I See Red!

originally posted at: 2BucksWorth.com

"I see red

And it hurts my head

Guess it must be something

That I read" - Red Lenses (Rush)

I've recently been having very frank and stimulating on-line discussion with a long time friend of mine about the charges of Socialism that have been leveled against President Obama (actually, Obama was still a candidate when my friend posted his original blog topic). The discussion has ranged from the relative merits of the differing degrees of socialism versus those of capitalism, to whether in fact Mr. Obama himself is a card-carrying soviet.

As to the later point, my friend wisely cautioned against snap judgements before the election, and I have forced myself since the election to try to wait until the new President has a chance to show us what he's all about. And while there is scant evidence that Mr. Obama is a full-on Commie, it is becoming increasingly apparent that our President and the Congress sees capitalism as more the problem than the solution, and they earnestly believe that if a little government is good, a lot is even better.

I will save my opinions on why capitalism is the nearest to the perfect economic system that man will ever devise for another day, but I must address the few holdouts who are not true-believing liberals, but neither have sufficiently opened their eyes to the fact that Mr. Obama is. When the socialist democracies of Europe are lecturing the U.S. government on the evils of deficit spending and constant bailouts, you know that something profound has happened. It's as if the big kid that everyone teased for never swimming in the socialism pool suddenly does a swan dive into the deep end, all at once socialism isn't as chic as it used to be.

Dependence on government spending to move the economy, government control of major components of our economy like the auto industry and health care (socialism mandates government control of the means of production), and confiscatory taxation of the wealthy to spread the wealth around ("From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs" - Karl Marx) ... is it any wonder that it's not only right-wing wackos like myself that are seeing Red?

No one thinks the next red scare is around the corner, but maybe people are starting to remember some former community organizers that were put in charge of a country. Like Lenin, and Mao.

Enjoy, comrades.

Nolanbuck

Off With His Appendix!

originally posted at: 2BucksWorth.com

On Monday night, while Debbie & I were out & about, our middlest son called us to inform us that he was having terrible pains in his lower right abdomen. (I sometimes refer to him as the middlest son, because why should the 2nd of three kids be the only one without a superlative?) Having been through one bout of appendicitis and an appendectomy with our oldest son in 2006, I immediately thought "appendix". Obviously, having seen what his brother went through 2.5 years ago, #2 son was not thrilled at this diagnosis.

Neither were the wife & I excited at the prospect of another appendectomy in the family so soon after the first. If you've never had a teenager have to have surgery, you must believe me that at some point you will contemplate offering to undergo the procedure yourself as a less painful option.

However, so as to not jump to conclusions, we gave our son some (admittedly woefully inadequate) over-the-counter medication, and asked him to try and get some rest...hoping it was gas or some other transient dyspeptic condition. As with the eldest son, this strategy was to prove wildly optimistic.

By the wee hours of the morning, the pain in my son's stomach had intensified and had awakened him from what little sleep he'd managed to grab. So after the other boys were off to school, my wife made a walk-in appointment (which is an oxymoron, isn't it?) with our doctor. After examination, my son was sent to a radiology clinic to confirm the preliminary diagnosis, appendicitis. The CT scan showed that his appendix was in fact inflamed, so off to the ER he went.

At the ER he awaited the arrival of the surgeon, and then it was on to pre-op and into surgery; where his belly was shaved, carved, relieved of one useless and rather unattractive internal organ, and stapled shut with what appeared to be the same staples you'd use to hang fiberglass insulation. Then to recovery and finally to a hospital room where he convalesced for two days. He is currently at home resting and trying not to walk around like an old man.

I must give the young man his due: not being known for having a high pain tolerance, my 2nd son was a real trooper, maintaining a stiff upper lip and a "can-do" attitude throughout the whole ordeal and it's aftermath. He did very little complaining, and was eager to do his best to get moving again and not lie around and suffer. After almost 20 years in the health care profession, I must tell you that the maturity and determination he showed is rare among patients twice his age.

I'm glad my son is healthy and on the mend, but I'm also proud of the character he displayed during this illness. My sons are growing into fine men, and nothing could make me prouder than that.

(BTW, for those of you keeping score at home, that's two appendices down, one to go)

Nolanbuck

Please Stand By...

originally posted at: 2BucksWorth.com

The blog has taken a back seat for the Bucks recently, due to one of our sons recovering from an emergency appendectomy. He's resting & healing...doing better all the time, and we'll be back to blogging in a few more days.

Thanks, everyone for the well wishes.

Nolanbuck

Another Ray Of Hope

originally posted at: 2BucksWorth.com

The 912 Project - TV & Radio host Glen Beck's new project to bring Americans of all persuasions together and bring a sense of purpose back Washington, the way it was on 9-12-01.

Check it out.

Nolanbuck

Tea Time in America

originally posted at: 2BucksWorth.com

Groups of citizens across the fruited plains are getting together to party like it's 1773, tossing tea into any available body of water to protest poorly-planned corporate bailouts, wasteful gub'mint spending and confiscatory taxes.



Regardless of who you voted for in November (or whether you voted at all), it's time to stand up for our country and send a message to both parties. Speak up, fellow Citizens!

Nolanbuck

Everybody's Irish! (Just Don't Pinch Me)

Originally posted at: 2BucksWorth. com

Faith and Begorrah! It' St. Paddy's Day! The day when people all over the world drink green beverages, wear green clothes, dream of leprechauns, and wonder what in the heck "Begorrah" is. (It's a euphemism for "By God", BTW)

Me? I love the Irish. Not a better, friendlier, more likable folk in the world. Then again, maybe the only Irish people who will talk to me are the extremely friendly ones. But the few genuine Irish folk I know are top notch.

But back to this holiday, it is remarkable that one country's national holiday has taken on such a worldwide appeal. When you see a man named Tyrone in Memphis, Tennessee dressed like he's in County Tyrone, you know that people everywhere take this holiday seriously.

Speaking of taking it seriously, the tradition I find most appalling about St. Pat's Day is the wearing of the green, or rather the ridiculous tradition of pinching people who forgot to wear something green. Oh, I know the "I'm wearing green underwear" excuse may work occasionally, but especially when I was a kid, if you forgot the green, you were getting pinched. (Never mind that for centuries the color blue was more closely associated with Ireland's patron saint).

I mean, really? You are assaulting me for not dressing up for an ethnic holiday? Fine then, since I am of Scottish extraction, if you don't wear a kilt on St. Andrew's Day, I get to give you a wedgie (wedgies are impossible if you are wearing a kilt, BTW).

But seriously folks, enjoy St. Patrick's Day, and please be careful. And if you happen to see a leprechaun in a bar, do not try to catch him or ask him where his pot of gold is. He's probably just a festive wee midg...uh..."little person", and you've had to much to drink.

Nolanbuck

Wake Up, Republicans!

originally posted at: 2BucksWorth.com

After the sound thrashing the GOP received in the last two national elections, a certain amount of soul-searching was to be expected...in fact, it was long over due. But now four months after the 2008 election, the Republican Party seems to be stuck in the doldrums and satisfied with nibbling at the edges of the Democrats' power structure. Some, like Senators Collins, Specter, and Snow, have decided not to wait on the GOP resurrection and have begun cutting their owns deals with the Obama administration.

Now all illusions of having the luxury of time to form a coherent opposition message while the Dems sort out the spoils of victory are quickly disappearing as well. The Obama administration is marshaling it's expansive campaign machinery to push the President's budget plans. Add to this that the disparate factions of the left are lining up behind Obama's legislative agenda, and it doesn't take a genius to see another political butt-whipping coming for the hapless GOP.

Conservatives in particular, and Repubs in general, need to decide where they will stand on the issues of the day, and bring forth viable alternatives to the Democrats policies. They need to find new leadership and their old values, stop trying to outspend Democrats and act like Rebublicans are suposed to: in support of smaller, less intrusive government, individual liberty, and the empowerment of every citizen to fulfil their own dream without the hand of governemnt on their shoulder.

To continue to act as if nothing has changed, and as if time is on our side, is to go the way of the old Federalist party: detached, inflexible...and extinct.

Nolanbuck

Obama Cancels the Catastrophe

Originally posted on 2BucksWorth.com

I suppose I should be breathing a sigh of relief, now that President Obama yesterday struck an uncharacteristically optimistic tone regarding the economy.

"I don't think things are ever as good as they say, or ever as bad as they say," Obama stated. "Things two years ago were not as good as we thought because there were a lot of underlying weaknesses in the economy. They're not as bad as we think they are now."

So things were worse that we thought they were, but are better than we think they are...and we think our thinking was worse than we think it is now. At least we think so...

Not only did he begin a strategic withdrawal from his earlier talk of impending financial doom, but he gave us the entire Obama shimmy-sham in the one paragraph quoted above: qualify, blame Bush, then top it off with little bit of Hope tm. The only thing more breathtaking than his brevity and vacillation is his blatant hypocrisy.

Just a few scant weeks ago, our President warned Republicans that the current financial crisis would become a catastrophe (his word, not mine) if Congress paused to actually read, let alone debate, the Obama-Pelosi stimulus bill. So all the Democrats (save a stouthearted few in the House), and 3 turncoat Republicans, pushed the massive emergency stimulus bill through in record time. In case you're wondering, my own "conservative" Democrat congressman, Travis Childers, voted for the massive spending bill, because he answers only to Nancy Pelosi and not to the people who elected him. But I digress.

Then the President let it sit for four days before he signed it into law. Apparently, the mere threat of stimulus is enough to put catastrophes to flight, so there was no rush to spend the hundreds of billions, just waving it at the problem will suffice for a few days.

Now that we can stop wondering when the recession will end, we can move on to guessing how much longer we're going to buy the BHO bullcrap.

Nolanbuck

Happy Birthday, Debbiebuck!

originally posted on 2bucksworth.com

On this day, sometime in the early 70's, God was in a particularly good mood. The heavens opened up, the angels sighed, and the Lord made the world a better place (especially for one particular schmoe named Nolanbuck).

Happy birthday to the woman of my dreams and my best friend. I love ya!

Nolanbuck