Things to Think About

Presidential Character from the Clinton Years

infocusselling — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 18:13:11 +0000

According to this news story, Duquesne University law professor Ken Gormley is about to release a book titled “The Death of American Virtue: Clinton vs. Starr,” detailing the near indictment under Kenneth Starr and then Robert Ray of former president Bill Clinton and first lady Hillary Clinton on Bill’s lying under oath about Lewinsky, Bill and Hillary’s involvement in Whitewater, their involvement in the suicide–some say alleged suicide–of Vince Foster, and a few other egregious violations of the public trust.

The book is due out February 16th, I think it should be a best seller.

Prison Rate Drop is Not Good News

infocusselling — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 22:18:45 +0000

The headline reads “Prison population to have first drop since 1972.”

That sounds great! Maybe we are turning the tide in crime, right? Wrong.

The article explains that the get tough stance of the conservative years led to growing prison populations. Now we have liberal budgets which are cutting prison funding. One of the liberals key beliefs is that those murderers/rapist/burglars/thieves don’t deserve to be in jail with free health care, cable television, and college education. On second thought, they do have it pretty good in prison–maybe that’s why recidivism is so high.

I digress. Instead of cutting prison sentences, we should be handing out sentences that cause real pause in the mind of those contemplating criminal activity when they consider the alternative of spending months to years in a place that really isn’t comfortable, enjoyable, or in any way pleasant.

Further, the lowering in prison population is bad news at a time when gun laws for those who want to legally own a gun for personal protection from a continually more dangerous and violent population makes it harder to prepare for what is now a more common occurrence–burglary and acts of violence in formerly quiet neighborhoods.

I am not a fan of higher taxes, but if there is one thing I am willing to pay for is safety at night for me and my family–and your family. Safety at night means more police on the street, with broad arrest powers, longer and more consistently applied sentences for offenders, and the unquestioned ability for me to protect myself, my family, and my property without fear of reprisal. If you enter my home to do harm, I should not be required to flee out the back door. I should be able to defend myself and my property and when it is all over, if you the burglar/thief/rapist happen to not succumb to my methods of personal protection, then you should be locked up long enough that I don’t have to worry about you again. And, your friends should realize that they may not be so lucky by escaping alive and they don’t really want to join you in an unpleasant uncomfortable prison.

We need our priorities set to protect those willing to play by the rules. The next time you see a liberal politician, ask him or her point blank if they voted to increase or decrease the prison funding to keep offenders in prison and out of your neighborhood.

Is Milton Friedman Alive, Forgotten, or Irrelevant?

infocusselling — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:11:25 +0000

One of the most pro-business and pro-profit thinkers of all time was Milton Friedman. In his seminal 1970 article “The Social Responsibility of Business is to Increase its Profit” (New York Times Magazine, September 23, 1970), Friedman defends his article title. In my mind, he does it convincingly and timelessly. Today, we need profit to fund the growing needs of society. One might even argue we need it more due to the at times questionable positions of those in power. If that is true, then why do those in power want to make it so difficult to make profit to pay the taxes they so strongly desire, since taxes are paid only out of profit? You could argue that payroll taxes are not paid out of profit but what happens when a company is not profitable? It either cuts down on payroll or it cuts it out, or it goes out of business. In all three, tax collections are less.

Here is a recent article on business ethics today. We can collect comments here on this site or on this other site which is also about sales and business ethics.

Character in Action

infocusselling — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:59:37 +0000

Thoughts and actions speak louder than words. Character is what is displayed when you think no one is watching.

At one point, you could find this image at the White House’s official blog but don’t count on it being there forever, that full disclosure wasn’t really what they meant. The American Thinker had something interesting to say on the subject:

I am stunned that the official White House Blog published this picture and that it is in the public domain. The body language is most revealing. Sergeant Crowley, the sole class act in this trio, helps the handicapped Professor Gates down the stairs, while Barack Obama, heedless of the infirmities of his friend and fellow victim of self-defined racial profiling, strides ahead on his own. So who is compassionate? And who is so self-involved and arrogant that he is oblivious?

And they are right. Sgt. Crowley had no reason to help Dr. Gates. After all, wasn’t it Gates who had insulted both him and his family? Furthermore, isn’t Obama supposed to be the emphatic one here (after all, it’s a trait that only Democrats are supposed to have because they “feel your pain”!) for inviting them down in the first place in the hopes of reaching some sort of understanding that never came to fruition?

But, in this unusually candid photo, the truth comes out. Obama keeps on walking paying no heed to Gates, and it is Crowley, who has been demonized throughout this entire incident, who is left to help the man.
I can’t help but think back upon a certain photo I saw of President Bush and Senator Robert Byrd.

True Gentlemanly Character

President Bush had no reason to even want to help Senator Byrd, who had spent much of his time in the Senate railing against the Bush administration, particularly on the war in Iraq , yet he helped the old man regardless.
Note the difference between the two Presidents. Furthermore, note how both Bush and Crowley helped men who didn’t deserve it, at least not from them.

Character isn’t about who you are when you know the spotlight is on you, it’s about who you are when it isn’t, or when you THINK it isn’t.

The Congressional Retirement Plan

infocusselling — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:44:53 +0000

Perhaps we are asking the wrong questions about social security.

Our Senators and Congresswomen do not pay into Social Security and, of course, they do not collect from it.

You see, Social Security benefits were not suitable for persons of their rare elevation in society. They felt they should have a special plan for themselves So, many years ago they voted in their own benefit plan.

In more recent years, no congress person has felt the need to change it. After all, it is a great plan. For all practical purposes their plan works like this:

When they retire, they continue to draw the same pay until they die. Except it may increase from time to time for cost of living adjustments. For example, Senator Byrd and Congressman White and their wives may expect to draw $7, 800,000.00 (that’s Seven Million, Eight-Hundred Thousand Dollars), with their wives drawing $275, 000…00 during the last years of their lives. This is calculated on an average life span for each of those two Dignitaries. Younger Dignitaries who retire at an early age, will receive much more during the rest of their lives.

Their out of pocket cost for this excellent plan is $0.00. NADA!!! ZILCH!!! They do not contribute one dollar to it.

This little perk they voted for themselves is free to them. You and I pick up the tab for this plan. The funds for this fine retirement plan come directly from the General Funds; “OUR TAX DOLLARS AT WORK”! From our own Social Security Plan, which you and I pay (or have paid) into, every payday until we retire (which amount is matched by our employer), we can expect to get an average of $1,000 per month after retirement.

Or, in other words, we would have to collect our average of $1,000 monthly benefits for 68 years and one (1) month to equal Senator Bill Bradley’s benefits! Social Security could be very good if only one small change were made.

That change would be to make Senators and Congressmen take part in what they feel is good enough for the rest of us. Put them into the Social Security plan with the rest of us. Then sit back and see how fast they would fix it!

True Health Care Stories of Illegal Aliens

infocusselling — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:37:30 +0000

It’s not that we don’t want to have or help those here illegally, we just want it to be fair and to allow health care institutions the opportunity and right to manage their own costs.

This video link has some ad copy over part of it but the message is very clear.

Conservative Vs. Liberal

infocusselling — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:30:44 +0000

This has gone around the Internet. Is it true? Can any liberal dispute any difference so clearly and politely pointed out?

If a conservative doesn’t like guns, he doesn’t buy one. If a liberal doesn’t like guns, then no one should have one.

If a conservative is a vegetarian, he doesn’t eat meat. If a liberal is, he wants to ban all meat products for everyone.

If a conservative sees a foreign threat, he thinks about how to defeat his enemy. A liberal wonders how to surrender gracefully and still look good.

If a conservative is homosexual, he quietly enjoys his life. If a liberal is homosexual, he loudly demands legislated respect.

If black or Hispanic men are conservative, they see themselves as independently successful. Their liberal counterparts see themselves as victims in need of government protection.

If a conservative is down-and-out, he thinks about how to better his situation. A liberal wonders who is going to take care of him.

If a conservative doesn’t like a talk show host, he switches channels. Liberals demand that those they don’t like be shut down.

If a conservative is a non-believer, he doesn’t go to church. A non-believing liberal wants all churches to be silenced.

If a conservative decides he needs health care, he goes about shopping for it, or he may choose a job that provides it. A liberal demands that his neighbors pay for his health care.

Why Pelosi Wants Your Retirement Savings

infocusselling — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:55:55 +0000

From the L. A. Times
1. 40% of all workers in L. A. County ( L. A. County has 10.2 million people) are working for cash and not paying taxes.
This is because they are predominantly illegal immigrants working without a green card.
2. 95% of warrants for murder in Los Angeles are for illegal aliens.
3. 75% of people on the most wanted list in Los Angeles are illegal aliens.
4. Over 2/3 of all births in Los Angeles County are to illegal alien Mexicans on Medi-Cal, whose births were paid for by taxpayers.
5. Nearly 35% of all inmates in California detention centers are Mexican nationals here illegally.
6. Over 300,000 illegal aliens in Los Angeles County are living in garages.
7. The FBI reports half of all gang members in Los Angeles are most likely illegal aliens from south of the border.
8 . Nearly 60% of all occupants of HUD properties are illegal.
9. 21 radio stations in L. A. are Spanish speaking.
10. In L. A. County 5.1 million people speak English, 3.9 million speak Spanish. (There are 10.2 million people in L. A. County .)

(All 10 of the above facts were published in the Los Angeles Times)

Less than 2% of illegal aliens are picking our crops, but 29% are on welfare. Over 70% of the United States ‘ annual population growth (and over 90% of California , Florida , and New York ) results from immigration. 29% of inmates in federal prisons are illegal aliens.

We are fools for letting this continue.

HOW CAN YOU HELP?

Send this site to at least two other people. 100 would be even better.
This is only one State…………….

If this doesn’t open your eyes nothing will, and you wonder why Nancy Pelosi wants them to become voters!

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LET’S IMPEACH HER NOW BEFORE SHE DOES FURTHER DAMAGE!! WHAT AN IDIOT!!
IF YOU DON’T AGREE JUST DELETE–IF YOU DO–PASS IT ON!! WHERE DO WE GET THESE MORONS??

WindfallTax on Retirement Income

Adding a tax to your retirement is simply another way of saying to the American people, you’re so darn stupid that we’re going to keep doing this until we drain every cent from you. That’s what the Speaker of the House is saying. Read below…………… Nancy Pelosi wants a Windfall Tax on Retirement Income.
In other words tax what you have made by investing toward your retirement. This woman is a nut case!
You aren’t going to believe this. Madam speaker Nancy Pelosi wants to put a Windfall Tax on all stock market profits (including Retirement fund, 401K and Mutual Funds!)
Alas, it is true – all to help the 12 MillionIllegal Immigrants and other unemployed Minorities!
This woman is frightening !
She quotes…’We need to work toward the goal of equalizing income, (didn’t Marx say something like this?), in our country and at the same time limiting the amount the rich can invest.’ (I am not rich, are you?)
When asked how these new tax dollars would be spent, she replied:
‘We need to raise the standard of living of our poor, unemployed and minorities. For example, we have an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants in our country who need our help along with millions of unemployed minorities. Stock market windfall profits taxes could go a long way to guarantee these people the standard of living they would like to have as ‘Americans’.’
(Read that quote again and again and let it sink in.) ‘Lower your retirement, give it to others who have not worked as you have for it’.
Send this site to your friends. I just did!! This lady is out of her mind and she is the speaker of the house!

Hello world!

infocusselling — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 00:50:11 +0000

Welcome to SmarterThoughts, a place to discuss and share ideas about the change in direction in the U.S. from capitalism, free enterprise, and rewards for individual success through hard work, to one where those who choose to live off the system are rewarded by those who see the future as being one of socialism and loss of individual freedom.