Relax and think of a cool mountain stream

Over your morning bowl of buttered stone ground grits and pressed Cuban toast with a dab of guava jelly. A chilled navel orange pulled into wedges along with a Ruskin tomato halved and quartered then rolled in black pepper. One poached egg, two prunes, and three strips of bacon side by each drizzled with wild flower honey. Farm raised catfish dusted in cornmeal and lightly fried, which sits by a cup of fresh brewed coffee. And these breakfast thoughts.

(Okay, it’s no Tom McEwen)

Things have been thick and heavy lately so let’s have some fun, and lighten things up a bit and straighten out our government along the way. But first, I want to address this.

Our congress just earmarked millions of our dollars for worthless grants and pork projects to take home to their constituents. Or in Senator Obama case, for his wife and a military contractor with close ties to a major fundraiser.

The Good Senator back in 2006, requested $1 million in federal funding (code word for our money) for a new pavilion at the University of Chicago Hospital, where his wife just happened to be the vice president at the time. The million was not passed, boo-ho, but the request was made.

Another Obama request was for a military contractor to fund “High Explosive Air Burst Technology” to the tune of $8 million dollars….A military contractor?... From the candidate who hates war?.... This is where war and liberals become strange bedfellows. Seems a longtime supporter and fundraiser to Obama’s campaign, who by the way is a director in General Dynamics, which said $8 million would benefit from…. Huh.

I would like to say the $8 million was shot down like a high explosive air burst, but the earmark was not fatal. General Dynamics received $1.3 million of $8 million requested. Obama may have been a new senator at the time, but he quickly learned how the game is played…. What’s his campaign slogan? Oh yeah, CHANGE….. Right. (The only change he wants is in your pocket)

I said I was going to lighten things up, and then the above happened. Give me a second to let the heart rate go down… Calm down, one, two, three; now let me try to catch my breath. Focus on fresh air in and exhale slowly and steady…. Okay, now I’m ready.

But before I get to the fun this post was supposed to be, let me take one more run at earmarks.

You can’t mention earmarks with out honoring former Klan member, Senator Robert C. Byrd (D). In fact, when Sheets Byrd (as he’s known to his friends) finally leaves office, they should quit calling them earmarks and just call them Byrds, or as some folks say, “Byrd droppings.”

Over the years, West Virginia has received over 3 billion, with a B, of Byrd earmarks. You can’t go anywhere in West Virginia without seeing something named after Byrd. Most congress members find it uncouth, or embarrassing to fund monuments to themselves, but not Bobby Byrd. Of course when you used to run around in a white sheet lighting things on fire, I guess you have no shame.

Hold on; let me check my pulse… Focus on fresh air in and exhale slowly and steady. Think of a cool mountain stream… And one, two, three, slow deep breath… Now relax and continue.

Look, I know the argument, these earmarks helped create jobs. And they did, but it’s not the federal government’s role. Thomas Jefferson had it right. The states should take care of themselves. If West Virginia or Florida can’t find the money, I’m sorry. Don’t look to Georgia, or Tennessee to build your roads or performing art center.

You want to know what’s wrong with politics, look at Byrd. He’s been in office for 49 years. That means Eisenhower was President when the Grand Wizard of earmarks came into office. Not only that, he’s third in line to the Presidency. All you have in the way of a President Byrd is George Bush, Dick Cheney, and Nancy Pelosi. Please Ms. Pelosi, stay away from Bush and Cheney and sharp objects. You three have to stay alive. (I’m not a Pelosi fan, but for the good of the country, don’t get in a car with Ted Kennedy)

Speaking of staying alive… One, two, three, deep breath in… and out, two, three. Cool mountain stream.

I had no intention writing about this. I was going to be light and playfully rant about something else, I don’t know what happened.

Closing thought on Byrd.
He’s in his 90s, why is he still in office? Because he brings home the bacon. And that’s why politics will never change. Both sides do this; Byrd was just an easy target.

For years my congressman did the same thing, and every time he was up for re-election, I voted against him. However, the good people in my district disagreed, and voted him in year after year. See, everybody want their congressman to stay, they like to eat from the government trough. It’s the other guy’s congressman that’s the problem. Collectively, we need to hold our own officials feet to the fire (Not that kind of fire, Sheets Byrd) and tell them no more government hand-outs.

Here’s a fun fact. Hillary Clinton got $340 million to her home state last year… A state she never lived in until she ran for the senate…Huh.

John McCain had enough political sense to reject earmarks

Remember, pigs get fat, hogs get slaughtered.

That’s the way Ron sees it…. Cool mountain stream.. One… Two… Three…