Janet Contreras is a successful businesswoman, mother, wife and candidate to unseat Ed Pastor. In an election year where even the Democrats are acknowledging the impending swing in the balance of power in both the House and the Senate, Americans are shying away from he career incumbent and looking to their neighbors to represent them in Congress.

And America needs neighbors who listen (emphasis on double entendre.)

Here is a basic platform for all y’all to understand:

Illegal immigration is not acceptable.
Spending more than you have is not acceptable.
The Department of Education is unacceptable.
Health care for all will bankrupt us all. This is unacceptable.

There will be a quiz at the end of the article.

I know that is only four items. But when you look at the landscape of water cooler chatter, media coverage and general banter in public, what else is anyone talking about?

And think about it. If we handled, I MEAN REALLY HANDLED these four issues, and made a solid, substantive plan for success in these areas, a lot of the smaller dominoes would fall into place.

Janet Contreras intends to move the sled on these four issues. And she is like you and me. She is not a Washington insider, lawyer, career politician, lobbyist, intern, think tank member, media pundit, or any of those things you associate with Washington. She is your neighbor. You would invite her over for a cookout.

George Washington was concerned when he first took office that if he took an exorbitant salary for the Presidency that the people would get the impression that only rich and powerful people could rise to that level. Look around in Congress. Who do we have representing us? Career politicians who are wealthy and powerful. George Washington’s nightmare has become a reality.

The United States needs more people like Janet Contreras making decisions for us. All of us at one time or another have been in this position: You have done a job for so long that you start to fly on auto-pilot… You stop seeing the moving pieces, the things that make the job unique and special. After a while, you stagnate. Then, one of two things happens: You either get reassigned out of your indifference or another set of eyes comes to your desk and points things out that you either could not see or had forgotten. (By the way, this happens before they fire you…) Often times, either apathy or defensiveness starts to set in. The job isn’t fun anymore.

Well, Congress needs a new set of eyes. They have become zombies to the same old problems, providing the same old solutions. Maybe they are enjoying their jobs, but I do not think the constituents are. Look at poll numbers.

District 4 voters, reassign Ed Pastor, and bring in a new set of eyes. Janet Contreras.

A recent discussion on Facebook got me to thinking about money. The discussion started with a fundamental disagreement over the right of Pastor Terry Jones to host his Koran-b-que.

I know, not a whole lot to do with finance.

But I will save my opinions on this subject, since others have already fleshed many of them out on this site. Rather, I will delve into why that got me thinking about money.

Muslims are denouncing the burning of these books. They should. But before everyone gets their undies in a bunch and gets trigger happy, consider how much money the United States pumps into your respective country. And remember, Terry Jones is just one taxpayer sending that money to a theater near you. He does not represent all of us.

So, here goes, in chart form…

TOP 10 COUNTRIES RECEIVING FOREIGN AID FROM THE UNITED STATES IN 2005

Drumroll, Anton…

1. Israel 2.58 Billion
2. Egypt 1.84 Billion
3. Afghanistan 0.98 Billion
4. Pakistan 0.70 Billion
5. Colombia 0.57 Billion
6. Sudan 0.50 Billion
7. Jordan 0.48 Billion
8. Uganda 0.25 Billion
9. Kenya 0.24 Billion
10. Ethiopia 0.19 Billion
11. South Africa 0.19 Billion
12. Peru 0.19 Billion
13. Indonesia 0.18 Billion
14. Bolivia 0.18 Billion
15. Nigeria 0.18 Billion
16. Zambia 0.18 Billion

Did I say 10?

So to recap,

Israel is not Muslim. They are the other guys.
Egypt, Muslim. They vote against US interests in the United Nations 79% of the time.
Afghanistan, Muslim. This does not reflect the war chest that we utilize to cleanse their country of Taliban, al Quaida, and corrupt politicians. Nor the banking bailout that looms. (Remember these are 2005 numbers.)
Pakistan, Muslim. Oh, I heard recently that less than 3% of Pakistanis actually pay income tax.
Columbia, waaaay Roman Catholic.
Sudan, predominantly Muslim. They have been listed as a state sponsor of terror since 1993. Human rights violations are out of control here.
Jordan, Muslim. They vote against the US at the UN 71% of the time.
Uganda, predominantly Christian. One of the poorest nations in the world. Perhaps our aid is making a difference here, as they saw a growth in their economy of 7% in 2008.
Kenya, Christian. Pretty stable country.
Ethiopia, mostly Christian, about a third Muslim.

Ok, that is the top 10, of which 5 are Muslim. So, I guess my question is, why do we keep sending money to people who don’t like us? If you were writing a will, would you bequeath part of your inheritance to a family member who hated you, treated you poorly at family gatherings, spat in your face? What’s worse is that the accountability for that money is sketchy at best, (Egypt, Jordan) and nonexistent at worst, (Afghanistan, Pakistan.) Every household in the US contributes $39.00 to fund these efforts to help people that foment hate, vote against our interests, and take down our buildings.

I am for helping countries develop. Look at some of the good that our aid has done over the years. We helped rebuild Germany after tearing it down. We helped rebuild Japan after tearing it down. We rebuilt a lot of other European countries after World War II. Look at Kenya and Uganda on the list above.

The United States is the most benevolent country in the history of the world. It’s people give to charities and organizations that further supplement the numbers above. Yet we remain a vilified pariah in the international community.

My fellow Americans, how could it be that we as a nation founded on conviction of the human soul, cannot recognize the progeny staring back in the mirror? Have we not seen the bright spots of free principals vindicated over our triumphs against tyrants? Have we also not seen the ugly consequences of turning our back on allies and breaking promises to defend liberty? Can you recognize the distraction our ‘gadgetry society’ has become? Just what is it that we are fighting for these days? Why did it take someone as ideologically extreme as Barack Obama to wake up our enabling nation? Short answer; moral atrophy.

Our republic is in decline not because people are struggling to pay their bills, but because people are struggling to inspect who their representatives are. We deserve who we vote into office, this country asked for Barack Obama because they thought it would be an emotional feel good moment. “We the people” didn’t inspect the goods being advertised. When are we going to stop doing what is popular and get back to doing what is right? Much like those famous Methamphetamine billboards, America hooked on leftist ideology reflects those bruised, damaged and emotionally bankrupt teens. Sugary social programs account for the decay in our society. Politically correct, self-esteem infused, gender neutral school yard games are the causation of soft, unequipped children. We have to get back to principals that choose depravation for good over satisfaction and debt. Do you know what your kids know? Can your teenagers who are going off to college name the founders and who wrote what documents?

The left has hijacked “our children are the future” for their indoctrination agenda. Its time we take back our children’s minds. We need to wag a ‘grey matter war’ on intellectual property. Grassroots organizations begin under our roofs. Pamphlet’s producing modern concepts of “Common Sense” are typed on our keyboards. I repeat my theme out of necessity. I cannot go far enough to extol the virtues of family values, while denouncing the hype of egalitarianism. Please do not confuse treating citizens as equals with demanding everyone have the same level of lousy healthcare. Only the selfish begrudge those who live in nicer neighborhoods. We should refocus on our works, our ability to change for the better and extending our hand to others in time of solace.

In closing, every America loving home should own William Bennett’s two volume set “America; the last best hope” available for family and friends to get reacquainted with why America is special. God bless America, and may God bless you.

During my daily news perusal, there are new reports of school children in Afghanistan who were gassed along with some fourteen teachers. Of course these were little girls trying to claim a piece of humanity for themselves while the usual monsters work diligently to stop them. I was curious about how much play or lack thereof this story garnered. There are dozens of responsible independent reporters who brought this episode to light and I wondered if any American woman’s rights groups were doing the same. I suspected what the answer would be before I found it.

The National Organization for Women had no mention of this story on their website. They were however giving big play to their “Tits for an Ass” campaign asking President Obama to fire Alan Simpson over his purportedly stealth maneuvering to end social securities benefits. I wish I were making this up folks. If you send in $5 dollars to this campaign, they are going to send in a rubber nipple to Obama. Here is the link; please see what this monument to a moral cesspool organization is promoting. (On a side note; It is interesting that the only Obama appointee they want recall of is a Republican)

Next I figured Code Pink would be good for a forehead slap or two. What they were excited about was every conceivable anti-war platform imaginable. Just when I thought I was going to give them credit for mentioning the support of Iraqi women, a closer look revealed how they spun it into catchy slogans like “Surge to Sadness” playing on the much needed troop surge. What was really despicable was an older article posted from “The Independent,” titled “How picture phones have fuelled frenzy of honor killings in Iraq.” Basically because of the ease in which Iraqi men could take photo’s of themselves with women and send it to ‘good old buddies,’ these buddies would claim to know that burqa and that’s all she wrote for that death sentence. There were classic lines like “the position of women in Iraqi society has deteriorated dramatically since the start of the occupation.” And the ever so subtle “vulnerability to violence is not the only area in which the equal status of women in Iraq has been eroded.” Wow, I guess ending the rape chambers of Uday and Qusay were Code Pink approved only as long as it wasn’t an external benefit of going to war with Saddam.

Apparently, under Saddam, women attained some semblance of “equal status” before the United States came in and screwed it up. My fellow conservatives, these are the powers, the lobbyists and the kooks who fuel, fund and fulminate under the leftist party banner. These are some of your daughters, your sisters, friends and [gulp] your wives. Men, God called upon us to be leaders, protectors and teachers to our house. Who needs Islamist to blow up our country when we have outrageous fringe groups calling for disarmament, capitulation and subservience of our once proud country? We need to get involved; we need to educate our families on the evil hiding in the forest of misinformation. Can you hear the storm sirens, they are deafening.

Serendipity. N. 1. Good luck in making unexpected and fortunate discoveries.

I will use serendipity in a sentence…

It was serendipitous that my recent move to the Washington, D.C. area coincided with the Glenn Beck rally on August 28, 2010.

Ok, I used serendipitous, the adjective. Sue me.

I walked the mall today with a bajillion other people. We stood for hours listening to speakers like Sarah Palin, Albert Pujols, musicians, and of course, Glenn Beck. Usually in these circumstances, I would be prone to use adjectives to describe the event, words like “electric” or “energized.” I cannot use these adjectives, however, because that was not the feel of the event.

Don’t get me wrong, the rally (sorry, even without political rhetoric I must call it that) was a monumental experience. But what I sensed was not electricity or energy. It was more akin to the deep breath before the plunge. If the 250,000 people on the President’s lawn today are a microcosm of the sentiment in this nation, he should be concerned. The dragon is about to awaken. The funny thing is, he wasn’t even peeking through the curtains like Mrs. Kravitz. He was on vacation (Really? Again?) at Martha’s Vineyard.

But this dragon did not breathe fire and burn down the Casa Blanca. No, instead the mass of humanity was respectful beyond imagination. People said things like “Excuse Me,” and “Pardon Me” as they passed. They stood shoulder to shoulder as one entity as they prayed to God. They listened intently to the speakers, and honored citizen and soldier alike.

There were two politicians mentioned during the entire rally. One was Sarah Palin, and since she was a speaker, it stands to reason that she would be mentioned. The other was John McCain, and the reference was to his time in the Hanoi Hilton as opposed to his political career. No Obama’s. No Pelosi’s. Dr. King was raised up, as well he should have been. Two score and seven years ago to the date he immortalized a generation with his speech on the same spot.

The people at this rally represent the silent majority. Their voices will be heard at the polls. This isn’t even about Democrat or Republican. It is about the self-aggrandizing politician, the men that Samuel Adams warned us about 250 years ago. Politicians do not represent the will of the people. They will heed their wrath come November.

I had heard that Al Sharpton and his hair were organizing a counter event. I did not see any evidence of this. It may have happened. What I can tell you is that the crowd was full of African Americans. Yes that’s right. Black people at a white man’s rally. These are the ones that the Democratic Party doesn’t want you to know about. I took a picture of a group of them on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial holding signs disparaging the Democratic Party. The closest thing to demonstration I saw all day, young black men ripping the party of FDR and LBJ. Indelible.

Oh, by the way, the Mall was virtually spotless when the crowd dispersed. Funny how that works…

Ladies and gentlemen, I am an ‘out of touch’ voter in the wake of our primaries. I admit that I am caught short of emotional maturity when I do not want to celebrate a win for our Republican incumbent. A tumultuous, dastardly function of politics unfolded before Arizonan’s eyes this Tuesday. John McCain spent 21 million dollars defeating J.D. Hayworth and little known Jim Deakin. Forgive my fiscally conservative ideology, but I find this a grievous sin.

For you political purists, who shrug your shoulders and call this fair game, shame on your indifference. Integrity has left the building. The fight for moral values, performance of civic duty and service to fellow man are but relics in our history books. The man who co-wrote campaign finance reform, the man whose name adorns fair and equitable contribution legislation broke spending records excoriating his own party members. The very definition of integrity must have changed since I last looked. Character as a term couldn’t possibly reference the ideal I grew up with as a kid, let alone the “Character” McCain campaigned on.

Alas my fellow conservatives, I am despondent. Once again I have to console myself and cast a putrefying ballot for a party candidate I am disdainful of. I shall weep tea colored tears over moral equivocating, thus faithfully executing my duty to support our destructive senate candidate. How are we to take back our country if we cannot sweep up the detritus from our own backyard? Hence I must reconcile myself that spending 21 million dollars to retain a seat is okay with the rest of my neighbors. Thank you Senator McCain, you alone have brought me one step closer to un-retractable disillusion.

Nevertheless we have set backs to contend with. The Lord is my strength, my convictions are strong and the Democrats are going down in November. My fellow American’s let us not be side tracked, let us not lose sight of the prize because of pompous bloviator’s. Our message is not diluted. We the people will be heard and we will no longer stay idle to the trampling of our rights. Let us soldier on in the fight to take back our country. Let’s usher in a conservative mandate and install our own version of “Top Kill” on the out of control money leak. Remember, “I can see November from my house.”

There is nothing wrong with building a mosque in this country. We are a free country and we believe in freedom of religion. This is what makes this country great and truly a noble experiment in history. This country was one of the first to make tolerance of other religions part of its Constitution and this value has become not just an American value but a Western value. We should be proud of this value that we hold dear.

Having said that, there is such a thing as making tolerance a religion in itself. Building a mosque next to Ground Zero qualifies in the latter. This is an affront to the roughly 3,000 people who lost their lives during that horrific event. Every single one of the terrorists who were on the planes that crashed into the Twin Towers were Muslim terrorists and believed in radical Islamist ideology. Although our country believes in freedom of religion, to say that we should build a monument so close to Ground Zero is an assault on the dignity of the survivors of the people who unfortunately were murdered.

Freedom of religion is one thing. Making tolerance a religion in itself is a completely different matter.

My fellow American’s, Barack Obama is our President and it is our fault. This may come as a shock, but really it shouldn’t because after all we are the party of responsibility. This isn’t where I say it was solely George Bush’s fault and Ronald Reagan was our strongest defense against an Obama presidency; no it really started with the parents of baby boomers.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was good to us. Eisenhower’s example as a general was extraordinary more to the point his leadership in the White House even more remarkable. Eisenhower knew how to handle opposition with grace and an invisible hand. It was the television that ruined us; superficiality crept in through our eye sockets and began dismantling critical thinking.

Lo and behold a handsome, very young and inexperienced statesman (familiar territory?) became our 35th President. Immediately Khrushchev began toying with JFK and he had to prove his meddle. With conviction I give him the benefit that he found the intestinal fortitude to back Nikita down but it was a comfort too close to call for our nation. With the tragedies of tragedies to unfold, we lost a President and gained the mother of all spendthrifts. Our government and its powers would continue to experience exponential growth.

It is here where I may lose some of you. Had the nation not prospered equally for all under Eisenhower? No, it didn’t, great work was to be done that should have been the boon of Republican’s, but Lyndon Baines Johnson took the credit in the name of JFK to sign the Civil Rights Act of 1964. We have been proselytizing the bills true senatorial support for years; we might as well have bludgeoned everyone, for it still fell on deaf ears. This was the tide that turned conservatism over to the left. We didn’t fight the good fight with vigor; we began to let the other side shout us down. Parents and our grandparents turned a blind eye to leftist infiltration of the media, the university systems and ultimately our government.

Christians, conservatives, even moderates let the extreme Marxist loving, egalitarian decreeing leftist value system teach our children and our children’s children. We could have said no in the sixties, we could have demanded to know what the education curriculum was, one that should have taught America’s core values and not those of European elitist ideology. On our watch we let big Labor Unions grow to unmitigated power whores. My fellow conservatives we are reaping what we allowed to be sowed. God is being taken out of every government office the NAACP can pry him out of. Our elementary school children are learning how to dress a condom on a banana. The will of the people goes overturned, twice, in California, and we have an out of control U.S. border that States do not have the right to protect, no check that, are being sued for trying to protect. Our government owns banks, car companies and our healthcare. I have a question for you.

Do you want your country back? Do you want to see a return to prosperity and moral rule? Turn off the reality shows, pick up your history books, register all of your family members and get in the game. We can take back change. Let’s take back our America November 2010.