Big Guy - Bigger Opinions

The Dinner Roll

2010-04-09T09:11:00.000-07:00

So... I know it has been awhile, but I came across this today and thought that really this is so true...

Once upon a time I was invited to the White House for a private dinner with the President.

I am a respected businessman, with a factory that produces memory chips for computers and portable electronics.

There was some talk that my industry was being scrutinized by the administration, but I paid it no mind. I live in a FREE country. There's nothing that the government can do to me if I've broken no laws. My wealth was EARNED honestly, and an invitation to dinner with an American President is an honor.

I checked my coat, was greeted by the Chief of Staff, and joined the President in a yellow dining room.

We sat across from each other at a table draped in white linen. The Great Seal was embossed on the china. Uniformed staff served our dinner.

The meal was served, and I was startled when my waiter suddenly reached out, plucked a dinner roll off my plate and began nibbling it as he walked back to the kitchen..

"Sorry 'bout that," said the President. "Andrew is very hungry."

"I don't appreciate..." I began, but as I looked into the calm brown eyes across from me, I felt immediately guilty and petty. It was just a dinner roll. "Of course," I concluded, and reached for my glass.

Before I could, however, another waiter reached forward, took the glass away and swallowed the wine in a single gulp. "And his brother, Eric, is very thirsty," said the President.

I didn't say anything. The President is testing my compassion, I thought. I withheld my comments and decided to play along. I don't want to seem unkind..

My plate was whisked away before I had tasted a bite.

"Eric's children are also quite hungry."

With a lurch, I crashed to the floor. My chair had been pulled out from under me.

I stood, brushing myself off angrily, and watched as it was carried from the room.

And their grandmother can't stand for long."

I excused myself, smiling outwardly, but inside feeling like a fool. Obviously I had been invited to the White House to be sport for some game. I reached for my coat, to find that it had been taken.

I turned back to the President.

"Their grandfather doesn't like the cold."

I wanted to shout, "that was my coat!" But again, I looked at the placid smiling face of my host and decided I was being a poor sport. I spread my hands helplessly and chuckled.

Then I felt my hip pocket and realized my wallet was gone. I excused myself and walked to a phone on an elegant side table.

I learned shortly that my credit cards had been maxed out, my bank accounts emptied, my retirement and equity portfolios had vanished, and my wife had been thrown out of our home.

Apparently, the waiters and their families were moving in. The President hadn't moved or spoken as I learned all this, but finally I lowered the phone into its cradle and turned to face him.

"Andrew's whole family has made bad financial decisions. They haven't planned for retirement and they need a house. They recently defaulted on a subprime mortgage. I told them they could have your home. They need it more than you do."

My hands were shaking. I felt faint I stumbled back to the table and knelt on the floor.

The President cheerfully cut his meat, ate his steak, and drank his wine. I lowered my eyes and stared at the small grey circles on the tablecloth that were water drops.

"By the way," he added, "I have just signed an Executive Order nationalizing your factories.

I'm firing you as head of your business. I'll be operating the firm now for the benefit of all mankind.

There's a whole bunch of Erics and Andrews out there and they can't come to you for jobs groveling like beggars...we need to spread YOUR wealth around..."

I looked up. The President dropped his spoon into the empty ramekin which had been his crème Brule.

He drained the last drops of his wine. As the table was cleared, he lit a cigarette and leaned back in his chair.

He stared at me. I clung to the edge of the table as if it were a ledge and I were a man hanging over an abyss.

I thought of the years behind me, of the life I had lived. The life I had earned with a lifetime of work, risk and struggle.

Why was I punished? How had I allowed it to be taken? What game had I played and lost? I looked across the table and noticed with some surprise that there was no game board between us.

What had I done wrong?

As if answering the unspoken thought, President Obama suddenly cocked his head, locked his empty eyes to mine, and bared a million teeth, chuckling wryly as he folded his hands.

"You should have stopped me at the dinner roll," he said.

It's A Religious Opinion

2009-11-15T12:08:00.000-08:00

It could be easy for me to give any excuse as to why I haven't posted anything new for awhile. For the last few months I simply haven't had the desire to give my opinion in written form, but in person, that is another thing. =)
For the last few years I have continued to define who I am and what my opinions are. Like anyone, I continue to evolve and expand in all areas of my life. However, there are still quite a few things that I wonder about and that I just can't find answers to. Personally it is hard for me to just "wait" to ask God about when I am in heaven. So I am asking for your help for your opinion. Let me know if I am on the right track or maybe if I am simply just thinking too deeply. Soooo.... Here we go...

WARNING - WARNING - DEEP THINKING AHEAD

I am going to start with proclaiming my faith in Jesus. For me this is not an arguable issue. No one will sway me into believing that there isn't a heaven or hell or a God or a Devil. So I am going to assume that we all agree that Jesus, God, heaven and hell all exist.
There is good and bad. There is God and the devil. Since Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth because he wanted to be God, wouldn't you assume that his urge to be Him still exists? Do you think his desire to be like God or be God would just simply go away? Do you think that Satan was or still is a bit ticked off that he was kicked out of heaven? God created man for His pleasure. He created us to worship Him. Satan knows this, don't you think? Do you think that Satan would be a little peeved at this? So I just had to ask myself, "If I was Satan, what would I do?" Yeah yeah.. sounds strange. But think about it. Do you think it is possible that Satan decided to try and mislead every human being as possible? How would he do this? Could it be by having humans create other religions? A lot of people have thought that "alternative" religions were created by man in attempt to search for God. Some have even gone so far as to say that "all" religions lead to God. Now I will be absolutely clear... I am not a universalist. But couldn't it be possible that these "alternative" religions were placed on the minds of people by Satan?

Because Satan was so absolutely ticked off at God, do you think that he would go to the ends of the earth coming up with ways to steal as many people away from God as possible?

Think about all of the religions of the world: Islam, Jehovah Witnesses, The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints, Wikka, Budhism, and Hinduism. These are just to name of few. What is in common with all of these? They all believe that Jesus was a great philospher and human being. What is the fastest growing religion in the world? Islam. Why do you think this is? To me, I see Islam as the perfect alternative to Christianity. What better way for Satan to steal the hearts of so many? Islam is the perfect vehicle for Satan to lead so many to hell. Do you think that is mean? Why do you think there is so much hatred between the two religions if this weren't the case? I am not saying that every person who is a follower of these religions are bad people or are evil, but that doesn't mean that their religion is evil. These two things are completely different.

Most people go on with their life and don't think of the ways that Satan is intertwined with this earth and our society. There is a constant battle...a spiritual battle going on. Do you think that Satan's hands...or claws... are in the support of political correctness? Or how about Hollywood? Or how about our music industry? How about.... our churches on street corners? Hmmmm... Something to think about? Don't think that this is true? Because so many believe that the Bible is outdated, homosexuality and other sins are accepted in some churches. Still don't see it that way? Why do you think there is so much bickering between denominations within the church? What about the attack in our public schools? Why can't kids wear a shirt at school that says "Jesus Saves" but another kid can wear a shirt that has a cross on it that is crossed out and has the words written at the top, "Evil Religion"?

I realize that to some I could be coming across as a religious conspiracy theorist. No... if that was the case I would get rid of every secular CD that I own or every movie that has premarital sex or murder in it. The point is... why is it so hard for someone to believe that Satan is more involved in our every day life than what was previously believed? Why do you think the Bible tells us to put on the Full Armor of God if we weren't going to battle for our lives... literally... on a daily basis?

So the question is... what can we do about it? How do we reach out to those who disagree with Christianity? How do we walk the line of Christianity without turning away those who are on the fence?

My Realtor

2009-09-13T08:32:00.000-07:00

I have a wonderful realtor. He is just a natural salesman! You should hear him when he gets going and reads what is on his mind! One day he stopped in one evening to try to sell me a house. This is what he said, "Justin, I want you to trust me. I have a house for you that I know that you will love. It is a nice big house with adequate living space that I think you will just love! It is just the size that you need... I just know it!" He then said, "On top of that Justin, I have built it myself... Well actually the construction hasn't started yet. I have my team of contractors that haven't successfully built anything recently. Once it passes the inspection phase I know that it will be MUCH better than other builders... my competition."

So you can probably see that I was pretty pumped! This guy has only been my realtor for 9 months and already he is saying he is looking out for me and wanting to build me a house even though he has little to no experience in that area... This guy must be looking out for me right?

Anyways... he continues talking to me saying, "Justin, no matter what you say, even if you disagree with me, you need to buy this house from me. I am determined to get you this house even though you and your family have told me that you don't want it. You tell me that you don't trust me, but I am asking you to trust me with this. Besides... you can't handle it yourself... You need me! Even though 80% of your family is completely satisfied with your current house I REALLY want you to consider moving into my house! There will be long hallways with really large rooms. You will have a basement where people off the street can come in and live with you. You will have a back yard where people can just come and hang out...at your expense!"

At this point I had to tell him that he was a liar! I called him out on this, but he just told me that I was wrong and that he wasn't a liar. My neighbors were overhearing this and they thought that I was rude for calling my realtor out like that! (I later learned that they were wanting to kick me out of the neighborhood because of this.)

After I said this, he said, "Justin, I know that there are a lot of specific details that need ironed out, but trust me on this... you will love it!"

In the past, he has given me blue prints of a house but then he threw those away. Then he had another set and then threw those away. So right now I know that he doesn't really have a plan for this house.. just ideas! He then told me, "Justin, on top of that, this house you won't add anything to your debt. The house costs $90,000 dollars. I know it isn't money that you have but I won't let you buy it unless you are able to pay for it. What I recommend you to do is stop paying your car loan and your credit card bills because we know that is going into the crapper anyways and use that money to pay for your $90,000 house! You see Justin, you will have a balanced budget! You are swapping your payments from your $90,000 in car loan and credit card debt and just paying on a $90,000 new house! See how easy that is?"

Well... the point of this story is that someone who thinks they know me, my family, and my neighbors, thinks that my family and the rest of my neighborhood needs a better home. He is hoping that the rest of the neighborhood will stop on the side of the highway and pick up the homeless person off the street and put them up in our basement and take care of them... at our own expense.

So far my realtor hasn't proven to me that he can do a sufficient job in handling his current affairs. He has already broken promises. When I tell him I disagree with his past decisions I am told that I don't understand good business and that I should either agree with his decisions and proposals or come up with a better solution. I recommend that I just want to stay in my current home for right now, as we plan for a different solution. I tell him that I don't want to be pressured into making a decision right now especially since it will be 4 years until my house is going to complete.

This is what I am afraid of... I am afraid of promises that can't be kept. There isn't a blueprint ready to be approved by the architects. All I am hearing is a promise after a promise.

I am afraid that my new house will be something else entirely than what he promises me because so far he has absolutely nothing to show me that he is true to his word. I am afraid that the house will turn out to be this:

If you haven't picked up on it yet, my realtor is Obama.

A Friend's Blog Giveaway

2009-08-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

I know it is kinda short notice, because the entry for this blog giveaway actually ends today! One of my friends, Amy is giving away on her blog a heart rate monitor!!! If you are into working out like I am, you know that you can't work out without a heart rate monitor!! Check out her blog at: http://www.dustyandamy.com/
Remember it ends today!

First Pitch Breakdown

2009-07-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

Are these people serious?

2009-07-17T10:29:00.000-07:00

When I was younger, I used to be like so many other people and think that politics was boring. However, these last few months, I have often wondered if a lot of our politicians are comedians. Of course, when I think this, I wake up to reality and know that this could be the furthest thing from the truth. Today I just have to point out some of the the comical things that have occured these last few weeks. The one person who has grabbed my attention is Barbara Boxer. Watch these videos and see what I mean.

I can't believe that this woman treated a highly respected general like this. Anyone else find this appalling? This seriously makes my stomach hurt.

I found this next video on YouTube. I just wish that this would have been the way General Michael Walsh would have responded to Boxer.

Just the other day, Boxer was accused by an African-American Chamber CEO as using racism in her argument. Boxer was caught red handed!!

I LOVE THIS GUY!!! He put Boxer in her place!! When he is speaking at the end, you can hear Boxer talking in the background completely ignoring anything he is saying. The point is, Boxer assumed wrong when she thought that she could get away with using this person's race to get him to agree with her.

Lastly... My favorite quote recently just happened yesterday. Here is the quote:

“Now, people when I say that look at me and say, ‘What are you talking about, Joe? You’re telling me we have to go spend money to keep from going bankrupt? The answer is yes, that's what I’m telling you.”

Who said this? Our VP, Joe Biden! Does anyone else find this disturbing?

A Sign of.....Change?

2009-06-23T07:57:00.000-07:00

I have been very quiet these last few months since Obama was elected. It is true that I have been extemely busy, but also I have just been sitting back and taking everything in. I am just watching and waiting to see what happens next.

Obama's overall approval rating is still in the 50 percent range, but it is gradually declining. It could possibly just be the normal shift in support after the first few months of having a new man in charge or it could be something else entirely. I am sick and tired of the conservatives being so darn quiet. I am a conservative first over any claim to an individual party. It is too late to say, "I told you so," because this man is already in office. It pains me to think that there were so many warning signs during the election process showing how much Obama really is a socialist, but it was quickly overlooked or dismissed.

When the "s" word (and yes, I mean socialist not the other "s" word) is used to describe Obama, many people laugh or are disgusted at the suggestion. The common explanation is that Obama is not a socialist but just doing whatever he can to fix the mess that Bush left us. Whenever a president can force a CEO out of his position, we have issues. Whenever a president can attempt to regulate pay of banking officials, we have issues. Whenever a news network like ABC goes to the White House to assist Obama in making a case for one of his positions, we have issues.
Universal Healthcare should be the last thing on our minds right now during this recession. Nancy Pelosi says that healthcare for all is the biggest priority for us. Early cost estimates of healthcare is in the $1 trillion area. Why is this the top priority?

We shouldn't be talking about things that will cause taxes to rise... we need cuts! We need cuts in spending and also in taxes. Oh yes, we saw interest rates go down to 4.625% for a 30 year mortgage in the Spring, but they are back up to 5.625%. Sure we saw gas prices drop to $1.40 in the Spring, but they are back up to $2.50 or higher depending on where you live. The honeymoon is over and sadly I want a divorce. I got into this "arranged marriage" despite my objection but I am stuck.

Early projections of interest rates for mortgages are estimated to be between 7 and 8% by the end of the year!! Because the government has decided to print money so quickly, there will be no other choice but to increase interest rates. That will once again hault any improvement that we have seen in the housing market these last few months.

Sadly..... it has only just begun.....

Swamped

2009-06-19T17:06:00.001-07:00

I did it again... I haven't blogged in over a month! I didn't do this intentionally. I just haven't found any spare time to log on and blog. So this is what I have been up to. When I haven't been working (which I have been doing a lot of), I have been working out (once again, something I have been doing a lot of), and spending some really good quality time with Alyson. We just got back from a wonderful trip to Chicago where Alyson had major surgery done. If you haven't read about it yet, check out her Blog. The reason for working out so much is because I have found a new hobby that I absolutely love!! Triathlons! I never knew that I could actually enjoy something so much. I am almost on the verge of saying that I enjoy doing more than basketball. For those who didn't know me prior to six years ago and even prior to Alyson, I felt like that basketball was my life!

These last few years I have played in some basketball leagues but I have been thoroughly disappointed with the quality of the players. I would get sick of ball hogs or people who thought they could really play but were just all out awful! Triathlons are for the individual athlete. You can train with other people or by yourself but ultimately your results are solely up to you. I will admit that I am not the best... yet, but it is so much fun! If you don't know what a triathlon is, it is a multisport event. You swim, bike ride, and then run. There are so many different lengths of triathlons that you can choose from, for instance, you have the sprint, olympic, half ironman, and then ironman. The distances for each sport are longer as you move from a sprint to an ironman.

When doing a triathlon you want to make sure that it is a USAT mandated event. This just means that they are following the rules and safety measures set by the USAT. To race, you need to either buy a year membership or a temporary membership.

One thing about this sport is that it could be very expensive. You need a good bicycle, a good pair of running shoes, triathlon shorts (they are like bicycle shorts but with a thinner pad in the middle to make it easier to run), and so much more. You could get by with these basic things, but if you truly are planning on competing, you want to buy better quality of stuff.

Here is an example of an incredible triathlon bike. This bike is reasonably priced at $2400!! I would love to have this bike, but I am doing just fine with the nice Fuji bike I bought off of Craigslist. Because I am so tall I have a limited selection of the bikes that I can buy. Fuji, the brand below, makes bikes large enough for me. These bikes are designed for triathlons. You can tell when a bike is a tri bike when you look at the handlebars. They aren't you typical handlebars like you would see on a regular mountain bike or race bike.

Here is a picture of the kind of shoes that I want to buy for myself. They are made by Zoot Sports. When doing a triathlon, right after you are done swimming, you are running to the area where you transition to the bike part of the race. You want to minimize the time transitioning so you don't have time to dry off or anything. These shoes, which can be bought for $110 are running shoes that you can wear without socks and while wet. These shoes have little holes in the soles that allow for water to drain out and also have a zip string instead of shoe laces so you don't have to bother tying your shoes laces.

Of course you can't forget to race or train without a trusty heart monitor. You need one of these to be able to see how hard you can push yourself.

A bicycle helmet is required in races but that is a boring picture. =)
I have only done one triathlon, but everyone who has done one is absolutely correct when they say it is very addicting. I believe I have found the sport that I will be involved in for the rest of my life. Because training is such a mandatory thing for these races, it is easily to stay motivated to stay in shape and continue to train. I started training for my May triathlon back in November, right after Thanksgiving. When I first started, my waist size was back and forth between 42 and 44 inches and I weighed 280 pounds. Since then I have dropped about 40 pounds and now down to a 36 inch waist. It is true, what they say, that it is absolutely amazing what you can accomplish once you put your mind to it.

I finished at the middle of the pack in my first triathlon so I know that I only can improve.

All you can do is tri...

Pppprrrrroooo Life

2009-05-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

I honestly thought I would never see the day.... based on how it seems that our country is becoming even more liberal!! In a recent Gallop Poll, the majority of Americans were found to be pro-life! I have never fully thought polls to be accurate unless it was a huge difference. A 9% difference is pretty substantial! When you factor in the margin of error, no matter how you look at it, it is safe to determine that the majority of Americans do feel this way.

Gallop stated that this is the first time there has been this shift since Gallop first started tracking this polling questiong in 1996. Just look at the huge shift since then!!

Here is a breakdown of the position people have on whether or not abortion should be legal in any any or certain or no circumstances.

There are many more graphs from this poll topic found on Gallop's website, if you are interested. They also broke it down along party lines.

I have always been pro-life, but ever since we lost Jonathan last year, I have been even more vocal about it. There are so many parents who would love to father or mother a child. To willingly abort a child merely because they don't want to deal with parenthood or think it will be a hastle is just outright selfish. So far I have not come across any one who has lost a child during their pregnancy who is pro-choice. What is amazing to me is if the majority of Americans are pro-life, why did the majority of Americans vote for our beloved president? (This is one of those questions I always ask myself along with the question on how this president has a 66% approval rating?)

This made my day! I just had to take a time out to blog about it!

Blah Blah Blah!!!

2009-05-14T18:58:00.000-07:00

Today I read an interesting article at bloomberg.com. It was titled: Obama Says U.S. Long-Term Debt Load ‘Unsustainable’. Here is what Obama said, "We can’t keep on just borrowing from China. We have to pay interest on that debt, and that means we are mortgaging our children’s future with more and more debt.” Whatever happened to Obama sending his Secretary of State, Clinton to China to convince China to buy even more of our debt?? He then proceeded to say that those who are holding US debt will get tired of "buying it," which will cause interest rates to rise on auto and home loans. Did this just occur to him??

I didn't realize that Obama was a comedian!!! This is EXACTLY what conservatives were saying on the hated evil cable news network, Fox News! Do you remember what the response was by those who supported Obama's spending? Conservatives were called blockers of progess. They were told to be quiet unless they had their own ideas. Conservatives had their own ideas, but were silenced because it wasn't supported by the dems.

The funny thing (something the article pointed out) is that Obama recommended to cut a whopping $17 billion from the current budget! But another thing that the article points out is that Obama has proposed over $80 billion in NEW spending... President Obama, it is just a little toooooo late to be saying this isn't it? Unless he is trying to get the media to report and to have fickle citizens to believe that it is time to raise taxes even more! It seems that Obama is positioning himself where he will basically be begged to increase taxes on the wealthy and everything else that can be taxed...

Every day I keep asking myself.... How does this guy have 66% approval ratings and people can't see that he is the cause of the risk that he is speaking of???

Healthcare Torture

2009-05-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

Smokers, Drinkers, and Coca-Cola drinkers... What do they all have in common? They all could be our universal healthcare funders! Do you think this is a good idea or a bad idea? What is my opinion? I think it is a bad idea! Not for the obvious reason that I completely disagree with universal healthcare, but because it doesn't make sense for these people to pay for it. Here is why... smokers and drinkers already pay a hefty penny in taxes. If smokers, drinkers and coke drinks are going to be the main source of funding, what do you think is going to happen to the taxes for these things? Go up! Do you think that this might cause people to quick smoking or drinking? There is a good chance they would if the taxes are absolutely too high. Obviously it really depends on how addicted people are to them as well! Here is what is really ironic... These things are considered by many as a main cause of cancer and many other health issues.

So here is a scenario for you to pick apart... Let's say I am a smoker and I have been for 10 years. I smoke 3 packs a day. After work I also go the the bar each night and have a quite a few Jack and Cokes, then I always go home and continue to drink a six pack of Miller Chills. I go to my yearly physical checkup, on the government's tab, and the doctor says, "You need to quit smoking right away because there are a couple of spots on your lungs." What am I going to do? Well, I am going to quit drinking and smoking and go to rehab, again on the government tab. What happens? The government just lost a funder of their beloved universal healthcare! Does this really make that much sense to you?

Happy Mother's Day Alyson!

2009-05-10T17:43:00.000-07:00

Typically I like to write about politics or something else that gets my attention.... Today, Mother's Day, is special. I typically don't even blog about my personal life or daily happenings of my life... But today is a special day. I am sure that everyone who reads my blog follows my wife's blog as well, so you probably at least aware of our life events these last few months.

I admire Alyson so much. A man obviously experiences emotion and sadness, but for some reason God created man to handle things and think about things differently. You might have heard about the analogy that men think in boxes while women have spaghetti brains, meaning that men think about one thing at a time while women's thoughts are intertwined and think about multiple things at once. I know this because Alyson always has two things on her mind, our precious son Jonathan and having another baby. I admire my wife.... Every morning she wakes up and takes a step forward. She focuses on the future... our family.... our dreams... our future...

I want to be a father of a child on this earth more than anything..... except for one thing.... Alyson to be a mother. One conversation that I remember when we were dating was about our individual dreams to be parents. We talked about names and about how many children we wanted. Being a mother has been Alyson's dream ever since she was a little girl. When I fell in love with Alyson I promised her that I would provide for her.... that I would always be there for her... making her dreams come true. It kills me that in everything that we have been through I can't fix or I can't make even a little better... Sure I know that is the man... the husband in me saying that, but that is how I feel. I view myself as a problem solver and I don't like having a problem that I can't find an answer to. I hate not having an earthly remedy for what we are going through.

These last few months have been a struggle. I feel like we are going through a dark tunnel but there is no end in sight... Do you know what keeps me going, beside my trust or sometimes just hope in God that He knows what He is doing? Alyson! When I hold her hand or hug her... I am no longer afraid of the dark. I get the strength to move forward because I know that I have a responsibility to guide my wife through the end of this tunnel to where we can see sunshine.... So when I think that I need to be the one who gives strength to Alyson or give her encouragement.... it is actually she who gives it to me. She gives me the strength to....... give her the strength. Is this just what marriage is supposed to be like? Is this what love is supposed to be like? I think..... yes!

Our future has so far turned out a little differently then we had planned... I remember telling Alyson all of those years back that I wanted to have four children.... Little did I know that I would have four children, but Alyson still not having a chance to experience motherhood.

So on this special day.... this good day but yet a day full of sorrow... I will be there for my lovely wife just as she is there for me. We will seek God together... We ultimately get our strength from our loving Father! Thankfully we don't have to rely upon just each other or an earthly remedy. God is our remedy.

Alyson... I love you... I adore you... I am here for you... I will always be here for you....

Happy Mother's Day, my love.

Back in Action...... I think =)

2009-05-05T19:21:00.001-07:00

Thank you for all of the responses and emails in regards to my last post. I am hoping that I am back in action, but I think I should probably become a little more regular in my postings before I can officially say that I am back from my nice little vacation from blogging. =)

So what has hit my nerve today for me to be once again blog? The answer is an article I read in the Washington Times. Here is the title: Homeland agency pulled back extremism dictionary. So here is a quick review. The Department of Homeland Security decided to put together a so-called dictionary of definitions of those who fit the extremists profile. Who made the list you might be asking?? Well, right-wing extremists! Granted, there are extremists who are right wing, but the specific definition that was used to define these extremists is: someone who is against abortion or for border enforcement. To be fair, the list did include left-wing extremists. Their definition was: is described as someone who opposes war or is dedicated to environmental and animal rights causes.

What did the report say about who fit the definition of anti-immigration? "They may have been known to advocate or engage in criminal activity and plot acts of violence and terrorism to advance their extremist goals. They are highly critical of the U.S. government's response to illegal immigration and oppose government programs that are designed to extend 'rights' to illegal aliens, such as issuing driver's licenses or national identification cards and providing in-state tuition, medical benefits, or public education." Bear with me for one moment.... look at the title of "anti-immigration" and then look at the definition.... Shouldn't it be called" anti-"illegal" immigration?" Okay... well maybe that just bothers me and no one else.

The next thing I want to point out is the sentence that says, "They may have been known to advocate or engage in criminal activity..." It doesn't say "they have" or "they are" or anything like that... they just simply say, "they may". They leave the definition wide open to include people like................... me. Seriously... take a look at the definition once more but take away the first sentence only. This definition defines me perfectly! So, according to the government, I am a right-wing extremist! Guess I won't ever be able to work on Obama's staff, huh? I better be careful because my blog is now being monitored because I am using the words "right-wing extremists."

Lastly, what really cracks me up is the statement by the Homeland Security spokeswoman who said, "This product is not, nor was it ever, in operational use." Yeah.... that is suppose to make me feel muuuuuccchhhh better. If something like this was never intended to be used, like the rest of the article indicates, then why develop these definitions in the first place? If that is the case why are these suits sitting around their 1,200 foot conference room table coming up with these ideas and issuing the order to have their analysts come up with these reports if they were never "intended" to be used?

That's all for today!

Signed:

Your faithful right-wing extremist blogger - bigguy-biggeropinions

p.s. to the homeland security officials now monitoring my blog.... I am only kidding about that last "extremists" comment... I think you should be concentrating more on the bigger fish that need frying! =)

Burned Out

2009-04-25T17:01:00.001-07:00

So... Here I am once again behind on my blogging. I was just told today that I haven't blogged for a month! Honestly, I just haven't been in the mood to. I have been a little burned out recently with all of the world events. My excuse is once again that I am swamped with work. Anyone else feel this way? I would love to hear from you. I don't have a clue how many people read my blog when I was blogging more frequently, but I am assuming that in my absence, whatever that number was, has dropped off considerably. So those of you who read my blog, I would love to see what you are thinking or feeling.
What are your thoughts about choices made by our government? What do you think about Obama releasing "some" information about the workings of the CIA? What do you think about Obama forcing the CEO to step down from GM? What do you think of Obama refusing to let banks pay back TARP money? What are your thoughts about the Tea Parties? What do you think of the criticism of the people involved in these Tea Parties?
I am not going to make this a conversation unless you ask me for my opinion, so if you think that your opinion will be in opposition of mine, please post it! I would be dumb to never listen to other opinions. Isn't that how we get our opinions developed in the first place through education and learning from others? I am just attempting to grasp what other people are thinking out there. Are you frustrated? Or are you satisfied? Or perhaps you could careless and don't have your mind made up yet.

If you don't want to post your opinion, please feel free to email me at:
bigguybiggeropinions@gmail.com

Hopefully I will hear from you soon!

I promise... I will be posting again VERY soon!

Frustration

2009-03-25T18:17:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.... I haven't blogged in a long time! What is my excuse you ask? Well, to be honest, I have been so frustrated by what I see in the news and by what our government is doing that I just haven't really wanted to blog. Do you know the feeling of knowing that you are right about something and just don't understand how anyone could believe something different than you? That is how I have been feeling for the last couple of months.

These are just a few questions I am trying to find answers to:
1. How can so many people blindly follow the leaders of our government?
2. How can so many people truly think that more spending is going to fix our problems?
3. How can so many people think that bigger government is the answer?
4. Why is everyone blaming the likes of AIG and so many other companies for the crisis we are in when this recession is hurting the global economy?
5. Why isn't anyone blaming credit card companies for charging compounding interest rates and on top of that have the capability to increase those rates at anytime? Talk about "predatory" lending by mortgage companies, where are the claims of predatory lending by credit card companies?

As you can tell I have a lot on my mind! Can anyone help me out with these questions? I am open to suggestions and answers! As most of you probably know, I work in the lending industry, so I follow all of the events about my industry very closely. I have constantly been hearing about how banks are not lending or that they have just started lending a little bit more. It is Obama's plan to buy "toxic" mortgage assets from banks to "allow banks to lend more!" Please hear it from me... banks are truly lending!! You just have to be current on your current mortgage, have low debt, have provable income, and have decent credit! Banks are swamped with doing loans for people that meet this criteria. So, when I hear that banks aren't lending or that Obama and the Treasury Department want to have banks lend a lot more, I can only come to one conclusion, that they want banks to once again do loans for people who are "risky" customers. So... the cycle begins again!! Once banks start taking risks again, and the customers stop paying their mortgage, no one is going to remember that the government encouraged banks to lend more, they are just going to remember that the banks did these "risky" loans in the first place! Make any sense to you? It is the exact same thing that happened that got us into this mess in the first place!

A Little Humor

2009-03-08T19:37:00.001-07:00

When I watch the news, I get absolutely tired and worn out from hearing all of the negative news about the economy and job less and it goes on and on. It seems like there is a pretty good chance that things are going to get a lot worse before they get any better.
In the meantime all we can do is pray........and.....try to find humor wherever we can find it! Ever wonder what all of the big name companies are going to look like once this crisis is over?

Well... Here is a pretty good idea.

Keith Olbermann

2009-02-28T14:23:00.000-08:00

There have been so many things that I wish that I had time to blog about. I watched Obama's speech the other night... Needless to say, I wasn't impressed at all. Did anyone else feel like that? Did it seem like the same ol' promises from his election? First let me say that I do think that Obama is a great speech giver, besides the fact that he can never take his eyes off his script...except when he says, "I get it."

Just after the speech I had an idea... President Obama stated that we will all need to make sacrifices to get through these hard times, himself included. That gave me the idea that Obama should volunteer to give up his salary until this recession is over. I would completely respect him if he did that. That, my friends, is leading by example. One of my friends suggested that Bush should give up his pension because this recession is all his fault. I seriously had to chuckle at that thought. I am tired of hearing that everything that has happened these last few years is all his fault! Nobody talks about Bush and the Republicans tried to regulate Fannie and Freddie and subprime lending. In the 90's and the beginning of this decade, the Republicans tried to tighten guidelines on "subprime" people. Do you know what happened? They were called racist!

Barney Frank and Chris Dodd are a couple of people we can point fingers at for not regulating the subprime market. I have often stated that I hate hearing about the banks being the only ones blamed for this crisis. Finally there is some fighting back! I saw a headline this morning from Politico, Bankers to Obama: Stop trashing us. Did banks take risks on investments? Sure they did. But most banks didn't originate a ton of subprime loans themselves. As this article suggested, the majority were done by brokers. For instance, Countrywide was the largest lender in the U.S. At the time I worked there, 1 in 4 homes had Countrywide mortgages! A whopping 25%!!! Get this... Less than 3% of their portfolio, that they originated themselves were subprime!

Okay... change of topic... the topic that is in my subject line, because I know that most of your eyes are glazing over now. After Obama's speech, Lousianna's governor, Jindal, gave the Republican response. On MSNBC, Keith Olbermann said something that really ticked me off. I don't know why MSNBC still has this guy working for them!

Just as he was waiting for Jindal to walk onto the podium, he whispered, "Oh God" under his breath...

What a worthless..............

Already Breaking Promises

2009-02-17T19:34:00.000-08:00

Do you what sickens me the most about this big spending bill that was just passed today? No one really knows what is in it. Did you know that some congressman and senators didn't even have a chance to look through the bill before they signed it? No... I am serious!
Sure the news has reported a little bit of details here and there but how much do we actually know about what is in the bill? Nearly $900 billion dollars is being spent and on what?? Government building! You might being tired of hearing this and might even being wanting to click to another blog by now... But doesn't it concern you at all about what is being done?
First the Republicans were trying to allow the public to view the bill for 48 hours prior to it being voted on, but the Dems didn't allow it. Do you think that Obama read through the bill before he signed it?

Watch this video. You can watch the whole thing, but first fast forward to the good part starting at one minute.

So what has happened to Obama's stand against pork? What has happened to full disclosure? Today we have learned that since the negotiations of this bill started, Obama hasn't even had a chance to read through the bill himself before he signed it.

How many people have drank the kool-aid and actually think that this spending bill will actually work? If you think it will work, I respect your opinion, but would like to ask you one question... How do you know it will work? Because the news says so? Or is it because politicians say so? Since the majority of our representatives haven't read the bill and heck...even President Obama hasn't read it, how do they know it will work? Honestly, we really don't know what is completely in this bill, and unfortunately, we are going to be paying for it for a very...very...very long time!

Stimulus Hate

2009-02-10T18:30:00.000-08:00

I am sure that we are all tired of hearing about the economy... I know that I sure am! I get sick up flipping on the television and hearing about all of the job losses. It just doesn't seem to stop! There are new job losses each day! Today Wal-mart and General Motors announced layoffs!

So what is the answer? I don't want to make you all feel depressed about the current situation, but seriously what is the answer? Is the answer really shoveling money towards the problem? Will approximately $900 billion work this time? Well...wait.... we haven't even used the full $850 billion that was approved this fall to be used to bailout the banks!

I am still standing by my previous statement that I don't want Obama to fail, but so far I am quite displeased with nearly everything that Obama has done. Don't believe me? Let's just look at the picture below just to show an example of Obama's earlier decisions.

Last night nearly 46 million Americans watched Obama's news conference. Did anyone else think that he was...I don't know...long winded? Did anyone else think that he was a little boring to listen to? Granted, he does read better than Bush does, but he doesn't do any better when he looks away from his script. Sure Bush couldn't pronounce certain words or misspoke but Obama can't get out his thoughts fast enough. The 55 minutes of last night's news conference was just completely boring.

The main thing that disturbed me last night were little jabs at Republicans, for instance, suggesting that Republicans are "playing typical political games" since they are hesitant about voting for this "spending" bill. Obama answered one reporter's question by saying, "I can't afford to see Congress play the usual political games. What we have to do right now is deliver for the American people. Why do we need to ram this bill down our throats? On top of that, politicians are saying today that we will most likely need even more money!

So... if there is such a need to "deliver" to the American people so quickly, like Obama suggested, then why are there so many things in the bill that won't actually take effect until 2010?

A recent poll shows that Obama's approval rating around 67% while Congress is sitting at 31% (remember, Democrats hold the majority in both the House and Senate). What has Obama done to deserve such high approval ratings in his short 3 weeks in office? Please... can anyone help me on this? Please... I am begging you, because I am stumped!

Defiance Movie Review

2009-02-01T12:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday afternoon, Alyson and I went with her parents to go see Defiance! Daniel Craig is amazing in this movie. When I saw this movie, I didn't realize it was based off of a true story. These four brothers ended up leading 1200 people through the wilderness escaping the Nazi's as they were continuously hunted.

I would recommend anyone to see this movie. There is a lot of violence, but completely appropriate. The story of these Jewish families refusing to be captured and die completely touched my heart!

Smart move on Daniel Craig's part to act in other types of movies besides just the Bond films! We see a completely different side of him and his acting.

Go see the movie and let me know what you think!

Praying for our President

2009-01-20T19:18:00.000-08:00

It isn't very hard to realize that I am a big conservative...heck... I even put that in my bio below my picture. =) I watched the inauguration today and all I could think of was that I need to pray for this man. I ask that God gives this man guidance! I pray that he actually does help this country. Why would I want him to fail? If he fails, that means bad news for our country! So I refuse to be one of those people who wishes that he fails. I am not just saying this either to make sure that I come across as balanced and more moderate in my beliefs so that I don't offend anyone. I didn't vote for the man and unless he changes some of his main positions that I don't agree with him, I will even say that I don't plan on voting for him in 2012 either. Too early to say that you think? Or possibly you might think that I am naive? Not at all as long as I stick to my core Christian conservative beliefs! Sorry Obama... just because you had Rick Warren give a prayer today doesn't make think that you are trying to reach across to my side.

So... I hope that he doesn't fail but at the same time, in my opinion, conservative ideology is what's best for this country and its future. In actuality, today was a very historic day with Obama being the first African-American, President of the United States. Remember that just 50 years ago, some towns wouldn't allow an African-American to eat in their restaurants! Hats off to you Mr. President!

One last thought before I head off to bed... One thing really kind of... ticked me off today as I watched the inauguration... I don't remember the guys name, but it was the prayer that was given by this African-American pastor. Watch for yourself! You don't have to watch the whole thing, just fast forward to one minute and watch for about 30 seconds.

He says, "We ask you to help us get to the day when black does not get asked to get back, when brown stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead man, and when white will embrace what is right."

I understand that this can be taken as a joke., but I just want to make sure that I am not alone in this... If I am not mistaken, I believe the day is already here when black does not get asked to get back. Was he asking God for us to work for the day when illegal immigration is made legal? Was he really suggesting that whites don't embrace what is right? Sorry pastor... Obama couldn't have gotten elected just on the black vote. Maybe he couldn't find another word to go with white... He could have used, "when white get better sight" or "when white aren't uptight. Anyone else have problem with this or am I just alone?

Hope you all had a great day! The week is almost halfway over!!

Supporting Israel

2009-01-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

I am getting tired of hearing and seeing all of the negative press about Israel and their war with Hamas! People have said that Israelis are barbarians and many other things....why? Because they are defending themselves? One thing that the news does not regularly report is that Israel has had 7500 missiles attack them over the course of the last five years! They have put up with it! Just imagine if Mexico decided to launch missiles at Texas because they believe that Texas is still rightfully owned by the Mexicans (there are Mexican extremists who actually believe this). The U.S. wouldn't just allow this to happen, they would immediately respond!

Israel is saying enough is enough! The reason why we haven't heard of a lot of casualities in Israel these last five years is because it is mandatory for all homes to be built with bomb shelters! Israel has a right to defend itself! Some people say that there needs to be peace made through diplomacy... How do you do that when this conflict has been going on since the Old Testament? These people hate each other more than you and I could possibly ever know!

Watch this video below... This video was taken on December 30th in Florida at a anti-Israel rally!

This young woman says, "Murderer, murderer.... Go back to the oven... You need a big oven...that's what you need."

This is in the United States! I wonder if this same woman praises Allah each time a son or a daughter has explosives strapped to their bodies and blow themselves up in a school or restaurant or mall, just like so many others have done in Israel? I am afraid that there will never be "true" peace in the Middle East until Christ returns.

I have big doubts that you will ever stop this level of hate by sitting across from one another over a cup of tea.....

Well..It's About Time

2009-01-14T19:21:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy with work and everything that I haven't been able to log on to blog! This has been my schedule for the last few days:
7:20 - Wake up
8:00 - Start my day at work
11:30 - Take my lunch for 30 minutes
6:15 - Work out
7:30 -Eat Dinner
7:45 - Return to work
10:00 - Relax and watch some television
11:15 - Go to bed

I have REALLY wanted to blog, but after I work, I just don't feel like logging into the computer. I have made a commitment to not blog while I am at work. With all of that said, I feel it is time for me to FINALLY blog once again!!

What Can Change?

2008-12-30T08:15:00.000-08:00

Do you know the feeling of getting excited about something and then after a few days, that same feeling starts to diminish? Best example... New Year resolutions! You might think you are motivated to start shedding the pounds and working out regularly, but the majority of people who make resolutions don't carry them out to the next year! Why is this? Why do we get so excited and motivated about something and then our excitement cools down? Is it just human nature? Or can we somehow....change that?

Throughout my life I have had my spiritual highs and lows... You know the feeling... Being pumped up about reading the Bible and living for Christ fully but then not feeling any excitement about it at all! I know I am being brutally honest. I know that some of you might start to skim read or stop reading a blog like this when religion or even politics is written about... I know this because I have done the exact same thing. There are many times that I just don't feel like reading further because I am just not in the mood to.

Let's switch gears to gossip columns and celebrity articles. I am not saying anything negative about people who read these things, but why are there more subscriptions to these types of magazines than newspapers or news magazines? Why do most Christians read books and magazines more than they read their own Bible? What is their typical excuse? They just don't have time to read the Bible. I know this because I have said and done the exact same thing! I say I don't have time but then I read a book in a few days....

I better hurry and finish this blog before your eyes start to glaze over...

When it comes to our relationship with God, could it be an attack from Satan or could it possibly be just our natural instinct to lose motivation? I know that some people, even some Christians, don't believe in spiritual warfare, but how can there not be? If there weren't demons or Satan to try to tempt us why did Jesus come to save us? From what was He saving us from? The Bible tells us about an unseen war! Why else should we put on the Armor of God?

For me, my biggest struggle is staying "on fire" for God when times are good! It is so easy to desire to seek God when times are rough! When we lose a loved one, we are so quick to tell our other loved ones that we love them and we try to put an end to any arguments because we realize how little time we actually do have with them. But after a few months, the bickering starts all over again!

What can change so that we continue to strive to live for God, to care about others, to stop the bickering between each other, to stop worrying about what is just going on in our lives?
We are such in a fast paced society we tend to only care about ourselves.... in the long term. How can we change so that our passion remains in everything that we do and think about?

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

Recently I just haven't been in the mood to blog about my current interests, i.e. politics, sports, religion, or business. I think I could be possibly burned out from watching and reading and hearing so much bad news! I am a news junky! I like to know what is going on in this country and world. But sometimes you just need a break! You turn on the tv and you watch as the stock market tumbles. You watch as the housing market tumbles. You watch as unemployment increases! You know how the Bible recommends for us to think of good things? Well.... It is really hard to do that sometimes!
Ultimately I know that in the end everything that we are going through right now is only temporary and we will get through it. This time in our lives is only a fraction of our life! So why stress about it? On my birthday, my friend and I were driving to get some ice cream. We were chatting when I had a thought, so I of course had to share it with him. I told him that we are young. My dad is more than twice the age that I am. His adult life has been longer than I have been alive! Think of all the experiences that he has gone through! He has been through mulitple recessions and has lived through multiple wars. He remains upbeat and trusts in God fully with his life! I would be foolish not to learn from his incredible example.
As this year ends, I look back and see that this has been a year of really good highs and really cruddy lows. Ultimately I feel like that this year has just sucked! But do you know what? I have gotten through it! I have deepened my relationship with my Savior! My wife and I have grown together even more, when I didn't think it was possible, through these hardships and losses!
Even though I don't think that I should bury my head in the sand and ignore the news and not continue to educate myself with the happenings around me, I do believe it is absolutely necessary to take the time and appreciate the life that we do have!
Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and I am so excited for our Christmas Eve service! I don't remember anytime when I have ever actually wanted to go to a Christmas Eve service. I am excited about just spending time with Alyson this Christmas. During these next few days, I encourage you to not focus on your job or think about how much money you spent for Christmas presents! If this year has been just as sucky for you as it has for me, finish out this year with a bang! Take the time to tell your family that you love them and appreciate them. You know what they say.... don't forget about the true meaning of Christmas! Thank the Lord for giving his Son to us, because of that we do have hope and faith that there is a better tomorrow. We will get through these crappy times in the market and housing industry and national debt... Besides all of those things that we worry about are merely just that....... Just things!

Happy Holidays!

Arrogant

2008-12-19T08:49:00.000-08:00

There are so many things that I could blog about from this week because of all of the events around the globe. Oil below $34, Christmas tree thefts higher, Bush bailing out the automakers, Obama choosing Rick Warren to speak at his inauguration, or wait... maybe I will give my opinion about that last topic....maybe later...

I was reading today on the Drudgereport about a CNN meteorologist suggesting that the global warming theory is arrogant! Personally... I can't believe that this actually made it in the news! However, I agree with him 100%. Earlier this year, I read an article written by scientists saying that the earth has cooled in the last few years. That didn't ever make it into the mainstream media. Instead we have seen "special editions" where news reporters go to the far North documenting the ice melting. They say this is to global warming! Here is a thought... a change in the earth's orbit can cause the sun to shine down more on different parts of the earth than usual, which would change the temperature in that general location. Just because that part of the earth is warmer this year than last year, doesn't mean that the earth is actually warming.

I am not naive and will not say that man does not have a responsibility to take care of the earth. I am not a tree hugger by any means and cry out to trees because it fell down, but I do my best to recycle and do my part in not trashing the earth. I do believe that all of the resources were given to us by God for our use, i.e. oil, natural gas, water, and etc... but that means we have a responsibility to take care of it. The meteorologist, Chad Myers said, “We have 100 years worth of data, not millions of years that the world’s been around." Then on Lou Dobbs Tonight, Dr. Jay Lehr, an expert on environmental policy said, "The last 10 years have been quite cool, and right now, I think we’re going into cooling rather than warming and that should be a much greater concern for humankind. But, all we can do is adapt. It is the sun that does it, not man.”

I personally think that "man made global warming" is a complete scam. We should continue coming up with different ways to generate energy, for instance, wind power, because that is just a smart thing to do.

Steiner's Movie Review

2008-12-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Last night I went to a late showing of Day the Earth Stood Still. It was completely the opposite than what I was thinking it was going to be. This was another one of your "protect the environment" movies. Think of the movie The Happening combined with The Day After Tomorrow.
I will be honest... despite the political motivation behind The Day After Tomorrow, I actually really enjoyed that movie. The Day The Earth Stood Still story was about aliens that come to earth to save the planet. They are virtually "the earth's friend." Here these aliens have waited for centuries hoping that the human population would change and start to care about the environment, but the aliens ran out of patience. Their goal was to wipe out EVERYTHING that is man made and every human being. They say the earth is going to die if humans stay around but that the earth will survive if humans are gone.

One of the popular sayings in this movie by the alien, which was repeated by others in the movie was, "This is not your planet." This comment was in reaction to the Secretary of State's statement saying that this was our planet. The aliens unleash millions and millions of miniature flying bugs that eat through virtually everything! A football stadium vanished in the matter of seconds and the majority of Manhattan was destroyed without a trace. In The Happening, nature took out its revenge on the human race and let out a gas from plants that motivated humans to commit suicide, in Day The Earth Stood Still, aliens unleashed little bugs.

The people in the movie kept telling the alien, "We can change! Just give us a chance!" They were doing everything that they could think of to keep the aliens from protection the earth from humans. With the horrible graphics, the horrible acting by Keanu Reeves, and the horrible story, I would have to give this movie an F!

Things That Are Ridiculous...In The News

2008-12-13T13:29:00.000-08:00

Colin Powell
In a interview earlier this week, Powell said, "Gov. Palin, to some extent, pushed the party more to the right, and I think she had something of a polarizing effect when she talked about how small town values are good. Well, most of us don't live in small towns. And I was raised in the South Bronx, and there's nothing wrong with my value system from the South Bronx." Then continued on to say this about Rush Limbaugh, "Can we continue to listen to Rush Limbaugh?" Powell asked. "Is this really the kind of party that we want to be when these kinds of spokespersons seem to appeal to our lesser instincts rather than our better instincts?"
Absolutely unbelievable! After hearing Powell say these things, I believe that he is really only a Republican in name only! Why did he think it was necessary to bash both Palin and also Limbaugh? Basically what he is saying is that our better instincts should be more moderate and we should do away with our real conservative values. I respect Powell because of his service to our country, but he has made my "Things That Are Ridiculous... In The News" list this week.
Proposition 8 Musical
Some famous actors got together in the last few weeks and made a short musical showing their support of Proposition 8. Jack Black acted as Jesus and sang how the Bible is misinterpreted and how Christians pick and choose certain things to live by. I must say... This video is ABSOLUTELY ridiculous. This video shows me how Christians have done such a poor job in explaining and leading by example. It disgusts me when I see the news anchors smiles after the video.

Unique

2008-12-12T12:16:00.000-08:00

It is very unusual for me to be able to blog twice in one day, but I couldn't pass on this one. One of the blogs I have been reading regularly, moms4sarahpalin.blogspot.com posted something that I found quite.... let me just say.... interesting. During this past election, we saw quite a bit colorful art. Remember the logo for Obama? You know.. the sunrise one? Then there is one that I have seen, not just from the blog I was talking about but also in magazines. Below is a picture painted by artist, Fairey. You might think that this is a very unique painting with the colors and all.

But then let's look at one more painting...

Do you see any similar characteristics? The above painting is a Soviet Union painting of Lenin. See any comparisons?

Unions... Unions...Unions

2008-12-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

I apologize I haven't been able to blog recently this week, I work in the mortgage/banking field and have been absolutely swamped this week trying to get people locked in. I can't believe that rates are as low as 4.875% with only 1 point!!! Absolutely unbelievable! Okay.. I am getting a little sidetracked.
I am getting tired of this week's news that the "GOP caused the auto bailout from going through." Oh yes... let's point the fingers at the GOP! The GOP is the problem right? Wrong! I am seriously ticked off. It might be hard to believe, but in real life I am actually someone who likes to goof around... But there are two things that ALWAYS get me going, politics and religion! Oops.. I am getting sidetracked once again.
The GOP isn't the problem at all! The problem lies with UAW or United Auto Workers! The union absolutely refuses to allow workers' wages to be decreased at all next year! The GOP is merely asking for the union to share in the responsibility to keep the auto industry safe. Here is something very interesting... Foreign cars that are made here in the US pay their workers around $45 per hour or $93,600 per year. Because of UAW, US car makers with the US brand pay their workers around $60 per hour or $124,800. UAW is not willing to budge at all in negotiating a lower pay for workers. One part to business is that when times are rough, there are sacrifices to be made. It might mean that employees might receive a "temporary" paycut or maybe it means less paper that can be used around the office. There have to be cuts to make sure that the company remains in place.
When you or your family is going through a difficult time financially, you probably cut down on your eating out or cut down on going out to the movies. You have to cut back on "fun time" pay to help you get through those difficult times. The auto companies are going to have to make changes to their budget to get through these hard times, so it is absolutely inconceivable to expect them to make changes to every area except in wages.
Hey, I am all for people making money, but there is a reason why foreign auto makers are not in trouble. There is a reason why Wal-Mart, a no union company, is still staying profitable. So it isn't the GOP's fault at all that the auto bailout is stalled. I am morally against the bailout, but I am one who suggests that the responsibility and the sacrifice falls on everyone if the bailout does actually end up going through. Is it better to get a temporary pay cut and have a job or have no job at all because the auto company went out of business?
Unions are helping in driving some airlines and car manufacturers into the ground because of the "me" attitude. They are not willing to make any concessions when times get rough, but when times are good, "give me, give me, give me, give me!"

Things That Are Ridiculous... In The News

2008-12-06T16:13:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the first weekly edition of "Things That are Ridiculous...In the News." My goal is to bring this to you each Saturday.

Proposed Tax on Smelly Farm Animals
Because the US Supreme Court determined that "belching and flatulence" becomes air pollution, The Environmental Protection Agency is proposing a tax on ranchers who own "more than 25 dairy cows, 50 beef cattle or 200 hogs to pay an annual fee of about $175 for each dairy cow, $87.50 per head of beef cattle and $20 for each hog."
To some decent sized ranchers, the annual fee could amount to $40,000! Bruce Friedrich, a Washington spokesperson for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals said, "It makes perfect sense if you are looking for ways to cut down on meat consumption and recoup environmental losses." Since when were "we" trying to cut down on meat consumption? I know that I am not the only one who craves a big juicy burger every once in awhile! The government shouldn't try to reduce production of businesses to help encourage a change in eating habits. If this happens, you will see plenty of ranchers out of business before long.
Rhode Island and Taxing Mileage to Help Pay to Fix Better Roads
Rhode Island has said that they want to, "impose a half-cent-per-mile fee, raising an estimated $50 million per year." If Texas ever did that, do you know how many people would be screwed? A lot of people here in Texas drive over 45 miles each way to work! I understand that Rhode Island is a VERY VERY SMALL state, but what happens if this type of legislation becomes a hit with other states?

Army Trash-Talking
This isn't really ridiculous, but I just had to share it anyway. Today Army played Navy in football. At the time of this video, Army had lost to Navy 6 consecutive years. So you can see why Army would be so ticked off! Oh... by the way... Army lost again.

Judge Sends Attorney to Jail for Six Months for Using the F-Word
Oh... I am not kidding! I hardly ever swear... but six months jail time? I am not about to go into a long post about judges and some judges' overuse of their power, but this is ridiculous. Sure... I think this might justify sending someone to jail for contempt for maybe a night (depending on who it was addressed to and how it was used)... but six months? Isn't that just a little... ridicilous?

Well, that is this for this week's edition! I hope that you all have a wonderful weekend and stay warm!

My answer to the crisis

2008-12-02T15:38:00.000-08:00

So I have been asked by some what Republicans would do if they were to fix the problem themselves. I will be happy to share my opinion. =) I am going to phrase my answer by explaning what I would personally try to do.

The first thing I would do would change our tax code. It has been suggested in the past, but I would overhaul the system where we had a complete fair tax system. I would only have a sales tax. This would cause the loop hole that currently exists for so many business owners. You want to buy a million dollar property? That is great!!! But you will be paying a higher sales tax for that property. You want to buy a Lamborghini? Great!! But you will be paying higher taxes than if you just bought a KIA.

A HUGE MANSION

A NICE LAMBORGHINI
A TOP OF THE LINE KIA

There would no longer be complaints by the middle or lower class that the rich ALWAYS gets tax breaks. One great thing behind this is that even illegal immigrants would be required to pay taxes on everything they bought.

Of course there is an equation that would have to be worked out to determine what the sales tax should be to make sure there is a steady flow of tax revenue coming in. Obviously there are other holes in the system that would have to be worked out, but I don't have enough time to write about all of them.

To help fix the current problem, I would not give a dime to the auto manufacturers or to any other company to bail them out. We are a complete free market system, so you should fail if you weren't wise with your decisions. Here is what I am having a problem with right now... The Senate is asking for the 3 big auto makers to provide a explanation how they would fix their companies and use the money before they get any money. Why weren't banks given the same stipulation? Why didn't they have to show a new plan on how they were going to change their business? Instead... the government wrote them a blank check. Did you know that Bank of America told the government they were just fine and didn't need any money? The government gave them the money anyways and basically said it was mandatory. How ridiculous is that?

Here are some of my suggestions:

1. Tax incentives need to be given to companies to keep jobs here in the U.S. How many times do I call my help desk at work and I get someone in India who places me on hold for 10 minutes because they get paid the minute? Jobs need to be stimulated over here in the U.S.

2. Banks that are going to fail shouldn't receive any government intervention until they have completely failed. The government shouldn't seize a bank because they are concerned that it will fail if they don't intervene. Let the company fail first! Then guarantee the deposits of the customers.

3. Give tax breaks to banks or hedge funds to lend money or invest in the banking system. Example: Wamu received $7 billion from a hedge fund in Fort Worth in April.

4. Give tax breaks to small businesses and business start ups.

I understand that many people will be hurting if banks or auto makers fail. But the system needs to be allowed to correct itself on its own. More government intervention and more government debt will not fix anything long term. At what price are we willing to fix this immediate problem? Once we see another recession in 5-10 years, what will the government do then? We will already be trillions of dollars in debt! Already an estimated $7.4 trillion!! Are they just going to do the same thing as they are doing now?

Oldie but a Goodie!

2008-12-01T14:06:00.000-08:00

As of November 14th, 31 of 47 Obama staff positions that have already been filled had ties to the Clinton administration. Then today Obama selected Hillary to be his Secretary of State. You might think that I was serious about the title of today's blog, but if you know me, you would know that I am being completely sarcastic. So with a VP that from the old days, and having so many people from the Bill Clinton era, how will we expect change? I know... I know... My side lost the election and I need to get over it... right? I don't think so! I am actually going to join the Collin County Republican Party, so I can get involved even more than before.
As I said before I hope that Obama doesn't fail, but so far with Obama's choices, I don't see a lot of promise in a change that we can actually "believe" in.

Where's the Money??

2008-11-24T08:58:00.000-08:00

Last week I wrote about the possible bailout of the automakers, but now it is Citi! According to reuters.com, "The Treasury Department will get $24 billion of preferred shares and the FDIC $3 billion. Of the combined amount, $7 billion constitutes a fee for the government guarantees. The government will also receive warrants to buy $2.7 billion of common stock, comprising about 254 million shares at $10.61 each." Remember what I said about the government going to buy company stock? That means our government will be able to vote on company issues since they are now a shareholder. Bye bye free market! The article says it is only temporary... Ummm sure...

Because of the bad investment decisions and bad management, Citi has made its own bed. One thing I don't quite understand how does the government pick and choose who they want to help? Wamu didn't cut it, IndyMac didn't cut it, but AIG did and so did Citi. I would love to see the list of qualifications.

I don't see how people can think that throwing money at the problem will fix it! Obama and fellow democrats are suggesting a stimilus package that could exceed the $700 billion bailout. According to FT.com, "Chuck Schumer, a leading Democratic senator, predicted it could be as much as $500bn-$700bn. “It’s a little like having a new New Deal, but you have to do it before the Depression. Not after." Wait... can you believe it... I am not done. According to Bloomberg.com, our government is prepared to lend up to $7.4 trillion, that's $7,400,000,000,000 (if you didn't catch that), to rescue the financial markets!

President-elect Obama has said that he is considering a 2 year delay in any new taxes! On the service that seems like a noble thing, until you focus on the two words, "new taxes." Here is one of the significant differences between being a democrat and true republican (not a RINO, which stands for Republican In Name Only). When our economy slips, as it has, Democrats want to raise taxes or keep taxes how they are. Then a true conservative Republican's response is, "We need to cut taxes, all of them" just as Republicans in Congress have said.

The president-elect also has said that he would create 2.5 million jobs in investment in infrastructure, public service, and green technology. All of those jobs are government jobs. Who pays for all of those jobs? You and I, the taxpayer. Our government bureaucracy will be even bigger! I think John Boehner, House minority leader said it best,“I don’t think we want to empower government here and keep bureaucrats employed."

More spending, bigger government isn't the answer. We are hearing the comparisons to the Great Depression and how the government needs to respond. Just last month, two UCLA economists did a study that showed that FDR's actions caused the Great Depression to last 7 years longer than it had to. That is just something to think about.

Citizen Soldier

2008-11-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

There is this one movie theatre that we occasionally go to. Before each movie, they play this one music video by 3 Doors Down. The song is called Citizen Soldier. The video is used for a recruiting advertisement for the National Guard, but the message that is portrayed is incredible! Our nation is blessed with the men and women who represent this country and put themselves in harms way whether it is in foreign or domestic lands. When you pray, don't forget to say a quick prayer for our soldiers as well. If you run into someone who has served or is serving right now, don't shy away from giving them a smile and shaking their hand and just saying thank you.

Lyrics
Beyond the boundaries of your city's lights.
Stand the heroes waiting for your cries.
So many times you did not bring this on yourself.
When the moment finally comes, I'll be there to help.

And on that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care.
I'll be right here.

[[Chorus]]
Citizen soldiers.
Holding the light for the ones that we guide from the dark of despair.
Standing on guard for the ones that we've sheltered.
We'll always be ready because we will always be there.

When there're people crying in the streets.
When they're starving for a meal to eat.
When they simply need a place to make their beds.
Right here underneath my wing, you can rest your head.

On that day, when you need your brothers and sisters to care.
I'll be right here.

[[Chorus]]

Hope and pray, that you never need me.
The rest assured I will not let you down.
I walk beside you, but you may not see me.
The strongest among you may not wear a crown.

On the day when you need your brothers and sisters to care.
I'll be right here.
On that day when you don't have strength for the burden you bear.
I'll be right here.

[[Chorus]]

Another Bailout?

2008-11-18T13:42:00.000-08:00

Another bailout...Really? The government has really opened Pandora's box on this one! Now you have cities asking for a bailout, states, and even private companies! The really big one that has hit the news recently is the "request" by the big three auto makers to get an emergency loan.

A lot of Americans are short term minded and are only concerned about the here and the now. How far are we, as a country, willing to go to make sure that we get through the economic downturn by bailing out companies both privately and publicly owned. Thanks to Wikipedia the definition of Capitalism is the economic system in which the means of production are owned and controlled privately, for profit, rather than by a state. Companies are built daily across the nation with the business owners knowingly taking the risk that there is a chance that their company might fail or that it might succeed! When Henry Ford started the Ford Motor Company, do you think the government would have bailed him out back then if he was on the verge of shutting down? I don't think so, because at that point, the company didn't employ that many people.

The point is that companies rise and fall, and they should be allowed to do just that! I was against the $700 billion bailout and I am also against any additional bailouts. I know what you might be thinking, "Oh wait, Justin, so many people could lose their jobs if the auto industry isn't bailed out." I understand that families will suffer if there are layoffs or if you get a pay cut if you keep your job. This is coming from someone who is directly affected by the current economic situation. If the companies are on the verge of collapsing, then they ought to be allowed to collapse. The opposite is true as well, if they are thriving, don't tax them more!

America used to pride itself with the fact that it had a "free" market society. With constant intervention and constant talks of even more regulation, our free market is not so free anymore. Throwing money at the problem won't fix the problem. Today, Harry Reid said, "All it would take is one stroke of a pen and that problem would be solved. We are seeing a potential meltdown in the auto industry, with consequences that could directly impact millions of American workers and cause further devastation to our economy."

Sorry Harry, writing a check won't solve anything long term. Sure it might be a band-aid, but you aren't cleaning the wound and sewing it up to ensure that it heals properly. Any kind of sudden movements or any kind of scratching at the wound could tear the band-aid right off and the bleeding starts all over again.

We all want to be considered a patriot. When you think of our soldiers going off to Iraq or any place else, you think of patriotism. When our country united together after 9/11, you think of patriotism. Patriotism is showing the love and devotion to one's country. Soldiers that are being shipped off to Iraq are thinking of only their country! They are leaving their family and friends behind because of their patriotism. Biden said that paying more taxes was patriotism... I don't agree with that at all. However, I consider myself a patriot because I am devoted to this country and I love it! I want it to succeed how the founders wanted it to! So why am I against the bailout of the banking and auto industries? Why am I against bailing out private and public companies? Because of the love for my country!

I would much rather suffer through these next few months knowing that the future of this nation remained intact, rather than see the government take our tax paying money and pick and choose which companies they think should succeed or fail or take our money and buy stocks in lower performing companies. Don't you see that because of this, the government would have part ownership in these public companies? Say goodbye to free markets. These politicians are thinking only in the short term (2-3 years). They are doing what they can to fix the immediate problem. Notice how these recessions are getting closer and closer together in years? Until they actual sew up the wound and allow it to heal, we are going to continue to see this cycle. Sure we won't have layoffs in 2009 or 2010, but what will happen in 2011? Even though we might see massive layoffs, if companies were allowed to fail, it would be better for our country in the long run and benefit us more in the long run if we allowed companies to rebuild themselves.

We will be better and stronger for it!

A Change of Scenery

2008-11-16T13:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the new blog of Justin Steiner! I will still keep my old blog jpsteiner40.blogspot.com up and running, but I won't be making any new posts there, at least not in the near future. One of my friends put a link to my blog on his and the title was, "Big Guy - Bigger Opinions." So that is where I get the name of my blog from. Just a little insight for you!

My wife does such a phenomenal job keeping everyone updated about the happenings of our life and family, I decided to change up my blog... just a little. Everyone thinks that their opinions are important right? I definitely think so! So here, at Big Guy - Bigger Opinions, you will find insights for you... you name it, politics, economics, business, movies, religion, heck, I will even venture into conspiracy theories! (no... don't think I am a conspiracy theorist, because I am far from that) If you are curious as to what I think about something, drop me a comment and I will be happy to think about it and give my opinion.

Just to give a quick explanation to who I am... I am a Christian, family man, conservative republican (there is a difference), businessman, pro-lifer, support our troops guy, reader, movie watcher, sports watcher, political junkie, and a proud self-proclaimed nerd (I didn't used to be this way).

I value the friends I have and never hold grudges against those who don't believe the same beliefs that I do. I think it is important to debate ideas (friendly debate of course) so that you can grow stronger in your beliefs. So if you don't agree with me, I would love to learn why! Who knows, maybe I will be swayed. =)