I woke up to the news McCain won the Florida primary. He is the only "conservative" I know that would actually make me seriously consider voting for a liberal candidate. It's not that I think that Romney and Huckabee are good, or even satisfactory, it's just that they are much better than John "Amnesty for all" McCain.

After every election I get a new sense of loss and a growing sinking feeling that I'm witnessing my country die a slow painful death. GAH! I'm pretty much convinced that the U.S. is standing on the crumbling edge of the pit of ruin. It's only a matter of time before our weakened, pathetic, useless, incompetent government takes away more of our rights, takes away more of our money, or allows us to be attacked.

Actually I'm going to go out on a limb and say that if things keep going the way they are you will see another attack on American soil by either a foreign enemy or a revolt of its own citizens.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:21 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Illinois moved up its spring election to next Tuesday so that we can be more important in the primaries. Actually all it does is move is to “Super Tuesday” with a ton of other states. Besides being the primary, we have other elections going on at the same time. Of course those are all local ones. I’ve seen posters, signs, fliers and hand bills regarding the candidates and I’ve come to a conclusion.

They are trying to win on name recognition only.

There is nothing on any of their signs or handouts that tell you a damn thing about them or their position on anything. You really need to go out and do some searching on these individuals. Then to top it off, if you find their websites, some of them still donÂ’t state a whole lot of anything. Yes, there are a ton of endorsements from other people in the community for them, but nothing that really tells you what these individualsÂ’ stances are on the different platforms or issues that involve the local community.

In one election I didnÂ’t like any of the officials that IÂ’ve heard of due to past experience and tried to find if anyone else is running. I couldnÂ’t find anything. I checked the website for the county clerkÂ’s board of elections and they had nothing. IÂ’m still waiting on a phone call back from them. The only thing we have is the overly biased local media. Which is pushing one candidate over another. ItÂ’s a good thing I donÂ’t trust them either.

What really irks me is that I just now really noticed this, and it’s not just true on the local level. If I look at the presidential candidates unless you are looking at the “big two parties” you have a hard time finding anything out for third party or independent candidates wanting to run right now.

And people wonder why IÂ’m so damn surly when it comes to politics.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:42 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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By now everyone has heard of the rebate that the government is going to be giving all of us. Does this move strike anyone else besides me as not just a bad idea, but also as kind of fishy? ItÂ’s almost like the government is trying to buy happiness from the public by throwing money at the huddled masses. Actually itÂ’s more like they are trying to distract us like a laser pointer does a cat. I just canÂ’t help to thing they are trying to soften us up for something horrible coming down the road, besides the election, or if they are trying to draw our attention away from something they donÂ’t want us scrutinizing too muchÂ… like the upcoming election.

With that being said, really do any of you think this is a good idea? Do you really think this is going to solve our economic problems? Does throwing money at a faltering economy with rising inflation really solve the problem? Now of course I like the idea of getting some of my hard earned money back from an overspending government. IÂ’m not going to lie and say IÂ’m going to turn it down. I just donÂ’t think this is going to have the effects they want.

Sure at first it will. People will use that money by impulse spending it away, kind of like our government. Then they will be back in the same boat. The ones that could use it to help get out of debt, probably wonÂ’t. Want to bet youÂ’ll see a large jump in the HDTVs sales to the lower class by June? Especially since in 2008 High Definition is going to be the government mandated standard. (IÂ’d go off on this, but it deserves a post of itÂ’s own.) Either that or they will use the money to buy a Wii, Xbox or Playstation 3. To be honest I donÂ’t know how they will use the money. I do know from first hand experience that most individuals in the lower cast tend to view this money as a windfall that they can blow instead of using to better their situation.

If they really wanted to help our economy they would bring it back to an industrial base instead of a service base. When our economy was the strongest we had a strong manufacturing backbone to our society. Most of the jobs worked in a field that the parent company actually made something. Today we are in a service base economy. Most of the jobs in the U.S. are now with companies that donÂ’t make anything, but provide a service to get the items you want or services you need. The company I work for is a fortune 500 company and there is not one factory anywhere that we own. We sell a complete service for billions of dollars a year. ThatÂ’s all we do. I can actually count on my fingers the number of friends I have that do work for a manufacturing base company. Two of them actually work for a company that all the manufacturing is done in other countries. Another two work for a company that has some manufacturing here in the States, but are owned overseas.

Because of this we are exporting our wealth to other countries. We are dependant on other countries making the items we need and want. If we can transfer it so that we are making more of our own products and not as dependant on foreign countries to do it, I think you would see a turn around in the economy.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:57 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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ItÂ’s been two days since Thompson has pulled out of the presidential race and since then IÂ’ve done a lot of thinking. ItÂ’s not that I thought Thompson was perfect or that I agreed with him on everything, quite to the contrary. I only agreed with him on about 65-70% of the things. I know IÂ’ll never find a politician that I agree with 100%, but the major issues are ones that I did agree with him on. ItÂ’s just that he has been the first candidate in a long time that I actually felt that I was voting for, not against another.

Now IÂ’ve been sitting here in a funk. IÂ’m scared, IÂ’m scared for my country, IÂ’m scared for my job and IÂ’m scared for my family. I look at the list of candidates and the current front-runners and I shudder. Romney, Huckabee and McCain for the Republicans and Clinton, Obama and Edwards for the Democrats, just thinking of any of those names with the term President in front if it almost makes me cry in frustration and anger. To think that out of the 300 million Americans, these were the best we could come up with is just down right frightening.

And the American sheeple is going to vote one of these mentally myopic individuals into the top office of the land. Well the 65% of the public that votes during an election year will at least. The other 35% will just complain about who is in office. Why are we going to elect these pieces of living bio-waste? Because of that 65% that actually vote, most of them are too narrow minded to think about voting outside of the way the government wants them to. Meaning they will only vote Democrat or Republican. They wonÂ’t even look at a third party candidate. The government (I.e. Republicans and Democrats) wants it that way. Face it folks, the two parties are in bed with each other. As long as they stick together, they wonÂ’t lose power. And thatÂ’s what itÂ’s really all about. They want power.

Me, I donÂ’t know. IÂ’m going to look at third party and independent candidates to see if there is anyone there that might be better then the laughable six. If enough Americans do the same thing, maybe just maybe we can send a message to the parties that we want, nay we demand better candidates then what they throw at us.

But folks mark my words, if things keep going down the grim path we are headed; there is trouble for America. Be it another attack on our soil, another civil war or even a long overdue revolution. Maybe not in the next four years, but it is coming. It is coming.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:57 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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First my Packers lose in the NFC Championship game and then today I see that Fred Thompson has withdrawn from the Presidential Race. Which leaves me in a quandry. There is no one else running under either ticket that I like or am willing to give my vote to.

Bah! I hate politicians. Not a one of them is worth a damn thing and the last three presidents we've had should have been left in the baby diapers their respective parties found them in. Looking at the primaries, I'm pretty much sure that the next President will come out of the same cloth.

At this point I'm almost wondering if I should start a write-in campaign for the Presidency. Contagion for President! I want less government, less spending and more individual rights.

If there is anyone out there that thinks they can sell me on a candidate that is currently running, go for it. But I want arguements for voting for your candidate, not voting against another.

Posted by: Contagion at 03:39 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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1 Hello Fred Thompson Supporters, I am a Ron Paul supporter, formally a Fred Thompson supporter. I wanted to invite everyone hear to check out Ron Paul. You may not agree with him on all the issues, I don't. But, he is very similar to Thompson in many ways. Both are very honest and say what they mean. Now that Thompson has stepped out and Duncan Hunter stepped out on Saturday, Paul is the only fiscal and moral conservative left. McCain, Huck, and Romney are spenders and Rudy is all over the map morally. Please check out Ron Paul's site. He isn't Fred Thompson, but he is a real conservative. The only one left in this race.

Posted by: bucko158 at January 22, 2008 02:44 PM (NgoRz)

2 Contagion for President? I thought that would be Contagion for World Dominator!

Posted by: Bou at January 22, 2008 09:16 PM (mPTKU)

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You may all remember that last year I participated in the Illinois Gun Owner's Lobby Day (IGOLD) last year. I just received an e-mail that this years scheduled IGOLD is on March 11th. The website for IGOLD hasn't been updated yet, but I assure you the e-mail is legit.

IGOLD 2008 is officially set for Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Mark that day on your calendar, schedule a vacation day, personal day, whatever you have to do to be in Springfield on that day!!

With the Illinois General Assembly back in session all the anti-gun owner bills of 2007 are back in play. The Illinois State Police are setting their own rules on FOID card requirements bringing a whole new meaning to the words "subject to police power" in the Illinois State Constitution. Cook County is trying to expand Chicago's firearm registration style gun control to the whole county plus trying to shut down all firearm retailers and gun shows in Cook County.

Now is not the time to sit idly by and wring our hands. NOW is the time to show up at the Illinois State Capitol and let our voices be heard - the voices of Illinois Gun owners - loud clear voices that we have had enough infringements on our rights - we'll budge no further. In fact, not only do we stand our ground, we want ground back that's been lost.

48 STATES ARE NOT WRONG!!
WE WANT OUR RIGHT TO CARRY FOR DEFENSE OF SELF AND FAMILY RECOGNIZED IN THIS STATE WITH A RIGHT-TO-CARRY LAW!!

Last year more than 1,500 Illinois gun owners swarmed the Capitol complex lobbying state legislators for firearm owners rights and the need for a Right to Carry law in Illinois.

Like I need to state this, but hell yea I'm going. If any of you from Northern Illinois would like to join me, just let me know and we'll work out details.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:22 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Illinois Senators Dave Syverson and Brad Burzynski held Breakfast with the Senator this morning. They had done this every couple of weeks last spring and I attended every one of them. I found each one to be informative and exposing of the problems of Illinois Government. They havenÂ’t had one since last May, which I sorely missed. Shadoglare joined me for this one.

The point of the breakfast was to discuss multiple topics including the status of the Capital Plan, Status of the RTA-CTA (Regional Transportation Authority –Chicago Transportation Authority), Blagojevich’s Health Plan, and budget updates. There was also an open question time. While everyone was eating they showed the below clip from the CBS affiliate in Chicago, CBS2, report, “Exposing Blagojevich: Governor’s Style and Obstacle” It’s about 8 minutes long, but it is worth the watch.

The worst part of this clip is the interviews and quotes from not only political players in his own party, but also his own staff! IÂ’ve said for years this man is trying to destroy Illinois, but I never imagined it was this bad. He continually tries to overspend our income. Illinois is already in fiscal trouble due to over spending, bad budgeting and poor money management by our government. If he canÂ’t get the funding through taxes, heÂ’ll sell 25-year bonds, take the money from pension funds or take monies from taxes earmarked to be spent elsewhere. He is trying to push a Health Care plan that covers everyone in Illinois with a household income under $85,000.00, including illegal aliens.

If he gets voted in for a third term, so help me I think that will be the nail in the coffin of any hope I have that this Nanny State will get any better.

Posted by: Contagion at 01:56 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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1 Why are the reporter and news people surprised by this? For that matter, why have they waited until AFTER the election to do this report... it's certain that all of this was going on before the election! Of course, the problem is - the next election is FAR away. So that means they want to be sure that all these things are old news by that time. ARG!!! Bobby-boy will run the state into the ground.

Posted by: Teresa at November 30, 2007 05:39 PM (rVIv9)

2 What's really disheartening is the poll at cbs2chicago.com shows 54% think he's doing a good or excellent job. Everyone I know thinks he stinks, even the democrats. But then, I'm not in Chicago.

Posted by: don at December 01, 2007 01:06 PM (c6Bhn)

3 And you think California's jacked up...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at December 02, 2007 10:27 AM (NJMQg)

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The other day on the radio they were having a political discussions and one of the guests made the statement that he felt that everyone in America should have to do a mandatory 4 years military service before the age of 40. It doesn't necessarily have to be in a combat role, but they have to serve in some capacity. (Clerks, supply, etc)

This topic was debated by the hosts, other guests and callers and made me wonder. I think military service is a good thing. Yet I don't know if I like the idea of mandatory military service as you may get undesirable candidates in the military. It's no secret that I never served. Not that I didn't try, but I was rejected from all branches of the military due to a medical problem... mainly that I had four metal pins in my left leg holding it together. After college I just wanted to get my career started. By this guests plan I would have served, probably as a clerk, but I still would have served.

But would I have gotten the same experience if I had? Part of the reason I was rejected is because they didn't think I would make it through boot with out damaging my leg even worse. So if I don't go through boot, am I not missing out on the opportunities and experience he wants me to have? You know, the discipline, camaraderie and spirit of our fighting men and women.

So what do you think, is mandatory military service a good thing?

Posted by: Contagion at 06:36 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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1 Serving your country in some form or fashion, yes. Mandatory MILITARY service? No. Part of what makes our military great is that those who go in pretty much really want to be there. Having been in the military I remember those who were there who realized they had made the wrong choice, and did nothing but bitch and moan, bringing down the morale of everyone. Having it full of a bunch of whiners like that won't serve anyone's purpose.

Posted by: Mrs. Who at November 20, 2007 09:12 PM (6zbwL)

2 Mrs. Who has a point. Also, I think that those who are wealthy and connected will still get out of it.

Posted by: Bou at November 20, 2007 09:41 PM (DWOkQ)

3 Yeah, that has always been the #1 argument against mandatory service, and I agree with it. If you have soldiers that don't give a shit, they're gonna fight like they don't give a shit.

Posted by: Shadoglare at November 20, 2007 10:19 PM (dei2m)

4 Mandatory military service is a polite and politically correct word for draft. I wouldn't want the juvinile deliquents in my hood being forced into the miliary to "protect" me, it would scare the living hell out of me. And arn't the dictator countries the only other countries that demand a stint in the military?

Posted by: Quality Weenie at November 21, 2007 08:04 AM (ZM3Qb)

5 Free citizenship to anyone willing to serve 4 years in the service.

Posted by: BloodSpite at November 21, 2007 09:48 AM (xUF9P)

6 No mandatory service - that's called a DRAFT. Voluntary Service only. I *would* support mandatory work in a service industry - waiting tables, tending bar, slinging cocktails or doing dishes. Everyone should experience dealing with Joe Public in a service capacity.

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:16 PM (6QRLC)

7 QW- I believe that Taiwan and Israel still require it of their youth.

Posted by: Bou at November 21, 2007 04:25 PM (DWOkQ)

8 QW, there are alot of countries that have mandatory military service... only few of them might be considered dictatorships: Albania, Austria, Belarus, Bermuda, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China (PRC), Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Finland, Germany, Greece, Iran, Israel, Korea, South, Malaysia, Mexico, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Singapore, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (ROC), Turkey, and Ukraine. While I don't entirely agree with mandatory service, I also don't think it would hurt too much. Most countries that implement it ask for about one to three years... some even less. And not all of them ask for immediate service, they just say that between the ages of "" and "" so much time must be served. It would do some folks good. And it may help to keep dumbasses from running their sucks about shit of which they know nothing, if they had firsthand experience. Some of these countries' peeps are actually proud to do their service. Imagine that... 'Course, as Bou stated, those with money and connections would slide out of it. And there is the point that Shadoglare made. And thanks to our new user friendly military, those idiots cannot be properly dealt with...

Posted by: That 1 Guy at November 21, 2007 06:33 PM (NJMQg)

9 I'm not in favor of peacetime conscription (i.e., mandatory military service). But I would support mandatory military training.

Posted by: Consul-At-Arms at November 22, 2007 01:51 AM (FwGck)

10 So, who pays for this little plan? If you bring in all these people to serve, they you must have facilities for them... It "sounds" like a good idea until you start thinking of the logistics. Everytime I hear one of these plans I give it the Who, What, When, Where, and Why test. Who are you going to pull in, what are you going to do with them, where are you going to put them, and why is this a good idea? Bill and Hill closed many bases - which have now been converted to civilian use - where are you going to put the extra people? Where will they be trained, housed, fed? What military hospital facilities will take care of them when they get sick? Who is going to coordinate this plan? And with our military budget already a source of derision... where is the money going to come from? This is a "millions of extra people" plan - not just a few thousand. Who is going to train them? You'll have to pull in more active duty people into training - which takes them away from the vital jobs they are doing now. Who takes over for those pulled out to train the green recruits that will only stay a short time in the military... about long enough for the training and then they leave. Yet another feel good plan with no thought behind it except that "it would be a good thing". I don't see it. If we had a framework in place to deal with this, I could see it - but this is a MUCH larger country than any of the others that have mandatory service - which makes it far more difficult to implement than any other country. And we have always been a country that considers it essential to give people the option of doing or not doing. We have the worst problems when we have a conscripted Army. This is a short version of all the bad things about the plan. The only good thing... you make people serve for a period of time and maybe they get something out of it. Is this a fair trade off for all the rest?

Posted by: Teresa at November 22, 2007 11:26 AM (rVIv9)

11 how about some form of "service" period - as a teacher, police officer, fire fighter or the guy who picks up trash on the highway. Some kind of volunteerism that connects them to the country and serves the nation. I firmly believe that not everyone should be a soldier/sailor/marine/airman, but I do think that service to the country makes for better citizenry because they earned it.

Posted by: katana at November 23, 2007 12:07 AM (1ZskG)

12 I've linked back to you here: http://consul-at-arms.blogspot.com/2007/11/re-mandatory-service.html

Posted by: Consul-At-Arms at November 23, 2007 12:25 AM (FwGck)

13 The thing about mandatory service schemes for civilian fields is that what you end up with is underpaid involuntary servitude that the rest of the public gets quickly accustomed to. So salaries in all those fields where there is suddenly lots of "free" labor are artificially depressed. How this is supposed to make young people more prone to volunteerism and civic-mindedness continues to escape me.

Posted by: Consul-At-Arms at November 23, 2007 12:30 AM (FwGck)

14 I don't know forcing someone to be a teacher or doing public service is a good idea. The point the guest was trying to make regarding Mandatory Military service was that it was supposed to help support the military, give the citizenry more appreciation of the military and to make people more accountable for what is happening in our country. As ex-law enforcement I can see where you are coming from, but I don't know if we'd want someone to be a teacher that really isn't qualified. As for picking up trash on the side of the highways, I think we have prisons full of that kind of free labor.

Posted by: Contagion at November 23, 2007 08:40 AM (QQZMi)

15 I don't think it's going to make people appreciate the military just because they were forced to be in it. If you don't appreciate something, being forced to do it is going to make you hate it that much more. Take those hippies from the Vietnam error, when forced to be in the miliary (draft) they all tried their dammest to find a way out of going.

Posted by: Quality Weenie at November 23, 2007 06:16 PM (BksWB)

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Friend and long time reader Petey sent me this video clip for his candidate of choice, Mike Huckabee.

I'm in the Fred Thompson boat, but damn that was just too funny.

Posted by: Contagion at 04:57 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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1 I didn't say Huckabee was my candidate. I am still undecided on which candidate I am throwing my support behind. I like Thompson, but would not be surprised if the republican nominee is Rudy. The video was just way to funny. When Chuck Norris jumps in a lake, Chuck Norris doesn't get wet, the lake gets Chuck Norris.

Posted by: Petey at November 20, 2007 10:59 PM (JhiOW)

2 Huckabee? HUCKABEE?? O. M. G. Don't get me started He's one of the reasons I left Arkansas for Missouri Example of Brilliant Huckabee plan: "We're gonna close all the schools with less than 1,000 kids and bus them to where ever they need to go to school so we don't have to pay for them anymore." Result? 87% of Arkansas schools are now over crowded and oh yea, theres less than 4 counties who were given the monetary funds to build new ones. Then he took the savings and created some anti-obesity program for schools nationwide. Jimmy can't read, but by gawd he can Jog! So much for storing highschool fat to feed ourselves through middle age.

Posted by: BloodSpite at November 20, 2007 11:13 PM (tfPjU)

3 Hahahahahaha!!! That is TOO DAMN FUNNY!!

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:18 PM (6QRLC)

4 Hahahahahahaha!!! Now THAT'S FUNNY! I love it!

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:19 PM (6QRLC)

5 Fluffy is messing with me... Gah...

Posted by: Richmond at November 21, 2007 03:20 PM (6QRLC)

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I know I'm a little late in getting this out, but today, November 19th, is National Ammo day. What is National Ammo Day? Well in their own words:

It is a nationwide BUYcott of ammunition. You buy ammunition. 100 Rounds a person.

The goals of Ammo Day:

The goal of National Ammo Day is to empty the ammunition from the shelves of your local gun store, sporting goods, or hardware store and put that ammunition in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Make your support of the Second Amendment known--by voting with your dollars!

There are an estimated 75 MILLION gun owners in the United States of America. If each gun owner or Second Amendment supporter buys 100 rounds of ammunition, thatÂ’s 7.5 BILLION rounds in the hands of law-abiding citizens!

The gun/ammunition manufacturers have been taking the brunt of all the frivolous lawsuits, trying to put these folks out of business. Well, not if we can help it! And we CAN help it by buying ammunition on November 19!

I actually bought 120 rounds. 100 .45 ACP and 20 7.62X39mm. It's not like its not going to be used, and if it helps send a pro-firearm message, even the better. So if you haven't done it yet, go ahead and do so, even if it is a day late.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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For those of you that havenÂ’t heard, Fred Thompson declared he is running for the U.S. top job, President of the United States. Since he is the first candidate in years that not only I like, but I also agree with on a majority of the topics, IÂ’m going to help with some local campaigning.

One of the things IÂ’ve done was put up a donation button for his campaign. Not that I think IÂ’m going to drive a lot of donations his way, but I figure it couldnÂ’t hurt.

Right now IÂ’m just excited by the fact that I actually have a candidate that I like and will support. In years past I ended up debating on which candidate was the greater evil and actually ended up not voting for one person, but against the other.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:32 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Want to get more people interested in politics. How about hiring a bunch of girls to sing for your debate. Such as this clip of an Obama Vs Giuliani DebateÂ… with dancers!

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I am a wee bit perturbed today. The City of RockfordÂ’s one percent higher sales tax started yesterday. That means my boycott of the City of RockfordÂ’s businesses started. But to add insult to injury, so did the State of Illinois increase in minimum wage from $6.50 and hour to $7.50 an hour. Of course all of those that were making minimum wage are rejoicing. Those that advocated the increase state there is going to be little to no impact on the cost of living in the state.

Yea, I’m sure they are right. I’m sure all those employers are going to give up that extra money out of their profits. Why wouldn’t they carry the burden of the loss instead of passing it on to the consumer? I mean the price on everything in this area is shooting up. Hell, it’s getting to the point that it’s cheaper for me to buy gas then milk! So I’m sure these companies and business owners are just going to pony up and say, “You know what, we are making too much profit as it is. Let’s not change anything.” Then again, maybe they won’t.

Maybe theyÂ’ll realize that now that the minimum wage has been increased, they are going to have to make up for that difference. Maybe theyÂ’ll cut back on hours, maybe theyÂ’ll cut back on benefits (like healthcare), or maybe they will turn that increased cost around to the consumer by adding to the price of their products and services? And hell, why not? If they just increased the cost of their products by 15% it wonÂ’t have that big of an effect? I mean think about it. All of these people are running around with more money in their pockets. They can afford and extra 15%, right? I mean if the employers can afford to give up an extra 15%, why canÂ’t the consumer?

But what about those that make more then minimum wage? Does anyone think the employers are going to give everyone an extra $1.00 an hour to their wages? There may be some, but if they do IÂ’d be more surprised than expecting it. I know my employer isnÂ’t going to increase my wages any. So I guess that puts me just a little bit closer to the poverty level. Essentially the government just took a dollar an hour away from me. Well, okay maybe notÂ… but thatÂ’s how it feels.

The kicker to this whole thing is that part of the law that increased our minimum wage, will also increase the minimum wage every year on July 1 by 25 cents through 2010. Increased taxes, increased gas prices, increased corn prices, increased cost of living and increased government control.

I really wish these fiscally irresponsible types would stop asking me to pay for their incompetence.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:35 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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I heard an interesting argument on the radio the other day and I had been mulling it over ever since. They were discussing which presidency was better Clinton or Bush. Of course this turned into a very heated debate. Since this was on talk radio, in general both sides argued their points honorably and fairly. Yes, there were some that did some name calling and made absurd statements. Ie “God will strike Clinton down” or “Bush is a racist”. I almost called in after one caller made some comments that were utterly stupid.

Since then, IÂ’ve been thinking long and hard about the last 15 years. Which was the better president? After much contemplation IÂ’ve decided that they both pretty much are incompetent, self-absurd, egotistical politicians. ThatÂ’s right; IÂ’m just going to admit that I donÂ’t like either one. Bush was the lesser of two evils in the last presidential campaign, and even the third party candidates didnÂ’t look good. Clinton as far as IÂ’m concerned did nothing to help strengthen America, only helped to weaken it. BushÂ’s big folly is the War in Iraq. The whole thing was mismanaged and run as a media campaign. You canÂ’t win a war with a muzzled military, and that is what we have.

America is on the brink of disaster, and we are to blame. Be it The House, The Senate or The Presidency, Politicians are slowly dragging us down. Both Republican and Democrat are eroding away at America. It is a time of mediocre politicians, and an American publicÂ’s apathy to accept them. Instead of demanding or putting up stronger candidates, we as the public keep choosing to accept which Politically Correct party line puppets that are put in front of us. Everyone is brainwashed into thinking Democrat and Republican are the only way to vote. But that is an issue for another time.

Posted by: Contagion at 03:30 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I received a call from my friend Matt tonight that Senate Bill 1007 (SB1007) passed the Illinois Senate today. Unfortunately I can not find anything online the corroborates this, but if it just happened today, tomorrow may be the earliest the various websites are updated. For those of you that donÂ’t know what SB1007 is, basically bans all magazines holding more than ten rounds.

Provides that beginning 90 days after the effective date of this amendatory Act, it is unlawful for any person within this State to knowingly manufacture, deliver, sell, purchase, or possess or cause to be manufactured, delivered sold, purchased, or possessed a large capacity ammunition feeding device. Provides that these provisions do not apply to a person who possessed a prohibited weapon, device, or attachment before the effective date of this amendatory Act. Provides that on or after the effective date of this amendatory Act, such person may transfer such device only to an heir, an individual residing in another state maintaining that device in another state, or a dealer licensed as a federal firearms dealer. Specifies penalties for violations. Provides exemptions. Provides that the provisions of the Act are severable. Effective immediately.

Emphasis Mine

Folks that little highlighted phrase pretty much sums up the bill. However, notice they have the word deliver in there. That means that if a visitor from out of state comes to Illinois with a large capacity magazine, say as the standard magazine for some Ruger 9MM handguns they own. They are at a range with some friends and loan them some mags to be used in their own Ruger 9mm. They technically are in violation of the law. Yes, I know itÂ’s a stretch, but that is how itÂ’s worded.

Right now if you live in Illinois our only hope is that the house votes this bill down. I urge, no let me take that back, I beg you to contact your State Representative, which can be found here if you don't know who it is, and tell them to oppose the passing of this bill. If you think it wonÂ’t pass, remember itÂ’s already two thirds of the way there. We all know the Governor will sign this law. Lets stop it in its tracks now.

My major problem with this is that it’s a gateway bill. A gateway to the more oppressive Senate Bill 16 (SB0016) that pretty much bans all “assault weapons” and their definition of assault weapon is pretty loose, including most semi-automatic weapons. That’s just opening the way to banning all firearms.

Since we are on the subject of Assault Weapons, I found this very informative video clip that truly explains the difference between an assault weapon and a semi-auto and how they are easily confused together.

Posted by: Contagion at 05:41 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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It is at the point that IÂ’m wondering when IÂ’m going to snap. Let me just say that when I first heard about this immigration proposal I was driving home from work. It angered me so much that I almost ran over a small car with a Viva Mexico and Estados Unidos De America Mexico sticker on it. Some deity has a sick joke with that timing; either that or the fates are testing my anger management.

When I got home I wanted to run right in here and write a twenty-page rant on the entire situation. The only problem is that every other word would have been an expletive and probably incoherent due to anger babble. So I went out back took a hatchet to a pole IÂ’m working for my new tent, smoked some chicken, and put 5,000 rounds through BoopieÂ’s Air Soft M-16 into a target box. Well, whatÂ’s left of the target box. After that and eating dinner IÂ’ve calmed down enough to sum up my frustration into this:

These are our political leaders. These are the people we put into office. These are the ones that feel that the best way to deal with the problem is basically to throw out our laws and tell those that broke them that, “It’s okay, we love you” er I guess that should be, “Está bien, nosotros amor usted.” These people honestly do NOT care about America, it’s security or it’s citizens. They just want to create a new base of voters to help keep them in office. To give them even more power. They view us as their vassals, their serfs, their subjects to serve and provide for them. This little agreement has made them happy as a sailor at a hooker convention. It gives them what they want. Something for both sides to help keep them in their positions.

I am not anti-immigration. Actually IÂ’m pro-immigration. Pro LEGAL immigration that is. Yes, the laws that one must jump through to be a legal citizen needs to be revisited because they are almost unrealistically difficult. However, that does not mean someone can just choose to ignore that law to get what they want. Think about it, I want to have concealed carry in Illinois. That does not mean since the laws donÂ’t give me that ability, and getting them changed is a long tedious process I should just start packing my .45. Because if I did, and I got caught IÂ’d have to pay the penalty, fines and jail time. Now with this proposal those in this country will get off with a $5,000.00 fine. BAH! Yes, that is going to be a chunk of money, but after that they are citizens. Does anyone else look at this as kind of a bribe? I mean think about it. If they come forward and pay $5,000.00 to the government you get to be a citizen.

Then again, will this make any difference? It is not like the illegals care about or respect our laws now. What makes them think they will in the future? I highly doubt this will do anything except motivate them to go back to what ever country they came from to get more of their friends and family.

I just wonder how much longer the American citizenship is going to put up with this before they start voting these clowns out of office.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:17 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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Folks, IÂ’m tellinÂ’ ya gun laws just donÂ’t work. Lets look at Illinois if you will. We have this fancy registration system. You have to have a license to own a gun; itÂ’s called a Firearm Owners Identification card (FOID). But what good is it, if they state doesnÂ’t monitor it or issues them to anyone that applies and pays their fee. Like say a 10-month-old child? ThatÂ’s right, the state of Illinois issued a FOID card to a ten-month-old child.

"Anyone who wants to own a firearm or purchase a firearm needs a FOID card," Ludwig told FOX News. "I applied for one of these for my son. Now ironically he canÂ’t buy a gun until heÂ’s 18 years old, but if he wants to own one -- which he does thanks to Grandpa -- he needs one of these cards anyhow."

How stupid is that? Lets face it, the state just wants to make money by having us pay ever 5 years to own a firearm. They don't really care who gets the card.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:41 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Holy crap, there may still be hope for Illinois! It seems that Pike County in Illinois adopted a resolution last month to oppose ANY legislation that infringes on the right to keep and bear arms. It seems that the citizens of the county were afraid that all of the anti-gun legislation that is being pushed through Springfield is going to not only jeopardize their Constitutional rights, but also hurt their tourism industry. Pike county is famous for itÂ’s hunting. I know a lot of people that have traveled there to go Deer Hunting. The citizens and county board feel that the StateÂ’s attempt to ban firearms would end that hunting tradition.

On April 24, 2007 in a 7-2 vote they adopted a resolution that read:

” Now, Therefore, It Be And Is Hereby Resolved, that the people of Pike County, Illinois, do oppose the enactment of any legislation that would infringe upon the Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms, and deem such laws to be Unconstitutional and beyond lawful Legislative Authority.”

IE if the State does pass such laws, they arenÂ’t going to enforce them. IÂ’m sure they will run into problems with the State Police and government over this, if anything comes to head. Until then I hope that other counties and citizens take this example and run with it. Remember Illinois, we are NOT Chicago. What Mayor Daley and Governor Blagojevich want is to control the entire state. They want to make us all like Chicago. You know, big city, big crime, crooked politics and infringed rights. ItÂ’s time to take back our state and tell them in a loud and strong voice, WE ARE NOT CHICAGO!

"What we are trying to do here is protect rights we already have," board member Robert Kenady said.

And

"We have to stand up," said board member Mark Mountain, who proposed the resolution. "We have to voice our opinion. As an individual, it doesn't mean much. As a county, it means more. As three or four counties, it means a lot."

Nothing I could write would put it better then those two quotes. I applaud you Pike County, I applaud you and your citizens for symbolically firing the first shot in what I hope is a revolution to keep our rights. Yes, I know this is mostly symbolic, but itÂ’s a good start. If only it wasn't so far down state, I'd move there.

Posted by: Contagion at 07:45 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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We have yet another example of how the Illinois Government is trying to control its citizens. Yesterday the Illinois House passed a statewide smoking ban. Folks, this is just another freedom taken away from us by the government.

First let me preface this by saying I donÂ’t smokeÂ… anymore. I quit on November 18th cold turkey and I havenÂ’t looked back. Yes I still have the urge to light one up, especially when IÂ’ve been drinking. But I just ignore it, and it goes away. So this ban really doesnÂ’t have that big of an effect on meÂ… or does it?

When I did smoke, and some businesses around here voluntarily went smokeless, I was upset. I liked those establishments, however I wasnÂ’t going to go to a bar or restaurant that I couldnÂ’t smoke in. Thus I stopped frequenting those establishments for other businesses that would allow me to smoke while I had a pint or two. (Okay twelve, whom am I kidding) Now I may have quit, but I have many of friends that do smoke. When we go out, they like to light up while we sit at the bar.

We canÂ’t smoke in the bars here? Well Wisconsin is only 30 minutes north of here, oh and they have a lower sales tax rateÂ… LETS GO THERE! So no, itÂ’s not going to have an affect on my smoking habits, just where I am going to go drinking on the weekends when I hang out with my friends that do. Trust me, smokers are a resilient group. My company banned smoking on the grounds last November. Even on the coldest days of the winter our employees that didnÂ’t want to quit smoking could be seen standing out in the street braving the wind and the cold just to light up. Do you really think by banning smoking is going to stop them?

Now someone will tell me that they arenÂ’t doing this to stop people from smoking, just protect non-smokers from second hand smoke. I say bullshite. First off, you are protecting no one. Anybody that claims that they donÂ’t know smoking is bad for them has either had a full lobotomy or is just plain dealing with a single digit IQ. Ever since I can remember they government and every medical professional I know has been harping on the fact that smoking is bad for you. Now, I know the arguments for whether or not second hand smoke is bad for you. Folks, IÂ’ll be honest I donÂ’t know which side to believe. Mainly because I have spent absolutely NO time looking into it or doing any of my own research. I just donÂ’t care, but for the sake of this argument I will acquiesce that it is harmful.

So if itÂ’s harmful, and people are aware that it is harmful, why do they just not avoid it? There are plenty of bars, restaurants and pubs that the OWNERS chose to be smoke free. Why not just go there? If you go to an establishment that you know allows smoking, then you are choosing to expose yourself to it. If you canÂ’t control your own actions, then maybe you should not leave your house with out proper supervision. If you take your kids to one of these places, itÂ’s your own damned fault for doing so. But NOOOOoooo, instead these whiney self-centered jerks went off and got the government to inconvenience everyone else just so THEY could go to places they wanted.

Personally, I think the whole smoking issue should be up the individual that smokes and the establishment owner. If a person wants to smoke, that is there right. If a proprietor wants to allow smoking at their place of business, that should be their decision. The government needs to keep to running the country and not our lives. They need to look after the war, the illegal immigrants and enforcing the laws that exist.

ItÂ’s time to start voting these jokers out of office.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:10 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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The citizens of Rockford have voted in the 1 percent sales tax increase. That gives the City of Rockford the second highest property AND sales tax in the state of Illinois. That means I am going to boycott Rockford.

Now before I get the normal comment about growing up and to quit pitching a fit, let me explain. Yes, this makes more sense then the bond issues we issued to fix the roads. I was always against the bonds because it was like using a credit card to pay for the roads. There was a lot of interest and we ended up paying a lot more to have work done than it should have. Not that I believe that all that money actually went to the roads, but thatÂ’s a topic for another time. But I honestly believe that if the Rockford government better managed its money instead of wasting it on various projects, the roads could get fixed with out the sales tax.

This tax increase is just the cherry on top of the “How to get more money from the public” sundae. If we look at the new taxes that the State wants (Sales, Income and Gross Receipts), any increase the Federal Government may want to pass, inflation, the overall cost of living increases and increased property value, we have to wonder if the government wants us to just turn over one paycheck a month to them. Part of the misinformation used to pass this bond was that it was going to lower property taxes. When in all actuality it is only going to cause them not to increase as much. Just in increased property value based on the assessment this year, our property taxes are going to increase. The average reduction due to this bond value is something like $14.00. Also remember we just sold bonds to renovate the Metrocentre and buy a hockey team.

Many will, and have said to me that the overall cost is not going to be that much. They would be right, if I spent $50,000.00 a year on items other then groceries, medication and titled property (The only things this tax does NOT apply to, it does apply to services) I’d only pay $500.00 more this year. For actual figures on the average family in Rockford in 2001 see this comparison. That is not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. But on the other hand, that is a hell of a lot more then the $14.00 savings we are getting from our property tax. This brings my next favorite comment, “You’re being foolish by driving the extra distance to buy products outside of the city. You’re spending more money in gas.” Well yes and no. I travel outside the city limits daily, so I’m not really going out of my way. But even if I did have to, it’s not that I’m trying to save money by doing this. It’s a protest, out of principle. I am tired of the government taking my money just so they can mismanage it. Just so they can spend it on frivolous items like a river walk and waste it on Mayoral spending.

Let me put it in a way that we should all be able to understand. You own a home. You want to get new furniture, a new TV, some new carpet and a better dishwasher this year. All of a sudden your car dies and you need to come up with an additional $2,000.00 to get it fixed. Now youÂ’ve budgeted and have the money for the furniture, TV, carpet and dishwasher with out putting a hardship on your finances. What do you do? You have a couple of choices. You either forgo getting one or a couple of the other items you budgeted for, donÂ’t get the car repaired at this time, try to get a loan or pay with a credit card. Well as we all know the later two are going to cause you to earn interest. So you are going to end up paying more for the items then they are worth. The best way to get your car fixed is to not get one or more of the items you had budgeted. What you wouldnÂ’t do is go to your employer and demand a salary increase to cover your expenses. If you did, your employer is more then likely going to laugh at you. Trust me on this, I tried it out just to see what happened and my manager just kind of laughed and said no. Even after I explained how urgent it was.

Well thatÂ’s kind of like the government. They overspent, they didnÂ’t budget accordingly and now they are turning to their employer, the people, and asking for a raise. Yet we gave it to them. We didnÂ’t demand they do better with the money they have, we just threw more money at them. Partially because they threatened not to fix the roads if we didnÂ’t approve this tax.

The worst part is the wording of this referendum. They toted it was for the roads, but the actual wording is;

“Shall the City of Rockford, Illinois impose a sales tax, for expenditure on public infrastructure, of 1% of gross receipts on person engaged in the business of selling or transferring personal property other than food, medicine and titled property, at retail or incidental to the sale of service, until December 21, 2012.”

Expenditure on public infrastructure? If they are only going to use it to fix the roads, why not say that? Public infrastructure is a pretty broad term that can include many different things from transportation to just about anything that could be viewed as helping the public. Try searching for it, seriously. Since I donÂ’t have any trust for our city government to begin with, I can see them siphoning money out of this to all their little pet projects that helps the publicÂ… like a new hockey team. Okay, IÂ’m stretching it a little there.

So there it is, IÂ’m done with Rockford. I live here, but IÂ’m going to do everything in my power to not purchase anything with in the city limits once it goes into effect. That includes going to local eating and drinking establishments. And I would encourage anyone that wants to send a message to the government to do the same. Let them know weÂ’re tired of them taking our money. WeÂ’d rather choose how to spend our money then to give it over to them. Visitors to our city, I would recommend trying to avoid any establishments in the city limits of Rockford after July 1st. Bring anything you need with you and if you are spending the night or eating here, travel to Cherry Valley, Loves Park or Machesney Park. You may end up saving yourself a little money.

Posted by: Contagion at 06:10 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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