Cognitive Dissonance

          This is the ugly feeling one gets when holding two dissimilar thoughts simultaneously. The dissonance increases exponentially with the importance the subject holds to the mind bearing the discordant intentions (or word association), how powerfully the dissonant thoughts conflict, or the inability to diminish the conflict (Syque, 2009). Examples that leap to mind are the belief that I am a good person even though I may have just done something I know to be wrong or the statement Vice-President Joe Biden made to an AARP town hall meeting that, unless the Democrat-supported health care becomes law, the nation would go bankrupt and that the only way to avoid it was to spend more money (Starr, 2009). Delusional and inane statements like that give rise to question about the Vice-President’s grip on the real world.

                   The July, 2009 U.S. Treasury Department monthly statement told a bleak tale of fiscal year deficits to date (U.S. Treasury Department, 2009):

§ U.S. deficit to date is $1.27 trillion (vs. $0.39 for the same period as last year.)

§ July deficit is $180.7 billion.

§ Receipts were $151.5 billion and outlays were $332.2 billion dollars. [Translation: The U.S. government spent $2.19 for every $1 of revenue (which are 5.6% less than a year ago, by the way.)

                   Today, August 25, 2009, as just released by Politico, the White House says the recession is ending and promises further deficit-cutting in next year's budget, as it announces a 10-year red ink estimate of $9.051 trillion that is elevated from the previously forecast deficit of $7 trillion (Politico, 2009). Are we now so jaded that a 28% error in hundreds of billions of dollars is couched with language of “further deficit-cutting in next year's budget” and is OK with us? This example of cognitive dissonance is mind boggling and one that only a Democrat in the modern United States of America could utter with a straight face. While President Obama is virtually playing a violin in Martha’s Vineyard while the (empty) Treasury Department is burning, the nation is confounded by the audacity of lies, deceit, and criminal behavior of his administration, because the sheer volume of distortion befalling us from every angle, every day.   

                   In January of 2009 President Obama pressed for an $800 billion economic stimulus package, in order to turn the economy around. Although the bill largely was chock full of liberal priorities, the President claimed it would ‘create or save’ 3 ½ million jobs. Obama also said that unemployment would rise to 9% if we did not pass the bill into law; if we did legislate it into existence, umemployment would remain below 8% (W, 2009). As of today, the White House projections (and the Congressional Budget Office’s slightly less concurrence) raise the bar 28% higher than the original estimate of the national debt to $9,000,000,000,000.00 and the unemployment rate is in excess of 10% and will remain there through 2010 (W, 2009). Adolf Hitler said,” "The great mass of people will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one (Hitler, 1925)."

                    Deception is the key to initiating and implementing Democrat-inspired agenda points held in check by bipartisan non-cooperation for forty years. The most poignant example of this was the great push for ‘Universal Health Care’ – a new entitlement that will have the effective cost of 18% (Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality, 2002) of the U.S. gross national product (GDP) – in less than two weeks time. No one read the bill. No one knew the cost or how it would be paid for. A great American ground swell of disbelief and outrage that the cost would be borne by cutting money spent for Medicare, Medicaid, and the Veterans Administration (Tax Day Tea Party, 2009). The Big Lie failed to work its magic; the new marketing ploy has changed the message to ‘Health Care Reform’ (White House, 2009). Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid would now have us believe the government will save us all from the evil, capitalist pharmaceutical companies and the greedy insurance firms. And anyone who disagrees is a Nazi (Lewis, 2009) , un-American (Un-American Revolution, 2007) , or worse. But we informed citizens know that if a health care reform bill passes the House of representatives and Senate, it will require workers to pay more for the insurance they carry now and live to see rationed care for all, save the very wealthy who are not impacted by a change in income tax (Kishore, 2009) .             

          Criminal behavior is in the eye of the beholder. It did truly seem that any single thing the Bush administration did raise a liberal chorus of impeachment, liability, or litigation. Pick one; any one. OK: I will. The Bush administration fired eight Attorneys General. They had every right to do, as the lawyers worked at the President’s discretion and pleasure. The worst possible outcome for the attorney’s in case of point would have been that they would not automatically get jobs with a new administration that would likely be more palpable for their liberal opinions. Whereas, in the current administration, has discharged two Inspectors General: Gerald Walpin, IG for the Corporation for National and Community Service, which includes AmeriCorps; and Judith Gwynn, IG for the International Trade Commission. Walpin was fired for doing his job; he ratted out an Obama appointee for misusing federal funds. Ms. Gwynn was fired because she had the audacity of hope to have her boss stand up for her after she wrote a report that that an agency employee had taken documents from her that she needed to do her job (Spiegel, 2009). Now that a liberal democrat is in the White House and actions are in line with the left wing Democrat usurping, socialist agenda, Obama can do no wrong. The risks for potential U.S. attorneys after the Walpin firing is trepidation of being fired after investigating organizations with close ties to the White House thus making them unable to perform their investigational duties (Spiegel, 2009).

                   It seems to me that the Obama administration and assorted lackey hangers-on would have trouble sleeping. No stories to collaborate this have been forthcoming, however, so one must conclude that cognitive dissonance is at work and we shall not see the manifest destiny of total loss of functional control of the Federal Reserve System, the State department, and the Executive Branch until the worst possible moment in national history. This day is rapidly approaching. Even the Communist Chinese are now reticent about buying more of our debt and have gone as far as coming to our shores to lecture us on being responsible capitalists (AP, 2009). How much more embarrassing can this possibly be, one must ask. I submit that the American Democrat Party and the radical left-wing agenda they aspire to bring to fruition will beget a real apocalypse that will reduce our fine, brave country to a third –world style banana republic. Pray for Republican and Independent legislator’s strength to oppose this change we can neither afford nor believe in.

References

 

Agency For Healthcare Research And Quality. (2002, September). Health Care Costs Fact Sheet. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.ahrq.gov/news/costsfact.htm

Associated press. (8). Clinto: Chinese Reassured on U.S. Financial health. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/08/08/clinton-chinese-reassured-financial-health/

Hitler, Adolf (1925). Mein Kampf. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from "The people will believe a big lie, but not a small lie." - Adolf Hitler

Kishore, Joe. (21). Six months of the Obama administration. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=14483

Lewis, James. (8). Nancy's Nazis. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.americanthinker.com/2009/08/nancys_nazis.html

Politico. (25). Politico.com. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://www.politico.com

Spiegal, Scott. (30). Hen Bish Does It, Its Criminal Behavior; When Obama Does It, Its Human Resources. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://conservativeoutpost.com/when_bush_does_it_it%E2%80%99s_criminal_behavior_when_obama_does_it_it%E2%80%99s_human_resources

Starr, Penny. (16). CNSNEWS.COM. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://www.cnsnews.com/public/content/article.aspx?RsrcID=51162

Syque. (2002-2009). ChangingMinds.org. Retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://changingminds.org/explanations/theories/cognitive_dissonance.htm

Tax Day Tea Party. (2009). Tax Day Tea Party. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://taxdayteaparty.com/

Unamerican Revolution. (15). Harry reid, nancy pelosi and surveillance. Retrieved from http://unamericanrevolution.com/activism/harry-reid-nancy-pelosi-wireless-surveillance/

U.S. Treasury. (2009, July). Retrieved August 25, 2009, from http://www.fms.treas.gov/mts/

W, AC. (3). News.gather.com. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977728269&grpId=3659174697244816&nav=Groupspace

White House. (24). Health Care. Retrieved August 26, 2009, from http://www.whitehouse.gov/issues/health_care/

           

           I went to a Tea Party tonight in San Antonio, Texas. It was said that 15,000 people were in attendance. Though I could have done without the helicopter fly-by, I was exceedingly pleased to have gone. The event was not highlighted by any elected official speeches. Although I was told by reputable sources that some did indeed ask to speak, none were permitted to do so by the event organizers. The program was organized, paid for, and attended by low and middle class citizens – just like me – who have a vested interest in our elected leaders doing work for us and not continuing to act as though we work for them. FOX news headliner Glenn Beck was there and gave a powerful perspective that I did not expect. He reminded us that, after 9/11, we, as a nation, did not forget that we were all neighbors and did not begin to distrust, act terribly against other Americans, or lose our humanity – in short, the take-away for me was that we did not begin to act badly. And that we became focused and united. This Tea Party was the kind of event that all protest affairs should be: energizing, civilized, and respectful. I am also pleased to report that ted Nugent played the best solo, electric guitar rendition of the Star Spangled Banner that I have ever heard.

            But, by far, the best speaker – the most inspirational for me – was an immigrant to our country from Columbia. Katharine Moreno shared her personal story and love of America with us from that special point of view. She told us that in Columbia, if you are born poor that you will die poor. There is no liberty or possibility of upward mobility. She and her mother came to this country, learned English, and became citizens without taking the personal disability of welfare. She has raised a daughter and become a professional accountant and felt a great need to tell the crowd, that allowing the Federal Government to make us all subservient to the power-grabbing nanny state mentality enveloping us now, will ruin the best nation in the history of the world. Plainly spoken and abundantly clear, I heard the words and could not help thinking that our president is doing us a monumental disservice by apologizing and bowing to misogynist Arab leaders and otherwise kow-towing to European socialist low brows posing as intellectuals.

            I had only my mobile phone with which to take pictures. And I saw many signs worth photographing. So, instead of forcing the reader to bear out-of-focus and over-pixelled snapshots, I will just recall the best ones I saw. “Liberty is the only stimulus we need.” Obamanomics – chains we can believe in.” And my personal favorite, “The USA needs Texas more than Texas needs the USA.” In fact, at the rally, it was said that 70% of the new jobs created in the US in 2008 were created here in Texas. I could not find a citation for that but I did find – from the Milken Institute – a Top 5 Metropolitan and Small Metro ranking. (The mix was mostly noted for the lack of Blue State representation; but I digress.) In 2008, the Top 5 Metro areas in Texas were: Austin/Round Rock - #5, McAllen - #7, Killen/Temple/Ft. Hood - #13, San Antonio - #15, Houston - #16. And the list for the Top 5 Small Metro areas in the Lone Star State was: Midland - #1, Longview - #7, Odessa - #10, Tyler - # 26, and Waco - #27. The rankings are nationally rated and the lists are the Top 100 noted and pretty impressive, if I do say so myself.

            As one could expect the additional parking for 15,000 folks was in downtown San Antonio was at a premium tonight and I was pressed to take public transport from my lot to the Alamo park where the rally was in progress as I arrived. On the journey, I met a family that already been to a tea Party in their town of Fredericksburg and had travelled an additional 100 miles to come to San Antonio to be part of this one. They told me that, of the town of roughly 5,000 that 4,000 were at the rally there. I also made the acquaintance of a young man from Phoenix, Arizona; recently unemployed and looking for work in Texas. I recognized him as a smart fellow right away. He intimated that he owned a home in Arizona that was now worth$200,000 less than what he owed – he was upside down, as the modern saying goes and ready to bail on the property. Since he was a young man, I tried to counsel defense and implored him to avail himself of the trend to throw oneself at the mercy of the financial institution holding the note, but he insisted that Wells Fargo would not negotiate even in a small way. I left him, praying to myself that, when WF realizes how much money they were about to lose that they would find it in their corporate heart to help this young man. But, since Turbo Tax Cheat Geithner has bailed out Wells Fargo to the tune of some $25 billion dollars - like all the others that are becoming part of the New Order, thug-twizzle of Chicago style politics being played out on the national stage - they do not have to actually about the little people, as their losses will be covered by the federal government – that’s right, you and I will be paying the interest on their greed for decades. OK: I’m starting to rant. But, before I stop, let me relate the story of a woman from Canada that attended the Tea Party, because she wished to opine to a willing audience that we (the United States) should not allow the travesty of universal health care to devastate our own system, though, while flawed, is still the best on the planet. I also walked away with a renewed vigor for more sustained political activism. Here are a few links, if you are so inclined to follow through as well.

www.Heritage.org

www.theythinkyouarestupid.org

www.TEXASturf.org

www.campaignforLiberty.org

www.americansforprosperity.org

            But, by far, the most important thing I can encourage all people to do is REGISTER TO VOTE – do it now and follow through. Remember, we got to this revolutionary stance because 70 million Americans did not vote in the last election. In 2010 we shall need every conservative-minded citizen to throw the Democrats away. And discard republicans who show they are worsening the conservative movement too! We here in the Republic of Texas have eyes that shall stay upon you and encourage all we can to avoid the travesty of our children’s chance for prosperity disappear before they have even grown up and gotten their first job. Our liberty to define our own path in life is at stake. Before the power grabbing, money hungry politicos become so entrenched that we lose hope of ever restoring the country to a semblance of fiscal integrity or responsibility – we MUST write, call, email, and fax our elected official NOW to tell them we want them to vote no on this 1.4 trillion dollar budget and force it to be re-written. Do not allow populist sentiment to replace the Constitution with a socialist agenda and a debt carried by the Chinese and Russia. Our freedom to be the master of our own destiny demands your patriotism and courage today. Do not waver in your attention to detail. Do not be dismayed at the Left Wing bias and race-baiting, school-boy taunts. They are wrong – we are strong and we will surround them. I am compelled to leave you with my last thought after leaving the Tea Party this evening; the Alamo is still a good place to make a stand.

 

Oil, gas, airwaves:

Cow farts not withstanding now.

They don’t work for us.

The death of a thousand cuts.

Born fee- taxed to death.

 

Lift the Ban – Get Out of the Way

The alleged bi-partisan plan worming its way through Congress is a pale entity in comparison to what we really need and want. Who in the world besides a nanny-minded Senator would want the ACLU or PETA to have a hand in ham-stringing legislation that is sure to fail, if they have their way. I say National Energy Security trumps everyone’s special interest. We have the biggest threat to our culture and society looming for every dollar sent out of our country. Politicians know this, the Saudi’s, Venezuela, and Mexico know this: so what is wrong with our elected officials? It makes me wonder if whose side they are on. They are not putting the country first. They are not working in my best interest. Lift the ban on all drilling and then get out of the way and let America do what we do best – lead.