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Michael T. Barrett
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Nov
5
Tonight was an historic night in the United States. Barack Obama has become the first African-American elected to our nation’s highest office. He is also the first Socialist elected to that position.
Barack Obama has proven that all things are possible. He proved that someone with zero executive experience and who associates with known domestic terrorists can be elected President. He has also proven that the American people (at least the majority of them), at this time in history, are more receptive of socialist economic ideas than free market capitalist ideas. But most of all, he has proven that anyone can become President as long as they are willing to lie to the American people, ignore solid inquiries about their proposed tax plans, and have the ability to raise millions upon millions of dollars in order to do so.
Nov
3
The Dawn Of A New Era
Category: Opinions, Our Nation, Society | Comments Off | 717 words | Print
Is it just me or has this been the campaign that seemed like it would never end? It won’t be long now before we can turn on the cable news channels and not see a politician for at least 10 minutes. Of course, they’ll be focusing on high speed chases, missing college girls, and the mysterious chupacabra, but heck anything other than election news will be a welcome change at this point, right?
As I started typing this entry, the polls in Dixville Notch and Hart’s Location were just about to open in New Hampshire.
Dixville Notch, New Hampshire is a small village of about 75 people that is famous for being one of the first places to vote during Presidential elections. They are also one of the first to declare the winner at their location. Over the course of the past 12 elections they have chosen the winner 50% of the time. The last time they selected a Democrat was 1968, when they picked Humphrey over Nixon. They were wrong.
Oct
30
Two weeks ago I wrote about character and how we define our own reputations. Our reputations are based on the shadow cast by our character, but the size and depth of that shadow depends on our own actions, the hardships we’ve faced, and the destiny we forge for ourselves.
We are experts when it comes to our own character and we alone make the choices by which our reputation takes shape. By what measure do we judge another person’s character? What if things are a bit clouded and we can’t see their shadow too clearly? How do we judge their character?
Do we judge another person’s character by their words, actions, and accomplishments? Do we consider their opinions, thoughts, experiences and values? How long does it take to learn the true nature of someone’s character?
I’m sure the answer varies with most people. Sometimes you can judge a person’s character the moment they walk up to you, with others it can take much longer. Character plays a large part in how we interact with each other everyday. From the teenager working at the coffee shop to the seasoned business executive, we interact with people differently based on our perception of their character. You would most likely hesitate doing business with someone who had a bad reputation, and you would probably avoid taking stock tips from a bum sitting on a park bench.
Shouldn’t we take character into account when choosing the next President of the United States?
Oct
20
Politics can make people do crazy things. Just look at the events of the past year and you have all the evidence you need that you have to be out of your ever-loving mind to seek the office of President of the United States.
Running for office makes you say things you would otherwise never say, it makes you do things you would never dream of doing, and it makes you wish you could remember all the bad things you have done before the press finds out about them.
It all starts with the primaries, where things start out quite civil but turn nasty real quick. Then, before too long, you find yourself praising the very people you were denouncing as satan worshippers just a few months earlier in the campaign.
If you make it past the primaries, things get even more insane. In fact, the best you can do is hold on tight and enjoy the ride.
There’s an old saying that you can’t win if you don’t play. When you’re running for President of the United States you cannot win if you don’t campaign. You must play the game. If you aren’t willing to go out there and give it your all, you’re just not going to win. In fact, if you don’t get your name out there, you will never have a chance, no matter how insane you are.
Oct
18
Back on October 10th, one of our local news channels ran a story about a “shocking” Halloween display in Woodstock, Georgia. As the story aired, I watched as WSB-TV tried to portray Melissa Neese, the woman responsible for creating the display, as a racist because her Halloween display depicted John McCain and Barack Obama with a skeleton standing behind Mr. Obama.
At the time, I felt that Ashley Hayes, the reporter covering the story, should have told the whole story. She should have remained objective, but fell far short. She could have emphasized the fact that Mrs. Neese was not yet finished with the display, but she didn’t. It was Mrs. Neese who said, “I was gunna put Hillary up but I hadn’t got to her yet”, but Hayes didn’t address that truth until the end of the report when most peoples perception of Mrs. Neese had already been made.
Ashley Hayes is a seasoned journalist with a good reputation covering general news stories and investigative pieces, so why would she attempt to portray Mrs. Neese in this light?
Oct
15
Like most political junkies, I recorded tonight’s debate. I record all of them so I can go back and review what each candidate said when I am researching the truth behind their answers.
It was clear, barely halfway through the debate, that I was going to have my work cut out for me this time. Both candidates did pretty well, but there were “issues” for each one of them.
John McCain did an outstanding job tonight calling out Barack Obama by clearly and decisively pointing out the flaws in Mr. Obama’s policies, and more importantly, his character. I was a little shocked when Mr. McCain referred to Sarah Palin’s experience with autism, when I think he meant to say Down Syndrome. I can’t figure out how he confused the two.
Barack Obama seemed to be on the defensive most of the night. He seemed taken aback by some of the facts John McCain threw his way, and looked a little on edge when ‘Joe, The Plumber‘ was discussed. He seemed tired and answered a few questions with nothing but deliberate innuendo and political mumbo jumbo. He even lied about a couple of issues that are very well documented (in the mainstream press as well as blogs).
Mr. Obama claimed that 100% of McCain’s ads have been negative, but that is false. All you have to do is watch the ad that followed Mr. Obama’s nomination at the Democratic National Convention to know that.
Oct
12
The Warning Signs Were There
Category: Economics | 2 Comments | 908 words | Print
Tell the truth now. Did you know there was trouble brewing in the housing market? Did you see the coming economic storm? We’re you shocked when not-so-smart people in our government started espousing the need to ‘bailout’ certain financial companies? Seriously?
The signs have been there for a couple of years. If you’re one to keep your head in the sand (like many politicians on the House Financial Services Committee) you might not have seen those signs, but for those of us who happen to have more than a pea for a brain, we saw the signs. We knew it was just a matter of time before lending institutions would begin to crumble, and now it has happened.
Financial institutions are crumbling and it’s all because Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have imploded. Maybe things wouldn’t have gotten so bad if Fannie and Freddie were not required to purchase all of those bad loans in the first place. Then again, things could be much worse. The American people could lay blame on Congress, where it belongs, because they failed to take action that could have prevented this whole mess.
Read more
Aug
29
I Finally Get It!
Category: Opinions, Politics | Comments Off | 543 words | Print
For months I have said that this presidential election would come down to the candidates’ choice for vice-president. I know, it’s crazy isn’t it? Who bases their choice for President of the United States on that person’s choice in a running mate? I’m not sure if anyone else does, but this year, I do.
I do not like Barack Obama. I never have. With all his talk of hope, change, and inspiration, I have yet to hear him state a single thing he will do that fills me with hope. I have yet to hear him tell me what he is going to change that will actually make things different. I have yet to hear him say anything that inspires me to vote for him. Don’t get mad, I am just being honest.
Now, here’s another tidbit you will love.
I do not like John McCain either. I never have. He has worked hard on the opposite side of many issues that are important to me. For years he has been known as a RINO in Washington. A Republican In Name Only. While it’s true that he has an exemplary record when it comes to some conservative issues, I have a hard time reconciling that record with his record on many issues like illegal immigration and energy.
Both candidates have now chosen their vice-presidential running mates.
Barack Obama chose Joseph Biden, the senator from Delaware. I found nothing hopeful in that decision. Joe Biden has been in Washington since 1972, where is the change? Truth be told, I do not find the Obama-Biden ticket to be inspiring at all.
John McCain chose Sarah Palin, the governor of Alaska. And now, I finally get it.
For the past year I have heard Barack Obama talk about hope. I saw that hope today when Sarah Palin walked out and greeted the crowd in Dayton, Ohio. For the first time since this election cycle started I have hope that America might not be going to hell in a hand-basket.
In addition to hope, Barack Obama has spoken of change. Nothing embodies the word change more than Sarah Palin. She is known as a barracuda on the basketball court, and as governor she spent her time cleaning up corruption in the state of Alaska. If any of the candidates, for president or vice-president, represent the true possibility that things can change, it’s her.
It’s an understatement to say that I haven’t been inspired much this election cycle. I threw my support behind Fred Thompson when he announced his candidacy only to find that Fred really didn’t want the job. Since then, I haven’t endorsed a single candidate on the national level, and I had no intention to do so. Neither Barack Obama nor John McCain have inspired me in the slightest, and truth be told, until today I was planning to vote for a third-party candidate. But John McCain chose Sarah Palin and inspired me.
Barack Obama was right. We can have hope for the future. We can change things. We can be inspired. Thank you Senator McCain for choosing Sarah Palin as your running mate.
Aug
29
Today, John McCain announces Sarah Palin as his running mate for vice-president.
Sarah Palin is an excellent choice, and honestly, one of my two preferences for the job. Mrs. Palin has served as Governor of Alaska since 2006, giving her executive experience, even if only two years worth.
Before serving as Governor, Mrs. Palin ws appointed Ethics Commissioner of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, by then Governor Frank Murkowski. She served in that position from 2003-2004, when she resigned because of the ‘lack of ethics’ of her fellow Alaskan Republican leaders. She has proven she is a woman of ethics, that’s for sure.
Sarah Palin is educated and she in not a lawyer. She holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism with a minor in politics.
When she was pregnant with her son Trig, she and her husband, Todd, were informed the baby possessed an extra chromosome and would have Down’s Syndrome. Rather than choosing to end Trig’s life at that early stage of the pregnancy, she chose to welcome him into the world with open arms.
Sarah Palin is an educated, proven leader with executive experience and an honest and ethical core. She hunts, fishes, and eats mooseburger. I wonder if that tastes like buffaloburger?
Congratulations Mrs. Palin. Good luck in November!
Jul
10
Last October, Barack Obama’s campaign spokesman Bill Burton said,
“Senator Obama has serious concerns about many provisions in this bill, especially the provision on giving retroactive immunity to the telephone companies. He is hopeful that this bill can be improved by the Senate Judiciary Committee. But if the bill comes to the Senate floor in its current form, he would support a filibuster of it.”
In December, his office issued a written statement,
“Senator Obama unequivocally opposes giving retroactive immunity to telecommunications companies… granting such immunity undermines the constitutional protections Americans trust the Congress to protect. Senator Obama supports a filibuster [blocking] of this bill, and strongly urges others to do the same.”
Yet today, just eight months after he claimed to have serious concerns about retroactive immunity, and just six months after he claimed that same immunity undermines the constitutional protections of Americans, he completely flip-flopped and joined 68 other Democrat and Republican senators to pass the measure.
That’s right. There is no mistaking this one. There is nothing to refine with this one, it’s a blatant flip-flop of John Kerry proportions.
For the record, Hillary Clinton voted against passage, and John McCain was out there somewhere brown-nosing the Hispanic community.