Content by Blue Collar Muse
Posted at 8:30am on Jul. 11, 2008 TSA: Tyrants or a Thin, Blue Line?
By Blue Collar Muse
The powers permitted to Government ought to be few and well defined. So believed James Madison. Nowhere is this more true than in the area of "police power". It should be noted the Constitution only extends police powers to the federal government in case of "counterfeiting, treason, piracy and offenses against the laws of nations." Which makes for disturbing news from Homeland Security. Seems citizens need to be aware of yet more when flying.
Posted in Breaking News — Comments (28) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 10:47am on Jul. 7, 2008 Will the Circle be Unbroken, Part II
By Blue Collar Muse
Last week I wrote about the plight of Nashville's Joy Ford, the country's latest victim of Eminent Domain abuse by government. Nashville's Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA) has begun legal proceedings under Eminent Domain to condemn and seize Joy's business. It has prospered at the head of Music Row for almost 30 years. Now it is "blighted" and must be bulldozed to make room for $100 million dollars worth of development by a private firm in Houston, TX. I said last week, this case is every bit as bad as Kelo vs New London in 2005.
Posted in Breaking News — Comments (3) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 12:54pm on Jul. 4, 2008 The Pursuit of Happiness; Our Most Important Right
By Blue Collar Muse
Near the beginning of The Declaration of Independence, these words appear.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.
Posted in Culture — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 8:01am on Jul. 3, 2008 Initiatives and Referendums are Bad; the People Unqualified to Participate
By Blue Collar Muse
A friend sent me a link to an editorial from the Hartford (CT) Courant authored by Robert Satter. Mr. Satter is a judge trial referee in Hartford Superior Court and author of "Under the Gold Dome — An Insider's Look at the Connecticut Legislature." He is also, in my opinion, a very dangerous man. He has power and influence and is using them to undermine the foundation on which our country was built.
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Posted at 6:41am on Jul. 2, 2008 Leftists Blame W for Gas Prices or Look for the Union Libel
By Blue Collar Muse
On a recent Sunday morning drive to church, I saw this sign. I was immediately struck by two things.
Posted in Energy — Comments (0) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 7:35am on Jul. 1, 2008 Will the Circle be Unbroken, Part I -Eminent Domain Comes to TN
By Blue Collar Muse
What Circle? 23 Music Circle East - Nashville, TN to be precise. And broken may be the kindest way to describe what the owner of the business at that address faces. Shattered, decimated, mercilessly hounded into oblivion all come to mind to describe what Joy Ford, owner of Country International Records (CIR), is facing at the hands of Nashville's Metropolitan Development and Housing Agency (MDHA).
For almost 30 years, Ford and her late husband Sherman, have operated one of the first studios on what would become Music Row at that address. While much of the rest of the Row has gone corporate with multi-million dollar facilities, CIR remains privately owned. This earns CIR the classification of an Independent label or "Indie" as it's known in the trade. Usually reserved for recent entries into the field who don't have the juice to or don't want to compete with the big boys, in the case of CIR, it's deceptive. Joy and Sherman Ford were making music, writing songs, developing artists and cutting tracks at Country International Records long before many of the current Music Row elite were born. The walls of Ford's business are filled with pictures of the legends she's personally worked with. Stars like George Jones, Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Tracy Lawrence, Tim McGraw and more.
If government has anything to say about it, that won't be true much longer. Chas Sisk at The Tennessean, who has covered the story since March, reports,
Read on . . .
Posted in Breaking News — Comments (13) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 7:52am on Jun. 30, 2008 'The Next Right' Banned in Denver for "Bad Reputation"
By Blue Collar Muse
One thing I love about my job is that I get to travel. Over the last couple of months I've been in Plains States and Mountain States. One of the prettiest and friendliest places I've visited is Denver, CO. Not only are the people great but the Downtown 16th Street Walking Mall and LoDo are fantastic, the capitol is beautiful and the mountains are, of course, exquisite!
Even Denver International Airport (DIA) is cool with its stylized snowcapped mountain peaks and all. One of the best features of DIA, however, is free WiFi at the airport! So far, DIA is the largest airport I've found providing that service and all one need do is watch a commercial or two and endure a permanent banner ad. I'll gladly pony up that price for the ability to work and surf while waiting on my flight. Plus, after the ordeal of TSA screening, it seems somehow proper I should get a reward for being a good boy. But am I really all that good? Opinions seem to vary.
Posted in Breaking News — Comments (7) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 11:15am on Jun. 27, 2008 TN Democrat, Jim Cooper, Alleged to be Under FBI Investigation
By Blue Collar Muse
Remember Nancy Pelosi's comments as the Democrats took back the House in 2006? She said,
'"The American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington, D.C., and the Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history."
The emphasis needs to be placed on the word "intend". At the time, the ability of the Democratic party to keep that promise was shown to be questionable by their handling of their own in the high profile cases of men like William Jefferson, Alcee Hastings and John Murtha.
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Posted at 1:16pm on Jun. 26, 2008 Shilling Against Drilling - Obama's Flawed Energy Plan
By Blue Collar Muse
In his first real chance to speak to an issue with seriousness and substance, Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama demonstrated the truth of the charge leveled against him that he is all flash and no bang. The Right has known this from the beginning and the Left has feared it might be true for just as long. Obama can sway a crowd like the worst stereotypical tent revival preacher. He can promise a moon he knows he can't deliver as well as any politician from any party. And he can stay on message as long as no one is asking too many difficult questions. It's this last part that may be his undoing for this election. If Obama cannot do a better job of crafting and explaining his vision for America than he is doing on Energy, he will prove to be his own worst enemy. Consider the following.
Posted in Energy — Comments (4) / Email this page » / Read More »
Posted at 9:06am on Jun. 25, 2008 Reason #483 Why We Need Smaller Government
By Blue Collar Muse
So, I got this letter late last week from the IRS. The only thing worse would have been to hear Mike Wallace and the "60 Minutes" crew were filming on my front lawn. Come to think of it, even that may not be worse ...
The letter was computer generated, thanking me for my recent correspondence with them. It said they had not responded yet as they had not finished preparing a "complete response" and that it would be forthcoming within 45 days. It reminded me the installment agreement I agreed to for payment of my taxes was still in effect and I should still make my scheduled payments. It even helpfully included an 800# I could call if I had any questions.