Back at Drew, one of Dr. Mastro's favorite topics in his American Government Intro class was pork-barrel spending. I still remember laughing and shaking my head at some of the ridiculous things on which our leaders wasted Federal tax money (and not only in West Virginia) If Dr. Mastro would have lived today, he would have cringed at the level of spending we see today.
Driving around, I have seen many signs advertising construction projects as part of the "American Investment and Recovery Act," aka, "The Stimulus." Today, an article stated these signs cost taxpayers $20 million!
Around New Jersey, I have seen these signs for the most minor of projects and have also seen them in other states around the Northeast. We remember the platitudes of the stimulus and the president: jobs created/saved, a step forward, etc. We've even been told by Vice President Biden that the stimulus is working.
As I remember, the stimulus should have created/saved jobs, yet the unemployment rate is nearly 10%. Let us not forget that these statistics only include those who are receiving benefits, as those who have "given up" or are under-employed are not counted, thus making the full unemployment rate nearly 17%!
If the Summer of Recovery were really taking place, Congress and the President would have either supported additional tax cuts or extending the Bush tax cuts, giving businesses incentives to create jobs. Had this been the case, this would have been a true Summer of Recovery. It is unfortunate our leadership refuses to realize the Stimulus isn't working and Americans, especially those who want to work, would be a lot happier if they changed course and embraced the tax cut route. When the Bush tax cuts expire on January 1, 2011, it will only get worse.
Looking at the reason why the these "Brought to you by..." signs are all over the place, those who designed ARRA wanted to remind Americans these projects are because of Obama and the Democrat passage of this massive spending bill. As we see the Stimulus is an abject failure, I wonder if the Democrats are rethinking this policy. And if they tear down the signs hoping the voters forget, think of the money that will waste! (I'll look forward to Darrell Issa's investigation on that one in 2011.) The "Brought to you by..." signs won't help them very much come November, as it's just further evidence of broken leadership and policy that needs to come to an end.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Indiana Governor, Mitch Daniels...worth a look
About one month ago, The Weekly Standard published an article about Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels that is worth a read.
An unpretentious guy and a consistent conservative, Governor Daniels has been at the helm in Indiana since 2004 and has done a phenomenal job of cutting state spending and putting the state in strong fiscal shape. As he serves out his second term, Governor Daniels has not made a declaration to run for president, but if he does, I believe his leadership in Indiana, as well as his work at OMB and in the private sector, have given him the experience and success needed to successfully pursue the highest political office in the United States.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Some thoughts on Sarah Palin
A few hours earlier, an ad appeared on YouTube that was produced by SarahPAC, Sarah Palin's political action committee:
The truth of the matter is that I am not too sure that Sarah Palin will run in 2012, but let me tell you all, I want her to!
Having not expressed my opinion on her yet on "The 'Right' Solutions," I will now take that opportunity. Let me first tell you where I came to know Sarah Palin. Back in June 2008, when I was looking for who I would want as John McCain's running mate, I came across a video of Sarah Palin that was emailed to me by a friend. In the video below, she was interviewed on Glenn Beck's old Headline News show:
In this interview, she shows her expertise in energy issues and her experience as an executive and it's at this point, I said she was the best person to be picked as McCain's running mate as she is consistently conservative (life, 2nd Amendment, fiscal, social, foreign policy), strong and knowledgeable on energy, and eventually was the only one in the campaign with executive experience. At that point, I believed her rise to the national stage would have a strong and positive impact on the Republican Party in not only the election, but in years to come. Friends and family told me I was crazy, I asked them if they cared to make it interesting, maybe a friendly wager...the person who was right buys the other a case of beer of their choice. (few took me on) On the day she was chosen, not only did I get calls from those who doubted me, but Sarah Palin temporarily took the wind out of the sails of Barack Obama and the Democrats, the day after his big DNC speech at Invesco Field. Those on the left looked at her and scared out of their mind, seeing her as a threat, readied their attack machine; some of the nastiest smear tactics ever seen in modern day elections.
We won't repeat what was said as there's no need for it because they are all nasty lies. Looking back, I believe she was not used to the McCain campaign's best advantage. I used the phrase "Let Sarah Be Sarah." We saw this not only in the Glenn Beck interview, but at the Dayton Announcement event. She also cleaned Joe Biden's clock in the debate. She faced her critics head-on, whether on the campaign trail or on Saturday Night Live! From Day 1, she should have been doing FNC, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, etc. The Katie Coric interview and Charles Gibson interview should have never taken place. Despite the campaign's misuse of her, Sarah Palin saved John McCain from getting numbers against Obama that Mondale received against Reagan and Goldwater received against LBJ. This was done by rallying conservatives, many of whom doubted McCain's candidacy and conservative credentials. For that, those in the campaign should be thanking her and not attacking her.
Some people, after facing the level of attacks she did, would run away, cower in a corner, change careers and basically leave the public eye. Not Sarah Palin! She has the will and character to fight on and stay in the public eye. Events in her private life (many discussed in her book,(which I highly recommend and note that she finished the manuscript ahead of its due date) others publicly known) have further helped to make her a strong person. Her opponents zing her, she zings them right back. She knows she is hated by the left and does not care what her opponents think. Tonight on Hannity, Bernard McGirk made the following statement:
Sarah Palin has shown herself to be a consistent conservative and for those who haven't yet seen her speak either on the trail (she does not use or need a teleprompter) or on Fox News, she is an articulate conservative. In these past few months, even though she does not hold a public office she has shown herself to be influential in forming the debate (as we had seen in the "Death Panels" debate), effectively uses Facebook and is responsible for the large number of Conservative women from Sharron Angle to Nikki Haley, who won primaries so as to represent the Republican Party in the fall general elections.
Conservatives know the Republican Party has misused them and/or mistreated them over the years, hence the reason for the rise of the Tea Party. Having Sarah Palin run would get the Conservatives and Republicans on the same side and unite the party.
As to the issue of whether or not she will run: prior to the release of this ad, I would have said an emphatic NO, but now, I've moved into the undecided column. We will see in the coming months as events continue to unfold, and if she does decide to run, she will be a front runner.
The truth of the matter is that I am not too sure that Sarah Palin will run in 2012, but let me tell you all, I want her to!
Having not expressed my opinion on her yet on "The 'Right' Solutions," I will now take that opportunity. Let me first tell you where I came to know Sarah Palin. Back in June 2008, when I was looking for who I would want as John McCain's running mate, I came across a video of Sarah Palin that was emailed to me by a friend. In the video below, she was interviewed on Glenn Beck's old Headline News show:
In this interview, she shows her expertise in energy issues and her experience as an executive and it's at this point, I said she was the best person to be picked as McCain's running mate as she is consistently conservative (life, 2nd Amendment, fiscal, social, foreign policy), strong and knowledgeable on energy, and eventually was the only one in the campaign with executive experience. At that point, I believed her rise to the national stage would have a strong and positive impact on the Republican Party in not only the election, but in years to come. Friends and family told me I was crazy, I asked them if they cared to make it interesting, maybe a friendly wager...the person who was right buys the other a case of beer of their choice. (few took me on) On the day she was chosen, not only did I get calls from those who doubted me, but Sarah Palin temporarily took the wind out of the sails of Barack Obama and the Democrats, the day after his big DNC speech at Invesco Field. Those on the left looked at her and scared out of their mind, seeing her as a threat, readied their attack machine; some of the nastiest smear tactics ever seen in modern day elections.
We won't repeat what was said as there's no need for it because they are all nasty lies. Looking back, I believe she was not used to the McCain campaign's best advantage. I used the phrase "Let Sarah Be Sarah." We saw this not only in the Glenn Beck interview, but at the Dayton Announcement event. She also cleaned Joe Biden's clock in the debate. She faced her critics head-on, whether on the campaign trail or on Saturday Night Live! From Day 1, she should have been doing FNC, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin, etc. The Katie Coric interview and Charles Gibson interview should have never taken place. Despite the campaign's misuse of her, Sarah Palin saved John McCain from getting numbers against Obama that Mondale received against Reagan and Goldwater received against LBJ. This was done by rallying conservatives, many of whom doubted McCain's candidacy and conservative credentials. For that, those in the campaign should be thanking her and not attacking her.
Some people, after facing the level of attacks she did, would run away, cower in a corner, change careers and basically leave the public eye. Not Sarah Palin! She has the will and character to fight on and stay in the public eye. Events in her private life (many discussed in her book,(which I highly recommend and note that she finished the manuscript ahead of its due date) others publicly known) have further helped to make her a strong person. Her opponents zing her, she zings them right back. She knows she is hated by the left and does not care what her opponents think. Tonight on Hannity, Bernard McGirk made the following statement:
"I'd rather be in a foxhole with Sarah Palin than the Republican leadership (not the reasons you think)"Some conservative friends and I have disagreements about whether or not she is ready for a run for the presidency. They state the fact that she resigned her governorship before the term ends. Looking at the situation, I understand why she did it, so does Alaska and it showed observers that she cares more about the people of her state than the position or power, as attorneys and individuals led by Rahm Emanuel, who filed these frivolous ethics complaints, brought her state to a halt and had she stayed in power, the state's business would not have been completed and she would have lost friends in Alaska in thinking more of herself than her constituents. They criticize her for her support of John McCain and Carly Fiorina. While I'm not a fan of McCain and would like to see Hayworth win the primary, I understand why she supported him: he brought her to the dance! Had she gone against him, Palin would have been seen as disloyal and lacking in character. She went for Fiorina as she is a Republican woman running in a Democrat leaning state. I don't fault her for either.
Sarah Palin has shown herself to be a consistent conservative and for those who haven't yet seen her speak either on the trail (she does not use or need a teleprompter) or on Fox News, she is an articulate conservative. In these past few months, even though she does not hold a public office she has shown herself to be influential in forming the debate (as we had seen in the "Death Panels" debate), effectively uses Facebook and is responsible for the large number of Conservative women from Sharron Angle to Nikki Haley, who won primaries so as to represent the Republican Party in the fall general elections.
Conservatives know the Republican Party has misused them and/or mistreated them over the years, hence the reason for the rise of the Tea Party. Having Sarah Palin run would get the Conservatives and Republicans on the same side and unite the party.
As to the issue of whether or not she will run: prior to the release of this ad, I would have said an emphatic NO, but now, I've moved into the undecided column. We will see in the coming months as events continue to unfold, and if she does decide to run, she will be a front runner.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Journey, Part IV
As written in a previous post, I am very proud of my Alma Mater, Drew University. Additionally, my time at Monmouth University and Kean University, where I completed graduate study, have also been influential, not only in my professional life, but in writing The Calling to Lead. Look for these three individuals, who were my educational mentors, in the many characters of The Calling to Lead:
Dr. Julius J. Mastro: Dr. Mastro has long been a fixture of Drew University; a student, alumnus, professor, chairperson and trustee. He had many students over the years and as Chair of the Political Science Department, was responsible for forming and staffing the department. Dr. Mastro's love of Drew was so noticeable and contagious, so much so that he came out of retirement twice to teach Drew's students. He also had a great influence on his students, including myself! Before I took his intro to American Government class (PSCI 6), I was planning on majoring in History. After I took his class, it was the force that brought me to change my mind and become a Political Science major. Dr. Mastro made sure his students were active participants in the learning process through discussion, debate and the application of real world activities. The two things he taught me, as well as the rest of his students stayed with me to this day.
Dr. Julius J. Mastro: Dr. Mastro has long been a fixture of Drew University; a student, alumnus, professor, chairperson and trustee. He had many students over the years and as Chair of the Political Science Department, was responsible for forming and staffing the department. Dr. Mastro's love of Drew was so noticeable and contagious, so much so that he came out of retirement twice to teach Drew's students. He also had a great influence on his students, including myself! Before I took his intro to American Government class (PSCI 6), I was planning on majoring in History. After I took his class, it was the force that brought me to change my mind and become a Political Science major. Dr. Mastro made sure his students were active participants in the learning process through discussion, debate and the application of real world activities. The two things he taught me, as well as the rest of his students stayed with me to this day.
- "Know all sides of the argument"
- "If you want it or believe in it, stand up for it"
For an intro class, PSCI 6 was quite challenging and he gave the hardest exams around, but in the end, his students learned the material. He also had a strong sense of humor that one could mistake him for a comedian instead of a professor. Many a Drewid was teased by him and made to falsely believe that they would have a chance to drive his Jaguar convertible if they got on his good side. Interestingly enough, Dr. Mastro also owned a shoe store in Bernardsville that is still in existence today. Dr. Mastro passed away in 1999, but will be long remembered by his students and the Drew community.
The Honorable Thomas H. Kean: As the president of a university, one would expect the person in this position to be hidden behind a desk in the ivory towers, unseen by students and inaccessible to the public. This was not the case with Former New Jersey Governor Thomas H. Kean. He was readily visible among the campus, meeting with students, sitting down to eat lunch with the students in the Commons, attending campus events and even teaching a class. In this class, Governing a State, Governor Kean taught with the use of storytelling. Each event or moment brought up was relevant to leadership and government; the two themes of his class. Additionally, he brought in speakers to his class that ranged from pundits to State Supreme Court Justices to Legislators in order to show the students the faces behind the stories and allow them to directly tell the students their experiences. We were also welcomed to network with these individuals. The Governor invited his students to various social events around campus and in North Jersey, and also took us on a very memorable field trip to the Statehouse in Trenton.
As a professor, Governor Kean was in close contact with all his students, allowed them the opportunity to exhibit their strengths and was incredibly loyal even after leaving his class. This class and my experiences within, as well as the encouragement and opportunities presented to me by the governor are some of the most memorable academic and professional moments for me at Drew.
Dr. Nicolas Celso, Esq.: Of all the graduate classes in Education I've taken at Monmouth and Kean, and many of them have been quite fulfilling and useful, School Law, a class I took for the Masters in Educational Leadership program at Kean University, was the most useful and fulfilling Graduate Class I have ever taken! The professor, Dr. Nicholas Celso, a former school administrator and attorney/partner in his own firm, knows the material and presents it clearly and articulately to his students. He has been teaching at Kean for many years and I find it amazing that a family member of a friend of mine had him as a professor in his first year at Kean. Back then, Dr. Celso admitted being a novice instructor, but sure did not show it! And he definitely did not show it last year when I took the class! The class was taught very much like a law school class where we had to read cases, examine legal precedents and analyze the reasons why the courts ruled as they did, after learning New Jersey Educational Law (Section 6A and 18A). He was a big fan of the Socratic Method and gave a final exam in the end that was a significant portion of the grade. This class has definitely helped me in my teaching career and will help me if I become an administrator. After taking this class, I learned that (a) many teachers are unaware of the laws and; (b) many administrators are unaware of the laws.
As an educator, I highly recommend my fellow teachers thoroughly read through 6A and 18A and know it by heart! It is unfortunate that some administrators in the system operate with the belief the teachers do not know the law and take advantage of their lack of knowledge Dr. Celso taught me that the career you save in knowing the law may very well be your own.
As I said in earlier Journey posts, my life experiences have helped to form the plot of The Calling to Lead. People who have been influential in my life one way or another have inspired characters in the book. As these three gentlemen have greatly influenced my professional life and their teachings still live on to this day, having them inspire characters in The Calling to Lead is the best thank you and honor I could give to them for mentoring me.
Sunday, July 4, 2010
You Don't Look a Day Over 210, America!
Happy Birthday America! We live in the greatest country God has given man and this experiment called America is going strong at 234! "The 'Right' Solutions" would like to wish you all a Happy Independence Day and hope that you have a great time with family and friends, be it watching fireworks, spending time at the beach, pool, barbecues, etc. Let's also take a moment to remember the true meaning of this day; the bravery with which our Founders carried themselves and led the way so we could be an independent nation, as well as the members of our military, whose courage and sacrifice have allowed us to celebrate July 4th after July 4th. Let's hope today's leaders in America will train tomorrow's leaders so that we can celebrate another 234!
Friday, July 2, 2010
Fox News...the ONLY name in cable news
Almost 14 years old, the Fox News Channel has taken the world by storm!
For as long as we can remember, the news was dominated by ABC, CBS and NBC. As CNN entered the scene, television news still operated with a liberal bias; blatant to those who closely followed their coverage. In the midst of the media slobbering over President Bill Clinton on "All Bill Clinton," the "Clinton News Network," "Nothing But Clinton," and the "Clinton Broadcast System," Americans wanted an alternative and that void was filled by the Fox News Channel.
For as long as we can remember, the news was dominated by ABC, CBS and NBC. As CNN entered the scene, television news still operated with a liberal bias; blatant to those who closely followed their coverage. In the midst of the media slobbering over President Bill Clinton on "All Bill Clinton," the "Clinton News Network," "Nothing But Clinton," and the "Clinton Broadcast System," Americans wanted an alternative and that void was filled by the Fox News Channel.
Roger Ailes is the mastermind behind Fox News and with his intuition, his keen eye for on air talent and his belief that Americans do not want bias in their news coverage, Fox News rose to the top and is currently the highest rated cable news station. Americans truly believe Fox News is 'fair and balanced' and as a result, the network has garnered much success over the years it has been on the air.
In doing my research for The Calling to Lead, I decided that Fox News will play a major role in the storyline and in Michael Buonocore's life. Having intensively researched Fox News at a time I considered working for them, as well as thanks to the folks I know who work there that provided me with information, I have a working knowledge of why Fox News is so successful and including them was the appropriate ode to their importance in American society, politics and the way the media does business. I have taken from Fox News the idea of "Fair and Balanced" in my teaching, as I have explained in a previous blog post.
Liberals and opponents of Fox News hate it. They hate that conservatives have a voice, they smear anyone working for them as dumb, rigid or radical. Additionally, they scream that Fox News has a blatant Conservative bias and constantly cite Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto. What the liberals don't tell their drone supporters is that Fox News television programming is broken into two areas:
Hard News: This is defined as news programming where there is an anchor(s) in the studio who may moderate debates between guests, read the news or introduce field correspondents who are covering the stories they are introducing. On Fox News, these anchors, consisting of Bret Baier, Shepard Smith, Juliet Huddy, Martha MacCallum, etc, are even handed and do not give their opinions. They let the viewer decide for themselves. Fox News is the only network whose hard news programming does not disclose their bias.
News Analysis: This is defined as programming whose hosts DO give their opinion and are required to do so in many cases. Hosts like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, etc, are intellectually honest about their beliefs and do not hide behind the cover of journalism to give their viewpoints. The critics of Fox News specifically cite this type of programming as the reason why Fox News has a conservative bias, but when you look at the analysts who host shows on Fox, Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo Rivera, as well as some of the pundits like Juan Williams who have guest hosted, they are not conservative...more than can be said for MSNBC who only has Joe Scarborough (and he has a liberal to keep an eye on him in Mika Brzezinski.)
One final note, their pundits or contributors are much more evenly divided than on the other networks. You have Ann Coulter, but you also have Bob Beckel. You have Michelle Malkin, but you also have Penny Lee. Rarely does one see a conservative on the other networks and when they are on, they are usually being talked over or demeaned.
In the past year alone, Fox News has broken stories such as ACORN's fraud, Van Jones, Anita Dunn, Bill Ayers and the recent corruption in the justice department that other outlets have ignored.
So the next time critics scream about Fox News, it would be wise for us to examine the veracity of their attacks and once we find out they are false, thank Roger Ailes and Fox News for introducing a truly fair and balanced news outlet that will continue to have influence over the way journalism is presented to Americans and viewers around the world.
In doing my research for The Calling to Lead, I decided that Fox News will play a major role in the storyline and in Michael Buonocore's life. Having intensively researched Fox News at a time I considered working for them, as well as thanks to the folks I know who work there that provided me with information, I have a working knowledge of why Fox News is so successful and including them was the appropriate ode to their importance in American society, politics and the way the media does business. I have taken from Fox News the idea of "Fair and Balanced" in my teaching, as I have explained in a previous blog post.
Liberals and opponents of Fox News hate it. They hate that conservatives have a voice, they smear anyone working for them as dumb, rigid or radical. Additionally, they scream that Fox News has a blatant Conservative bias and constantly cite Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly and Neil Cavuto. What the liberals don't tell their drone supporters is that Fox News television programming is broken into two areas:
Hard News: This is defined as news programming where there is an anchor(s) in the studio who may moderate debates between guests, read the news or introduce field correspondents who are covering the stories they are introducing. On Fox News, these anchors, consisting of Bret Baier, Shepard Smith, Juliet Huddy, Martha MacCallum, etc, are even handed and do not give their opinions. They let the viewer decide for themselves. Fox News is the only network whose hard news programming does not disclose their bias.
News Analysis: This is defined as programming whose hosts DO give their opinion and are required to do so in many cases. Hosts like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, etc, are intellectually honest about their beliefs and do not hide behind the cover of journalism to give their viewpoints. The critics of Fox News specifically cite this type of programming as the reason why Fox News has a conservative bias, but when you look at the analysts who host shows on Fox, Greta Van Susteren, Geraldo Rivera, as well as some of the pundits like Juan Williams who have guest hosted, they are not conservative...more than can be said for MSNBC who only has Joe Scarborough (and he has a liberal to keep an eye on him in Mika Brzezinski.)
One final note, their pundits or contributors are much more evenly divided than on the other networks. You have Ann Coulter, but you also have Bob Beckel. You have Michelle Malkin, but you also have Penny Lee. Rarely does one see a conservative on the other networks and when they are on, they are usually being talked over or demeaned.
In the past year alone, Fox News has broken stories such as ACORN's fraud, Van Jones, Anita Dunn, Bill Ayers and the recent corruption in the justice department that other outlets have ignored.
So the next time critics scream about Fox News, it would be wise for us to examine the veracity of their attacks and once we find out they are false, thank Roger Ailes and Fox News for introducing a truly fair and balanced news outlet that will continue to have influence over the way journalism is presented to Americans and viewers around the world.
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Back in the news...where will this go?
Those of us who were watching the Election of 2008 closely remember this ugly incident in Philadelphia, when members of the Black Panther Party stood in front of a polling place, holding billy clubs and acting in an intimidating fashion. I speak of this case not only because of the news that broke today, which I will explain, but because this event, as it was so shocking to see in America, in 2008, inspired an event in The Calling to Lead. What could happen if (a) that confrontation went further? (b) that confrontation is not legally addressed? (That's all I'm going to say...you probably understand why!)
This afternoon on Fox News, Megyn Kelly, on her show, America Live, interviewed Christian Adams who is whistle-blowing on the Philadelphia 2008 Voter Intimidation case that was dismissed by Attorney General Eric Holder. Adams was the lead attorney on this case. Here is Part I of the interview:
This is a very big development and it is very early to draw any conclusions. I will be looking forward to Part II of the interview, as well as if this will be picked up and further covered by others.
UPDATE: Here is Part II of the interview:
Megyn Kelly did some good work on this one and followed up on him. I wonder where this will go and I think it will take a Republican Congress in 2011 to hold hearings on this and further explore.
This afternoon on Fox News, Megyn Kelly, on her show, America Live, interviewed Christian Adams who is whistle-blowing on the Philadelphia 2008 Voter Intimidation case that was dismissed by Attorney General Eric Holder. Adams was the lead attorney on this case. Here is Part I of the interview:
This is a very big development and it is very early to draw any conclusions. I will be looking forward to Part II of the interview, as well as if this will be picked up and further covered by others.
UPDATE: Here is Part II of the interview:
Megyn Kelly did some good work on this one and followed up on him. I wonder where this will go and I think it will take a Republican Congress in 2011 to hold hearings on this and further explore.
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