Save Money on Veteran's Funerals?

Didn't believe this when I received an e-mail on this until I read it on-line via the St Louis Post Dispatch. That article is titled, "St. Louis Post-Dispatch House Liberal: Let’s End Military Funeral Honors For Veterans", with the unbelieveable tag line.....“Most Veterans Did Nothing Heroic”, this article was written by Jim Hoft. We owe him a thanks for bringing this to national attention.

SSGT. David Johnson plays a “ceremonial” bugle Friday, Sept. 14, 2007 at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St. Louis. Beginning Saturday, the Missouri National Guard’s honor guard members will use ceremonial bugles, outfitted with an electronic device that plays a digital recording, instead of live buglers at graves.

Columnist Bill McClellan has been spewing his liberal worldview in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for decades now. Today McClellan espoused ending military funeral honors.

“Most veterans did nothing heroic.”

From McClellan’s column in the St. Louis Post-Disgrace:

According to the program’s website, it is funded by the federal government and the Missouri National Guard Trust Fund.

Both the federal government and the state government are broke. So why are we providing military funeral honors for all veterans? It is a nice gesture we can’t afford.

Certainly, men and women killed in combat deserve full military honors. It’s a way for the country to say, “We honor the memory of those who died in our service.” These military honors — and the thought behind them — are intended to provide some solace for the families of the fallen.

But what about the guy who spends a couple of years in the military and then gets on with his life? Bear in mind that most veterans did nothing heroic. They served, and that’s laudable, but it hardly seems necessary to provide them all with military honors after they have died. In fact, it seems generous enough to provide veterans and their spouses with free space and headstones at a national cemetery.

Why not let the veterans organizations provide military honors at the funerals of their members? If a person gets out of the Marine Corps and wants to stay connected, he can join the Marine Corps League. I’m sure the 101st Airborne has an association. In a more general vein, we have the American Legion and the VFW.

Providing military honor funerals for their members would be a boon to these organizations. Membership would presumably climb, and veterans who want the military funerals could still get them.

Everybody knows government needs to cut costs.

This is exactly how you do it.

Rand Paul - No More Giving Money to Our Enemies

An article titled, Rand Paul - "Not One Penny More to Countries That Are Burning Our Flag’ from CNSNews.com covers the exceptional speech this patriot made at CPAC this week. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) told conservatives gathered at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday in Washington, D.C., that ending foreign aid to nations like Egypt rather than stopping school children from touring the White House is a better way to cut federal spending.

“I say not one penny more to countries that are burning our flag,” Paul said, as the crowd rose to its feet and cheered. He chided the president for halting the tours as a way to deal with the across-the-board federal budget cuts required by the Budget Control Act of 2011, or sequester, which was proposed and signed into law by the president.

“The president’s trying to step up. He’s trying to do his fair share,” Paul said. “After the sequester was announced, he said he’s going to stop the White House tours for school children. They had to do this because these cuts were imposed by the sequester, but meanwhile, within a few days, the president finds an extra $250 million dollars to send to Egypt.”

Paul was referring to money appropriated by Congress to help the new government in Egypt where protests against the United States have included burning the America flag.

“You know, the country where mobs attacked out embassy, burned our flag and chanted ‘Death to America,’ he found an extra $250 million to reward them,” Paul said. “You know the country whose president recently stood by his spiritual leader who called for death to Israel and all who support her.

Paul, who gained new national attention last week by staging a 13-hour filibuster on the Senate floor in opposition to Obama’s nomination of John Brennan to head the Central Intelligence Agency, brought the stack of notebooks he used on the Senate floor and placed them on a stool next to the podium.

In his remarks, Paul also criticized Obama for the indefinite detention of enemy combatants at Guantanamo Bay and his drone policy as it pertains to the domestic use of unmanned aircraft.

Alan Simpson said What!?!

This is the best summation of the attitude of our liberal politicians that I've read....and lively language, as Ms Patty Myers is pissed off, but she is also very correct..  On second thought, I don't think pissed really covers it!!!!   Even though Alan Simpson is a long term Republican and from a very conversative state, what he said is inexcusable and more apt from some Dem.  

Alan Simpson, the Senator from Wyoming, Co-Chair of Obama's deficit commission, in effect calls senior citizens the Greediest Generation as he compared "Social Security " to a Milk Cow with 310 million teats. Here's a response in a letter from Ms. Myers, who is from the Great State of Montana:

 "Hey Alan, let's get a few things straight!!!!!

1. As a career politician, you have been on the public dole (teat) for FIFTY YEARS.

2. I have been paying Social Security taxes for 48 YEARS (since I was 15 years old. I am now 63).

3. My Social Security payments, and those of millions of other Americans, were safely tucked away in an interest bearing account for decades until you political pukes decided to raid the account and give OUR money to a bunch of zero losers in return for votes, thus bankrupting the system and turning Social Security into a Ponzi scheme that would make Bernie Madoff proud.

 4. Recently, just like Lucy & Charlie Brown, you and "your ilk" pulled the proverbial football away from millions of American seniors nearing retirement and moved the goalposts for full retirement from age 65 to age, 67. NOW, you and your "shill commission" is proposing to move the goalposts YET AGAIN.

5. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying into Medicare from Day One, and now "you morons" propose to change the rules of the game. Why? Because "you idiots" mismanaged other parts of the economy to such an extent that you need to steal our money from Medicare to pay the bills.

6. I, and millions of other Americans, have been paying income taxes our entire lives, and now you propose to increase our taxes yet again. Why? Because you "incompetent bastards" spent our money so profligately that you just kept on spending even after you ran out of money. Now, you come to the American taxpayers and say you need more to pay off YOUR debt. To add insult to injury, you label us "greedy" for calling "bullshit" to your incompetence.

Well, Captain Bullshit, I have a few questions for YOU:

1. How much money have you earned from the American taxpayers during your pathetic 50-year political career?

2. At what age did you retire from your pathetic political career, and how much are you receiving in annual retirement benefits from the American taxpayers?

3. How much do you pay for YOUR government provided health insurance?

4. What cuts in YOUR retirement and healthcare benefits are you proposing in your disgusting deficit reduction proposal, or as usual, have you exempted yourself and your political cronies?

It is you, Captain Bullshit, and your political co-conspirators called Congress who are the "greedy" ones. It is you and your fellow nutcase thieves who have bankrupted America and stolen the American dream from millions of loyal, patriotic taxpayers.

And for what? Votes and your job and retirement security at our expense, you lunk headed, leech. That's right, sir. You and yours have bankrupted America for the sole purpose of advancing your pathetic, political careers. You know it, we know it, and you know that we know it. And you can take that to the bank, you miserable son of a bitch. NO, I did not stutter.
 
Calling Social Security benefits "entitlements"……WHAT AN INSULT !!!!  We have been paying in to the SS system 45 years…it's my money…give it back to me the way the system was designed or give me all my "forced contributions": back and stop patting yourself on the back like you are being generous to be dolling out these monthly checks."

If you like the way things are in America delete this.  If you read the whole thing, you probably agree with this and if so then pass it on.

Opinion on America's Debt Problem

With the Federal Debt now at $16 Trillion plus dollars and the annual Federal Deficit running at over $1 Trillion AND with no end in sight, the following quote takes on new meaning, especially after the $5+ Trillion dollars that Obama and his Administration has added to the burden for our children and grand children.

"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 US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better." 

~ Senator Barack H. Obama, March 2006

Federal Debt in Perspective

This was sent to Cowboys and attributed to an article from Global Research

To understand the U.S. financial position, just remove 8 zeros and pretend it’s a household budget.


Then is would look something like this in numbers the average American (including me) can understand:



Annual family income: $21,700

Money the family spent: $38,200

New debt on the credit card: $16,500

Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710

The U.S. is trying to bring their budget under control. This year they implemented total budget cuts of $385. Assuming they don’t spend more than they raise in taxes, it will take them 370 years to pay back this debt.

The bi-partisan U.S. Super Committee is currently discussing proposals to cut spending by $12,000 over 10 years.

At $1,200 in saving per year and assuming they balance the budget, it will then take them a mere 119 year to pay back the debt.

That should clarify the position......what position is that?........SNAFU and FUBAR.

Congressman Mike Kelly (R-PA) Tells It Like It Is!

The following link is a video of Congressman Mike Kelly (PA) as he tells his colleagues "what for".... this ought to be a training video for those (in Congress) who are hesitant to stand up and do what's right.

Democrats Wrong on Tax Policy

From Town Hall, Larry Kudlow's excellent article entitled: "Democrats Need a 12-Step Recovery Program on Taxes"

Here's a question: Why is repealing the Bush tax cuts such a constant obsession for the Democratic Party? Especially the top rates for the most successful earners and small business entrepreneurs?

It seems this is the Democratic answer for every single issue, every problem, every debate.

This, of course, saddens me enormously.

And so, always ready to help, I am recommending a 12-Step program to help them overcome their anger, resentment, and obsession over the Bush tax cuts. Democrats really need a Higher Power on this.

First, when tax rates were lowered across-the-board in mid-2003, the incentive effect kicked in to jump-start the economy immediately. Over the next four and a half years, before the financial meltdown slammed the economy-- and that was a credit event, not a fiscal one—8.2 million jobs were created.

Jobs essentially rose for about fifty consecutive months. Non-farm payrolls rose from just under 130 million to just over 138 million. Don’t believe me? You can look it up. This sort of job creation is exactly what President Obama would love to see happen now.

And, while jobs rose, the government took in more revenues. As a share of GDP, revenues rose from 16.2 percent to 18.5 percent. Simply put, supply-side tax cuts were the single best economic policy President Bush implemented.

Elsewhere, President Bush overspent and over regulated. And yes, the dollar collapsed on his watch. And from Fannie Mae to the Federal Reserve, the housing bubble was born.

But the tax cuts? They worked. And that's my point.

Cowboy's comment: Over Regulation? I don;t think we have ever seen the over regulation that is coming from the Obama administration. He is assuming powers not enumerated by the Constitution in order to take over lands and direct regulations that are killing small business and farming/ranching.

Listen to Larry Kudlow. Lawrence Kudlow is host of CNBC’s “The Kudlow Report,” which airs nightly from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (EST).

How Much is Enough?

You have worked for an entire year, and now the government bill is due. You will probably pay a quarter of your income to the Federal government – maybe even a third of it or more. The question is what do the Democrats have to show for it? From spending not only your money and my money, but for borrowing tons of money and placing this great Country in jeopardy?

They’ve already wasted $787 billion on failed “stimulus” spending – and a recent government report reveals that, despite their claims, ObamaCare will increase our federal deficits by a whopping $260 billion through 2019.

Unbelievably, the Democrats’ new plan makes things go from bad to worse: it will push us over $20 trillion dollars in debt. Their plan includes wasting over $5.5 trillion dollars this next decade on debt interest payments alone, much of that money going to foreign governments.

The worst part is that they want to hike your taxes to feed their reckless spending spree. Make no mistake – they’re not interested in cutting spending; they’re going to raise your taxes. Democrats will raise taxes on you, and on hundreds of thousands of small businesses, the lifeblood of job creation in this country.

What kills me is that the Democrats and Socialists (am I being redundant here?) want the richest among us to pay for everyone else. Union and student protests around the country are spewing the Democrat talking pints,...."Make the Rich Pay Their Fair Share" say's their banners. SO what is their fair share? 39%? 50% 78% just what is it if there is such a thing? Even if the U.S. Government confiscated 100% of the income of the top 5% of earners, that total would not make a dent in the Federal deficit and then only be used to find programs to reward the Democrat voters.

Oh, by the way,...study the word "earner",....they earned that money and you liberals with your hands out are not entitled to it.

Congressional Freshman Speak Up

In southeast Florida last week, first-term GOP Rep. Allen West, a tea party favorite, called for changes that some might consider radical: abolish the Internal Revenue Service and federal income tax; retain tax cuts for billionaires so they won't shut down their charities; stop extending unemployment benefits that "reward bad behavior" by discouraging people from seeking new jobs.

As for entitlements, West told a friendly town hall gathering in Coral Springs, if Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid "are left on autopilot, if we don't institute some type of reform, they'll subsume our entire GDP" by 2040 or 2050. GDP, or gross domestic product, measures the value of all goods and services produced in the United States.

Social Security, the largest federal program, mainly benefits retirees. Medicare provides health coverage for older people. Medicaid helps those with low incomes. Combined, the three consume about 40 percent of the budget. Their costs are growing rapidly. Social Security and Medicare benefits now exceed the payroll taxes that fund them.

West, who's likely to draw serious Democratic opposition next year, showed scant interest in edging toward the center on anything. He didn't take issue with the man who said congressional Democrats "have joined with the radical Islamists," or with the woman who said President Barack Obama "certainly doesn't support Israel."

In Greenville, S.C., a different Republican freshman with tea party ties, Rep. Trey Gowdy, also suggested during last week's congressional break a paring back of social programs.

According to a Greenville News account posted on his website, Gowdy "described a recent school classroom where most children indicated they think it's the government's job to provide health care, Social Security and education. 'We've got to do something about the sense of entitlement,' Gowdy said."

Gowdy's office later said he thinks Social Security "is a key aspect of a broad effort to fundamentally reform our entitlement system, but any solution must honor our commitment to current retirees."

Indeed, West and many other Republicans say current and soon-to-be retirees should see no benefit cuts. Their calls for changing Medicare and Social Security often lack specifics, and it's unclear whether the divided Congress will tackle the programs' long-term problems or postpone action, as has happened many times before on Capitol Hill.

West's desire to slash spending seems to stop at his district's doorstep. The Coral Springs audience cheered loudly when he said he helped secure a $21 million grant for a new runway at the nearby Fort Lauderdale airport.

"Grant money is not pork," West said. He issued a press release saying the runway project "will generate at least 11,000 jobs" by 2014 and cost $791 million.

"No one is going to be hurt by it," said Steve Stevens, 80, a retired real estate developer. If people, rich or poor, count on Social Security to fund their retirement, he said, "it's very poor planning."

Obama's debt commission has recommended gradually increasing the full retirement age, from 67 to 69, over the next 65 years.

Cynthia Steele, 51, said anyone making more than $100,000 a year should not receive Social Security benefits, even if it affected her and her friends.

In Washington, Democrats are conflicted. Thirty-two Senate Democrats joined 32 Republicans in urging Obama to negotiate a broad-based spending plan that includes changes to Social Security and Medicare.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., says he opposes cuts in Social Security benefits.

The centrist Democratic group Third Way says the public is ready to embrace gradual changes to entitlement programs and that Republicans are winning the issue so far.

"We don't believe Republicans 'going too far' will be their Waterloo," the group said in a memo. "The party seen as most serious on the issue will win the day."

If Republicans and Democrats cannot agree soon on spending plans for this year and next, the government could face its first partial shutdown since 1996. That prospect worries leaders of both parties, and they are watching to see if last week's recess hardened of softened lawmakers' positions.

West suggested there is room for compromise, but not much.

"I'm not for shutting down the government," he told the Coral Springs crowd. But he said Obama must lead the budget negotiations, or else.

If there is a shutdown, West said, "it's going to be because the president is not engaged."