Well by now I'm sure you have heard there has been a massive egg recall due to salmonella. In China the Iowa businessman that has been connected with all these health and business violations would be executed. Ouch! Not exactly the best idea but here he will probably pay a measly fine after thousands have become sick and some have lost their lives. It seems my family is always caught up in the recalls, the canned goods, the medicines for children etc. Now eggs?
Heck we do a better job hurting and poisoning ourselves then terrorists even plan to do in this country. The basic idea behind government is protection. How is our government protecting us? Yes we have police and the military those are the basic protections a nation needs to protect it's populace. What about the safety of toys, children's medications and yes, Eggs! Without the basic safety protections to the citizenry then the government has failed. If we can't make sure we have safe dairy products then what about a our nuclear arsenal or DOE Nuclear reactors? We have billions spent on pork barrel projects around the country by idiots that give themselves raises and take excessive vacations. We send foreign military aid to Lebanon, a known terrorist state but we can't feed our children safe eggs. Hello Washington lets reallocate some cash here! Even the Romans made sure they had safe food and a clean water source thousands of years ago. Yeah but remember what happened to them. Look over your shoulder the Visigoths! Never mind those are just the Mall Goths.
Last time I checked the FDA/USDA inspected said eggs. If this got through the expensive dragnet of both over funded fat agencies along with all the other recalls then its time for some much needed change, oops I meant improvement. Change isn't always good. That's why I refuse to use the term. We need to make government accountable, effective and efficient. If they are supposed to protect us then they need to do a better job and get graded and evaluated for it. The housing projects in my town deliver free WiFi, cable and utilities to the residents. If the feds can fund that, oops I mean our tax dollars can fund that then I want a dadgum SAFE EGG in 2010! If all the world can watch a leaking oil well a mile under the sea for three months in living color from our IPhones and Blackberries then there shouldn't be a kid on this planet that can't eat a salmonella free egg.
Thirty years ago if there were a billion bad eggs on the U.S. market there would be protests, marches and riots. Now you fat,lazy drive thru queens and texting kings that can barely hit the forward key on your email account to display your disgust, drive your tin can coffin to work, try not to spill your fivebucks coffee, sit in your cardboard cell for eight hours, race home to ignore your family, find out who got voted off American Idol and take your dying family to the ER so your insurance claim can be denied for eating that one bad egg. All because you have become a complacent soul and need instant gratification without accepting the responsibility of being a Citizen (if you are one even) of the Greatest Show on Earth.
I'll have mine at Waffle House in a Ham and Cheese Omelet, Hash browns scattered, smothered and covered, with bacon egg and cheese sandwich on the side. Hey man, if your gonna go out, Go Big!
Love Y'all. Mean it too!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
The First Day of School
Well here it is the first day of school.
I have a six year old that is super excited to be headed to first grade. However I realize this "first day of school" means many things to many people. As I drove the streets here in SC I relaized everyone has a different perspective on this day. Some see it as increased traffic and school buses to dodge and avoid. The people at Papa Johns see it as an all night headache and more traffic from the college kids but more cash too! The tow truck driver sees more angry people fighting over fewer parking spaces and college kids that don't want to pay to get thier cars out of impound. Some parents see it as thier "new" summer vaction but hectic none the less with things to do, schedules packed and errands to run. I see people that have never experienced the joy of parenting deplore the extra bodies in the mall at the local stop and rob and the general hulabaloo (it ain't in spell check so deal with it) of it all. To some it is dropping kids off at college or the college kid's week of Rush and football season approaching. To others it is that quintesential question of freshman life. Is that keg in the closet cold or not? And who lost the tap anyway? Is it about the guy that has a pending DUI in NC and just got one a few hours before begining law school in SC? To me, it isn't about any of that. Its about my kids and thier first day embarking upon a new world of sights, sounds, new people, awesome experiences, raw responsibilities and fresh culture. Its about our legacy as parents and people of a progressive forward thinking nation. It is about our future. So this week quit your bitching and complaining and park where you are supoposed to, wait a few more minutes for your pizza, don't pass that stopped school bus, don't drink and drive Mr. Law Student, wait until you are a sophmore to pledge, buy the stuff your kids need, drive a little slower and Invest in our children's future.
I have a six year old that is super excited to be headed to first grade. However I realize this "first day of school" means many things to many people. As I drove the streets here in SC I relaized everyone has a different perspective on this day. Some see it as increased traffic and school buses to dodge and avoid. The people at Papa Johns see it as an all night headache and more traffic from the college kids but more cash too! The tow truck driver sees more angry people fighting over fewer parking spaces and college kids that don't want to pay to get thier cars out of impound. Some parents see it as thier "new" summer vaction but hectic none the less with things to do, schedules packed and errands to run. I see people that have never experienced the joy of parenting deplore the extra bodies in the mall at the local stop and rob and the general hulabaloo (it ain't in spell check so deal with it) of it all. To some it is dropping kids off at college or the college kid's week of Rush and football season approaching. To others it is that quintesential question of freshman life. Is that keg in the closet cold or not? And who lost the tap anyway? Is it about the guy that has a pending DUI in NC and just got one a few hours before begining law school in SC? To me, it isn't about any of that. Its about my kids and thier first day embarking upon a new world of sights, sounds, new people, awesome experiences, raw responsibilities and fresh culture. Its about our legacy as parents and people of a progressive forward thinking nation. It is about our future. So this week quit your bitching and complaining and park where you are supoposed to, wait a few more minutes for your pizza, don't pass that stopped school bus, don't drink and drive Mr. Law Student, wait until you are a sophmore to pledge, buy the stuff your kids need, drive a little slower and Invest in our children's future.
Monday, August 16, 2010
The State of the Union
Clearly these are turbulent times in our Nation. We have unsecure borders. We have two ongoing wars. An economy based on the service sector that is failing. We have a government that focuses on themselves and their own narcissitic paradigms as opposed to finding solutions to age old problems. How do we turn around the Titantic before she sinks, you ask? Lets examine some ways to turn the beast around and onto a safer course.
First we need to protect what we have. As a former Border Patrol agent I can tell you the U.S. Government is not comitted to protecting our borders. Our borders are not controlled the way most of the borders throughout the civilized world are controlled. This is primarily because we didn't fear anything. Heck Mexico and Canada aren't our enemies... We have the Bomb we are immune from invasion. Certainly from a Cold War era type invasion but thats about it! Our 1918 era border philosophy is quickly defeating us with 21st century Narco Terroists and Islamic Terrorist now homegrown as well as the ones immigrating here. Yes, I said immigrating... Throwing money at the problem without actually creating barriers (I don't mean barbed wire fences and coyote sensors). How about holding Mexico accountable? We fail to do that in the name of alienating Latino voters. Use our department of DEFENSE to defend us for once. But them on the Border. In the early 1900's 1500 South Carolina National Guardsmen were sent to defend the SW Border from Pancho Villa and his Gang. Obama just funded 1500 BPAs this week. I hate to tell you but 100 year old solutions won't wotk in 2010.
Next topic. The economy. What does this nation produce? Food. Thats about it and Florida where OJ (the real Juice not the crook) comes from or I thought it did we get from China and Brazil now? Can you honestly tell me its cheaper for me in South Carolina to get my Orange Juice from Asia and South America than Florida? If so then something has to change. We simply have to produce and manufacture things here and use those products here. CEOs clearly make so much that their salaries alone can affect the P&L of a fortune 500 during tough times. Yeah Walmart is cheap but it is killing Amercia! Companies here that sell imported goods should be tarriffed, taxed and penalized the way they are in Asia and Mexico and this will stop. I know manufacturing work isn't as glamorous as the service sector but hell we all can't be consultants and hedge fund mangers. People who do produce absolutely nothing tangiable... And Hedgefunds, a financial instrumemnt betting on other financial instruments and futures to fail. How American is that? Man am I pissed! Who is watching the store here at home?
Don't bet on anything American to fail, focus on success the way our grandparents did! Invest in American business, especially small businesses. Invest in education and fix Amercian problems not the rest of the world's problems. If our own house isnt in order then don't leave the driveway until it is in order! It seems everytime I turn around the President (the last two) and congress are on vacation. They need to treat it like a business. When business is bad you don't go on vacation in the private sector so stay on the job Washington until the ship quits taking on water. Take ownership of problems in your local communities and run for office if necessarry. Cut Congress' pay and for all government officials and let them feel the pain the citizenry feels. I would like to see a report card published for each elected official. How they voted on each issue and even if they showed up to vote! It should be on the news or available online daily.
The bottom line is secure our borders, that is the most basic function for a government and ours has failed. Invest, beileve in and buy AMERICAN! Do your part, work a little extra, volunteer, teach and educate our children. Most of all Believe in America and rely on your faith to get us where this country deserves to be in the 21st Century.
First we need to protect what we have. As a former Border Patrol agent I can tell you the U.S. Government is not comitted to protecting our borders. Our borders are not controlled the way most of the borders throughout the civilized world are controlled. This is primarily because we didn't fear anything. Heck Mexico and Canada aren't our enemies... We have the Bomb we are immune from invasion. Certainly from a Cold War era type invasion but thats about it! Our 1918 era border philosophy is quickly defeating us with 21st century Narco Terroists and Islamic Terrorist now homegrown as well as the ones immigrating here. Yes, I said immigrating... Throwing money at the problem without actually creating barriers (I don't mean barbed wire fences and coyote sensors). How about holding Mexico accountable? We fail to do that in the name of alienating Latino voters. Use our department of DEFENSE to defend us for once. But them on the Border. In the early 1900's 1500 South Carolina National Guardsmen were sent to defend the SW Border from Pancho Villa and his Gang. Obama just funded 1500 BPAs this week. I hate to tell you but 100 year old solutions won't wotk in 2010.
Next topic. The economy. What does this nation produce? Food. Thats about it and Florida where OJ (the real Juice not the crook) comes from or I thought it did we get from China and Brazil now? Can you honestly tell me its cheaper for me in South Carolina to get my Orange Juice from Asia and South America than Florida? If so then something has to change. We simply have to produce and manufacture things here and use those products here. CEOs clearly make so much that their salaries alone can affect the P&L of a fortune 500 during tough times. Yeah Walmart is cheap but it is killing Amercia! Companies here that sell imported goods should be tarriffed, taxed and penalized the way they are in Asia and Mexico and this will stop. I know manufacturing work isn't as glamorous as the service sector but hell we all can't be consultants and hedge fund mangers. People who do produce absolutely nothing tangiable... And Hedgefunds, a financial instrumemnt betting on other financial instruments and futures to fail. How American is that? Man am I pissed! Who is watching the store here at home?
Don't bet on anything American to fail, focus on success the way our grandparents did! Invest in American business, especially small businesses. Invest in education and fix Amercian problems not the rest of the world's problems. If our own house isnt in order then don't leave the driveway until it is in order! It seems everytime I turn around the President (the last two) and congress are on vacation. They need to treat it like a business. When business is bad you don't go on vacation in the private sector so stay on the job Washington until the ship quits taking on water. Take ownership of problems in your local communities and run for office if necessarry. Cut Congress' pay and for all government officials and let them feel the pain the citizenry feels. I would like to see a report card published for each elected official. How they voted on each issue and even if they showed up to vote! It should be on the news or available online daily.
The bottom line is secure our borders, that is the most basic function for a government and ours has failed. Invest, beileve in and buy AMERICAN! Do your part, work a little extra, volunteer, teach and educate our children. Most of all Believe in America and rely on your faith to get us where this country deserves to be in the 21st Century.
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