The Nations Needs President Scott Walker in 2016

I found this op-ed, ‘The Nations Needs President Scott Walker in 2016’, written by Rich Cromell from thefederalist.com website. It’s the best description yet I’ve seen on Scott Walker the man and politician. Walker walks the walk, pun intended and I believe he’s the best Conservative in the field because he has a record to prove it. I encourage you to share this with friends so they can better understand who he is. The following is excerpts from Cromell's op-ed.

Scott Walker

"Does Walker sizzle? Not exactly. Is he a particularly charismatic speaker? No, he isn’t. But does he sit upon a throne made of the skulls of his enemies? Yes, yes he does. The November 4 election proved that in a definitive fashion. And though we are a constitutional republic not given to men upon thrones, this particular throne deserves consideration for a national position. We will never go wrong with cool and calculating.

Look at Walker’s results. He slashed money from a bloated education budget. He dismantled collective bargaining rights for public employees. He reduced Medicaid spending. And he keeps getting elected in a state given to Prairie Populism, despite the fact that he tends to think citizens should be given to self-support.

But what does he offer our collective imagination? What does he do to inspire us to rally around a cause? What are you, a raging lefty? You’re missing the point. Walker doesn’t offer us anything, and we should be cool with that. It’s what we cynical GenXers have been working for—getting the government off our damn lawn.

Unemployment in Wisconsin has been consistently below the national average during his tenure. But what about education? Surely performance suffered with the death blows Walker dealt to the unions and education spending. Oof, wrong again.  So though the man himself doesn’t sizzle, his record does. And as Conservatives, we should celebrate that. We should also acknowledge Walker can capably discuss those accomplishments even if he doesn’t exactly sizzle in the process.

Sun Tzu wrote, “Invincibility lies in the defense; the possibility of victory in the attack,” he also wrote, “Move swift as the Wind and closely-formed as the Wood. Attack like the Fire and be still as the Mountain.” Though Walker is wooden and still like the mountains, late in the governor’s race, he also moved with the wind. Perhaps that is his strength. He has a canny ability to lull his opponents into torpor and await a moment to strike. As we gear up for whomever versus Squirrel! 2016, we should be open to the possibility that winning may best be achieved by someone whose plans are dark and impenetrable as the night, poised to fall like a thunderbolt, and crafted from the extreme comfort of a throne made of the skulls of enemies."

Rich Cromwell

Should or shouldn't I attend Dorchester?

I’ve been trying to decide whether I would attend the Republican 2015 Dorchester Conference this year. I got an email inviting me, with the following information below.

“Come to Dorchester to learn more from the project researchers, share your opinion, or ask a question about their key findings.

Education Comes First (especially K-12)

Wellness & Personal Responsibility Are Primary Healthcare Values

Environmental Quality and Protection are Important

Public Transportation Instead of New Roads

Natural Resource Protections for Future Generations

Incarceration Policies Questioned

Taxes Viewed As Necessary but Details Are Contested

Climate Concern Comes of Age

Oregonians Care about Our Children

The Optimist and the Pessimist Are Within Us

In The Workplace, Money Isn't Everything

Little Enthusiasm for Government Action to Improve Economy

The Urban/Rural Divide: No and Yes

Consumer Driven Economy: Rethinking Progress?

Oregon is Not a Religious State? Maybe, If You Ignore Half of Us”

Half of the items listed here are ones that Democrats might be in favor of advancing but not me.

As I did last year, I question the value of this conference if its primary goal is to conduct research only to pander to the Democrats, Independents and left leaning Republicans (RINOS) in Oregon. We’re Republicans and as such we should be united on a common agenda, not copy parts of it from the Democrats. Yes we want every person possible to join our party and vote. And yes, they have a right to express their views but we must have solid benchmarks and they aren’t clearly defined here.

Climate Change fear mongering, hindering an already overregulated logging and fishing industry, not maintaining or building better roads in favor of taxpayer subsidized public transportation and releasing criminals that belong in jails as a cost cutting measure isn’t the kind of issues I’d choose to research let only support. In The Workplace, Money Isn't Everything? Really, this was a research project?

It’s no wonder the Republican Party can’t get any traction or overcome the Democrat majorities in Oregon when they focus on these types of issues. They mention taxes, but not reducing spending or the incredible amount of money that public employee union’s benefits are costing taxpayers. What about totally eliminating Cover Oregon? It’s been an epic failure that is costing taxpayers millions and not delivering the care. Drastically downsizing the state’s massive budget should be at the top of the list not more wasteful spending on projects like public transportation.

If going to the conference means maintaining and supporting the status quo and not turning the ship to fiscal conservatism first Oregon will remain a solid blue state for the foreseeable future. If I knew that was the single biggest issue being addressed the decision to attend would be much easier, otherwise it’s an exercise in futility. 

If one of the Dorchester organizers reads this and wants to convince me that the conference isn't going to be nothing but a big social gathering for moderate Portland, Salem and Eugene Republicans to do more of the same please feel to reply.

Forza Horizon 2 and the 97 Lamborghini Diablo

I’ve thoroughly enjoyed playing the Forza franchise racing games on Xbox since I’ve been at home from an injury I suffered at work in November of 2013.  It'd started with Forza Horizon, then I bought Forza 3, then Forza 4 and now I'm hitting the roads in Forza Horizon 2.

It’s given me a whole new appreciation of the automobile. I’ve driven every car imaginable and I have so many favorites it’s hard to pick one above all others. My heart first and foremost still belongs to the America Muscle Cars of the 60’s and 70’s.

But as I’ve advanced my video racing career, I’ve fallen in love with the premium BMW’s, Mercedes’, Ferrari’s, Lotus’s, Ruf’s, Bugatti’s, Sagaris’s, Audi’s and the Alfa Romeo’s of the world as well since they all have speed and amazing handling characteristics.

That said, I’m developing a real love affair for the Lamborghini’s. Their new top of the line road cars are off the charts amazing and unbelievable. In Forza Horizon 2 the newest one is the 2014 Hurcan LP 610-4, it's a real hellcat. There are 6 others Lamborghini’s in their lineup, the 2013 Veneo, the 2012 Aventador LP 700-4, the 2011 LP570-4 Super Leggera, the 2010 Murcilago SV and the 1988 Countach LP5000 QV.  

The 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV

My new favorite is one of the older smaller Lamborghini’s.  It’s the 1997 Lamborghini Diablo SV. No, it isn’t the biggest or fastest car in the game and the horsepower is smaller but it handles as well or better than any car ever made.

I LOVE this car, it has a 485 hp engine, a 5 speed manual transmission, its top speed is 201 mph, 0- 60 mph in 3.8 seconds and it’ll do a ¼ mile in 12.2 seconds.  It’s one of those cars that is just fast enough to give you a mind numbing adrenaline rush but not so fast that you’d wreck it after coming out of the first corner. The braking, steering and acceleration of the Diablo is 'devilish' perfection.

Since I was born good looking and not rich I’ll never be able to afford to buy a real 97 Diablo. The starting price for one with high mileage is around $120,000 to $150,000, the low mileage mint condition Diablo’s can go as high as $500,000.

So as a fan of road racing I’ll have to settle into my imaginary world on Forza Horizon 2 and get behind the wheel of my Diablo (or xyz car) and zip through the winding roads on the coast of France hitting speeds of 150 mph plus through corners. If I slam into a wall and wipe out the car no worries, I hit the reset button and start over again and it’s off to the races. After I've gone as far as I can go on Forza Horizon 2 I plan on investing in a Xbox One (made the mistake of buying a Xbox 360 first) so I can buy Forza 5 and the new Forza 6 that will be released soon.

Obama's 2015 SOTU address is fantasy and fiction

Did you watch the POTUS State of Union? He seems to have a really high opinion of himself and is living in some fantasy world when it comes to the economy and employment numbers. He wasn’t truthful with the math; most free spending liberals never took math classes, especially Obama, he got an F in math class and economics.

He takes credit for the lower prices on gas when he’s done everything in his power to drive the costs up.

He wants all kinds of new taxes on the ‘rich ‘and more government freebies for all including free medical leave, daycare and free community college but he doesn’t say how he’ll pay for it.

He talked about infrastructure but forgets when he was elected President in 2009 that the ‘American Recovery and Reinvestment Act’ was passed that cost the taxpayers $830 billion which was suppose to address some of it then. Where did that massive cash cow go instead? To every government program and agency imaginable and we still don’t have any better roads and bridges. As if road and bridges would turn the whole economy around anyway.

He claims foreign policy victories worldwide when it’s the worst situation we’ve been in since before the start of WWII.

He claims to have made the world a better place with his environmental policies when all it’s done is cost taxpayers billions. He sees the dollar signs for all of his green energy cronies and lectures us about doomsday global warming when it’s a myth that has been debunked over and over again.

He calls for bipartisan cooperation and then threatens 4 different times he’d veto legislation that addresses Obamacare, Amnesty and his other bad policies. But the most memorial line from his long winded deception of an ego trip was when he taunts the Republicans with this statement. “I have no more campaigns to run." ...A few Republicans applaud in the audience. “I know because I won both of them.”

That statement in summary explains Obama and what he thinks about himself or any bipartisan cooperation. He isn’t going to consent to any change in his failed policies. It’s going to be a long 2 years.