Less Government

 The federal government has to get out of our daily life.

This country was built upon the foundation of the constitution and that is a governed by the people not by federal means.  We have become to comfortable with just letting the feds take care of things, well, we can clearly see that doesn't work.  I realize that there has to to be some form of government but it has to be at the lowest level, starting at a local point, city or town.

If for some reason a city need funds it can go to the state and state can go to federal.  I believe we have become to dependent on the federal government for the first step and not the last resort. Decisions about how we live our daily lives should always begin at a local level and this means by local non-politicians.  

We have a voice in any process - that is our right.

Snow

Its officially winter 

Nashville has received its first snow of the winter today.  Some areas around middle Tennessee receive up to 8 inches.  But here is the odd thing about all of this, on Jan. the 1st it was 78 degrees.  The weather at times here is so unpredictable.        

Practicing

We need to practice our faith everyday not just on Sunday.  We do this for us not for God.  God has everything, our prayers are a reflection of our love to God and with that makes stronger in our faith.  

Keep practicing until you get it right. 

What Next?

The first day of the new year - what will this year be like?  

Today, most news and social media are giving their predictions for 2022.  I think some of it makes sense, but who would have thought 2021 and all the events and changes that took place would have happened.  Looking back, no one came even close to all the craziness of the year.  I believe most of the country was hoping for a better year, myself included.

So, I'm going to go ahead and say it now - we will continue with the virus until mid-summer, and it will miraculously disappear. Because the mid-term elections will happen in November, and the democrats' will have to make themselves look good.  The economy will continue to tank throughout the year, so dem's can say it's the Republican's fault.  I also think more protest about social injustice is possible because the whole 2020 trend was popular with the Marxists, plus it will give more fuel for the elections.

With that said, I also believe the conservatives will be a more vocal, more peaceful protest, with large assemblies of people coming together to pray and conservative politicians echoing the voice of the people they represent.  

It is time to take back our country!

         

The End of 2021

2021 has been a year for political opinions.

The blog posts I have presented here have mostly been political.

Why?

Because 2021 has been the year for politics in our lives and I'm not just talking about the United States, its all over the world.

I believe our freedoms are under attack everyday. It seems governments are implementing laws, regulations, and mandates into our life.  We need to fight against this tyranny. Freedom is a God given right to everyone and no government is going to take that away.

God help us all.

Hope in 2022

 The end of the year draws to a close and the thoughts of the new year and hope for something better. 

The last couple of years have been beyond what most would consider a "normal" year.  We need to have the hope that 2022 will be the year we return to a somewhat of a normal year.  The virus has taken over all aspects of our lives in the last two years and it is time for hope in our future.  I think most of us had the same thought this time last year but not much in change happened.

 We must not lose hope, next year will be better.   

The Twenties

 In my early to mid twenties I was not concerned about major issues in government, and was not strong in my faith.  I lived day by day.  I had a lot of drive for a good paying job, the best car that I could afford and where the next party was and no worries about anything in the world. 

Now, it seems to be just the opposite.  My faith is a major part of my life, I keep current on all government  issues at local, state and federal levels.  I'm happy with my current job and my car is just a way to get me from point A to point B. And my idea of a party is two beers and watching TV.  I'm sure there are others that have followed the same pattern as they get older and there are others that never change and have always live like they did in their twenties.  

Just some thoughts on getting older as we come to a l close of another year.  

Christmas

 Merry Christmas

In past blog entries at this time of the year I will go on my rants about those who spend large amounts their money on gifts for Christmas. Well, this year it seems the supply line has at least sent a wave of panic to those in the Christmas rush. The supply chain crisis has hit most business with shortages and there doesn't seem to be an end anytime soon.

Now is the time for the world to re-focus and get their priorities in order.  Christmas is about the birth of Jesus Christ.  The focus on the material gathering of the latest new gifts is not what Jesus wants us to aim for in the month of his birth. He came into this world to give us the greatest gift - the love of the Son of God, who came to saves us from the evil of everyday life.  If we would just listen to his words and apply it to our life - this is the best gift anyone could receive.

Take time this month to pray, read the Bible and give thanks.

What direction?

 

There seems to be some confusion about what direction the United States has in overall policies.

We hear in the media about how well the economy is going, and a 3 trillion dollar infrastructure package will not cost anything, and the crisis at our southern border is not an issue.

But we can see that it is not true, just going to the grocery store or the gas pump, the economy is in the worst shape since the Carter presidency. The massive spending our government is doing is out of control.  And who is going to pay for all of this?  the American people, either on the front end for the cost of supplies and services or in taxes.

But their could possibly be some hope to all of this but not without some long-term fight to stop this insane spending. Americans are going to have to really feel the cost and how its hits their monthly budgets.  I think most believe this is temporary and will be over soon.  I predict this situation will continue till the end of 2022.  Businesses are struggling with supply chain, and getting people to work (another topic in a later post) So, here is the hope, once we reach as a country the pain threshold of economic disaster. I believe democrats and republicans will agree and ousts the politician's that cause this mess. It will be hard because those politicians have been in office for a longtime and will not give up their political strong hold on our country.

2022 is the key to unlock the chains we are currently under and that key is to vote out those radical left socialist.

Vote to get our country going in the right direction.          

image:

geralt/pixabay 

Film Noir

 

Definition: The term Film noir is French for 'black film or 'dark film was first applied to Hollywood films by French critic Nino Frank in 1946 is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and motivations.

November in the social media world is Noirvember month dedicated to recognizing this era in movies.

I have been a fan of the classic movies with a focus on those produced from 1930 to the mid 1960's. 

So, here is my top ten Film Noir movies.

1. The Maltese Falcon (1941)
2. His Kind of Woman (1951)
3. Key Largo (1948)
4. Criss Cross (1949)
5. White Heat (1949)
6. Too Late for Tears (1949)
7. The Wrong Man (1956)
8. The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
9. D.O.A. (1949)
10. High Sierra (1941)

 

 

 

Capitalism

 

I heard the other day, Biden is reducing the tariff on steel making it cheaper for foreign countries to import into the United States.  But when Trump was in office he increased the tariff making it more expensive to import.

So, which is better? Tariff or No Tariff

The United States needs to become more independent on goods and services.  We should not have to rely on foreign countries for things we can easily produce here.  When we rely on the import of goods we become dependent and that is not what makes us America.  We should be free to live and prosper in our capitalists' society.  We as Americans should only buy American made products, this creates more jobs, inspires new businesses and again makes us independent from foreign countries.

We are in the mist of a supply chain crisis that is only going to get worst. We could have fixed the problem but we are a little late on are response. If we had only been proactive in creating more products here but that's not the case.

How do we fix it?

Stop buying foreign products now, you will probably pay more for American made but in the long-run it will create more jobs, the price will eventually come down, and we can rid ourselves of this dependence on foreign countries.

Capitalism works only if we buy American.  

Buy local and buy often.

 Image by Foundry Co from Pixabay 

      

The Response

 

The response to the madness of proposals from the liberals' in Washington should be countered with an aggressive response from the conservatives.  Yesterday, Biden made the statement in a townhall meeting, that he didn't care about our freedoms just wants us to get vaccinated.  

Freedom is what its all about, it is the foundation of our country we have the right to choose - to take the jab or not. People should not have to decide to either lose their job or take the shot. This president is dividing our country, not uniting it.  I believe he has an agenda to completely change the course of the future of the United States.

Conservatives, Speak up now !!    

Mandates

 

Webster's Dictionary definition:

mandate

 verb

man·​date | \ ˈman-ˌdāt  \

mandated; mandating

Definition of mandate (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1: to administer or assign (something, such as a territory) under a mandate

2: to officially require (something) : make (something) mandatory : ORDERa law mandating recyclingalso : to direct or require (someone) to do somethinga commission mandated to investigate corruption
The mandates for the vaccine are a direct attack on our freedom.  If you are vaccinated or not everyone should be outraged.  It is one thing to suggest to the American people to get the jab, but when it becomes a requirement to the point of people being fired from their jobs this is the attack on our freedom of choice and the move towards Marxism.
The mandate is official on November 9, 2021
What is the next mandate? 

Image by Larry White from Pixabay 

The City

 I have always lived in the suburbs of the city of Nashville TN. I remember the days when it was considered a small town with only one skyscraper and for many years it stayed the same.  Sometime in the mid 80's it began to transform into the major city that it is today.

So, why the post about the city?

The grow of Nashville almost seems to be out of control. Construction of new business buildings as well as apartments and condos are almost monthly and along with all of this brings people. 

Nashville in the early years before has always been a nice place to visit with southern hospitality as the main greeting. But as more people move here from larger cities they bring their culture and customs with them and try to change Nashville to conform to their pervious hometown.

But, that's is not the way it works. If people are moving here they should learn the Nashville way. There is no possible way for the city to conform to whatever city one might come from because its to many people.  At one time, 100 people were moving to Nashville on a daily basis.  I know there is no way to stop this its just my opinion.

Image by Garrett Hill from Pixabay       

Divided

Our country is very divided and in many ways.  

First, the obvious political parties, Second, vaccinated or not vaccinated. Third, mask or no mask.

Theses three issues are in the news everyday since the pandemic started in March 2020.  It seemed at some point in the first few months we were all united. But since the vaccines came out, clear lines have divided the country.  I believe it is going to get worst as we get closer to the fall and winter months. But as of this month there is a trend, some states are seeing a decrease in infections. I not sure if this is an indicator of the end or its quite before the storm.

I believe this pandemic will end one day and we will need to look back at our history to see what we did right and wrong, because those who forget their past are condemned to repeat it. This virus came quick and has last a long time.  What will be the next event and more importantly will we still be divided?  

August 31, 2021

 

Image by tammyatWTI from Pixabay 

Political Failure

In the news recently the evacuation of Afghanistan has been a tragedy for the military and the reputation the United States has as a world leader for freedom.  

In my opinion, the current administration has failed to protect its citizens and military in Afghanistan. I known that anything the government does is not perfect no matter which political party is in office.  But, this even in the eyes of the rest of the world is a complete failure, lives have been lost because of bad planning. I'm very concerned in the next few weeks it is only going to get worst.  The final day for evacuations is August 31, after that day anyone left behind will be on their own. America has never abandon there citizens.  My hope is somehow the two parties will come to an agreement about policies in the Afghan region. I know this is an extreme stretch of hopefulness but it is the only way.  The current political environment is not seeing the unfolding of a disaster that will ripple across America and making it a target to enemy's of the United States. I pray for peace and the safe return of Americans and those who helped the military during the war.    

Fear

 An emotion that could completely control you. It is normal to have it if not we would probably not exist because we would be going into danger and not thinking of the consequences of our actions.

I believe we have to understand our limits to this emotion and that takes courage. Courage and fear go together because one without the other could end in bad results.  Everybody's level of fear is different, it depends on your life experiences, your age, and your emotional fitness. Based on those experiences will indicate how we tackle fear. We need to keep all this in mind when we see fear in others. It might seem trivial to us but it could be terrifying to them.  I not sure what the answer would be to help those in fear without the courage element. I think just listen and maybe offer some our your experiences on how you deal with situations of fear. 

Image by OpenClipart-Vectors from Pixabay 

Information Overload

 

The information we receive everyday day from all various platforms, like the internet searches we might use for the occasional questions to social media and on those rare times of an actual paper newspaper. 

At one time many years ago I believe the public would take whatever the TV news or the morning paper said as the absolute truth, mainly because we had no other way of verifying the information. But today we have an endless flow of information were we can do our own fact checking. 

Because we have a vast source of information at our finger tips we could literally check info all day long and probably never come to a conclusion on what is true or false. 

How to we work through this information overload?

We have to consider our own general education, for instance, if a news story has been release about quantum physics and if you have not had any formal education in that subject then you are probably not going to have a clue to what the story is about. Although you can do an internet search but by the time you even have a general concept of the subject it will be old news.

Next, we have to consider what is reasonable and this would have to be from our life experiences, education, and deductive reasoning which would work with the basic information and work up to a more specific conclusion.

All of this is necessary, because there is a lot of misinformation out and its leading people in the wrong direction.

 Image by Anand Kumar from Pixabay 

Hold onto Virtues

faith

hope 

charity 

fortitude 

justice 

temperance 

prudence

The seven virtues are words to live by especially in todays world. We need to study, understand, and apply these seven powerful and sometime difficult words to our life.  I think most of the virtues have be long forgotten and some still apply today but for the most part, forgotten. 

The challenge to living the virtues are people do not  believe in them, except when it works with their agenda.  

Know them, understand them, and practice them.

The Virtues defined