1st 100 days= Tip of the iceberg

Today marks 100 days since U.S. President Barack Obama took the oath of office. Some are celebrating his accomplishments while others are not. I am one who is not excited about all he has accomplished because I don't agree with most of his policies.

I don't trust President Obama. Probably the biggest reason why I don't trust him is because I feel that he doesn't completely tell the truth. I don't think he truly has America's best interest at heart. He is very good at talking and presenting his policies and viewpoints, but sometimes, the facts aren't completely accurate. And to those of us who actually know the real facts, it's really disconcerting to see that a person whom so many in this country trust, could actually be wrong.

At first I posted the entire body of this article, but then, I decided it was way too lengthy. So, here is the link to an article from the New York Post, today, entitled: "100 Days, 100 Mistakes." by JOE SCARBOROUGH, GLENN BECK AND OTHERS ON OBAMA'S SHORT, ERROR-PRONE TIME IN OFFICE.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/04252009/postopinion/opedcolumnists/100_days__100_mistakes_166177.htm?page=0

All I have left to say is that these first 100 days are just the tip of the iceberg.

"The Earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof" (Psalms 24:1).

I appreciate and love the Earth. I respect it. I try to do my part in taking care of it. I believe it was created by a Higher Power and is not a result of spontaneous evolution over trillions of years. Nothing so beautiful or as elaborate and complex as this planet could have happened just by chance.


"...All things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator" (Alma 30: 44, The Book of Mormon).

By taking care of the Earth, we show the Lord that we are grateful to Him for this beautiful place to live. When we choose on our own accord to conserve energy, reduce the waste we produce, reuse items that can be used more than once, and recycle materials that can be used again for many purposes, we are taking care of our planet.

I think "Earth Day" and efforts to increase awareness among nations on how to take care of this planet are important. Laws which prohibit excess of harmful substances which pollute the environment that have been passed over the past several decades have protected peoples' lives and preserved the uses of our lands and waters for many different purposes.

Now, I really disagree with the environmentalists and politicians who seek to impose their agendas on the climate and the environment. I think that they are taking what has been a good thing with what has been done to set up basic protective guidelines and procedures and are now, seeking to push it too far.

What is too far? The claim that there is a climate change crisis, ie. "Global Warming," and that we humans are solely responsible for it. I feel they are going too far to an extreme when they seek to pass laws that would force responsible hard working citizens to carry a huge burden with taxes to pay for less effective energy production methods and increasing energy costs. I am not against using renewable energy sources like wind, solar, and water, etc. However, when timelines are imposed on the energy producing companies and penalties are enforced for not doing enough quickly to move towards "cleaner" energy sources by these particular politicians and environmentalists, I feel that this is yet another way in which the government is moving to take away certain liberties and freedoms from its citizens that it has no right to control.

"Going Green" is kind of like the "Organic" craze that is sweeping our nation's food markets. Organic food is probably more healthy for us, but it is also costs so much more. Every American is not able to afford to buy only "organic" food. Thankfully, they don't have to. Thank goodness there remain "non-organic" forms of food still available on the market so that average American families can still afford to put food on their tables.

The same thing applies to energy--every American can not afford the "organic" or "green" forms of energy. If there are people and companies who independently choose to produce energy from renewable cleaner sources, than let them! And let me make the choice to buy their products or not. I can't help but ask rhetorically whether the U.S. government will start subsidizing food stamps and energy stamps for those of us poorer Americans who can not afford to eat organically and "go green"?

What does $1 trillion look like?

About a month ago, a friend forwarded to me an e-mail with the following text and images. It really helped give me some visual perspective on how massive $1 trillion is! I do not take credit for the creation of the images or the content of the text--but I do think it's worth passing on!

"This is a pretty impressive visual…it really makes you think about it.
What does one TRILLION dollars look like?
All this talk about "stimulus packages" and "bailouts"...
A billion dollars...
A hundred billion dollars...
Eight hundred billion dollars...
One TRILLION dollars...
What does that look like? I mean, these various numbers are tossed around like so many doggie treats, so I thought I'd take Google Sketchup out for a test drive and try to get a sense of what exactly a trillion dollars looks like.
We'll start with a $100 dollar bill. Currently the largest U.S. denomination in general circulation. Most everyone has seen them, slighty fewer have owned them. Guaranteed to make friends wherever they go."

"A packet of one hundred $100 bills is less than 1/2" thick and contains $10,000. Fits in your pocket easily and is more than enough for week or two of shamefully decadent fun."

"Believe it or not, this next little pile is $1 million dollars (100 packets of $10,000). You could stuff that into a grocery bag and walk around with it. "

"While a measly $1 million looked a little unimpressive, $100 million is a little more respectable. It fits neatly on a standard pallet... "

"And $1 BILLION dollars... now we're really getting somewhere... "

"Next we'll look at ONE TRILLION dollars. This is that number we've been hearing so much about. What is a trillion dollars? Well, it's a million million. It's a thousand billion. It's a one followed by 12 zeros.
You ready for this?
It's pretty surprising.
Go ahead...
Scroll down...
Ladies and gentlemen... I give you $1 trillion dollars..."

"(And notice those pallets are double stacked.) "

"So the next time you hear someone toss around the phrase "trillion dollars"... that's what they're talking about."

Tea Parties--TAX DAY

I am an American. I claim no special writing or speaking ability. All I have is my single voice to raise with the thousands of others out there who recognize that Congress and President Obama are not acting in the best interest of the United States of America. While they claim that their bills, plans, and budget are going to make America better, I don't understand how they can justify spending so much tax dollars for programs and initiatives that will not stimulate the economy in the long run. Those program will grow the government and in time, we Americans will have to pay and pay BIG! I am in protest of the future taxes that will come upon our backs!