The Nancy Pelosi proposed auto industry bailout must be stopped. It's time for tough love. Sometimes you have say no.
I think the financial bailout package was wrong and should not have been passed. I think it would be better to take a hard hit and get it over with rather than drawing it out and unfairly bailing out this or that business and not others. I think the people who had their hands all over the roots of the financial crisis such as Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and Nancy Pelosi and a host of others should be held accountable. Read more about how and why they contributed to this crisis here: What Caused the Current Financial Crisis (Part 2).
Now, Pelosi and others want to divert some of the bailout package funds to bail out the big three automakers. This is wrong. Not only are our elected officials, once again, acting like dictators instead of representatives, most people, some 80% did not want the bailout anyway. There are fundamental reasons that the big three need life support. Throwing money at them will not solve those fundamental problems; it will only prolong their eventual bankruptcy.
The big three automakers are being sucked dry by outrageous salaries at the top level and union salaries at the bottom level. How can the board of a company justify paying its top executives millions and millions of dollars when they loose money on every car sold. Executive salaries should be tied to profit and long term profitability, not quarter to quarter.
How can the big three make money when the average union worker makes $75 per hour and a non-union worker averages $25 per hour? How can they be expected to turn a profit when unions require them to pay for full benefits for retired workers? It's not right. Unions had their time and place, but it's over. The unions are bleeding their hosts dry and they are in effect, through their gluttonous and selfish behavior, committing suicide.
What will happen if Pelosi has her way and we bailout the automakers? It will only prolong eventual bankruptcy. It's better for them to go into bankruptcy now and get it over with, break the hold of the unions, and create a business model that is profitable. Either way we'll go through a painful period, so way waste the bailout money and give false hope?
Contact Our Elected Officials
It's time to barrage our elected officials with emails, calls, and letters saying DO NOT BAILOUT ANY MORE INDUSTRIES. DO NOT BAILOUT THE AUTOINDUSTRY.
You can use this web site to contact your elected officials: USA.gov.
We CAN Do It
Look at these two companies. Both are located in the USA. We do have the ability to have an auto industry in this country, but it takes ingenuity and loosing the unions....
These are high-end examples but the technology they're using could be applied to lower priced cars...
Ronn Motor Company:
These guys are making a hydrogen fuel injection sports car called the Scorpion: 450 horsepower! and they're made in Texas using an Acura engine...
Ronn Motor Company
Panoz Auto:
These guys use Ford gasoline engines, but their fabrication processes are amazing and have been copied by other manufacturers... and they're made in GA outside of Atlanta.
Panoz Auto
Until next time,
Fred (aka Recoil)
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on November 13, 2008
 My maternal Grandfather: Clyde W. Kirkman (1915 - 1989). This photo is from WWII, 1945; my Grandfather is on the left and his buddy Joe Melka is on the right. The photo was made in April 1945, in Germany, with a simple box camera just before the meeting or link up at the Elbe River between the U.S. and Russian troops.
My son Walker placing a flag on my Grandfather's grave on Memorial Day 2007
 John McCain in Hanoi, North Vietnam: prisoner of war.
This Veterans Day sees the country still at war. A huge Double Barreled Salute to all those men and women who are serving and have served in our armed forces. It's because of them that I have the right to write this blog and live in this great country.
As I've probably hinted elsewhere on this blog, I'm also a songwriter and musician. Below are the lyrics to a song I wrote in 2003 called "Forgotten Heroes".
This song is for all the men and women who have served and are serving in our military. You can pick up books and magazines and read about some of the heroes of our country, however, this song is also for the heroes whose story was never told. From the fox holes and trenches of WWII to the jungles and POWs camps of Vietnam, to the current war in Iraq, Afghanistan, and beyond.
Forgotten Heroes
Some just refuse to understand
That it's the measure of a man
To defend this country's land
Even when it's down to his last stand
He doesn't do it for himself
We've been knocked down before
Watched our blood spill on the floor
But then it was for a cause
Some say balanced what was lost
But now we question what's left
[Chorus]
But you know that time erases
So many of the delicate traces
Of the battles we've waged
Of the prices we've paid
For the right to a life of freedom
Where few are born in a land that's free
We are fortunate to be
If you think it's a gift that's free
Someone will take it from you and me
And crush the dreams we once sought
Our grandparent's blood paved the way
For what America is today
I look around and see the waste
I'm ashamed for all they gave
So many have forgot
[Chorus]
But you know that time erases
So many of the delicate traces
Of the battles we've waged
Of the prices we've paid
For the right to a life of freedom
[bridge]
You can read their names on the wall
Engraved in stone they gave their all
Lying in graves row after row
They held the line for the freedom we know
And take for granted
[Final Chorus]
But you know that time erases
The names of heroes and their faces
Don't forget what they gave
Their sacrifices made
For the right to a life of freedom
For freedom
Words and Music by Fred W. Black, 2003
Copyright 2003, by Fred W. Black all rights reserved. Use or reproduction without permission is prohibited.
You can listen to this song on my music site here:
Forgotten Heroes - Fred Black.
Until next time,
Fred (aka Recoil)
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on November 11, 2008
Sarah Palin in Elon, NC I don't buy all the gossip that's spewing forth about Governor Sarah Palin. I think it's unprofessional, tacky and outrageous on the part of the former McCain campaign staffers. Of course they're all "anonymous" reports. The McCain campaign did not run a good campaign and it's deplorable that they've turned to attacking Palin.
Even if she was a diva or spent too much money on dresses: who cares. Even if she threw a tantrum or two and yelled at these same staffers: who cares, it sounds like they deserved it if they acted then like they're acting now. She put a five-stage rocket under the Republican Party and all they could manage to do was mishandle her and loose control of what should have been a great ascent.
What about her supposed lack of knowledge on certain topics? I'm pretty sure she can learn. What she posses in leadership, drive, and ability to rally the cause can't be taught, it's a gift. It's a shame her own team is so petty that they would risk damaging her positive influence.
McCain's campaign handlers didn't know what to do with Palin. Instead of letting her do what she obviously does well, and I say obvious because of her accomplishments in Alaska, they tried to mold her and contain her. The very reasons that McCain selected her were squashed by his team. What a shame.
I've said many times that Obama did not win this election, even with his almost 3 to 1 advantage in cash; rather, John McCain lost this election. Is it any wonder why with campaign staffers like this?
Personally, I think Palin is analogous to Rocky Balboa from the Rocky series of movies. Rocky was always the winner in the end, but in the first fight or two he always lost. He was always beat up. Then he retreated and worked on his weak points and built up his strengths. When he came back out for the next fight he was unstoppable. I think Governor Palin will be back. She has a lot of supporters.
Until Next Time,
Fred
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on November 7, 2008
I'm definitely disappointed with the election. But, we have a great country in that we can have elections and choose our leaders without bloodshed.
- I hope that Barack Obama will be a good President and not repeat the mistakes of Democratic Presidents of the past.
- I hope that not one single Supreme Court Justice dies or retires for four years.
- I hope that the remaining Republicans can contain the damage that Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, etc. will do now that they have a Democratic President.
- I hope that Barack Obama will try to contain some of the "reverse racism" that's rampant in this country.
- I hope that Barack Obama will inspire young people of all colors to work hard and become something vs. just expecting a handout.
- I hope that now that Obama has been elected that the main stream media will stop giving him a free pass.
I thought John McCain had a very good concession speech. I still want to see him punch out William (Bill) Ayers!
Why Obama Won.
People voted for Barack Obama for different reasons.
- Some voted for him simply because he's a black man (not a valid reason).
- Some voted for him because he is a Democrat and they always vote with their party.
- Some voted for Obama because they think President George W. Bush is a bad President and they didn't want another Republican (not a valid reason).
- Some voted for Obama because they think that President George W. and the Republicans caused the economic crisis (this not a valid reason and I tell you why in This Post).
Another reason Obama won is that McCain ran a confusing campaign. Just the fact that McCain stuck to his word about financing and Obama did not says a lot. Obama had vastly more money to spend and still McCain ran a close race. Had McCain's campaign done a better job I think he would have pulled off an upset. I know if McCain and Palin had campaigned the entire time with the passion and message that they were delivering in the last few weeks they would have won.
The "W" Factor...
I think that John McCain had a huge uphill battle to overcome the "Bush Haters". I believe that history will look back on George W. Bush much more favorably than most see him and his Presidency now. Sure he's made mistakes, but he's accomplished some huge things, some very important things.
Will Obama Deliver?
I think that people are expecting so much from Barack Obama that he will have a hard time living up to those expectations. His campaign is a bull's eye for marketing and packaging. Some people think that they've won the lottery by electing Obama. They will be let down. They have unrealistic expectations.
What's Next?
Most readers of this blog are conservatives. As conservatives we need to be vigilant in our communications with our elected officials. My objective for this blog is to bring issues to the foreground that are important and that require us to let our elected officials know where we stand. We all need to write, fax, email, call, visit, etc. our elected officials as much as we can. There are a lot of very scary things that can happen over the next few years with so many democrats in office: we have to hold the line.
- If we don't vote we can't complain.
- If we don't let our elected officials know where we stand on the issues, they can't represent us.
- If we let them know where we stand and they don't represent us then we vote them out.
Let's all stand behind President Elect Obama. We don't have to agree with the outcome of the election, I don't, however we are all Americans and we should all support him. I will however continue to monitor the various issues that I've blogged about regarding him. I hope that my fears and concerns were false and that we can move forward. At some point I hope that the media regains their objectivity and some shred of professionalism and starts reporting and investigating with responsible journalism.
Until Next Time,
Fred (yes.... Recoil is taking off the mask!)
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on November 5, 2008
 Barack Obama and his Cousin, Raila Odinga My previous post, Lessons from Cuba: Obama Echoes Castro featured a letter written by a Cuban-American who left Cuba almost 50 years ago and he detailed how Obama reminds him of Castro. You may think he's pushing the envelope a little... but... I just read something that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
A Little Background Information About Raila Odinga.
- Raila Odinga is the Islamic Prime Minister of Kenya who lost the December, 2007 Kenyan Presidential election.
- Barack Obama visited Kenya in August 2006 to campaign for him.
- Obama spent six days there, for six days he was inseparable from Odinga.
- Odinga lost the election.
- Extreme violence broke out after the election led by Odinga's supporters.
- By the middle of February 2008, 1500 Kenyans were killed.
- Some say Odinga's socialist vision for Kenya is "Taliban like".
You may have heard some of the above information but probably not the complete account: You can read it in this Washington Times article dated October 12th, 2008: Obama's Kenya Ghosts.
Here are 3 Things You Should Know that you Probably Do Not...
- According to some records, Barack Obama donated over 1 million dollars to Raila Odinga's campaign via "Friends of Barack Obama".
- Raila Odinga is Barack Obama's First Cousin, Barack Obama Sr. (Barack's father) is Raila's maternial uncle.
- Raila Odinga named his oldest son after Fidel Castro. His youngest son is named Winnie after Winnie Mandela. A couple of good socialist names if I ever heard them.
Here's a quote from the Washington Times article that should bother any sane American...
Mr. Odinga and Mr. Obama's father were both from the Luo community, the second-largest tribe in Kenya, but their ties run much deeper. Mr. Odinga told a stunned BBC Radio interviewer the reason why he and Mr. Obama were staying in near daily telephone contact was because they were cousins. In a Jan. 8, 2008, interview, Mr. Odinga said Mr. Obama had called him twice the day before while campaigning in the New Hampshire primary before adding, "Barack Obama's father is my maternal uncle." Please read the entire article: Obama's Kenya Ghosts. The Current Who's Who of Obama's Friends and Associates:
- Rev. Jeremiah Wright: Radical Racist Preacher
- William Ayers: Terrorist
- Louis Farrakhan: anti-Semite
- Rashid Khalidi: PLO
- Raila Odinga: Violent Islamist Prime Minister of Kenya
- Tony Rezko: Convicted Illegal Fundraiser
- ACORN: a radical group investigated for voter fraud
- Franklin Raines, Tim Howard, Jim Johnson: Former Executives of Fannie Mae and now his advisers who "cooked the books".
Why do so few people care about Barack Obama's associations like these? What magic power does he possess that make people totally abandon any sense of rational judgment and follow him like a puppy following a kid with an ice cream cone? I just don't get it. It's outrageous. These people are NOT friends of the United States.
Fight, Don't Give Up!
The only way the majority of people will know this is if everyone who reads this emails it to everyone they know... in the words of John McCain: Fight, Fight for this Country!".
Until next time,
Recoil.
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on November 2, 2008
 Fidel Castro, Nikita Khrushchev (leader of The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics in 1962). This is a letter to the Editor that ran in the October 26, 2008 Gainesville Times from Gainesville, GA. It was written by the former boss of a family member of a friend and reader of this blog, so I can vouch for the authenticity of the person writing the letter.
I am a Cuban-American who left his homeland 49 years ago and is grateful to this great country for all the opportunities provided to my family and me. I also am proud to be an American citizen.
As Election Day draws nearer, and I continue to read and hear about economic fallouts, bailouts and that "change" is needed, I remember of what happened in Cuba when a young, eloquent leader was telling Cubans that we needed "a change" based on redistributing the class wealth. By the time he was done, all Cubans were equally poor, which also carried the loss of our human dignity.
Contrary to the thoughts of many, Cuba's economy prior to Fidel Castro, was very favorable and not a casino-only island, as people were led to believe. Here are some facts: Cuba had a higher per capita income than half of Europe; the lowest inflation rate in the Western Hemisphere; a huge influx of immigrants; a larger middle class than Switzerland; and workers enjoyed the eighth-best industrial wages in the world.
After Castro was done, Cuba was only favorable to Haiti.
I am retired now, but after working for 40-plus years in this country with colleagues from Western Europe, I recall our conversations about 10 percent-plus unemployment and 50 percent-plus taxes. So I would not go there for pointers on socialist measures.
Based on our and many other Cuban families' experience, I feel frustrated and concerned over what is happening in this country. I hear the same statements about "change" from one of the presidential candidates. By the way, Castro's endorsement in the Cuban newspaper, Granma, said "Obama is the most progressive candidate for the U.S. presidency."
While Castro was talking about "change," we Cubans did not question who his friends were. As I searched thru Sen. Barack Obama's history of associations, I noted a radical racist preacher as his mentor (Rev. Jeremiah Wright); a self-proclaimed terrorist (William Ayers); a well-known anti-Semite (Louis Farrakhan), PLO group member (Rashid Khalidi), Islamist thug prime minister of Kenya (Raila Odinga); a convicted illegal fundraiser (Tony Rezko); a radical group investigated for voter fraud (ACORN); and former execs of Fannie Mae and now his advisers (Franklin Raines, Tim Howard, Jim Johnson).
Do the research and do not take my word for it; this is important. If we had questioned Castro at that time, we would have arrived to the conclusion that he was a communist and not a Christian, as we were led to believe. This was a lesson learned we Cubans will never forget.
As far as Obama's resume, previous work experience, achievements and references, I do not see the leadership credentials required to be commander in chief. When I looked at candidate applications for a leadership position in the company I directed here in Gainesville, I made sure that I reviewed the information closely to ensure that we would select the right person. We must all do that before we decide which candidate we will vote for.
As Election Day draws nearer, we must always remember that the foundations of our country are based on the values of life, faith and family, that we have a commitment to our Founding Fathers and to those who died for our freedom, to protect and strengthen these moral values and not redefine them.
I hope that the lessons learned from my experience will be helpful to some of you who share my same concerns.
Gustavo Menocal
Gainesville
Link to the original article: Lessons from Cuba apply to US election.
Until next time,
Recoil
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Posted by Fred (aka Recoil) on November 1, 2008
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