You could be breaking the law at this very moment!

Well, we avoided the fiscal cliff. Thank-you Congress. You can now go home and stay there. Don’t come back!!

You’re probably thinking that I’m not grateful for all the hard work that Congress does on our behalf, and you would be right.

Every day that Congress is in session, they are creating more and more laws and legislation and regulation, not to mention that Congress employs an army of more than two million bureaucrats who are highly compensated, with salaries and benefits more than double what most employees in the private sector earn. These bureaucrats monitor daily life and attempt to extinguish all risk, choice and to enact laws in pursuit of societal perfection.

The Competitive Enterprise Institute reported in 2010 that the total number of

federal rules, totals 81,405 pages.

Moreover, the Heritage Foundation found that the number of criminal offenses in the U.S. Code increased from 3,000 in the early 1980s to 4,000 by the year 2000, and to over 4,450 by 2008.

Scores of federal departments and agencies have created so many criminal offenses that the Congressional Research Service (the research arm of Congress) admitted that it was unable to even count all the offenses.

Here’s what this means for you and me: You’ve probably already broken the law at some point this week. I broke the law on New Year’s Eve driving past a police car who then pulled out behind me and followed me a ways before he turned on his lights and motioned me over. Was I speeding? No. My offense was not wearing my seat belt. Thank-you for the citation and my donation of $25.00 to the city treasury. You could have given me a warning, but that would not fill the city coffers, would it?

The workplace is subject to a web of federal regulations. Where "public accommodation" is involved, such as a retail store or doctor's office, there must be ramps, special bathrooms, widened doors, and curb cuts in the sidewalks. Even carpeting is scrutinized to make sure it is accessible. There are rules involving wages, taxes, health benefits, pension benefits, working conditions, environmental conditions, human resources, union elections, financial practices, and record-keeping. The vending machines on the premises are regulated. Each vending machine must have a "sign close to each article fo food or selection button disclosing the amount of calories in a clear and conspicuous manner."

This is just for starters. I’ll give you some more hair-raising examples next time. Until then, watch your back, check your rear-view mirror, and get yourself a copy of the U.S. criminal code so you can begin reading all the laws and rules to discover which ones you are breaking each and every day. It’s just a matter of time before Uncle Sam finds out and either fines you with a severe penalty, or arrests you, where you are presumed guilty until you can prove your innocence! Think I'm kidding. Stay tuned for my next post.

Is this a great country, or what?!!

What would you say if someone built a ballpark in your town and the Feds wouldn't let you use it?

For months now, I've wanted to do a series of posts on regulations. Do you realize how all these federal regulations are strangling our economy as well as raising the cost of doing business on a daily basis. 

For my first post of 3 in this series, I want you to consider the words of Congressman Mike Kelly, a Pennsylvania Republican, who received a standing ovation from the other members of Congress when he spoke in the House of Representatives last Thursday. Now, this is so extraordinary because no applause is allowed for members of Congress.

Rep. Mike Kelly began his speech by holding up a stack of paper: 11,000 pages of lending requirements and he's on the warpath about how regulation is killing jobs in his district. 

Here's what fired Mike up with righteous anger:

Someone built a ballpark in his district, a Little League ballpark, and federal regulators came in and wouldn't open it. They wouldn't allow it to open. On the day they were going to play the first game, the little kids are all there about to have their first baseball game, and the federal regulators said, "Nope, you can't open it because the mirrors in the men's room were a quarter of an inch too low on the wall."

Here's what Kelly said on the floor of Congress:

KELLY: We renovated a ballpark in my hometown. A guy named Tom Bernadowski -- veteran -- [spent a] couple million dollars to renovate our ballpark. The day we were gonna open up, I got a call at the dealership. It said, "Mike, would you come down?" I said, "Why? What's going on?" He said, "We're having trouble with the occupancy permit." So I went down to see it. I said, "What's the problem?" He said, "Well, here. Come in the men's room. Let me show you what the problem is." I said, "We have 1,500 people want to come see the opening ball game tonight." "Yep, but we've got a major problem. You see the mirrors in the restroom are a quarter of an inch too low."

HOUSE: (smattering of laughter)

KELLY: "So you can't possibly open that ballpark!"

KELLY: So you want to know the price of regulation? You want to talk about the thousands and thousands of pages that we put on the back of the job creators? You want to talk about creating jobs in America? When you want to see a nation that doesn't want to participate but wants to dominate in the world market, then let them rise! Take the heavy boot off the throat of America's job creators and let them breathe!

HOUSE: (cheers and applause)

KELLY: The jobs we are talking about are not red jobs or blue jobs. They are red, white, and blue jobs. They are not Democrat jobs or Republican jobs or independent jobs or Libertarian jobs. They are American jobs!

KELLY: We are so out of touch with the American people. And you know what all this does? It adds layer after layer after layer of cost. And that cost is ultimately paid for by the American consumer. You want to have more revenues, then let the tide rise for all boats! Let us be able to not only survive, but to thrive. I urge all my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle. This is not a left or right issue. This is an American issue. I urge you to rise today and vote for HR-4078, and let's let America get back to work! With that, I yield back.

HOUSE: (cheers and applause)

ACTING SPEAKER: (banging gavel)

HOUSE: USA! USA!

ACTING SPEAKER: (banging gavel)

HOUSE: USA! USA!

The day I walked away from the protest movement....

Anti-war peace rally. Polo Fields, Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, Nov. 16, 1969

Reading about the Occupy Wall Street protests, I am reminded of my own short-lived participation as a “war protester” at the Vietnam anti-war rally in San Francisco on Saturday, Nov. 16, 1969. 


As a college student, I was drawn to this rally even though  I wasn’t certain as to where I stood on the Vietnam War, having recently opened up LIFE Magazine and shocked to see the image of a childhood friend killed in action in Vietnam.


Being a Christian, I was undecided as to whether I was a pacifist or if I believed in picking up arms to defend oneself and country (I've since reconciled this issue). 


I found myself, along with others from college campuses all over California, I marching in San Francisco with 100,000 others to end the Vietnam War.

Abbie Hoffman

However, it was at the post-march rally in Golden Gate Park as we were being entertained by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young that I received my epiphany.  It occurred during a political diatribe from Abbie Hoffman who had gained fame as one of the Chicago 8 arrested a year earlier at the Democrat Convention in Chicago and well-known for several books including “Steal This Book.” I heard Abbie ranting about President Nixon and his vice-president, Spiro Agnew. At the same time, the rally organizers were taking up a collection to pay the bills. My friends and I coughed up some cash to throw in the bucket headed down our aisle. At that same moment, I couldn't believe what I had just heard. Abbie Hoffman was telling us to  “Off Nixon. Off Agnew.” I knew that this was code for “Kill Nixon. Kill Agnew.” 

It was then and there that I walked away from the anti-war movement which wasn’t about peace at all. It was headed up by angry demonstrators who clocked in for protests at 8 in the morning and clocked out at 5pm so they could watch themselves on the evening news. These same protesters who called for peace in Vietnam didn't even have peace between themselves and their families, or anyone else, especially those with whom they disagreed.

Because of past experiences and maybe some acquired wisdom, I view the Occupy Wall Street protests with a jaundiced eye. One thing I know for certain is that the media is propping up OWS. Many in the media have been telling us for a month that the OWS movement is the left-wing equivalent of the tea party. The vast majority of tea partiers made it clear that their paramount goal was smaller, limited government; they showed up for peaceful one-day rallies, sang patriotic songs, cleaned up after themselves and went home. The OWS mob is unclear about their objectives; they've overstayed their welcome and they have no intention of cleaning up their mess. They are spoiled children who figure that mommy and daddy will come along after them to clean up the mess they are leaving behind.  

The Occupy Wall Street protest has a definite anti-semitic focus, with signs like:“Blame Jewish billionaires.” One Fox news writer likened the OWS protest to a cross between “Lord of the Flies” and a Phish concert. One other distinguishing characteristic that sets  OWS apart from the Tea Party is their endorsement by the Communist Party USA and the American Nazis.  Unfortunately or fortunately (depending on which side of the political spectrum you’re on), the Tea Party has yet to garner any endorsements from these two Left-wing, anti-capitalism, anti-democracy organizations.

 

In closing, I think these young people have been brainwashed and poorly educated  with their heads stuck in the sand, totally ignorant of the facts. Here they are protesting the Wall Street bailouts when in fact, it was Congress’ Tarp funds which bailed out Wall Street. 

Those who believe in capitalism wanted to let the free market run its course. Conservatives don't believe that any bank or institution is too big to fail, including our federal government. 

These protesters should be marching in front of the White House or marching through the halls of Congress or they should be protesting the outrageous college tuition they are forced to pay. The biggest scam today is academia where tuition has increased many times more than the price of a gallon of oil. 

Instead, these young skulls full of mush are giving government and the vaunted halls of academia a "free pass." Why? Probably because most all of them believe in big government. They all vote Democrat. Most of them, if they vote at all, will be voting for Obama in 2012 and while they want to be heard, they don’t want to shine the spotlight on the true cause of our nation’s economic woes, President Obama and Congress. In that sense, they are pawns serving Obama and the Democrat Party. Just as I did years ago, they would all be better off to pack up and walk away from this misguided protest.

Occupy Wall Street protester interviewed by British journalist