How to Make Pizza

K.Z in Maryland wrote to President Obama with a very sad story.  You see if the Payroll Tax Cuts were allowed to expire K.Z would not be able to have pizza night with his kids...or...have cable T.V.  OH THE HUMANITY!!

Don't despair K.Z....Let this Tea Party Activist show you how to survive the horror of losing 40 bucks.  First...lets make some Tea Party Pizza.

THE DOUGH.  There are two routes you can go here K.Z.  First you can buy the pizza dough already made, or you can make it yourself.  Here is a recipe for your own pizza dough...best of all there are no preservatives.  Get it here...I have tested this one..and it is yummmmmy.

THE SAUCE.  The sauce is actually optional...since you are a liberal you will be drawn to put tofu or some other nasty ingredients on top...I keep it simple...so tomato paste, garlic, basil and olive oil to taste. You can also splurge and buy a jar of ready made sauce....but it is full of yucky preservatives.

THE TOPPINGS.  Carrots are not good on a pizza, so you might want to try out some nice onions, green peppers, or my favorite Meat.  I'm just guessing here but I think your lack of meat may be causing you to not think clearly.

Now making your own pizza is a load of fun and a great way for the family to have an awesome Pizza Night...best of all it will cost under 12 bucks for a super extra large PIZZA.  You can take the time you would normally be spending with the cable remote and actually TALK with your children.  You will also be introducing them to the concept of being frugal, working toward a goal, making their own food.

As a Tea Party Activist I am not a fan of taxes..however..the payroll tax is supposed to go toward Social Security..a system that is already unsustainable...mainly due to fat lazy pigs like my Ex-sister-in-law.  Instead, to pay for your tax cut the Democrats want to raise the fees on new home sales.

The issue is not eating pizza...watching movies...or spending time with your family.  The issue is creating a budget that forces our government to live within its means....something you might be interested in trying. I see many people every week that make far less than you or I and they have a great time with their kids doing some crazy things like fishing, playing board or card games, or just talking.  I seriously do not think your problem is not having another 40 bucks in your pay check...but you might be a tad bit lazy.   If you would like to see how bad things could be check out any of the references to the Great Depression...or heaven forbid the recessions of the 60's.

Good luck K.Z.  you are raising some government dependent children...I feel for you.

The Unexplained Mystery of Brown Mountain.

Brown Mountain has always been a place of mystery.  The local native tribes consider the mountain a sacred place.  They tell stories about how in ancient times there had been a great battle between two tribes.  At the end of the battle many braves had been killed, and how the Indian Maidens had set out in the darkness with torches to try and find their braves.  Since that time mysterious lights have  appeared on certain nights and weave their way to the top of the mountain.

By the mid 1700's the old Indian trails had become a rough dirt track that led from the small settlements in the Western North Carolina mountain's to the more civilized areas near the coast. The journey would take several weeks and was filled with danger.  The first of which was crossing Brown Mountain.

Sam was driving his team of mules up Brown Mountain.  The mules pulled the wagon slowly, but deliberately up the Mountain side.  The wagon was laden with large barrels of apples and other goods that he and his family spent all summer preparing.  He looked forward to being Moses to sell them in the local villages, and picking up supplies that would keep him and his extended family fed though the winter.  With him was Moses, one of his slaves.  Moses and Sam were more than just Slave and Master, they were friends.  Both of them were 50 years old..an old age by mountain standards.  Although they had made this trip many times, this trip was different.  They would try to cross the mountain at night.

Even in the best of weather the trail over Brown Mountain was dangerous, but with the clouds gathering near the summit, the thought of descending the mountain's rain soaked roads in the dark was not something Sam looked forward to. He figured that if pushed through the night he might beat the storm.  If he waited it might be days before he could cross the mountain.

Around midnight the team reached the summit.  Clouds were swirling close overhead, and as lightning stabbed at the darkness a mist began to settle on the trail below them.  Sam and Moses gently began to guide the team down the trail their way lit by torches and the lightning.  As they descended they had to look hard to see the edge of the trail in the darkness. Though the lightning did provide some light the mist was growing thicker, and the trail was becoming slick with mud as a light rain began to fall.

It is said that when catastrophe hits..time seems to slow down..this was certainly the case for Sam and Moses.  The rear wheel of the wagon had slipped ever so slightly off the trail..the mules feeling the weight of the wagon pulling them backwards panicked and began clawing at the trail to gain a foot hold.  For the slightest of moments it appeared the mules would win..then the wagon tumbled off the trail.

Moses was thrown clear of the wagon in those first moments..and he watched as the wagon careened tail first off the trail dragging the terrified mules..and his master with it.  Sam clung to the buckboard and tried to apply the brake with no effect.  He watched as the mules were slammed against trees as the wagon towed them down the mountain side.

The mules were the first casualties as they were dashed against rocks and trees..miraculously the wagon had missed the first dozen obstacles before finally slamming into a tree throwing Sam down the side of the mountain. Sam slid for what seemed an eternity before coming to rest hard against a rock.

Moses found himself just a few feet off the trail.  At first he found breathing very painful..but in a few moments that passed and he was able to stand.  He walked up to the trail and began looking for some sign of the wagon. Through the mist, as the lightning flashed, he could see a swath of mule and wagon parts littering the slope down the mountain.

Sam slowly opened his eyes..his back was the first thing he noticed..because it felt like someone had lit a fire there..the pain was excruciating.  He tried to move, but couldn't. All he could see at first was the mist and from time to time the lightning revealed that he was under a very large oak tree. He tried to call out, but the pain was too great, and he found himself struggling to remain conscious.

Moses began picking his way down the debris filled slope.  The mist was growing thicker, and the rain was picking up a bit.  He was able to find a torch that had been on the wagon.  Using a flint he kept for his rifle he lit the torch and used it to aid him as he began searching for Sam.

Sam was not sure how long he had been lying there, he figured he had passed out for some time, since the mist was thicker than before, and the rain had lightened up some.  He tested his back and found that it no longer hurt.  This was good since he had to get up and start trying to find Moses. He rose slowly and began looking around him.  He looked first up..then down the slope.  He knew there was no way he could climb the slope, his best bet was to find the trail and follow it back up to where the accident all started.  When the lightning flashed he could see the trail just a few yards below him.  He began making his way down to the trail.

Moses had gone 50 yards or so, half sliding, half falling down the slope.  Every few yards he would see parts of the mules and wagon intermingled with mud, roots, and trees. He began to call out for Sam, and slowly waved his torch in hopes of catching Sam's attention. He noticed that the mist was getting thicker..but at least the rain had slackened.

Sam had made it to the trail.  He was surprised to find that it was not as slick as he thought it should be. He also was surprised to find that after such a terrible fall he was in no pain at all.  He hoped that Moses had also been so lucky. That is when he saw it.  Just ahead in the mist something was glowing and slowly waving back and forth.  It looked like a torch. It was a bit too far to call out, so he quickened his pace to try and catch up to it.

Moses continued down the slope, waving his torch side to side.  He began coming upon larger parts of the wagon.  Their cargo was broken open along the slope.  He realized that he had been lucky to have been thrown free of the wagon when he did.  He could not imagine that his master had survived, but he held out hope.  That is when he saw it...a faint glow along the trail just below him.  Could it be Sam?  He quickened his pace to try and catch up.

Sam was catching up to the light.  That is when he saw there was another light just ahead of the one he was closing in on.  Could it be that there were others on the trail tonight?  Something caught his attention and he turned and looked down the trail.  What he saw sent a chill up his spine.

The mist had grown so thick that Moses's torch had taken on an unearthly glow.  Much like the light he saw on the trail.  As he got closer something didn't seem right about the light. It did not move like it was being carried..it sort of floated. Moses made it to the trail and was just a few yards from the light, that is when he realized he was not alone.

Sam stood frozen as the first Indian Maiden passed. The glow of her torch illuminated her face, the face was that of extreme sorrow as she looked left and right..then slowly passed by him without a word.  The trail was filled with a long line of glowing torches, each one carried by an Indian Maiden mourning her lost brave.

Moses stood and watched as each solemn figure passed by him.  Each with tears streaming silently down their faces.  Each looked right though him, searching for their lost loved one, existing in that place between here and the here-after.

Sam felt a force urging him to walk up the trail, back to the crest where everything had gone so horribly wrong. The mist was growing thicker as he climbed, but he felt no pain as he climbed that mountain in search of Moses.

Moses joined the procession of Maidens as they moved up the mountain, he had no fear of these ghostly creatures as he climbed the mountain in search of his master.

It is said that today, when the mist forms in the valley and begins to enshroud Brown Mountain, the souls of the searchers can be seen proceeding up the mountain in search of their loved ones.  Scientists have said that it is an optical illusion caused by the headlights of cars and trucks on the nearby highway, but that does not explain the first recorded sighting of the lights in 1765 by a German surveyor of the area.

There are a great many things on this Earth that do not have explanations..this is one of them.

THE SACRED COW

When I was young and dumb…some will say the dumb part has not changed…a friend of mine asked me for help.  He was married and had two kids…he explained that he had run short for money to buy food.  I was single and relatively speaking…rich.  Being a super nice guy I lent him $100 to buy food for his family.  This is what friends do for one another. 

About a month later he approached me again.  This time the tire on his car had blown out and he needed some money to buy a replacement.  I told him that I had some money to loan him…but I would need it back since I was saving to go on leave.  He promised that he would repay me.  I loaned him $100 dollars.  He was so happy he invited me to his house for a home cooked meal…I never pass up a home cooked meal.

He lived in the housing area on base.  It was a very small apartment…part of a duplex.  The furniture was used…his kids were clean…and their clothes were very nice.  The apartment was clean…his furniture was nice, but I could tell it came from a thrift store. 

After dinner we sat down to watch some movies on cable, and talk.  He began to complain about how much the cable company charged for their service.  He told me that he was always running behind, but he couldn’t let them disconnect him…his family could not live without cable.  Most of us have our Sacred Cow…for him it was cable.

A Sacred Cow is something you will do whatever it takes to keep.  It is not to be touched by anyone for any reason.  The basics of life will even be sacrificed for the Sacred Cow. I could tell that if I even suggested that maybe he should drop the cable service until his finances were in better shape he would have fought me tooth and nail.  His Sacred Cow was a necessity to him.

As our National Debt continues to climb our nation is faced with making some tough decisions.  We have many Sacred Cows which many are ready to defend at all costs. In fact, as our Sacred Cow becomes more expensive we will do what it takes to keep it.

Politicians…like the rest of us realize that in order to get our debt under control…the Sacred Cows need to be modified…reduced…maybe even eliminated.  That truth does not seem to matter.  At the mere mention of touching one of these Sacred Cows…people will pull out all manner of excuses.  They invoke the image of Granny in a cold house…with no food.  They raise the Flag over the wounded Veteran.  Like my friend…even the suggestion of reducing the amount spent on a Sacred Cow will result in the gnashing of teeth…anger…even to the point of violence. 

People will cackle like hens and runabout like brain damaged raccoons even if someone thinks out loud about touching their Sacred Cow.  Granted the greatest among these are Politicians…who are prone to making grandiose claims….or party partisans who make fools of themselves in defense of obviously failed social experiments. The Sacred Cow must be preserved! 

Our nation can no longer afford the luxury of providing food, shelter, and clothing to the children of illegal foreign nationals...at the expense of feeding our elderly, or caring for our wounded Vets.  We can no longer afford to support educational experiments at the expense of our students and teachers.  We can no longer afford to subsidize other nations at the expense of our own.

I do not call of wanton cutting of any program…however…every program is full of waste…each and every Sacred Cow must get trimmed.  Unlike a Hindu Barbecue…Cow must be on the menu.

I challenge everyone to look at your own Sacred Cow and seriously decide…what fat can be trimmed to make it better for us all.

THE UNCERTAINTY TAX

Submit for your approval…you are sitting on your front porch sipping on tea when you see a truck pass by…the truck is spewing smoke..and generally stinking up the neighborhood.  You head to your garage and start working on making fuels cleaner.

You invest all of your extra money…all of your free time…and after years of hard work design the perfect system.  Your system uses coal…but unlike other systems you can capture almost all of the CO2 released in the process of creating electricity from coal.

You find the perfect site…you and other investors spend millions in legal fees, engineering plans, and environmental studies…the Environmental Protection Agency issues you a permit to build your plant. Things are looking good.

You have secured the financing, bought the property, and have all the other permits needed to build your plant.  Then just as you finish the ground breaking ceremony…a letter arrives from the EPA revoking your permit.

You are out all of your money…and time that can never be recovered…you have no recourse.

The EPA did that to the Spruce Number 1 Coal Mine in West Virginia.  In an unprecedented move it revoked a permit. This means that no company that has followed the rules can have any certainty that the permit means anything.

Top Enviro-Mentalist

How does this affect you and me?  Well first off companies that require approval to build a factory, or plant can not be sure that the permits it has attained will have a hard time finding financing.  Who would issue a loan, or invest in a project that may…at any moment be cancelled? This does not just affect the investors in the project, but all of the sub-contractors, lending institutions, local, and state Governments.

For those of you that have driven through Appalachia, you are aware of the tough lives those people live.  Since the most recent popular fad is the religion of Human Caused Global Warming…a pseudo science…based in myth and lies…the EPA is now poised to use regulatory means to enforce political belief.  For Appalachia it cost them 250 jobs on this one project alone.  For the region it has cost $250 million in direct investment into the area.

Of course all of this holds to President Obama’s promise to force energy prices to skyrocket.  Who does that affect most of all?  The unemployed poor..who of course depend on our tax dollars to pay their electric bills…the working poor..who must decide between food and clothing or keeping the lights on.  Of course it also impacts companies who must charge more for goods and services to pay to keep the conveyors running.

The EPA is not about protecting the environment…it is about protecting and enforcing political dogma based on a unfounded theories…extending the reach of the Federal Government into state, and local Governments, and destroying the ability of business to innovate in a way that promotes a cleaner environment.

In any discourse concerning the economy…this type of roadblock must be removed.  Returning the EPA to its original mandate is not enough.  The EPA must be completely reengineered to an agency that works on facts…not political hype.

Reference: Wall Street Journal

MY MAILMAN IS OVERPAID

MY MAILMAN IS OVERPAID!!

Everyday my fat lazy Mailman, referred to by some as a postal worker…a term that implies he works…does his best to not do his job.  If it is possible he will fold, spindle, and mutilate anything that does not easily fit in a mail box.  When the package is too big to be furiously stuffed into my mailbox he loves to pound…and I do mean pound…on my door.  Then with a sneer he says, “You have another oversized package”.  I guess maybe by using the U.S. Postal Service to get my packages I am in some way violating his personal rules on walking.

When I first saw him he reminded me of Santa Claus…Gray hair, beard…basically the shape of a bowling ball with feet…and stubby little arms.  Now he looks more like a very angry elf…Ugg…he is way over paid.

When President Obama said he was freezing Federal Civilian Pay I thought about fatso…serves his lazy bones right too.  But then…I wondered…Why was the Obama so quick to stick it to the Federal Worker…that is so unlike him.  Was he saying they are over paid?

The Republicans have been saying that for a long time..and it has nearly become one of those urban truths.  Government workers are massively overpaid.

Just B Askin posted here that that is not true….So if they are not overpaid what is the truth?  I set off to do some digging….and this is what I have found.

I began at a place that many people trust…Fact Check.org.  Here is what they had to say:

• Senator-elect Rand Paul of Kentucky, for example, said recently: “The average federal employee makes $120,000 a year. The average private employee makes $60,000 a year." This has become a GOP talking point and the basis for the House Republicans’ call for a hiring freeze in the "Pledge to America." But it’s misleading.

• The analysis is based on data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis and crudely done by dividing total compensation (salary and benefits) by the number of current federal civilian employees. Comparing such averages is quite misleading, for two reasons:

     o First, BEA says the figure is inflated by including compensation that is actually paid to benefit retirees, not just for current workers. The figure is at least several thousand dollars too high, by our calculations.

     o Second, the average federal civilian worker is better educated, more experienced and more likely to have management or professional responsibilities than the average private worker.

Do I think Rand Paul was wrong?  Yes…How wrong is he…I do not know.  I will accept, for now, the idea he is several thousand dollars too high…I will go so far as to say he is 10k to high…that would mean that the average Fed Employee is paid 110k..versus the average civilian worker being paid…for giggles…70k.  That is still a difference of 40k.

Now they throw in this crazy notion of Fed workers being better educated and experienced.  That is a very dubious claim.  For instance, to become a Federal Worker you take a Civil Service exam…Your score goes a long way to getting hired by the feds…But wait…before being hired there are many “perks” that can be added to get on with the Feds…these perks to your points include ethnicity, gender, military service, and disability.  So much for equal employment opportunity.

Now lets look at an example.  Jane and Jack apply for a job with the U.S. Postal Service.  Jane has worked for Fedex for 5 years…she is white…and under 30 years old.  Jack is fresh out of the military…He has a 10 percent disability connected with his military service…Jack is a Pacific Islander.

The first thing that happens is they are graded by a computer…Jack and Jane both score a 100 on the Civil Service Exam.  However, Jack gets 10 point for his service..and another 20 points for his disability.  Jack gets to move on to an interview…Jane doesn’t.

The point here is not that Jack does not deserve a boost up…the point is that the average Federal worker is not necessarily better qualified.  A federal worker is not graded on the profit they bring to the company…in fact…who knows how they grade them?

Factcheck.org goes on to repeat themselves to the point of making me sick. In fact they say “We calculate…” but never say how they calculate their numbers.  Factcheck.org should be called Fatchance.org….much like my Mailman.

So, what is the real truth?  We will probably never know.  I do know this…we have a deficit that is more money than I can imagine.  While private employment drops, Federal Employment has expanded.  If Federal workers are so darn good…they can do what I do…get a job that pays more money in the private sector…where you are expected to make a profit…not just spend money.

If you would like to know more about this, check out the article at: Are Federal Workers Overpaid

Want to know more about fatcheck.org?  Check out the “impartial” panel. Progressives are us.

I am now trying to figure out how to order a 200lb anvil..and have it delivered by the U.S. Postal Service.  Hope Santa enjoys lugging that puppy.

My Devil Dog!!

Today I received some of the greatest news since...well...since my son was born.  He is now a Devil Dog! I am so proud of him it is hard not to overdue this report without seeming like a prejudice father.  But I am!. For those of you who have never had the privilege and honor to serve this nation let me explain what happens when someone joins the U.S. Military Service.

First thing is making the right choice for you.  Not all services are created equal..each has its own challenges..each has its own pros and cons.  As the years have progressed our nations military has gone from being separate services to a combined fighting system.  The lines of communication between them has gone from a blurry fat line...to a much sharper fine line..one that has made our military the greatest fighting force on this planet.

I myself chose the Air Force...most of my family were either Navy or Marines...However, my Father served in the AF during the Korean war...and my uncle started out as a Marine..then transferred to the AF and made a career of it. However, when the time came I made my choice based on what I wanted to do..and being a cop is what I wanted to do.

My son has always wanted to do something special with his life...and this step..is the first step toward that goal.  His choice of service is one that I have always been in awe of.

The second step is Qualifying for the job.  It is not an easy thing to do.  In today's military you must be more than just strong...you must be smart.  Idiots need not apply.  The position he chose is as a Special Communications Signals Collector Operator.  Google it.


Most civilians see a person in uniform at parades...or in a recruiters office.  It is easy to forget that the little girl..or office person you are looking at is also a trained combat weapon.  They not only do paperwork..but are trained to fight.  You won't see that in your local bank.


The third step is Basic Training.  Basic Training is a test of your will as well as your body.  You are trained to respond as part of a team...you are trained to be able to operate at full speed while under trying circumstances.  This is something that lasts a life time. To complete basic is an accomplishment that is something to be proud of.


The fourth step is completing combat training.  Everyone in our military is trained to fight..hence the term U.S. Armed Forces.  Learning the complexity of moving as a team...utilizing the correct methods of engagement..knowing your weapons inside and out.  I guess this is why Homeland security worries about our veterans.


The fifth step is learning your job.  In my son's case...this will be pretty technical stuff.  In fact, with all military specialties it is learning new and exciting things..knowing how your specialty enhances the war fighting capabilities of the greatest Military Force on Earth.


Finally he will deploy with his unit...he will continue a learning process that will last a life time.


It is hard to say when a boy becomes a man...but on this day...I learned that my little boy is a full fledge Man..with the rights and responsibility that comes with the title.


Congrats to you buddy...Welcome to the tribe of Veterans...you are now a Devil Dog!!


Out of respect for him I will not tell you which one is him...he and I are not that keen on photos...but I will say he is the good looking one.


His video is here: Charlie Company