The Donald For President?

Conservative Pundit Michelle Malkin is not very positive about Donald Trump.

Donald Trump's Eminent-Domain Empire

By Michelle Malkin (Archive) · Friday, April 22, 2011

Don't be fooled by The Donald. Take it from one who knows: I'm a South Jersey gal who was raised on the outskirts of Atlantic City in the looming shadow of Trump's towers. All through my childhood, casino developers and government bureaucrats joined hands, raised taxes and made dazzling promises of urban renewal. Then we wised up to the eminent-domain thievery championed by our hometown faux free-marketeers.

Click to read her article:

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There are may reasons why it is difficult for someone with little political experience to run for a major office. The first is that they have learned the fine art of saying little to offend people while saying your stump speech over an over. This is difficult to learn and almost impossible to learn on the fly. And a fellow  like Trump who enjoys talking and saying provocative things will likely stick his foot firmly in his mouth, and lose support quickly.  


I think.

Trump For President?

Donald Trump is adding interest to the Republican race for the Presidency. Very unlikely he could get the nomination or get elected - he carries a lot of baggage. But does make it interesting.


Shows how dissatisfied people are with current political leadership. This years race for the Republican nomination is wide open.


http://www.usatoday.com/news/politics/2011-04-25-trump-president-poll.htm

Calm Down. Relax. Take it Easy

Relaxation techniques to keep you calm during turbulent political times. Remember - what ever politician you think will ruin life as we know it - probably won't. This too shall pass. I found this web page using StumbleUpon and thought you might enjoy it. Click the link below:

Do Nothing for 2 Minutes

donothingfor2minutes.com  Thanks to Bernard Puglisi for sharing it with me.

Why Men Are Seldom Depressed

Men Are Just Happier People -- What do you expect from such simple creatures? 


Your last name stays put. The garage is all yours. Wedding plans take care of themselves. Chocolate is just another snack. You can be President. You can never be pregnant. You can wear a white T-shirt to a water park. You can wear NO shirt to a water park. Car mechanics tell you the truth. 


The world is your urinal. You never have to drive to another gas station restroom because this one is just too icky. You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt. Same work, more pay. Wrinkles add character. 


Wedding dress $5000. Tux rental-$100. People never stare at your chest when you're talking to them. 


New shoes don't cut, blister, or mangle your feet.. One mood all the time. Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat. You know stuff about tanks. A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase. You can open all your own jars. You get extra credit for the slightest act of thoughtfulness. If someone forgets to invite you, He or she can still be your friend. Your underwear is $8.95 for a three-pack.. 


Three pairs of shoes are more than enough.. You almost never have strap problems in public. You are unable to see wrinkles in your clothes.. Everything on your face stays its original color. The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades. You only have to shave your face and neck. 


You can play with toys all your life. One wallet and one pair of shoes -- one color for all seasons. You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look. You can 'do' your nails with a pocket knife. You have freedom of choice concerning growing a mustache. You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives On December 24 in 25 minutes. 


No wonder men are happier.

Predictions

Predicting accurately is very difficult, especially the future.


Experts are little better then laymen.


FAMOUS PREDICTIONS .... BY "EXPERTS"
Here are some very serious comments made by so-called "experts" of the past that we can all laugh at now.  Can we learn some lessons from their false dogmatism of the past?
"Everything that can be invented has been invented." --Charles H. Duell, Office of Patents, 1899.


"There will never be a bigger plane built." --A Boeing engineer, after the first flight of the 247, a twin engine plane that carried ten people.


"Ours has been the first, and doubtless to be the last, to visit this profitless locality." -- Lt. Joseph Ives after visiting the Grand Canyon in 1861.


"There is not the slightest indication that nuclear energy will ever be obtainable. It would mean that the atom would have to be shattered at will." -- Albert Einstein, 1932.


"We don't like their sound. Groups of guitars are on the way out." --Decca executive, 1962, after turning down the Beatles.


"It will be years--not in my time--before a woman will become Prime Minister." --Margaret Thatcher, 1974.


"There is no reason anyone would want a computer in their home." --Ken Olson, president of Digital Equipment Corp. 1977.


"This telephone' has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication." --Western Union memo, 1876.


"I'm just glad it'll be Clark Gable who's falling on his face and not Gary Cooper." --Gary Cooper, after turning down the lead role in Gone With The Wind.


"Market research reports say America likes crispy cookies, not soft and chewy cookies like you make." --Response to Debbi Fields' idea of Mrs. Fields' Cookies.


"We don't need you. You haven't got through college yet." --Hewlett Packard excuse to Steve Jobs, who founded Apple Computers instead.


"I think there's a world market for about five computers." --Thomas J. Watson, chairman of the board of IBM.


"The bomb will never go off. I speak as an expert in explosives." --Admiral William Leahy, U.S. Atomic Bomb Project.


"Airplanes are interesting toys, but they are of no military value whatsoever." --Marechal Ferdinand Fock, Professor of Strategy, Ecole Superieure de Guerre.


Click on the link below for more predictions.


http://gideonz.tripod.com/articles/Experts.htm

Losing Confidence

Professor Richard Florida writes an interesting article on views of Americans:

"From the usual suspects in the Tea Party to the newly populist billionaire Donald Trump, Americans have been registering their frustration with the federal government. But it isn’t just government that has used up their patience.  According to new polling data from the Gallup Organization, Americans are suffering a crisis of confidence with most big political, financial, business, labor and government institutions (see chart below)."

Click to Read the Article

Heaven or Hell?

While walking down the street one day a 'Member of Congress is tragically hit by a truck and dies.

His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.

'Welcome to heaven,' says St. Peter. 'Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you.'

'No problem, just let me in,' says the man.

'Well, I'd like to, but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in hell and one in heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity.'

'Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in heaven,' says the MP.

'I'm sorry, but we have our rules.'

And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a clubhouse and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him.

Everyone is very happy and in evening dress. They run to greet him, shake his hand, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.

They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster, caviar and champagne.

Also present is the devil, who really is a very friendly & nice guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that before he realizes it, it is time to go.

Everyone gives him a hearty farewell and waves while the elevator rises...

The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.

'Now it's time to visit heaven.'

So, 24 hours pass with the MP joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.

'Well, then, you've spent a day in hell and another in heaven. Now choose your eternity.'

The MP reflects for a minute, then he answers: 'Well, I would never have said it before, I mean heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in hell.'

So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to hell.

Now the doors of the elevator open and he's in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage.

He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags as more trash falls from above.

The devil comes over to him and puts his arm around his shoulder. 'I don't understand,' stammers the MP. 'Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and clubhouse, and we ate lobster and caviar, drank champagne, and danced and had a great time. Now there's just a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.

What happened?'

The devil looks at him, smiles and says, 


'Yesterday we were campaigning.. ..




Today you voted.'

President The Donald?

"An independent candidate running on a proven record of executive leadership, job creation and improving American competitiveness could be a serious presidential candidate this time around. Especially because a new Washington Post/ABC poll shows that 41 percent of American voters now identify as independents. We are the plurality and provide the balance of power in any election."


Good article on CNN about Donal Trump's possible run for President. Trump has no chance to win the Republican nomination or the Presidency as an independent candidate. But he could give the election to the Democrats.


Independents are the "deciders" in our election. We are not pleased with the direction the country is taking, but we are not very impressed with the potential Republican candidates- including The Donald.


Click to Read the Article

Cost of Gasoline

The cost of gasoline is much lower in America then many other countries.


Click to read an interesting viewpoint.

Tax and/or Spend

As a nation, we are spending a great deal more money then we have. We have to spend less or tax more - Probably both. Progressives would like to tax the rich more - Conservatives would like to spend less.

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Interesting viewpoint submitted by my Conservative friend Don Martensen below:


There was a good opinion article in the Wall Street Journal today. It's dense and full of numbers, which tends to turn off people who just want rag on the rich and believe the GOP is out to starve seniors. So, let me offer a Cliff Notes version.

If the IRS imposed a 100% tax rate on the top 1% richest taxpayers (those with taxable incomes over $380,000) the total take would be $938 billion.

If the IRS imposed a 100% tax rate on everyone earning more than $100,000, the take would be $3.4 trillion.

Yet, Obama's latest budget proposal would spend even more: $4 trillion.

The total taxable income of ALL taxpayers in 2008 was only $5.65 trillion.

So, the notion that going after ONLY the rich will get the Federal budget out of deficit is pure BS. In fact, middle class taxpayers cannot escape higher taxes if Obama's spending plans go unchecked and long existing entitlements aren't
addressed.

The conclusion of the WSJ piece is this:

"Mr. Obama's [budget] speech [last week] was disgraceful for its demagoguery but also because it contained nothing remotely commensurate to the scale of the problem. If the President had come out for a large tax on the middle class, like a VAT, then at least the country could have debated the choice of paying for the government we have or modernizing it a la Mr. Ryan so it is affordable.

"Instead the President will continue [sneakily] targeting the middle class for tax increases to pay for an entitlement state on autopilot, while claiming he only wants to tax the rich. Oh, and we almost forgot: Happy Tax Day."

Click to read the full Wall Street Journal Article:

________________

Bill Whited commented on your link.

Bill wrote: "The answer is really quite simple. Tax and cut. Raise the tax rates back to pre 2000 levels. Raise Social Security taxes to the top $200,000 of income. Reform Medicare and Medicaid with an emphasis on prevention. Cut the federal work force by 20%. Make it possible for younger workers to defer a greater percentage of pretax income but make sure that it goes into govt bonds so that it's there when they retire. It's not much but it's a start." 

Crete, Greece - Libyan No Fly Zone

Spent a week in Crete, Greece, including some time at our Navy Base in Souda Bay.  A bit surreal to be at the Navy Base in Crete, Greece, watching NATO planes flying out to enforce the Libyan No Fly Zone. Mild sunny days with a few of our folks flying off to war.

A real NATO effort with pilots from a number of countries. Stay safe, guys. And I fee sorry for the Libyan troops getting bombed - they have no chance against the modern technology of the west.

American TV on the base. Only a few channels. The DOD channel is good, focusing on the military. It is produced by junior enlisted folks who do a great job.

We also get CNN and MSNBC. It was a bit surreal, watching Rachael Maddow on a US Base read her opinion news criticizing the Commander in Chief while our fighter jets were blasting off for Libya. Well, it shows we take freedom of the press seriously and are not feeding our troops just we want them to hear.

weaselzippers.us/2011/03/23/video-canadian-f-18-bombing-ammo-dump-in-libya

quotulatiousness.ca/blog/2011/03/25/libya-operations-do-not-support-uks-recent-defence...W

news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20110320/wl_afp/libyaconflictitalymilitarydeployBBC

uservideos.smashits.com/video/f1lD-WQEAGw/spain-prepares-to-send-f-18-bombers-to-libya...
www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/f-18-hornet-pilot-helmet-used-in-bombing-ofF-18

www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/f-18-hornet-pilot-helmet-used-in-bombing-of-1

Greece

Santorini is what is left from a major volcanic eruption 3800 years ago. Very craggy and steep clifs.

Felt a small earthquake yesterday. No big deal.

More Photos at:


http://travelhullinger.blogspot.com/