The skies are filled with the brooding thickness of a stormy morning. Rain is pounding the steel roof of my office, blurring the image of the world through the window’s glass pane. The vicious flooding on the streets brings with it a renewal of much needed life-nourishing water. The growth of indigenous weeds are rising alongside green blades of new grass through the soaked lawn out front that was browning from the thirst of a drought only days before. The Siberian Husky has retreated to the safety of her dog house, and the palm tree stands tall, dripping from the onslaught of a week’s worth of much needed moisture.

With the needed rain comes a destructive force, as well. Hillsides stripped of ground-cover from last season’s fires are sliding downward, pouring mud onto the neighborhoods below. Creeks are flooding over, and storm drains can’t seem to eliminate the water fast enough from major intersections flooded with impatient traffic carrying bodies that are desperately trying to get to work. Trees have fallen, and automobile accidents have dotted the highways. But perhaps the most destructive part of the storms is the least explored consequence of all.

Yes, California is in a drought, and the rains are much needed. But the struggling economy largely depends on the transportation of goods and new construction, one of which has been slowed and hindered, while the other has met an abrupt halt. Big rig trucks have slowed their pace to a near crawl, as well they should for safety’s sake. But hungry markets must wait longer for their goods, and in an economic downturn, such conditions could mean the difference between flourishing, and closing the doors forever. Construction sites have shut down completely, eliminating the movement of goods to those locations, and leaving at home a myriad of truck drivers that are in dire need of income.

Like all other storms, however, the foreboding onslaught we are now experiencing will eventually come to an end. The rains will cease, and will be followed by a new day. The sunshine will dry the glistening world, and the new growth will remind us of the promise of new beginnings, and the hope of new opportunities. An unforgiving wind may be blowing through my community at this moment, and the night may be turning cold, but when the storms end, and a lighter silky wind calms the storm battered environment, we will not only continue on, but we will perhaps be a little wiser having weathered the storms.

When faced with the question under what Constitutional authority does Congress have the right to create a public option for health care, or to regulate carbon emissions with Cap and Trade, the response by the Democrats is “The Commerce Clause.” After all, the Commerce Clause says that the Congress can “regulate” interstate commerce, right?

The United States Constitution was written with the specific purpose to “form a more perfect Union,” which was lacking under the Articles of Confederation. The Articles of Confederation, in an attempt to limit the size of the federal government, and enable state sovereignty, went too far, and did not give the federal government enough power to protect the union. But, when writing the U.S. Constitution, though the founding fathers desired to give the federal government a little more power than granted in the Articles of Confederation, they were still very wary about giving the federal government too much power.

One device used to limit the federal government’s power was to divide the power among three branches of government, and to continue to give the states sovereignty over their own operations. The authorities granted to the federal government were few, and well defined in Article I, Section 8. Considering that the founder’s aim was to limit the federal government’s powers, it is difficult to accept the notion that the founding fathers meant for the Congress to have regulatory powers over interstate commerce to the point that it even contradicts other parts of the Constitution.

By what authority does the Congress have to do what they are doing if the Commerce Clause does not mean what they think it does? Or, does the Congress truly have the Constitutional authority to regulate interstate commerce as they claim?

As President Clinton once said, “It depends on what the definition of is is.”

If the word “regulate” gives the Congress unlimited powers, then the argument stops there, and the American People are at the mercy (or lack thereof) of Congress. However, if the definition of the word “regulate” means something different, then it could be entirely possible, despite their argument to the contrary, that what the federal government is attempting is unconstitutional, and in turn, illegal when applied to the Law of the Land.

The states of the union, according to the founding documents, were expected to operate as independent sovereign states. The Unity of the states is made possible by the protective umbrella of the federal government. The federal government, however, is limited to protecting the states, acting as a referee in any disputes between the states, establishing post offices, and so forth. When it comes to the commerce between the states, considering the founding father’s aim of enabling the states to work together freely, it seems against the original intent of the Constitution for the government to be able to restrict commerce between the states as current liberal thinking suggests. In fact, considering the conditions of the nation after the Revolutionary War that demanded the states be able to trade with each other without obstruction, it seems highly unlikely that commerce was supposed to be restricted by federal regulations at all.

Upon tireless research it becomes apparent that one’s assumptions that the founding fathers did not mean for regulation to be restrictive are true. Commerce, or the trade and transportation of goods or services across state lines, was an important aspect of the economy of the young nation. Regulate, a word that means “to control” in today’s language, contained an entirely different meaning during the days of the founding of this nation. With the need of commerce to remain unimpeded, the word regulate was used to ensure the federal government enabled commerce, not restricted it. During that time period, consistent with one’s assumption that the founding fathers would not desire to limit commerce through federal interference, it turns out that “regulate” meant “to make regular.” In other words, the Commerce Clause was designed to make regular the exchange of goods between the states and to bring parity between the states regarding interstate commerce. When a dispute arose concerning commerce between the states, the federal government could help settle the dispute, but the movement of commerce was supposed to commence and continue without federal governmental interference.

Knowing that the purpose of the Commerce Clause is to make regular interstate commerce, it is glaringly clear that the federal government not only does not have the Constitutional authority to do much of what it does in the name of the Commerce Clause, but it is actually acting in an opposite manner of what was originally intended. In fact, if the federal government was to follow the original intent of the Commerce Clause in the case of Health Insurance, they would not be creating a nationalized system, but would instead follow the advice of the Republicans and open up the ability to sell insurance across state lines. To do so would create competition, reduce the price of policies, and make regular the interstate commerce of such products – as the founding fathers originally intended.

Private Regulation: A Real Alternative for Regulatory Reform – Cato Institute

What Happened to our System of Limited Government? – Price of Liberty

The Original Meaning of the Commerce Clause – The University of Chicago Law Review

Ruth Marcus, the Health Care Reform Bill, the Commerce Clause, and the Ensuing Nonsensical Result – Canada Free Press

After a barrage of Hollywood films that have portrayed the American Soldier in a negative light, Jack Marino decided it was time to make a film that reveals the true nature of the military. The troops in Vietnam consisted of fathers, brothers, husbands, and sons. Each one of them were brothers in arms in that foreign land, with all of the same real emotions that one would expect them to have.

Jack Marino’s theatrical thank you to our forgotten heroes begins with a meeting near the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC. The pair of old friends reminisce, and send us back to a time when war in Vietnam was still a reality.

The discussion between the two veterans leads to the memory of a mission into Cambodia. A firefight erupts and it turns out to be an entanglement with Russian troops that are not even supposed to be there. As the firefight comes to its conclusion, two American Marines hiding nearby observe a Russian general, played by veteran actor William Smith. Later, the intel comes back on the general, and it turns out he wants to defect, and it is up to a team of United States Marines to bring him in. . . from Cambodia.

As the film works its way through the base camp in Vietnam, into the dark, moist jungles, and across the border into Cambodia, the realism of the scenery reaches out an pulls you into the action. The characters are rich with unique flavor, and the action rivals any of the war scenes Hollywood has to offer.

Forgotten Heroes also offers a quaint addition for those of you who have been fans of Hollywood films for generations, because the film carries a feel consistent with the war movies of the 1970s, as well it should.

Jack Marino has crafted a Vietnam movie that patriots have been waiting to see for a long time. The characters are real Americans in a situation that insists they be the best they have to offer. Forgotten Heroes is the perfect gift for veterans, and an appropriate way to say, “Thank you,” and “Welcome Home.”

Note: Forgotten Heroes makes an Ideal Christmas Gift for the Veteran on your Christmas List

Last November the State of California began acting upon a new scam to suck more money out of the populace. The state is broke because the leftist progressive idiots of California’s government can’t seem to budget. The thievery is being accomplished by increasing the income tax withholding allowance by 10%. By taking more money out of our paychecks, the state is literally taking more taxes, while calling it something else. Problem is, the tax is being withheld unconstitutionally, and illegally.

The State Constitution of California requires a vote to approve any increase in income tax. A vote never went to the State Congress. The governor and his cronies decided, without asking anyone, to increase tax withholding, claiming that technically it isn’t a tax because they plan to give it back at tax time.

What’s the difference between borrowing without permission, and stealing?

California is broke, and the government hacks are running around in circles trying to figure out how to save the state. They can’t print money like Obama is doing, they sure as heck are not going to cut spending, and they know darn well the voters would never approve of a tax increase – so they resolved to take the money – and to do so during an economic down-turn when for most people every penny counts in their already difficult to manage budget.

This “forced” withholding is thievery. The State of California is stealing from the populace, and doing it without our voice allowing it.

An important point here is that this is not just a local California problem. Remember the old saying? As California goes, so goes the nation.

How long before other states get the same idea? How long before the federal government catches on and does the same thing?

The officials say that 10% is only a small amount. But as I said earlier, for those counting pennies it could mean the difference between paying bills or not, or even being able to buy food.

And how will business owners respond to this? Will they just allow themselves to take home less income as profit? Of course not. The difference will be made up through higher prices.

So, while the economy struggles, the average Californian faces less money in their paychecks, and a rise in prices, all because California can’t run a budget, and has decided that thievery is the best way to delay their inevitable journey to bankruptcy.

How much does this ten percent mean to the average Californian?

For a single taxpayer earning $51,000 a year with no dependents, the state is grabbing an extra $17.59 each month. A married person earning $90,000 with two dependents is receiving $24.87 less in monthly pay.

Experts are expecting California to continue to collect the tax at a higher rate for many years, too, without ever taking a vote!

As for the promise to pay us back, how does a broke state do that? IOUs?

Some folks have figured out that there is a way around it. It is possible stop the increased withholding by adjusting the number of personal withholding allowances claimed on employer tax forms. But why should I have to do that, and how many people know to do so?

The largest concern is that this decision to steal from Californians comes at a time when the holiday shopping season in full swing, and parents are scrimping together their pennies to pull off a decent Christmas for their kids. It also is coming at a time when many small store owners depend on these consumers, who now have less in their paycheck, to keep their businesses in survival mode.

Consumer spending is already struggling, and California has been hit harder than most states. If Sacramento wants any kind of economic growth, this is not the way to do it.

As I said already, every penny counts, and they are simply making it harder for citizens to survive. This is a great example of government doing whatever it wants for its own survival, at the expense of the citizens, short of cutting spending.

The progressives still don’t get it. The problem is not a revenue problem, it is a spending problem.

Tonight, my guest is Philip Tirone of 7 Steps to a 720 Credit Score, and he is on fire about this move by Sacramento. In fact, he is so angry about it that he has a petition out there designed to bring attention to this issue. The Petition is at No To Sacramento dot org. Sign it, and then tell your family, friends, and as many other people you can. This needs national attention, and tonight’s radio program is the first step in that direction.

Join us live at 7:00 PM Pacific, or catch the archive later, as we discuss California’s willingness to steal from the people. BlogTalkRadio.com/PoliticalPistachio.

Government, once it begins to grow, is a difficult monster to keep on a leash. Creeping incrementalism, I call it. The size of government will grow in an incremental manner over history until it comes to the point that the populace becomes enslaved by massive government, at which point revolution becomes the only means possible to change things back in the direction of liberty. When in the phase of growth, government exists for itself. Everything it does is for it’s survival, and growth.

The Founding Fathers studied history, and realized that big government always leads to the collapse of large political structures in the past. Therefore, the wise men wrote the founding documents with the intention of curtailing creeping incrementalism as much as possible. The U.S. Constitution was written to stand the test of time, and the onslaught of tyranny.

A bloodless coup has overtaken America, and when confronted with the U.S. Constitution, the leftists brush it aside as if it is some meaningless scrap of paper.

You may think I am only talking about the hard left Democrats. The disease of big government, and the thirst for more political power, has infected both parties – only more so in the Democratic Party. If left untreated, the infestation of socialism will destroy this nation, and all that the blood of patriots fought to create and preserve. That is, unless we have a revolution.

Revolutions come in many forms, and the one on the horizon is not a bloody one, but a revival of sorts. Americans have watched as leftism has seized control of the rest of the world, and though we were concerned, we did not worry about America following in the footsteps of the Marxists. This is America, after all. We fought off communism, and the Berlin Wall came down. We experienced a leftist president in the 1970s, and the response was the Reagan Revolution. Surely, Americans know the dangers of leftism, and will not let the deception of the socialists gain a footing in this great nation.

Deception. That is how leftism works. They promise tax cuts, and then raise taxes, but in such a way you don’t realize it is happening. They promise transparency, then hide from the public everything they are doing. They promote hope and change, and then create a hopeless situation in America as they try to change it into a form of government the Founding Fathers never intended it on being.

The Democrats are the hard left architects of socialism in America, and the Republicans have been the accomplices.

As the Democrats propose socialized health care disguised as a package of hope for America, rather than rail against the abomination, the Republicans are offering amendments to it. The whole thing is a ball of Marxist trash! You don’t amend something like that. You destroy it!

Leftism is on the rise globally, as well, and the oil rich nations realize it. As the leftists of the United Nations propose Climate Change treaties that will essentially transfer wealth to the poorer nations while not allowing those nations to develop because of the myth of man-made global warming, the dictators and despots of the world have their hands out. Through their global scheme of redistributing wealth, the leftists of the world are literally planning on funding tyranny the world over.

Americans are waking up to the idiocy. They see what is happening and are rejecting it like a diseased organ implant. An uprising has erupted, and it is Americans of all walks that are demanding a stop to the downward spiral of America into a system that once ruled the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.

The ACLU has lost $19 million in donations because Americans are recognizing the organization’s hand in the rise of Marxism in America. The realization that Obama’s promise of you “being able to keep your insurance if you like it” was a lie has been confirmed by the Congressional Budget Office and Congress’s Joint Committee on Taxation, which suggests that Obama’s pledge is at odds with the health care legislation drafted by House and Senate Democrats. The Copenhagen talks are not going well because the countries are bickering over money, and the poor countries with their hands out don’t believe they are getting what they deserve; as the American People scrutinize the hacked emails from the Climate Research Unit, and the manipulated data from NASA, and begin to realize that Climate Change is a leftist hoax. In short, Americans are fed up with the leftists in control of the American government, and are turning away from the Democrats in droves, led amazingly by independents and moderate Democrats.

The Democrats did poorly in all of the elections of 2009.

So what do the Democrats do in response to all of this disillusionment and discontent?

The House Democrats approved a $447 billion omnibus spending measure, which combines six appropriations bills. The House also approved a Financial Regulation Bill which will tighten government’s grip around the neck of the financial private sector with far-reaching Congressional control over Wall Street and the financial markets by creating a new agency that will oversee consumer lending while establishing new rules for transactions. They are even planning on slipping in a new tax that is literally a retroactive tax on the dead by adding to the estate tax laws! The most stunning leftist move amidst all of this anger about their out of control spending, however, is Pelosi’s request to increase our national debt limit by nearly $2 trillion.

The request to raise the national debt limit, in order to enable the Democrats to spend more, and borrow more to do it, will be attached as a provision to the Department of Defense appropriations bill that already has 5,224 earmarks attached to it, which will provide an 8% hike in discretionary spending for the third consecutive year since Pelosi took over Congress in 2007. The left has no plans to budget the taxpayer’s money. All they wish to do is spend, spend, and spend some more, until the American treasury is beyond repair, and the American Economy collapses.

The misery has deepened to the point that the American People just can’t take it anymore, and amazingly this is before the first year of Obama’s presidency has even reached its completion. The misery index is currently at 10.02, which is fast approaching the 10.1 it was at when Jimmy Carter’s policies crushed America. Historically, when the Misery Index is that high, the opposition party gains an average of 26 seats in the House of Representatives. Considering the mood of the nation, some are suggesting the Democrats will lose nearly all of their seats up for re-election in 2010, of which 40 seats would give the GOP control of the House.

One of the keys, however, is that the Republican Party must regain its roots, and ensure it returns to being the party of conservatism. As it stands now, with the wishy-washy leftism the GOP has been portraying, a failure to stand on conservative principles could cost the Republican Party the opportunity of a lifetime. To confirm the notion that the people want a GOP that is not moderate, but a party that is standing on its conservative foundation, a poll recently found that running under the Tea Party brand of conservative principles may be better in congressional races than being a Republican. A Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey found Democrats attracting 36% of the vote. The Tea Party candidate picking up 23%, and Republicans finishing third at 18%. Another 22% were undecided. The interesting part, however, is that the overwhelming numbers of Tea Party supporters came from Populists and Independents!

With all of the current actions of the Democrats in power angering the American Citizens, it is fast looking like the Democrats are going to lose big in 2010.

I realize many folks are of the mind that Barack Obama was born in Kenya. I don’t know if that is the case, although there is some testimonial evidence from a number of folks, including his paternal grandmother, that he was born in Kenya. I believe it is very possible he was born in Hawaii, but I don’t know for sure. The fact is, the birthers haven’t provided enough evidence to establish that Obama is not a natural born citizen.  However, Obama and gang have not provided enough evidence to the contrary either. Therefore, that leaves the issue open to a lot of speculation.

Considering how much effort Obama and the Democrats have gone to silence those folks asking for a birth certificate, and how much money Obama has spent on sealing records and ensuring “birther” court cases don’t see the light of day, it seems reasonable to ask, “If Obama was not born outside of the USA, then what is he hiding?” That is the key, isn’t it?

When studying the birth certificate issue, and making an attempt to discover what Barack Obama, and the Democrats, are hiding, one realizes the possibilities are endless.  What is being hidden may be something catastrophic to Obama, or it may be something simply embarrassing to the point that Obama does not desire the details to be made public. The hidden information could be something as simple as the word “UNKNOWN” in the slot where it asks for his father’s name on his birth certificate, or the hidden gem may be something so profound that it would make his published books obvious lies and fabrications.

Whatever the president is hiding, the Obama-mafia has determined the best way to combat discovery is to say nothing, and seal everything. Then, as the “birthers” continue their march toward the truth, the very fact there is silence from the Obama camp makes the “birthers” look like they are making a lot out of nothing at all – eventually becoming, in the eyes of Obama supporters, and pretty much anybody else that is not searching for answers, a bunch of conspiracy nuts that obviously made it all up for attention, or to try to unseat Obama because they hate him so much.

The travesty of such a progression of thought is that in the long run, the truth is never revealed, and Obama’s silence becomes the winning hand. Personally, I believe that all trails should be traveled, and every cave should be investigated. If they turn out to be rabbit trails and empty caves, then so be it. But when roadblocks are set up along the trail, and an iron door with multiple locks and alarms shields the cave entrance, despite the fact that those guarding the entrance are saying “nothing to see here, move along,” it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that something is being hidden from view, and for reasons one can only imagine.

Aside from the economy-killing policies of Geithner, there is a lot more to rate him as performing poor about.

The White House claims Geithner “has helped steer the American economy back from the brink, and is now leading the effort on financial reform.”

If you consider stunted consumer spending, sky-rocketing unemployment, inflation, and an unconstitutional partial takeover of the private sector by the federal government a few indicators of an improving economy, you are either insane, or a hard-left socialist in the Democrat Party who is so blinded by deception and ideology, that you can’t see the forest through the trees.

On top of being a part of the destruction of the American Economy, Geithner’s ties to banks also has Republicans concerned. Geithner has long-standing ties to the banking industry, including the fact that he is a former president of the New York Federal Reserve Bank. These ties he has to many of the prominent bankers and large financial firms that received billions of dollars in federal bailouts makes one wonder how dirty Geithner really is.

And all of this after his rather shaky start when it became known that this dirt-ball had failed to pay more than $40,000 in taxes between 2001 and 2004.

Of course, he blamed Turbo-Tax. Like all leftists, he was quick to shift the blame.

I’m actually surprised he didn’t say it was Bush’s fault.

The Washington Post adds that when Geithner unveiled the Obama administration’s initial plan in February to rescue the financial system, stocks plummeted.

Hmmm, could the people in the know with investments know that the Leftist proposals are dangerous to the economy in America? Naw, couldn’t be – let’s just trust that lying, thieving, tax cheat, Geithner!

And to think these are the same people that want to regulate your energy use with Cap and Trade, and run your health insurance with their health care proposals.

Shoot me now!

Geithner’s role in the AIG fiasco hasn’t helped the plummeting opinion about him either. In fact, according to the Washington Post, Geithner’s role in the rescue of AIG had more screws in it. Apparently, last fall, when Geithner was president of the New York Fed, he approved using taxpayer money to pay AIG’s creditors at full face value. Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the bailout, said the New York Fed had made only a passing effort to get them to accept discounts.

Can you say blatant overspending of American tax dollars, as well as ineptitude?

Geithner’s Public-Private Investment Plan put the taxpayer on the hook for $1.1 trillion dollars in debt, and Geithner did so on his own, without Congressional advice or consent. The plan also has been said, by economists, to place the economy at great risk by causing taxes and debt to rise, and more fiat money to be pumped into the economy.

Remember, pumping fake money into the economy without production and manufacturing to match causes inflation.

Hmmm, another Obama appointee bites the dust.

It seems that Obama surrounds himself with garbage, appoints garbage, and somehow has convinced America he himself is not garbage.

Obama is an amazing magician – deceptive to the core. . .

Well, so much for being a new kind of politician.

Storm of criticism said to buoy Geithner – Washington Post

An Empire at Risk: We won the cold war and weathered 9/11. But now economic weakness is endangering our global power – Newsweek

Geithner Must Go! – Americans For Limited Government