Defunding Obamacare not necessary; step aside and let it implode

With yet another budget fight starting on Capitol Hill, it appears our elected representatives are up to their usual political games – none of which will even remotely begin to solve our nation’s fiscal problems.

Republicans, in their never ending fight against Obamacare, have voted to defund the implementation in the House and are now squabbling among themselves about tactics in the Senate.  Democrats, who control the Senate, will never let the House bill stand however, and Republicans know that.  The result – as usual – is a stalemate and a looming government shutdown.

President Obama has also weighed in by insisting he won’t negotiate with Congress on raising the nation’s debt limit.  Of course, this ignores that pesky Constitutional thing called co-equal branches of government, but who is quibbling?

The whole saga would be comical if very real consequences weren’t the result of this insanity.

I think the Republican tactic of falling on their sword over defunding Obamacare is dumb.  First, it’s a losing battle – House Republicans continually ignore the fact that it is impossible to govern by holding just one chamber of Congress.

Second, poll after poll shows that Republicans will share most of the blame for a government shutdown.  That isn’t a great place to be when the GOP is eying taking control of the Senate in 2014.  In fact, playing this game to its end will likely keep the Senate in Democrat control and give the Democrats more seats in the House.

That’s not to say I favor Obamacare.  I don’t.  It’s is, in my opinion, the single worst piece of legislation passed since Prohibition.  And the Supreme Court ruling that found it Constitutional defies common sense, logic, and the law in spite the senseless opinion by Chief Justice John Roberts.

What Republicans seem to not get is that fighting Obamacare at this point is a losing hand that they don’t have to fight.  If there is anything we know after five years of the Obama Presidency, it is the fact that incompetence reigns supreme in his Administration.

By all accounts, the implementation of Obamacare is likely to be much of the same, but on a much grander scale.  As such, the Republicans would be much smarter to just let the Affordable Care Act implode on its own.

Disagreement over issues shouldn't call one's integrity into question

There are times in my job when you just have to shake your head, and today is one of those days.  Some of the vocal vote “no” crowd is at it again – calling into question the integrity of anyone who happens to disagree with their stance on the school levy.

I posted a story today on the new Master Agreement, or contract, between the Board of Education and the Vandalia-Butler Education Association.  It is factual, with real numbers.  I reported based on physical copies of the contract from last year and the new one, as well as a meeting of over an hour with the one guy who knows the numbers better than anyone – Treasurer Dan Schall.

We looked at spreadsheets, made phone calls, and even got into the employee benefit system called PaySmarter to look at the numbers and how they worked.  It was the most extensive interview to date I’ve had with Mr. Schall and nearly all of it was on the record.

Of course, that’s not good enough.  Tonight I received a message from one of the more vocal anti-levy guys, Ben Jones, to go like a Facebook page that purported to “keep up with accurate analysis of information emanating from the Vandalia Butler school board and administration publicity mill.”

Out of morbid curiosity I went and looked and, predictably, there were multiple inaccuracies on the site, including posts about “escalating wages, salaries, health insurance contribution…” and the “$20 million mystery contract,” presumably referring to the Master Agreement.

Of course all of these things are factually incorrect.  The Master Agreement was approved at a public meeting on June 4.  There are no pay raises for the third straight year.  Out-of-pocket health care costs increased by more than 40 percent for everyone.  

And, to top it off, a question was raised as to whether the Drummer’s article “was based on their own analysis of the contract terms or were they just repeating what the board, administration and union rep told them.”

Obviously, the message from Mr. Jones seems to be that if the message doesn’t fit the preconceived ideas he has then there must be some grand conspiracy.  The Drummer Editor must be in cahoots with the Board of Education.

That’s laughable as well, as I’m sure I’ve been near the top of the Board’s annoyances for the better part of the past year. 

For the record, I do occasionally run press releases as is.  I don’t put my name on them.  That’s a fact.

The school district did send out a press release on the contract a couple of weeks ago which I refused to run without specifics.  That is a fact.

The article today did incorporate some of that release, especially quotes from people I had no access to.  None of the dollar figures were in the release – those came from me and my reporting.  Those are more facts.

Some in this community would rather smear me or anyone else who disagrees with them, even when they are wrong.  I’ve certainly made mistakes over the past year and a half, but when I have, I have owned that, publicly corrected the error, and apologized.

It would be nice to see the same from others, but I have my doubts as to if it ever will.

On heat waves and media over-hype

The heat wave is apparently over, and thank goodness.  Not because the temperature has dropped, however.  In fact, I have actually enjoyed having a little summer-like weather for the first time this summer.

The real reason I’m thankful is that, at least for a time, we don’t have to hear the local news media – of which I am a part – screaming about how hot it is through the radio and television every five minutes. 

Don’t get me wrong – I’m a weather junkie.  I love a good storm as much as the next guy and I have always found cold fronts and Bermuda highs to be somewhat fascinating.  I’m a weather nerd.

But here’s a news flash for all my media brethren:  Temperatures in the 90s in the middle of July is NOT news.  It just isn’t. 

Significant snow storms are news (although we could all get a refresher on the meaning of significant – a dusting is not what I have in mind.)  If it was 50 degrees today, that would be news.  If it is 80 degrees in January, that is news.  Even last summer’s heat was news due to the unusually high temperatures for so long.

But last week’s “heat wave?”  That’s wasn’t news - it is what July is supposed to be.  So how is that news?

Taking it a step further, since when do people need to be told to try to stay cool and drink more water? Seriously!  I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t have air conditioning and bottled water, but somehow they survived hot summers just fine.  Are people really that dimwitted that, in addition to the survival instinct we are all created with, we just can’t think to stay cool unless Channel 7 tells us to?

It’s a sad commentary on our society and speaks largely to the nanny state that it has come to be.  Politicians and media, presuming they are smarter than the rest of us, feel like they need to remind the dumb masses to drink water when it’s hot and to put a warm coat on little Johnny when he’s going to the bus stop in January.

I, for one, won’t participate.  Yes, I will post weather warnings for severe storms, blizzards, high winds, etc.  But I won’t insult my readers with reminders to drink water when it’s hot.  I’m pretty sure they have that down already.

Traffic cameras are a scam - and unconstitutional

Kudos go out to the Hamilton County judge who found a small village in contempt for violating his previous order against using cameras to catch speeders.  It’s nice to see a judge call traffic enforcement cameras what they are – a scam.

Of course, the usual list of municipalities and police departments are crying about how the cameras lead to less traffic accidents and increase safety, but here’s a news flash – no one buys that load of bull.

Traffic cameras have always been about one thing – raising money and fleecing the public.  Cities and police departments that are strapped financially found a cash cow in camera manufactures who provide the cameras free of charge in return for a cut of the profits.

Despite rulings by the Ohio Supreme Court, reasonable, rationale people who aren’t lawyers looking for a loophole know that traffic cameras are unfair and unconstitutional.  Owners of vehicles can be ticketed even if they aren’t driving the vehicle.  Drivers have no ability to confront their accuser and no way to challenge that the camera is working properly.

And drivers who get caught by traffic cameras are treated differently – as a civil matter and with no points on their driving record – than the poor sap who gets a ticket a block away at the hands of a real police officer.  Isn’t equal protection under the law a constitutional right?  Apparently not when it comes to traffic cameras in Ohio.

I’ve gotten a speeding ticket from a camera in a local municipality.  I sent it back to them with a note saying there was no way in hell I was going to pay it – and I meant it.

Thankfully, the Ohio legislature has gotten the message loud and clear.  The House passed a bill this week banning the cameras, and the Senate will likely pass the measure after the summer recess.

Then we can wait for the next scam that government tries to pull in the name of safety when the real reason is revenue.

Air show fun overshadowed by tragedy

The 2013 Dayton Air Show is in the books, and this year was both a ton of fun, yet marred by tragedy.  I had the opportunity on Thursday to fly in a lead plane above Sean D. Tucker and took the above video and some great photos.  On Friday I got to fly with the Aeroshell Aerobatic team and man, what a rush!  I never knew what 4Gs were until I couldn't lift my camera up off my lap.

Unfortunately, on Saturday wing walker Jane Wicker and her pilot, Charlie Schwenker, were killed in an accident.  I wasn't there on Saturday, and I'm thankful for that, but I have to say, it changed the way I saw the show on Sunday.

Every time one of the aerobatic pilots did a maneuver that looked odd - even though it was part of their act - the thought was in the back of my head whether it was supposed to be part of the act.  Fortunately, they were, and nothing happened on Sunday, but there was definite unease.

Unfortunate as well was the gutting federal sequestration did to what is usually one of the top air shows in the nation.  It affected the quality of the show and the attendance - brutally.

The highlight for me and my family was meeting one of the Tuskegee Airmen and being able to thank him for his service to our nation.  He was an incredibly nice man, and gracious with Daniel and taking photos.  

The air show, the parade, and getting to spend Sunday with my friends at the City of Vandalia made for a great time for me and my family.

Thoughts on the Supreme Court DOMA ruling

I know many of my friends will disagree with me, but I think the Supreme Court got it right in striking down the Defense of Marriage Act.  I know many in the Church have decried the ruling, but I come at it from a little different perspective.

First, I'm a big believer in Federalism - a not so aptly named concept that is intended to limit the power of the central government and defer to the states.  It's how our system of government was intended to be and has seriously been eroded over the past 60 years or so.

Federalism was upheld by the DOMA ruling.  The majority said that a federal law cannot trump the decisions made in the individual states that have voted on the issue.  That's an important thing to remember, and could have a bearing on another controversial topic which I'll touch on in a minute.

The second reason I agree with the ruling is that I believe the separation of Church and State should be absolute.  I don't want the government interfering in the Church, and although I'm not Catholic and don't subscribe to their stance on birth control, I still believe they have a right to hold to their tenets of faith without government rule or regulation interference.  Hence I believe they are right in fighting HHS mandates that would require them to violate those beliefs that exist under Obamacare.

Because I believe that Church and State should not impose on each other, I would absolutely oppose any notion that the Church should condone and perform same-sex marriages.  Government has never made that case and likely never will.

But civil marriage is just that - a civil ceremony.  A legal act.  It seems inherently unconstitutional and unfair to say to one set of people that they cannot marry, and as an extension, cannot enjoy the same benefits (financial, social etc.) that come with marriage just because they are gay.

I'm actually surprised that the ruling was not 6-3 or 7-2 because I thought Chief Justice Roberts would rule with the majority.

At the end of the day, the issue will be decided where it should be - in the states.

And that brings me to one other controversial issue that, until 1973, was settled in the states.  At least until the Supreme Court used some creative gerrymandering to create an exception.  Roe vs. Wade took abortion, which until that time was a state issue, decided state by state, and made it a national issue decided by the Court.

This ruling today would seem to open up that case for review if for no other reason than the logic that federal laws cannot over rule states.

I pray that is so. 

My first blog entry

I've decided to do something I've wanted to do for a while - start a blog.  I don't really know what my plans are, and I'm not even sure anyone really cares what I have to say about anything.  And I'm ok with that!

I write every day for a living for a small community paper in Southwestern Ohio.  I get to write some opinion pieces, and I'll share some of them here.  Other items may be family stuff, others may be political or religion, or whatever else I want to say.

There will likely be posts about the new puppy as well, who proves to be very entertaining.  This is him at the Air Show Parade last week.  He was the hit of the parade!

I'll certainly share some great writing of other people far more talented than I am...beyond that, well I guess we will see what happens!

Conspiracy theories don't look so crazy now

Note:  I'm adding a few posts of columns I wrote for the newspaper that are still somewhat current.

Mocking and lampooning Conservatives and Tea Party activists for their conspiracy theories has become standard operating procedure for those on the left for decades.  It has risen to new heights under the Obama Administration, aided and abetted by the ever-willing mainstream media. 

But the past ten days has shown why it is never wise to put one’s faith in government bureaucrats – or Big Government – ever.

Last week was a week the Obama Administration would like to forget ever happened.  The Benghazi revelations were bad enough, but then on Friday it was discovered that the Internal Revenue Service had been targeting Conservative groups dating back to 2010.  Then, to make matters worse, it was revealed on Monday that the Department of Justice secretly monitored 20 separate phone lines assigned to the Associated Press for two months in 2012.

Each one of these cases is damning enough by itself, but the broader picture it paints of Obama and the people who work under him is, frankly, sickening.  In review:

Stephen F. Hayes of the Weekly Standard and ABC News revealed last week that the original CIA talking points on the Benghazi attacks had been altered 11 times before Ambassador Susan Rice was sent out to discuss the attacks on the Sunday news shows.  The email strings show frustration by the CIA that all reference to al Qaeda linked groups had been scrubbed and, instead, the attacks were being blamed on a video – all of which the State Department and the CIA knew not to be true - yet Ambassador Rice and Secretary of State Hilary Clinton kept repeating.

Presidential spokesman Jay Carney turned combative on Friday when a skeptical press corps challenged his original version of events which the emails clearly show as not accurate.

Of course, damage would have likely been done to the President’s re-election bid if his claim to have kept American’s safe from al Qaeda had been shown to be false - or that his Secretary of State oversaw Americans being killed because she, or someone in her chain of command, ignored repeated requests for extra security.  None of those would have played well last November.

Late last week, the IRS admitted to targeting Conservative groups’ applications for tax exempt status for higher scrutiny than other groups.  The groups were targeted based on key words in their applications, like ‘Tea Party,’ ‘Patriot,’ and, believe it or not, ‘Constitution.’  

The agency blames it on low level bureaucrats in the Cincinnati field office that handles tax exempt applications, but isn’t that what always happens in these scandals - find a low level employee who doesn’t have the authority to make those decisions and somehow pin the blame on them?

Politicians of all stripes condemned the IRS actions, and even Obama condemned it on Monday, but something tells me this is also just the tip of the iceberg.  To me this all sounds a bit Nixonian – using the IRS to attack one’s enemies.  It’s a page right out of Richard Nixon’s playbook.

Finally, the Associated Press reported today that the government had secretly monitored 20 of their telephone lines back in 2012.  

In a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder, AP President and CEO Gary Pruitt sought information that could not be justified by any specific investigation.

"There can be no possible justification for such an overly broad collection of the telephone communications of The Associated Press and its reporters. These records potentially reveal communications with confidential sources across all of the news gathering activities undertaken by the AP during a two-month period, provide a road map to AP's new sgathering operations and disclose information about AP's activities and operations that the government has no conceivable right to know," Pruitt said.

While it is not known why the government sought this information, but a criminal investigation is underway into a leak that led to an AP story in May of 2012 about a terror plot that had been foiled.

Certainly, the government has an interest in protecting classified information and prosecuting those who release it.  No one disputes that.

But it appears that the Justice Department is likely guilty of overreach at a minimum and possibly abuse of subpoena and wire tapping power.

The President’s second term agenda always faced a rocky road.  Immigration reform and a so-called Grand Bargain on deficit reduction and sequestration were always going to be difficult, if not impossible to achieve.  

However, these three stories, and the constant bad news about Obamacare implementation, could prove to be fatal blows to the President’s chances to pass any meaningful legislation in its second term.