry King during a recent interview. “Life is—the way God has given it to me—was just a platter. A golden platter of life laid out there for me. It’s been beautiful.”

Observers were continually amazed with the grace Cash exuded despite the legion of forces working against him. “He looks more frail than imposing, propped up in his black leather recliner,” one writer noted. “Yet … it’s remarkable just how vital, even unassailable, Cash and his craggy baritone remain … and while Cash’s stentorian vocals may sound tattered, they still convey an almost biblical authority, a reverberant mix of judgment, hope, and, above all, steadfastness.”

“I don’t give up,” he told Larry King. “I don’t give up … and it’s not out of frustration and desperation that I say ‘I don’t give up.’ I don’t give up because I don’t give up. I don’t believe in it.”

Amen to that.

November 12, 2012 – 7:00 am Categories: Current Events | Post a comment

Open letter to President Obama (Part 168.3)

USTV-GOP Address: Spending Crisis Still Looms

Uploaded by on Apr 9, 2011

In the Saturday Republican radio address, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., warns of a coming crisis. (April 9)

___________________

 

President Obama c/o The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500

Dear Mr. President,

I know that you receive 20,000 letters a day and that you actually read 10 of them every day. I really do respect you for trying to get a pulse on what is going on out here.

Overspending will get you in troublc every time.

The Simple and Predictable Story of Fiscal Bankruptcy in Cyprus

July 5, 2012 by Dan Mitchell

With all the fiscal troubles in Greece, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and Italy, there’s not much attention being paid to Cyprus.

But the Mediterranean island nation is a good case study illustrating the economic dangers of big government.

For all intents and purposes, Cyprus is now bankrupt, and the only question that remains to be answered is whether it will get handouts from the IMF-ECB-EC troika, handouts from Russia, or both. Here’s some of what has been reported by AP.

Cyprus’ president on Thursday defended his government’s decision to seek financial aid from the island nation’s eurozone partners while at the same time asking for a loan from Russia, insisting that the two are perfectly compatible. …Cyprus, with a population of 862,000 people, last week became the fifth country that uses the euro currency to seek a European bailout… The country is currently in talks with the so-called ‘troika’ — the body made up of officials from the European Commission, the European Central Bank and the International Monetary Fund — on how much bailout money it will need and the conditions that will come attached. Locked out of international markets because of its junk credit rating status, Cyprus is paying its bills thanks to a €2.5 billion ($3.14 billion) Russian loan that it clinched last year. But that money is expected to run out by the end of the year.

So what caused this mess? Is Cyprus merely the helpless and innocent victim of economic turmoil in nearby Greece?

That’s certainly the spin from Cypriot politicians, but the budget data shows that Cyprus is in trouble because of excessive spending. This chart, based on data from the International Monetary Fund, shows that the burden of government spending has jumped by an average of 8.3 percent annually since the mid-1990s.

My Golden Rule of fiscal policy is that government spending should grow slower than economic output. Nations that follow that rule generally enjoy good results, while nations that violate that rule inevitably get in trouble.

Interestingly, if Cypriot politicians had engaged in a very modest amount of spending restraint and limited annual budgetary increases to 3 percent, there would be a giant budget surplus today and the burden of government spending would be down to 21.4 percent of GDP, very close to the levels in the hyper-prosperous jurisdictions of Hong Kong and Singapore.

Actually, that’s not true. If the burden of government spending had grown as 3 percent instead of 8.3 percent, economic growth would have been much stronger, so GDP would have been much larger and the public sector would be an ever smaller share of economic output.

Speaking of GDP, the burden of government spending in Cyprus, measured as a share of GDP, has climbed dramatically since 1995.

A simple way to look at this data is that Cyprus used to have a Swiss-sized government and now it has a Greek-sized government. Government spending is just one of many policies that impact economic performance, but is anyone surprised that this huge increase in the size of the public sector has had a big negative impact on Cyprus?

Interestingly, if government spending had remained at 33.9 percent of GDP in Cyprus, the nation would have a big budget surplus today. Would that have required huge and savage budget cuts? Perhaps in the fantasy world of Paul Krugman, but politicians could have achieved that modest goal if they had simply limited annual spending increases to 6 percent.

But that was too “draconian” for Cypriot politicians, so they increased spending by an average of more than 8 percent each year.

What’s the moral of the story? Simply stated, the fiscal policy variable that matters most is the growth of government. Cyprus got in trouble because the burden of government grew faster than the productive sector of the economy.

That’s the disease, and deficits and debt are the symptoms of that underlying problem.

Europe’s political elite doubtlessly will push for higher taxes, but that approach – at best – simply masks the symptoms in the short run and usually exacerbates the disease in the long run.

______________

Thank you so much for your time. I know how valuable it is. I also appreciate the fine family that you have and your commitment as a father and a husband.

Sincerely,

Everette Hatcher III, 13900 Cottontail Lane, Alexander, AR 72002, ph 501-920-5733, lowcostsqueegees@yahoo.com

November 12, 2012 – 6:58 am Categories: President Obama, spending out of control | Post a comment