Frank+Hyland

Congress - Elections - Frank Hyland

Your Vote — Your Future

May 22, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

After I graduated from High School, and even before college, I was more than ready to get out on my own. I very much looked forward to having my own place, setting my own hours, and setting my own rules. I have no doubt that the great majority of young folks today feel the same. The difference is that I could do it and did it. Today, more than eight in ten college graduates are forced to move back in with their parents, saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt in the form of student loans and/or credit cards. I can’t imagine what I would have felt like if I had moved back into the home that I wanted very much to have “in the rearview mirror.” Today’s graduates needn’t imagine it because they’re living it daily. The great majority of my high school classmates had moved out on their own, had gotten jobs, and had even started families. It wasn’t at all uncommon. Today it is very uncommon. If I had, for some reason, had to move back into my parents’ house, I would have taken every step to conceal that fact from my classmates who lived in their own apartments and houses. These days, with so many young folks back home, it may be a bit easier to admit the fact to one’s peers because at no time in the past, it is reported, have so many college graduates ever had to move back into their parents’ houses.

Leaving the issue of the cost of higher education aside for another column, the point to focus on here is the jobs market, especially for recent college graduates. In a word, it is “lousy.” Salaries and wages are low and are shrinking in terms of buying power, along with the number of jobs. The added burden, though, of having to repay student loans and credit card debt while coming up with the cost of filling a car’s gas tank, buying groceries, and clothing makes the prospects even dimmer. Many, I’m sure, question why they ever even went to college in the first place.
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Your Vote — Your Future”

Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Liberals - President

In Defense of the Secret Service et al

May 3, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

Leadership, it turns out, does matter. In fact, it is absolutely critical to the efforts of an organization and to the ultimate outcome of those efforts. Correspondingly, lack of leadership is also very telling. All the symptoms of a lack of leadership are glaringly evident in the current occupant of the White House and his crew.

This past couple of weeks has provided ample opportunity for us to judge the quality of leadership provided by this administration since coming into office. The General Services Administration’s (GSA) conference in Las Vegas (paid for by you), followed by the U.S. Secret Service Advance Team in Colombia bringing prostitutes back to their hotel (where they were lodged at your expense) have sharpened the focus on the style of leadership being practiced since January, 2009.
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In Defense of the Secret Service et al”

Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Hyland - Government - Jobs - Liberals - President - Stimulus - Taxes

It Didn’t Work

April 26, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

A number of times, you’ve entered an antique store or another type of store that carries items that need to be handled tenderly if at all. The sign says, “You break it, you bought it.” In the neighborhood in which I was raised, the operative saying was, “There are talkers and there are doers.” In another neighborhood, you’d hear, “You can’t just talk the talk; you’ve got to walk the walk.” In Texas, the saying is, referring to a loud-mouthed Cattleman-wanna-be, “He’s all hat and no cattle.” We’ve been cautioned for centuries that, “People who live in glass houses should not throw stones.” These sayings are all variations on the Words-Deeds dichotomy. This week, which the White House and the DNC are referring to as “This weak,” saw an attempt to throw a major stone at the Romney camp, followed by a series of denials, U-Turns, and “Oops-ies.”

In the context of “You break it, you bought it,” and living in a glass house, the last thing that the Obamanation should have done is take on Ann Romney by name by accusing her of never having worked a day in her life. First of all, Ann Romney is not – I repeat, NOT – running for office. Secondly, if you’ve decided that it is time for your life to end, head over to the nearest preschool or playground where exhausted Moms take their youngsters to expend a bit of energy while they chat with their counterparts. Once there, begin shouting at the Moms that they don’t “work.” That should do the trick – Rest in peace. Typically, the Lame Stream Media has devoted a good deal of time and space to the misstep. And typically, the coverage has been hardly worth your time reading/watching/listening, which explains why you are now tuned in here. That the initial DNC attack is a sign of desperation – with less than six months left until the election – is not being discussed. In addition, that the attack is a symptom of organizational ineptitude and sheer stupidity has received even less coverage. The attacker, DNC staffer Hilary Rosen, is a self-described “pundit.” Among other definitions of the word, pundits are described as being a “learned person” and an “expert.” Leaving aside for a moment how incorrect it is to say that mothers don’t work, there obviously is either no editorial review process at the DNC or the Editors’ seats are filled with others as brain-dead as Hilary Rosen.
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It Didn’t Work”

Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Taxes

Who Pays?

April 11, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

Effective the 1st of April, your nation achieved Number One status, but in a category that won’t make you pleased or proud: The U.S. now has the highest corporate income tax rate in the entire world as of that date. You’ve been hearing in the news recently a number of different views on this development. As I’ve watched the news, though, I first became more and more curious and then angrier and angrier. I may have missed it, but nowhere in the media, across the full political spectrum of Left to Right, have I heard or seen an explanation of the tax. The government has steered clear of an explanation. Some of them may believe that everyone already knows the details. Others, I really believe, hope that you don’t know the truth and never figure it out.

The key question, neither asked nor answered that I know of, is, “Who pays the corporate income tax?” Under U.S. law, a corporation is a “person.” Corporations realize income, have expenses, and pay taxes just as individual people do. But wait a second — although GE, Exxon-Mobil, Apple, and Safeway food stores take in the income and have expenses — who actually pays the taxes? Do you think the corporations do? While some, including the administration, probably hope you think that Exxon-Mobil pays the tax every time you fill up at the gas pump, give it just a moment’s thought and pardon my methodical approach – The gas pump, itself, doesn’t pay taxes; the gas station owner pays individual income taxes just like you do; the Exxon-Mobil Corporation forwards money to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as corporate income taxes. Where do they get those funds? They get them from you and from me, to put it simply. On many gas pumps nowadays, you’ll see a listing of the portions that make up the per-gallon price of gasoline. That listing came about in response to complaints about the amount of money in each gallon that goes to which recipient, including counties, states, and the federal government. That information is useful to you, too, but it’s a different issue. Nowhere on the pump does it tell you who actually pays the corporate income tax; nor does it tell you that you, in fact, pay them.
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Who Pays?”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - President - Taxes

Are You In?

April 10, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

Seemingly everywhere I go on the web these days, I encounter a political ad for the President’s reelection, asking me, “Are you in?” I don’t know if you feel as upset as I do. I can just imagine the responses that are coming in as disillusioned Americans click on the web banner and then go on:

Yeah, I’m in….I’m in debt up to my eyeballs!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in foreclosure thanks to you and Barney Frank!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in trouble with my bank for non-payment!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in default on my Student Loan!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in over my head on credit card payments!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in the Pawn Shop for the third time this week!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in my parents’ basement at the age of 31!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in envy of the menus at your White House parties!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in hock for more than I make in a month!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in awe at the number of trips on Air Force One!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in search of a job for over a year!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in contact with a debt collector over the phone!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in fear that my classmates will find out I’m broke!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in tears over my finances since you took office!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in my car, where I’ve lived since being evicted!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in shock every time I pull into a gas station!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in envy of the number of vacations you all take!
Yeah, I’m in…..I’m in a state of confusion as to whose side you’re on!

Please feel free to add to the list any and all of your own entries. And, like I will, take this list with you into the voting booth on November 6th.
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Are You In?”

AFL-CIO - Anti-Americanism - Capitalism - Communism - Crony Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Public Employees Unions - Richard Trumka - Taxes - Teamsters - Unions

Good News for Union Members

March 29, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

While this message applies to virtually all labor union members, it is especially applicable to the younger members, those whose futures – and whose families’ futures — are being stolen by the older members of the unions, especially the leadership.

Thinking back to when you have voted in union-led, union-conducted elections, it didn’t take long for you to figure out that what was being called an “election” was, in fact, a sham. The results already had been decided by the union’s leaders long before the “voting” even began. What you’ve been going through is called “Majority Sign-Up” or “Card Check.” At least under the present White House, there won’t be any change in the way that your union elections are conducted. Your local leadership will continue to sit in front of you and watch as you fill out your ballot. Union leaders like Richard Trumka will continue to visit the White House, travel in first-class style, and receive their handsome salaries ($283,340 in 2010) plus expenses, of course.

You can be thankful, though, that not all elections are like those conducted by your union. I’m speaking of the upcoming general election on November 6th. You’ll be treated as a grownup with a mind of your own, not a tool for the union leadership to maintain their hold on you and your dues. As I hope you’ve done in the past, you’ll again walk into a private area/booth and mark your ballot in secrecy, not in front of watchful union leaders. You won’t even need to glance at the piece of paper that union leaders, in a blatant insult to their members, give to members as instructions on candidates and ballot issues for which to vote. Union leaders aren’t even allowed to remain in the polling place, much less sit at the table and watch how their members vote like they do during Card Check.
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Good News for Union Members”

Frank Hyland - Immigration/Immigrants - Liberals - PCism - Society/Culture - Western Civilization

Too Many ‘Foreigners’

March 21, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

One of the hottest debates raging at the moment is that on immigrants and our policies toward immigrants. It is also one of the most serious debates because it has implications for the very security of our nation.

The U.S. is not the only nation that is feeling imperiled by the problem. A number of other nations that also have held their doors open wide for decades and longer have reached the point at which they are going beyond questioning their historical welcoming policies, and have decided that they have been mistaken in the past. France, Germany, and Australia are just three examples among many. French President Nicolas Sarkozy has said there are too many foreigners in France and the system for integrating them is “working worse and worse.” He went on to say that he intends to reduce the number of immigrants by almost half. In perhaps the harshest criticism of the situation, Germany’s Prime Minister Merkel declared that Germany’s attempts to build a multicultural society have “utterly failed.” Australia’s Prime Minister Gillard, in a speech delivered almost a year ago, provided a great deal of insight into the problem, its origins and the solution: Gillard said that Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law should leave Australia and that “…immigrants, not Australians, must adapt. Take it or leave it.”

Typically, none of the U.S. Mainstream Media coverage has defined “foreigner” before praising or criticizing. It ought be thought very curious by those who call themselves “Journalists,” to say the least, that a nation like the U.S., founded by and inhabited by literally millions and millions of immigrants can so suddenly encounter an immigrant problem. A closer look at reports of problems sheds light on the answer. Two paths taken by those emigrating to the U .S. are rather obvious. On the earlier path, the millions who arrived in the U.S. from all over the world – Europe, Asia, Latin America – emigrated because they sought a better life, a life where their hard work could and would give them and their children and grandchildren a life that, previously, they could only dream about. To begin with, the great majority emigrated legally. They lived in homes that were, at best, far from ideal. Many worked under conditions that were horrible. They were both subjected to and carried out discrimination based on their ethnicity. But they kept their dream alive throughout their work lives – a better life for their descendants. And along the way, they maintained their identity. Columbus Day, Passover, St. Patrick’s Day parades and numerous other ethnically oriented occasions existed, as did Chinatowns from coast to coast. They identified themselves as Italian-AMERICANS, Irish-AMERICANS, Chinese-AMERICANS, Polish-AMERICANS, and on and on. There were numerous enclaves, sections of large cities, which had strict ethnic identities, a la the Chinatowns and Little Italies you can still see to this day.
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Too Many ‘Foreigners’”

Budget - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Liberals - Senate - Taxes

Robbing Grandma to Pay Junior

March 3, 2012 by

-By Frank Hyland

Almost a year ago, we were treated to a political TV ad showing a man (intended to look like Congressman Paul Ryan) pushing an elderly woman in a wheelchair off the edge of a cliff. The eye-catching ad was meant to portray Ryan and the remainder of the GOP as villains for daring to even talk about reforming “entitlements,” including Social Security. The ad neglected to mention that Ryan and others had stated publicly and unequivocally that, under their plan, those already receiving Social Security would see absolutely no change in their benefits.

Fast forward to today and we are now seeing news that the so-called “payroll tax cut” trumpeted by the White House will be extended for another year. How can anyone possibly be against putting more money in the pockets of the American middle class? While loudly and repeatedly trumpeting the “giving” of $1,000.00 to members of the middle class, has anything been said about where the money is coming from? Do you know?
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Robbing Grandma to Pay Junior”

Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals

It Begs the Question: Who Lost?

November 10, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

In the coming days, you will hear much about candidates for public office who won their elections. Those races are not trivial, not unimportant. They are less important, though, than the big losers in the contests. The big losers are union members. That may be difficult to grasp given the TV coverage of AFL-CIO head Richard Trumka in Ohio grinning at the results like Buddha himself. When you consider it in greater detail, however, it becomes considerably clearer.

Taking this one step at a time, the Ohio ballot initiative called for overturning a state law aimed at reducing an eight-billion-dollar budget deficit. The law did away with the unions’ authority to collect dues from members even if the members did not want to contribute that money. Unlike other locales, members of police forces and firefighters were included in the law’s provisions. In addition, all public employees were slated to contribute 10% of their income to their pensions and 15% to the cost of their health care plans. The morning after the election, many union members are grinning as broadly as Richard Trumka. The grins will not last long, however, and will be replaced with frowns and grimaces as reality sinks in, a reality concealed from them by union leaders. Why? The defeat of this measure means that other, different steps will need to be taken to reduce the deficit. What steps? Governor Kasich has stated that taxes will not be raised in order to reduce Ohio’s deficit and that there simply is no money to pay for all the budget needs. Since the amount of money available will be reduced, the only solution left will be layoffs of public employees. Union rules already prescribe how their members will be chosen to be laid off – it’s called seniority. So those of you union members in Ohio who are 40 years of age and under, it is time to begin looking for another job and/or filling out the paperwork for unemployment benefits. Local towns, cities, and counties in Ohio will not be able to sustain the cost of their present workforces. The timing of this impending disaster for you younger union members could not be worse, coming as it is in the run-up to the holiday season.
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It Begs the Question: Who Lost?”

Elections - Frank Hyland

Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: Listen to Me!

October 14, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

If there is one complaint heard far more often than any other in today’s political climate, it is that those in Washington — those in power everywhere — don’t listen to We the People. The message is phrased a number of different ways and is issued by a good number of different groups and individuals, but the fundamental complaint is the same. In response, some politicians claim to be hearing the complaint and claim to represent a slice of America. Some politicians appear to be deaf when they respond that their efforts are, indeed, succeeding. Some, albeit still only a relatively small number at present, appear to be keeping their word. A few, though, appear to be “clueless,” if you’ll allow me to slip into the vernacular.

Picture this, or perhaps you needn’t: You don’t have a job; you search for one every day, as you have since 2009; you’ve sent literally hundreds of copies of your resume’ to companies and have not heard back from a single one of them; you have come to know many more people from your city who are in the same situation as you are; your unemployment checks are due to run out soon; you have written your City Council Members, Mayor, United States Congressman, United States Senators, and President, none of whom has answered you except for ridiculous, infuriating notes thanking you for your “interest” in the issue. You are one person among an official jobless rate of 16.7%, although you know very well that that number is a great underestimate.
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Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: Listen to Me!”

Business - Capitalism - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Hyland - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Unions

Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: Follow the Money

October 11, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

A saying that has proven to be wiser and wiser as time goes by is, “Follow the money.” You’ve heard, no doubt, that money is the lifeblood of Capitalism and that “Follow the money” applies to Capitalism. That is true. It may surprise you or puzzle you, though, when I tell you that the saying applies equally as much to politics, to political parties, and to individual politicians. Politicians, after all, are fond of telling us that they are engaged in “public service,” as if no money changes hands or even needs to ever change hands. If you wonder about my claim here in Politics 101, consider it in terms of cycles: To begin the cycle, politicians run for office; organizations donate money to political candidates and/or to their parties; the organizations then lobby those whom they’ve supported, to press for their agendas; the successful candidates, keeping in mind their next run for office, support most– sometimes all — of their supporters’ requests; the supporting groups gain from the politicians’ support in terms of wage and salary gains; items like union dues increase along with income taxes, meaning that the unions’ income rises as well; in the next election cycle, the unions fill out “report cards” on the various candidates, favoring (Surprise!) the incumbents who rewarded them; the unions donate to those who supported their agendas last time. Now begin the cycle as above over and over again. While it hasn’t been a total secret, the details of the overall cycle have not been widely advertised to you even if you have been a union member. Now, in an era of tight budgets for everyone, the secret has emerged into the bright sunshine of media coverage.
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Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: Follow the Money”

Democrats/Leftists - Frank Hyland - Liberals - New Jersey - Unions

Frank Hyland’s It Begs the Question: Does it Puzzle You, Too?

October 4, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

It is difficult to look anywhere these days without encountering news coverage of the battle going on in New Jersey between public employee unions and the State of New Jersey. The tussle, at least trying to put it politely, is a rerun of last winter’s gathering of public employees in Wisconsin. Both of them, in turn, are “First Cousins” to the street riots in Greece, Spain, and the UK, among a growing number of other locales around the globe.

The New Jersey brouhaha centers on what public employee unions claim is an effort to balance the state budget by unfairly increasing the amounts and percentages that their members must contribute to health and pension plans. A Fraternal Order of Police spokesperson is quoted as saying that the State of New Jersey created the deficit but public employees are being asked…..required to fix it.
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Frank Hyland’s It Begs the Question: Does it Puzzle You, Too?”

Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Taxes

Food for Thought: Priorities

October 1, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

Politicians at the federal, state, and municipal levels all come into office with their own cherished To-Do lists. Since, at the federal level, there are 535 Members of Congress and many more White House Staffers and Cabinet Department stalwarts, a clash of To-Do lists inevitably ensues. It’s called “Politics.” One of the qualities of the more effective leaders is that they orchestrate the agendas and resolve the different lists. It should come as no surprise that the way that good leaders do this is by prioritizing the items on the myriad of lists. The focus that we see – speeches, hearings, investigations, regulations – tells us what the elected officials have on their lists and in what priority order.

Your To-Do list is: Jobs, jobs, and jobs, in that order. Even a brief look at the issues that have received major attention from Congress and the White House in the past couple of years will shed light on whether their lists are similar to yours: Cash for Clunkers; Roger Clemens’ alleged use of performance-enhancing substances; the yacht race engaged in by the then-BP Chairman; Green Power; Shovel Ready jobs; “illegal” wood used in guitars; how many hours of sleep California babysitters get each day; banning e-cigarettes on commercial plane flights. Had enough? I thought so.
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Food for Thought: Priorities”

Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Taxes

The Hidden Lines

September 29, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

No, I’m not referring to Crow’s feet around eyes, concealed by the latest in skin creams. If you’re somehow in the mood for a really depressing time, go to Google Images and take a look at photos from the Great Depression of the 1930s. Among them you’ll see the long lines of people gathered to get a bowl of soup or some bread. No such lines today, you say. At present, you’re told that the U.S. Unemployment rate is 9.1%. Multiply that by two and you’ll be nearing the actual unemployment rate. To be blunt, the Federal Government cooks the books on the unemployment rate just as it does in other cases, like what they claim is the rate of inflation. So why don’t we see the long lines forming again, given a true unemployment rate approaching 20% — one in five of our neighbors, our family members?

Another way that governments – federal, state, and municipal – have cooked the books is to find ways of disguising the scale and scope of the problem, concealing it from the cameras of the 24-hour cable TV networks. I would be so fearful, ashamed and embarrassed to be seen in a food line by someone I knew that I would wear a disguise and/or go hungry to avoid being spotted. Few today need to even anticipate that fear, much less actually experience it. Why? Today, someone can sit at home and not have to join a line and be seen at a soup kitchen. Lose your job and you have 99 weeks of unemployment checks queueing up to enter your mailbox. For those who, like me, were not Math majors, that is only five weeks short of two entire years! To add to that, almost 20% of Americans now receive food stamps. The goal, and this has largely been achieved, is for you to be in line at the grocery store behind someone spending his or her unemployment check and/or food stamps and you don’t even recognize it.
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The Hidden Lines”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Hyland - Jobs - President - Taxes

Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: The Most Closely Held Secret

September 25, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

On the night of January 20th/21st, 2009, a large, dark SUV pulled onto the White House grounds and disgorged the deepest, darkest secret of the administration – In addition to Barack H. Obama, his twin brother, Tele P. Obama, resides in the White House and has covertly exercised the responsibilities of the Presidency ever since, whenever he could get away with it. The existence of Tele P., of course, has been kept a closely held secret by the President’s senior staff. But a review of the President’s actions over the past almost-three years has thrown a feared and unwanted spotlight on Tele P. In the process, the reputation of the President’s senior staff, which has been much maligned as a lying bunch of Chicago thugs, has been restored. Just a brief review of the ill-considered, amateurish actions of Tele P. will quickly convince you of his existence:

** Barack told us all this August that he would unveil his Jobs Plan soon, in order to deal with the urgency of the situation. While Barack remained in the White House working feverishly, Tele P. was photographed on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard and telling us that he would give the speech when he returned, thereby destroying the sense of urgency expressed by Barack.

** Actually, Tele P. began countering Barack from the very beginning. Tele P. ignored the concerns of the American people and, while Barack was in his office working long and hard on a jobs program, Tele P. emphasized a healthcare reform package and targeted banks and Wall Street.
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Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: The Most Closely Held Secret”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Chuck Schumer - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Jobs - Republicans - Taxes

Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: Signs of Desperation

September 15, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

Like I often do, I’m sure you feel at times as if you’ve been left out of the deliberations that take place behind closed doors in your state’s capital city and in Washington. Afterward, you discover that you’ve been had (or substitute another appropriate verb of your choosing). Quite possibly the worst example in recent times is the statement by FORMER Speaker Pelosi that, “…we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.” But there are ways, believe it or not – telltale clues — that you can use to spot what the so-called “Heavy Hitters” inside the Beltway are talking about and planning. Most importantly, you can get a good idea of what The Left fears so that you have time to react. How? The meetings from which you and I have been excluded have a goal, an agenda. So then the meeting takes place, the agenda is covered during discussions, and a plan is drafted for following the points covered in the meeting agenda. Those who were not excluded emerge from the meeting and begin acting in accordance with the plan. If you doubt that, in March of this year the number three Democrat in the US Senate, New York’s “Chuck” Schumer, told his colleagues to use the word “extreme” when talking about Republicans on Capitol Hill. “I always use the word extreme,” Sen. Schumer said, “That is what the caucus instructed me to use this week.” Unfortunately for him, he said that over a live phone line on which reporters were already waiting for an interview.

How, then, do you know what went on in the meeting you weren’t allowed to join? It isn’t terribly easy. For example, on January 14th, 2010, President in Charge of Vice Biden met with the Chief of Transparency for Economic Recovery. The meeting was closed to members of the Press and others. Again, though, there are clues that you can use. The fallout from the Iowa Straw Poll is a good example of the method. Who are the targets of the left since the Iowa Poll was completed? The winners, that’s who, including someone who was only a write-in — Governor Rick Perry of Texas. The other target, of course, is Congresswoman Michelle Bachmann. Most important, what does it mean to be a target? It means, simply, that Governor Perry and Rep. Bachmann are the most feared by the Left, by those in charge of the campaign for President on behalf of the present alleged incumbent. With a total of “57” states in our country, why did the Obamanation choose to travel to Iowa on his “Magical Misery Bus Tour,” as it was characterized by Gov. Romney? Now that the method is clear, you can apply it to other places, other issues, other people, other problems.
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Frank Hyland’s Food for Thought: Signs of Desperation”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Civil Rights Act - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Free Speech - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - PCism - President - Race - Society/Culture - Western Civilization

They Should Hang Their Heads in Shame

September 12, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

In the words of Indiana Congressman Andre Carson in Miami on August 29th, “…some of them in Congress right now of this tea party movement would love to see you and me … hanging on a tree.” Cong. Carson, of course, is not the only one who has raised his voice against Americans seeking to avoid the bankruptcy of this nation. California Cong. Maxine Waters said on August 20th, “As far as I’m concerned — the Tea Party can go straight to Hell.” On Labor Day, Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa said, “…it is the Tea Party…Let’s take these son of a bitches out…” Additional examples abound, too numerous to recount in this column without driving it over onto several more pages.

Statements such as these are so incredibly rich in terms of angles from which to respond that the result will necessarily be a series of columns. With that in mind, we can choose the “Good News” angle for the first one and then follow up with other angles.

It might seem at first that there cannot possibly be any news about such statements that can be termed “good.” A second glance, if it is honest, though, would show someone like Cong. Carson that his words and their aftermath represent an opportunity. Opportunity for what? An opportunity to feel better about himself by recanting his words, admitting his mistake, and changing course to one that is supportable, one that can be backed up by facts as opposed to the empty words of a pure politician uttered in a vain attempt to garner more votes.
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They Should Hang Their Heads in Shame”

Barack Obama - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Nancy Pelosi - Taxes

Do the Math

August 14, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

With the Congressional bill on raising the debt ceiling signed into law by the President, the talk by people like Harry Reid (D-NV) is already turning to the next round of deliberations. “Today we made sure America can pay its bills. Now it’s time to make sure all Americans can pay theirs,” Reid said. Other comments were made about “millionaires, billionaires, and corporate jet owners.” (Be sure and call Reid, by the way and ask if he was including luxury yacht owners like Sen. John Kerry (D-MA).) What you are seeing and hearing is a delayed reaction to what Harry Reid and others consider having been put in the Timeout Corner by the hated TEA Party.

A number of times in the past when you have been in a public place it is likely that you’ve seen an unruly child in the midst of a temper tantrum. A tantrum is one of those events that is completely mindless, such as when you react to touching something too hot, too cold, or too expensive, like a yacht. More and more knowledge has emerged on how to respond to howling children in a store, a restaurant, or a commercial plane so that they throw such tantrums less often. The prevailing wisdom? Walk away and let ‘em scream. How, then, should you respond to Harry Reid and his cohorts in the coming phase of the effort to keep the US from going bankrupt as they throw tantrums?
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Do the Math”

Barack Obama - Budget - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Hyland - GOP - Government - House of Representatives - Liberals - President - Taxes

The Second US Civil War

August 4, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

The 150th anniversary of the first Battle of Bull Run, fought on 21 July 1861, just passed. The timing could not be more ironic because we in the United States find ourselves in the midst of the Second U.S. Civil War. While this present one doesn’t feature sounds of gunfire — at least not yet — the level of noise is extremely high and gaining in amplitude by the minute. (Cue the Wisconsin audio-video here. endsarcasm)

The original conflict, in the midst of the 19th Century, is said by many to have been rooted solely in the desire of Americans to continue to “own” other human beings and to oppress them. A closer examination reveals a variety of motives among supporters of leaving the union of states. Chief among them was a fundamental dispute over the preeminence of the power of the federal government. While there have not been long lines of uniformed troops in blue or gray forming recently, we continue to hear the rallying cry, “The South shall rise again.” That figure of speech has evolved to express the growing fears of Americans from all corners of our country, and includes growing numbers of African-Americans as well. The more recent outcry is along the lines of, “Taxed Enough Already!”
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The Second US Civil War”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Capitalism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Health - Liberals - Nanny State - President - Taxes

Healthcare Delusion

June 22, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

The issue everywhere in the media, at the White House, on Capitol Hill, and around your supper table is healthcare, whether Medicaid, Medicare or the aptly labeled Obamacare. The burning part of the issue is whether “they” owe us healthcare; that is, are we “entitled” to it.

If I walk into a store expecting that I can have anything and everything on the shelves without paying for it, I’d be called a shoplifter, a thief. Gasoline pumps across the nation, including the ones you patronize, feature a photo of a State Trooper warning against filling up and driving off without paying. When the Plumber fixes your Bathroom leak and you pay him with a check that bounces, you have committed fraud and theft. In all these cases, you received something of value from a person (the Plumber) or a group of people (the gasoline station) and you took their product without paying for it.

Why in the world, then, would anyone think they can go to any other individual — a Doctor — or a group of people — a clinic or hospital — and believe that they can have their product without paying for it? Doctors, Nurses, and their staffs, in case some don’t realize it, have families, mortgages, car payments, tuition payments, and grocery bills just like everyone else, like all of us.
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Healthcare Delusion”

Democrats/Leftists - Elections - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Nanny State

Watch This Hand Over Here

June 13, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

As many of us who are writers have been told by an Editor, “You’ll never see a headline that says ‘Plane Lands Safely at JFK Airport.’” Another type of story that We The People apparently won’t see much of either is “News You Can Use.”

The Mainstream Tedium’s concentration on some types of stories while ignoring others is commonplace, even predictable. Check out Fox News and much of it tells us of US Rep. Anthony Weiner, accompanied by Charlie Sheen, “bikini bumps,” and the vital question concerning whether your dog watches too much TV. On MSNBC one focus is on a transgender prom queen. MSNBC would rather tell us that Sarah Palin is breaking the law by including the US flag on her tour bus, and the eye-popping news that Kim Kardashian may stop using her last name. When the news story is over, I, for one, feel as if I’ve just left a restaurant after viewing photos of food while eating nothing – I still feel empty.

One of the categories of news coverage most useful to you is that of “Crime” because it very well may enable you to avoid becoming a victim, whether of physical assault, burglary, or identity theft. Again checking the majority of Mainstream Tedium coverage, it is of a Florida murder trial and the now-former head of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) accused of sexually assaulting a hotel maid. Both stories deserve coverage, of course, and all victims of crime and their loved ones are to be mourned and consoled. Devoting so little time to stories you can use, though, while emphasizing “fluff” must end.
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Watch This Hand Over Here”

ACORN - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Taxes - Unions

Food for Thought: Achieving Resolution

June 8, 2011 by


-By Frank Hyland

Every so often a Writer looks back as his or her products and asks him/herself, “Why hasn’t this been fixed?” This is one of those times. The great majority of my columns over the years have been prompted by an event – a law, an attack, a speech, a budget, a gaffe, and on and on. If it were the first gaffe, when the Obamanation stood and offered a toast to Queen Elizabeth, continuing to speak during the playing of the British national anthem, I would not have written about it. The first time that FORMER Speaker Pelosi said something like “500 million US workers lost their jobs last month,” I didn’t respond. It wasn’t until the fall of 2010, following the proclamation of the “Recovery Summer” by President in Charge of Vice Biden, that I questioned the results. And I look at my many colleagues who generate factual, critical responses to the boneheaded or misguided or outright illegal actions of the Left day after day, year after year.

Our efforts have borne some fruit – think ACORN; think Van Jones; think FORMER Speaker Pelosi. Like you, I am extremely pleased, proud, and grateful to all who read our missives and who agree and take action. It is the pace of such progress that is frustrating for many of us. Cong. Barney Frank can state publicly that he obtained a position (pun intended) at Fannie Mae for his former lover and say, in essence, “Everybody does it.” Worse, he is not seen carrying a cardboard box of his personal items out of the Capitol the same day. National Public Radio continues to receive your tax dollars.
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Food for Thought: Achieving Resolution”

Anti-Americanism - Barack Obama - Budget - Business - Communism - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Health - Liberals - Medicare - President - Socialism - Taxes

It Begs the Question: How Many Times Will You Let Them Fool You?

June 3, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

You take your car to the local auto dealership because it just isn’t running right, like it used to run. For the third time, you tell the Service Manager what the symptoms are and what you think the cause is. You’ve had this car for two and a half years, and plenty of other cars before this one, so you’re a pretty good judge of how an auto should operate. Your gas mileage is declining, there’s a persistent odor as you drive, ominous-sounding noises have crept in and are now getting louder and louder, neither the brake nor the accelerator pedal seems responsive. You return to the dealership, pay them, and drive away. Right away you notice that it is still sluggish and still smells, and the noises you reported yesterday are even louder.

Will you return to that dealership again? Will you give them more of your money in return for what they claim is the best service around? Will you accept their word that they “guarantee” their work? They’ve sent you back out into traffic in a vehicle that doesn’t run well and that has problems in both stopping and accelerating. It’s very likely that you won’t return to them. Even if they were the only dealership in your town, you would find a way to get the car to the nearest town with another dealership, one that doesn’t ignore you or make you false promises on which it cannot and/or will not deliver.
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It Begs the Question: How Many Times Will You Let Them Fool You?”

Barack Obama - Budget - Capitalism - China - Communism - Congress - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Hyland - Free Trade - Government - Jobs - Liberals - Republicans - Taxes

The Nation’s ‘Best’ Export

May 23, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

The definition of the “best” export that the United States could possibly have is: One that is Win-Win for everyone, but especially for us here in the US. Also, the export commodity should be one that we want to export. Finally, the commodity would be inexpensive to obtain for those to whom we export it, at least at first.

With those criteria in mind, I will tell you that I’m speaking of the United States “exporting” to the People’s Republic China (PRC) one Barack Hussein Obama. I can see the question marks appearing in that bubble above your head as you say to yourself, “Huh?” But just think how much better off the US would be if Obama were comfortably ensconced in Beijing rather than in Washington, DC. The increase in Chinese military power would grind to a halt, making the PRC less of a threat to the US. The PRC economy, now increasing at the rate of 8% a year or more, would also grind to a halt and then begin a downward spiral as the US economy has done. This would be especially true if he were to take Ben Bernanke and Tim Geithner with him to guide the PRC economy. Night and day printing of the Chinese currency, the Yuan, would alleviate the greatly weakened US currency and restore the dollar to its former luster. While much of the present danger to the world from North Korea exists because China is North Korea’s best friend and refuses to rein in Kim Jong-Il, just imagine the terror that would result in Pyongyang upon discovering that Obama was now their best friend. Bye-bye Kim. The Chinese people would notice little difference, if any, were Obama to be exported to Beijing. They already are very much used to being told by the government what to do and then being forced to do it. The more I think about this, the more I think that the entire White House, the entire Cabinet, the entire workforce of several departments (Education and the EPA for just two), should be exported as a package deal for the same low price — Free. As a bonus, we’ll throw in several Members of Congress at no extra charge.
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The Nation’s ‘Best’ Export”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Nanny State - Taxes

It Begs the Question:

May 13, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

No one is asking public officials THE key question from our standpoint, yours and mine. As you hear and see and read about the discussions on the budget, whether local, state, or federal, ask yourself if THE question fits my description as the “key” question. That question is, simply, “Where will the money come from?” It is very simple and straightforward, easy to respond to unless the other person is trying to deceive. And pay no attention to any public official who says, “This is a complicated situation.” Whether it is just you, you and your family, your county, state or nation, NO ONE can endlessly spend money that they have not earned. If you borrow money, you can tell your Congressman or President (as soon as you get one), whether it is on a credit card or from a bank, you MUST repay it at some point. If you did what the Federal Government does in these situations – print more money – you would be imprisoned for counterfeiting. Notwithstanding what “they” tell us over and over, their problem is no more complicated than our family budgets.

So when labor union activists in Wisconsin (and every other state) say that we are balancing the budget “on the backs of the middle class,” THE question should follow: “Where will you get the money from for the raises?” When US Senators and/or Congressmen/Congresswomen tell us we must go along with an earmark that delivers millions of your tax dollars to study the sex habits of worms or the smell emanating from pig farms, THE question should follow. When the make-believe president tells us that we must “invest” in solar power and wind power, THE question should follow. Actually, the make-believe president should explain where the money comes from to fly his Personal Trainer from Chicago to Washington every week.
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It Begs the Question:”

Budget - Constitution - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Elections - Ethics - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Taxes - Tea Party

We Are All Wisconsin Union Members

May 4, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

This is not an easy column to write. Normally the subject is a loon like Michael Moore and he has again done something that is easy to criticize. This one is about me, though, and — even more difficult — about you (the “You” writ large, that is). For this one, I had to spend considerable time in front of the mirror even after finishing shaving, and we all must do that to resolve this problem.

This is about being honest about ourselves to the point that it will hurt, at least in the pocketbook.

The biggest story, still ongoing, is about unionized state workers in Wisconsin. But other stories are related and need to be put in the same context. For one, a new poll says that almost two thirds of Americans think we’re on the wrong track; that figure will continue to rise along with gasoline prices. That many or more of us, though, want budget cutters to look elsewhere for the place to cut, as opposed to their own wallets. In truth, we are resurrecting that catchy jingle saying, “Don’t tax me. Don’t tax thee. Tax that man behind the tree.” It will not be easy, though, because another report to put in the same context is that more than one third of us receive our income from the US Government in one form or another. It is easy for me to say that I’m not on “welfare.” The trouble is that creative characterization of Federal Government programs over many decades has convinced many of us that we receive income from “entitlements” or because we show up at our desk every day in the public sector — the US Education Department, for example. We have come to believe, therefore, that we are entitled to the money. Less and less money will be available, though, as ten thousand or more people – read Baby Boomers – retire each and every day.
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We Are All Wisconsin Union Members”

Anti-Americanism - Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Economy/Finances - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Media - NPR - PBS - Taxes

Food for Thought: The US Has Three Government Broadcasters

March 17, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

In the midst of the uproar over National Public Radio (NPR), one factor either has been ignored or simply not even realized: The United States already has an official US Government “voice.” It is The Voice of America (VOA), a longtime broadcaster offering listeners around the world the official views of the US Government in an unabashed fashion.

Straight from the VOA website (http://www.voanews.com) in their own words, with no spin by those pro or con, the agency itself says: “The Voice of America, which first went on the air in 1942, is an international multimedia broadcasting service funded by the U.S. government through the Broadcasting Board of Governors. The VOA broadcasts approximately 1,500 hours of news, information, educational, and cultural programming every week to an estimated worldwide audience of 123 million people.” Why, then, you are asking yourself, do we need to give The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), and National Public Radio (NPR) taxpayer money approaching half a billion dollars this year? All of those organizations, I hasten to add, have every right to continue to exist. They have every right to compete for our eyes and ears, for our money spent on advertised products. The line should be drawn, however, at the receipt of your tax dollars.
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Food for Thought: The US Has Three Government Broadcasters”

Budget - Democrats/Leftists - Frank Hyland - Government - Liberals - Nevada - Senate - Taxes

It Begs the Question: The Cowboy Poetry Society

March 9, 2011 by

-By Frank Hyland

The speech by U.S. Senate Majority Bleater Harry Reid (D, NV) on the Senate floor on March 8th is destined to become a classic in the pantheon of such utterances. In condemning the cutting of funds for the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Sen. Reid decried the ending of an annual festival in Nevada and stated, “Had that program not been around, the tens of thousands of people who come there every year would not exist.” We’ll leave it to a higher authority in the field of Medicine to determine whether the attendees would still exist.

The National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, the actual name of the festival, was held this year from January28th to February 4th. Direct from the festival’s website is the cost of tickets to the events:

“For the 27th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering, if purchased prior to December 22, 2010, a four-day Deluxe Pass was $60 and included the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering program book. After December 22, the cost increased to $75. If not purchased as a part of a Deluxe Pass, the program book sold for $6.00. A single Day Pass for Wednesday, January 26 was $15, and single Day Passes for Thursday, Friday and Saturday, January 27-29 were $25 each.”
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It Begs the Question: The Cowboy Poetry Society”