Sunday, June 17, 2007

TSA Takes Sippy Cup From Mom

This has been all over the net of the TSA trying to take away a sippy cup from a mom. Do I believe they tried to take away the sippy cup, ABSOLUTELY!!! Do I doubt that they threatened to arrest this mother, no doubt at all that they did threaten her. Would I believe that she tried to identify herself as a Secret Service Agent, yes. Do I believe that the mom tried to threaten the TSA Agents, NO. Am I surprised that the TSA leadership is denying this, heck no. They have released a video with no sound (as shown in the title link), doesn't prove a thing. Do I like or care for how the TSA is run, heck NO!

Just after 9-11 they came up with the TSA, I believe Teddy Kennedy was part of it. What a shaft job to the traveler and the citizens. What they created was a new tax. This is just one of the first conservative failures for Bush 43. The airlines did not reduce their fares once this tax was put in place. But what difference does it make they are only taxing the rich again.

Did the TSA improve airline security? If I were to judge it, I would call it a marginal improvement, if any at all. Who am I to judge this, at times I travel 100,000+ miles a year by air (not frequent flyer rewards points but miles) for work. I have done this before and after 9-11.

My impression of the TSA is no better qualified than what was in place before. Most of them are on ego kicks and abuse their authority. Most are rude, and talk down to you. Most of their rules are ridiculas. Like you can not carry matches in your checked in bag, because they may rub against each other and start a fire in the luggage compartment. My luggage gets lost as much as it did before. It is not uncommon for my luggage to be on a different flight than mine (security risk).

End of the day, Bush and Kennedy put in a tax increase and hid the name of it.

Saturday, June 16, 2007

Nifong Does Not Get Nifong'ed

With Michael Nifong getting disbarred, there is some justice. Unfortunately, the young men he wrongly and publicly accused of the crime lives have not been made whole after his abuse of the system.

The Price is Wrong With Rosie O'Donnell As A Potential Host

I think it is a lousy idea to hire Rosie O’Donnell as a replacement for Bob Barker on the Price is Right. Don't get me wrong; I like Rosie as an entertainer. Although, Rosie has a long history of running her mouth off on facts she is totally wrong. Her comments at times are very offensive to her sponsors and to some of her audience as well. Rosie will bring an audience with her, but she will also run off an audience too.

I don't care about her homosexuality. I am just disappointed that in her own way she is an attractive woman to some man that could be a father in helping her raise all of the children she has adopted. Yes, I believe a mother and father, not a mother and a mother or father and father best raise children.

ABC and Barbara Walters had no choice but to get rid of Rosie from the view, she became a liability. CBS can do better with someone else to host the Price Is Right. If someone wants to use Rosie for ratings somewhere, let her have another talk show on some other time slot.

Friday, June 15, 2007

Nice Dow Jones Average - What's Wrong With Michigan

The Dow Jones and inflation is doing great, so why is Michigan leading the nation in unemployment? The state government that is trying to tax its way into prosperity. A workforce with an entitlement mentality. High health insurance costs. A workforce belief that they need a labor union that extorts them and the company. Why would you build a manufacturing plant in Michigan? Let alone keep the plant you already have in Michigan and not relocate it?

Don't get me wrong, I love living in Michigan. I love the schools for my kids. I love the people. I love the beauty the Michigan has in it seasons and all of its lakes.

As a case in point of taxing its way into prosperity, the Kalamazoo Airport (AZO), It costs nearly $100 more per ticket to fly out of Kalamazoo versus Grand Rapids (GRR) due to the landing fees at Kalamazoo. Continental Airlines left Kalamazoo Airport over that alone. The Kalamazoo area also lost the GM Plant because the township sued to recover some of the tax abatements, because they felt GM did not live up to its end of the agreement. GM shut the plant down two years later.

Kalamazoo used to have over 15 paper plants; I think only one or two are left.

Benton Harbor, there is no more Whirlpool manufacturing left, why do you think there was the riots a few years ago? There are no jobs for the general laborer. The absenteeism, union mentality, theft and more are part of the reason. I never worked with Whirlpool, but I have worked with Collins & Aikmen (bankrupt and plant shut down in St. Joe). Bosch is in a slow process of shutting down its plant in St. Joe. Wolverine Plastics has shut down in Stevensville.

Trying to hire people (300-400 jobs) in South Haven. We battled with candidates not able to pass drug tests and very simple math tests. Once the ones that did pass the test and get hired, started to abuse the absenteeism policy right away. You would not believe how many excuses they would come up with for medical restrictions upon getting out of their probation period. Ones that lasted a year came up with so many excuses to get on FMLA, it was amazing. The fall out rate was shocking too.

Senate Dems plan new round of Iraq votes AGAIN

I can't understand why they think this is going to help them win the White House. The amazing thing is that my liberal Senator Carl Levin is against not funding the troops in harms way. This floors me.

What no one is willing to openly discuss how do we win the door-to-door fighting.


Piet Van

Thursday, June 14, 2007

A Letter to My Other Senator about the Illegal Immigration (Amnesty) Act

To the Honorable Senator Carl Levin,

I am writing concerning the ongoing debate of the current Immigration legislation, AKA Amnesty Act, this is wrong for our country. Instead I would like to see the current legislation pushed towards securing the border first and not a comprehensive bill. We can address the revising Immigration Laws and limits once we have secured the borders. I am opposed to the current legislation that Senator Reed and the President are trying to get passed at this time.

I am not apposed to the guest worker program as I am granting the Amnesty to the Illegals and every perversion of the extended families that are already here in granting permanent Visa’s to all of them. WE need to encourage the Illegals that are already here to work their way through the system, so that we can sort out the bad applicants. They can state this from outside of the United States, in their home country. There should be no issuance of visa’s either. All of the immigration issues need to be dealt with after we secure our borders first.

I am not apposed to immigrants; I am apposed to criminals (AKA illegal immigrants) demanding citizenship or the right to stay in this great country. I am apposed to allowing immigrants that do not have a desire to assimilate to becoming United States of America citizens, versus Mexicans that live in the United States.

As a country we cannot afford to deport all of the illegal immigrants because it is too expensive and the public relations all over the world would be horrible. Although, congress can provide the funding to allow the responsible agencies to enforce the illegal immigration laws already in place. By drying up the hiring of illegal immigrants, the jobs will cease and they will leave. The illegal immigrants come here for the money. At the same time legislation can be passed to stop welfare, loans, drivers licenses and more going to illegal immigrants. As to emergency healthcare, we can take care of them and deport them right after they are stabilized. I say this in understanding that these people are criminals; they have violated our nations laws.

We can dry up the jobs for the illegal immigrants by verifying that the social security numbers match the names provided to employers. We can also step up the Border Patrol making sweeps of companies employing illegal immigrants. These companies need to be fined using the laws already in place. If the fines are “to small” then increase the fine to a mandatory $10,000 per immigrant working that day. Hire enough Border Patrol Agents to start enforcing this all across the country. We do not have to deport the illegal immigrants, just cut off the money and they will leave.

When we as a nation want to be compassionate, we can work with the nations south of our border to reduce the corruption in their governments. If the corruption was not as prevalent in Mexico, it would not be such a third world country, but prosperous. I really believe that the Mexicans would love to stay in Mexico. Unfortunately, Mexico is a third world nation due to all of the corruption.

If you really want to do something to help Michigan jobs, work on making the tax cuts President Bush pushed through in his first term permanent. Making those tax cuts permanent, is one of the few things that can be done on the federal level to help the dismal unemployment rate in Michigan.

Respectively,

Pieter Vande Vusse
Constituent from the Great State of Michigan

Bloggers Comments:

What I can expect to receive is a letter stating the Senator is glad to hear my opinion, but in the end the Senator is going to vote how he feels it best serves this great nation. What that means is that the Senator will vote how he see that he will continue to maintain the support of the Democratic party for his re-election and to hell with what is good for the people he represents.

I Heard Back From My Senator on the Amnesty Bill

June 14, 2007


Mr. Piet Van


Thank you . . .

. . . for contacting me about the issue of immigration. I appreciate you sharing your views with me.

As you know, the United States Senate passed legislation last year in response to the serious problems with our nation's immigration system. While I consistently voted for tough enforcement provisions and to provide the resources necessary to secure our borders, I voted against this final bill because it would not have done enough to protect Michigan jobs. Also, I continue to oppose amnesty and Social Security for illegal immigrants.

The Senate has been debating new immigration legislation this year. I oppose this bill for the same reasons I voted against last year's legislation.

President Bush's new guest worker program, contained in both bills, opens our borders to hundreds of thousands of new guest workers every year. Importing cheap foreign labor is wrong for Michigan and wrong for America. We need an effective immigration system that works for businesses and communities and that protects the basic rights of legal immigrants, who are such an important part of our state economy. In the end, this legislation failed to strike the proper balance between security, fairness and preserving Michigan jobs.

Thank you for contacting my office. I will keep your strong views in mind if the Senate considers this issue again. Please continue to keep me informed about issues that are important to you and your family.

Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator


My Response:


Dear Senator Stabenow,

Your right, you always tend vote in a way to support legislation that shows that you support issues your constituents care about. Although in the end you typically vote with your party lines. Last year as I understand it, the only legislation that went up for a final vote was to build the wall, and I understand that you voted against it. I think we need to push the completion of a wall much faster.

I would like to see the current legislation pushed towards securing the border and not a comprehensive bill. I am opposed to the current legislation that Senator Reed and the President are trying to get passed at this time.

I am not apposed to the guest worker program as I am granting the Amnesty to the Illegals and every perversion of the extended families that are already here. WE need to encourage the Illegals that are already here to work their way through the system, so that we can sort out the bad applicants.

As a country we cannot afford to deport all of the illegal immigrants because it is too expensive and the public relations all over the world would be horrible. Although, congress can provide the funding to allow the responsible agencies to enforce the illegal immigration laws already in place. By drying up the hiring of illegal immigrants, the jobs will cease and they will leave. The illegal immigrants come here for the money. At the same time legislation can be passed to stop welfare, loans, drivers licenses and more going to illegal immigrants. As to healthcare, we can take care of them and deport them right after they are stabilized.

We can dry up the jobs for the illegal immigrants by verifying that the social security numbers match the names provided to employers. We can also step up the Border Patrol making sweeps of companies employing illegal immigrants. These companies need to be fined using the laws already in place. If the fines are to small increase the fine to a mandatory 10,000 per immigrant working that day

When we as a nation want to be compassionate, we can work with the nations south of our border to reduce the corruption in their governments. If the corruption was not as prevalent in Mexico, it would not be such a third world country, but prosperous.

If you really want to do something to help Michigan jobs, work on passing the tax cuts President Bush pushed through in his first term.

Respectfully,

Piet Van


Blogger Note:


If you do not like what congress is doing, write your Congressmen and Senators. As you may see I am stuck with Democrat Senators and a weak spined Republican Congressman. I may not get them to change, but at least I am trying.

Piet Van

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

Senate Dems plan new round of Iraq votes

Can they figure out that they voted to go into the war, and unfortunately we are stuck in a door-to-door urban war? The US can sweep a battlefield in day over anyone, but we as a country lack the stomach for a long drawn out battle. It is not our soldiers; it is public opinion. Congress voted to go with the President, now they cannot stomach the battle.

Unfortunately we are getting piss poor leadership on how to fight this battle. As a conservative it is hard for me to admit, Bush as a President is in the bottom third of Presidents. If he had any brains, we would be pulling the troops out of the cities and shutting down the boarders. Put in Special Forces with the Iraqis, but shut down Iran and Syria's influence.

Really getting sick and tired of Bush's push for the Amnesty bill too.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Just Like I Said

Paris Hilton is getting harsher treatment than if she was a nobody for several reasons.

  1. It outraged the public that she was let out early.
  2. She is a celebrity, and public pressure was made to make her serve more of her sentence in jail than on an early release.

Why does Paris get so little support that most celebrities get? I think most of it is that more people see Paris as a porn star than as a movie star. Hollywood ignored her too.
Worst of all, Paris has her own very large demons. In lots of ways, I do feel very sorry for Paris. There was this book put out a couple of years ago ranking the 100 most harmful people to the United States. Paris's parents were ranked in there for doing such a lousy job raising her. I think that there is more truth than the author originally thought.

Saturday, June 9, 2007

Video of an F-15 Landing On Just One Wing

What a Kick But Airplane. I have heard of this happening before. The first time I heard of it the wing was taken off in a lighting strike. I was expecting to see the footage of that landing not a totally different story.