Egomaniac, Socialist Senator Robert Byrd dies

Senator Robert Byrd died yesterday at 92 years old.

He was an egomaniac who abused his position of power for five decades.

Shockingly, the voters in West Virginia kept returning him to power.

His death made me think of this quote from history...

The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers that it can bribe the public with the public's money.

Alexis de Tocqueville

And that is what Byrd did best.... bribing the voters with other peoples money.

Byrd abused his seniority in Congress to steer record amounts of Government money to the citizens of his generally poor State of West Virginia. His abuses were so outrageous, that the Coast Guard was given branch offices in West Virginia... even though the State is landlocked!

Byrd was also an unrepentant egomaniac who had no qualms about naming everything after himself.

There are literally hundreds of roads, school, bridges, libraries, and government offices named specifically after Robert Byrd.

There are other countries in the world where leaders name everything after themselves... Libya, Cuba, North Korea, Iraq...but they are generally not places that you would want to live.

None of them make the Fortune magazine list of "Most Desirable Places To Live".

Robert Byrd was the opposite of the type of leader our founding fathers wanted for our country.

He was a corrupt bureaucrat who wielded the government position he held like a sledgehammer.

He used his power to reward loyalists and to punish opponents.

To his voters in West Virginia, he was just like a Communist dictator.

Oppose him, and he could cut off the mothers milk of government money.

He ended up making West Virginians fearful, and servile to his demands, and long-term dependents on a Nanny-state government.

Democrats will spend the next few days with speeches and lengthy tributes, but almost all of them will overlook the inconvenient fact that Robert Byrd had long ago been a member of the Ku Klux Klan and had opposed Civil Rights legislation in the 1960's.

I take no pleasure in his death, in fact I feel badly for his friends and family. It is a sad moment for them.

However, I am pleased that Robert Byrd will no longer be abusing taxpayer funds to build monuments to himself. Byrd was the reason that Congress had to come up with a special legislative effort titled "No Monuments To Me."

When Congress has to take special measures to counteract you personally, you are failing your duties as a public servant.

A Strong New Candidate for 2012

While most of the talk about 2012 has focused on the Republican options to take down Barack Obama, there has been very little press given to options that are not as well known.

Sure, anyone and everyone can cover Sarah Palin, or Mitt Romney... as they are the top 2 favorites heading into 2012.

But there is a strong possibility that the candidate who defeats Obama will be someone who is not well known right now. Could it be Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin? Or Governor Rick Perry of Texas?

One of my most interesting moments at CPAC 2010 was when a friend of mine literally dragged me down the hall to see Congressman Mike Pence of Indiana. I didn't know much about Pence before this, but I quickly realized that he has the potential for greatness in him.

I know most of you don't have time to watch this speech, but Pence has some great lines.

"You proved Thomas Jefferson right... "the people are the ultimate guardians of their own liberty"

"When it comes to more borrowing, the answer is no!

When it comes to more spending, the answer is no!

When it comes to more bailouts, the answer is no!"

"There is nothing that ails this country that couldn't be fixed by paying more careful attention to the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States of America."

"To win back America, we have to offer the American people real solutions to the challenges facing this country at home and abroad."

I came away from this speech very convinced that Pence is a player in 2012 and that he has what it takes.

There are only about 10 people who can be the next President...one is Barack Obama and the other 9 are the top Republicans running for the GOP nomination.

Pence should be near the top of that list.

I would be proud to have a man like this be our next President.

My comment to Jill Stewart

If you haven't seen it yet, crusader Jill Stewart does good job of breaking down Mayor Villaraigosas ticket scandal in her new piece at LA Weekly.

Here is my comment to her in the comments section:

Jill Stewart,

The title of the article is incorrect. The free tickets end up being worth millions in special treatment for the people who give them to the Mayor.

Lakers, Dodgers, AIG, etc...

They all get special breaks and favors when it comes to financial transactions between them and the City.

Los Angeles is one of the most corrupt cities in America because of the one-party rule in our City Council. Villaraigosa is totally corrupt -- morally AND ethically. There is nothing he won't do to benefit himself.

His behavior in his personal life speaks volumes.

Phil Jennerjahn

Michael Jackson : Not "The Greatest"

Tomorrow will be a sad anniversary for pop music fans. It will be one year since the death of music superstar Michael Jackson.

I was actually working that day and was in the area, so I drove by 100 Carolwood to see what was up. It was only 2 hours or so since they had announced his death, and police had sealed off the street, there were media vehicles out in front of his house, and there were news helicopters hovering overhead.

Of course, there were countless accolades piled on the man who revolutionized the recording industry by taking it to heights it hadn't seen before. Some even went so far as to call him the "Greatest Entertainer of All Time".

Although I liked Michael Jackson and enjoyed his music, I think that title would be incorrect.

The Beatles and Elvis Presley sold more records than Michael Jackson did.

Michael had the highest selling single album of all time, Thriller, but he didn't beat these others in overall totals. Elvis still sells a decent amount of records even though he has been dead for 33 years. In comparison, will buyers still be purchasing Michael Jacksons music in 2042? Maybe. Only time will tell.

When discussing the rankings of the greatest entertainers of all time... and certainly the Beatles and Elvis Presley would be in the top 10, one has to consider the depth of the persons talent.

There are 10 people in the world, including Mel Brooks and Barbara Streisand, who have won an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Tony and a Grammy. To me, this displays a diverse range of talent in many areas.

Even singer/actress Cher sold millions of records and still won an Oscar for her acting. Michael Jackson was a talented singer and dancer, but he wasn't ever going to win Oscars or Emmys for his acting.

In these rankings, I think you have to consider non-traditional people also.

Muhammad Ali was a boxer, but what he really did was entertain people with his skills.

Same thing with Tiger Woods, or Tom Brady, or Kobe Bryant.

They entertain people with their talent.

With that line of reasoning established, I think for my money I have to state that the greatest entertainer of all time is probably movie director Steven Spielberg. Jaws, E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurassic Park, Schindler's List, Close Encounters, Saving Private Ryan, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

Is there a movie on that list that you haven't seen? If you are like most people, you have spent over 20 hours of your life being entertained by the talented vision of Steven Spielberg.

The box office totals for his movies surpasses $8 Billion dollars, dwarfing anything the music industry can produce on a dollar-for-dollar basis.

I think there are more homes around the world that have a Steven Spielberg movie on DVD in their house than there are homes with Michael Jackson records.

"Ticketgate" starting to gain traction

Of all the things that I thought might ever take down our crook of a Mayor, the least thing I was ever concerned about was the little freebies he gets as Mayor.

Free concert tickets, sporting events, Oscars, Grammys...etc.

No, I was more concerned about devastating things like DWP rates hikes, hidden taxes, and Socialistic City policies that destroy jobs and the economy.

However, it seems as though Antonio Villaraigosas technical infractions of the law might be the thing that takes him down. I've always said that I want to see him in jail. I think the CRA and LACERS scandals are more than enough to warrant jail time for Villaraigosa.

But a free ticket scandal?

Well ... it wasn't how I planned it, but I'll take it.

Anything to remove him from power.

We are living in dangerous times

When a thug like President Obama can demand $20 billion from British Petroleum without any due process of law.....

When the Socialist Democrats in the U.S. Congress vote that YOU have to buy a health care plan ... but it will be the type of plan they will not submit themselves to....

When an arrogant Los Angeles City Council feels that they have the right to meddle in the interior politics of another State......

When an incompetent LAUSD decides that educating children in Los Angeles needs to become a secondary issue to their joining in on meddling in Arizona politics .....

We are not far from the brink.

We are living in dangerous times.

President Zero to lose Congress in November

Over 60 days into the BP oil spill and President Zero has done nothing to stop it.

A lot of whining and complaining, but no action.

He's turning out to be worse than Jimmy Carter.

Maybe the media will start a running clock on every newscast saying "68 days since the spill and no answers from the White House". It will be just like the Iranian hostage situation all over again.

Good news for Conservatives! President Zero is going to cause an election night rout in November.

Nancy Pelosi will lose her job as Speaker and "Dingy" Harry Reid will be voted out of office.