Ken Nelson

Gary Johnson, former Governor of New Mexico, is in the race for 2012 Republican nomination.

Johnson, 58, said during two terms as New Mexico governor, he eliminated the state’s budget deficit and cut the rate of state government growth in half while reducing the state workforce by more than 10 percent without laying off a single qualified state worker.

Why is he good?  Well… he grew a business from himself to 1,000 employees. He then became governor for two terms, and cut the deficit and state government size. He also has a reasonable legalization policy that would end the War on Drugs. He also strongly advocates school vouchers.

I like that he did real business before getting into government. I dislike careerists.

Learn more about Johnson here.

#1 on Amazon

I prefer those concerned about our current President’s actual eligibility to be President be called  Constitutionalists, not Birthers.  That is the real issue. Is Barack Obama (or Barry Soetro) Constitutionally eligible for the Presidency.  The same type of person wondered about John McCain (born in Panama) and that issue was settled in court.

Those that think this issue is settled are wrong. It isn’t. It may never be. Those, like Glenn Beck, that claim to think this silly, I suspect are just viewing it as tactically silly. Which it may be.

Do I know where Obama was born?  Nope.  I’d suspect, based on how confusing his youth was, that he doesn’t really know where he was born.  Does a weird looking Hawaii birth certificate satisfy me… not really.   These people lie all day every day, why would this be different?

That a new book, not even available for shipping yet, is number 1 on Amazon means that a lot of folks share my confusion.

What I do know is that he is an awful President, and if this is a way to bring his reign of incompetence to an end, bring it on.

And if this effort changes election laws, like recently in Arizona, to require proper documentation of eligibility, then maybe in the future we can prevent an ineligible candidate from violating our Constitution.

In other words, only good things for the country can come from investigating where Barry was born.  Keep digging.

The metaphor would apply if we bought the RV for the oldster driving it from future money.

I like the Tea Party. I go to Tea Party events. And at every one of them I meet morons that seem just as stupid as somebody I’d meet at an SEIU event.

Confirmation comes in today’s McClatchy poll where 70% of Tea Party members polled said that Medicare and Medicaid shouldn’t be cut to reduce the deficit.

The Tea Party skews old and when I’ve been at these events I’ve wondered what they hell they wanted to cut.  They are getting all the money anyway.  They voted it to themselves from the future.

I’ve left the Tea Party events disheartened about our nations future largely because of the simply moronic attitude they take that we can just ignore the money they are getting, and somehow cut out “waste” and “fraud” and cover the bills.

They haven’t a clue.

Yet… they are the best we have, which alas, isn’t saying much while it says all you really need to know.

I’m reading Atlas Shrugged. And I’m struggling.  It is a good book. I’m interested in the story, the characters, but…. but it may be the wrong time for me to read it.

It just seems too timely. A nation at a nadir.  Incompetence everywhere. The productive excoriated while being fed upon.  It just strikes a bit too close to home.  It is so timely it almost isn’t fiction.

I may finish it, or I may not.  I’ve no need to be reminded of what I can see every day.

Perhaps I’ll switch to a SciFi book where they’ve invented a nuclear battery so that you don’t have to fill your flyer up very often.  That would be entertaining.

Meanwhile…

I’d also note that gas was $1.80 when he took office and is $3.60 now – exactly twice. And it is a lot higher in CA and some other screwy states.

I can’t think of a single thing he’s done that benefitted America during his tenure so far. He pretty much sucks at everything, including NCAA brackets.

I wish I’d met you Lavoid

I like to read obituaries. I often read them in papers of towns I’m traveling in. Some are sad, describing life ended too early. And some inspire. Or make me smile.

As did today’s obituary of Lavoid Leavitt, a long time resident of St. George. I was struck by this paragraph:

In order to achieve the dream of a college education, Leavitt walked from Bunkerville, Nev., to St. George so he could attend Dixie College. While at Dixie he would participate in football and drama. It would be here that Leavitt would meet Harriett Anderson, his future wife, the two of them marrying in Reno, Nev., on June 14, 1942.

Sometimes we forget what folks still walking amidst us did to achieve what we take for granted now. 

Lavoid walked 50 miles to go to college.

View Larger Map/

Color me impressed. I’m sure I’d have enjoyed meeting and talking with Lavoid. I’m sorry I never got the chance.

Iowahawk via Instapundit

Again… I’m pretty sure we are better off if he picks the fun parts or the bracket.

SWeasal has fun with Photoshop  on an ongoing basis:

I wonder what it _would_ take to keep Barry from his golf, trips and NCAA brackets?

The wages of narcissism have run higher in the past, but hey, the term isn’t over yet.

Via Instapundit…

10 Things You The Government Shouldn’t Do on Gas Prices

2. Don’t drag on drilling permits. As the only country in the world that places a majority of its territorial waters off-limits to oil and gas exploration, at the very least we should be drilling in the areas where we do have access. Removing the de facto moratorium on drilling would immediately increase supply, create jobs, and bring in royalty revenue to federal and state governments.

Guess what… Obama is 0 for 9 of them and is thinking hard about the 10th (releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve).

We couldn’t have elected a worse President for the problems facing us than the loser “leading” us now.

When we need honesty, he is dishonest. When we need more energy, he cuts production of it. When we need freedom he takes it away. When we need less corruption, he gives us more.

I can forgive people that were fooled into voting for this moron, but I can’t forgive or trust people that still think he is a good President.

When I list threats to our nation I come up with this, to which I’ve added two estimates, certainty and risk to our national existence:

• Governmental debt  – very certain, high risk
• Islamic Terrorism     – very certain, low risk
• Global Warming        – low certainty, non-existent risk
• Energy Shortage       – very certain,  moderate risk

Note that by placing Terrorism as Low Risk, I don’t mean people won’t be killed, just that it seems a leap that terrorism threatens our national existence.  Unlike, for instance, financial collapse, or not having enough energy to run our economy.

It seems to me that a reasonable, responsible and mature way to govern would be to focus on the very certain, high risk threats.  Right?

Now… compare to the priorities the Obama administration and the Democratic Party want to focus on.  On the list, the only thing they really want to act on is Global Warming. The President has done nothing but worsen the debt problem.  On energy, he has made our situation worse by not preparing for oil shock in the Middle East and  by cutting back our own oil creation.  On terrorism, he punishes Egypt, which was helping us in the effort against Islamic terrorism, and does nothing to Iran or Libya, who actively sponsor terrorism.

So, perhaps, when it comes down to it, our worst enemy, practically speaking, is the modern Democratic Party.

We did a fairly good job of winning a battle against them last election.  But as recent events in Wisconsin, Indiana, Ohio, and Texas shows… they view little ‘d’ democracy as ‘optional’ when it comes to what their donors want.   So that was a battle, the war continues, and they don’t feel limited by the conventions of the normal democratic process.

Ultimately, I think we need to cut away their fuel… the 16th amendment and the government power it funds. Only when that falls will be safe from Democrats, or whatever central government tyrants are calling themselves at that point.

http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/young-man-control_541422.html

Young men are necessary, at times, even in the most progressive society. But no one can deny that young men need supervision and regulatory oversight. A move to strengthen young man control should not be seen as an attempt to curtail the use of young men for legitimate sporting or recreational purposes. America has a long-established tradition of being young and a man. Even Harry Reid is reputed to have once been both. Passage of sensible young man control laws will bring out the best aspects of this part of our national heritage.

5 Senators are not going to run for office again.

It must be NO FUN to cut budgets and not spend other people’s money.  You know, to act like a grownup, all responsible and thrifty…

Good riddance. Don’t le the door hit you on your way out.  I’d LOVE, btw, to squash your pension – like your decades of crazy governance has ruined so many normal folks lives.

I would be DELIGHTED to get rid of all of our Senators. The handful of good aren’t good enough to offset the buckets full of bad.

There are an infinite number of videos, articles, studies, all saying what this video says.  AND NONE of them matter.

The entire video is true. But WE ARE HOSED unless we can take back their ability to take our money.  The INCOME TAX.

1913 doomed us.  We are just waiting on the end.

Obama… he is so darned consistent.

No matter what he says, does, it is always about getting our money to his constituencies, largely unions and corporations that bought him.

Yesterday… he promises to cut 750 million. MILLION.

And today… he spends 53 BILLION on stupid rail projects.

If you voted for him, shame on you.

If you still support him,  well… I can’t think of any polite words to describe you, so I won’t try.

Drudge:

What he really means is corporations… what’s yours is mine. I will give it to select American works in return for their votes.

BTW… I don’t recall him touting this “share” program as part of his change or hope…