Wow! Is there anything that I could say that hasn't been repeated again and again in the news?  Arlen Specter- Good Riddance!  The man is part of the problem whether he is Republican or Democrat.  Anyone who thinks that spending 29 years in Congress is something to brag about is severely delusional to the state of this Nation.  I am and have always been an advocate for Congressional term limits and people like Specter are exactly the reason why.  Specter has switched to the Dem side because he believes that he DESERVES that Senate seat.  If Republicans won't vote for him, he'll get Democrats to.  Is he that dedicated to helping his constituents?  Of course not!  He thinks because he has been in Congress for 29 years, it is his right to return.  I personally would love to see the entire Republican Party unite as one and do everything within our power to make sure that Specter does not get re-elected.  Republicans from around the Country should travel to PA and campaign for Pat Toomey.  By defeating Specter, it would send a strong message to both Democrats as well as Opportunists everywhere. (Mike Bloomberg, are you listening?)  I don't think there are any Republicans shedding a tear about Specter.  The Senator has abandoned his principles and dignity long ago to appease special interests and lobbyists of all sorts just like all Politicians do when they serve for endless terms.  Specter has acquired money and power in his three decades of serving himself and he will do whatever is possible to hold on to the corrupt position which he has for so long served.  He has control over many things, but the People still have the last say and let's hope that they see this opportunist for what he is and make the right decision in the next election.

by Thomas Craig

Nancy Pelosi, the Speaker of the House, once again proves how she exemplifies everything that is wrong with Washington and how she is the epitome of what Americans hate about politicians.  Whenever she speaks, I get an overwhelming feeling of nausea; similar to the feeling you would get from eating ten tacos and then getting punched in the stomach.  (An act I would actually prefer over reading her book and judging by the unbelievably small sales, I think most Americans would agree.)  The latest Pelosi drama revolves around the ridiculous denial of her involvement with the torture situation.  The Speaker admits she was briefed about the use of waterboarding on detainees, however, she feels morally justified regarding this issue because she was not told exactly when the torture was to begin.  What confuses me is that I am just not sure if this is a case of a Politician trying pathetically to save her own just-as-guilty behind or if this is an actual denial from a genuinely delusional woman in need of psychiatric help.  Pelosi has no problems with the fact that she, nor any other Democrats informed of this torture, raised any concern or voiced any opposition to this back in 2002 when it was presented to them.  Republicans and Democrats alike are both guilty of violating the Constitution.  When I see the Democrats point fingers and call for blood, it would be wise for them to look at their own complacency and involvement in these violations.  The Democrats are suffering from a common delusion that makes them believe that because they are in power right now, they will remain in power indefinitely.  Republicans suffered from this during the Bush years and now we are paying for it.  What concerns me the most about this politically misguided mind-set is that the party in power always seems to legislate based on this idea.  Republicans granted many unconstitutional powers to the Executive Branch while they were in power, and now they are upset when a Democrat is President and taking advantage of that power.  The Democrats are going to grant even more power to the President/King, and they will be outraged when the Republicans are in charge once again and their President abuses the powers.  It is a vicious cycle that has eaten away at the Constitution and it will not end until we find a true patriot and someone who understands history and the Constitution who will restore the carefully placed checks and balances to which our Founding Fathers were intelligent enough to put into place.  Until that person arrives, we are stuck with the garbage who pollutes our Capitol with their corruption and lies.

by Thomas Craig

Recently, a Bill by Sen. Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) has proposed a "rescue" of American Newspapers.  His Bill would allow certain newspapers to restructure as a non-profit, allowing several tax breaks to help strengthen the industry at the cost of the taxpayers.  Obviously this was only a matter of time.  Every industry out there is in line for their own bailout.  I'm not opposed to this for the reason that many others are.  Lots of Conservatives fear this would cement these newspapers as Liberal mouthpieces.  This Bill would in fact stipulate that any newspapers receiving federal money would be restricted from making any political endorsements.  Why newspapers, which are supposed to be objective, endorse any candidate in the first place is another topic.  Every morning I read the newspaper on my way into work.  Every night I ride the train home and look at nothing but my blackberry and read the news from there.  Nine out of every ten people on my train also are reading from their phones, and most of them are doing that in the morning and the night.  Perhaps we can consider the fall of our newspapers as a sign of innovationa nd technology.  News up-to-the-minute is superior to news a day old.  Instead of going in depth on this, here is one of the greatest scripted speeches in movie history.  This is from the film "Other People's Money", and is spoken by Danny Devito to a room full of shareholders of a company he is trying to dissolve.  It rings true to Sen. Cardin's Bill.

"This company is dead.     
I didn't kill it. Don't blame me.             
It was dead when I got here. It's too late for prayers. For even if the prayers were answered and a miracle occurred . . . and the yen did this and the dollar did that . . . and the infrastructure did the other thing, we would still be dead.   
You know why?        
Fiber optics. New technologies. Obsolescence.          
We're dead, all right. We're just not broke.         
And do you know the surest way to go broke?              
Keep getting an increasing share of a shrinking market. Down the tubes. Slow but sure.                
You know, at one time there must have been dozens of companies making buggy whips. And I'll bet the last company around was the one that made the best goddamn buggy whip you ever saw.  Now, how would you have liked to have been a stockholder in that company?                  
You invested in a business, and this business is dead. Let's have the intelligence--let's have the decency--to sign the death certificate, collect the insurance, and invest in something with a future.
                  
"But we can't," goes the prayer. "We can't, because we have a responsibility, a responsibility to our employees, to our community. What will happen to them?"               
I got two words for that: who cares?                   
Care about them? Why? They didn't care about you. They sucked you dry. You have no responsibility to them. For the last ten years, this company bled your money. Did this community ever say, "We know times are tough. We'll lower taxes, reduce water and sewer"? Check it out. You're paying twice what you did ten years ago.          
And our devoted employees who have taken no increases for the past three years . . . are still making twice what they made ten years ago.   
And our stock, one-sixth what it was ten years ago.        
Who cares?       
I'll tell you.        
Me.   
I'm not your best friend. I'm your only friend.   
I don't make anything? I'm making you money.

And lest we forget, that's the only reason any of you became stockholders in the first place. You want to make money. You don't care if they manufacture wire and cable, fried chicken, or grow tangerines! You wanna make money!         
I'm the only friend you've got. I'm making you money.
Take the money. Invest it somewhere else. Maybe . . . maybe you'll get lucky, and it'll be used productively. And if it is, you'll create new jobs and provide a service for the economy and, God forbid, even make a few bucks for yourselves."

Many visitors to AmericanTusk.com have emailed me specifically about the Employee Free Choice Act or as many of us call it, the “Employee NO Choice Act”, which amongst many other detrimental features, would eliminate the secret ballot voting implemented today.  I am particularly interested in this topic due to my own personal experiences with Unions.  First, allow me to state that I am in a Union.  Second, believe me when I say that I am very much against Unions.  I was forced to join the Union because years ago when I got hired on a new job, it was already a Union position so my choice was to either join the Union or not accept the position.  I have worked many non-union jobs and in those positions I have expanded my talent base, was offered new opportunities, and was treated fairly to the extent of the law.  My Union position, after my bi-weekly dues, did not offer me much more money than when I held non-union jobs and completely restricted many opportunities and training.  Unions have become blackmailers of corporate America.  A good friend of mine entered a position that was non-union about two years ago.  The Union, which oversaw the majority of the jobs in his profession, wanted my friend’s position to become Union as well.  He was not opposed, however, the Union insisted that my friend not accept any work until Management unionized him.  Unfortunately, my friend was not in a financial position to turn down any work so while he supported the Union efforts, he continued to work.  The remaining weeks included Union thugs calling him and persistently threatening him.  They would also resort to attempting to sabotage his work whenever possible.  These are the people who were supposedly “looking out for him.”  Modern day Unions are, I believe, unnecessary.  In the past they were essential to the creation of safe and secure jobs in the workplace and they were instrumental in the creation of many of our labor laws.  These labor laws have become more than sufficient in ensuring the safety and security of employees.  The Unions now focus on obtaining more and more benefits for less and less work.  The auto industry is a perfect example of how Unions have crippled an entire industry.  Their greed and arrogance has caused an industry that was created in America to fall behind foreign competitors.  Now we are witnessing the fall of the American auto companies.  Employees know this and they understand it.  Given the choice, 74% of Union workers favor keeping the current system of secret ballots.  If workers were forced to publicly decide, they would be subject to harassment and intimidation, much like my friend was subjected to.  The Government knows this, so why do they support the EFCA?  Perhaps the Democrats want this passed because this Bill would expand the Government’s control over privately owned companies.  If Employees and Management cannot come to an agreement over a contract, the EFCA would allow the Government to step in and create a contract for all to abide by for 2 years which would be when the negotiations can be reopened.  The Government would dictate all facets of the company from benefits for workers to mergers, subcontracting, and general management.  This is a further example and a testament to the socialist state that we are turning into.  We were promised “Change”.  Boy, are we getting it!

by Thomas Craig

If you happened to miss Mitt Romney on Larry King Live this past week, I highly recommend you try to watch it online.  Romney brings up many interesting points but what stuck out to me was his statement that Obama is "learning on the fly".  He pointed out that Obama has never run a business (and certainly not a Nation) and that he is learning by trial and error.  The inexperience of our President is troubling to many, as it should be.  This inexperience has allowed the Congress to run wild.  It almost feels like they are saying, "George W Bush almost destroyed this Country, so now it's OUR chance to try to destroy the Country".  The AIG debacle is the first instance where the President and Congress cannot flat out blame Bush.  How did they react instead?  They tried to cover their butts by passing an unconstitutional bill which will tax AIG bonuses at a 90% rate.  I am amazed at how quickly the House introduced this bill and passed it.  Imagine if Congress worked that fast on solving our real problems.  The President is being taken advantage of by the radical elements of his Party.  Pelosi, Reid, Frank, Dodd... these are the faces of the true Leaders of America.  People who do as they please and serve only themselves.  Leaders who believe enforcing illegal immigration laws are "un-American".   You can't turn on the news without seeing a story about another State in financial disarray.  It is downright scary that States are depending on the stimulus funds to keep operating.  What happens when the stimulus funds run out?  They will be right back where they started only with more debt.  I wish we could just focus on the economy but our inexperienced President, unfortunetly, is lacking the ability to focus.  He is seeing this as an opportunity to exapnd Government programs and control.  Tea Parties are symbolic and fun, but they aren't getting the message across.  Americans need to bring their protests to the doorsteps of every Politician.  Let us protest in D.C. at the steps of the Capitol.  Let us go to our Representatives offices in our own districts and protest there and demand answers.  It is coming my friends.  We have two choices.  We can stand up now and demand responsibility or we can lay and wait until we wake up one morning, stripped of all our abilities to take ownership of our Government.

"Politicians, like diapers, have to be changed frequently – and for the very same reason." -Benjamin Franklin

Power is an addictive thing.  Few people in history have had the ability and morality to give it up.  George Washington, who could have been a King in all but name, voluntarily chose to step down from his office.  A fact that makes this great man even greater.  It is a shame more of our "leaders" don't follow in his footsteps.  President Obama wants change.  It is impossible to find change when you depend on the same politicians who created the messes to solve them.  The American People realize that term limits for our President is necessary.  Without term limits, one man can amass too much influence and power and gain the ability to monopolize the position in which he holds.  Several states have term limits for their Governors, and rightfully so.  Why then do we not have the same term limits for our Legislators?  There are members of Congress who have been in Congress for decades.  The longer they are there, the more money gets thrown at them and the more power they amass.  It is near impossible now for anyone, short of being a celebrity, to run against an incumbent.  Term limits defend us against lifelong politicians who will always become corrupted.  It's not their fault, it's human nature.  Large companies and special interests start throwing their money at you and you reap the benefits and perks of being a whore for their purposes.  The good People of New York City chose to create a law placing term limits on the position of Mayor.  Twice this law was challenged and twice the People chose to uphold the limits.  Then, only last year, did Michael Bloomberg choose to change the law on his own with the support of the city council in some back room deal and avoiding the pesky obstacle of a democratic vote.  Now, I live in NYC and I have my own problems with Bloomberg, primarily the fact that he was a Democrat until he figured he could win only as a Republican.  After switching to and winning as a Republican, he chose to return to the Left and became an independent.  Now he wants to run on the Republican ticket again to get re-elected.  He is a political opportunist with little respect or care for the People he serves. 

Term limits are the single best way to reform our Government and bring "change".  Almost every single time the issue has been put to a vote, the People overwhelmingly choose to place the limits.  So who does oppose term limits?  Incumbent Politicians and special interest groups who don't want to lose their investment in buying a member of Congress.  Term Limits makes sense and it is the only way to return our Government to the People.

The AIG outrage is understandable.  Americans are well within their right to protest the use of funds by criminally-inept businessmen in a dying company which we were forced to become 80% owners of (despite overwhelming opposition).  That being said, it makes me sick to my stomach to listen to all the empty rhetoric coming from Washington about this.  Why is all our outrage aimed at AIG?  Why do we not direct a large bulk of that rage towards our elected leaders, who KNEW about this long ago.  Not only did they know about it, but politicians such as Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) made sure to protect these bonuses by sticking in provisions to the stimulus bill.  I suppose those kinds of things happen when Congress accepts a bill without reading it first.  (Makes you wonder what else was plugged into the stimulus bill.)  Now, everyone is calling for AIG's blood.  We are angry that they were not fiscally responsible with our money.  THEY WEREN'T FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE WITH THEIR OWN MONEY!  If these people knew how to manage money properly, we wouldn't have had to bail them out in the first place.  We should have expected this type of moronic behavior from them.  If your dog gets into your closet and destroys your shoes, is it his fault?  Perhaps it is the fault of the owner who left their shoes on the floor and the closet door open, and assumed that the dog will reason that the shoes hold value to its owner and therefore should not damage them.  Come on!  President Obama knew about this, Geithner knew about this, hell everyone knew about this.  They are getting a free pass on this for some reason.  Perhaps these "Leaders" who are just sooo angry right now can make an effort to show their solidarity with the People by donating the contributions that AIG made to their campaigns to charities which will increasingly be the life support for millions of Americans who lost their jobs, many thanks to AIG.  Politicians such as President Obama or Sen. Dodd who both received over $100k from AIG.  Why would we expect something like that though, from the Congress which receives automatic pay raises every year.  There is something brewing within the American People and we are all starting to get a whif of it.  While Obama governs on a policy of "hope", let us show our Government what something real looks like, for instance... VOTING THEM OUT!

by Thomas Craig

AmericanTusk asks you to support H.R. 1207- The Federal Reserve Transparency Act of 2009.  You can read the statement made by Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) to introduce the bill by clicking here.

by Thomas Craig

One word.  Unbelievable.  The Nation, no... the WORLD have unanimously condemned this man as running the biggest ponzi scheme in history.  While I agree that this man is scum, I don't credit him with pulling off the largest heist in history.  For that dubious honor, we must look to our own Government.  Let's take social security for example.  Anytime an American receives a paycheck, a portion of that paycheck is taken out and put towards social security.  (At least Madoff's victims voluntarily gave him their money.)  Our "contributions" are then used to pay for retired workers who paid their dues earlier.  When I retire, my children will pay a portion of their paychecks so that the Government can pay for my retirement.  In addition to this basic ponzi formula, our Government (much like Madoff) continually dips into the money set aside for social security to pay for completely unrelated expenses.  Look up "Ponzi Scheme" on wikipedia.  Their definition is... A Ponzi scheme is a fraudulent investment operation that pays returns to investors from their own money or money paid by subsequent investors rather than from any actual profit earned.  Who will be held responsible when this ponzi scheme fails?  President Bush tried to break this cycle and allow individual investment of one's own money instead of mandatory contributions.  The Democrats defeated this by fear-mongering senior citizens into thinking they will lose their benefits.  A real solution was introduced and the Left rejected it!  Was it a perfect solution?  No, they never are, but it sure was a good start.  I don't mean to minimalize what Bernie Madoff did, but I think it is an ample opportunity to address the ongoing Great American Ponzi Scheme.  As we all have learned, Ponzi schemes inevitably fail.  The larger the scheme, such as Madoff's $65 Billion, the longer the charade might take to unfold.  History, however, has shown that it WILL always unravel in the end.  You think the crisis is bad now?  Unless Washington does something, just watch and wait to see the crises to come.

by Thomas Craig

I know, the title is maybe a bit much.  I'm having a hard time lately just like I know you are having a hard time as well.  We are standing by and watching our Country change into something and it terrifies us because we don't know what it will become.  What is even scarier is that it seems like our Government doesn't know what it will become either.  I sit and I pray that the Obama administration will surprise us and we will be lifted out of our current state.  Every day that passes, however, seems to convey the message that the President and our Government are in complete disarray.  It seems like our Government is being run no better than a fraternity house.  I'll tell you what I see.  I see a stock market that is failing because of a lack of direction and focus in our leadership.  I see a President who promised to stop earmarks and then goes ahead and signs off to 9000 of them.  I hear a President, who promised America that he has solutions, and instead merely blames his predecessor and throws his hands up as if to say that since he didn't cause it, he shouldn't be held responsible to fix it.  It’s almost as if we should be grateful that he is trying to fix it at all.  I see a Treasury Secretary who has zero faith from the People as well as Congress.  I see Republicans who advocate reforming the Party and vowing to return to our principles, and then go ahead and add in thousands of earmarks themselves.  I see a Speaker of the House who treats her position as if she won the lottery and can say, do, and spend whatever she pleases.  I sense, because my actual sight has never witnessed even a picture of it, trillions of dollars of debt that is borrowed from our Children or China (I'm not sure which is worse).  New taxes will take effect, and old taxes will rise.  Sure, only "rich" people will have their taxes increase.  You won't feel it at all unless of course you happen to purchase goods or services of any sort.  I see trillions spent on bailouts and stimulus.  I hear the call of our Leaders for trillions more to be spent to stop what the free market is naturally trying to accomplish.  Around the world, I see foreign nations test our resolve and flex their muscles and in return we invite them to sit down and talk.  I see Afghanistan failing and Mexican drug cartels pressing hard on our border.
Our individual freedoms are shrinking and our Government is growing.  More than ever before are we so controlled by our Government.  What saddens me is that America asked for it.  They saw a young man who talks a good game and who sold them Heaven itself.  That man is now winging it and trying to learn as he goes.  Of course the alternate option was not much better.
Republicans need to accept the misdeeds perpetrated by the Party during the Bush years.  I supported Bush and so I am guilty as well.  I supported the Patriot Act and I supported the expansion of our Government.  Both violate the Republican principles of individual freedom and limited Government.  I see all of this and I pray that our best days are ahead of us, but I fear that we might not be able to come back from where we are going.