Herman Cain will make an outstanding President if Americans are bright enough to elect him. He's smart, articulate, successful, and he seems to have clear ideas that he communicates in no-nonsense language that most people will easily understand, even if they don't agree with him. He's also the equivalent of a Republican "secret weapon" because he's black.  It takes the race card out of the deck when playing politics. I admit it -- I want to vote for a black man for President as I vote to replace Obama next year. The primary reason I oppose voting for Obama is that his economic policies have been disastrous. I vehemently disagree with his stated policy regarding the redistribution of wealth. Now it seems that no one is very concerned about what will happen when the health care system of America evolves into single payer, another stated Obama policy objective from long before he was elected President. The whole goal of Obamacare is to put the health care system under the control of the federal government, not insure 40 million more people. What good will insurance coverage be if it takes between 6-12 months to get a doctor's appointment? We aren't adding enough doctors to replace those who have gone on record to say they plan to retire before allowing the government to control their compensation. Obama's own brother-in-law is a doctor opposed to Obamacare, which is killing the incentive to study and practice medicine. Think about it -- malpractice insurance premiums are obscenely high.  You can be sure the lawyers will oppose any reform of … [Read more...]

If I ever get the chance, I'd like to thank Josh Ferrin personally. He just restored my faith in humanity. After Leroy Fick almost destroyed that faith and inspired me to write about America's impending doom, Josh's story reminded me that America is still full of kind, decent people. Only an hour after he closed and took possession of a small brick ranch in a town with the appropriate name of Bountiful, Josh found $45,000 stashed in the garage. Biologist Arnold Bangerter died, leaving the house as part of his estate. His family found a little bit of money in envelopes taped under drawers inside the house. No one realized a small treasure trove remained hidden in the garage in large plastic garbage bags. In the mind of Josh, was possession 9/10 of the law?  Finders keepers?  After all, he bought and closed on the house.  Weren't the contents now his property? Technically, maybe. Josh didn't see it that way. He realized it was morally wrong to keep the money. He used the money, all right -- to teach his children a lesson about honesty. He insisted they help count it before returning the cache of cash. Josh told reporter Wendy Leonard (no relation) of KSL News, "The house needs some work. I could use the $45,000 for remodeling, but he didn't save that money for us. He saved it for his family." That's true, Mr. Ferrin. Thank you for recognizing that and doing the right thing.  My spirit has been lifted. Thank goodness Leroy Fick didn't buy the Bangerter house instead of you; he obviously lacks your integrity. … [Read more...]

Leroy Fick said, "If you're trying to make me feel bad, you're not going to do it." You might be wondering, "Who the heck is Leroy Fick and why should anyone want to make him feel bad?" Leroy is the Michigan man who won a $2 million dollar lottery but continues to use food stamps 11 months after banking his winnings. Let's get this straight, Mr. Fick -- the taxpayer buys your food, and you spend your money instead on a lottery ticket. You have the good fortune to win. You bank and save your money, and shamelessly continue to milk the taxpayer. You exclaim nobody can make you feel bad about it. I won't bothering wasting my breath or effort in the attempt. I won't even try to make you look bad, either. You've accomplished that already. The facts speak for themselves.  You obviously have no pride or conscience, Mr. Fick. Enjoy the money in this lifetime...as we all know, you can't take it with you. … [Read more...]

W. C. Fields often joked about his birthplace of Philadelphia, even suggesting to Vanity Fair in 1925 that the epitaph on his tombstone should read: Here lies W.C. Fields.  I would rather be living in Philadelphia. Were I able to communicate with his ghost, my first question to Mr. Fields would probably be, "Is hell on Earth preferable to death?" From everything I've watched or read about the Philadelphia police, I believe hell would be eternal confinement in Philadelphia at the mercy of these real-life "Keystone Kops." Youtube videos made by private citizens showing the Philadelphia police in action range from comical to frightening, multiple incidents of police brutality. Philadelphia cops act like they're members of Congress, completely above the law. This article by John Stossel reports an incident in Philadelphia where a law abiding citizen was accosted, threatened and detained for almost an hour by a policeman who didn't know the law. While the story "sounds" hard to believe when you read the print, helpfully Stossel included a link to an audio recording the citizen published of the exchange. Jurist John Selden famously said, "Ignorance of the law excuses no man." What excuse could Officer Dougherty for drawing his weapon on an individual offering to cooperate? Who wasn't even breaking the law? No man is above the law, not even a policeman. If the recorded profanity-laced tirade by a policeman threatening a law-abiding citizen doesn't send a chill down your spine, check your pulse. Make sure you're still breathing.   … [Read more...]

This past weekend, baseball celebrated integration of the sport with a banquet and the specially denoted regular season Civil Rights game here in Atlanta. I misunderstood the purpose of the weekend celebrations.  I thought they were to honor the accomplishments of the exceptional black players who broke the color barrier. Until Jackie Robinson integrated the sport and Larry Doby followed shortly thereafter, major league baseball was a game for lily white players only. Black players had once been relegated to play a separate "Negro" league.  For years, the greatest players of their generation never had to face each other. How many fewer home runs would Babe Ruth have hit if he had to face Satchel Paige for a few hundred at bats? Unfortunately, we'll never know. Not every baseball fan wanted black players integrated onto their team at the time. Many were not shy about expressing their negative emotions. Because of the color of their skin, these great players endured death threats, just for playing a game. They were brave men with great dignity, deserving to be honored by baseball. Why does baseball's management have to screw everything up by injecting politics into the events? During the Braves telecast of Sunday's game, the announcers interviewed actor Morgan Freeman, winner of this year's Beacon of  Hope award.  Immediately the question popped in my head, "What's the connection between Morgan Freeman and baseball?" I got on the Internet to research the answer to my question. I love Morgan Freeman the actor. Still I wondered, why is Morgan … [Read more...]