Common Sense for Americans

Lets stop these Westboro church protestors!

The members of the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka,Kansas, few that they are (maybe a dozen or two) are the most despicable peopleon earth.  They protest military funeralsof our soldiers in the vilest manner possible.

Today the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of the 1stAmendment by ruling in favor of the “church” and in the process making life ofthe deceased soldier’s families much more difficult.

I have very little doubt that the court found the despicableconduct of these protesters as abhorrent as all decent Americans do.  I also have no doubt that the decision wasvery much based on the 1st Amendments free speech clause.

However, the question remains of how there can be “hatespeech” laws, profanity laws and other versions of the concept that not allspeech is allowed in reality.

What do we do now to protect the dignity of a dead soldier’sfuneral?  There have been groups, mostlymotorcycle clubs, not what I would call biker gangs, who have formed barriersagainst this group.

 I believe that due to this Supreme Court decision, this socalled church will now be emboldened.  Wecan stop them.

I suggest that anyone becoming aware of this “church’s”intention to again carry out their “protests” at a soldier’s funeral, thatAmericans will stand up to them.  Standup, not with violence but with their willingness to turn the other cheek.  Let’s show these, I can’t call them people,animals that they are nothing in the world of decent people.

Anyone becoming aware of a planned protest by this group,please notify me at: commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com

 I will also post any information available oncommonsenseforamericans.webs.com, a website of common sense.

 Let’s stop this group from causing more pain to anyoneelse.  Let’s show them how decent peoplebehave. 

I want to thank and applaud those others who have in thepast been instrumental in attempting to stop this group.

The Freedomconector.org web site has members all over thecountry and I would appreciate if members all over the nation would volunteerto be monitors of this group and will take a leading hand in helping us to stopthem.

Fred Speckmann

commonsenseforamericans.webs.com

Email: commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com

Today is a new beginning.

Common Sense for Americans was created for the purpose of giving a voice to the everyday American.

Today i have been newly inspired by a video of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.  A more inspiring and honest presentation by an elected official can not be presented.  I could not bring myself to call governor Christie a politician, because I didn't want to insult him.  You will understand what I mean when you look at the video link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkuTm-ON904&feature=player_embedded

Today in an interview on fox News Channel, U.S. Coast GuardAdmiral stated that one of the reasons that foreign vessels that can provideadditional skimmers to gather the leaked oil from the catastrophic oil spill inthe Gulf of Mexico and impacting the Gulf States so dramatically, is the fact that the JonesAct prohibits foreign vessels.

The Jones Act specifically prohibits foreign vessels fromsailing from one U.S.port to another.  The purpose is toprotect U.S.flagged vessels from competition by foreign flagged vessels.  The argument to be made about this lawsinterference with free enterprise is for another day.

Admiral Allen indicated that waivers can be authorized butonly for one ship at a time and only through very cumbersome bureaucraticsystem. This is simply unacceptable.

What is at stake here is the dramatic disaster occurring inthe gulf states and the loss of wetlands, the income from the tourist industryand the loss of fishing resources to American businesses and their employees.

This law was never intended to block resources availablefrom foreign countries in a disaster scenario such as we are facing now.

For the Obama administration to not execute an immediateexecutive order waiving this act is most irresponsible.  At this point it is imperative that anappointment be made by President Obama that puts one person in chargerepresenting the president.  Thegovernors of each affected state must be able to communicate with thisindividual instantly on a 24 hour basis and through this individual have accessto the president. 

Any and all equipment and ships must be made available tothe states and BP in order to deal with this emergency.  If BP is uncooperative in any fashion, thenand only then should the U.S.government take complete charge of the cleanup effort.  BP must answer to the U.S.via the individual placed in charge on behalf of the president.

As a second priority, an investigation needs to be made asto the actual cause of the accident in order to first of all find ways to prohibitany such event in the future.  The lastthing that needs to be done is to determine the ultimate responsibility onwhether the cause was negligence or “an act of God.”  Accidents happen and without question thefinancial responsibility is BP’s.  However,demonizing the company and thereby causing irrational financial decisions ofthe stockholders is unwise though in the administrations view, politicallyprofitable.  BP is still a veryprofitable company and can remain so despite their financial liability. 

For the President or members of Congress and the Cabinet tothreaten and demonize the company can only result in further diminishing BP’sfinancial condition and ultimately leading to its bankruptcy.  And if that happens, the U.S.taxpayer will be on the hook as always.

The priorities are; clean up payment of all liabilities,find the cause, assign ultimate responsibility.

It’s not really that hard, if the administrations focus wereon solving problems, not how to spin it all in a political sense.

Fred Speckmann

commonsenseforamericans.webs.com

6-11-10

Governor Jindal,

First of all my full support for the position and leadership you have taken in response to the Gulf oil disaster. If only the Obama administration would learn to listen. But of course if you are an academic, you already know everything.

Governor Jindal, if I may suggest that you just declare Louisiana State sovereignty and allow drilling on your own. Certainly the public nationwide would back you. I would even consider secession if need be. At the very least file a brief with the Supreme Court to get a ruling on the constitutionality of the Presidents order to stop drilling. I believe you may very well get a positive ruling. I realize these are extreme actions, but this is an extreme emergency.

Fred Speckmann 

2-25-2010

Ann Coulter wrote a piece on Townhall.com about her scheduled speech in Canada.  It was cancelled because of threats and the jufgement of the University that she would engage in hate speech.

Dear MS. Coulter,

I don’t believe that you were really that surprised at the behavior of any University administrator, especially in Canada where free speech was never a priority. Are you really surprised that the Canadian Human Rights Commission members are a bunch of hypocrites? They are the very same that prosecuted Mark Steyn for his writings.

Is this what we have to look forward to if we allow some of the members of the Obama administration to have their way, then I can just picture these people asking for copies of the Canadian Human Rights Commission Charter outlining the rules. I believe that it will start like this.

Conservatives are not allowed to express their opinions, Conservatives will be prosecuted for any utterance they make and since it is well known that they will commit hate speech crimes, will be arrested immediately upon entering Canada.Conservative authors, especially conservative women will be identified, have the scarlet letter "C" tattooed on their foreheads and have their hair shaven immediately after being found guilty of their many hate crimes. 

Conservatives will be hunted down by the Reading Police, incarcerated in a re-education camp until they areready to plead guilty to the many unspecified thought crimes they have surely committed by virtue of being a Conservative.

Conservatives specifically are prohibited from any act not specifically authorized by the "Thought Police" who will use the slogan, "Let me see your papers."      

Fred Speckmann

The Common SenseTest 

Whatis the common sense test in law and politics?

All of us are born with various amounts of common sense, but even those with the least amount are able to make judgements when they are willing to be intellectually honest.

Does it make sense to have a small percentage of the population pay for the expenses of the larger group?

We are now at a point where only about half the working population pays income taxes that benefit the other half.  According to the National Taxpayers Union, the top 10% pays 71% of theincome taxes collected by the government.

For further information, please go to http://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html. ; Thetop 50% of taxpayers pay 97% of the income tax burden.

The result is that half the population is voting for candidates that promise them money in various programs.  Is there any wonder that everything seems upside down?

Do we understand how we got to be the preeminent economy in the history of theworld?

How can we, if our schools are run by liberals who quite often see the free market as unfair?  Our schools have stopped teaching history in many school districts throughout the country.  The founding of the nation is no longer a primary lesson taught.  The RevolutionaryWar, Civil War or for that matter the First World War and Second world War are no longer of any consequence of these progressive school districts.  It’s not the teachers; it’s the influence of the liberal (progressive) teachers unions that control these school districts.  They are the primary influence in the re-writing of history books.

Our common sense tells us that these history lessons need to be taught. George Santayana said, “Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it."   No truer words were ever spoken.  All of us that are willing to use the common sense that we were born with would not dispute it.

The danger is that there are so many progressives who have infiltrated positions of power over our children and are teaching them a version of history that their parents and grandparents wouldn’t recognize.

Talk to your children, review what they are being taught and use your commonsense to make your judgement as to the accuracy.

The experiment of the United States became the greatest nation on earth.  Not because it’s perfect, but because it offered freedom to the world, the common sense evidence is visible by the millions of people who vote with their feet everyyear and arrive on our 

Fred Speckmann

This morning’s many commentaries on Glenn Beck’s CPAC speech were very confusing. Did they all hear the same speech?

What I heard was the following. An impassioned plea for the republican party to stop what they have been doing and take time to reflect and really analyze their actions in the years since the Reagan presidency.

In their speeches they all mention their admiration for President Reagan and what he stood for, yet their actions seldom show that they are in fact true to his philosophies.

Once they get elected and arrive in Washington DC, they drink the water that seems to be infected with spend and tax viruses. Glenn Beck was right in his statement at CPAC when he said, "One party says it will tax and spend. The other party says it won’t tax and will spend."

Many comments have been made that Beck advocates a third party movement, nothing is further from the truth. What he is in fact saying is that the Republican Party must make a stand against Progressivism and make it now, before it’s too late.

He is advocating for true Conservatives to influence the party and support true Conservatives within the party.

Yes, he has on occasion said, maybe that means a third party. But that is a reflection that republicans then could join that rejuvenated Conservative version of the old Republican Party.

We can avoid such a temporary turmoil in the Republican Party by recognizing the true Conservatives such as Rubio in Florida, DeMint in South Carolina and many others that are bubbling up via the Tea Party movement and other Conservative organizations. Are all those potential Conservative candidates going to be true to their campaign speeches, probably not? We do however have plenty of evidence about many Republican Congressmen and women who have proven their inability to be real Conservatives.

Fred Speckmann

View Glenn Beck's speech at CPAC.

http://www.glennbeck.com/content/articles/article/198/36618/

Why do Liberals fear Sarah Palin?

Let me count the ways. She has common sense. Who was the last politician that you remember that had that quality?

She can speak on her feet. Yes, we all remember the fuss that was raised by the liberals for her Katie Couric interview that was proclaimed to show Sarah Palin’s interview. Not ready for prime time I believe was one of the terms used to describe her.

In fact, I too would have reacted in the manner she did, the question was so absurd that it momentarily stopped Sarah from being able to respond. The question was simply too stupid to be taken seriously.

She has a sense of humor that comes through mostly when she responds to the ridiculous. And there are many examples of the ridiculous sound bites that come out of Washington.

To us conservatives, what are the qualities we admire about Sarah Palin? Her real life experiences in the world of the ordinary men and women that provide the real backbone of this great country. Her experiences as a partner with her husband in the real business world. The business world that is not a multi billion dollar enterprise, but the world where on a Friday afternoon she had to hand out paychecks to her employees and being close enough to understanding what that is like. To balance her expenditures with a flow of income that may not allow her to have a lot left over. The possible necessity of deciding that she will have to put her families needs aside and make sure there’s enough money to make payroll, not to mention meeting the giant tax burden that operating a small business demands.

What politician can you point to that has experienced those kinds of problems? Not many, I’m sure.

Those are just a few reasons to fear Sarah Palin if you’re a liberal.

She speaks the language of the people. She is every woman in every man in this country that uses common sense. The liberals simply have no one that can compete, so their only possible course to defeat her is to disparage her. They’re not even able to understand the more they attack her the stronger she becomes.

Fred Speckmann

Commonsenseforamericans@yahoo.com

What part of cutting tax rates do the politicians not understand? On November 20, 1962, President Kennedy said the following and most importantly followed through on his belief.

"It is a paradoxical truth that tax rates are too high and tax revenues are too low and the soundest way to raise the revenues in the long run is to cut the rates now ... Cutting taxes now is not to incur a budget deficit, but to achieve the more prosperous, expanding economy which can bring a budget surplus."

There are many other examples of speeches he made during his time in office that make his tax cutting policies clear. For further examples go to: http://www.nationalcenter.org/JFKTaxes1961.html

It comes down to the basic understanding that if rates are low the economy expands and more tax revenue flow into the treasury. It has worked every time it’s been done.

This policy is true today as it was then. Ronald Reagan did exactly the same and revenues grew at a tremendous rate. Liberals point out that the deficit grew during the Reagan years. That is true, but not because rates were lowered, they grew because Congress immediately grew spending even beyond the increased income.

That is the ultimate problem of our economic geniuses in Congress.  They just can't comprehend that spending is the problem, not taxing the public at higher rates.

Are American Bankers the Jews of 1938 Germany?

On November 9th and 10th, 1938 the German Nazi government under Adolph Hitler ordered the attack on the Jewish population of Germany and Austria and confiscated or destroyed their property.

Are there similarities between that occurrence and the Obama administration demonizing of the American Bankers?

Is the Obama administration planning to do the same thing? I don’t believe so at this time but denunciation of the Jewish population was only the beginning. The reason the Nazi’s used this particular tactic was that they needed a common enemy to focus the populations’ hatred on.

There is a similar tactic used today against the management of financial institutions. They make too much money. They don’t care about their customers. They’re only in profit for themselves. They are destroying the country.

Let’s examine who the real owners of American financial institutions are.

The majority of stock held in banks and Wall Street institutions are held by mutual and retirement funds. Those funds represent millions of private citizens. Only a small percentage is owned by the executives of financial institutions.

When the administration demonizes “Bankers and Wall Street,” they are in fact demonizing you, the public who are the majority owners. I will agree that in some cases it seems that management of these “Wall Street Firms” and the management of banks are being overpaid, especially when they are creating losses. What is not mentioned in the speeches given by the President and administration officials is that the people who receive what they claim are excessive compensation are contractually required bonuses for making a profit for their divisions.

Let us not forget that contracts between two parties are in fact property rights and property rights are protected by the U.S. Constitution. The only parties who have a right to dictate compensation are the stockholders of a corporation.

Even though the administration committed billions of dollars to “financial institution bailouts,” they may not change the terms of a contract retroactively. That can only be done legally by renegotiating a contract.

What is the purpose of these attacks upon management? Just like in Germany of the 1930’s it is to misdirect the true cause of the problems existing in the economy and targeting the management of financial institutions as being evil.

In reality the economy can only function if a streamlined financial system exists. The public deposits money in banks and invests in Wall Street in order to create a profit for themselves. Pursuing this self-interest provides the basic cash flow for an economy to grow. Banks collect money, pay interest to the saver and lends out the money to businesses and buyers of major products such as homes and automobiles. Without this system of financing, the economy could not grow.

We can find many faults with how the financial sector operates, but that is a part of the financial system. Those companies that operate within the rules of the capitalistic system will prosper, and those that do not will eventually go bankrupt. No bailouts and let true capitalism work.

Fred Speckmann

There is no Mr. Exxon

It was recently reported that Exxon made over $45 Billion in profits in one quarter of one year. Outrageous Congress shrieks! Outrageous many Americans say. How can it be acceptable when so many people are unemployed? Can’t Exxon take a little less profit and lower gas prices?

Let’s take a look at the basic economics of capitalism in general and Exxon in particular.

First of all, there is no Mr. Exxon! The company is owned by millions of shareholders who are invested either directly, in their pension funds or through their investments in mutual funds. In reality, relatively few shares are owned by the executives of Exxon. It is a rare event when the major holdings of stock in companies are owned by individuals.

The largest stakes of shares are owned by pension funds and the very people upset at the large profits may very well be owners in Exxon without knowing it.

The rare exceptions are Bill Gates in Microsoft, Warren Buffett in Berkshire Hathaway, the founders of Google and Apple Computers.

The present value of investment in Exxon is in excess of 317 billion dollars.

In the last quarter of 2009 the Exxon dividend per share was 42 cents for an investment of approximately $65-70 depending of purchase date. This dividend comes to approximately 2.5% return on investment on an annual basis. There is of course the hope among investors that the value of their shares will rise. Great expectations, except that the price may in fact fall just as easily.

Publicly traded companies are always at risk, as well as potential of success in the form of rising share prices which all investors hope for. By selling at the right time, they may well gain a substantial profit. But remember that prices rise and fall over time and it is very difficult to pick just the right time to buy or sell.

During the last two years the market has fallen and risen in large percentages causing some to loose and some to gain. That is the stock market risk and reward ratio. The larger the risk the larger the potential gain, but loss is always lurking in the background.

Don’t let the politicians pander to the public by pointing their fingers at companies like Exxon or any other that makes a profit when they are of course aware of the real economics involved. At least we hope they understand. The same is true of Banks, Tech companies or your neighbor who owns a small business. Small companies with the potential of growth create the vast majority of jobs. No bankrupt company or company that can’t make a decent profit is able to hire employees.

Don’t let politicians point their fingers at the risk takers, whether they are entrepreneurs of a start up businesses risking all their money on a chance to succeed and in the process hiring workers. The mature businesses providing products and services that people want and need have to make a profit in order to grow and hire additional employees as well.

I can’t deny that there are some businesses that abuse their workers and investors by making self serving business decisions and they need to be punished. Sooner or later they usually are, by the capitalist market that has made this country wealthy over the years.

No one has ever been hired by a poor man. If government eliminates the profit potential, as it seems to be doing, then there will be no profit and therefore no jobs.

Socialism doesn’t work, it has never been successful anywhere on earth for any length of time.

During the past 5 decades congress under the leadership of Presidents Kennedy, Reagan, George H. Bush and George W. Bush have cut taxes and thereby causing expansions in the economy resulting in increases of tax revenue. Unfortunately Congress then proceeded to immediately increase spending causing the budget deficits. The Presidents signed those spending bills and are to blame along with Congress for doing so. It’s time to stop the spending and go back to lowering tax rates and allowing businesses to flourish and expand the economy. The net result of tax cuts has always been an increase of tax revenue. What part of that doesn’t congress understand?

Fred Speckmann

12-16-09

Health Care Myths

To all those people that question the wisdom of those that object to the conservatives and those democrats that object to nationalizing the U.S. free enterprise health system, allow me to point out a few facts.

I grew up under a communist government where national health care was practiced. The best I can compare it to would be to any bureaucracy you ever had to deal with.

In this country, health care is practiced, as a competitive industry and health practitioner must compete like any other business. This competition is what drives the medical innovation that has caused virtually every other country citizens to come here as a last resort for their health care. Canadians and Europeans come here by the thousands every month to take advantage of the superior training and experience that our health care professionals can provide. People the world over strive to come here for medical training because it is the best.

Whenever the leaders of countries world wide need serious medical attention, they come here.

These and many other reasons should be considered when you make your choice. This present "health care crisis," is nothing more than another power grab by politicians to increase their control over our economy. Just take a good look at all the government agencies who control different parts of our economy. Has there ever been a program other than the military that has performed as promised? The answer is a resounding No!

The people who have attended town hall meetings nationwide are there to ask questions and when the politicians claim they are being attacked, they are spinning the situation. The irritation the attendees is caused by their abuse at the hands of their elected officials. Those officials have never been put under the gun to answer questions before and the public is suddenly finding out how foolish these officials really are.

I can only hope that the voters will remember these characters at the next election cycle and hold them responsible for their actions.

Let's see which of those public voices that tell us how wonderful medical care under a government controlled system is, will be the first to actually go to Cuba, Canada, or almost any country in Europe for their care.

Remember, by law everyone must be treated in a hospital no matter their financial situation. True, they may not get the absolutely greatest care possible but then that is true of everyone no matter their insurance situation. I encourage those of you that have questions for their elected officials to continue to hold their feet to the fire and insist on answers that are true and not political mumbo jumbo. If that term is not understood by you, then just find the video of Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts at his town meeting last week.

Here is a link to that video, just copy and paste.

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2009/08/19/oreilly_on_barney_franks_town_hall.html

If you are a senior citizen and want an option to AARP, the please take a look at CAARP the Conservative American Association of Retired People Web site at:

caarp.webs.com

Whichever side of the health care issue you're on, remember argue your point with logic and passion.

Fred Speckmann

12-16-09

Today, as I have quite often on weekends, I watched the Hallmark cable channel. In these times of so much questionable “entertainment.” it is a refreshing form of television viewing.

The stories are written from the heart, casting is usually delightful in featuring seldom seen actors and actresses and the performances are professional and believable.

The stories remind us of the America we used to be. Most of the people are honorable and friendly; the feelings they express come from the heart. They are a reminder of who we can be, good people who care for one another, not the often crass and rude people some of us have become.

Does almost every movie out of Hollywood have be mayhem and destruction with vulgar dialogue and silly special effects? I don’t believe so and I don’t believe the majority of the public does so either.

Is this view utopian? Perhaps it is, but I will hold to the belief that we all can be better people. Not just during the Christmas season or during times of disaster like the days after September 11th, 2001, but whenever we choose the better path in our life. The choice is ours.

The choice is also Hollywood's since the box office receipts usually show higher returns for family entertainment than any other genre of movies and television. What does it take to get the message?

Perhaps we need to send up flares for the entertainment executives.

Fred Speckmann

Recently I came across a statement by one of President Obamas senior advisors, John Holdren, Science Advisor.  He believes that Americans have no right according to the Constitution to choose the number of children they have.  Does that remind anyone of Chinas one child policy?

To read his quote, please go to the August 14, 2009 story by Colin Mason on lifenews.com

In many conversations I've had with people about the rights of Americans, quite often the Constitution is mentioned.  Yet, when analyzing their arguments it seems that they have never really read our Constitution.  The Constitution is primarily a limitation on the powers of the government and the Bill of Rights specifies the rights of individuals not ever to be limited by the government. 

Below I present a copy of the preamble to the Constitution.

"We the People of the UnitedStates, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, ensure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for theUnited States of America."

The Preamble does not grant any particular authority to the federal government and it does not prohibit any particular authority. It establishes the fact that the federal government has no authority outside of what follows the preamble, as amended. "We the people", is one of the most-quoted sections of the Constitution. It was thought by the Federalists during this time that there was no need for a bill of rights as they thought that the preamble spelled out the people's rights.

The Bill of Rights is the most important aspect of the Constitution, please take the time to read and truly understand it.

The above, as published on wikipedia.org

Fred Speckmann

P.S. Please check out our sister site;

Conservative American Association of Retired People, caarp.webs.com

Town Hall meetings arethe most basic American way of interacting with our electedofficials, yet they have perverted this concept to a great degree. 

They provide themselves with police power forsecurity in a show of force that clearly tells the audience, don't challenge me I'm here to tell you what to do.  This is the exact opposite of the intended purpose of a town hall meeting. 

The worst examples I can give is of the recentmeetings of Arlen Spector of Pennsylvania and Barney Frank ofMassachusetts.  They are not alone in theirarrogance of power, members of both parties are guilty. 

We have all seen these events on the news every day these past weeks and enough is enough.  The reason for the discord at these meetingsis not the publics behavior, but is triggered by the refusal of theofficials to listen to the opinions offered and ignoring the questions asked.  Simply put, they have no legitimate answers.

The attendees at these events have been called NAZI's, disturbed and trouble makers among many other things. Yet when the politicians own supporters disrupt and threaten people, not a wordof rebuke is offered.  It is time to send the only message that these officials understand, vote them out of power. 

This country was not established to have a ruling class as members of Congress as they now think of themselves.

I invite all Americans, no matter their political persuasion to respond to these opinions and all I ask is that you will be thoughtful and logical in your writings.  Passion is great, name calling is not.  Intellectual honesty is a must.

Fred Speckmann