Boots on the Ground? Not So's You'd Notice!

Mr. Obama,
So let me repeat this to make sure I am getting it straight. The people wearing the uniforms with helmets and bullet proof armor are going to be sitting at a border crossing holding a broom to clean up after any trash spilled out of a freshly inspected car, while the people in trousers and button down shirts driving Government Motors SUV's are out getting shot at with high-powered weapons.

Truly sir, are you an idiot? Your responsibility is not to placate our neighbor to the south by letting his countrymen into our country so they can send our dollars south to bolster his country. The border is the border and it is your responsibility to close it. You find it easier to take our choices and our hard earned income to give to your voter base. No other country on earth has a more open border or more to lose as OTM's come streaming across.

Mr. Obama you are ignorant of the needs of your country but quite knowledgeable of those who would see us fail. Your words are loud and clear and are being repeated throughout this country. Too bad the fundamental change you are expecting is not going to be the one which occurs.

With the respect due the Office of the President,
Edward Rodda

Gun Rights? We Don't Need No Stinking Gun Rights!

Senator,

I am writing in regards to a recent Reuter's article which can be found at http://www.reuters.com/article/politicsNews/idUSTRE59E0Q920091015. It appears the Anointed One, who tried to stop a busted well by just uttering a few words, is going to do away with one of our Constitutional Rights by throwing it under the international bus. Do not the voice of the American People have a say in this? The right to keep and bear "conventional" arms comes with the implied right to purchase said arms.

Your continued erosion of rights will undoubtedly lead to renaming our once great country to The Utopian States of America (Hey look, we can still call it USA!) where I can look to the government instead of God for my daily bread. On the other hand, as you in Washington slowly, methodically, and painfully remove our rights under the guise of "we are just trying to make your life better and safer", please remember what always occurs when government refuses to listen to the people. Might I recommend http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9-nXT8lSnPQ as a reminder. I do not believe you will have to hire a translator, using my tax dollars, to understand.

With the respect due the Office,

Edward Rodda

Health Care For All, Yippee! (Just Give Me Your Change)

Regarding HR 3590 as amended:

SEC. 9002. INCLUSION OF COST OF EMPLOYER-SPONSORED HEALTH COVERAGE ON W-2.

(a) In General- Section 6051(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to receipts for employees) is amended by striking `and' at the end of paragraph (12), by striking the period at the end of paragraph (13) and inserting `, and', and by adding after paragraph (13) the following new paragraph:

(14) the aggregate cost (determined under rules similar to the rules of section 4980B(f)(4)) of applicable employer-sponsored coverage (as defined in section 4980I(d)(1)), except that this paragraph shall not apply to--

• (A) coverage to which paragraphs (11) and (12) apply, or
• (B) the amount of any salary reduction contributions to a flexible spending arrangement (within the meaning of section 125).

(b) Effective Date- The amendments made by this section shall apply to taxable years beginning after December 31, 2010.

Senator,

Please explain... Does this mean I am going to pay taxes on money you require my employer to spend on my behalf??? Does this mean, I am going to have less to spend in support of my family??? Does this mean you are starting up socialist health care for all? Does this mean Obama lied???

With the respect due the Office,

Edward Rodda

When An Apple Isn't Good Enough...

Senator Nelson,

Before you get started debating the positives (there aren't any) for bailing out up to 300,000 teachers with my money let me give you my input.

Teacher pensions are the underlying problem, not lost revenue from exorbitant property tax. In an examination into education costs, the National Center for Analysis of Longitudinal Data in Education Research, folks a lot smarter than you or me, point this out, "Teachers who retire in their mid-fifties not only create vacancies that must be filled, but they also draw pension benefits for spells that are likely to exceed their years of service employment. A teacher retiring at age 55 with a $50,000 annual pension typically indexed) has received an annuity worth over $1 million."*

So let's do some Obama math... You in Washington want to save 300,000 teacher jobs with 26 billion of my dollars, how noteworthy. Then let us figure in the retirement costs using the above "conservative" number... Let's see, 1,000,000 dollars/retired teacher times 300,000 teachers is... hmmm, what was I taught, oh yeah, multiply the integers and add all the zeros on the end. WOW! 300,000,000,000 dollars in unfunded pensions. Senator, who, pray tell, is going to pay that??? Tell you what, you fix the public sector retirement fiasco bringing the economy to a screeching halt, no, not to a halt, but to a Greco, not the artist, type collapse and I might even be willing to support another bailout to a class of people who are undermining our way of life with their progressive rhetoric. Nah, that'll never happen. You think government spending is the answer to everything and I will never agree to the progressive socialist agenda.

Finally, when will you in Washington get the message! Money, especially money that is not yours, or even in existence yet, is not going to fix this problem. When you in Congress regulate our lives into "From each according to his ability, to each according to his needs" you are forcing mediocrity upon us all. I am not going to work harder to ensure everyone has a government teat to hang on. If you doubt this is occurring please reread your leader's very frank statement to Joe the Plumber, "It's not that I want to punish your success (insert "but I'm gonna)," Obama told him. "I want to make sure that everybody who is behind you, that they've got a chance for success, too. My attitude is that if the economy's good for folks from the bottom up, it's gonna be good for everybody. I think when you (replace with "I") spread the (replace with "your") wealth around, it's good for everybody."

With the respect due the Office,

Edward Rodda

*http://www.caldercenter.org/PDF/1001071_Teacher_Pensions.pdf, taken 05/15/2010

"ALLAH AKBAR!" Says The Regime Leader ( Or So It Appears)

To My Esteemed Readers (all two of you...),

Even though this video is heavily edited it still brings up some serious questions. If you have ten minutes, here is our elected ruler explaining not to us, but to Arabs, how "Muslim" the United States is and how it has always been that way. You ask your own questions, rhetorical and otherwise, and tell me if you don't get just a wee bit concerned.

With all of the angst our government put us through over how we label Islamic Terrorists, i.e., man made disasters, one wonders what is behind it. One thing Obama didn't say the Quran states is "We shall cast terrror into the hearts of those who disbelieve...", Chapter 3, verse 150. Maybe this is why.

A Knee Jerk Reaction to the Arizona Illegals Law...(Ya' Think!)

I wrote a fairly long letter to Mr. Obama and then found out it had to be pared to 2500 characters. I removed all the really big words so this might sound a bit disjointed...

To my esteemed elected rulers,

My, my, my, it appears a nerve has been struck very hard by an upstart state taking exception to our federal government's open border policy. Taking a quote from our regime head "Our failure to act responsibly at the federal level will only open the door to irresponsibility by others. That includes, for example, the recent efforts in Arizona, which threatened to undermine basic notions of fairness that we cherish as Americans, as well as the trust between police and their communities that is so crucial to keeping us safe."

How is it when our federal government fails to act responsibly those who perform those responsible acts are classified as irresponsible? Let me see, the federal government is responsible for maintaining border security and does not, therefore the "citizens" of Arizona are requiring the state to perform cleanup causing the progressives to scream "profiling" and vilify the state legislature. How convenient! If the illegals had been stopped at the border the "profiling" would have been any creature with two legs and two arms climbing down the fence. OOPS, my bad. Another responsible act by the federal government gone by the wayside, no fence.

Yes, it is too bad Hispanics are going to take the brunt of this law caused by the unwillingness of the federal government to uphold the law, but they must understand the search will not be for blonde haired, blue eyed, pale skinned people who speak with a Scandinavian accent. This would be absurd. Those who are citizens or living in the United States legally understand decades of illegal cross border traffic is going to have its' consequences. Speaking from personal experience this is an uncomfortable position to be in but it is a necessary action.

Hey! She just signed the bill! Now the progressives have exactly what they want, a discriminatory bill requiring immediate action by Congress to be signed into law at the earliest possible moment to correct this injustice. Sad but true, these people are here illegally and the law making it illegal to be here illegally is going to be found illegal. And why you might ask, to restock your dwindling voter base, of course.

You rulers in Congress and the White House will continue to find new and interesting ways to remove more of my hard earned money and give it to those who will vote for you next election cycle. And now you will be able to stuff the ballot box with brand new voters.
Edward Rodda

Another Letter Sent From Heart, Another Computer Generated Answer...

Readers, again supposing I have any, if there was any question a computer is running Senator Nelson's office, let me put it to rest. My recent tongue-in-cheek email regarding my purported mortgage problems and my follow on email regarding government's responsibility in the mortgage crisis has been answered by a ... You Make the Choice.

Dear Mr. Rodda:

Thank you for contacting me about the Making Home Affordable program.

I believe foreclosure prevention is a crucial component to economic recovery. That’s why I voted for S.896, the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act of 2009, which provides strong incentives for the creation of voluntary mortgage modifications. Mortgage modification can help hard-working families stay afloat and preserves billions in equity for neighboring homeowners.

The Making Home Affordable Program furthers efforts aimed at preventing foreclosure by allowing borrowers to lower their mortgage payments through refinancing or modification. This program was designed to help 3 to 4 million at-risk homeowners avoid foreclosure. But I am concerned by reports that fewer than 6 percent of eligible homeowners have been able to obtain new loans through the program because of actions by the financial services industry. I will continue to work with my colleagues to pressure the banks we’ve been asked to bailout to do more to help homeowners through this crisis.

To find more information on the Making Home Affordable Program, please visit the website www.makinghomeaffordable.com.

I appreciate learning of your particular circumstances and the challenges you face. I’ll keep your situation in mind as we debate measures aimed at helping Americans who are struggling in these difficult times. Please don't hesitate to contact me again.

Sincerely,
Senator Bill Nelson

And my reply... You would think I would get tired of this!

Senator Computer,
Thank you for your reply to my letter regarding the financial crisis you in Congress have put us in by forcing lenders to provide mortgages to people who have a history of poor credit choices (please see my email I sent on the 2nd of April). It is obvious by your response you have a lot of things going on in that micro, and I do mean micro, processor of yours. I hope you are able to overcome the overload going on in between those memory sticks. Perhaps if you would have a human read my email instead of you trying to perform word association you would understand the point I am trying to get across to you.

In closing, tell your programmer I am not pleased with his performance in the Senate and plan to reformat him as soon as possible. I would recommend you start looking for a Reagan Conservative to plug your firewire into. I imagine he/she will have tons of memory and come preprogrammed with the "right" answers to bring about the rebirth of the Union in the spirit of our Republic's Founders.

With the respect due a computer (or a teleprompter),
Edward Rodda