Stop Pulling the Wagon

In military jargon “Flying Below The Radar” means operating within enemy airspace at such a low altitude that your enemies Radar will not “see” you. 

When shopping at our favorite supermarket I have on more than one occasion commented to  my wife and daughter that I would not ever want to see myself or members of our family on the cover of National Enquirer or any of the other “Checkout Stand Periodicals”.  I want to live my life below the “Tabloid” Radar.

I have never thought of myself as paranoid but I am saddened to say, that as time goes by, and as I see what is happening in the halls of our Government, I have reached the conclusion that I want to stay below the Governments Radar. 

GOVERNMENT, especially “BIG GOVERNMENT”, IS NOT MY FRIEND!  They demonstrate almost daily that they cannot be trusted.  Government is on a path to try to regulate and control every aspect of our lives.  What I want is for the Government to leave me alone and let me live my life with my family and friends.

So…… “What Can I Do To Live Below The Governments Radar” and  ” Spend Less Time Pulling The Government Wagon” ? 

Keep a low profile, don’t seek fame.  Obey the law.   Don’t give the Government any excuse or reason to come looking for me.  Pay my taxes on time but pay as little taxes as I legally can.    Do more of my business with cash  (it is still legal tender).  Keep in mind that the Government is on the threshold of tracking everything I purchase with my ATM/Debit/Credit Cards, including those  “Club”/”Member” discount cards.  Be careful of what I put in writing.  Be careful in making promises and even more careful to keep them.   Live modestly; too much “flash” draws attention.  Live within our means.  Avoid unnecessary use of credit.  Save money.  Have a “stash” of cash that only I and those I love and trust know about.  Whenever possible take care of my needs within my own family or circle of close friends.  Don’t trust Government.  Don’t make threats.  Don’t confront Government, just avoid them whenever possible.   

If the above sounds a little paranoid I guess I must plead “guilty” where Government is concerned.

There are lots of ways to “Live Below The Radar”.    Something worth thinking  about.            -Bob

THANK YOU PRESIDENT OBAMA!  THANK YOU SPEAKER PELOSI!  THANK YOU SENATOR REID!

The three of you have done more to disrupt the Liberal Agenda than anything I could have hoped for in my wildest dreams.  

 I believe that in twelve months you have set Liberalism back a decade, maybe more. 

I was wrong.  I thought you were working against everything I believe.  Instead, you have awakened my fellow Americans to just how precious freedom and personal responsibilty are and just how dangerous Big Liberal Government can be. 

So, Press On!  Just keep doing what you are doing.    Make more “Back Room Deals“.   Buy more votes from Congress men/women and Senators who are willing to prostitute their votes.   Keep ignoring what the people of this country want.   Don’t listen to the voters, what do they know?   

I used to feel anger against what you were doing.  Not any more.   Life is good!        -Bob

My mother-in-law gave me the above ticket telling me that my father-in-law had carried it in his wallet for many years. 

In my mind it takes me back 40+ years in time to the mid/late 1960’s during the Presidency of Lyndon Johnson.  I was a young man, filled with idealism,  and his promise of a “Great Society” and a “War on Poverty” seemed like a good idea.  

The intended consequence of the Great Society was to  eliminate “Social Injustice” and “Poverty”  permanently.  I envisioned an America where there would never again be “Poor” people. 

In the four decades since that time our nation has “invested” (spent) Trillions of (taxpayer) Dollars on this plan. 

Have we eliminated Social Injustice or Poverty?  Or, has the unintended consequence been to  create a Welfare State which has become a tool to destroy many American families?  Have we not created an opportunity for millions to behave irresponsibly without personal accountability while taxpayers pick up “the tab”?

 Have we learned anything from the Great Society!  Or, have we, as a people, sold our Freedom and become slaves to the empty promise that “Big Government” will take care of us?

I don’t often quote the Bible on this site but I’m going to make an exception here because what it says applies so appropriately to this subject.  In 2 Timonthy 4:3 (NIV) the Apostle Paul says: For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine.  Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.  

Substitute the words “sound doctrine” with the word “truth” and the word  “teachers” with the word “politicians” and read it again. 

If you do not like quotes from the Bible how about this slogan I had on a favorite tee-shirt many years ago.  “I HAVE GIVEN UP MY QUEST FOR REALITY AND AM NOW SEEKING A GOOD FANTASY”

My fear is that we may have reached, or are perilously close to, the time that one of our Nations Founders predicted.  That Democracy would only last until the people figured out they could vote themselves largess from the public treasury. (not an exact quote but close)  Are we there yet?   

Bob Bandy

I do not believe that I am the only one to recognize that what Osama Bin Laden tried, but failed,  to do to the United States, we have done to ourselves. 

When those planes flew into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center on 9/11 it was the intention of Osama Bin Laden to cripple or destroy the economy of the United States.

Many States (California, New York, Michigan and others) as well as the Federal Government are financially dysfunctional and  virtually Bankrupt.  The States have not filed the Bankruptcy paperwork (yet) and the Federal Government cannot file Bankruptcy but will finance its insolvency with inflation (more later).

California (where I live) is in a 25 Billion Dollar hole and is still digging deeper with no realistic options to get out of the hole.  They “burned” the ladder.

The Federal Government just blew past their 12 Trillion Dollar “credit card limit” and Congress is looking to raise the limit to 14 Trillion Dollars with the hope that this new limit will get them past the next election.

In California, the state has three major sources of revenue (plus an endless array of fees, assessments etc).  Those are Property Taxes, Sales Taxes and Income Taxes. When the housing “bubble” burst it triggered a financial “Perfect Storm”.  Since California was/is dependent on property taxes that are based on a percentage of property values, when those values declined 40-60%,  revenues plunged.  What followed was like a snowball going downhill.  Fiscal disaster.  And, the State has already “pre-spent” the planned for future revenues which are not going to come in.

At the Federal Government level our elected representatives are not willing to make the hard choices needed to cut spending and instead just keep running up the debt.  At some point just paying the interest on that debt will consume a significant portion of the nations annual tax revenues and then the “Feds” will have to greatly increase the printing of “Fiat” (worth less and less) paper money.  In this process any savings you have will be devalued.  If interest rates go up, and they will have to, “Katie Bar The Door”, we will either have hyper-inflation or we all need to learn to speak Chinese.

Our Leaders need to stop spending money we don’t have, stop creating “Entitlements” we can’t afford, stop borrowing the future of our Children and Grandchildren and stop lying to us.  So far, they are not showing any inclination of changing their ways. 

I don’t like gloom and doom scenarios any more than anyone else.  Somebody please show me where I am wrong in this analysis.  Its the old Ant and Grasshopper story.  We taxpayers are the ants and those in charge are the grasshoppers. 

Who do we blame?  We (the People) elected ‘Em!          

Bob Bandy

“If God did not want them sheared, He would not have made them Sheep.” 

In the classic Western Movie, The Magnificent Seven,  this is what the outlaw bandit leader, Calvera (Eli Walach), tells the leader of the Seven, Chris Adams (Yul Brynner).

Calvera is referring to his practice of robbing the villagers of the fruits of their labor and leaving them just enough to survive on till his next visit.

In fact Calvera later states:  “Generosity – That was my first mistake!”  Meaning, he left the Villagers a little too much, or they would not have had the resources to hire “The Seven”.

Sound familiar?   Consider the following:

We taxpayers are considered as little more than sheep by our Governments: Local, State and especially Federal.  They view us as a steady source of tax money to be “sheared” on a routine basis.  And, just like Calvera did with the people of the Village, Government  plans to leave us with just enough to survive on until the next “shearing”.

I don’t think we can count on Government to make the same “mistake” as Calvera.  The only mistake our leaders are likely to make is to “Kill the goose that lays the golden eggs”.

Please forgive the mixed metaphors.  

Bob Bandy

Credits:  The Magnificent Seven.  1960.  Executive Producer – Walter Mirisch.  Produced and Directed by John Sturges.  Music by Elmer Bernstein.

I often like to ask myself questions that begin with “What If?”

We face an increasingly oppressive and invasive Government that seeks to tax, regulate and control every aspect of our lives.

There are many of us who are frustrated with what seems to be a lack of a way to halt the loss of our freedoms and the confiscation of  “wealth” through all kinds of taxes and fees (I call it stealing) on what we worked so hard for.

Mahatma Gandhi literally changed history with his life.  With non-violent means he led a movement that brought an end to British Colonial power in India.  The 1982 Oscar winning movie staring Ben Kingsley presented the impact of his life in a profound way.  If you have not seen it, you should.

What if we had a leader today, in our own country, who would lead a non-violent movement to dismantle the corruption, waste, fraud and deceit of our own government?

What if a significant percentage of the population of the United States changed its lifestyle to a more simple one that is not centered on consumption and aquistion of “stuff”?  Our Government is totally dependent on all of us Taxpayers doing a lot of consuming.  When consumption shrinks significantly, tax revenues plunge.

What if we voters voted out of office all incumbents?  Would things be better or worse?

What if I made a decision in my own life to not be a slave to the “State” and to “stuff”?

What If I started living my own life on an income that is sufficient for my actual needs but at a level where there is only minimum or no “income” taxes?

Make up your own “What If”s” and think about it.  Just a thought.   

Bob Bandy