Just what is Federalism?

Enough questions have come my way that I decided to write about the meaning of federalism. When the Founding Fathers did their research and used their own skills and experience to write the Constitution of the United States of America they did so after a great deal of debate.

Federalism was the way to go . . . Democracy managed by a Republic form of government was the most secure, for both the nation and her citizens with a small federal government and the bulk of the responsibility falling to each state.

Federalism is the appropriate distribution of power between federal and state government, concentrating on a smaller federal government and larger state governments. For instance, the EPA would cease to exist, as would dozens of other agencies, under a true federalist government. Oh wow, then we could drill for oil in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming and free ourselves of dependence on foreign oil. Wow, guess the Founding Fathers knew what they were doing after all, natch. Anyway, the people of the states would elect, within their own states, the representatives they feel would best represent the needs of their state and themselves. This is what we're in the process of doing right now with political conventions, primaries and elections.

Conservation, energy independence and civil rights all legislated under the the Constitution of the United States, which is the overriding authority, would be put into law accordingly.

In other words, it would be return a government of the people, by the people and for the people as is stated in the Declaration of Independence, under the protective umbrella of the republic.

If you look at the candidates we have today, pull away from the ones promoting big federal government and support the ones who are honestly promoting the formula of the Founding Fathers. Small federal government, big state government and HUGE personal responsibility.
Refer back to Sean Hannity's Top 10 Items for Victory and learn the great value of freedom and the responsibility that comes with it. It is candidates who espouse these things that we must support.

Several nights ago I was given the "opportunity" to go listen to a man who has his own radio show, and no, you do not know him, teach about: The value of capitalism, the value of America as the founding fathers structured her, the value of the Constitution, the value of personal responsibility and pursuit of dreams, knowledge is power . . . all things I wholeheartedly believe in and yet he taught these principles through an arrogant, obnoxious, aggressive manner. At one point when I challenged him on the fact that he said gas prices were not too high, resulting in a spirited conversation which ended up with him calling my gentle, strong, loving, hard-working husband, the man I would give my life for, a spoiled brat. Alvin wasn't even there. I literally felt heat overwhelm me, head to toe, as I contemplated a number of ways of standing up in front of that room of people and giving the guy a sock in the jaw. He's never met Alvin, the best man I have ever known, and yet he felt qualified to call him such a thing because we think gas prices are too high. Yeah, this guy owns an oil company. He verbally attacked me, a person who believes in all that he believes in for America, and yet never, on God's green earth, will I ever have anything to do with Rick Koerber or his group. A man who feels the need to teach in such a manner is not someone I want to have anything to do with.

How does this tie into federalism . . . he believes as I do, small federal government and huge personal responsibility for this freedom we enjoy, one that is being eroded on a daily basis because a large portion of the American population cannot even see them being eroded. My concern is this, if people who believe as I do are labeled crackpots (no, I'm not going to mention which groups) or are arrogant, obnoxious s.o.b.'s then how are we ever to turn this nation around.

And we must turn her around. The founding fathers knew what they were doing. America is the best country in the world and the freedoms assured us by the founding fathers as well as the liberties granted unto us by a loving God are ones that need to be taken back. The government of the United States of America has become so entitled it has ceased to function as it was created to do. We're being regulated into communism, sadly. Barack Obama has jumped on that train and is shoveling coal in as fast as he can . . . he wishes America to cease, completely. What wishes to create in her stead is terrifying to me.

So what are the answers? What are we, as Americans, supposed to do? Well, all I can do is repeat what I've written before:

• Learn the Constitution of the United States of America
• Understand the role of government as it was laid out by the founding fathers
• Become involved in the politics of the nation, meaning, attend your local party caucuses and cast educated votes in the elections
• Talk to your elected officials. How are they ever supposed to know you're unhappy if you don't contact them? How are they supposed to know what they are doing is right if you don't contact them?
• Make noise. We cannot effect change in this nation until we become educated (as to the above mentioned) and challenge those in Washington, D.C. to either defend the Constitution of the United States and stop regulating us to death or go home. We don't need their kind in Washington, D.C. anymore.
• Abandon the North American Union idea. Contact all those in Washington, D.C. and suggest this alternative: Keep the United States of America and add states such as Quebec, Toronto, British Columbia, Alberta, and whatever Mexican provinces are states there are. Bring them all under the umbrella of the United States of America and the Constitution of the United States, under our rule of law. That I can live with. All of North America as the USA . . . but abandon America and her Constitution . . . that's a big fat "hell no!"
• Cease dependence on Foreign Oil and bring that $460 plus billion dollars back into the American economy.
• Learn the rule of law, understand what is allowed and what is not.
  

These are just a few things to get us all started. We can make difference, we just need to learn and then make ourselves be heard. Call your Congressman and your Senator . . . it's time they know just what you're thinking. We need the return of Federalism, no other path is acceptable.

yourLDSNeighborhood Newsletter

Four times a week the yourLDSNeighborhood Newsletter pops into my inbox. I love it, what can I say. I love browsing through the Newsletter to find articles I want to read, a few of which you've found on this blog, products I want to check out and inspiring people I'd like to hear from. Every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday this little gem shows up in my inbox. Here are some of the great things you can find in the Newsletter:

• Featured Artist: Every newsletter features an author, a musician, an actor, an artist . . . any one whose work is worth highlighting.
  
• Personal Touch: In every Saturday newsletter Rebecca Cressman posts a new topical and enlightening audio interview with an exemplary individual who stands up for the right principles. The Neighborhood's goal is to celebrate people from diverse careers throughout the world who inspire because of their work, drive, and lifestyles.
• There are inspiring and information articles written by a variety of journalists ranging across the world.
  

In addition to being able to shop in the new virtual neighborhood, the newsletter brings you articles, products, services, and interviews from around the world—all with an LDS focus. Look for issues delivered to your email inbox every week on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Subscriptions are FREE, and joining is easy

Just by signing up and maintaining your subscription to receive the yourLDSneighborhood.com newsletter, you become eligible for their "Thank You" prizes.

yourLDSNeighborhood's dozens of giveaways range from:

∙ A trip for two to China: where, you and a friend will be on your way to visit one of the world's most exciting and historic cities. Located close to famous sites such as the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square, you will be immersed in Chinese culture and enjoy the breathtaking panoramas that China has to offer. Beijing offers something for every type of traveler. Value: $4,000. Winner will be selected on July 24, 2008

∙ Either: 7 Night Cruise for two to Pacific Coast of Mexico with white, sandy beaches and warm, blue waters are waiting for you in Mexico. Feel your stress melt away on this 7-night cruise for two. Enjoy the lively Mexican culture, unique foods and history on this amazing adventure.

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∙ An iPod® where you can relax by listening to inspiring music on the most popular and user-friendly music player on the market with this silver iPod® nano and a $50 gift certificate for LDS music. Retail Value: $249.99 each. Winners will be selected on September 24, 2007, December 24, 2007, March 24, 2008, and June 24, 2008

∙ CDs: Fill your home with harmonizing chords. Our weekly featured artist inspires our CD giveaway selections. Retail Value: $20. Winners will be selected on the 24th of each month beginning July 24, 2007 and ending June 24, 2008

Learn more about yourLDSNeighborhood's amazing monthly, quarterly, and annual giveaways by clicking here.

Check it out my friends. I think you'll be happy you signed up for this newsletter, I know I am.

Independence from Foreign Oil

Alright, I've literally had it with this Democrat driven Congress. Yes, my Congressman (a Republican) is listening to me, but the rest of the nation . . . nope. So I'm going to provide the contact information for all the Senators and Congressman here and ask you to call, write a letter or email them demanding our independence from foreign oil AND, that they release ANWAR and the shale oil lands of Utah, Colorado and Wyoming for domestic drilling.

For the House of Representatives, here's the Contact Information. Many of them like to make it very difficult for their constituents or Americans to contact them. Please persevere. For Chris Cannon, the 3rd Congressional District, he's already on top of this issue, but it wouldn't hurt to call and let him know you agree and find out what you can do to help.

Here's his information:

Chris Cannon
2436 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: (202) 225-7751
Fax: (202) 225-5629
Email: cannon.ut03@mail.house.gov

or

51 S University Ave Suite #319
Provo, UT 84601
Phone: (801) 851-2500
Fax: (801) 851-2509
Outside Utah County Call
1-800-571-2971
Email: cannon.ut03@mail.house.gov

or

8000 South Redwood Road #332
West Jordan, UT 84088
Phone: (801) 569-5125
Fax: (801) 569-5126
Email: cannon.ut03@mail.house.gov

Now on to the Senate. Here's the list of Senators and their Contact Information.

If we can flood the House and the Senate with phone calls, emails and letters maybe, maybe, maybe we can get things moving so that the prices at the gas pumps will start to drop. This is the way we make a difference, we make our voices heard in Washington, D.C. and at the polls.

Hannity's Top 10 Items for Victory

I love the way Sean Hannity thinks. He has written, and posted on his website, 10 things he believes that politicians should hold dear to their hearts, and should be the standard of the Republican Party. While I am beginning to believe the Republican Party cannot be saved, I love the 10 things Sean came up with as standards for a political candidate. Here they are:

Hannity's Top 10 Items for Victory

1) To be the Candidate of National security:

• Victory in Iraq
• Fully support NSA, Patriot act, tough interrogations, keeping Gitmo open
• Candidate that pledges to NOT demean our military while they are fighting for their Country. eg Harry Reid: "the surge has failed", "the war is lost"
• Candidate that promises to ensure that our veterans can live out their lives in dignity.
  

2) The Candidate who pledges to oppose Appeasement:

• The Candidate will oppose any and all efforts to negotiate with dictators of the world in places like Iran, Syria, N.Korea, Cuba, and Venezuela without "pre-conditions"

3) The Candidate Pledges to support Tax CUTS, and fiscal responsibility:

• The American people are NOT under taxed, Government Spends too much
• The Candidate who Pledges to ELIMINATE and VOTE AGAINST ALL Earmarks
• The Candidate pledges to BALANCE the budget
  

4) The Candidate Pledges to be a supporter of "Energy Independence"

• supports Immediate drilling in Anwar and the 48 states
• Building new refineries
• Begin building and using Nuclear Facilities
• expand coal mining
• realistic steward of the environment
  

While simultaneously working with private industry to develop the new energy technologies for the future, with the goal being that America becomes completely energy independent within the next 15 years.

5) The Candidate pledges to secure our borders completely within 12 months:

• build all necessary fences
• use all available technology to help and support agents at the border
• train and hire agents as needed
  

6) Healthcare:

The Candidate will look for Free-Market solutions to the problems facing the Healthcare industry, and will vigorously oppose any efforts to "nationalize healthcare".

• The Candidate will fight for Individual health savings accounts, that includes "catastrophic insurance" for every American, so people can control their own healthcare choices.

7) Education:

• The Candidate pledges to "save" American children from the failing educational system
• The Candidate will fight to break the unholy alliance of the Democratic party and teachers unions, which at best has institutionalized mediocrity, and has failed children across the country
• fight for "CHOICE" in education and let parents decide
• fight for vouchers for parents
  

8) Social Security and Medicare:

• The Candidate will "save" social security and medicare from bankruptcy.
• Options will include "private retirement" funds so people can "control" their own destiny.
  

9) Judges

• The Candidate vows to support ONLY judges who recognize that their job is to interpret the Constitution, and NOT legislate from the bench.

10) American Dream:

The Candidate accepts as their duty and responsibility to educate, inform, and remind people that with the blessings of Freedom comes a Great responsibility. That Government's primary goal is to preserve, protect and defend our God given gift of freedom.

That Government's do not have the ability to solve all of our problems, and to take away all of our fears and concerns. We need their pledge that we will be the candidate that promotes Individual liberty, Capitalism, a strong national defense and will support policies that encourage such...

It is our fundamental belief that limited Government, and Greater individual responsibility will insure the continued prosperity and success for future generations.

We the people who believe in the words of Ronald Reagan, that we are "the best last hope for man on this earth," "a shining city on a hill," and that our best days are before us if our Government will simply trust the American people.

I agree with Sean Hannity, 100%. These are the things I want in my political candidates. These are the values, standards and stances on the issues I want my candidate to not only agree to, I want this to be the standard by which he or she conducts themselves.

Excellent job, Sean. Thank you for articulating what every Conservative in the nation believes. I'm sending this entire thing to my Congressman, I urge each of you to do the same.

Darkest Before the Dawn

On the morning of September 11, 2001, the United States of America was attacked on her own soil. We weren't attacked by another country, but by a faction of fanatics who decided they must rid the world of Christians, democracy, free enterprise and hope. They did not attack military installations but rather, chose to ravage civilian targets. I don't bring this up to delve in the politics of war, but to speak of what happened in America thereafter.

We were a nation in shock. So many innocents, from so many countries, lost their lives that day. And so many more paid the ultimate price later when their health was affected by the toxic air. So many first responders lost their lives or became terminally ill. Children were without fathers and mothers. Fathers and mothers lost their sons and daughters. Heroes were born that day, and heroes died that day. And our nation wept.

Americans flocked, enmasse, to churches across the nation. They mourned, they wept and they plead with a God they hadn't spoken to in decades for surcease from the pain. For three to six months, America's churches were full. And then people forgot and began to find better things to do on Sunday again.

Seven years later, we still face war torn disaster after natural disaster wracking the world. People across the globe have opened their hearts and their wallets, even traveling to devastated nations in order to help a people whose worlds have been turned upside down. However, we have become disaster weary, giving nowhere nearly as much as we have in the past to the recently ravaged countries of Myanmar and China. Why is that?

Well, as far as Myanmar is concerned, the Myanmar military is taking every supply being sent to that ravaged nation and using it for themselves. The death tolls amongst her citizens rise daily. And it is difficult to donate to a country's military when her people are dying. So that one, I actually understand.

As for China, a communist regime, who allows her citizens to have only one child, hundreds of thousands of Chinese couples lost that "one" child to this recent earthquake. My heart literally aches for the mothers and fathers who no longer have that one bright hope left in their lives. Their families are at an end. Yet another nation devastated by natural disaster. And yes, this Sunday I'm adding a little extra to Humanitarian, Fast Offering and Welfare when I pay my tithing. At least I know that the needed supplies are definitely making their way to these devastated people.

Here in our nation we have faced earthquakes, fires, hurricanes and tornadoes and the American people continue to give of their money and their time in order to help their fellow citizens in need. It is an admirable quality of the American people who gave $295 billion in charitable donations last year, 4% of which went overseas, according to Glenn Beck.

But when it comes right down to it: When the rain has stopped, the waters have dropped, the ground has stopped shaking and the wind has passed on . . . what do you, as an individual, have left. Indeed, times of tragedy always bring us back to our Lord Jesus Christ. Almost all people turn to Him when their lives are out of control.

But looking at the world today, I see people who have not strayed from that path to Jesus Christ. And yes, they deal with travesty, tragedy, sorrow, illness, disease and pain, but their inner core remains strong and hopeful. Why is that? Because when clinging to the Iron Rod, which is the word of God, there is a hope instilled in your heart and spirit that can only be killed by you. If Jesus Christ is real to you, there is a Light that cannot be extinguished.

So truly, it may be darkest before the dawn, but remember: Those who remain in Christ will also have a core strength which will carry them through the darkest nights. If it takes a day and a night kneeling in prayer to draw on that strength, then that is what we must do. If it takes turning off the television or computer and falling to our knees asking for the strength to make it through one more day, then that is what we must do. Drive to the tops of the mountains and remind yourself what this world is all about by looking out over the majesty that is His creation. And there, in that natural temple of God, kneel and pray. Pour out your concerns, your thoughts, your worries, even your joys and then be still, and listen.

That light which breaks the darkest night is Jesus Christ. And through Him we find the strength, courage and power to continue moving toward Him twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. You can do it and so can I.


Return to the Neighborhood!

Random Thoughts About to Explode My Brain

There's so much going on right now that I decided to write a little bit about the different issues about to trigger the explosion of my brain.

Barack Obama: I really don't know where to start!? First he said,

"We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK," Obama said.

"That's not leadership. That's not going to happen," he added.

I sat there on my comfortable couch watching the news the other night when Barack issued this little gem. Literally, I thought my brain was going to explode right then. NOW HE WANTS TO TELL US WHAT TEMPERATURE TO KEEP OUR HOUSES AT?!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me? Why does anyone want to vote for this guy again?

He wants to tell us how to raise and educate our children. He wants to tell us how what we can drive. He wants to tell us how we're allowed to look at race. He wants to tell us how warm or cold we can keep our homes. He wants to tell us that if we're too poor for healthcare he'll take it out of our paychecks to make sure we get it. He wants to tell us that we don't understand the running of the government, pat us on our heads and leave all the big decisions up to him. Sheesh, the guy needs to seriously be smacked. Something loose is rattling around in his head!

Barack Obama, again: On GMA the other morning, I think it was GMA, it might have been the Today Show, Barack and Michelle were being interviewed. Barack said Michelle, his wife who has been out giving speeches, stumping and representing him, is off limits to the media. Oh, the woman who has never been proud of America in her adult life is off limits? The woman who is a radical pro-Africa anti-American activist is off limits? The woman who could possibly be our next First Lady, God forbid, is off limits? I don't think so, Barack. That's just not the way system works. You put her out there, she has to take her lumps just like everyone else. Tell her to quit making such a target of herself with her outrageous comments and maybe the press wouldn't jump on her.

Barack Obama, one more time: Is anyone else worried about Barack being friends with William Ayers, a self-proclaimed terrorist who cheered the 9/11 attacks on America?

Soldier and the Koran: Okay, it was stupid and disrespectful, agreed. An American soldier decided to use the Koran for target practice. He was disciplined and removed from Iraq. The American military issued an apology to Muslims worldwide, like it was their job to do so. And, the Muslim leaders are demanding the most severe of penalties, which is death according to them, for our soldier.

• Our soldier didn't kidnap, terrorize and chop off anyone's head.
• Our soldier didn't fly planes into civilian targets and kill thousands of innocent people.
• Our soldier didn't subjugate and dominate the women he is acquainted with.
• Our soldier didn't kill his mother or his sister because some bastard raped her.
  

Need I go on? If the Muslims in Iraq are getting so irate at the behavior of Americans why don't they take care of business? Kick Al Qaeda out of their country. Quit living and behaving as if they live in a world centuries past. Quit treating your women as less useful than dogs. Quit raising your children to be terrorists and suicide bombers. Quit the attempted domination of all peoples and conversion by the sword. Stop all that and we'll leave. Believe me, America wants to get the hell out of there. If you'd learn to take care of yourselves we could!

McCain Dragging His Heels: McCain needs to choose Mitt Romney as his vice-presidential running mate. We need someone who can rescue this economy without trampling on our Constitutional Rights. We need someone who can take a look at the federal government and strip the waste out of the system. Please, let that include the EPA who I directly blame for the high prices at the gas pump. We need someone with some integrity wrapped with conservative values to try to temper your liberal actions and beliefs. With Romney you can do so much. Without him, it will be more of the same of you selling this country down the river for a few political favors. Choose Romney and get busy running against Obama, the louse.

Senator Ted Kennedy: This was reported two days ago:

BOSTON -- A cancerous brain tumor caused the seizure Sen. Edward M. Kennedy suffered over the weekend, doctors said Tuesday in a grim diagnosis for one of American politics' most enduring figures.

Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. Preliminary results from a biopsy of the brain identified the cause of the seizure as a malignant glioma. ~Newsmax, Doctors: Sen. Edward Kennedy Has a Brain Tumor

As much as I hate the man's ethics, politics and morals, my heart and prayers go out to his family. This is the worst news any family can receive.

Bill O'Reilly: You know, Bill O'Reilly has been dubbed a "Culture Warrior" and even named one of his books that. He has been recognized as one of the fiercest defenders of the American way of life: From Many, One, which is the meaning of "E Pluribus Unum." O'Reilly contends the American motto has changed from what made us great, From Many, One, to What About Me?

He's right. I feel as if this is the battle I am fighting every day too. . . mine encompasses every freedom our ancestors and the Founding Fathers fought for, which brings me to the next topic:

Mormon -- FLDS -- Texas: Mormons (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) are not FLDS (Fundamental Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) and vice versa. The FLDS broke off from the main church, the Mormons, in 1895 with major disagreements on doctrinal points. More than 100 years have passed and people are still getting confused, or choosing to remain confused, or deliberately fanning the confusion. I think there's a little of all three going on. Now with that being clear: MORMONS ARE NOT FLDS!

Let's move on to the travesty occurring in Texas where the government has swung its mighty head in the direction of a religion they disagree with. Texas is all high and mighty about 12, 13 and 14 year old girls being married and having babies. I happen to agree, it's wrong! Sick and wrong! But until last year, even six months ago, I believe, it was still legal to marry at 14 in the state of Texas. Hmmm.

Several weeks ago, Texas authorities swept on to the FLDS ranch and took all the women and children, rounded them up as if they were the Nazis rounding up the Jews, or European heads of state rounding up the Protestants or the Catholics. They traumatized those women and children beyond repair, and continue to do so, and then promptly put them in the homes and facilities run by the Baptist Church. Texas officials care not one whit for the emotional trauma they have visited upon over 400 children. They don't care they've trampled on the religious rights of over 400 people. They care not that they've violated every civil right these people have.

FLDS are not Mormon - but Mormons have been the target of violent rhetoric and action from the Baptists and others since 1820. Why would the authorities take the innocents from one church and slap them into the care of the ones who drive the confusion mentioned above. Why put them in the care of ones who are the authors of deliberate misinformation and lies? I'm stunned.

Mostly, I'm stunned because they took the women and children from their homes and left the men hanging around the ranch. Okay, who's the biggest lawbreaker here . . . the men! If Texas is so concerned for the welfare of these children that they are robbing them of their religion, their hopes, their beliefs . . . why are they leaving the perpetrators wandering around the homestead? I'm confused and enraged!

Especially this latest report where a child's sacred book of scripture was taken from him. (See story about American soldier above.) What in God's sacred name is going on? The entire freakin' American military will apologize about a Koran being shot at, but the American government and people see nothing wrong with another sacred book of scripture being taken from an American child because the caretaker, see Baptist, doesn't agree with the doctrine! And by the way, in that Book of Scripture you will see nothing that promotes polygamy, so what was the complaint?

Let me unequivocally state, I do not support young teenagers marrying and having children. I do not support polygamy. I do not support criminal behavior. Mormons are not FLDS and FLDS are not Mormons, but I see an eerie trend being set. The basic 1st Amendment rights of the FLDS are being trampled upon. The real perpetrators are not being arrested or charged. The courts are happily robbing the women and children of their basic civil rights and keeping the children confined and separated from their mothers as if they were the worst of hardened criminals. There is no cry from the public. Had this been a church of black people, just as an example, the world would have been in an uproar! I question the State of Texas' intent here and can only see evil being perpetrated upon the innocent.

• Why are the FLDS men, the perpetrators of the aforementioned crimes, not arrested?
  
• Why are the children being punished for being alive?
  
• Why are the mothers of these children being kept from them?
  
• Why, in God's name, hasn't the most massive class action lawsuit been filed against the State of Texas, the Texas Courts and Texas DCFS that has ever been seen?
  
• Why are the attorneys of these children not fighting for their rights, and I mean pulling out the big guns and using every knowledge and quirk of American law they have to protect the rights of those children, American citizens.
• Why hasn't Texas put them in homes that are not hostile to their religion? Who, in their right mind, would put children in the homes of people whose religion is hostile toward them? Did they even try to put them in homes of understanding people or did they just climb into bed with the Baptist Church and throw these children to the wind?
  

Doesn't anyone else see the dangerous precedent being set here? At what point will that mighty governmental head swing toward another religion they find unacceptable? If the courts uphold this travesty then a precedent has been set which will wreak havoc on the American people as a whole. Can no one else see that?

Oil Execs Appear Before Congress: It basically degenerated into a "He said . . . He said." Senators accusing the Oil Execs and Oil Execs pleading for the additional taxes to not be levied on them. The Senators upset the Oil Companies had actually made money (welcome to America, we are a capitalist society supporting private enterprise free of governmental interference, oh wait . . .) and the Oil Companies more concerned about the almighty dollar.

Here's a thought! Start drilling in America and STOP purchasing our oil from OPEC. That'll bring the prices down, a huge influx of cash into the American economy as well as support free enterprise. Huh, the only loser would be the American government. I like that! I directly blame the Environment Protection Agency and the Democrat controlled Congress for the high prices at the gas pumps. I guess that's why this morning's appearance before Congress was a sham. Nobody wanted to point the finger at the real perpetrators. I'm pointing. A big huge foam finger . . . right at Congress and the EPA.

America, it's time to stand up and be counted. Shout it out to Washington, D.C. Quit depending on the world for our resources, bring our money home and restore our economy. $460 billion stinkin' dollars a day! Bring it home and bring it home now!

Oil Shale Development in Utah, Wyoming and Colorado

Okay -- I caught an article in the Salt Lake Tribune that kinda gave me a "what the heck" moment. Hey, I'm Mormon and I live in Utah. We say "what the heck." No comments from the peanut gallery please!

I've mentioned on this blog before how pleased I am with Chris Cannon's efforts on the development of the oil shale in our region. I've mentioned how the technology is now available and Shell Corporation has leased the technology and is now fighting with 47 agencies, with Chris Cannon on their side, to allow drilling in these oil dense areas (5 times the amount of oil in all of the Middle East.)

You remember reading that right?

You remember reading that over $460 BILLION heads to the Middle East EVERY SINGLE DAY, right? I believe mentioning that bringing that $460 billion home would bring an unbelievably GIGANTIC economic boost to the tri-state (Utah, Colorado and Wyoming) area, and the American economy

You've noticed our economy is struggling right?

Here's what the "brilliant" people over the Trib reported. We're in more of a freakin' uphill battle than I realized if we're having to educate the people here too!

Huntsman backs oil shale development

By Thomas Burr
The Salt Lake Tribune
Article Last Updated: 05/16/2008 12:45:48 AM MDT

WASHINGTON - Congress should allow regulations to be finalized on developing oil shale in Utah and other states, or miss out on a potential boom of domestic energy production, according to advocates that include Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr.

With gas prices reaching the $4 a gallon level, supporters of extracting oil shale say Congress' ban on finishing rules is hampering development of the new fuel source.

"As the price of oil surpasses $120 per barrel and we become increasingly dependent on foreign oil, our national security is in jeopardy," Huntsman said in a letter to the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. "We cannot afford to wait any longer to develop this critical energy resource.

The opportunity for environmentally sound energy development must be supported."

But in a Senate Appropriations Committee on Thursday, an amendment to push forward with regulations on oil shale regulations failed on a party-line vote, with Democrats killing the move.

Former Rep. Jim Hansen, a Utah Republican now lobbying for Alabama-based Oil Shale Exploration Co., complained before the committee that it seems there is an anti-oil-shale vendetta in Congress.

"Who's got it in for oil shale?" Hansen asked, noting there weren't such restrictions on ethanol. "Oil shale seems like it's the whipping boy in this instance."

Hansen also repeated the oft-used claim that Utah, Colorado and Wyoming are the "Saudi Arabia of oil shale" in that there are an estimated 1.5 billion barrels of recoverable oil there.

"As far as we're concerned, this isn't a science project," Hansen told the committee. "This is a provable technology."

There will be some disturbance of public lands, Hansen said, adding that, "I totally agree you should be environmentally friendly." But the area his company is looking to develop is made up of just "sagebrush."

Supporters say extracting oil shale - which involves heating the rock until it produces a liquid that can be processed into heating oil or jet fuel - is key to the nation lessening its dependence on foreign sources of energy. But critics say the technology is still unproven and could create an environmental disaster if developers move forward too quickly.

Congress passed a law barring the finalization of regulations for commercial oil shale development, a move Stephen Allred, assistant secretary of the Interior Department, says may discourage private investment in researching the oil shale extraction technology.

But Steve Smith of the Wilderness Society challenged that comment, saying that companies have long had access to the land where they believe oil shale is available and are still far away from producing "tangible results."

"No technology or company is, in any way, ready to develop oil shale at a commercial scale," Smith said, adding that those companies have yet to prove they can access the oil without using "immense amounts of energy" and generating "huge increases in greenhouses gases."

Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman said he was sympathetic to the concerns about trying to move ahead on domestic sources of energy, but that the nation should be careful about rushing ahead too fast.

"In this era of soaring prices and increasing dependence on foreign oil, our domestic oil shale resources can potentially play an important role," Bingaman said. "However, we must proceed with care as we craft a policy leading to its future development."

Sen. Orrin Hatch, who testified at the start of the hearing in favor of repealing the ban on setting the final regulations, said there is no room in Congress for an "anti-oil or anti-oil-shale attitude."

If local officials in Utah, Colorado or Wyoming want to slow down on development of oil shale, that's fine, Hatch said, but Congress should not hold those states back from exploring their vast amount of oil shale resources.

"It's not right for my state and it's not right for Americans who are sending their money to our competitors overseas," Hatch said. ~ tburr@sltrib.com

Did ANYBODY stop to ask Chris Cannon who has been fighting this battle for 10 years? Did anyone call his office for updates and details? Nope! No one did, because I didn't see one single quote from Chris in this article. Why is that do you suppose?

Why would the reporter report there is no technology, when there absolutely is and Shell Corporation has licensed it. Oh wait, have I said that before? Yes!

I guess he reported it because Steve Smith of the Wilderness Society said so . . . hmmm, there's an impeccable source since he told an outright LIE. Or maybe Steve didn't know what's going on . . . or maybe Steve is simply a "tree-hugging liberal" who'd rather see the extinction of the human race rather than bring economic prosperity back to Utah, oh yeah, and cheaper prices at the gas pumps.

Okay, enough haranguing that guy! Congress -- and need I point out it is a Democratically controlled Congress with the lowest approval rating (11%) in the history of Congress -- has blocked the drilling and development of shale oil in Utah.

If you're not happy with the government, take a look at the Democrats, they're in charge of the House and the Senate. They are the ones who taken the last two years and made a completely mockery of the America we know, jacked the prices up at the gas pump, $4.00 in some areas and $3.60 in my own, and wreaked havoc with the American people and their wallets. That would be the Democrats folks, not the Republicans.

It is the Democrats who blocked drilling in ANWAR, our richest oil source in America.

It is the Democrats who have blocked drilling for shale oil in Utah, Colorado and Wyoming which contains, yeah, I'll say it one more time, five times the amount of oil as the entire Middle East.

It is the Democrats who want to open our borders and let the world come in and eradicate America as she stands. They are pro-Amnesty all the way with no price or justice for breaking our laws. And may I just remind, once again, illegal immigrants have to purchase identities in order to do any semblance of legal work in the United States. So they broke the law by coming over the border illegally, then they compounded it with Identity Fraud. Just to name two laws being broken. But the Democrats will NOT allow the building of that fence.

It is the Democrats who don't approve the job our military has done to protect America.

It is the Democrats who won't allow the building of the fence along the southern border.

This just a little of what the Democrats have done while in power. If you want change, then look to see what change needs to be made rather than wildly voting for any candidate promising change.

Over the next few weeks I will be address, per post, each of the core issues facing this nation. Please people, vote responsibly. Look past the pretty faces to the men and women who have actually been in the trenches working hard to deliver workable immigration solutions (I still like the round 'em all up and send 'em home, but it's not viable), energy solutions, public education solutions, War on Terror solutions and more.

Don't paint Republicans with a Congressional brush, because the Democrats are in charge. The Republicans, some, not all, let us down last time they were in Congressional power. But the Democrats have done a far worse job. Please, look at the entire picture instead of the one tiny corner the Democrats want you to see. You might be surprised.

Salt Lake Tribune Fact Check on Jason Chaffetz

Everybody knows I am very active politically . . . I know, it was a well kept secret but somehow it leaked out. I don't know how.

Anyway, because I am very politically active I try to stay on top of issues, campaigns and candidates. One race going in my district is Chris Cannon versus Jason Chaffetz. Apparently there have been concerns because Chaffetz doesn't actually live in the 3rd Congressional District, which is our district.

Here's the Salt Lake Tribune's article/blog that got me thinking about it:

Out of Context : The Tribune's political writers' blog.

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Fact Check

One of the nagging issues in the 3rd District battle between Jason Chaffetz and Rep. Chris Cannon is the fact that Chaffetz actually lives in the 2nd District. Now, as we explained in a story last month, there's nothing legally wrong with that, but it could pose political problems for GOP voters who wonder why he didn't run against Democratic Rep. Jim Matheson in the district where he lives.

But Chaffetz' campaign and his supporters have put forth an argument that needs a fact check. In a letter to delegates sent before the Republican State Convention, Rep. Craig Frank, a Chaffetz supporter, appears to try to clarify the situation, but instead muddies it with pretty overt misinformation.

"Some of you have expressed concerns to me about the fact that Jason lives in Alpine -- two miles outside the Third District," Frank writes in the letter. "Let me assure you that this is not a problem. As a legislature, we have already approved a new boundary for the Third Congressional District which wil include Jason's home in Alpine after 2010. In reality, Jason lives closer to you than either Mr. Cannon or Mr. Leavitt and can certainly relate to the issues that matter most to all of us." (Here's some input from me. Chris lives ten minutes south of me. How is Alpine closer to me? It's not! It takes me 15 minutes before I hit Alpine. I know math isn't my strong point but 10 vs. 15? Hmmm.)

This is the same logic that Chaffetz has offered.

But Chaffetz knows better and Frank certainly does.

After all, Frank was one of the legislators called into special session last year to adopt the four-district map in a frantic effort to get Congress to buy off on Utah's fourth seat in exchange for a representative from Washington, D.C. -- a proposal that Chaffetz opposed.

But there are two reasons the old four-district map will never take effect: population and politics.

First, population trends mean the districts will have to be changed after the 2010 Census if for no other reason than to account for the population growth.

Second, and this is the big one, politics will rule.

Re-drawing political boundaries is one of the goriest exercises around, fueled by boundless ambition and giant egos, not to mention vendettas and self-preservation, as politicos try to squeeze out opponents and stack the electorate in their favor. Last time around, The Wall Street Journal called Utah's map one of the worst, most politically craven exercises in the country -- a Republican scam.

So, when legislative leaders and GOP operatives meet with new Census data to redraw the 2012 map, you can bet anyone with political ambitions through 2022 will want to have a hand in it, there will be some creative lines drawn, and the map will look very, very different.

There is no telling if Chaffetz will ever end up back in the 3rd District, and it won't be until 2012 if it does happen. That is the fact, and if it's not an issue, as Chaffetz and Frank claim, they should be honest with voters about it.

Hmmm. Okay, is somebody trying to convince me that someone who doesn't live in my district is still worthy of my vote? Isn't that kind of like those idiotic, worthless East Coast politicians who keep trying to tell us what we need to do with our lands and waters, like they know jack squat about the West and haven't screwed up their own states?

Jason Chaffetz isn't a bad guy. I just don't believe he will or can do what he keeps saying he can. I know for a fact he's misrepresented Chris Cannon on several issues, such as: Immigration, Education, Energy, Economy and the War on Terror. And if one candidate is misrepresenting or outright lying about another candidate's record, he's not going to get my vote. That's what Jason Chaffetz is doing. And now I find out he doesn't even live in the 3rd Congressional District, which is the seat he's trying to take.

Sorry folks, that bothers me. Why doesn't he take his campaign and go up against Jim Matheson, representing the people in his own district, the 2nd Congressional District. What's the matter, Chaffetz thought he couldn't beat a Democrat so he decided he'd go after the incumbent in the 3rd District?

See, here's the thing. I've done my research. I've read the bills Chris has submitted. I've checked his votes. I've checked where he's been for what vote, if he missed it. I've talked to Chris to question him on things I didn't understand, then I took his answers and went back to my research with more information.

I like what Chris has done with energy and ending our dependence on foreign oil. Because of Chris the shale oil in Utah is on target for drilling and bolstering the Utah economy while lowering the prices at the gas pump in the next year or two. Assuming the Democratic Congress doesn't get in the way. Shell Corporation has licensed the technology and is online for drilling in September. Now they are fighting their way through 47 damn federal agencies who think they need a piece of our pie.



I like what Chris has done with federal education. He initially voted for "No Child Left Behind" and then began to see what a colossal mistake it was, in the way it was organized. Unless it works for Utah, completely works for Utah, he will not vote for it again. He is behind the organization EndFedEd.com. A worthy organization and one I deeply support. He believes strongly that Utahns should be in charge of the education of Utah children and has been working to bring that about. Have you joined him yet? You know, Congressmen need the help, support and strength of their constituents to truly do their jobs right. Have you done yours?

I like what Chris has done with the internet tax, to quote him:

If you are like most people, you find it more than a little annoying when you look at your phone bill and see how much of it goes toward paying various taxes. It has long been one of my goals to prevent the same thing from happening to your monthly Internet service bill. For the past few years, we have been able to prevent taxation of the Internet through a temporary moratorium. As more people use the Internet, buy and sell goods on-line, and invest in technology-based enterprises, it is essential that we prevent such taxes from being imposed.

I am aggressively continuing the pursuit of a permanent ban and will use my role as Ranking Republican on the House Judiciary’s Subcommittee on the Commercial and Administrative Law to make sure the people of Utah do not pay taxes on their email. ~ Chris Cannon

Illegal Immigration is a hot, hot issue with me. Chris and I have had conversation after conversation about this. It is a complicated issue, incredibly complicated. Personally, I'd like to see everyone who is illegal rounded up and sent back to their countries of origin. But Chris is right, America simply doesn't have the money to do that. I had to bite the bullet on that one. But I do like what Chris has been working for:



These are a few of Chris' stances, in Chris' own words. Please do your own research, study the issues, talk to Chris Cannon . . . there are ways of contacting him on his website. If you have questions and concerns then it is your job, as an American citizen, to contact your congressman and talk to him about them. My congressman, Chris Cannon, has a very capable and friendly staff willing to answer your questions if he's in session or writing legislation.

Before you listen to the machinations and twistings of the truth from an opponent, make sure you've done your job of seeing just what your congressman has been doing for the last eleven years. Chris Cannon has been representing Utah and the 3rd Congressional District on issues from national security, border control, education, federal lands in Utah, energy independence, internet safety, tax moratorium on the internet, pornography and more. He is your congressman and he has represented you well.

Thoughts on Being an American

Man, I swear more than half of America has completely lost their minds. They are so gung ho for change, and I'll admit, President Bush's attitude toward illegal immigration makes me insane, that they don't stop to look where that "change" is headed. My parents taught me to be a responsible American citizen, carefully examining all candidates, their moral and public standards, their desire to serve the people rather than rule, their stance on issues critical to the salvation of United States of America as established by the Founding Fathers and the divinely inspired Constitution of the United States.

My father clearly recalled, as I have mentioned before, the morning he woke up and heard the Nazis goose-stepping through the cobblestone streets of his hometown of Amsterdam. He remembers looking up and seeing the sky filled with bombers after bombers after bombers, all painted with the terrifying symbol of the swastika. Therein began years of unmitigated terror, starvation and hell for my father and his small family.

Dad never hesitated to remind us that Hitler had been voted into office. Hitler had made sweet promises, spoken to the heart of a humiliated people who'd attempted to conquer the world many times before. He seemed the savior of the German people and instead he insured their complete and utter downfall.

I grew up in a home where freedom was valued, responsibility was taught and the need for wisdom and resilience instilled in my heart. And I look around America today and see her standing on the precipice of complete and utter ruin. Not from an enemy without, but from the enemy within who longs for the complete and utter rule of communism and the fall of this precious Constitution that I love so much. I know not where to turn. I know not what to do. I feel as Chicken Little crying of a falling sky, and yet I look around and see Constitutional freedoms eroded, candidates being chosen based on their looks rather than their integrity and willingness to serve the American people, and a nation following the siren call of change without asking what that change might be. Awake, my friends. This is not the time to step back and say, "Nothing I do can make a difference."

We were blessed and privileged to be born citizens of this great nation and it is our responsibility to protect her, from within and without.

• Those who call the Constitution archaic are our greatest enemies.
  
• Those who wish to regulate that which should be free enterprise are our greatest enemies. Those who would take from us our 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms are our greatest enemies.
  
• Those whose pretty words and promises fall from untried minds are our greatest enemies.
• Those who tell us to listen to them, for they know better than we do are our greatest enemies.
• Those who ridicule and denigrate our great troops are our greatest enemies.
• Those who rob us of our basic Constitutional rights are our greatest enemies.
  

Even if discomfort is the end result. Even if we must fight for this nation to the bitter end. Even if we must live in poverty a little longer, do we really want to the right to dream, followed by the right to put that dream into practice, taken away from us.

When my father was 69-years-old he decided he wanted to start working again. With a bucket and a squeegee Dad went out and started washing windows. He worked hard, completed his work meticulously and with great integrity, and within months was bringing in several thousand a month. Had he not been taken from us by an insidious and excruciating death brought about by signet ring adenocarcinoma, my parents would have been completely out of debt by now.

Before he was brought low by this cancer, my father was speaking with some Dutch tourists who'd come to visit his little corner of Colorado. When he told them what he did for a living and how it came about, they marveled and told him he never would have been allowed to do that in Holland, not at his age. Another great thing about America.

I feel so privileged and blessed to be an American. I live in a land where my ancestors sacrificed to make sure I was free to speak what I see and feel, worship according to the dictates of my own conscience, to keep and bear arms that we might always protect ourselves, to vote out of office those who betray us, to do any type of work I want, as long as I am willing to work hard enough.

When "friends" outside of America tell me how hated we are I simply shrug my shoulders. Do I care? No, I do not. It is always to America the world turns when their decisions have brought them to their lowest and they must be freed by American soldiers. It is always to America the world turns when disaster strikes, crying "Why do you take so long to respond?" It is always to America the world turns when hunger becomes so devastating that certain death awaits. It is always to America the world turns when freedom is threatened and the wholesale slaughter of a nation's people becomes so great the world finally notices.

I am fiercely proud of America and I will honor my father's memory and my mother's teaching by standing for the Constitution of the United States of America, standing for our military, standing for Constitutional rights, standing for all that I believe in . . . free enterprise and market. I will fight for those men and women I believe will best represent me in Washington, D.C. and I will maintain a dialog with those men and women so that they may fully understand the issues important to me and where I stand. I will be true to the sacrifices my family has made since they first stepped on American soil in the 1500s.

I am an American and will not fail her.

Mitt Romney Addresses Faith Once Again

I miss Mitt Romney! John McCain has been tough for me handle and now that the news is reporting he's considering Huckabee as a running mate I am stunned. McCain's liberal politics have lowered him so much in my estimation, however, he is still better than Barack Obama. But if he adds a bigoted, closeted liberal as his running mate I will not vote for the man. It boils down to that, plain and simple. Where are the men and women of faith, integrity, courage and strength?

Here's one. Mitt Romney. Kathryn Jean Lopez, an editor with the National Review Online, one of my favorite stops on the internet, reports on Mitt Romney's latest speech . . . a speech of great power, strength and faith:

May 9, 2008 7:00 AM

The Lord’s Work
Foundational politics.

By Kathryn Jean Lopez

New York, N.Y. — Former presidential candidate Mitt Romney defended the rights of atheists in a speech in Manhattan on Thursday night.

Recalling criticisms that he left nonbelievers out of his December speech on faith in America, Romney said: “Upon reflection, I came to understand that while I could defend their absence from my address, I had missed an opportunity . . . an opportunity to clearly assert that non-believers have just as great a stake as believers in defending religious liberty.”

He continued: “If a society takes it upon itself to prescribe and proscribe certain streams of belief — to prohibit certain less-favored strains of conscience — it may be the non-believer who is among the first to be condemned. A coercive monopoly of belief threatens everyone, whether we are talking about those who search the philosophies of men or follow the words of God.”

”We are all in this together,” Romney said. “Religious liberty and liberality of thought flow from the common conviction that it is freedom, not coercion, that exalts the individual just as it raises up the nation.”

Romney made his remarks at a dinner sponsored by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty. The group honored the former Massachusetts governor and his wife, Ann, with its Canterbury Medal, for “resolutely and publicly refus[ing] to render to Caesar that which is God’s.”

The event was both an opportunity for Romney to revisit the speech he gave on religion in College Station, Texas, last December as well as an opportunity for an enthusiastic crowd of religious conservatives to thank the Romney family for defending religious liberty in America and for being themselves models of faithful people in public life.

The gratitude was most adamantly expressed by Ann Corkery, a supporter of the Romney presidential campaign who chaired Thursday night’s event. A Catholic, Corkery thanked Romney, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (as you may have heard during the campaign), for his speech. She called it a rare instance in which “a serious thought got to break through the noise.”

In the Becket speech, Romney also defended the contention that “religion requires freedom and that freedom requires religion.

“I love how plainly that thought was put by John Adams,” Romney said: “Without religion, this world would be something not fit to be mentioned in polite company, I mean Hell.”

The governor continued: “I don’t mean to suggest that truth can only be found in religion or that morality exists only among believers. But I do believe, like Adams and Washington and Hamilton, that ‘national morality,’ as Hamilton put it, ‘require[s] the aid of . . . divinely authoritative religion.’ I believe that religion is the most effective bulwark against moral relativism — which, as I have seen through my life, can be so malleable that it can label ‘evil good, and good evil,’ as it says in Isaiah, and ‘put darkness for light, and light for darkness.’”

In an interview with National Review Online, Romney called the December speech “the most memorable part of my campaign.” He said, “I had an opportunity that other people didn’t have, and I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity to talk about religious liberty.”

Asked if he wished he had given it sooner, he said, “You know, I haven’t given that any thought. It seemed like the right time, and in retrospect it still seems like it was the right time. People were considering the candidates at that point. There was a lot of interest in my faith, and it meant that there was an opportunity to talk about faith in America generally. That was the right time; much earlier, and people wouldn’t have been listening.”

It was enough to make a Romney-for-president supporter nostalgic and, frankly, utterly depressed about the loss in the primaries. Except for one thing: On Wednesday, John McCain had talked about religious liberty, too. He said: “There is no right more fundamental to a free society than the free practice of religion. Behind walls of prisons and persecuted before our very eyes in places like China, Iran, Burma, Sudan, North Korea, and Saudi Arabia are tens of thousands of people whose only crime is to worship God in their own way. No society that denies religious freedom can ever rightly claim to be good in some other way.”

The Arizona senator continued: “And no person can ever be true to any faith that believes in the dignity of all human life if they do not act out of concern for those whose dignity is assailed because of their faith. As President, I intend to make religious freedom a subject of great importance for the United States in our relations with other nations. I will work in close concert with democratic allies to raise the prominence of religious freedom in every available forum. Whether in bilateral negotiations, or in various multi-national organizations to which America belongs, I will make respect for the basic principle of religious freedom a priority in international relations.”

John McCain put his life on the line for liberty — including religious liberty — when he was a fighter pilot and prisoner of war in Vietnam. The witness of men and women in public life like Mitt and Ann Romney — who talked openly and honestly about religion in general, and their own religion, in a hostile political environment — reminds us that the ideas in McCain’s speech are rooted very deeply in the American character, and will continue to have a transformational potential in our future.

Beyond even the power of polls and primaries.

Thank God.

Okay, McCain made some points with me there. And yet, Mitt Romney, still, is the only Republican candidate who ran that I could support with my whole heart. I felt good about him. I knew him to be a man of faith, integrity, strength and courage. While I didn't agree 100% with him, I definitely agreed 99% of the time. With him, I knew America was going to be in safe hands for at least four more years. With him, I knew his economic brilliance would see a way out of the disaster our nation finds ourselves in . . .

Which brings me to a side point: Here's how we get out of the economic trouble we're in . . . stop living above our means. I heard a woman on the Dave Ramsey show last night who has a home with a $950,000 mortgage which is worth $1.3 or $1.4 million. She wants to get out of debt, but she doesn't want to sell her home. Oh yeah, she's a real estate agent, not the most stable of professions right now. It's a no brainer, but she cried at the thought of having to sell her home.

If everyone in this nation would simply sit down and cut out all the extras, create realistic budgets, and then stick to them . . . wow, we would be in a much better place. America is in the trouble she's in because people bought homes they couldn't afford, bought all recreation vehicles . . . if it was in the name of fun, people bought it.

Concentrate on your families' needs and began there. Cut back, you really don't need a $15,000 to $100,000 vacation every year. Really, I promise. You can survive without it. We don't need the government to bail us out. We need stop, assess and realign. Period.

Okay, back to Mitt Romney. I miss him. This is the first time in my adult life when I have been presented with a choice I'm having a hard time living with. John McCain. He's become far too liberal for my taste. He left moderate a long time ago.

And yet, I listen to Barack Obama and he terrifies me. His politics are communist, right down the line. A complete absence of freedom and personal responsibility.

And who's left? I either vote for John McCain or write in Mitt Romney, except Governor Romney asked me to throw my support behind McCain. Ugh, what a dilemma. But here's a definite, if Huckabee joins that ticket Romney's being written in. I won't vote for a McCain/Huckabee ticket.

The Money Muse: Janine Bolon

I was introduced to this Janine Bolon's financial philosophy a few years ago. I attempted to implement her process, but was derailed by my husband's kidney failure, skyrocketing medical expenses, job loss, etc. But now that he's had a kidney transplant our medical expenses have dropped to almost nothing. Our jobs are more secure and we're doing much better now that every dime we make isn't going to medical expenses. Yes, we are going to celebrate as soon as Alvin is recovered from his kidney transplant. Don't know what we're going to do but it's probably going to involve a hot fudge brownie sundae at Brick Oven in Provo. I know, I'm so predictable!

Anyway, I found Janine Bolon's Blog, The Money Muse, and am so very impressed by her! Here's a snippet of one of her blogs:

Saving Money at the Grocery Store isn’t Really Saving!

by Janine Bolon

Last week I was visiting southern California and I stopped by a grocery store. As the cashier finished ringing up the sales she took the receipt out with a flourish, circled an item at the bottom and said to me, “You’ve saved $12.16 with us today!” I answered, “Yes, but I spent $25.63.” She looked at me with her smile fading and rebutted, “But you saved almost half that amount.” I thanked her for her time and took my groceries out to the car.

As I fumbled for keys, balanced milk jugs, and corralled children into car seats, I realized why I was so vexed. I didn’t save anything at that grocery store. I spent money. Not a penny was “saved.” I don’t care what the cashier has been told to say by her management. It is a lie to say I “saved” money.

No wonder so many of my clients have a hard time understanding the concept of savings and what to do with it. All around them businesses, friends and family are using the term “savings” and it has nothing to do with money that is conserved. It mostly states how much money wasn’t spent that could have been spent. This is not savings. This is spending. As I was ruminating over this latest incident my son pipes up from the back seat, “Mom, did we really save money back there?” I started laughing. A ten minute discussion ensued where I pointed out what savings meant to me versus what savings meant to the cashier. Stay with me, I know some of this is rather basic, but I figure if my children and that sweet cashier were getting conflicting messages on savings, I’m sure other people are too. This is what it means to save. -- Read More

Wow, I'd make her a regular stop every day. I'm learning so much from her and am so excited to implement her programs again, which I am doing today.

Her blog contains reviews of excellent books for learning to save, get out of debt in a timely fashion, etc. Let's all jump in together and break free of financial bondage. I am really done with that phase of my life . . . I mean really, truly done!

Novel Journey - Shirley Bahlmann

I am delighted to be interviewing author, Shirley Bahlmann, today. The author of 7books with three more on the way, Shirley has a delightful sense of humor and a clever way with words.

Shirley didn’t think it was anything extra-ordinary when she wrote her first novel. It was twenty-five pages long and she was ten years old. Only when she had her own ten-year-olds did Shirley realize that they would no more write out twenty-five pages long hand just for fun than they would volunteer to walk across a floor covered with thumbtacks, point side up.

After serving as editor of the school newspaper in 6th grade, Shirley's family moved from the quiet Philadelphia suburbs in New Jersey to wild and woolly Utah. She was twelve years old, nearly six feet tall, wearing big city fashions in the country, and starting her first day of junior high school. Several of her classmates told her later that they thought she was a substitute teacher!

In high school, Shirley worked on the paper staff, was appointed editor of the “Write” magazine, and had a poem published in a national anthology. Even though the dream of seeing her stories printed in books seemed far away, Shirley told the judges of the Miss Snow College Pageant that she would become a published author some day. They believed her, awarded her the crown, and Shirley's parents cheered, because the title came with a scholarship! She was awarded a second scholarship as editor of the college newspaper, and boogied down with her tenor sax in jazz band!

The best thing at college was tall, dark, handsome Robert Bahlmann, whom she married the day before graduation on June 1, 1978. They've been blessed with six sons who span twenty years, two daughters-in-law, a grandson and a granddaughter, with one more on the way.

Shirley's stacks of journals, road shows, plays, and skits attest to the fact that she's been writing all her life, but finally got past the “fear” when she came home late one winter night after selling skin care at a home show and her youngest ran out on the snowy porch in bare feet and diaper, calling, “Mommy! Mommy!” Shirley realized then that she wanted and needed to be the one staying home to take care of her family, so she began to write with a vengeance. Even though royalties don’t yet compensate for a part-time job, and she wouldn’t recommend relying on writing to pay the mortgage, all she knows for herself is that her soul hungers to write like a body hungers for food. She write every day except Sunday, and she doesn’t write after her boys get home from school. Shirley is too impatient to wait for the Muse. She just begins, and the Muse gets curious and comes to look over her shoulder!

So, with this knowledge in hand, let's check in with Shirley:

What book or project is coming out or has come out that you'd like to tell us about?

I've got several projects in the pudding pan. One book, titled "How Odd: Miracles and Adventures from the Olden Days" is in production. and should be done by May of 2008. Another book that I'm excited about is under consideration for publication, and is titled "Detours." It's a parable about life's journey, and how we see where we want to go, but when we get on the path, there are detours that we hadn't seen when we started out. It's a project from my heart, so I hope to find a publisher who's heart beats the same as mine. The book I'm currently writing is a YA fantasy titled "Witch's Heart," where an orphaned toddler's anguished cry brings forth an old legend to her rescue.

Tell us about your journey to publication. How long had you been writing before you got the call you had a contract, how you heard and what went through your head.

I've been writing since elementary school. My very first publication was in high school, when my English teacher submitted one of my poems to a national anthology of high school poets, and mine was accepted. It was thrilling, but even with that initial boost, I still didn't believe in my abilities to write well enough to publish a book. It was only after I'd tried all kinds of part time jobs and came home one night to my one-year-old running outside on the snowy porch in bare feet calling, "Mommy! Mommy!" that I realized I wanted to be home with my children and the best way to do that was to write enough to earn some part time money. It was like I fell off a cliff. When I submitted my first pioneer story book, may attitude was, "This is a good book, and if you don't accept it, that's your loss. I'll just send it to someone who wants to be successful along with me." And it was accepted by the second publisher I sent it to. My heart flew! When I got my first box of books, I opened it with trembling fingers, picked up the top copy, and opened it to find every single page backwards and upside down.

I burst out laughing. This was so funny to me, I kept the book as a good luck charm. (The rest of the books were fine.) Now, seven years later, I've had 17 books published that I've written myself or helped write. I'm not rich, but I do make some part time money, and it's good.

Do you still experience self-doubt regarding your work?

Only when I'm rejected, and I still get rejected. The thing is, I've worked with four different publishers, and I know that each one has a different personality or niche they're trying to fill. Some of my books have been rejected so many times, I know they need a serious re-write. Others just need to find the right home. I'm always open to re-writing, and feel confident that I can fix something that is close to what a publisher wants.

What mistakes have you made while seeking publication?

Not doing simultaneous submissions. Not understanding all of a contract before I signed. Some writers think I made a mistake by not going with a big publisher when they offered to take one of my books, but they wouldn't negotiate their contract to where I felt comfortable with it, so I walked away. I'm still not sorry I did. I could have made more money with them, but I wouldn't have been happier. So that was not a mistake.

What's the best advice you've heard on writing/publication?

Be willing to change your manuscript. Every word you write is not sacred. If it doesn't flow, fix it. "No, thank you," doesn't mean "You stink." Try another publisher. Run your story past some honest proofreaders. (I tell my dozen proofreaders, 'If you love me, be brutal.' Think about it... if your proofreaders won't tell you what to fix in your book, then you'll put it in front of a publisher and they wont' tell you, they'll just say "no, thanks." I don't want to hear that. So my proofreaders are my first line of defense. I'm NEVER offended by what my proofreaders say. I consider their comments, then decide what I should change and what I can leave as I like it.

Whenever I consider a new publisher, I talk to others who have been published by them and ask how their experience has been. I always speak to more than one person, ideally, half a dozen. That has worked very well for me.

What's the worst piece of writing advice you've ever heard?

Write a book and you'll be a millionaire.
What's something you wish you'd know earlier that might have saved you some time/frustration in the publishing business?

Publishers are people, too. Treat them like people, not gods. If you want to negotiate something in your contract, approach it professionally. Be willing to give in things that don't really matter, but stick to those that do. Decide if it's worth hanging on to certain things, even if it means you won't get a book out. There are only a few things that matter that much. (Mine was that if I signed the contract offered, I couldn't publish anything I wrote anywhere else until a certain number of years had passed after the publisher in question had none of my books left in print. I found it too suffocating, and I wouldn't do it.) means you don't get a book out.

Is there a particularly difficult setback that you've gone through in your writing career you are willing to share?
Being rejected after I was published. I thought once I was a published author, everything I wrote would go through like slick butter. I also thought I would be able to pay off my house once I got published. It may happen, especially if I invest my royalties and wait several years, but for right now, my husband said it's a hobby that pays for itself, and for right now, that's enough. But the worst thing that's happened to me is when I launched a huge promotional campaign for my "Fool's Gold" book, buying flyers for every book store, setting up a treasure hunt with Armor of God rings and other prizes, setting up a grid on a map for treasure guesses, doing radio spots and
press releases and book signings, and after all that time and money and effort, book sales were lower than any other book I'd ever done. That really bit, and it took some fire out of me. I hated losing that enthusiasm, and I've worked to get it back.

What are a few of your favorite books?

James Herriott's English veterinarian series, James Dashner's "Door In the Woods" series, all of Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes stories, Victor Hugo's Les Miserables, Shel Silverstein, Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones series, Minne and Moo Go Dancing, Oh My, Oh My, Oh Dinosaur, Barnyard Dance.

What piece of writing have you done that you're particularly proud of and why?

The family newsletters that I send out every so often. They keep my extended family connected, and I like writing about the things that happen in my family a funny way.

Do you have a pet peeve having to do with the business?

Not being able to just write and send out the manuscripts for publication and just let someone else handle the marketing! If authors don't get involved, though, then nothing much happens. I would just really like to write down all the great stories I have running around in my head, vying for my attention, and sometimes marketing, eating, and sleeping seem like such chores.

Take us through your process of writing a novel briefly-from conception to revision.

Well, I get ideas from everywhere. Once I get hold of a title or story idea that appeals to me, I let it percolate. After about three months, it's ripe and ready to write. I put the scenes on index cards, then lay them out in a row and read them through so I can make sure the story flows. This is where I add cards (scenes) or rearrange parts to make it more coherent. Once I like the layout, I stack the cards in order, sit down at my keyboard, and write from top to bottom straight through, from beginning to end, over the course of several days (or weeks, if I don't get to write as often as I like.)

Once it's written, I go back through and flesh it out. Then I let it sit for at least six weeks, then read it again, fixing things that need fixing. Then I give it to my invaluable proofreaders for a month. Once I get their feedback, I fix it again, then send it to a publisher.

Do you have a dream for the future of your writing, something you would love to accomplish?

I think just about every writer would love to make a living from their writing. That's what I would like to do. It would be like getting paid to eat ice cream!

Was there ever a time in your writing career you thought of quitting?

Briefly, maybe after a more unexpected rejection. But then it's like not breathing, so I give up on the idea pretty quickly.

What is your favorite and least favorite part of being a writer?

Marketing.

How much marketing/publicity do you do? Any advice in this area?

I've done a lot in the past, but when I didn't get the vast returns I had expected, I slowed down some. I'm still willing to go out there and pound the pavement, I'd just like to know which direction I should head. It seems that things are changing, with fewer booksignings and more electronic publicity. I'm interested in learning more about the electronic aspect of marketing. It just takes time.

Have you received a particularly memorable reader response?

Yes, I've had readers tell me that stories in my books answered their prayers. That type of thing raises gooseflesh on my arms. I do not take any credit for it, I just feel humbled and awed that Father in Heaven has used my writing talent as a conduit for helping one of His children.

Parting words?

When I told my mentor, Mr. Albert Antrei, that my first book was being published, he said, "Oh, no, you've caught the curse." I was puzzled. How could having a book out be anything but joy? Now I know what he meant. The drive to write is strong, sometimes painful, and I want my words to be read and enjoyed by others.

I can still write for myself, but I'd rather share. And the pain of rejection is still there, although it bounces off rather quickly. I have the mindset that I just need to send it off elsewhere and keep on writing. That's what makes me feel full and happy and accomplishing one of my main purposes on earth.

Shirley's latest book is The Pioneers: A Course in Miracles. Here's a quick little sample from the book:

I don’t think I’ll ever know for sure if rolling my little sister up in fencing wire is what nearly killed her. It wasn’t the wire or the rolling up that almost did her in, at least not the way I handled it. It was what she did later, when I wasn’t looking, that makes me wonder.

The thing is, I didn’t usually mind watching Clarissa, even though she was only four years old and I was eight. I was a good enough big sister, as sisters go, but today it was so hot outside that there was nothing I wanted to do except sit in the shade. The trouble is, Clarissa kept pestering me to play. It wasn’t until our cousins Mitchell and Matilda showed up that I mustered the energy to think of something to do. Even though our cousins were both younger than me, they were older than Clarissa, which made them far more interesting.

“Hey,” said Mitchell. “What should we do?”

That’s when I noticed a piece of fencing wire lying on the ground and an idea suddenly popped into my head.

“Let’s roll up in the wire,” I said.

Matilda gave me the eye. “Why?”

I shrugged. “For fun.”

Hmmm, sounds like this is another great book of pioneer stories that will keep us turning page after page. Congratulations on the new book, Shirley. Click on the cover of Pioneers: A Course in Miracles to order.

The Obama Virus Has Infected America

Oh come on, people. What else would you call it? It's an insidious, nasty, potentially dangerous little thing that is infecting politics from the White House on down. Obama hates the America that was carved out of this great continent where men and women of strength and courage fought, bled and died so that this great nation could come into being. Obama hates the America that believes in the following:

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ~ Declaration of Independence

Why do I say he doesn't believe in it? Because he focuses solely on the tragic events of our past, such as slavery (although he likes to ignore that slavery and servitude included all peoples no matter their race, culture, religious or economic status). He never points out anything that this nation did to correct that horror. He doesn't like to concentrate on the men who left their families, and then bled and died to preserve this nation and free all men, insuring our God-given rights. He most definitely doesn't like to concentrate on the America that comes together in times of trial, tragedy and war and stands united. He would rather chip away at the base of what makes America great, cast off democracy and the republic under which we now live and replace it with a socialist bordering on communist government and way of life. Yeah, that's the Obama virus.

Saturday when I attended the 2008 Utah Republican Party Convention, which is where we took the homework we'd done, or were supposed to have done, listened to the last minute pitches of all the candidates and cast our votes for the candidates we believed best able to represent us. Technically, that's how its supposed to work.

But another variation of the Obama Virus infected Utah politics too. Here are the symptoms:

1. Candidates who are young, sharp and seemingly capable and armed with the right buzz words, empty promises but shallow political saavy and know how. The Obama Virus.

2. Candidates who can bring the crowd to a fevered pitch with a few cleverly placed words, insincere smiles and choked words. The Obama Virus.

3. Candidates who have no substance, attacking an incumbent who has spent the last 11 years delivering on his promises, constantly working to better Utah and America. The Obama Virus.

4. American citizens voting for someone because of their looks, their charm and their smile while understanding nothing about the lack of qualifications, empty promises and potentially dangerous path they have stepped upon. The Obama Virus.

5. American citizens believing the lies of the fresh new candidates rather than digging in and finding out the truth for themselves. The Obama Virus.

Oh, I could go on and on. But the Obama Virus is chipping away at the mortar of our country, from Washington D.C. down to the smallest town in America. We must inoculate ourselves against this dangerous virus by doing the following:

• We must return to the America the Founding Father established after they won their freedom from Britain.
• We must return to an "honest days work equals an honest days pay."
• We must be allowed to use the resources our great nation holds to support ourselves rather then send, as an example, over $450 billion dollars a day to our enemies for foreign oil. Bring that money home and see how our economy booms.
  
• We must stop using food, specifically corn, to produce ethanol. It's causing feed prices to skyrocket, hence harming our farmers and ranchers and raising the prices at the store. What idiot decided in a growing world that we should use food to produce fuel? Are you kidding me? The headlines scream of food shortages across the globe and in America, in all our wisdom, we decided to use food, sustenance for the human body, to produce fuel. The insanity of it boggles the mind!
  
• Our farmers must be allowed to grow their crops. Our ranchers must be allowed to produce their animals. Our orchards must dot the land. How do city people think the food arrives in the stores? Where do they think it comes from? I heard one woman from California disparage Utah as a state of hicks. I refrained from punching her, but really. The ignorance of that statement astonishes.
  
• We must support our military with weapons, technology, protection, nutrient dense food and supplies which help them to not only be the best military in the world, but also the healthiest. You know, Teddy Roosevelt wasn't wrong when he said we must "walk softly and carry a big stick."
• We must return to the values which made this nation great: family, home and God.

These are just a few things that will heal America, there are tens of thousands more. But American society must stop being infected with the Obama Virus. We must accept personal responsibility. We must break free of governmental and societal chains in pursuing our dreams. We must remember that hard work is not a dirty word but the key to a substantial sense of self-satisfaction, pride and inner strength which always makes us better people and therefore a better nation. We must stop denigrating the very things that make our nation great, her people. From all walks of life, work and social status come the heroes of this nation.

Farmers provide food. If we don't have food we don't eat. If we don't eat, we die.

Ranchers provide food. Second verse, same as the first.

Orchards provide fruit. Fruit contains unique nutrients the body needs to function in a healthy and effective manner. I repeat, only now it is the third verse.

We now bring in food from other nations. We import oil when we have more than enough to support ourselves. The prices at the gas pump are ever climbing and it can be stopped by using our resources rather than the world who is trying to gouge us, even destroy us. We are not allowed to care for or provide for ourselves, but must allow a much brighter government (oh man, reaching for the vomit bucket) to make our decisions for us. This is yet another variation of the Obama Virus.

People, return to what made America great. Family, honor, strength, courage, loyalty . . . all words which have become buzzwords or been slammed with derogatory twists.

Grow your gardens. Stop tearing down orchards, farms and ranches to build yet more and more elaborate homes. If we have to start building up, for crying out loud, do so. But if there are no more farms, orchards and ranches . . . where do you think we'll be? Yeah, you better hope you have all your ducks in a row, your t's crossed and your i's dotted because you'll be meeting your Maker much sooner than you had planned. Remember God, and remember that He stands waiting to guide, inspire and strengthen if we will only shake off the degradation of society and stand tall once again.

The main inoculation against the Obama Virus is common sense, knowledge, wisdom and strength of purpose, mind and heart.

• Don't vote for someone just because he's black, or she's a woman, or he's a former college sports hero, or because you like their smile, or, God forbid, handsome or beautiful.
  
• Please, I beg of you, don't be caught in the call for "Change" when change hasn't been defined. Don't be deceived by empty promises when no vehicle or plan has been presented to deliver on those promises.
  
• Don't be taken in by lies and misrepresentations.
  
• Do not, under any circumstances, believe that freedom is passe or that someone can decide better for you than you can yourself.
  
• Do not slap the soldiers and other people in the face who have sacrificed everything so that you could be in this moment, in this time and in this country exercising your right to vote responsibly. They paid the price so that you could be intelligent and wise in voting for elected officials. Be wise.
  

Take the shot, shake off the delirium, the Obama Virus could bring down everything America stands for and it doesn't just come in the form of one Barack Obama.