Conservative Musings

Nationalizing Insurance for Hurricanes

Just the folks I thought would be behind a socialistic maneuver: "As hurricane season begins, Democrats in Congress want to nationalize a chunk of the insurance business that covers major storm-damage claims."

This proposal is based on the idea that the 50 state's taxpayers would fund a reinsurance program, effectively taking on some of the risk that private companies normally would do.

Sorry Allstate and State Farm (two of the backers of this), I'm not buying into this.  Insurance in it's purist form is a capitalistic, societal issue,  not a governmental thing.  The whole history of insurance was based on the pooling or the spreading of risk over multiple people.  That didn't include yanking people in that did not have a "dog in the fight".  They all were there by choice.

-Colonel Steve

Another Barack Obama Gaffe

Barack Obama visited Mount Rushmore late Friday.  This conversation that occurred there may need no commentary:

He did express curiosity about the filming of a chase scene in “North by Northwest,” Alfred Hitchcock’s 1959 classic starring Cary Grant and Eva Marie Saint that included a death-defying scramble over Rushmore’s presidential faces.

“How did they get up there in the first place?” he asked ranger Wesley  Jensen.

“They didn’t. It was a movie set,” Jensen told him.

I'm hoping the following conversation occurs in early November:

"How did Barack Obama get elected president?" asked Colonel Steve.

"He didn't.  You're just having a nightmare.  Go back to sleep."  says Lady Colonel.

-Colonel Steve

Obama Quits Trinity Church

Barack Obama makes the decision to leave Trinity United Church of Christ.  Greg Reynolds notes well in his comment; "A LITTLE LATE".  Doesn't make a difference for a lot of us.

-Colonel Steve

DNC Resolves Florida, Still Resolving Michigan

There is discussions that the DNC has made their decision on Florida delegates, but still working on Michigan.  The Florida decision has be purported to be that all delegates will be seated, but given 1/2 a vote.  This will net Hillary Clinton 19 delegates.

-Colonel Steve

Quote of the Day

"There is a large block of Republicans, particularly economic conservatives, who just feel that the Republican Party in Washington completely let them down.  The Republicans have really given these donors no reason to give." - Anthony Corrado, government professor at Colby College in Maine who specializes in campaign finance.

Sadly, by reading the article that quote above came from, one finds out that Barack Obama becomes the big winner of these donors.  The pork stunts that senators and representatives did, leading up to their defeat in 2006, has continued to lead to this.  Considering that the RNC coffers are much lower than the DNC right now, one would hope the message is getting across.

The biggest sadness in this centers around what Barack Obama will do economically if he becomes the one sworn in January 2009.  If these donors are truly economic conservatives, they best be looking at Obama's tax plans.  These donors could have done 1 of 3 things:  1) continued giving to republicans, 2) give nothing to anyone, or 3) give to democrats.  In my opinion, they should have chosen 2, over choice 3 they followed.  Maybe, by buying Obama's ear, some message might sink in with him, but somehow I doubt it.

-Colonel Steve

Lieberman-Warner Bill

Coming up next week is Senate debate on a bill dubbed the Lieberman-Warner Bill (S.2191, America's Climate Security Act of 2007), already being talked about strongly:

Five myths concerning the Lieberman-Warner Bill.

Poll done on the Lieberman-Warner Bill.

Petition against Bills like the Lieberman-Warner Bill at American Solutions.

Club for Growth goes against Lieberman-Warner Bill.

New York Times requests McCain, Obama, and Clinton to vote for Lieberman-Warner Bill.

McCain states he will not vote for Lieberman-Warner Bill, or even be there.

Looks like an economic loser of a bill to me.  There is so much talk recently about the supposed recession we're in, although we have yet to see 2 declining growth quarters yet, by definition of recession.  The democrats, if successful in pushing this through, will be setting us up for a recession with higher fuel prices.

Do go out and sign the petition (as mentioned above).  This turkey of a bill needs to go down in the Senate.

-Colonel Steve

Around The News Today

Susan Sarandon has stated that, if Senator John McCain is elected, she will move to either Italy or Canada.  My vote is to help her plan her move.  Anyone see some sort of movie star watch list for this election, I'd sure love to know.

Speaking of watch lists, John Fund at the Wall Street Journal speaks of Barack Obama's history of gaffes.  He is sure making enough of them for someone to have a watch list going for the gaffes.  Could be a full time job.

We've got computers being trained to read our minds.  Sure would help some of us men.  Finally, we could do those things our wives assumed we could do.

Closer to home, the University of Louisville's Rauch Planetarium is running the show "The Planets", narrated by Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway on "Star Trek: Voyager"). 

-Colonel Steve

Obama running from yet another activist!

Well, well!  Another activist, Rev. Michael Pfleger, has been preaching at Trinity and rejoicing in Obama's run for the office of President.  Most of the country has heard this man spout things that are not aimed at drawing the country together but tearing them apart.  Obama's website apparently had an endorsement from Rev. Michael Pfleger but it has recently been removed.  I would say Obama doesn't really want us to know what his friends are really like.  You know the ole "Birds of a feather..."  However, Michelle Malkin still has a copy of it.  Now Obama says he is deeply disappointed by the sermon.  And of course, you could see this coming...Pfleger says he is sorry and what he said isn't consistent with Obama's life.  Riggghhhtt!

I have no doubt we are getting a good view of who Obama is. 

-Lady Colonel

Words Mean Things

The video of Father Michael Pfleger's comments has been floating around the internet over the past day or two.  Now the damage control is going into overdrive.

In video circulating on the Internet, Pfleger said the former first lady expected to win the nomination before Obama's sudden popularity.

"She just always thought that, 'This is mine. I'm Bill's wife. I'm white.' ... And then, out of nowhere, came 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama." And she said, 'Oh damn, where did you come from? I'm white. I'm entitled. There's a black man stealing my show,'" Pfleger said at Trinity United Church of Christ. He then went on to parody Clinton, sobbing and wiping his face with a handkerchief. "She wasn't the only one crying," he said. "There was a whole lot of white people crying."

Obama said he was "deeply disappointed" by Pfleger's comments.

"As I have traveled this country, I've been impressed not by what divides us, but by all that that unites us," he said in a statement. "That is why I am deeply disappointed in Father Pfleger's divisive, backward-looking rhetoric, which doesn't reflect the country I see or the desire of people across America to come together in common cause."

Pfleger, the white pastor of predominantly black Saint Sabina Roman Catholic Church on the city's Southwest side, said he regretted his choice of words.

"These words are inconsistent with Senator Obama's life and message and I am deeply sorry if they offended Senator Clinton or anyone else who saw them," Pfleger said.

Father Pfleger only regrets his choice of words because it reflects poorly on the guy he wants to win the presidency.  However, he knew what he was saying when he said it.  Watch him again.  He means it.  Those words mean things to everyone in the audience.  They mean things to us who have watched it after the fact..

My parents always attempted to teach me that those I hung around with defined who I was.  I sure have taken that to heart as an adult.  I'm seeing folks like Barack Obama's friends helping me define exactly who Barack Obama is.

-Colonel Steve

Cicada's Emerging

Another brood of the cicadas are making their way out in the Louisville area.  This particular brood, known as brood XIV, is completely different 17 year cyclical group from the bigger 2004 brood X.  That one was also a brood with a 17 year cycle.

The X brood did not appear around my area of Jefferson County, but the current crop sure is.  I'm not sure my golden retriever knows quite what to make of them.

You can see a map of where they are expected here, as well as ways off of this page to report cicada sightings.  A map showing siting reports is also included.

-Colonel Steve