My new quote

I looked this up everywhere and still cannot believe no do believe I am the first to say it. There has to be a movie or book or something where the below has been said before. LMK if you can help, as I don't want to rip anyone off, steal their quote. Okay, here is my quote;

"I like my fantasies real."

It sounds like an Alec Baldwin quote. Or Bruce Willis. Does not sound like a Betty White quote......

I Believe.....

Some people would say I'm all over the map with my personal political beliefs. Good. At least I'm a person who tries to practice thinking for myself. At least I'm not being led by the hand, told what to think and how to act. With that in mind, please read the below. You might agree with me on some issues and disagree with me on others. I hope the below makes you think about the world around us, if nothing else.

On occasion, I watch to Bill O'Reilly, Shawn Hannity, and Fox News, even though I get the vast majority of my news from NPR. I've been watching Rachel Maddow recently but mostly for coverage of the events in Madison, Wisc.  

I've been known to read columns by conservative authors like Jonah Goldberg and Thomas Sowell and columns by liberal authors like Eugene Robinson and Matt Taibbi. I urge everyone to read USA Today's Cal Thomas and Bob Beckel regularly printed column “Common Ground.” A liberal and a conservative hashing it out with civility.

I believe that the federal government is pretty bloated, way more intrusive than it should be and in certain areas, too powerful.

I believe in being a responsible citizen and and the wonderful charity Americans shows when disaster strikes both at home and elsewhere.

I believe that, overall, the real backbone of the US economy is private enterprise, not public.

I believe that our tax system punishes and that there are way too many taxes and regulations. I believe the IRS should be reinvented.

I believe the free market can and will correct itself and that the fed needs to stay out of the way.

I firmly believe that limited government is clearly stated in the Constitution and that people have the power to direct their own lives and business affairs. I believe that most if not all of the politicians in Washington D.C. need to read the Constitution over and over and over again until they “get it.”

I feel all officials elected by the people or appointed by an elected official, Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian, et al must be held accountable for their action or inaction while in office. I believe that all bills, regardless of length, should be read by all legislators before being allowed to come up for a vote.

I also believe that our borders are leaking like sieves and need attention today, not tomorrow. I believe the fed is breaking the law by spending much more than it takes in and the massive deficit will hamstring our nation for many many decades to come. I believe that permanent entitlements like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid should be used and not abused and everything I read says that tens of millions of dollars are being lost due to abuse of all three of them.

I am worried about the Department of Energy. They seem to be reducing domestic energy production by adding regulations to utility companies when they should be reducing our dependence on foreign oil. There was one utility company that waited 20 months to get approval for building a new plant from the EPA. That's way too long.

I feel that the new electric cars that seem to be all the rage should really be called the new coal-powered cars since some 80% of all electricity comes from coal-fired power plants. I'm not happy that the $7,500 in tax credits buyers of the Leaf and the Volt receive are paid for by me and you. A Florida electric utility said that an electric car will use the same amount of electricity in one overnight charge that the homeowners abode will use in 24 hours. I don't believe that we will all be driving electric cars in a decade or two.

I am worried that the Department of Education is not doing nearly enough to improve our kids education but seem to be at the beck and call of teacher's unions.

I believe there are many UNqualified candidates for public office that think they are eminently qualified. Take Michael Bloomberg in New York City. He wants to be president but cannot seem to clear snow and trash from the city streets.

I believe that state legislators from coast to coast need to look into why higher education costs are rising faster than most medical costs. In the not so distant past, college tuition was rising at triple the inflation rate and now that we have, thankfully, very very little inflation, tuition costs are still rising and I've heard no real legitimate reason for the increases from our educators.

I believe there are too many regulations and mandates in our every day lives. Take the WaterSense Program that the EPA forced upon us in early 2007. It worked with the Energy Policy Act of 1992 that told us how much water we can use to flush toilets in our homes. The WaterSense Program expanded the program to force businesses to comply. Regulations to force all Americans to switch from incandescent to fluorescent light bulbs will be next followed by mandates to switch from them to LED light bulbs.

I believe Harry Reid erred when he stated that Tea Parties would basically disappear when the economy swings into a full recovery. They may fade but I believe they are here to stay. I'm not a member of their group but believe some of the platforms they have.

The taxed-enough-already belief runs from coast to coast. There are too many Americans, be they Republican, Democrat, Independent, Libertarian or whatever party you'd wish to list here, that have seen the unacceptable, inexcusable obscene spending going on in our nations capitol. They are fed up with it and will hold elected and appointed officials accountable.

There. I've said enough. Maybe you think less of me now, maybe you think more of me. Whatever you do, think about how you stand on the above issues and why. Look into what ticks you off and do something about it. Write a letter to the editor, call a talk show, send a letter to an elected official, debate a friend, relative or co-worker.