The Food Nazis

Michelle Obama and her minions of food police are busily trying to manage everyone's eating habits, especially those of children.  McDonald's is shrewdly trying to stay ahead of the regulation curve by downsizing the portion of french fries in a Happy Meal and substituting apple slices (won't those apples have to have some kind of preservative on them to prevent their turning brown? Horrors - I'm sure they'll devise some kind of regulation for this too).  

Having worked in the health/fitness field for 16 years, mainly in corporate wellness programs, I feel at least somewhat qualified to comment on this.  What I quickly learned when I started working in the field is that you can educate people, give them the information they need to make good choices, help them develop strategies to incorporate healthy habits into their lives, but you can't force them to actually make changes.  The simple truth is that this is a personal responsibility and the majority of people simply are not willing to make changes in their eating and exercise habits.  

Aside from that fact, it is the job of parents, not the government, to monitor and control what their children eat.  I saw a woman the other night on the news who wants to stop McDonald's and other fast food restaurants from marketing to children.  You see, this makes her children ask her to go there, and she's forced to say "No" and she hates saying no to her children.  Well, grow up, lady, and be your children's mother, not their friend.  

This out of control government of ours is usurping responsibilities and intruding more and more into our lives.  Wake up, people, and take responsibility for your own choices.  Quit relying on government, or pretty soon  you'll find you don't have any choices.

Where's the Rebuttal?

I can't help wondering why Republicans are so inept at answering the demagoguery of the Democrats.  One instance in particular in really getting under my skin.


When Barack Obama tells everyone that he can't guarantee that Social Security recipients will get their checks or that Medicare patients will get theirs, why do the Republicans sit there like bumps on a log?  They should go straight to the American people and say something along these lines:  "We have the revenue to meet our major obligations.  If we fail to reach a debt limit agreement and Social Security checks don't go out, it's because President Obama made the choice not to send them.  He's telling you that Social Security isn't important enough to him to prioritize it and he's using you as a political pawn."


I'm sick and tired of the Republican's failure to counteract the lies and scare tactics coming from the president's mouth.  Enough!  I don't listen to anything Obama says anymore, but too many people do and actually believe him!  Republicans must be more forthright in answering the half-truths and outright lies that abound in this administration.

Insanity Masquerading as Economic Policy

The Center for American Progress has cited two studies purporting to show that raising the minimum wage creates jobs.  The logic of this escapes me...please help me out here.


Why do businesses hire people?  I think liberals don't understand this fundamental of the business world.  Businesses hire people for only one main reason:  they need them to perform certain jobs.  If a business isn't growing or is in a downward spiral, they don't hire.  It's that simple.


I challenge the authors of this "study" to explain how raising the minimum wage would create jobs.   If an employer isn't otherwise hiring, would telling him that he has to pay his hourly employees more give him an incentive to hire more people?  This is not only illogical, it borders on insanity.  This is what passes as policy in the liberal world, where logic and reason do not abide.  

Why is Obama Likable?

I hear that  polls show something like 60-65% of Americans think the country is on the wrong track.  In the next breath, it's reported that Obama's personal popularity is still high.  


I'm trying to figure out why this might be the case and I'm admittedly stumped.  Obama has always struck me as cold, arrogant, thin-skinned, lacking empathy or humor, and with an ugly mean streak under a thin veneer of charm. What's to like?


The only thing I can figure is one of two things:  first, he appears to be a faithful husband (I've always perceived him to be asexual).  Maybe this is enough to make him likable to a lot of people.  


Second, I suspect many people are reluctant to admit they don't like him lest they be labeled "racist".  Electing a black president shows how tolerant and advanced we Americans are, and perhaps some people think it's just not right to admit you don't like our first black president.  


What do you think?  Do you like Obama personally?  If so, why?  I'd really like to know because it's a mystery to me.

A Public Service

I am always proud to be an American, but especially so when our wonderful military, especially the Navy Seals, shows us what courage, self-discipline and expertise look like.  I also give credit to President Obama for a gutsy decision; I'm glad he has continued so many of President Bush's policies that made this possible.  


Hard to believe that Peter Bergen of CNN believes this is "the end of the war on terror".  This is a conflict that won't end in my lifetime; al qaeda undoubtedly had a contingency plan to deal with the demise of bin Laden and it wouldn't be surprising to find them doubling their efforts to hit us on our homeland.  Make no mistake:  we are still at risk and our vigilance should remain high.  


Congratulations to our first-class military for taking down this evil man.  You are always in my prayers!

Racism: Safety Net for Black People?

True racism does exist in this country and I believe it always will due to the fact that there are always going to be bigots and other associated idiots in the human race.  Racism has caused untold suffering for millions of people in this country and around the world.  

The race card is tossed around too casually these days though and I believe it's used by some blacks as an excuse for failure.  Let's face it:  if a white person fails academically or professionally, he has no one to blame but himself.  However, if a black person fails, he can blame it on this being a racist country.  It's kind of a safety net to avoid taking personal responsibility for trying and failing, or worse, not trying at all.  

So now we have Obama's defenders throwing down the race card.  Tavis Smiley declares that the election of 2012 is going to be the most racist in our history.  Whoopie Goldberg says the "birther" controversy is due to racism.  Joy Behar gets in a snit at the first whiff of criticism of Obama and attributes it to the color of his skin.  This casual use of such a loaded word minimizes the suffering of those who have experienced real racism in their lives.  

Throwing this charge out there at the first sign of disagreement or criticism of Obama serves two purposes:  first, it distracts, and in some cases intimidates, people and derails a rational discussion of his policies and second, it allows the president's supporters to maintain their blind allegiance to him.  

It must be very painful to realize that the man on whom you pinned such high hopes, our first black president, is totally incompetent at governance and good only at campaigning.  It's much easier and less painful to simply accuse those who question or oppose him of racism.  

One Long Lecture

Is it just me, or does the Obama presidency seem like one long, tiresome lecture?  He's telling the GOP that getting their way "is not how it works".  Well, I clearly remember BO telling Republicans "I won" and "elections have consequences".  


What a dung heap this administration has become!  Obama didn't mind ramming his way or the highway down the Republicans' throats before the election of 2010.  He's telling Congress that they must reach a compromise (i.e., Republicans must cave) so we can avoid a government shutdown.  We wouldn't be in this mess if the Congressional Democrats had done their job and passed a budget for 2011. I hope Republicans hang tough; if they give an inch, Obama will take a mile.  


Meanwhile, the Dems trot out their shopworn scare tactics:  Republicans are out to starve old people and children and deny seniors needed medical care, and on and on ad nauseam.  These served the Dems well in the past, but like the boy who cried "wolf", fewer people will be fooled this time around.