Inauguration & Country First

On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, Chief Justice John Roberts will swear in the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. The events leading up to this have encompassed much of the nation who did not vote for Obama to acknowledge him as their President and wish him success. Dennis Miller, a conservative political comedian and commentator, expressed this in words stating that he hopes Obama succeeds and governs in such a way that makes him want to vote for Obama in four years. George W. Bush has cooperated with Obama to make this transition process more open and cooperative than any other transition in the past several decades. Conservative pundits across all media have expressed a desire to Obama to succeed. The message is clear: those who voted against Obama have gotten behind him, support him, and want him to have a successful presidency.

This contrasts greatly to George W. Bush's 2004 election victory. A large contingent of the Left dug their heels in and rejected the choice of the country to give Bush a second term. Many called for his impeachment, cried for charges of war criminal, and even so much as disavowed themselves as Americans. This divided the country, stirred feelings of hate, and created a poor atmosphere for the country. All of this made the challenges America faced all the more difficult to overcome, from war in Iraq and Afghanistan to the economy.

As a McCain supporter, I'm proud of the way most of my fellow McCain supporters have reacted to Barack Obama's victory, and I hope that this example sets a precedent for future transitions of the Presidency. To me, this is representative of the commitment to the USA to which so many of us refer as Country First!

Fannie Mae's Walk for the Homeless

On November 22nd, 2008, Fannie Mae sponsored the 21st annual Walk for the Homeless. Now, please, tell me I'm not the only person that recognizes this as a piece of sick and twisted irony. For the past two decades, the crooks who have run this institution have put millions of dollars in the pockets of politicians who passed and forced the Community Reinvestment Act upon lender upon lender upon lender, leading to millions upon millions of irresponsible loans, intern leading to the economic crisis of today. And now, I'm supposed to believe these people want to help the homeless, some of the very people they put out onto the street? It only exposes them as the two-faced government waste living upon hard earned taxpayer dollars that they are. Don't believe me? You can't argue with footage. Watch the links below, the entirety of each link.

Burning Down the House
In Their Own Words

Look at this list, and look at the legislators who defended Fannie Mae's lending practices over the past two decades.
Fannie Mae Campaign Contribution List 1
Fannie Mae Campaign Contribution List 2

Auto Bailout

The debate standing on center stage today takes the form of a $25 billion bailout for the auto industry. The legislators who back the bailout do so out of a great deal of desperation, because without this bailout, the bullying power of the auto workers union will enter a bright media spotlight. For those who don't have exposure to unions, I can personally tell you coming from a family of steelworkers that the people who run unions have lot of power and use it to intimidate the lives of union workers in ways that make Tony Soprano look like a boyscout. If any one of the Big Three file Chapter 11, any restructuring will remove power from unions, and a lot of dirty laundry will enter the public eye and expose the politicians on Capitol Hill who have supported and taken money from the UAW (United Autoworkers' Union).

This opinion piece features a writer who comes from a family of generations working in the auto industry and many levels, and sheds the most light on the subject that I've read or seen in any media coverage of the past months. Link: Auto Bailout is Like Sending Arsonists to Fight Fires

Bailing out the auto industry now most likely postpones the inevitable collapse after spending a lot of taxpayer money.

Does anybody else think it strange for auto manufacturing company CEOs to travel to Washington, DC asking for the bailout in their corporate jets?

Does anybody else wonder how American auto manufacturing companies incurring expenses of $78/hour per employee can compete with foreign companies incurring expenses of $38/hour per employee.

Who get's bailed out next?