Out of the Mouths of Babes - An Essay by Paul Driftmier, Jr.

This was shared on facebook, and I'm publishing it verbatim and in its entirety since I'm not sure if y'all will be able to follow the link. This was written by Paul Driftmier, Jr., who in my opinion, is not only well spoken, but quite brave as well. For you see my friends, young Paul attends public school in DANE COUNTY!!!!

The following is a paper that my 14 year old son, Paul, Jr. asked me to read over for him before he turns it in tomorrow to his "Language Arts" teacher. I did not help him with this and I didn't even know he was writing it until minutes ago when he handed it to me. I thought it very well done and deserving of a high grade. I asked him if I could post it to my facebook page in hopes that others among my friends would read and comment upon it. I'm curious to know what you all think and what you predict his grade will-, or should-, be based soelely upon the merits of the piece.

Government Control

The laws in this country are too strict. The government is creating far too many laws that are turning America into a communist country. Whether or not you think the government is helping America in any way by increasing the number of laws it has, or the number of things it is providing to the American People, it is actually hindering its population’s ability to be independent.

For Example, a man by the name of Mr. Norris was imprisoned several times because he accidentally messed up a few papers in his small orchid selling business. He was just a 65-year-old man trying to make a living off of selling orchids to flower enthusiasts. Since the flowers he was selling were foreign and endangered, he had to get permits for every single one of them. His Latin American suppliers usually had sloppy handwriting and often messed up his papers. “It was rare for each permit to match each order perfectly.” Mr. Norris was getting repeatedly imprisoned for someone else’s’ mistakes.

Now, ask yourself this question; do you want to have your life controlled by the government? If you want to stay living in a free country, you have to stay independent. You cannot allow the government to take control over your life by relying on it for everything. In March of 2011, 60.8 million members of the American population were reportedly dependent on the government for their daily housing, food and health care. Since 2001, the dependency of the American people on the government skyrocketed 31%. At this rate, America will be almost completely dependent on the government for nearly everything.

Still, many people think that if the government does not make things required by law, then the people will not do those things on their own. Well, if “the people” let the government take control by making all sorts of things required by law, then they will do exactly that and more. The state will see that as an opportunity. It will take over all of the other aspects of the people’s lives, such as their food, clothing, housing, employment, and more. “Justice is harsher in America than in any other country.”

For Instance, 2.3 – 2.4 million people in the U.S. are imprisoned as of July of 2010. In comparison, America has 12 times more imprisoned people than Japan. The only country that compares is Russia, with 600 out of every 100,000 people imprisoned. The U.S. has over 750 out of every 100,000 people sentenced to jail.

In conclusion, the government should not the people’s into our lives by creating all kinds of laws. Many of these laws are overly strict and can get you imprisoned for simple errors in your life, like writing some permit papers incorrectly.

Kudos to you Paul...you do indeed restore my faith in the future.

Excuse Me? How DARE You!

I have had just about all I can take of this president...the one who is SUPPOSED to represent we the people...dissing anyone who doesn't agree with him. Not just dissing, but insinuating that those who don't agree with him are daft. I'm starting to SERIOUSLY get pissed. This is just the latest in a LONG history of Mr. Obama (you know, the "uniter") taking a stab at those who disagree.

Against a backdrop of angry protesters and tension in the streets, President Obama embarked on a three-day bus tour Monday to scold Republicans for blocking his proposed jobs bill last week and pledge to get the legislation passed even if it's done in pieces.

"We're going to break up my jobs bill," Obama told supporters assembled at Asheville Regional Airport, where he landed to begin the tour of North Carolina and Virginia, both swing states the president won in 2008 but which could turn in 2012.

"Maybe they just couldn't understand the whole thing all at once so we're going to break it up into bite-sized pieces so they can take a thoughtful approach to this legislation."

Excuse the FUCK out of me??? Scold Republicans? Couldn't understand?? Bite-sized pieces? How DARE you, you incompetent patronizing fool! Have you forgotten that some DEMOCRATS were against this bill as a single piece of legislation?? Perhaps THEY didn't "understand the whole thing" either??

Did it ever occur to you, Mr. President, that those who oppose your so-called "jobs bill" do so because they see it for what it is? Stimulus Take 2. It is doomed to fail, just as the original stimulus failed. Perhaps, oh arrogant one, we believe that a free market economy will create jobs. Employers will not hire nor invest in their companies unless and until they know what to expect in the future. When they're unsure of the costs of doing business, what with Obamacare, regulations that are costing our economy BILLIONS of dollars, and no end in sight to governmental spending, do you really expect employers to expand and invest?? Have you learned nothing - not a single solitary thing - about what does and does not work with respect to creating jobs and kick starting this economy?

I can only hope and pray that your utter failure as a leader of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (just in case you've forgotten for whom you work) will cost you your job. It would be poetic justice if you had as much difficulty getting another job as the millions who are currently unemployed. Unfortunately, that is unlikely.

In My Happy Place

You may have noticed I've not been posting a whole heckuva lot lately. Well, on second thought, you probably HAVEN'T noticed. In any event, I recently had a major health scare which took precedent over the goings on locally, nationally and over this blog. The health scare is over, but I'm still finding the news to be depressing if not downright infuriating. And what does CFR do when she gets to that point? Why - I go to my happy place of course!!

Wiggleworm and the Elder

Isn't he just the cutest? (not that I'm biased)

TSC and Wiggleworm

The Boy getting ready for his first Homecoming. I decided not to post a pic of the Boy with his girlfriend unless/until I get permission from her first, but take my word for it friends - she's a hottie!

There now. I feel better. Hope y'all got a smile or two out if it! :)

Illegal Immigrant Escapes Punishment

Imagine you were an illegal immigrant. Imagine you were caught driving drunk going the wrong way on I-43. Imagine you were charged with the following (spoken through an interpreter, because you don't speak English...at least not well enough for a valid court proceeding)

1. Operating without a valid license
2. Operating a motor vehicle without insurance
3. Reckless driving - endangering safety
4. Driving wrong way on a divided highway
5. Operating w/ PAC >=0.15
6. OWI
7. 2nd Degree recklessly endangering safety

One would think you'd be screwed, right? WRONG!!!

On July 21, Armando Rodriguez-Benitez, 35, was pulled over by authorities for driving with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit while headed in the wrong direction on the I-43, the paper reported. An oncoming car was forced to intentionally crash into the median wall to avoid a head-on collision with the intoxicated man's car, according to the report.

The paper, citing online court records, reported that a county judge sentenced him to 11 months at a county jail with so-called Huber work release privileges, under a statute that allows some inmates to leave jail to maintain their employment while serving out their sentence.

Sheriff David Clarke (yes, I'm a HUGE fan of his) reacts:

"Why would we let an illegal immigrant out on work release to look for a job he's not supposed to have? He's in the country illegally," Milwaukee County Sheriff David A. Clarke Jr. said, according to a report by The Journal Sentinel.

I'm sorry, but what the HELL? An ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT has 7 charges filed against him, and the PROSECUTOR dismissed charges 1-5? And of course, this being Wisconsin, the "punishment" for the OWI, to which he pled guilty, is merely a fine. As for charge number 7, the sentence is as follows:

The Court sentenced the defendant to serve a term of IMPRISONMENT of 54 MONTHS in the Wisconsin State Prisons, with credit for 77 days time served. CONFINEMENT of 30 MONTHS and EXTENDED SUPERVISION of 24 MONTHS. The Court STAYED the sentence and placed the defendant on probation to the State Department of Corrections for a period of 3 YEARS. Conditions of probation include: -Serve 11 MONTHS in the House of Correction with work release privilege (emphasis in the original)

The man is here ILLEGALLY, has no valid license, is drunk and driving the wrong way on a highway causing an innocent party to crash, and he gets 11 MONTHS IN JAIL WITH WORK RELEASE PRIVILEGES?? Are you KIDDING me??? What are the chances you or I would receive the same sentence? What the hell was going through the minds of the prosecutor and judge?? Why in the world was the sentence suspended? How likely is it that he will in fact be deported after serving the so-called sentence? And what, for the love of GOD, don't people understand about the word ILLEGAL. Dude's not even supposed to be here, yet he gets the privilege of working while serving this pissant sentence?

Friends, it's no wonder we have such an ILLEGAL immigration problem. Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot.

Get to Have???

I was reading this article in the paper and a quote jumped off the page, hit me between the eyes and made my head explode. This was said by Khalil Coleman, Community Organizer and spokesman for Occupy Milwaukee.

"We're fighting for the 99% of people against the wealthiest 1% who get to have everything while everybody else suffers," he said. "It's about educating people and making them aware of what's going on"

Get to have? GET to have?? And how, Mr. Coleman, do you think they "get to have" the wealth? Perhaps by working their ASSES off for it? While all you professional protesters are busy organizing, sitting in, tuning out, protesting, or whatever the hell you do all day every day, MOST of us are busting our humps working and trying to live within our means with what money is left after the various municipalities and governmental agencies take whatever they can get. And we attempt, with whatever is left, to plan for our future, our retirement, our children's higher education. For we, you see, are NOT counting on handouts from the government. We believe that our lives and our futures are up to US - not some feel good agency.

I find it rather ironic that y'all sit there and tweet, facebook, youtube about the loss of Steve Jobs on your Iphones, Ipads and the like while wanting to take down wall street, stop corporate greed, redistribute wealth, or whatever the hell you're trying to do. Mr. Jobs was the ultimate capitalist. What do you think would have happened in the 70's and 80's if society was the way you wish it to be? Do you seriously think Steve Jobs and Apple would be where they are today if the government tried to get their sticky little paws on his "wealth"? What motivation would there be for creating new technology, for employing key people? Apple employs approximately 50,000 people worldwide. Do you seriously think that the company would be where it is today if the government thought it better to take the wealth rather than let Steve Jobs continue to use his brilliance and foresight to advance the world of technology?

Get a freakin' grip. How DARE you suggest, you little twits, that it is good and right to take from people who have EARNED, and give it to people who are too damned lazy, or too busy PROTESTING, to earn an honest living. And how badly are you REALLY "suffering"...with your latest and greatest of technoligical advances.

Get to have. Kiss my hard working ASS.