March 5, 2009

January 22, 2009

It was the day before the Obama inauguration. The DeKalb International Farmer’s Market in Decatur was extraordinarily packed, as bad as the predictable pre-holiday mob. 

Upon checkout, a black woman next to me was buying a mountain of crab legs, and I looked over and chuckled with her, saying I had recently purchased a heap of them myself and it cost me an arm and a leg.   She laughed and said, “I would do anything for tomorrow!” Tomorrow. I didn’t understand, but then it hit me. The inauguration. She then proceeded to buy what had to be $100 worth of crab legs with her food stamps card.

Here was a woman effortlessly paying for crab legs to celebrate Obama’s parting of the waters while I watched every penny I spent that day because I was paying for food with my own money. 

While America continues to whine about the recession, realize that those on welfare, the people we taxpayers work harder and harder to support, and not affected whatsoever, and in fact, will get more under Obama’s watch while we get less for working harder. Punish the working, successful people and reward those who don’t work at all. One needn’t wonder why Obama won this election.

Further, and in case you missed the data, the Georgia Lottery experienced a record high in 2008 since its inception…yes, during this recession. A huge majority of the same group who can buy crab legs with food stamps are also playing the lottery every day. I must plan when to walk to the local food mart because of the line of people buying lottery tickets. I take notes as to who is doing it and how often. I know. And, it’s the taxpayer who is supporting this abused addiction.

These are the same people who ridiculed Bush while he continued to support extended unemployment benefits throughout these difficult times. But, of course, unless you were receiving unemployment, you wouldn’t know that the very president many abhor was helping millions around the nation to continue receiving a paycheck. 

Bottom line: Why should diligent, respectable people who wake up and go to work every day feel the loss while those who do not work feel no loss and get our money and more? Did anybody really listen to Obama’s inaugural speech? If you did, you would know that he’s urging everyone to rise up and be the best contributing citizen you can be and work to make a difference for America. Many of us have done this every day of our lives to support those who have not. It’s time that comes to an end and we start building from the bottom up, not from the top down.

We are all granted rights, simply because we are American, but the right to a roof over our head, a vehicle, a television, a paycheck and health insurance are not lumped into those rights. Those are things people should earn through dedication and hard work, not by expecting the government to provide it. That is socialism, and if our country moves closer and closer to that, then we can kiss goodbye this freedom half of us are grateful for every day while the other half, those who, ironically get the most from the government, complain about.

January 16, 2009

Last night, I saw something I just can’t get beyond. At Manuel’s Tavern in Atlanta, as Bush’s farewell speech was about to begin, the swell of sinister laughter began, followed by jeers and disdainful mockery wrought with ignorant pride.  A smoke-filled room full of irate and rebellious citizens erupted in collective disgust, while their cars sat quietly in the parking lot whispering predictable “F the President” and “Endless War” bumper stickers. 

The staff candidly debated whether to turn up the volume on the TV or the music, as regular bar flies laughed in some kind of surreptitious liberal code, puffing on their American Spirit cigarettes, proud to hate America…proud to hate Bush and disgrace our nation.

The pontificating started, as if these chain-smoking, kid-free, non-tax-paying folks know more than everyone else, much less the president of the United States. The guy to the left of me, desperately trying to send the message that he wasn’t going to watch the TV if it killed him, looked up from his book and callously flipped Bush the bird. The bartender snickered in lively agreement, while I did everything I could to hold back from confronting this sorry excuse for a man.

My friend and I were sickened and couldn’t help but imagine what a bar full of Republicans watching Obama on TV would do. The scene played out much different. In fact, nothing would happen, and the television would have been turned up for all eager ears to hear.  The other side knows you respect your country and your president no matter whether you agree or disagree with the politics. If such dishonor were displayed toward Obama, people would probably be charged for racism and certainly considered hateful and self-important. 

But, ironically, it’s the people who preach peace and love not war, the guy in the bar last night, who are the most hateful and self-important, who cause the biggest stirs, who are content the least, disturbed the most and walk around with sneers and “I want my mommy” gripes about almost everything. These aren’t proud Americans, nor are they respectful Americans. They are immature, whiny Americans happy to hate their president and not happy about much else. Bush didn’t waver for your votes, as did Barack Obama, and didn’t change his views to be popular for people such as yourself. Thank goodness! Imagine an America full of that.

You come to know, as you grow older, that liberals need to get it straight. We all want peace, Democrats and Republicans.  But some of us just don’t need to arrogantly promote violent rallies in the name of it or fervently debate until we are blue in the face over stuff we really don’t know. None of us knows what really goes on in Washington, except those in it, but some of us do take time to learn and use our knowledge instead of blurting out absurdities to selfishly pump up our own uninformed ego. Illogically, it is those who think they know the most who know the least, as they will listen to only their side of the issues, refusing to learn about the other. 

Bush, like all Americans, wants peace. This is a man who held strong to his convictions, a man who kept us safe for eight years after September 11, 2008, when nobody thought that possible. If we had been bombed within the last eight years, Bush would have been blamed. Instead, he kept us safe, we were not bombed, and he’s blamed anyway. Similar to a bumper sticker I saw recently that read:  "Make levees not war."  Somehow, that makes sense to a particular group of people, and we know who they are.

To come to the level of these ignorant fools, specifically that idiot at the bar next to me who gave Bush the finger, here you go: “Bush is rubber; you are glue. Whatever you flip to him, bounces off him and comes back to you.” So, just continue to drown your sorrows over America and the pain you’ve suffered in the last eight years of safety from terrorism. And remember for next time…watching the president speak on TV is for mature audiences only.

Ironically, the motto at Manual’s Tavern is “Anybody Don’t Like This Life Is Crazy.” Seems as though they are preaching to the wrong choir. Liberals are never happy.

Despite my ability to shrug off other people’s nonsense and laugh at the enormous collection of bumper stickers many liberals display on their cars, I was recently shocked by a 20-something driving his huge truck with a bumper sticker that read: “When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46.” Incongruity? Emotional wisdom?

Call me ignorant. Perhaps this instigating sticker has been around for a while, but these young people who cease to educate themselves on the issues before they proudly display trendy messages such as this are just sheep following the message of their flock.

I have always been without peer in making my own educated decisions based on researched facts, evaluating both sides of the issues, while staying as far away as possible from the liberal media trying to skew our views. But, people believe what they hear from those closest to them. It is much more trouble and much more time consuming to research the issues, find the truth and make lasting and well-informed decisions.

The bottom line is this: regardless of the issues as to why the gas prices soared, the majority of folks in America expect certain things in life to stay the same (as much as they tout change), such as trash pickup on Tuesdays, the cost of a haircut, a hotdog…and gas prices. But, in case people have forgotten our Founding Fathers formed a free market country. Inflation and global events affect just about everything in America and the world (let us not forget that the present cost for snacks, such as corn chips, has skyrocketed much due to Al Gore and his melodramatic movie and push for ethanol, causing farmers to sell corn at a higher price for gas rather than selling it for the food it is and that it creates).

The all-time peak in gas prices was in March 1981 following the start of the Iran-Iraq War the year before when gas prices rose to $2.50 per gallon. When adjusted for inflation, gas cost more in 1981 than it does today. And in 1973, following the OPEC Oil Embargo, gas prices averaged $1.81 per gallon. During those years, gas prices tripled, rising by almost 50 percent from 1973 to 1975, and by 80 percent in 1979 and 1980. People complain today because gas prices have doubled in a little more than three years. Take a look at the facts, the history. It’s been worse…much worse, and this administration has been through more, much more, than any other in history. 

Back to current times: The first six years of George Bush’s term were economically positive. Just over one year ago, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high, and consumer confidence was soaring. The price per gallon of gasoline was approximately $2.20. But then, after two years of a Democratic-run Congress, consumer confidence crashed and gas prices recently teetered between $3.50 to just over $4.00 per gallon.

It remains amazing to me how many people liken the gas prices to Bush and his low approval rating. Through the years of our many presidents, approval ratings have been low and high…some much lower than that for President Bush. But people see the here and now, the gas prices of today and not 30 years ago, and they even forget what happened last year—it’s in the past and it’s forgotten (literally).

You think that bumper sticker kid, who cares so much about the gas prices while he drives one of the biggest gas guzzlers there is, knows all this? Did he make an educated decision before he showed off his cynical opinion? And with gas prices as low as they are today, don’t you think he should consider removing this sticker, lest he continue to look like a fool?

All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, those that are movable, and those that move. Hey kid…if you really want to make some kind of statement, make sure you know the facts behind your statement first, and better timing for bumper sticker placement wouldn’t hurt either. And, of course, the obvious: if gas prices are bothering you, why are you driving a gas guzzler? Go figure.

Saxby Chambliss wins the runoff, yet more than a week later, some are still grumbling that he and the people of Georgia who voted for him are backward hillbillies clinging to their guns and religion. (Hmm…clever. One needn’t wonder where they heard that phrase).

There are those who poke fun at Saxby’s name, calling it “redneck” or dubbing it “too deep south.” Others stand around water coolers asking one another sarcastically, “Saxby…is he that chicken guy?” as they chuckle with “know-it-all” grins. Of course, what else can one expect from arm chair political quarterbacks who, while uninvolved and detached from the action, look like champions to others when taking cheap shots? But these pontificating folks couldn’t be more misguided. 

Red, as in Republican, is again on its way to becoming the new black, and the people who voted for Saxby (and didn’t vote for Obama) are self-sufficient, hard-working folks who don’t wait around for the government to fix their problems, much less pay their bills and bail them out of their own mistakes. They are people who continue to set a precedent of the establishment created for us by our Founding Fathers—people who rally to uphold The Constitution rather than redraft it to suit government-loving,

“I need my mommy” liberals. They are fellow citizens who take personal responsibility for their own actions, good or bad, and who don’t mock the Saxby name because they know better. 

The name Saxby is of English origin, and its family crest motto translates to: Let the stone be firm. In other words, this man “ain’t no stupid hick ya’ll.” And, as someone who worked for the Saxby team and attended the events, I can tell you this respected gentleman stays true to his family motto in remaining strong in his convictions and working relentlessly to help hard-working Georgia families keep the money they earn and maintain their sovereignty and duty as responsible Americans—the people who keep America what it is, sustaining the free market, upholding and creating jobs, and paying taxes. You can’t help but feel pride when listening to Saxby speak and looking around at his supporters—folks who don’t want something for nothing and who, with Saxby by their sides, fight so Georgia families can continue to make their own choices rather than let the government make those choices for them. 

Politics aside, all people of Georgia, Republican, Democrat and Libertarian, should be pleased with the Saxby win because of the dire need to preserve diversity in Washington. He needed to win because our president-elect Obama publicized his desire to work across party lines, yet, without a Saxby victory, there would have been few lines to cross.  Justice must prevail. With a filibuster-proof Democratic majority, our nation would have been reconstructed under only one agenda for the benefit of the government-dependent, not the government-independent.  And, without fair numbers in Washington, our nation would have become more divided. As John Adams once said, "People and nations are forged in the fires of adversity."   And, as Obama recently said, "There is not a liberal America and a conservative America; there is a United States of America." Staying true to our leaders’ wisdom, we need both sides in Washington to formulate a concrete plan of action that benefits all citizens. 

Democrats want to keep people where they are, in fear and in need, as that is how they get votes. Republicans, however, are determined to follow in the footsteps of our Founding Fathers, attempting to motivate instead of coddle, raising from the bottom up and stimulating people to work, thus bolstering their abilities, confidence and drive so they don’t remain entrenched in poverty.  Lowering from the top down—from the people who already work hard and succeed to create jobs, form companies and sustain America—is larceny on the part of Democrats. Saxby doesn’t believe successful people should be punished (i.e. taxed) for their hard work any more than they already are. If everyone in America wore an educated thinking cap, regardless of his or her socioeconomical level, it would become clear this is a valiant effort on Saxby’s part to protect the Georgia taxpayer.  Lower-income earners, living in projects, for example, don’t seem to realize that these high-earning, high-tax paying individuals, paying well over 80% of the federal tax money, are the whole reason they and their families have what they have every day, including welfare, food stamps, etc., without having to do a thing for it. But sadly, in our country, overachievers are punished, and underachievers are rewarded.  Somehow, that makes sense to liberal America and those who didn’t hope for a Saxby win.   

Also important is that Saxby is without peer in trying to push forth an agenda of change…the Fair Tax. We hear so much about change, but America is too enchanted with Obama to think of it as part of the Republican agenda. And, as one of only three forward-thinking (hardly backward hillbilly) senators trying to push this bill in Washington, Saxby Chambliss is a benefit to all folks in Georgia. The Fair Tax platform is not Republican or Democrat. It is a bipartisan way to eliminate the IRS and establish a new form of taxation based on what you buy, not how much you make. That is why it’s called the Fair Tax, and it’s very fair indeed. Read “The Fair Tax” book and you will see. We should all feel fortunate to have a discerning senator who supports such a tax.

And, if all Georgians had attended a Saxby rally, in addition to doing their own research, they would understand this intuitive proposal and his inspiring position. Saxby people don’t talk about what is wrong and how they can help you. They talk about personal responsibility, limited government, fairness for all people and doing whatever necessary to let people make their own choices. Saxby voters don’t want to be slaves to the government. They are clinging alright, but not to guns and religion. Rather, to uphold the individual rights and freedoms granted to us by our Founding Fathers, privileges many Democrats seem to have forgotten.

And, while some Democrats are proud of their contempt for Saxby and his supporters, they, too, are clinging—clinging to the need to be part of something bigger than themselves called the U.S. government. It appears these people are willing to give up those rights and push them aside for government security, rather than creating that security themselves. In case you haven’t noticed, we live in a country that gives everyone the opportunity to be something other than the middle man, unless you sit around and do nothing every day. And that is what Saxby and his people know.

Those fooled by the middle man rhetoric are gullible. Democrats don’t want you to rise up for the same reason Obama doesn’t want you to make more than $250,000 per year. They want the middle-class scared, and if you try to expand your wealth, you’ll be punished by having to spread that wealth. It’s time people understand this manipulation rather than dubbing Saxby’s platform antiquated politics. Bottom line: if you want less of something, tax it. People who voted against Saxby must obviously want less of their hard-earned money, because without a Saxby win, less money would have made it to these people’s wallets, while more of it would have gone straight to the government’s pocket.

Speaking of the government, we hear how dreadful Republicans such as Saxby are because they don’t support government bailouts, etc., as they are seen as heartless and cruel. Ironically, it is Saxby along with other Republican congressmen, who are the concerned ones—those in Washington who don’t want to usurp taxpayer money to use for the government’s and other people’s boo-boos. Saxby is the one out there protecting the taxpayer; it is not the other way around.

Everybody has a horse in this race called real life, but if your horse pays taxes, then you simply cannot argue with Saxby’s outlook for Georgia and the Fair Tax, no matter your political preference. If your horse thinks otherwise, then he and the person who rode in on him help to make up the team of backward hillbillies in Georgia, not the Saxby voters.

When Obama’s in the House

When Obama’s in the house

we can praise the chosen one,

life will be easy; life will be grand…

don’t we all just wanna have fun?

When Obama’s in the house

a sad story becomes very true,

where most happy working people vote red

and bitter, angry liberals vote blue.

When Obama’s in the house

more money will come your way,

while successful people are punished

and their earned money is taken away.

When Obama’s in the house

the lottery will no longer be the answer,

because he won’t encourage work

while still promising happy ever after.

When Obama’s in the house

he’ll be the Robin Hood few comprehend,

where high profit is the enemy

and do-nothings are the friend.

When Obama’s in the house

so many non-workers will feel success;

project dwellers can buy flat-screened TVs

while the middle class live with less.

When Obama’s in the house

that middle class will have fallen for the lie,

but when Bush tax cuts end in 2010

to those cuts he’ll say “bye bye.”

When Obama’s in the house

one can’t help but feel at a loss;

a leader to so many needy people

but, many ask, at what high a cost?

When Obama’s in the house

voters will have never voted before;

some don’t know what’s really at stake

or what they’re truly voting for.

When Obama’s in the house

many liberals will probably remain mean,

while they tout peace and love not war

and that everything be green.

When Obama’s in the house

maybe we’ll all join hand-in-hand,

no longer with a stalwart defense plan

just ignorantly peaceful in a volatile land.

When Obama’s in the house

it will still be cool to complain,

people thinking they are owed something

while sadly becoming more and more vain.

When Obama’s in the house

you’ll need to think for yourself no more,

because he’s smarter than our Founding Fathers

throwing our Constitution out the door.

When Obama’s in the house

he will cause a major disruption,

higher taxes and oppressive government

all while voted in via ACORN’s corruption.

When Obama’s in the house

personal responsibility will be put aside,

for those who want more and more given

while they give nothing back for a free ride.

When Obama’s in the house

an embarrassment to America it will be—

an attempt to suppress our drive and goals

to be successful in this great country.

When Obama’s in the house

conservatives will no doubt be aware,

kids and people voted because he’s cool…

because he’s a celeb without gray hair.

When Obama’s in the house

we’ll have a guy with terrorist friends,

who has become our newest president

regardless of the negative vibes that did send.

When Obama’s in the house

the government will guarantee success,

for people who don’t even make the effort

to do their very best.

When Obama’s in the house

he’ll spend more taxpayer money on the poor,

when we have so many programs already

with still so many yet in store.

When Obama’s in the house

charity will no longer be personal choice;

you will give to whom the government wants

and away will be taken your voice.

When Obama’s in the house

talk radio will probably be next to go—

how sad our only conservative voices

intimidate his self-serving show.

When Obama’s in the house

we will suddenly have to refuse,

that he heard every word Reverend Wright said

while sitting for 20 years in those pews.

When Obama’s in the house

we must believe his judgment for creeps,

but as most believe very strongly

you judge a guy by the company he keeps.

When Obama’s in the house

Socialism…it’s what’s for dinner:

Obama, the shepherd leading his sheep

where every American is a winner.

When Obama’s in the house

all conservatives will know quite surely,

that this lawyer was trained to conspire and fool

looking innocent to the voting jury.

When Obama’s in the house

many smart people will soon realize,

they should have voted for the guy of truth

not the hip guy quick to connive.

When Obama’s in the house

a light will again shine down in your sleep;

the Messiah will be leading something,

he’s the shepherd leading all you sheep!

When Obama’s in the house

you can settle down for a long winter’s nap.

Why you ask my fellow Americans?

Under Obama, you need no thinking cap!

When Obama’s in the house

the fight for more handouts has been won;

you can work as little as possible

when work by others for you will be done.

When Obama’s in the house

the housing mess is blamed on the wrong guy.

It was the Democrats who wanted all, rich or poor,

to have the pie in the sky.

When Obama’s in the house

you’ll continue to see things all wrong,

for it was rash homeowners without enough money

who carried this housing atrocity along.

When Obama’s in the house

you’ll ask, “Who is this housing trouble about?!”

A:  Most responsible people are doing just fine;

The irresponsible we are bailing out.

When Obama’s in the house

your vote for him will make things go away,

while we prudent homeowners waited

to buy our house…until we could pay!

When Obama’s in the house

will you be honest in due time?

Come on people, think again…

Who buys a house without putting down a dime?!

When Obama’s in the house

those who had nothing to lose will win again,

because they had to experience no pain

in order to get such great gain.

When Obama’s in the house

government-dependents will have a thrill,

but please remember those of us

who work hard to flit the bill!

When Obama’s in the house

try to think of things this way…

he knows gullible people are out there

and on those he does prey.

When Obama’s in the house

you needn’t try to succeed and be great,

because he will suppress the American dream

taking money you worked hard to create.

Why else would the Democratic Party win

if not for the less fortunate, as they say,

but that implies things came easy to the rich

forcing others to stay in such a way.

But the rich are not more fortunate

because their lives were a piece of cake;

they worked hard to succeed and create jobs,

While others just take, take, take.

As humans we desire greatly

to be part of something bigger than ourself,

and this year, that almighty and powerful something

Is Barack Hussein Obama himself!

While some remain optimistic

knowing the man who should win this great fate,

I’m afraid the right man might lose this battle…

the historic election of 2008.

Everyone seems to have the answers

or we all seem to know the truth,

but I hope you will all put country first

To all bright and discerning tax paying Americans who have yet to vote, but who plan to vote for Obama, I certainly hope the infomercial he aired on national television last night changed your mind. Here is a man who flip flopped about the use of public campaign funding, yet in the end, produced an obtrusive television spot, the first of its kind in the history of presidential campaigns…and hopefully the last. 

This is yet another example of how America is experiencing its first “American Idol election,” and how people are voting for Obama for the wrong reasons.  My 20-something neighbors actually had a party to view this subjective masterpiece made by the one-and-only celebrity presidential candidate, in which Obama talked to people as if they don’t get it and, because of their ignorance and inabilities, will take care of everything for them. In other words, America, you need Obama because you can’t do it yourself.  And heck, don’t even try, because under his plan, you don’t need to. 

Funny…my dad always taught me that if you want something bad enough, you go out and get it; and if you need money, you go out and work.  Period. I have done just that since the age of 16. You don’t get fish if you don’t go fishing. But, if the fisherman wants to give away his fish, then it should be his personal choice not the government’s.

Obama’s infomercial was superfluous prevarication at its best.

October 29, 2008

RE:          Letter to the Editor, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Cynthia Tucker editorial

CC:         Ken Foskett, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Dear Editorial Board:

In my opinion, it was in poor taste that the AJC chose to run Cynthia Tucker’s piece “No tears for America of yesteryear” in today’s editorial section. Don’t get me wrong—I am a strong supporter of the freedom of speech, but Ms. Tucker took that liberty, provided to us by our Founding Fathers, and abused it, while at the same time, put down the very men who provided her with that right.

Her words scream out “insecure” in a piece where she calls Sadie Fields an ultra-conservative GOP activist who believes “we should all be scared witless about an Obama presidency because it will cause a liberal tsunami that abandons the vision of our Founding Fathers.” Is this editorial some kind of joke? Ms. Tucker wastes no time and fights back, comparing a true statement made about the difference between what our Founding Fathers wanted for this country and how Obama wants to destroy that very foundation and certain principles of The United States Constitution. Has Ms. Tucker forgotten the name of the newspaper for which she writes? Or, perhaps she dislikes America in the same way Michelle Obama did, does…heck, we don’t really know, do we?

Thomas Jefferson said, “A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine.” Does Obama see himself as larger than life and smarter than the Founders themselves? One thing is for sure, when he wins this election, his liberal Senate will probably form a filibuster-proof majority, the very thing the Founders fought against in creating a government of limited power…the very thing we politically-aware folks call socialism.

Hey Atlanta. Is anybody else out there outraged by the fact that we cannot go see “An American Carol” in our own hometown?! Well, I am.

Libertarians and conservatives in Atlanta must already run in every direction to avoid liberalism in this city, and if that weren’t enough, we are now forced on a wild goose chase just to see a movie—the first movie of its kind written with conservative politics in mind.

While every Michael Moore film was practically forced down our throat and eagerly shown in Atlanta theaters, leaving an outrageous number of gullible Americans in need of a purpose bigger than themselves brainwashed into believing every biased, far left issue explored by Moore, people with more practical and stalwart views are left unable to view the one movie that comes along providing an alternative side of political issues in a lighthearted format? Preposterous…and very unfair.

Are we living in George Orwell’s novel 1984 or what? Is this a hint of what is to come with an Obama presidency? And, is it possible fear ensued…that if the left-wing public saw this movie before the November 4 election, some minds might just change? In my opinion, absolutely!

For those who keep checking the theater listings, don’t bother. It’s not playing in Atlanta…period. I continue to make calls and investigate who this “Big Brother” is. While I remain persistent, it is curious nobody has yet returned my call to give me a straight answer. In fact, one person at Vivendi, the film’s distribution company, said I was “bothering her.” Am I surprised? Not really. I believe there is something behind this and hope to find the answers.

In the meantime Atlanta, we have a voice. Those of you who wish to see the movie can join with me to examine just who is behind this madness and why somebody, somewhere is trying to make liberals out of all of us. 

Jennifer A. Lloyd

If you are buying this “95% of Americans will get a tax cut” rhetoric, eloquently spoken I might add, that Barack Obama is spewing out, you’re clearly not a smart shopper.  Obama knows the growing number of disciples who make up the majority of his audience and, in his leading role, plays to them impeccably.

I am a middle-income earning wife and mother, one of the two primary groups of people to whom he is speaking, but I don’t dare test his product.  Do the simple math: 95% of Americans will get a tax cut.  But, approximately 40% of Americans live off government money and pay no taxes whatsoever.  Therefore folks, we would be giving more money to almost half the people he speaks about who have done nothing to earn it.  We already have welfare and Medicaid systems in place, and any further charity should be an individual choice—not forgetting that American people are already the most charitable group around.  So, this 40% of government-loving people already receives checks provided to them via our pockets and hard work, yet you want to elect Barack Obama so they can get more…for nothing?! 

Punishing success is a crime, and giving more to people who don’t work, and in too many cases don't intend to work, is an even bigger crime, perpetuating laziness and a "do-nothing" society.  It’s like telling your dog “no,” he doesn’t listen, but you throw him the bone anyway.  Obama wants to throw an even larger bone to lazy dogs all over America and use more of our taxpayer money to do it.  Put simply, we work harder and harder for our families, and he will punish our work, making it easier for others not to work.  Imagine how our welfare checks and unemployment statistics will increase, not to mention the number of irresponsible American citizens.

Benjamin Franklin said, “I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it.”  Obama wants to encourage the very thing Americans should be discouraging.  I have lived in east Africa and know what it means to be poor…really poor.  Poor in America means you get more for nothing, and in many cases, have a flat-screened television when your neighbor, who works hard to pay his mortgage and feed his children, cannot afford one. 

In the end, under an Obama presidency, hard-working and self-reliant Americans will be penalized.  If you think Obama is telling it straight, he isn’t. He’s talking in a way Americans want and need to hear it, because otherwise, they would read between the lines.  If you are a respectable and contributing American please do the research before you vote on November 4. 

I don’t know about you, but I have always learned you throw a bone to the good dog.

Jennifer A. Lloyd, Decatur, GA

Writer & Copy Editor, PROOFitASAP.com

Member and Contributor to NDRW (North DeKalb Republican Women)

To:           The Atlanta-Journal Constitution

Re:         Letter to the Editor

CC:         Mr. Ken Foskett

Dear Editorial Board:

I find it deplorable that your newspaper chose to include an article about the cost of Sarah Palin’s makeup artist, yet didn’t run anything about the shocking and highly disregarded corruption of ACORN (The Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now) and one of its involved community organizers, Barack H. Obama.

Look…let’s face it. Obama will probably win in November. And while conservatives will be disappointed, the worst of it is that they will walk away knowing the liberal media, along with ACORN and its contributors, seriously skewed and altered the election. Atlantans, unfortunately, have only one local newspaper to read, and that newspaper, yours, should provide us with justifiable, rational and balanced political information, which includes the use of political comics, of which you choose to run only one by Mike Luckovich, a guy who does nothing but paint a negative picture of conservatives.  Readers who don’t research the issues on their own or work in local politics, such as myself, will believe what they read in your paper. The decision-makers at the AJC, such as Cynthia Tucker, know this, and along with their Obama endorsement, are literally working as an extension of the Obama campaign itself to get this guy elected president.

While ACORN continues to destroy and distort this election and Obama continues to get “the pass” on everything from Reverend Wright to his “a light will shine down” comment, to finally this atrocity of the ACORN scandal, the AJC continues to protect its readers from such critical and dangerous information. Imagine they knew the whole truth?

As I have written before: How can any conscientious and self-reliant American voter support such nonsense?! And, as my friend would say, It’s an “Obamanation!”

Jennifer A. Lloyd

Decatur, GA

Writer & Copy Editor, PROOFitASAP.com

Member and Contributor to NDRW (North DeKalb Republican Women)

With all the moaning and groaning going on, not to mention the negative headlines, regarding the recent fuel crunch in Atlanta, let me take this opportunity to offer a positive spin on things.

Hey Atlanta…how about you walk? Bike? Ride the MARTA train? Ride a MARTA bus? Share a taxi? Wow…even make efforts to “share the ride” (as Atlanta has been promoting for years) with your neighbor? Friend? Coworker? We do it in Decatur! And, as a 42-year-old mother and Manhattan transplant who still, to this day, has never owned a car, I’m here to say it can be done and IS done in other cities all over the country and the world every day.

Despite my ability to shrug off other people’s nonsense (especially that coming from my liberal friends) and laugh at the enormous collection of bumper stickers many find the need to display on their cars, I was seriously shocked yesterday by a 20-something driving his huge, five-miles-to-the-gallon truck with a bumper sticker that read: When Bush Took Office, Gas Was $1.46. Incongruity? Emotional wisdom?

Call me ignorant…perhaps this instigating sticker has been around for a while, but these young people who cease to educate themselves on the issues before they proudly display messages such as this are like sheep just following the message of their flock (aka Obama disciples) and what is cool for the time.

I have always been without peer in making my own educated decisions based on researched facts, evaluating both sides of the issues, while staying as far away as possible from the liberal .org groups and the media trying to skew our views. But, people believe what they hear from those closest to them because, heck, why not? It’s much more trouble and much more time consuming to do what I do—research the issues, find the truth and make my own decisions, despite whether people think I’m right or wrong, left or right, cool or out of touch.

The bottom line is this: regardless of the issues as to why the gas price is what it is today, the majority of folks in America expect certain things in life to stay the same (as much as they tout change), such as trash pickup on Tuesdays, the cost of a haircut, a hotdog…and gas prices. 

But, in case people have forgotten (despite our Founding Fathers’ goals), that this is a free market. Inflation and global events affect just about everything in America and the world (let us not forget that the present cost for snacks, such as corn chips, that has skyrocketed much due to Al Gore and his melodramatic movie and push for ethanol, causing farmers to sell corn at a higher price for gas rather than selling it for the food it is and that it creates. 

The all-time peak in gas prices was in March 1981 following the start of the Iran-Iraq War the year before when gas prices rose to $2.50 per gallon. When adjusted for inflation, gas cost more in 1981 than it does today. And in 1973, following the OPEC Oil Embargo, gas prices averaged $1.81 per gallon. During those years, gas prices tripled, rising by almost 50 percent from 1973 to 1975, and by 80 percent in 1979 and 1980. People complain today because gas prices have doubled in a little more than three years. Take a look at the facts, the history. It’s been worse…much worse, and this administration has been through more, much more, than any other in history. 

Back to current times: The first six years of George Bush’s term were economically positive. Just over one year ago today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average hit an all-time high, and consumer confidence was soaring. The price per gallon of gasoline was approximately $2.20. But now, after two years of a Democratic-run Congress, consumer confidence has crashed and gas is now teetering between $3.50 and $4.00 per gallon.

It remains amazing to me how many people liken the gas prices to Bush and his low approval rating. Through the years of our many presidents, approval ratings have been low and high…some much lower than that for President Bush. But people see the here and now, the gas prices of today and not 30 years ago, and they even forget what happened last year—it’s in the past and it’s forgotten (literally).

October 15, 2008

While in the post office this week, I observed two young boys (nine years old at best) sporting black Obama T-shirts. The shirts were blinding with huge, florescent words and graphics, and the boys were obtrusive and rowdy, as if they had just come from a rock concert and wanted everyone there to know it. But, these were not concert T-shirts, and the boys, clearly too young for heavy metal. Rather, it was obvious they were showing off their “coolness” because they wore Obama T-shirts and the rest of the people there did not, and somehow, this gave them a special right…a power to act out. These are children who do not know the first thing about politics and this election. Yet they, along with many other young people, have somehow been taught it is hip to like Obama and passé if you do not. As far as presidential elections go, this is a first, but it wasn’t the first time I have seen this out in public and surely won’t be the last.

Another first: Has anyone in Atlanta noticed the massive amount of Obama signs and stickers around town and the measly handful out there promoting McCain? If you have wondered why that is so, let me tell you what people are saying. After asking around, the verdict:  many people (in cities especially) are afraid to put McCain signs in their yards and stickers on their cars. Why? They told me they don’t want to instigate a potential problem, in their words, a robbery, vandalism, carjacking, etc. That is certainly unjust —people should feel comfortable about supporting their candidate without worry of dire situations.

This is not written to promote one side or another, rather, to put something out there that should be talked about. We all know what this means, and if it isn’t a prime example of a racial race for president, I don’t know what is. And frankly, it isn’t fair to those who wish to proudly endorse their candidate, as the Obama voters are doing in an exceptional fashion without much worry of possible danger or repercussion from their actions.

In the end, I call this “unpresidented,” pun intended.