Day610 Monday 04/30/12

20 Months Of Running Against Obama!!! 

ran 3.9 miles

Our president is on the campaign trail "spiking the football" once again for reaching Osama Bin Laden's end zone around this time last year.  He is claiming that Mitt Romney would not have "pulled the trigger" on Osama.  I really didn't feel like wasting the energy to examine what exactly it was that he had said or in what context he had put it in because the fact that this is the direction he is going with his campaign at this point reflects how desperate and incapable of utilizing his record is for reelection.  Of all the legislation that has passed and out of all the events that have transpired over his presidential term, which is getting closer and closer to four entire years, the best idea Barack Obama has at this point is to remind us all that Osama Bin Laden was killed during his presidency and to merely speculate that, hypothetically, Mitt Romney would not have given the order.  I don't see the objective but I do see the desperation.

Coincidentally, here is a list of nine more things Herman Cain itemized yesterday that Barack Obama did, which Mitt Romney would also not have done:

• Mitt Romney would never have thrown $862 billion down a rat hole, claiming it to be “economic stimulus” that would keep unemployment from rising above 8 percent. Then, three years later when unemployment was still struggling to get back down below 8 percent, he would never be so brazen as to claim such a move had actually been successful.

• Mitt Romney would never have signed Obamacare into law. I know some think otherwise because the plan he implemented as governor of Massachusetts had some similar elements. But Obamacare was sold to the public with blatantly dishonest numbers and hidden taxes, and rammed through Congress via a series of political giveaways that would embarrass the most shameless of con artists. Whatever your disagreements with the structure of Masscare, Romney would never have done any of that. And if an Obamacare repeal reaches Romney’s desk, he will sign it.

• Mitt Romney would never have exploded the deficit to more than $1 trillion a year, then allowed his Treasury secretary to tell the chairman of the House Budget Committee, regarding plans to fix the problem, “We don’t have a definitive solution, but we know we don’t like yours.”

• Mitt Romney would not be running around claiming that businesses need to pay more in taxes. He would not try to tell CEOs what to do with their cash reserves (although he could do so much more competently than Obama, since unlike the president he actually knows a lot about business), because he knows that is not the president’s job. He understands that businesses are the ones who create jobs, and the last thing we need when the economy is struggling to create jobs is to increase the tax burden on businesses.

• Mitt Romney would not attack people for being successful. He would not encourage the middle class to resent successful people, but instead would encourage them to learn from those who have been successful and to seek opportunities from them.

• Mitt Romney would never have promised the Russians he would give them what they want on missile defense as soon as he didn’t have to worry about those pesky voters anymore.

• Mitt Romney would never have stonewalled efforts to make crucial energy supplies available to Americans, as Obama has done on everything from the Keystone XL pipeline to the opening of domestic oil supplies in offshore locations and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

• Mitt Romney would never have let Congress get away with not passing a budget at all for three years, while running up the nation’s credit card at unprecedented levels through a series of continuing resolutions that escape the light of public scrutiny.

• Mitt Romney would never have blamed someone else for the continued impact of problems he was elected to fix – as Obama does endlessly.

199.4 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day245.

 

Day609 Sunday 04/29/12

ran 0.1 miles

Today ends week eighty-seven of running against Obama.  I ran 19.0 miles this week, averaging 2.71 miles per day.

Our president making jokes about eating dog while growing up in Indonesia and completely missing the most impressionable years of his life not in America.  This guy is doing everything but campaigning on his record and the results they have failed to produce.  Every maneuver he makes stinks of desperation and it is absolutely bewildering that half of this country backs him up.  There is a lot of "conspiracy theory" out there suggesting that our president does not have America's best interest at hand.  I would ask you to take inventory of the last four years and to see where this country is now and where it was four years ago.  Right now, America is divided right up the middle.  Barack Obama has this country at odds with itself and that is exactly what he wants.  

Let's put that number into perspective.  That means, regardless of what side of the fence you stand on, one out of every two people you know or cross in the street,  fundamentally disagrees with you.  They disapprove of the way you think and the way you function.  This is not healthy for a nation and our president injected this ailment into our collective vein.

203.3 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day244.    

Day608 Saturday 04/28/12

ran 1.4 miles

You may not know this, but President Obama's State Department is giving (yes, giving!) away seven "strategic, resource-laden" Alaskan islands to Russia.  The Russians will also be given tens of thousands of square miles of surrounding oil-rich seabed.  According to the Department of Interior, estimates of barrels of oil are in the billions.

Posing as a simple maritime boundary agreement between Alaska and Siberia, in which our federal government put the islands on Russia's side, the state of Alaska was not allowed an opinion in the matter and Alaska's people were not permitted to comment.

(Source)---thanks for the link, Betty!

203.4 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day243.

Day607 Friday 04/27/12

ran 3.1 miles

Some stats and polls from Rasmussen Reports:

• Obama 47%, Romney 46%, third party candidate 4%, undecided 3%

• Barack Obama's presidential approval index is -13

• Florida: Romney 46%, Obama 45%

• Virginia: Romney 45%, Obama 44%

• 29% say U.S. heading in right direction

204.8 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day242.

Day606 Thursday 04/26/12

ran 3.6 miles

Governor Jesse Ventura said it best when he made the analogy "Politics in America today are identical to pro wrestling.  And what I mean by that is in front of the cameras and the public we all hate each other...yet behind the scenes we are all friends going out to dinner together...Democrats and Republicans aren't really opposed to one another."

I think in an underhanded sort of way he is basically calling you and me stupid, gullible, ignorant, and so distanced from reality that we actually think we can make a difference with merely a single vote.  I completely agree with Governor Ventura's assessment of calling it for what it is, but all we, as average Americans, walk away with is a sense of "hmmm, that's a good analogy and it makes perfect sense in an upside-down sort of way, but that's just politics".

We all go on thinking only of the tasks for tomorrow with no sense of consequence for the larger horizon before us that keeps getting closer and closer.  

Things only feel normal right now.  Our senses and perceptions are massaged with information that have a placebo effect on the temperament of our rationale.  In simple terms, if the United States of America was geographically constructed in the shape of a human body, China would own an entire arm right up to the shoulder and they would have invested interests in some of the more important vital organs like the heart and kidney of America.  They would want to drill the mind of America.  And what is so ironic about how helpful China is to our debt woes is the fact that they are the international beacon of Communism.  They are the paradigm of everything we have fought to defend from America.  But we are figuratively selling American limbs and organs to them just so we can keep our necks above our sea of debt.

I'm not excited about Romney because this election will be as premanufactured as a wrestling bout between John Cena and Triple H.  And because of that, I feel gypped, but that is why I write this blog and run these miles.  I simply want something real that no government could ever possibly deliver.  I want them to leave me alone and to show others how valuable being left alone and not reliant on the government is.

But, if that were to happen their power to control would cease to exist.  Their purpose would be devalued and their egos deflated.  Their statures would crumble and their strength would diminish.  Americans and the small businesses and corporations that employ them could could call the government's bluff.  Maybe one day.  The first step is getting Barack Hussein Obama out of the Oval Office.

207.9 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day241.

      

Day605 Wednesday 04/25/12

ran 4.2 miles

Marine Sgt. Gary Stein was recently discharged from the Marine Corps for expressing criticism of President Barack Obama on Facebook (this is his page: Armed Forces Tea Party). Interpret the discharge for yourself, but here is yet another pathetic example of double standards I can’t pass up.  Military men and women take an oath and accept that they sacrifice a large amount of their freedom of speech when they enter a branch of the military.  They are not reserved the right to question their superior’s orders, all the way up the POTUS, or to criticize them in a public forum. 

Imagine a scenario where a sergeant, major, or general gives a command and one of his or her troops says something to the effect of “Are you sure?  Is that really what we should be doing?”  This sort of action does not happen on the battlefield and it is not accepted in the political arena, either.  I can see how Sergeant Stein's actions are questionable but I commend him for them, and this is the reason why. What incenses me is the double standard that exists between how black and white it is for military men and women to do as their told without question based upon an oath to serve their country in comparison to how gray and murky our Constitution’s interpretation has become to our political leaders.

Gary Stein is being discharged for arguably using his freedom of speech while President Barack Obama blatantly discards the Constitution that he took an oath to defend.  Sergeant Stein is being discharged while Barack Obama gets away with impeachable actions.

The only example necessary is our president's military involvement in Libya without the approval of Congress.  The Constitution clearly states that war acts have to be approved by Congress and our president completely usurped this law and issued an executive order.  Furthermore, as Syria continues to become worse and worse of a situation, Leon Panetta sits in front of Congress informing them that when he, the president, and United Nations reach a decision they will inform the Senate on what action they will take regarding Syria. 

This is unconstitutional!

If Gary Stein can be discharged for expressing and documenting how terrible of a job he thinks President Barack Obama is doing, then President Barack Obama should be impeached for walking all over the Constitution, which he swore to defend every fiber of, when he is clearly breaking his own oath.

211.5 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day240.

Day604 Tuesday 04/24/12

ran 3.1 miles

"It’s still about the economy…and we’re not stupid."

Here are some excerpts from the AntiObama after 43 primaries and caucuses, which have led him through a rather straight path to the official Republican nomination.  The one main question Romney wants voters to ask themselves is, "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"

"Americans have always been eternal optimists. But over the last three and a half years, we have seen hopes and dreams diminished by false promises and weak leadership. Everywhere I go, Americans are tired of being tired, and many of those who are fortunate enough to have a job are working harder for less."

"Four years ago Barack Obama dazzled us in front of Greek columns with sweeping promises of hope and change. But after we came down to earth, after the celebration and parades, what do we have to show for three and a half years of President Obama?

Is it easier to make ends meet? Is it easier to sell your home or buy a new one? Have you saved what you needed for retirement? Are you making more in your job? Do you have a better chance to get a better job? Do you pay less at the pump?

If the answer were “yes” to those questions, then President Obama would be running for re-election based on his achievements…and rightly so. But because he has failed, he will run a campaign of diversions, distractions, and distortions. That kind of campaign may have worked at another place and in a different time. But not here and not now. It’s still about the economy …and we’re not stupid."

"I see an America with a growing middle class, with rising standards of living. I see children even more successful than their parents - some successful even beyond their wildest dreams – and others congratulating them for their achievement, not attacking them for it.

This America is fundamentally fair. We will stop the unfairness of urban children being denied access to the good schools of their choice; the unfairness of politicians giving taxpayer money to their friends’ businesses; the unfairness of requiring union workers to contribute to politicians not of their choosing; the unfairness of government workers getting better pay and benefits than the taxpayers they serve; and we will stop the unfairness of one generation passing larger and larger debts on to the next.

In the America I see, character and choices matter. And education, hard work, and living within our means are valued and rewarded. And poverty will be defeated, not with a government check, but with respect and achievement that is taught by parents, learned in school, and practiced in the workplace.

This is the America that was won for us by the nation’s Founders, and earned for us by the Greatest Generation. It is the America that has produced the most innovative, most productive, and most powerful economy in the world, with one of the highest standards of living of any major nation. …"

I'm not entirely thrilled by Romney but I am absolutely devastated by Obama. And if it is Mitt Romney's intention to undo the damage done by Barack Obama then that is enough for me. Whether those intentions and talking points will actually bear action in the future remains to be seen, but they are a far less dangerous gamble than handing Barack Obama four more years with no electorate to answer to.

(Source)

215.7 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day239.

Day603 Monday 04/23/12

ran 3.5 miles 

Few messages are as succinct and powerful as the one in the video above. It usually requires a brilliant 300-page novel or a well-directed 2-hour long movie to build up to a climax in the last few moments that can compare with what this 4 minute and 39 second video achieves in each frame.

Take a look and judge for yourself. 

218.8 miles to go. 

Here is what happened one year ago on Day238.

Day602 Sunday 04/22/12

ran 1.8 miles

Today ends week eighty-six of running against Obama.  I ran 24.9 miles this week, averaging 3.56 miles per day.

222.3 miles to go. 

Here is what happened one year ago on Day237.

Day601 Saturday 04/21/12

ran 3.1 miles 
Allen West, people. Remember the name. He has achieved more for the future of America through his words over the last week than our president has through his actions over the last three years and four months. 

224.1 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day236.

Day600 Friday 04/20/12

600 DAYS!!!

ran 3.7 miles

Today is a big milestone and I'd like to take this opportunity to restate exactly why I have run an average of 3.09 miles per day for the last 600 days.  I run these miles because they represent something I earn by working hard and because they are a product of my hard work that cannot be taken away from me.  These miles are a sort of nontaxable currency that purchase a unique sense of freedom and liberty that our government is incapable of administrating.  This sense of freedom and liberty I am describing stands on the pillars of individual accountability and a government that governs least as possible.

No president can divide the miles I run or the desire I have to achieve my goals by various others’ desire to accept mediocrity or even failure as an American way of life; open mouths reliant on the government's teat---our current president relies on the determination of many to pay for the shortcomings of many others.  This he calls “paying one’s fair share".  Our president is determined to convince the people he leads that they are somehow entitled to the rewards others have earned. 

I run because it is the one thing I thought of to do that Congress could not regulate or limit.  They cannot tell me how, when, or where to run my miles.  No federal government can tax or redistribute my miles.  No IRS can audit or seize my miles.  No government regulatory agency can minimize or maximize the amount of miles I want to run or the amount of days I choose to run them.

I think this is what freedom and liberty were intended to feel like and no one can give you these two items but yourself.  No government can legislate freedom and liberty.  They can take it away, but they cannot convene on how to distribute it.  Freedom and liberty must be earned individual by individual, on their own merits. 

Thank you for following this blog over the last 600 days!

227.2 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day235.

Day599 Thursday 04/19/12

ran 3.3 miles

On this day in 1775, 700 British troops marched into Lexington on a mission to capture Patriot leaders and to seize their arsenal.  What they found was 77 armed minutemen led by Captain John Parker awaiting them in the city.  British Major John Pitcairn ordered the highly outnumbered Patriots to fall back.  After a brief hesitation, the minutemen began falling back until one unknown soldier took it upon himself to fire his gun toward the British.  This became known in history books as the “shot heard around the world”.  Within seconds, musket smoke blotted the battlefield.  By the end of the battle 8 minutemen were dead and 10 were wounded.  One British soldier was injured.

Then came Concord.  The British aimed to capture Samuel Adams and John Hancock.  Warned by Paul Revere and William Dawes that the British were coming Adams and Hancock fled and were able to escape. 

When the British troops reached Concord they were encircled by hundreds of armed Patriots.  A battle ensued forcing Lieutenant Colonel Frances Smith to pull his British troops away and to retreat back to Boston.  Retracing a 16-mile journey, the British were constantly fired upon by Patriots waiting for them in hiding along the path of retreat.  Finally reaching Boston, the British had nearly 300 casualties and the Patriots had less than 100.

The battles of Lexington and Concord were the first battles of the American Revolution, which ultimately gave birth to the United States of America.

I wonder what these brave, rugged individuals who fought and died for the opportunity to embrace freedom and to escape the tyranny of overbearing government would think of America today.

230.9 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day234.

Day598 Wednesday 04/18/12

$5,027,761,476,484.56

ran 4.0 miles

The number above is a recent snapshot of ever-increasing national debt added by Barack Obama.  Having served less than one term, our current president holds the title of first American president to lead the federal government’s national debt into an increase of more than $5 trillion dollars.  Every other president in American history has done less damage with two full terms. 

“At the close of business on Jan. 20, 2009, the day Obama was inaugurated, the federal government’s debt was $10,626,877,048,913.08, according to the U.S. Treasury. By the close of business on April 16, 2012—as many Americans were working to finalize their 2011 tax returns to meet an April 17 filing deadline—the debt had reached $15,654,638,525,397.64."

CNSNews, Terence P. Jeffrey

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates 313,385,295 people live in the United States. With that population, each one of us owes $16,043.39. 

(Source)

234.2 miles to go.

Here is what happened one year ago on Day233.

Day597 Tuesday 04/17/12

ran 4.6 miles 

Not going to lower the price of gas overnight? This trumped up measure will make no difference at all. Presidents make this speech every single year---tightening the screws on speculators and increasing punishments for foul play, policing the system more diligently---blah, blah, blah. Our president does not want low gas prices. Any hint of low prices at the pumps directly takes away from Barack Obama's momentum to explore alternative energy sources with the vigor and lack of all restraint he desires for wasting as many tax dollars as he can in investments to that sector. It amazes me how a president of the United States of America can stand behind a podium in front of so many Americans and say so many words that serve so little purpose. 

238.2 miles to go. 

Here is what happened one year ago on Day232.