Mitt Romney is a Conservative

Dear Readers,

I'm tired of tea-party folks and conservative Republicans calling Mitt Romney a RINO or a mushy moderate or a even liberal. He's not! He might appear more liberal to the casual observer because he went to Harvard (but remember he also went to BYU, the bastion of conservatism!) he governed in the Northeast, he lacks a cowboy swagger, and of course because of Romneycare... but he's actually pretty conservative.

A few things that people forget about Romneycare are that Mitt Romney vetoed much of it, and that the liberal Governor and liberal legislature who came after him has made it worse. That's why health care in Massachusetts is becoming higher in cost and lower in quality. I don't think it's Mitt Romney's fault. Another gigantic difference between RomneyCare and ObamaCare is that RomneyCare was started when the budget was balanced and there was in fact a surplus in the state coffers. ObamaCare, on the other hand, was done at a time when the debt and the deficit were out of control.

Look, if you read the chapter in No Apology: The Case for American Greatness on health care, you'll start to see Mitt Romney's side of things in regards to Romneycare. There's a lot of freeloaders in the emergency rooms, and that's driving up costs. And I agree that it would be inhumane to turn away the sick and injured from hospitals, just because they don't have the ability to pay. So, we're already treating medical care as a right in this country. Maybe it isn't such a bad idea to make everybody buy health insurance.

Mitt Romney's electable, OK? He's more electable than Newt Gingrich, according to the polls. And electability is one of the most important qualities the Republican party should look for when nominating someone. Just like Michael Medved writes, Presidents get elected with the support of the people in the middle. Like it or not, Obama has a really good chance of winning. He's the incumbent, and incumbents usually win. I was reading an article on Hot Air, one of my favorite political websites, and I found this comment and I thought I would copy and paste it here:

Again…Show me in Romney’s record here what is liberal, all of you who CLAIM to know so much about Romney!

Romney’s record:
Cut taxes in MA – Check

Closed loopholes and raised fees as Reagan did – Check

Voted pro-life bills as GOV – Check

Voted and eased 2nd Amendment bills in MA – Check
See here: “Massachusetts oldest, largest and premier pro-second amendment/gun rights group, Gun owners` Action League (GOAL) stated:“The bill was the greatest victory for gun owners since the passage of the gun control laws in 1998 (Chapter 180 of the Acts of 1998). It was a reform bill totally supported by GOAL. Press and media stories around the country got it completely wrong when claimed the bill was an extension of the ‘assault weapon’ ban”

Against illegal immigration – Check

Signed bill against Illegal Immigration Recv tuition breaks – Check

Build the complete fence along the border – Check

For Defense of Marriage Act – Check

For Cut, Cap, and Balance – Check

Pro expansion of the military and keeping GITMO open – Check

Drilling in ANWR – Check

Investing in new technologies for oil – Check

Develop energy technology like nuclear or liquefied coal – Check

Conservative Reagan could vote for Romney…Reagan: “I’m not retreating an inch from where I was. But I also recognize this: There are some people who would have you so stand on principle that if you don’t get all that you’ve asked for from the legislature, why, you jump off the cliff with the flag flying. I have always figured that a half a loaf is better than none, and I know that in the democratic process you’re not going to always get everything you want. So, I think what they’ve misread is times in which I have compromised.”

Many of you need to check Reagan’s Governing and POTUS (POTUS means President of the United States) record to Romney’s!

You all spout off and have nothing to back it up with while he was in office he Governed with as a conservative. Did you know that Reagan vetoed his Tip O’Neill Congress 78 times in 8 years.
Romney vetoed his Massachusetts legislature over 800 times in 4 years. Virtually all were overridden–including the entirety of his 8 “Romneycare” vetoes because he governed as a Conservative!

Mitt Romney 2012!

Sincerely,
Telemoonfa

I'm thankful for... (plus Mitt Romney 2012!)

Dear Readers,

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

What are you thankful for?

Oh, that's neat! Now it's time to talk about everyone's favorite subject.... MEEEEEEE! and my feelings ; )

I'm thankful for...

Mitt Romney

America

Spam

my job

my family

Church

art

science

history

the four seasons

familiarity

whirring machines that make my life more comfortable

moments away from whirring machines that make life more meaningful

moments when my mind is more than a mere biological whirring machine, times when my mind is a spiritual being with a life of its own

moving on...

Listen folks, about Presidential politics, we really need to get Obama out. I want to elect the most conservative person around, and I'm not sure who that is. It's so hard to know who's really conservative. But electability matters, too! I think Rick Perry would be a pretty good President, but could you imagine him in a debate with Obama? Obama would crush him. And Perry's too much like Bush, and too many people don't like Bush.

I've watched just about every second of all 11 debates this election season, and the guy I like the most is Mitt Romney. I like Michelle Bachmann, but she doesn't have much executive experience or much private sector experience, and she says embarrassing stuff sometimes, like, "Watch out for the 9-9-9 plan- look what happens if you turn it upside down!" Too many gaffes for one little lady.

I really like Rick Santorum, too. I think he's right on most of the issues. But, he seems whiny, and his campaign is really struggling. Maybe if Newt Gingrich's campaign goes downhill, Santorum will have a chance against Mitt Romney as the next incarnation of the anti-Romney spirit.

Rick Perry... you know if he were just better at debating, he would have a better chance at winning. I don't like his stance on illegal immigration, though. And if there is such a thing as being too much of a cowboy, then Rick Perry... uh... is too much of a cowboy.

Newt Gingrich. Fantastic debater. Problematic personal life. He's on his third marriage. He sat on a couch with Nancy Pelosi and tried to get us all to buy carbon credits to fight global warming. (By the way, global warming is a big fat hoax!) But one could drag up stuff about all the candidates to make them look too liberal. So... Another bad thing about him is that he's been a politician forever, and he got a bunch of money recently from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac... over a million bucks... he was an adviser or something... wouldn't a principled conservative refuse to take that much money from such a messed-up government organization?

Nevertheless, Newt's pretty cool, but not as cool as Mitt Romney. Also, Newt's tubby. What does that have to do with being President? Well... I'd feel comfortable with Newt as the Commander-in-Chief, but not as the Commander-in-Briefs, you know what I'm saying? Say what you want about Barack Obama, but you gotta admit, the less he wears, the better he looks. Remember when Obama was jogging shirtless in slow motion, David Hasselhoff-esque, on the beaches of Hawaii? Now that's the kind of posturing that really energizes the female vote!

(Oh, my dear Readers, Telemoonfa Time has reached a new low. When I start comparing Gingrich's and Obama's beach bodies, it's time for Rick Perry to declare my house as a No Blogging Zone. If you launch a boycott against me and all my writings, I'll understand. Even I boycott myself sometimes. But enough with the self-depreciating humor. It's not funny anyway and I'm not funny enough and seriously this isn't even funny anymore; it's just sad.)

Herman Cain. Last night he said that we should put tough sanctions on Syrai, such as getting everybody to stop buying oil from them. The only trouble is... Syria doesn't export oil very much. They send out about three thimble-fulls a month. So, Cain demonstrated again that he doesn't have a grasp on much of foreign affairs. And he usually gives one of two answers to every question: Answer 1: "I'm a problem solver. I would get the most knowledgeable people about __________________ (enter issue here) and I would look at the data, and come to a conclusion." Answer 2: "Let me explain how my 9 9 9 plan would fix ___________ (enter issue here)"

John Huntsman... I really like him, too. He did balance the budget of Utah, and the economy there is great, relatively speaking, but I think a lot of that has to do with the culture of the people of Utah, not necessarily the resident of the Governor's mansion. He's more liberal, though, when it comes to global warming, evolution, ending the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and he rides a motorcycle. Plus, I don't like the way he's a wishy-washy Mormon. He's kind of a watered-down, multicultural Latter Day Saint. I know, I know, maybe I shouldn't be judging his religiousness. That's a very personal matter and I don't want to act like I'm the judge of Huntsman's spiritual character, but... did you hear that Jon Huntsman is going to celebrate Diwali in a traditional Hindu fashion for his adopted daughter from India? Huntsman ought to be putting a CTR ring on that little girl, and telling her to marry a hunky RM in the temple someday, don't you think? (That reminds me of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie trying to raise their adopted kids in a bunch of different religions. We'll see how that works out.) Well... I just prefer the traditional strain of Mormonism displayed in my hero, Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul. He's too kooky. And his foreign policy is messed up. And he's not electable. And listen, all you crazy Ron Paul supporters: like it or not, politics is about compromise. There's 350 million people in this country, and many of them are liberals. Their votes are just as valid as conservatives' votes. You have to compromise with them. The best thing an elected official can do is to try to push the government in a conservative direction all the while preaching the doctrine of conservatism to the masses.

Again and again, Ron Paul has proven that he is unwilling to negotiate, unwilling to compromise, unwilling to even consider voting for an unbalanced budget. If a bill isn't exactly how he wants it, he'll just vote no. That's why he's called Dr. No. This doesn't mean the Paul's positions are right, it just means that Paul's positions are unpractical. The American people don't have the political will to put Paul's drastic changes into place. Now, that being said, I think that Ron Paul has been and will continue to be an important voice for auditing the federal reserve, getting out of the U.N., defending civil liberties, and for moving American towards fiscal stability.

And now I have a message for Ron Paul. If you don't get the nomination, please please please DO NOT RUN THIRD PARTY! You will nearly guarantee Obama's reelection!

And now, finally, we come to the old tried and true candidate, Mitt Romney. He's my hero. Mitt Romney is the most electable. I have problems with him, like many conservatives do: his support of Ethanol subsidies, Romneycare, his flip-flop on abortion and gay rights... that one time he tried to relate to the inner-city black kids by saying who let the dogs out ... but all things considered, he's the Republican party's best chance at victory, and he's the best chance we have at pushing America in a conservative direction. Plus he's perfect on foreign policy. Plus he belongs to the true religion! Think of the boon a Romney Presidency would be for LDS public relations! As long as he's a good President, of course. If he's a horrible President, that might be bad for the Church's image. But I've got a feeling that Romney will be a great President. Mitt Romney 2012!

Sincerely,
Telemoonfa

Giant Bird in my Backyard

Dear Readers,

The other morning I went in the backyard and saw a giant bird standing on the wall. The bird was huge! I had never seen a bird like it before in my neighborhood.



After a moment, the bird flew away.

(The lemon tree and grapefruit tree I planted last spring are also in the picture. One of these days they're going to be huge and produce a ton of fruit, but for now they're really small.)



Then the bird landed on one of my neighbors' rooftops. He stood there a while, looking this way and that.


I looked at him for a little while, and then he flew off again.

It was amazing. What kind of bird is it? I don't know. Do any of you know? Did he come to your house?

Whatever he is, I hope he comes back. I like him. On the other hand, I understand that birds are free, and they rightfully go wherever they want to go.

Sincerely,
Telemoonfa

Sleepiness

I’ve always been prone to sleep.
I like 9 hours a night,
and a long nap following a long lunch:
A hot, sloppy sandwich, milk in a big cup,
a sleeping pill. At lunch I like
eating alongside warm and blurry people,
comfortable figures, muttering
their dreams of sailing, their dreams of flying.

Some people don’t like the fog but I do.
There’s fog when you sleep,
fog on the doorstep of every day,
fog waiting for your return, loyal as a dog.

The more I sleep,
The more quickly a year passes.
The more I sleep,
The more fog collects on my glasses.
The more I sleep,
The sooner I’m dead.

San Tan Valley Voters Reject Tax Hike; Fiscal Conservatives Rejoice!

Dear Readers,

In local political news...

Prop 1 and 2 failed! Hooray!

A few weeks ago, when I first saw the signs, dozens of them, around the neighborhood saying, "Combs Kids Count! Vote Yes on 1 & 2" I wanted to put up signs that said, "No on 1 & 2 means more $ 4 U!" It's a catchy slogan, but it sounds a little greedy, and I didn't want to spend the time or energy putting up signs, you know. But I was very pleased when I saw someone recently put out a few signs opposed to 1 & 2 that were much more succinct than my imaginary signs. They read, "Teach Budgeting. No on 1 and 2."

Well, the yes on 1 and 2 campaign beat the fiscal conservatives on the signage front, but we naysayers won where it really mattered- in the voting booths! The unofficial results I'm looking at now says that 1 and 2 failed 35 % - 65 %.

Honestly, I thought Propositions 1 and 2 would pass. They were for the children, and things for the children usually pass. Like First Things First kept getting funded because it was for the children. And Prop 100 passed because it was for the children. Budget overrides for school districts always passed in Sahuarita, the town that I grew up in. And of course, the budget overrides were for the children.

The people who want us to keep government programs going for the children are the same people who are burdening our children with debt. You know how much every child owes to the federal government? $47,888, according to the National Debt Clock.

I do understand that a lot of teachers are upset, a lot of administrators are upset, and a lot of Moms and Dads are upset. I feel your pain. But I have a suggestion! You can donate $ 200 a year to your school, and then get all $200 completely back in your taxes. That's a great way to allocate your state income tax money to the schools. And one of the best things about that is that it is voluntary!

And then, if you really feel really really upset, even after you've donated $200, give even more! You can even act as if the propositions passed, and give Combs School District an extra 15 % on your property taxes for the next 7 years! School Districts take donations! They're always asking for them! There's a slew of fundraisers you can choose from. Car washes, bake sales, etc.

I do care about education and I do care about schools, but if we want our Republic to survive, and not go down the road that Greece is currently on, we need to severely limit the size and scope of government. And one of the best ways to limit the size and scope of government is to never let them raise your taxes.

Sincerely,
Telemoonfa

The Rodeo

Yee-haw ya’ll! Get your spit on them bolo ties
And break out some big old bucking bronco boots, guys,
‘cause it’s the Rootin’ Tootin’ Big-Gun-Shootin' Upsher County Rodeo!
It’s gonna be just like they do on the television show
They’s horses, they’s barrels, they’s bulls and they’s hay,
Calves, dogs, clowns, and beer kegs flowin’ all day!

And up in the seats is some treats for us who like ropin’
Cuz there’s sweetheart ladies just a struttin’ and a flouncin’
With them girlie curly twirly hair ribbons just a-flap-flap-flappin’
And when them ropers yank hard on a sheep’s bleeding neck,
the women all start hollerin’ and cheerin’ from here to Heck.
I tell you there ain’t nothing better in the sweet Texas breeze
than to lasso a steer, tie ‘em up, and bash ‘em in the knees!

And this year my Granpa’s Ex-wife’s Cousin Buck
is gonna bring in a 7 foot tall rabid duck. A duck!
Hauled in direct from the farm on his big-old diesel truck.
7 foot tall! No lie! They cooked up chemicals they made him drink
then scientists gene-mixed him with a T-Rex dinosaur, I think,
well, it’s a feathery yellow-glowin' guy,
a mutated honker about to die, children might even cry
when they see it foaming at the beak and veins just a poppin’
but us cowboys know when the Rodeo is startin' and when the Rodeo is stoppin'
and the show ain't done 'til the duck's done droppin'
down to the dirt and starts spewing chunky orange spew
but the rodeo ain't through, I said the rodeo ain't never through
'til the duck's got one eye on the Devil and one eye on you.
After that we're gonna make the duck fight turtles.