With all the upheaval taking place in Egypt, and President Obama and foreign-policy expert/VP Joe Biden missing in action, perhaps the White House is more focused on the strong possibility that Obamacare could end up where it should - in the scrap heap of bad liberal entitlement ideas.  It is clear that while the events in Egypt expose Obama as simply channeling his inner-Jimmy Carter in not having a clue what to do diplomatically or whom to support, he may be preoccupied.  After all, looks like his "crowning achievement" -  Obamacare - may be D.O.A. 

Across the country, judges are striking down parts of Obamacare as "unconstitutional."  But the biggest blow yet just happened.  On January 31st, in the northern district of Florida in the United States District Court, Judge Roger Vinson struck down ALL of Obamacare as "unconstitutional."  His ruling was very specific and cited many explanations of why he ruled in favor of those who oppose this government power-grab.  Read the  entire 78 page ruling and explanation at:  State of Florida vs. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.  It is very interesting and makes excellent points as to WHY Obamacare IS unconstitutional.

A few excerpts from Judge Roger Vinson's ruling:

""It is difficult to imagine that a nation which began, at least in part, as the result of opposition to a British mandate giving the East India Company a monopoly and imposing a nominal tax on all tea sold in America would have set out to create a government with the power to force people to buy tea in the first place. If Congress can penalize a passive individual for failing to engage in commerce, the enumeration of powers in the Constitution would have been in vain for it would be ‘difficult to perceive any limitation on federal power’ and we would have a Constitution in name only."

 and the following:

"...the individual mandate and the remaining provisions are all inextricably bound together in purpose and must stand or fall as a single unit.  Because the individual mandate is unconstitutional and not severable, the entire Act must be declared void."

As of right now, 26 states have filed suit against Obamacare - Wisconsin proudly among them!    The United States House of Representatives recently voted to repeal Obamacare, and 47 Republican Senators have signed on to vote in favor of repealing this bloated entitlement program when it comes to the U.S. Senate. 

With Vinson's ruling, the repeal of Obamacare may eventually end up in the hands of the United States Supreme Court.  At which time our country would be at a true crossroads - do we continue on the path to becoming a nanny state - with the entitlement mentality supported by the government OR do we go back to the ideals and principals that our country was founded upon?   The nine justices on the United States Supreme Court could be about to hear one of the most important cases ever presented to them - if not the most important!  The future of the United States of America could depend upon their decision.

Let's continue to support our elected leaders who want to repeal this Obamination - and those judges who agree. The majority of the states in our nation want Obamacare repealed.  The majority of people in the United States want Obamacare repealed. 

Obamacare IS unconstitutional.  It IS another entitlement program that we - as Americans - can neither support nor afford.  It is unsustainable, as with most entitlement programs.  And if Obamacare is indeed allowed to become a reality, we will turn into another Europe.  The greatness of America and all it stands for will be lost.  

And perhaps if Obamacare were to go down in flames - the sooner the better - the President could turn his attention to Egypt?  One suggestion - Obama should avoid taking any calls from Jimmy Carter if he wishes to offer words of advice!
 

Finally the weekend of THE big game is upon us.  Soon all the reporting,  interviews,  hoopla,  and goofy stories surrounding the Super Bowl will fade into the background and the game will begin!  Who would have thought that the Packers would have ended up in Super Bowl XLV, given all the injuries and obstacles they had to overcome early in the season to get to Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas?  What a testament to the players and coaching staff, as well as coach Mike McCarthy.  What an exciting Sunday coming up for football fans around the globe!  Amazing!

Here are my five quick hits on the Super Bowl, and yes, some are of a political nature! :)

1)  What a great economic boost to our state, Pennsylvania, Texas, and across the country for those who are waiting in anticipation for the big game to begin.  Player jerseys,  Super Bowl memorabilia, foam cheeseheads, "Feeling so fly like a Cheesehead" t-shirts, and other souvenirs and clothing associated with the game are flying off store shelves everywhere.  People are spending their own hard-earned money on Super Bowl items that they want, thereby boosting local, state, and nation-wide businesses to increase production to keep up with the sales.  Capitalism at it's finest - supply and demand.  No government subsidies or stimulus needed!  Obama should observe and learn! 

2)  While some are on a spending spree, the President of the United States is - for once -  saving taxpayers money! (Shocking, I know!).   We have the Chicago Bears to thank - for losing to the Packers a few weeks ago, which enabled the Packers to become the National Conference Champions and advance to the Super Bowl.  Obama had said if his home team -  the  Bears -  won, he would have headed to the Super Bowl (some have said that Kenya and Hawaii didn't have a football team called "the Bears" so they didn't know what "home team" Obama was talking about!...  This is a joke, by the way, for some of the humorless lefties out there).  If Obama had attended the Super Bowl, it would have been a logistics and costly nightmare, although Obama rarely seems to consider the consequences of his actions.  To him, the ability to do whatever he wants is just one of  the perks of playing President. If Obama wanted to go - he'd go.  So what if it cost the taxpayers a bundle?  We need to send a big shout-out to Jake Cutler and Co. - thanks for saving the taxpayers money!  We can use the cash to buy more Super Bowl items! 

3)  Obama will instead be staying at the White House to watch the Super Bowl on television with invited guest, Milwaukee's own Mayor Tom Barrett.  Anyone besides me have a theory on this one?  Now, why wouldn't Obama invite Governor Scott Walker to sit and watch the game with him - after all, Walker has a lot more clout around the state than Barrett.  (Oh, that's right, Walker is a Republican!  Boo! Hiss!)  Perhaps Obama is looking at Wisconsin and the strong shift to the right - and he wants to plant the idea in Barrett's head that maybe the Milwaukee Mayor should run for the Herb Kohl Senate seat when Herbie comes up for re-election in 2012.  Rumor has it that maybe the folks who threw Democrat Senator Russ Finkgold will do the same to Kohl.  After all, Kohl represents the spend-and-tax out-of-control Washington D.C. establishment, has ties to the current president, and his voting record goes against what many people wish (like when it came to socialized medicine).   Kohl is just another one of the arrogant Democrats who refuse to listen to the people and has been in office waaay too long.  There is a good chance Kohl's  seat will be up for grabs, with maybe (and this is just a maybe) Mark Green will step up to run as the Republican candidate for Kohl's seat.  Obama and his crew probably figure that Barrett may have a better chance for the Senate seat than Kohl.  The Democrats clearly don't want to risk losing yet another big senate seat in the next election in Wisconsin.  Although, Barrett - in my opinion - is a weak solution.

4)  A kudos to the ingenuity and creativity of people making money off of Super Bowl tickets, parking places, hotel rooms, etc.  Again, supply and demand.  People are willing to pay - huge amounts of money - for luxury boxes, game tickets, hotel rooms, airline tickets, souvenirs, and other items associated with the Super Bowl.  Yet, nary any complaints from the "disenfranchised" folks out there who cannot afford to go to the big game or pay the high costs to enjoy it in Arlington.  Why is that?  No reports on the "evil rich" stealing from the poor to get to the game.  Perhaps the Super Bowl is one of those few events where it is expected that costs surrounding the event will skyrocket?  Our family cannot afford to fly down to Arlington, rent a room, and pay for tickets.  It's way out of our budget.  Yet, we realize that others can and will be able to afford such extravagances.  Do we wish them ill will?  Are we angry?  Are we jealous?  Do we think we should take some of their money away from them and give it to others?  No!  In fact, we think more power to 'em!!!  I know this goes against the grain of the "rich" vs. the "poor" that the socialists in Washington D.C. like to promote.  However,  for this event, the finger-pointing and crying about "all the money being spent on the Super Bowl could be used to feed the hungry" have been missing.

5)  And last, but not least!  A big "thank you" to the Green Bay Packers for making this football year so exciting.  The best is yet to come and the Packers could - and should -  win this one if they play their game and avoid penalties and mistakes.  They have the will, the desire, the ability, and potential.  My prediction:   Packers:  21 - Steelers:  13.   Can't wait to hear WTMJ sports announcer Wayne Larrivee shout :  AND THERE IS YOUR DAGGER!!!   

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak has officially resigned his post .  The Egyptian people, while not happy that the Egyptian army has taken control of Egypt, have  succeeded in pushing Mubarak out of power.

This could be a good thing or it could turn out very badly.

While President Hosni Mubarak was by no means an ideal political figure or human being, he was a stabilizing influence for Egypt and the United States in the Middle East.  The Egyptian people protesting against Mubarak and his regime had every right to demand a democracy.   However, even with Mubarak's departure,  true democracy is not guaranteed.  While Mubarak may have been a autocratic ruler disliked by many, his replacement may be even worse - and more dangerous.   The  Muslim Brotherhood -  a radical Islamic organization committed to rid the world of Western influence and spread Sharia law through jihad - is setting itself up to have a say in the future of Egypt.  The government that ends up replacing Mubarak could be more radical than ever - and anti-Israeli. 

And what was our government doing during the Egyptian uprising?  Not a lot besides showing that it is "Amateur Hour" at the White House.  Mixed messages, conflicting information from different sources, and glaring gaffes provide no sound foreign policy on Egypt and what our government plans to do.

First off, Vice-President Joe Biden made a point of saying that Mubarak should not go, but rather stay and address the concerns of the people.  A few days later, President Obama said the exact opposite, saying Mubarak should go.  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stated AFTER Obama's comment that perhaps Mubarak should stay....and so it goes at the White House.  It is glaringly obvious that foreign policy is a concept foreign to Obama and his Administration!

And why did the C.I.A. Director, Leon Panetta, come out and state on Thursday, February 10th, that President Hosni Mubarak was going to resign that day?  Isn't Panetta supposed to pass on such information to the President of the United States before announcing it to the world?  Panetta's words ended up not even being true at the time.  Panetta's gaffe served in it's own way to undermine what was going on in Egypt. 

White House spokesperson Robert "Fibbs" Gibbs floundered back and forth, saying the people of Egypt were responsible for themselves and their governmental issues, yet at the same time speaking about a list of demands (empty rhetoric as usual)  the United States was expecting Egypt to follow.  Huh?  And one key point that Gibbs and the Obama Administration focused on as though it was of dire importance was that the Egyptian people needed internet access!  They had to be back on the social network!  Was that a joke?

President Obama doesn't even seem to care all that much, watching from the sidelines and not offering much insight into what the United States government plans to do in order to maintain a relationship with Egypt.  Imagine if the events in Egypt had unfolded while George W. Bush was president.  Eighteen days of riots and unrest.  The people demanding the overthrow of Mubarak.   It is a given that the media would have held Bush accountable - demanding to know why the administration didn't know that this was going to happen in Egypt.  They would have asked why U.S. intelligence dropped the ball.  One very important questions could - and should - have been who will the United States back in an effort to keep Egypt as an ally in the Middle East?  Certainly we should not be dealing with terrorists - which is what the Muslim Brotherhood organization consists of.  Yet, Obama, when given a chance to denounce the Muslim Brotherhood, did not.  Instead, he stated that he wanted to deal with all factions of those who may come to power in Egypt when Mubarak leaves.  This includes the Muslim Brotherhood, which should scare us all.  

One major - and frightening - statement came from  Obama's National Intelligence Director, James Clapper, who felt that the Muslim Brotherhood was "largely secular and very heterogeneous."  Not true in any sense.  This is an organization committed to Allah.  The Muslim Brotherhood believes that the Koran is law and touts jihad as the only way to cleanse the world of western influences.  They want to destroy Israel.  Guess that doesn't concern the White House too much, as  President Obama's nonchalant attitude and failure to denounce the Muslim Brotherhood  demonstrates how the Obama Administration tends to brush aside terrorists and/or the threat of terrorism to the world.  

The Muslim Brotherhood, should they come to power in Egypt, has called for a war with Israel.  We are looking at the possibility right now that Egypt could become an Islamist state.  Granted, for right now the Egyptian army is control.  But who is to say what the future for Egypt will hold?  And if the Muslim Brotherhood comes into power and does make Egypt an Islamist state, it is almost a given that war will break out between Egypt and Israel.  Should that happen, the situation in the Middle East could escalate and have dire consequences for many countries, including the United States. 

For right now, the situation in Egypt seems to have calmed down.  The United States military has helped support the Egyptian military - providing military equipment over the years.  And as long as the military remains in control of Egypt, at least the Muslim Brotherhood will be kept at bay.  For the time being.  And hopefully for once, the Obama Administration will not resort to their usual method of handling major foreign political disasters, which translates into doing nothing.    

So for all of the people celebrating the downfall of President Hosni Mubarak - be careful what you wish for.  Remember when the Shah of Iran was ousted by a revolt?  The Ayatollah Khomeini came to power and we all know how that ended.  The United States lost a major ally and gained a real enemy.  The same could happen with Egypt.  

I received the following e-mail written by a local woman -  Paula Q (thanks to Karen, who forwarded  this letter on to me).  Given what is taking place in Madison right now, this write-up is very timely:

Hey All:

Aside from teachers going AWOL from their classrooms in order to go protest (for the kids? wink wink...) in Madison, seems that Democratic senators have decided to flee the state in an effort to stall the vote on Governor Scott Walker's budget.  Unbelievable tactics?  You bet.  Just imagine if when Obamacare was being debated, Republican Senators boarded a bus to get out of Dodge to avoid being present at voting time (although, in the case of Obamacare, it didn't matter as the voting methods used to pass that garbage of a bill were shady to begin with....)

Read the entire story on the spineless State Senate Democrats right here:

"Senate Democrats boycott Thursday vote on Walker budget plan"  from the Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel, February 17, 2011.  Story by Jason Stein, Patrick Marley, and Steve Schultze of the J/S staff.

A few brief excerpts:

-"Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said that Democrats were "not showing up for work" and that police were searching for them to bring them to the floor."That's not democracy. That's not what this chamber is about," Fitzgerald said of the boycott to reporters."

-"Speculation in the Capitol pointed to Illinois as the state where Democrats had headed."

- "(Sen. Tim) Cullen (D-Janesville)  said Democrats hope delaying the bill will give more time for union demonstrators to win over any possible wavering Republicans. He said the decision was made by other Democrats at a meeting at which he was not present. 

-"The tactic wasn't winning over Sen. Rob Cowles (R-Green Bay), a moderate whom unions had been trying to court to vote against the bill. Cowles called the blockage of the Senate vote an attempt to "shut down democracy." 

No kidding!  Yet another prime example of adults behaving badly.  In a way it's almost funny, if so much wasn't at stake.  (Did the Dems drive away in a fleet of Prius's - or use mass transit?)    As a potential upside, maybe the Democrats who ran away won't come back for a few years - that would really help our state!!!  Let them all hang out in Illinois...

And remember, all Walker is asking is that state union employees pay a very small portion of their benefits cost - 5.8% to help fund their own pension plans and 12.6% for their health care (half of the national average).  No jobs lost.  Yet, the union whiners and thugs are complaining that the sky is falling and public education and other public works are going to go down the toilet if such legislation is enacted!!!   That's a big fat lie and we all know it.

Stand firm, Republicans!  The time is at hand when our state can begin to return to an era of fiscal responsibility and get the out-of-control spending common to the Doyle years, under control.  The steps may be painful, but worth it in the long run.  And everyone should do their fair share!

Thanks to my conservative sister, Moe, for providing the following pics from the recent counter-demonstration which took place in Madison on Saturday.  You know, Madison - where teachers are AWOL, the Democratic senators from the state of Wisconsin are hiding out in Illinois, refusing to do the job they were elected to.  All in efforts to protest against Governor Scott Walker's very necessary budget repair bill.  And keep in mind, the Tea Party rally didn't need to bus in demonstrators from other parts of the country.   Quite unlike the anti-Walker crowd,  thanks to the Obama Administration and the unions.

In addition, Tea Party members showed up on a Saturday, February 19th, - and many were able to  because they had a day off of work.  Quite different from the anti-budget reform bill protesters who seem to be able to forget they are employed by the taxpayers and have a job to do.  They can be in Madison during the week, on the weekends, and beyond - especially with very unethical doctors willing to provide them fake excuses for missing work!  Who cares if the classrooms they teach in sit empty?  They've got their cushy benefits to consider!  What's more important?

All of this will - and is - backfiring big time.  Think the taxpayers feel sorry for any of the protesters standing up against Walker and his budget reform bill?  After shutting down schools and neglecting the jobs they are paid to do?  in order to protest?  As for the Democratic Senators from the state on the lam hiding out in Illinois in order to avoid voting - shame on you!  For the party who always complains about the possibility that voters may be "disenfranchised" if they are required to provide an ID at the polls, aren't the voters REALLY disenfranchised by the elected officials who fled the state and no longer are around to represent anyone?  My goodness, the hypocrisy is priceless.

And Obama and his community organizing co-horts would best be served by focusing on the country, not Wisconsin.  The country and it's fiscal problems should be enough to occupy the "community organizer in chief" - not the dealings of the state of Wisconsin!  Get out of Wisconsin, Obama.  And tell the Dems hiding out to get back to work - after all, it's your call they are waiting for!

Keep up the protests, union thugs, teachers, and others who work for the taxpayers and are paid BY the taxpayers!  You will only continue to add fuel to the fire against public sector cadillac benefits and health care plans.  And in order to really solve the present and future budget crisis, your ability to "collective bargaining" (which is a privilege, not a right) must go.  Get used to it.  The solutions to our budget crisis are going to be harsh.  We in the private sector already realize it.

One thing my conservative sister made of point of, she refused to take pics of the anti-Walker signs from the other side, saying they were disgusting.  Governor Walker pictured in a bullseye, Walker being compared to Hitler or Mubarak.  Whatever.  Guess the left is just practicing their "freedom of speech" not "hate-filled rhetoric," when it comes to their signage!  Yea, right!  Remember, the liberals have a philosophy:  do as we say, not as we do!!!

Ah, what a great few days it's been for our country.  The left and it's union thugs have been exposed for what they are.  And  Walker will NOT back down.  The budget reform bill WILL pass, and many will be really outraged when the budget is introduced!  Finally - a Governor with a backbone, willing to do what is right!  Doing what he was elected to do!  Why, Walker may be a great candidate for president one of these days!  Walker is providing the people of Wisconsin a glimpse of what real HOPE and CHANGE look like!

The Wisconsin State Assembly voted on and approved Governor Scott Walker's budget-repair bill early this morning.  Wisconsin taxpayers owe the governor and the Republicans a big "thank you" for doing their jobs!  Finally Wisconsin has a Governor who is facing the budget crisis in our state head-on.  He is doing what is necessary to set Wisconsin back on a fiscally-sound path.  Quite unlike "Diamond Jim"  Doyle who did little more than play shell games with taxpayer dollars and continued to spend us into oblivion.  If anyone could be pointing fingers of blame at a predecessor for leaving a big fiscal mess behind, it is Walker.  But, unlike the little man-child in the White House who blames President Bush every chance he gets, Walker is mature enough to just buckle down and do the job he was elected to do.  Kudos to Walker and the Republicans in office, as well as the majority of Wisconsinites who are supporting him! 

As for the Senate, fourteen clowns posing as Democratic Senators from our state are still AWOL.  Hiding out in Illinois.  (Hey, maybe the newly-elected thug Mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, can play host!  Obama can call in and give a big "shout out" to the flaky fourteen, after all, they are following the Obama script as expected.)   The State Senate cannot vote on passage of Walker's budget-repair bill until these losers -  who are refusing to do the jobs they were elected to do -  decide to return to the state.  What they are doing is simply wrong. 

Contrast their actions with those of their fellow Assembly Democrats.  Isn't it ironic how Democrats in the Assembly were yelling "shame! shame!" at Republicans for voting on the budget-repair bill?  For doing the job they were elected to do?  Wouldn't it make more sense for the Assembly Dems to be picking up the phone and yelling at their fellow Dems who are in hiding:  "shame! shame!"  After all, aren't their actions what is REALLY  shameful?!?  Think for just a moment - if anyone who has a regular job decides simply not to show up - for days on end and  hides out -   wouldn't they - in the real world - be fired?  Yes.  You can bet on it.  Yet, common sense and logical thoughts, as well as an ability to know right from wrong,  seem to be very elusive qualities to many in the Democratic Party.

The hypocrisy of the Democratic Party is classic.  The end always justifies the means.  That's why the Democratic party could care less about voter fraud - cuz it benefits them - so the end result is good.  Doesn't matter if getting to the desired result is illegal, what matters is winning. 

Remember all the hand-wringing by liberals against Voter ID and the claims that, by requiring people to prove they are who they say they are, Voter ID will somehow  "disenfranchise" voters,?  Well, aren't the missing 14 Senate Democrats REALLY disenfranchising the voters?  They are elected officials, elected to represent the people. And they are NOT representing them.    Yet, to many Dems and many in the media, it doesn't matter that these Dems are AWOL - holding up the business of the government.  Not representing their constituents that they are being paid to represent.  Not doing their jobs.    No, as long as they can stall the bill and continue to listen to Obama and his union thugs, they will remain in hiding, supported by many who don't seem to care about the rules and procedures as to how government is designed to work.  Pathetic. 

I shudder to imagine how the mainstream media and Democrats would have ripped Republicans to shreds if they ever pulled a stunt like running away to another state to hide simply to avoid voting on bills they didn't like!!!  

In closing, here is the height of hypocrisy:  When the Assembly Republicans were leaving the chambers after the vote,  Representative Brett Hulsey (D-Madison) actually had the nerve to shout out:

"Cowards!  You're all cowards!"

And shockingly enough, he wasn't referring to the wimps in his own party holed up across the border!  Priceless!