Perfect just the way you are !

T'is the season for many people to start making those annual New Year's resolutions. While we all are our own worst critic, isn't a New Year's resolution merely an admission that one isn't perfect just the way they are ? How and why did this tradition of promising to change one's personal goals, lifestyle, or habits even come about ?

 The ancient Babylonians made promises to their gods at the start of each year that they would return borrowed objects and pay their debts. The Romans began each year by making promises to the god Janus, for whom the month of January is named. In the Medieval era, the knights took the "peacock vow" at the end of the Christmas season each year to re-affirm their commitment to chivalry. At watchnight services, many Christians prepare for the year ahead by praying and making these resolutions.

There are other religious parallels to this tradition. During Judaism's New Year, Rosh Hashanah, through the High Holidays and culminating in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), one is to reflect upon one's wrongdoings over the year and both seek and offer forgiveness. People may act similarly during the Catholic fasting period of Lent, though the motive behind this holiday is more of sacrifice than of responsibility, in fact the practice of New Year's resolutions partially came from the Lenten sacrifices. The concept, regardless of creed, is to reflect upon self-improvement annually.

But what is the success rate of promises made in the heat of the moment and in the spirit of the occasion ? A 2007 study by Richard Wisemen from the University of Bristol involving 3,000 people showed that 88% of those who set New Year resolutions fail, despite the fact that 52% of the study's participants were confident of success at the beginning. Men achieved their goal 22% more often when they engaged in goal setting, (a system where small measurable goals are being set; such as, a pound a week, instead of saying "lose weight"), while women succeeded 10% more when they made their goals public and got support from their friends.^[9]

Quoting Frank Ra (author of the new year's resolution book "A course in happiness"):

    "Resolutions are more sustainable when shared, both in terms of with whom you share the benefits of your resolution, and with whom you share the path of maintaining your resolution. Peer-support makes a difference in success rate with new year's resolutions".

So with all this rich history and tradition behind you go ahead tonight and make that New Year's resolution to drop a few pounds, quit smoking, etc. but just remember that New Year's resolution is an admission you aren't perfect just the way you are.....Happy New Years!

It's a wonderful world for sure

Most Extreme Space Discoveries of 2012

by Elizabeth Howell, SPACE.com Contributor

Astronomical discoveries in 2012 have reshaped what we know about the universe and pushed some instruments to the very limits of their observing power. Scientists discovered a galaxy that harbors an enormous central black hole 17 billion times more massive than the sun. Another research group spotted a scorching-hot rocky planet in the closest star system to our own. Meanwhile, the records for most massive galaxy cluster and most distant galaxy were shattered.

Here's a brief rundown of some of the year's most extreme and exciting cosmic finds.

Most monstrous black hole

Observers probably don't want to get too close to NGC 1277 or its supermassive black hole, which takes up a large portion of the galaxy itself. The central black hole is 17 billion times more massive than the sun and makes up 14 percent of its host galaxy's mass, compared to the usual 0.1 percent.

Researchers were so flummoxed by the black hole's size that they took an extra year to double-check their calculations before publishing their results.

http://www.space.com/17756-hubble-s-extreme-deep-field-sees-farther-back-in-time-video.html

Closest exoplanet to Earth

In a surprise discovery, astronomers found a planet that is about the same size as Earthin the star system next door. The rocky planet was found in Alpha Centauri, a three-star system just 4.3 light years from us.

Life is very unlikely on this world. Its rocky surface may be molten, since the planet orbits just 3.6 million miles (6 million kilometers) from its sun-like star. (Earth, for comparison, circles 93 million miles, or 150 million km, from the sun).

Alpha Centauri Bb, as the planet is known, was discovered through tracking gravitational wobbles around its planet star. The wobbles in this case are very subtle, making the star move back and forth at no more than 1.1 mph (1.8 kph). The research team stated it "pushed our technique to the limit," and some astronomers are skeptical that the planet even exists.

And just this month, a different research team detected five potential planets orbiting the star Tau Ceti, which lies only 11.9 light-years from Earth. One of the newly spotted candidate worlds may be capable of supporting life as we know it, scientists say.

Smallest alien worlds

Astronomers using NASA's Kepler Space Telescope discovered three tiny planets 120 light-years away from Earth. Circling the star KOI-961, the smallest of the three planets is about the size of Mars, and all are smaller than Earth. Even the star itself is tiny — just 70 percent larger than Jupiter.

"This is the most compact system of planets," said John Johnson, of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena. "It's like you have a shrink raygun and set it to seven times smaller and zapped a planetary system."

Smallest solar system

KOI-500 has five planets so crowded together that their gravity jostles each other profoundly during their orbits. Their "years" are only 1, 3, 4.6, 7.1 and 9.5 days long. Furthermore, the planets are tiny: just 1.3 to 2.6 times the size of Earth. All of this action takes place in an area 150 times smaller than Earth's orbit, astronomers said.

"At this rate, you could easily pack in 10 more planets, and they would still all fit comfortably inside the Earth's orbit," Darin Ragozzine, a planetary scientist at the University of Florida at Gainesville, said in a statement.

Most distant galaxy

Much like the 100-meter dash world record, the record for farthest known galaxy often changes. The newest potential record-holderis UDFj-39546284, which had taken shape when the universe was only 380 million years old. Its extreme age was discovered in 2012 using new observations from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope.

The galaxy is part of a group of seven that astronomers examined, forming perhaps the first reliable observations of galaxies that formed 400 million and 600 million years after the Big Bang created the universe 13.7 billion years ago. [Gallery: Spectacular Hubble Photos]

Oldest, most distant supernovas

In 2012, astronomers described what they think led to the oldest, most distant supernovas in the universe. Scientists believe some of these "super-luminous" supernovas come from massive stars — 100 to 250 times the mass of the sun — that explode and blast their matter into space.

Astronomers stated that inside these massive stars, gamma-ray light changes into electron pairs as well as antimatter positrons. The gamma rays usually stop the star from collapsing due to gravity, but the grip weakens as gamma rays convert to matter. It is at this point that the star implodes, sparking the explosion.

Most massive galaxy cluster

At 2,000 times more massive than the Milky Way, a large cluster of galaxies some 7 billion light-years away dwarfs just about any other collection of matter known. Astronomers say the cluster — properly known as  SPT-CLJ2344-4243and dubbed the Phoenix cluster — appears to contain thousands of galaxies of many different sizes.

Astronomers first spotted the Phoenix cluster in 2010, but didn't realize its extent until they did follow-up observations with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory. High-energy light pouring out of the cluster make it the most X-ray luminous one ever found, at 35 percent brighter than the last record-holder found.

Biggest map of the universe

Courtesy of a mega map, astronomers are a step closer to understanding how the universe came to be. The Sloan Digital Sky Survey III released a map that charts more than 1 million galaxies in a total volume of 70 billion cubic light-years.

The map could help astronomers better understand the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that appears to make up most of the universe, researchers said.

Deepest view of the universe

The Hubble Space Telescope is peering back further and further in time. The famous orbiting observatory captured light that emanated 13.2 billion years ago, when the universe was just 500 million years old or so.

Hubble's picture, which is called the eXtreme Deep Field, shows galaxies and starlight accumulated over 10 years in a small bit of sky; this is the best method we have to see objects so far away. The photo is a successor to Hubble's "Ultra Deep Field", which the telescope took in 2003 and 2004. [Video: Hubble's eXtreme Deep Field]

Most magnetic star

There's a star 20,000 light-years from Earth with a real magnetic personality. NGC 1624-2, which is about 35 times as massive as our sun, was spotted in the constellation Perseus. With a magnetic field 20,000 times stronger than the sun's— and 10 times more powerful than that of any known star — NGC 1624-2 drags a blanket of trapped charged particles around it.

"Magnetic fields of this strength are extremely rare; they are only known to exist in a few other stars of much lower mass," study lead author Gregg Wade, an astronomer at the Royal Military College of Canada, told SPACE.com in a September interview. "To find such a strong field is very lucky."

X-ray blast in the universe's youth

A jet of X-rays emanating from quasar GB 1428 — a galaxy that has a huge black hole in its center — was found about 12.4 billion light-years from Earth. The radiation band is estimated at about twice the diameter of the Milky Way.

With the previous record-holder at 12.2 billion light-years away, astronomers said they are getting more information on how black holes behaved in the universe's early days.

Biggest core found in a ginormous galaxy

Lurking in a galaxy about 10 times the width of the Milky Way lies a large, diverse galactic core that doesn't seem to have a black hole associated with it.

The wispy core of A2261-BCG, which is about 10,000 light-years across, puzzles astronomers because supermassive black holes are expected to be at the heart of most galaxies. Hubble Space Telescope observations suggest the core might have been constructed when two galaxies merged.

 

 

 

"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"

We KNEW it was only a matter of time. A Connecticut lawyer Irving Pinsky,  is requesting permission to sue the state over the Sandy Hook school shooting, saying his 6-year-old client was left with emotional and psychological trauma because authorities failed to make a safe setting at the school. He is seeking $100 million in damages on behalf of his client, a survivor of the shooting identified only as Jill Doe.

The girl was at the elementary school during the attack and heard everything including gunfire, screaming and conversations over the intercom, Pinsky wrote in his Thursday letter to the state claims commissioner

         “As a consequence, the ... child has sustained emotional and psychological trauma and injury, the nature and extent of which are yet to be determined,”

Next thing you know he'll be making claims like, "It's not about the money". After all the talk of healing the community and searching for answers we now have to drag everyone into the court room for this outrageous law suit.  Wasn't it William Shakespeare that wrote,

 

        "The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers"

Just saying...

Saying goodbye to an old friend

The Washington Times reported, the incandescent light-bulb ban, which goes into effect in March, is another example of excessive government oversight. The bulbs aren’t officially banned, just artificially obsolete. As part of the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007, Congress mandated that light bulbs have 25 percent greater efficiency, phased in starting in 2012 and continuing until 2014. The law also includes a slew of mandates on appliances and energy use in federal buildings.

A 310-page masterpiece of micromanagement, the law was promoted heavily by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, San Francisco Democrat, and signed by President George W. Bush. The bill was driven by a consortium of manufacturers that stand to profit from forcing people to buy more expensive bulbs and fixtures, plus the environmental lobby, which likes to pretend government regulations can lower the planet’s temperature.

Part of the resistance to the CFL bulbs, most of which are made in China, stems from the fact that they contain mercury. The Environmental Protection Agency had to create a suggested regimen to deal with the extreme hazard of broken fluorescents. The first step is to have people and pets leave the room, which then must be aired out for five to 10 minutes by opening a window or door to the outdoor environment. Next, any central-air heating or air-conditioning system must be shut down. Homeowners then must collect materials needed to clean up the broken bulb. EPA warns, “Vacuuming is not recommended unless broken glass remains after all other cleanup steps have been taken. Vacuuming could spread mercury-containing powder or mercury vapor.” There’s much more, including recycling directions. A shattered incandescent bulb, by contrast, can just be tossed in a garbage bin without triggering an environmental calamity.

So here we go say good bye to our old reliable, inexpensive, and safe incandescent light bulbs. Saying good bye to one of the few American made products we had left and once again making us dependent, to countries like China, for something as simple as a light bulb. Of course it's not like our lawmakers in Washington have any really pressing matters to attend to right?  Just remember in the future practice your  new suggested regimen to deal with the extreme hazard of broken fluorescents, boy howdy!

Life is about to change for people seeking to legally own guns

The NY Times reported In the days after the Connecticut school killings, a newspaper in nearby Westchester County, N.Y., decided to respond by publishing the names and addresses of handgun permit holders in its readership area. The newspaper, The Journal News, said that informing people about legal weapons in their neighborhoods was a public service.

Not everyone agrees.

The posting of the information online over the weekend has touched off an outcry across the country that has underscored the raw emotions surrounding the issue of guns. The interactive map put together by The Journal News, compiled from publicly available records, has already been shared tens of thousands of times on social media.

“Now everyone knows where the LEGAL GUNS are kept, a valuable piece of information for criminals,” wrote a Facebook user who gave his name as Mike Pandolfo. “Why don’t you do something helpful, like trying to find out where the ILLEGAL GUNS are kept?”

I guess personally I look at it like this, "If I were a criminal what houses would I target", I'm thinking they will be looking for house NOT on that list! I'm not sure if most criminals are that smart but I'm thinking the people that should be mad are the ones that just had posted that they are now a target.

On Jan.3rd Biden is to report to President Obama with his committees recommendations for gun control nationwide, about the same time Sen. Feinstein with be introduction new gun legislation that promises to be the most restrictive in history. I'm thinking after Barry gets sworn in for his new term that life is about to change for people seeking to legally own guns.

 

2012 Green Weenie of the Year

The winner of PowerLineblog.com’s coveted first annual Green Weenie of the Year Award goes to Prof. Richard Parncutt of the University of Graz, Austria, for his recent suggestion that climate skeptics deserve the death penalty.  Parncutt, a professor of the psychology of music (really) thinks himself a green version of John Rawls apparently, and posted his extensive case for why the death penalty for climate skeptics would be fully just on his blog back in October.  Now that the post actually got read, he’s taken it down, but not before several screens shots were made to preserve it for digital posterity. He actually thinks global warming “deniers” deserve more harsh treatment than Behring Brevik, the Norwegian mass murderer who killed 77 people in 2011 (in a country with tough gun control, incidentally)

 

The UK Register observed Tuesday July 12th, 2012:

"Americans sweltering in the recent record-breaking heatwave may not believe it - but it seems that our ancestors suffered through much hotter summers in times gone by, several of them within the last 2,000 years. A new study measuring temperatures over the past two millennia has concluded that in fact the temperatures seen in the last decade are far from being the hottest in history."

Here's a nice little graph to demonstrate what's really happened in the past 2,000 years:

 

 

This thoroughly debunks the claim that temperatures on the planet today are in any way historic or unprecedented.

The Register continued:

"In the IPCC view, the planet was cooler during Roman times and the medieval warm spell. Overall the temperature is headed up - perhaps wildly up, according to the famous/infamous "hockey stick" graph. The new study indicates that that's quite wrong, with the current warming less serious than the Romans and others since have seen - and the overall trend actually down by a noticeable 0.3°C per millennium, which the scientists believe is probably down to gradual long-term shifts in the position of the Sun and the Earth's path around it."

Just as many climate realists have been saying for years.

Bloomberg Businessweek reported, Barack Obama may consider introducing a tax on carbon emissions to help cut the U.S. budget deficit after winning a second term as president, according to HSBC Holdings Plc.

A tax starting at $20 a metric ton of carbon dioxide equivalent and rising at about 6 percent a year could raise $154 billion by 2021, Nick Robins, an analyst at the bank in London, said today in an e-mailed research note, citing Congressional Research Service estimates. “Applied to the Congressional Budget Office’s 2012 baseline, this would halve the fiscal deficit by 2022,” Robins said.

Hurricane Sandy sparked discussion on climate protection in the election after presidential candidates focused on other debates, HSBC said. A continued Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives means Obama’s scope for action will be limited, Robins said. Cap-and-trade legislation stalled in the U.S. Senate after narrowly passing the house in 2009.

North American discharges fell 1.3 percent last year amid slowing economic growth. In China, the world’s biggest emitter, greenhouse gases from fuel use rose more than 9 percent in 2011, according to BP Plc (BP/) statistics published on June 13.

The science backing the theory of man-made global warming is flawed at best and with incidents like "Climategate" where British scientist from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit had been sharing emails discussing their flawed research. This small group of scientists have for years been more influential in driving the worldwide alarm over global warming than any others, not least through the role they play at the heart of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Perhaps the most obvious, as lucidly put together by Willis Eschenbach (see McIntyre’s blog Climate Audit and Anthony Watt’s blog Watts Up With That), is the highly disturbing series of emails which show how Dr Jones and his colleagues have for years been discussing the devious tactics whereby they could avoid releasing their data to outsiders under freedom of information laws.
As we enter into the next era of the ObamaNation let's hold this administrations feet to fire on the facts before accepting any kind of national Carbon Tax or Cap and Trade program as it will have little to do with saving the planet, as it will be sold to the public, and everything to do with wealth redistribution.

So Prof. Parncutt congratulations on being named "Green Weenie of the Year" for proclaiming that REAL scientist that use actual facts, outside of politics, deserve the death penalty. Once again we learn that those that can't do teach, and those that can simply do.

The Official Petition to Deport Piers Morgan

we petition the obama administration to:

Deport British Citizen Piers Morgan for Attacking 2nd Amendment

British Citizen and CNN television host Piers Morgan is engaged in a hostile attack against the U.S. Constitution by targeting the Second Amendment. We demand that Mr. Morgan be deported immediately for his effort to undermine the Bill of Rights and for exploiting his position as a national network television host to stage attacks against the rights of American citizens.

Created: Dec 21, 2012

Issues: Civil Rights and Liberties, Immigration,Learn about Petition Thresholds

It's up to you to build support for petitions you care about and gather more signatures. A petition must get 150 signatures in order to be publicly searchable on WhiteHouse.gov.Over time, we may need to adjust the petition signature thresholds, but we'll always let you know what the thresholds are

Signatures needed by January 20, 2013 to reach goal of 25,000

0

Total signatures on this petition

79,691

- It’s one thing for an American citizen to ideologically assault and trash the Constitution, although odious such activity would be protected under the First Amendment, but Piers Morgan is a foreigner in a position of influence on prime time television. He is a foreign agent using his power to lobby for the constitutional rights of American citizens to be overturned.

 

- In response to Morgan’s claim about the First Amendment, James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal pointed to a transcript of Kleindienst v. Mandel, a 1972 U.S. Supreme Court ruling. It validated an effort by then attorney general Richard Kleindienst to refuse Marxist Belgian journalist Ernest Mandel entry into the country. The Court ruled that denying Mandel entry did not violate the First Amendment.

 

Christmas Blessings!

It is the most beautiful time of the year once again. Pray, sing and make merry, Christmas is finally here. Merry Christmas to you and your family. Have a prosperous New Year.

with Love from Nativerobin !

Twas the Night Before Liberal Christmas!

Taken  from the examiner.com

By: J.J. Jackson

Twas the night before liberal Christmas, and in the White House
President Obama was gloating about which liberties to douse;
Fifty-four trees decked with all due colors and pomp,
While Americans suffer, the Obama’s do romp;

The White House is festive, peddling sin and in vice,
Everyone’s drunk on their power, yes, even the mice.
They dance and they dine, with important people and such,
While the rest of us suffer through an economy that sucks.

The Obamaphone Lady, nestled all snug in her bed,
Dreams of more handouts that will pay for her bread,
And Hillary in her ‘kerchief, is happy you see,
She won’t have to answer question about Benghazi –

Out on my lawn, I heard such a clatter,
I sprang out of bed, to behold what’s the matter.
A gang of Obama voters where stealing my car,
Because to them I am rich, and they’re more worthy by far.

So I ran to my cabinet, and grabbed my Mossberg,
I filled it with rounds, and fired, and heard;
Complaints and screams the hoodlums did shout,
Wondering why I was racist – of that they had no doubt.

Up in Michigan, the unions are floored,
Thinking Obama’s new term meant they would get more.
But when confronted with the now enshrined right to work,
They rioted and broke things, generally acting like jerks.

“Socialism forever! Now give us our stuff!
“How dare you defy us! How dare you rebuff!”
They attacked those who opposed them, the press got it too,
How dare they document the chaotic liberal zoo!

Meanwhile Michelle is decked in the fanciest of clothes,
She walks around proud, to the sky points her nose;
Eat veggies she orders with a maniacal grin,
To not do so? It is such a sin.

Once more a slaughter in “gun free” school zone,
The lessons of liberal failure always hit home;
As parents mourn, their dead daughters and sons,
Obama screams gleefully, about taking our guns!

Secretly he’s happy, oh he most certainly is,
Don’t let him fool you, he doesn’t grieve for those kids;
They were just more worries, a drain on the State,
Sucking dry the coffers at some future date.

In January looms the so-called cliff that is fiscal,
Liberals defy reality, their protests oh so primal.
“Give us more taxes!” That is always their plan,
They want their free lunch, and down the road kick the can.

Harry and Nancy and Obama do bitch,
Holding America hostage, because they hate the “rich”.
But what can be done? They’ve shut all the doors.
Our leaders are nothing but pompous asses and whores.

Yes whores! You heard me! Was I not plain?
They’ve sold themselves for fortune, for power, and fame!
They don’t care about you! They don’t care about me!
“To Hell with you all!” That’s their slogan, you see?

Our children’s money Obama wants to spend and not save,
Worst of all? John Boehner seems willing to cave.
So the President proclaims, as he drifts off to sleep,
“Merry Liberal Christmas to all! Now Get ready to leap!”

Merry Christmas from Nativerobin!

 

The Twelve Inflated Days of Christmas

Once again, someone has calculated the cost of all the gifts mentioned in The 12 Days of Christmas:

The verses of the holiday classic “The 12 Days of Christmas” add up to 364 gifts, and if your true love bought them all, they would cost $107,300, a 6.1 percent increase compared with last year’s total. The cost of the 12 days of cumulative gifts is calculated annually by PNC Wealth Management, part of the PNC Financial Services Group, to come up with an amusing and easily understandable explanation of how the country’s economy is faring.

 

This year, the prices of the six geese, seven swans and other fowl rose because the country’s drought drove up the price of bird feed. The five golden rings named in the song’s verses also cost significantly more than a year ago. Higher demand for gold stems from an improving economy, said James P. Dunigan, PNC Wealth Management’s managing executive of investments, who oversees compilation of the index.

 

The six-figure outlay to accumulate all the gifts is unlikely to faze those with deep pockets, but there is still room for a holiday bargain with the milking maids, ladies dancing and leaping lords as well as with the calling birds, turtle doves and partridge. The eight maids, who are considered unskilled labor, cost $58, still a deal because the minimum wage remained at $7.25 an hour.

 

Musicians like the 11 pipers and the 12 drummers were a bit more expensive, at $2,562 and $2,775. Each group received a 5.5 percent raise over last year, based on information from music groups and unions. The nine ladies dancing received no raise, remaining at $6,294.

 

Pushing up the final bill, however, were the geese, which soared by 29.6 percent, to $210 each, up from $162, as corn and other bird feed costs jumped. The seven trumpeter swans could be found for $7,000, up 11.1 percent.

 

Also up 11.8 percent was the cost of a pear tree, which rose $20, to $189.99, an increase that Mr. Dunigan said reflected a better housing market. In the song, the pear tree is a perch for the partridge, but in contemporary life, it is a tree often used in residential landscaping.

 

The gold rings this year rose by 16.3 percent, to $750 from $645 last year. The three French hens totaled $165, an increase of 10 percent from last year’s $150. The partridge is the cheapest item, at $15, and the swans, at $1,000 each, are the most expensive.

 

With the cash outlay of six digits to properly celebrate the twelve days of Christmas I think I'll just rely on the love of family and friends for my Christmas cheer and pass on the twelve inflated days of Christmas.

Please Congress just one more thing...FARM BILL NOW!

Forget the fiscal cliff and the automatic budget cuts. Come Jan. 1, there is a threat that milk prices could rise to $6 to $8 a gallon if Congress does not pass a new farm bill that amends farm policy dating back to the Truman presidency. Because of the apparent lack of any cooperation between either house of congress on ANY issue we are in danger of going into 2013 without an updated farm bill. Without an updated farm bill the government has to follow a 1949 farm law that would force Washington to buy milk at wildly inflated prices, creating higher prices in the dairy case. Milk now costs an average of $3.65 a gallon

Because of adjustments for inflation, and other data, the government will be forced to buy milk at about twice its current market price to help stabilize the milk market. If 1949 rules go into effect, the government would be required to buy dairy products at around $40 per hundredweight, or about roughly twice the current market price, to drive up the price of milk to cover dairy producers’ cost. Of course this will drive the price up for all products that use milk, like cheese and butter, and force some producers to buy milk overseas. Consumer can also expect the cost of their milk in the stores to raise dramatically from the lost in available milk supply.

Vincent Smith, a professor of agriculture at Montana State University in Bozeman. “This is a totally antiquated law that has nothing to do with farming conditions today,” Professor Smith said. “It was put as a poison pill to get Congress to pass a farm bill by scaring lawmakers with the prospect of higher support prices for milk and other agriculture products. Letting it go into effect for even a few months would be particularly disastrous for consumers and food processors. “

So with everything else going on in the world we may soon be asking ourselves why we can't afford milk, cheese, butter, yogurt, ice cream, and multiple other food items that require milk as an ingredient. So please Congress just one more thing...FARM BILL NOW!  

Chick-fill-a vs Dick's Sporting Goods

Chick-Fill-A caught national attention earlier this year for its CEO coming out against gay marriage. Even though its multiple restaurants throughout America had strict policies against discrimination and a great track record for enforcing that policy. News outlets and protest against the chain where wide spread, and even a few misguided politicians joined in on the witch hunt.

Fast forward to recent events and the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary. Once again news outlets and protest are raging against 2nd amendment rights to own guns and throughout out the nation misguided anger was directed toward the shooters gun and not so much at the shooter, once again misguided politicians are joining in on the hate fest.  In response to this event the sporting goods chain ,Dick's sporting goods, is discontinuing the sale of several semi-automatic guns and all guns in the town near Sandy  Hook.

Granted BOTH of these businesses have every right to express their opinions and do business as they see fit. The Difference is Chick-fill-A did not let its personal beliefs stand in the way doing business and giving its customers what they want. Dick's whoever has let this stand between them and the very type of customers it depended on in the first place. It isn't a stretch to believe that the very folks buying guns from them are supporters of 2nd amendment gun rights.

Dick's certainly has a right to do business as they please, we as consumers have every right to do business with who we choose as well. As we spend our Christmas and holiday money this season nothing speaks louder than your checkbook and letting Dick's know that joining the ranks of those that would limit our legal right to bear arms just might have a cost.

We're number ? !

Via InstaPundit, we learn that for the first time, the United States does not rank as one of the world’s ten most prosperous nations, as rated by London’s Legatum Institute. The authors of the report found that the U.S.’s slippage is being driven by “a decline in the number of US citizens who believe that hard work will get them ahead.”

During the past presidential election  Obama could not give money away fast enough to his various special interest groups classic example is the "Obama Phones".  The majority of his polices rewards those that take from society and punishes those that create jobs and grow the economy.  The Urban Institute-Brookings Tax Policy Center estimates that 46 percent of households will owe no federal income tax for 2011 and the 10% of households with the highest incomes pay more than half of all federal taxes. They pay more than 70% of federal income taxes, according to the Congressional Budget Office.

As the percentage of people continues to rise that receive government handouts the percentage of those willing to vote against any candidate willing to slow them down will drop. This is exactly what has happened to many socialist countries in Europe, they have borrowed so much to keep the hand outs going that they have finally ran out of credit to borrow any more. As the authors of the London report noted  , "a decline in the number of US citizens who beleive that hard work will get them ahead" unless policies change we too will run out of credit and then I wonder where we'll be on the list of "Most Prosperous Nations"?