Wishing all a belated Happy Independence Day!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that
they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. - The Declaration of
Independence

The Fourth of July celebrates our Independence Day as a Republic. May we always preserve our Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness that our founding fathers embraced in the Declaration of Independence. We hope everyone had a very nice 4Th of July, 2010!

peace

Happy New Year and Peace to all ...

Have a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve in Cedar Rapids or wherever you may be ...

Thank you for visiting our blog throughout the year and we look forward to a better 2010!

Today's article from Thursday, December 31, 2009 edition of The Washington Times is an article titled, Dems tout year of wins but wait for more Obama priorities. For more on political philosophy of the Obama administration, read: The fourth wave of progressivism.

Let's make 2010 a year of:

• Limited Government
• Limited Spending
• Life
• Liberty
• Pursuit of Happiness

peace

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly for 2009 ...

Where do we start as we close out the Year 2009?

There is always more good in the world, than bad. But, things are getting ugly in many respects.

The Good ...

• Christmas - we hope everyone had a very nice Christmas 2009
• Family - the love of family is always special
• Community - 'Who is my neighbor' - if willing, you will often find good people to break bread and get to know ...
• New leadership in Cedar Rapids in 2010, as Ron Corbett is elected Mayor in 2009
• Private flood recovery and small business flood recovery

The Bad ...

• Well, the loss of life isn't always a bad thing. Many people simply live a long life and time reaches a point, where they gently pass on. But, it is tough to lose friends, family and loved ones to age, cancer, accident, H1N1 and/or tragedy. Two more die of H1N1 flu
• The Economy
• The time consumed by social networking, blogging and other demands of time at work and otherwise ...
• Not always keeping up with our blogs ...
• The next recession, which appears around the corner, due to our public policies ...
• Our Federal Government and State Government's expansion throughout 2009
• The transition in Cedar Rapids to the Council-Manager Form of Government over the past four years ...
• Tax Climate

The Ugly ...

• More terrorism on the horizon in the USA - Fort Hood and Christmas Flight to Detroit
• Health Care Reform and tactics
• Congressional Earmarks
• We could add to the list, but we would suggest the following needs to be promoted in 2010 and that there is more good in life, than bad ...

Needed in 2010 ...

• Limited Spending
• Limited Government
• Life
• Liberty
• Pursuit of Happiness

Governments and individuals need to uphold established standards of ethics and prudence at all levels. Whether it be a political organization, a local, state or federal government, we have a lot of work to do to build a better tomorrow and to rebuild the trust of the American taxpayer.

The past year, we ran across a person who at the end of many conversations or e-mails, would simply say in his salutation or his departure ... "Pay Taxes"

While government has an important role at all levels, there is more to life than taxes ...

Let's work to build a better tomorrow, with getting involved in our local communities and working to better know our neighbors.

peace

Let's be careful to expand the Federal responsibilty in Health Care

We need to get back to the basics in our American society. Equality, Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness are basic values that our country was founded on.

But, we are moving far from that. Credit Scores, Nanny State, Big Government, a lack of personal responsibility, government health care ...

Health Care Reform appears to be more of the same. More of the same, in what is wrong in Washington DC and what is wrong in our American society today.

"No, Mr. Chairman. In the legislation that has been reported we do not
see the sort of fundamental changes that would be necessary to reduce the
trajectory of federal health spending by a significant amount. And on the
contrary, the legislation significantly expands the federal responsibility for
health care costs." - Doug Elmendorf, Director of CBO

CBO: Democrats Bend Health Care Cost Curve — in the Wrong Direction - CATO

CBO Sees No Net Federal Cost Savings in Dem Health Plans - ABC News

We need to promote personal responsibility and Liberty again.

It will not be found through expanding the role and size of governments, whether it be at the Federal, State or local level. Of course, local government and local control are far better than a large central government.

• We need to get back to traditional mortgages and credit financing.


• We need to encourage personal responsibility again.


• We need to move away from Big Government.


• Limited government is the pathway America was built on.


• Health Care Reform is required, but it should remain market driven with proper government oversight.

Oversight is the right role for our government. As you may recall, there were concerns voiced several years ago regarding the need for greater Federal oversight ahead of the 2008 Financial Crisis. A concern many Europeans have about American society is when private corporations get too closely connected with politicians.

The private sector is where the solution can be found in health care and in how our way of life should play out. It comes with better oversight and public policy. It begins with a return to Equality, Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness. It is found in Limited Government. Those values that make America the country it has been and can be again.

peace