Government Jobs

If you're wondering where to look if you want to work for the government in some capacity, go to USAjobs.gov.

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Free Our Healthcare Now Petition

Free Our Healthcare Now Petition

"President Obama and Congress are pushing "reform" that will move Ameria closer to a government-run system like Canada or Britain. If they succeed, most Americans will no longer be able to keep the insurance they have. Instead, they will be forced into a government-run health insurance market, with most people enrolled in a government-run health plan.

I support the following as key elements of any health care reform plan:

Choice: I support the right to choose my own doctor and to choose a health insurance plan that best fits my family's needs and budget.

Access: I want to get the treatment I need, when I need it, without delay or denial and I want my health care to be patient-centered rather than government-centered.

Fairness: I want the same tax breaks employers get if I have to pay for may own health insurance; and I want government assistance redirected to those that truly need help.

Responsibility: I want more control to cover my own health care decisions and I want a system that encourages everyone to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse. I want insurance I can take withme if I have to change jobs.

Then it moves on to signing the petition with the following paragraph: "I, the undersigned citizen of the United States, petition the U.S. Congress to stop any increased role of the government in my health care decisions, I also petition the U.S. Congress to protect my right to choose my own doctors and hospitals without delay or denial, to obtain care that is patient-centered, and to have health insurance that is personal, portable and best suits my needs."

This petition is currently at Freeourhealthcarenow.com, however, it's not known the group that has started the petition against socialized health insurance reform."

To read and/or sign the petition, click here to be sent to http://www.freeourhealthcarenow.com/.

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Daniel Hannan on Fox's Hannity

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The 9-12 Project

If you are watching the news or reading the newspaper and not liking the direction our country is heading in, what our government is or is not doing, and the legacy of debt they are leaving for our children and grandchildren, you aren't alone. We've gone off track on what our country is about, what it was founded on, what was good about our country and it's damn scary to me.

The 9-12 Project

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Rush Limbaugh CPAC Speech

If you missed out, or just want to watch the CPAC speeches again, it's on YouTube. I am watching bits and pieces of it now on the news. Rush Limbaugh may be controversial to some but he's made some good points (and gave me a few laughs).

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Taxpayers for Common Sense

That's the name of a web site: Taxpayers for Common Sense

They describe themselves as: "...an independent and non-partisan voice for taxpayers working to increase transparency and expose and eliminate wasteful and corrupt subsidies, earmarks, and corporate welfare."

This is what they've found in the current omnibus bill:

"Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS) has been going through the omnibus to pull together a total number of earmarks and dollar amount. TCS found 8,570 disclosed earmarks worth $7.7 billion." (See that full article here.)

Our tax dollars, oh wait...our children and grandchildren's tax dollars, will be paying that back.

Visit their web site here.

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American Woman Wants Infant Son Back From Iraq

I wonder if this woman ever got her son back. I can't find anything but the original posts online.

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Fascism & The 10th Amendment - We Are A Sovereign State

10th Amendment: The Tenth Amendment restates the Constitution's principle of Federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and to the people.

Fascism: Merriam-Webster defines it as "a political philosophy, movement, or regime that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition"

I've heard terms such as socialism and fascist thrown around with respect to President Obama's motives. Now there is a movement to stop the federal government from bankrupting the states. What do you think about this?

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250,000 $1 Food Stamp Checks

If you think the government mismanages money, you won't hear me disagreeing with you. Wait until you hear about this one though ~

The state of Washington sent out 250,000 checks to food stamp recipients in the amount of $1.00. Yes, you are reading that right. These were not electronic deposits into accounts, these were actual paper checks.

For a $1 check, how much did it cost them to print that check and mail it? Wow!

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Did Wall Street Bailout Help?

So, did the $700 million Wall Street Bailout help the regular citizens in the U.S? I haven't heard anything positive yet so I thought I'd ask and see if anybody else has. Did anybody who was struggling with their mortgage see any light from this?

I still see job losses left and right (with my husband's possible reduction to part-time a good possibility in the near future). Are our tax dollars that helped fund this $700 billion bail out going to help us pay our mortgage when my husband loses most his hours? I think not.

So, what's the answer? How do we get the economy going again? Goddess knows we've done more than our fair share of stimulating the economy with xmas presents this year (boy did it hurt too). We went overboard as usual, but if I'd known a month ago what I do now about the possibility of losing these hours, I'd have kept to the budget better...I think. Perhaps, I'd have gone overboard on our kids anyway because it's going to get rough after the New Year. Who knows.

So, let me figure this out:

If dh loses his hours, we've still funded the Wall Street bail out, might give a loan to the auto industry to bail them out, plus the new bankruptcy laws make it harder for the regular person to file to get help. So, where is our relief? Our tax dollars bail out big industry and I haven't seen any improvement yet...what about the little guy?

Depending on the government to fix this is just putting us into a bigger hole. What can WE do to turn the economy around? Any economists out there with answers?

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The Next Generation - a song to think about

Would you like to download this song? Click here.

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Household and U.S. Finances

I hear a lot about debt collection agencies but I don't really know much about them. With the market the way it is (we just lost $3500 in our 401K in the last couple months!) I would imagine a lot of people are trying to figure out how to manage their debt and keep a roof over their head. We are in the same boat as a lot of other families. It's a rough time.

Another stimulus package is rumored to be in the works in Washington. How are we going to pay down all this debt? $700 billion bailed out Wall Street (imagine if they'd divided that money up between U.S. tax payers instead...boy, we'd all be out of debt wouldn't we?).

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Are we spoiled?

This was going around the Internet as something Jay Leno and David Letterman said. Neither said it. The true author is Craig R. Smith. I thought it was worth posting as it serves as a reminder to appreciate what we do have. Here is the correct article:

Made in the USA: Spoiled brats

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source, right? The same magazine that employs Michael (Qurans in the toilets at Gitmo) Isikoff. Here I promised myself this week I would be nice and I start off in this way. Oh what a mean man I am.

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3s of the citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I starting thinking, ''What we are so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7 days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.4 percent of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter? I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all involved. Whether you are rich or poor they treat your wounds and even, if necessary, send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home, you may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of having a fire, a group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes; an officer equipped with a gun and a bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90 percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S. yet has a great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we don't have and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me?

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have volunteered to serve, and in many cases have died for your freedom. There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go. They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general'' discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it bleeds it leads and they specialize in bad news. Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells. Just ask why they are going to allow a murderer like O.J. Simpson to write a book and do a TV special about how he didn't kill his wife but if he did … insane!

Stop buying the negative venom you are fed everyday by the media. Shut off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country. There is exponentially more good than bad.

I close with one of my favorite quotes from B.C. Forbes in 1953:

''What have Americans to be thankful for? More than any other people on the earth, we enjoy complete religious freedom, political freedom, social freedom. Our liberties are sacredly safeguarded by the Constitution of the United States, 'the most wonderful work ever struck off at a given time by the brain and purpose of man.' Yes, we Americans of today have been bequeathed a noble heritage. Let us pray that we may hand it down unsullied to our children and theirs.''

I suggest this Thanksgiving we sit back and count our blessings for all we have. If we don't, what we have will be taken away. Then we will have to explain to future generations why we squandered such blessing and abundance. If we are not careful this generation will be known as the ''greediest and most ungrateful generation.'' A far cry from the proud Americans of the ''greatest generation'' who left us an untarnished legacy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


We do have a lot to be grateful for and with the rise in gas, the housing slump, and seemingly never-ending war, I think we tend to forget everything we DO have. Now we have to make sure we stop letting special interest groups run our country through our elected officials and stop the government from getting any bigger. They're big enough and a HUGE group of liars is harder to manage than a smaller group of liars:)

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Plate Testing Separation of Church and State

Drivers in South Carolina might soon be able to have their christianity on their license plates. The plate above is a design that was shot down when Florida tried this and South Carolina's is based on this design.

Hmmm...let me think:

Religion & Christianity = Church

Department of Motor Vehicles = Government/State

Nope, no problem with the separation of church and state here. Not.

Apparently, the governor let the bill go through without his signature (guess that's the cowards way of letting it pass without taking a stand). The Lt. Governor has offered the $4000 deposit needed by the DMV to make the plates.

Hmmm...let me think:

Government Official's Money for Production of Plate = State

License plate that professes christianity = Church

Nope, no problem with the separation of church and state here. Not.

Getting the idea here?

Other religions can request a plate to profess their own plate for a $4000 fee, however, no words are allowed on the others - unlike the christian plate. Huh?

So, what's my opinion? I don't think it should be allowed as it does violate the separation of church and state. There are those personalized, non-government issued plates that you can buy for the other end of your vehicle that you can profess all you want, a bumper sticker, or a license plate frame that can do the same. I don't think it's right for the government to allow and then pay for this.

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Hazardous CFL Light Bulbs?

In response to the post on my other blog about these bulbs, I received a comment pointing me towards more information. I invite you to read this information.

Check out this information here.

If you missed my blog posts, they are here and here.

I checked with snopes and they say some info. is true and some is false. Of course, their sources are government agencies who I have little faith in right now.

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