Main Street's Independent Voice

Da Bears

2010-09-13T11:08:00.000-04:00

The Bears won this weekend on perhaps the worst rule the NFL has ever adopted, getting a W in a game where they not only executed poorly on the field, but also had terrible decision making on the sideline. Lovie Smith should be canned immediately for his incompetance running an NFL team and pushing out the best defensive coordinator in the league at the time Ron Rivera. I have a feeling that a 6-10 season awaits.

The Fantasy League Update will be on Tuesday Morning.

Inherit the Wind

2010-02-05T16:29:00.000-05:00

"Inherit the Wind" is another great movie i have watched lately. The summary is Teacher B.T. Cates is arrested for teaching Darwin's theories. Famous lawyer Henry Drummond defends him; fundamentalist politician Matthew Brady prosecutes. This is a very thinly disguised rendition of the 1925 "Scopes monkey trial" with debates between Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan taken largely from the transcripts.

I have written a letter to the editor at our Holland Sentinel to respond to a conservative viewpoint on Obama and his administration. Here is the link to the first letter which i think is an unjustified angry rant further pushing people apart and painting conservative views in a bad light.

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/opinions/x1090836071/LETTER-A-commander-in-chief-who-jeopardizes-our-national-security

Here is my response hopefully to be in the paper soon.

A Conservative response to Thomas Dunkelbergers letter

Whether or not you agree with Obama on the executive orders he has issued regarding gitmo and the detention of terrorists, you should acknowledge he is enacting the change he campaigned and was elected on. Does closing Gitmo in anyway threaten American lives here or overseas and take away our greatness? No. Our greatness is determined by more than one action of any President and the prisoners will still be locked up somewhere else posing no threat.

Will cutting the F-22's budget of almost 2 billion next year put a dent in our defense budget or compromise American lives? No. Our military budget next year is around 700 billion dollars which is close to 10 times the budget of the next highest spending Chinese military. On fiscal responsibility, that we Conservatives trumpet on about needs to include our defense budget, and not just give it a free pass.

Did anything Obama do allow "Fort Hood" or the "Christmas" bomber to happen? No. Their evil actions were horrible. Blaming anything they have done on a lack of policy or action by the president is akin to blaming Bush for 9/11. The records show that his superiors dropped the ball on the Ft. Hood shooter and his failures leading up to the shooting were documented, but the need of counselors was so high they could not let him go.

Giving habeas corpus to the terrorists as well as spending any amount of money to defend them is something I have a hard time swallowing and would rather have them put through military trial. Though in giving them habeas corpus I will agree that we show a greater respect for life and justice than the enemy combatants ever would and public opinion does matter. If the world sees us as an honorable nation that treats POW's better than our enemies do and changes some perceptions I would not be too upset.

Will ending the don't ask, don't tell policy be detrimental to our troops in the field or at home? I don't know since I have no military background, but when the highest ranking officer in the Armed Forces Admiral Mike Mullen says it will not, I trust his experience and will concur.

I will end with a personal message to my Conservative Brethren. To truly affect our country we must find common ground with people across the aisle. We all want the same America, a land of opportunity and freedom but have different ideas on how to get to that place. Our current policy of making every single vote and bill a fight by drawing a line in the sand is detrimental because it is not only hurting our country, it is also hurting our cause and each one of us. Instead of sowing mistrust and lies we should be cultivating issues we agree on and find compromise. If after the next election things "Change" and we are in the majority again we will see how our attitude these four years will come back and haunt us.

Health Care Conservative?

2010-02-01T16:34:00.000-05:00

Wow.... Elmer Gantry. Incredible movie that not only stands the test of time, but demands you treat the main character as a human with real problems. I cannot say enough about how great the acting was by Burt Lancaster and Arthur Kennedy was, it is now in my top 10 movies of all time.

I have thought a long time over the question " Is Health Care a basic human right." My answer has become an unenthusiastic yes. I will tell you how i came to this conclusion after many months of questioning, but the tipping point of this all is that in no other industrialized country are people declaring bankruptcy from medical bills other than us. How many did we have last year alone.... over 70,000 people said i dont have enough money to either pay for insurance to cover myself or i do not have enough money to pay for an operation or visit to keep me healthy.

Can we create a system that not only covers more people but also reduce the cost for us all? If we can how would either side say no to it? This is my plan....

The first part of the problem is the financial quagmire we are stuck in that is a product of our current and last administration. How will we pay for this? The only answers we are given at the moment are increasing taxes on the top wage earners or making insurance mandatory for all. With one we are increasing taxes on an already highly taxed group and the other is considered unconstitutional by some for taking a choice away from a citizen. What i propose is something altogether different, we could keep our choice of health care insurance or not as well as afford to not increase our taxes on the higher earning americans. We keep the health care industry a for profit but make the health insurance industry non profit. The part of the equation that we want to keep on the leading edge of innovation and technology stays motivated by being private for profit entities and give us actual tangible benefits of the care itself, but the insurance companies whose motivation should be approving claims not finding new ways to deny them would become non profits. We are the only country in the world where insurance companies profit off basic health care.

The immediate positive would be taking 20% of every dollar we spend on health insurance would go from marketing, paperwork and claims adjusting and decreasing it to the average of 5% on every dollar. That would save Americans 300 billion a year right off the bat on health insurance costs which could be used for not only covering anyone without coverage(because of pre existing conditions or not enough money) but decrease the cost of health insurance for everyone. How is it that other countries are running such efficient models of health care which is a giant part of our budget and we are not? Germany, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, and the Netherlands all run with not only less overhead to lower costs but also save money by not having an entire division of their insurance companies dedicated to denying claims.

Americans have a habit of taking constructive criticism personally, on a national and individual level. Hearing that we are not the leader in anything stirs up passion and pride in a country that we love which is a great feeling. We can take this as a challenge to better ourselves and our nation or let our passion and pride take us down a road that is filled with the status quo. We are going to have to pay for anyone that goes into the hospital for care if they have insurance or not, so why not let us create a system that is the most cost effective and benefit as a country instead of going the way of the automobile and see other countries leave us in the dust.

2009

2010-02-01T01:37:00.000-05:00

One whole year with the little mister and it couldnt have gone any faster. A skin graft, first birthday, walking and talking "only if it benefits him" were eventful and couldnt have made us happier.

He loves to make funny faces.

He climbs in his walker when he wants to run really fast into shins and cats.

He loves his mommy too much.

Dont get him angry or its clobberin time.

We got to play with his great grandma before she passed.

Photo Studio Day

2009-03-17T00:11:00.000-04:00

The Family took a trip to the Photo Studio..... Hope you like

Mister One Half

2009-03-12T01:52:00.000-04:00

WARNING

Do not scroll down if you ever want to have children and consider them

the cutest baby in the world, THE WORLD'S UNDISPUTED REIGNING HEAVYWEIGHT

CHAMPION CUTIE IS HERE TO STAY!!!

Why yes i have been working out
GO FIGHTING ILLINI!!!!

Carrots, hmmmmm...... tastes good. Unlike daddy i will eat my veggies

What??? Did i see who spilled this bowl?......... It was littlest not me

When i give him the lips i get a kiss everytime

I call this stare, THE LADY KILLER!

It is like a tiny roller coaster

She moves her body like a cyclone!! a mighty cyclone!!

Little Uncle Ricky seems to lose his baby appeal around this one

Wow, i wonder who i get my big head from.... love you grandpa!

Baby Video

2009-02-08T05:30:00.000-05:00

This is a video i made for Grace, i hope you enjoy...

Hanging Out with the Family

2009-01-27T01:50:00.000-05:00

I will start this post out with my favorite Dean Oang stories in no particular order. Baby Caleb Pictures will be scattered throughout and we have some really good ones so dont stop till the end.

1. Dean's basement playing Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo after middle school was out. This was the first time i played a video game and completely dominated someone else, even though i had never played before. An addiction was born.

2. Dean has a great nickname. The Asian Sensation, or Eggroll Express.

3. Dean was amazing at many facets of the game of basketball. His lasting memory on the court will be coming up on a fast break and within seconds of getting a pass running behind the 3 point line and launching the Trifecta. It was just like Pippen would do on a fast break. Money.

4. We were sitting in the Hansens basement Ramming around one night, when Nate came down to tell us that Dean was in an accident and everything got silent(I believe this is how it happened. i could be wrong). I remember praying for him at school that semester. Seeing him come home after that was heart warming, cause you have to love dean. 5. Money..... He had a 2 year period after he saw the movie Swingers where everything was money. money this. money that. money money money. Vince Vaughn was proud.

This picture is computer generated of Caleb's twin sister, or what she would have looked like if he hadn't eaten her in the womb....

6. Going to Deans younger brothers freshman basketball games and screaming at Mr Mielke to play him. Whenever he got in he would light up the 3 point line and make Dean proud.

7. Telling me at a Middle School Assembly that a certain younger girl liked me and wanted me to ask her out. I never did. Eric says to this day i would have never left Zeeland if i took the wrong fork in that road.

8. The greatest Dean story ever.... The summer of whenever Eric lost his virginity and last name to Amy. Jodi, Luke, Heath, Dean and I set out on a seemingly harmless trip to Nebraska......

some stories can't be shared. Thats what the little man says.

Giggling little man

2009-01-20T01:35:00.000-05:00

This is a video of the little man with me trying to eat his baby ribs and him giggling. No babies were harmed during the taping of this video.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

2008-12-28T00:44:00.000-05:00

This Post is a Holiday Letter to all you Family and Friends

Early on in the year we found out that the little buddy was on the way. Finding out was the most exciting and frightening moment in our life. Living in Davis still and concentrating on school was her priority and i was working and driving to the Bay Area everyday.

In the summer Grace graduated from UC Davis with Honors and started studying for the MCAT, she aced it and currently is Interviewing with many schools. I starting playing baseball again and was pitching for the Blue Jays in the NABA. It was hot most of the summer and we had fun spending time in the park and walking for pre-natal stuff.

During the Fall the little man came out. September 2nd was the happiest day of the year. The little man came out after 60 hours of back labor and had a conehead plus blonde hair and blue eyes. I was in the room and now cannot understand why women would ever have children. We moved to West Sacramento into a new condo with more room so he could have his own playroom and the cats have more room to run around.

In the winter we had Caleb dedicated at Graces home church Good Samaritan in Valley Springs. He has grown very much since his birth, he is now over 22 pounds and has not reached 4 months. His 3 loves in life are eating, talking gibberish, and waking up his momma. Grace has been accepted into a couple Med Schools and now is deciding where she wants to go. Merry Christmas to everyone.

Osama Bin-Hansen???

2008-12-07T23:25:00.000-05:00

This is an actual photo of Heath Hansen....

The stories of Heathcliffe Hansen are Multifaceted...i will now explain the unexplainable..in easy to understand numbered points to get to the bottom of what he was CREATED to become...

1. His Bionic Knee - In an effort to cover up his Bionic upgrades, the Taliban engineered a ruse so that "Heaths" recovery would be overlooked, an extremely large 28 year old man substituted at catcher on an opposing baseball team and while Heath was on third, and he was sent home on an infield pop up....and every baseball lover knows that you would never try to score on a sacrifice fly to the second baseman.

2. Unnaturally low voice in 7th grade - When Heath came to school that year his voice was somewhere between James Earl Jones and an emphysema patient. What really happened was he turned 19 that year.... he was really 6 years older than his "brothers" How you ask?? His mother was blackmailed into telling all her neighbors by the Taliban that she was having 3 children, when in fact that day in Holland Hospital only 2 children were born....

3. 98% of his Body is covered in hair - I have never seen his entire body but this is a computer generated image of his body, that is a "Hairrorist" if i ever saw one.

4. Athletic Ability that know no bounds - I have never once seen Luke or Lee foul out of a basketball game on 6 straight charges in the first quarter, the only one is the so called "Hansen" Heath, and the only reason is the other 9 players couldn't keep up with him because he was always 8 to 10 years older than everyone else. It was probably lonely being so advanced at such a young age, and eerily sad for him leading to this fact...

5. He listened to the song Strawberry Wine for 9 consecutive months - No self respecting Dutch Man would listen to such a sad, gay, womanly song on the premise that it was "stuck in his CD player" but an Arab would...

6. He is a Cubs fan - Cheering on a team that will never win a world series with the slogan Wait till next year is akin to believing that strapping a bomb on your body and pressing a button will give you an eternity of 77 virgins.... both are as likely as pigs flying.

So the real question is, Was Heath created to be an assassin, father assassins, bring the American sports landscape to a halt by giving bad therapy to athletes, create a false life for Osama Bin Ladin to step into and hide, or can he de-program himself and the years of indoctrination and live a happy normal life?? We may never know till its too late.

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO LUKE HANSEN!!!!

2008-11-22T03:43:00.000-05:00

This is a computer generated photo of the events that happened in front of the house of Dave and Diane Hansen in the Spring of 1998..What follows are the accounts of REAL people not trained actors...(If you are looking for Baby Photos Scroll to the end.)What happened this day has forever changed the life of the middle child of Dave and Diane Hansen....LUCAS!!!! If he woke this eventful daying know how it would end he never would have put on one of his many mono colored collared shirts and got ready for school by making his younger and naive brothers sandwich on orders from his MOTHER!!! The trouble really started to happen while driving home from school in his small red nissan......

Jon said " I am so good at basketball that even you and your height challenged hairy younger brother couldnt beat me two on one"

Luke " Its not fair that i have to have Heath on my team... at least let me have Dean who reminds everyone of a young Tim Hardaway with his penchant for knocking down the 3 when needed most"

Jon " Its no fair, whoever has Dean on their team would win hands down, so lets make it even, you have Heath and i get Mike Wittigan (editors note - this was after mike was in the head thingee that held his neck and head on straight for a while so his athletic ability was limited but unbeknownst to us he had trained hard on his game below the rim so his shot and Defense was greatly increased( editors note on editors note - My father did not play him nearly enough in 76er basketball and i can only hope that this drove him to excel like michael jordan getting cut from his high school team.)) And mike i still have your bat in my trunk.

The GAME BEGINS......

Mike W. "Using a move i would like to call the missed shot slammrammaroo,me and Jon started out the game hot and built a solid lead. I remember the taste of victory and the smell of perfectly manicured grass intermingled like it was yesterday."

Luke" All i remember was my dreams being suffocated by this beautiful and long limbed puerto ricans defense, Oh yeah and Heath pissed himself."

Heath " I totally pissed myself"

Jon " Heath pissed all over himself, i remember cause i was hanging from the rim above him and you could hear Mrs Hansen yelling out the window STOP BANGING"

Game Ends 11 - 3 Jon Mike wins!!

Mike " I talked to Luke earlier that day and he was all set on becoming a Pro Basketball Player and Marrying some underclassmen, After that game he walked off the court mumbling something about now he has to be a Surveyor....What the Hell is a Surveyor??? Just google map something if you need to find it, am i right ??"

Heath " That night the moon was red with blood and at 3 in the morning i woke and found Luke standing above me softly brushing my hair and all i could smell was fear"

Luke " I love my life and surveying is what i wanted.......

I cant tell you what might have happened to Luke if he hadnt played in the game that day, what i can tell you is this, Jodi would have still married him.. Im not saying she would have stalked him, but when she would look at him, It was like the Sharks in Finding Nemo... Her eyes would dilate and the hunt was on....

Please comment on who you would like to see next in this blog......

BABY CALEB IS FAT

HE MAKES ME TIRED

HE ALWAYS POSES SO EVERYONE THINKS HE IS CUTE, BUT IN ACUALITY HE REALLY DOESNT LIKE PEOPLE

BUT HE DOES LOVE TRAINS AND THE MOVIE UNDER SIEGE 2 WHEN A BOMB IS ON A TRAIN

THIS IS HIS FACE WHEN HE LISTENS TO DADDY TALK TO ERIC ABOUT ERIC NOT VISITING EVEN THOUGH DADDY BOUGHT A PS3 THEY COULD PLAY ALL NIGHT WHILE SIMMING YEARS OF BASEBALL FRANCHISES AT A TIME...

Nida Visited

2008-11-10T02:49:00.000-05:00

The ladies love Caleb(white meat) Rodriguez

Happy Family

The Ocean Spray dries out my sweet supple baby skin so they wrapped me up good.

Mommy hates this picture, but Daddy thinks she is hot....Daddy is going to get in trouble.

I am trying to talk already, i know three words.. Cooo. Cooo. and GIVE ME MILK!!!

DADDY........Tastes like chicken!!!

NOT EVEN CLOSE TO MY SIZE DADDY

How can a President be elected that hasnt done anything....

I am dreaming of a day when i can have Chocolate Milk

These Bums are in my stroller

Whatever happened to Uncle Eric???

2008-10-28T01:45:00.000-04:00

This blog is my attempt through my new born son to have an intervention for my friend Eric Nuetzling....... So if you do not know Eric just enjoy the pictures....

Daddy says his friend Eric used to be cool and like baseball and meat.... Now he talks of nothing but raw food and living in small houses.
Daddy says Eric used to love stealing online music and making great mix CDs for his friends...now he blogs about giving away all his great entertainment...

Mommy told me tonight that Eric talks a big game about being homeless but isnt it funny that he owns a home he doesnt live in and takes vacations whenever he wants??

This is the face i would have if Eric visited and we went to a ball game and ate salted meats with my dad..... but he doesnt want to..

I love hugging my mommy..... her skin is soft from all the animal meat she eats, Erics is rough like sand paper...i pray he stops trying to be like Prince Fielder every night... noone should try to emulate a man named prince.

I am dreaming of a day when my Dad and Eric will play on the same baseball team and Eric's brittle bones wont break from the lack of protein.....

Why hello........ I have taken the baby hostage and wont give him back unless you give me more treatsies.... Bwahahaha...

This is me and Dad .... He cries and bites his pillow as he falls asleep, weeping for Eric to come home by driving his RX7 with the top off up the driveway with fireworks and toilet paper ready to cause havoc then drive up and down the grand haven strip listening to edwin mccain and ma$e.....

R.I.P. 2008
Eric "Shaft" Nuetzling

I am pouring out one for me and one for my dead homie.....

CHUBBY CHEEKS!!

2008-10-15T03:56:00.000-04:00

Yes ladies, this is 100% all natural man beef. Lookings free but touchings gonna cost you.

I am 83% Cheeks
This is me pondering all of life's great questions like " To Cry or Not to Cry "
one thousand, one thousand one..... oh i didnt see you there just feeling the burn, you know that deep burn you get when you lift at the gym.
Someone ripped open a pillow? how terrible, no i know nothing of this pillow you speak of.... oh this one i am laying on? Stephen must have slipped it under me, i'm innocent.

Obama REAL executive experience

2008-10-11T03:26:00.000-04:00

This article about Barack Obama and his involvement with the leadership of the Weatherman project of the 60's makes me sick. This is the first time in my life i want to seperate myself from the Chicago White Sox since Barack is also a fan of them.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122212856075765367.html

A website that sells an interesting video about the lack of true intellectual diversity in our higher education and the effects on young students. Our tax dollars at work.

www.indoctrinateu.com

Economic Bailout

2008-10-09T02:10:00.000-04:00

Why do members of the national legislature give away your money as fast as it can be borrowed? Because they want campaign donations. Polls show Americans don't like the idea of public funding for House and Senate elections, because it seems like a giveaway. But the public already funds congressional elections, just in an incredibly overpriced, inefficient way. Members of the House and Senate give away billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to special-interest groups, in order to get back thousands of dollars in campaign donations. The $150 billion or so in sweetheart handouts in the bailout legislation will probably result in several million additional dollars given to House and Senate members as campaign donations. It would be far, far cheaper for taxpayers just to fund congressional campaigns! Suppose the public funded each House race at $1 million (435 races every second year) split between the parties, and each Senate race at $5 million split (roughly 34 races every second year), then banned campaign contributions. (Skip whether the Supreme Court would allow the latter, this is a thought experiment.) The cost would be about $600 million every second year, when there are national elections. That's peanuts compared to the amounts House and Senate incumbents give away to PAC-backed lobbies in order to inspire campaign donations. Federal financing of House and Senate races would save the public tens, if not hundreds, of billions of dollars.

Why are we here? In Part cause in april, the governors boasted about balancing their states' budgets while wagging their fingers at Washington -- yet about a fifth of the typical state's non-Medicaid revenue comes from Washington. That is, the federal government expands the national debt so that states can appear to have balanced budgets, creating a switcheroo in which taxpayers are angry at Washington when they should be angry at their statehouses.
Here's the update. New York state has a $6.4 billion budget shortfall in the current fiscal year, second only to California's budget problem. Recently, New York Gov. David Paterson asked the state's legislature for $1.2 billion in spending cuts -- meaning the Empire State volunteered to take responsibility for only a fraction of its self-created problem -- then called on Washington to hand Albany the rest of the money: $5.2 billion. Paterson said, "We are going to have to turn to the federal government for help." So New York is not willing to make significant spending cuts and not willing to tax itself; but perfectly happy to demand that voters in other states be taxed to bail out New York! Last week, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the state would ask the federal government for a $7 billion loan. So California is not willing to tax itself to solve its self-created budget problems, but perfectly happy to demand that voters in other states be taxed to bail out California!
Perhaps this is what should be expected when Washington is so poorly run; the nation's capitol seems like little more than a giveaway machine. Yet numerous states, including Colorado, Oregon and Pennsylvania, have budgets in fine shpare because they did not overspend, as New York and California did; or saved during surplus years (all states had a combined $74 billion surplus in fiscal 2006 -- the responsible states saved some of that amount); or are not plagued by official corruption. Why should the people who live in states that spend carefully and pay their own way be compelled to subsidize government waste and kickbacks in California and New York? And why do the mainstream media continue to depict governors as fiscally paladins when so many shift their problems, and their debts, to Washington?
Here is evidence that the fiscal switcheroo favors governors politically. Polling data from the Pew Center shows that only 37 percent of Americans have a positive impression of the federal government, while 59 percent have a positive impression of state government. Remove the bookkeeping gimmicks that send federal money to the states and state taxes would rise while the national debt declined. Favorable-impression rankings surely would improve for Washington, while governors would decline in popularity.

This information comes from one of my favorite columnists Greg Easterbrook.

Tired Parents

2008-10-08T11:59:00.000-04:00

Mommy with Baby
Kissing Baby
Tired Daddy
Farmers have long days
When i want something i do this...

ONE MONTH BOY!!

2008-10-04T03:44:00.000-04:00

ELEVEN POUNDS!!!

Sleeping makes me hungry...... so does everything else.
My profile makes the girls go wild
GO WHITE SOX!!!!!
My fingers are soon to be sausage links with the way i am eating.

Gaining Weight

2008-09-27T03:45:00.000-04:00

I am an official Chubsy little baby boy.

I am glad these photos are only going to be partial nudes.....

Yes my eyes are getting bluer and my hair is blonde, line up the ladies...
Why yes i have been working out, how nice of you to notice...
This is my Blue Steel look... Mesmerizing.

Caleb

2008-09-21T02:54:00.000-04:00

Caleb is contemplatig the complexities of life and wondering if he should dress as yoda, prince charming or something else, please comment on what he should dress up as.

It is so nice to recline and pose my little face.

What is this brewing in my stomach moving down?

Ohhhhhhhh thats what that is!!!

CALEB RODRIGUEZ IS BORN

2008-09-07T19:22:00.000-04:00

Here is Caleb with Mommy getting some rest for his little conehead.Here is Caleb telling Daddy to call him Chip! Here is Daddy kissing Caleb and his Blonde little hair.
Daddy needs some rest cause Caleb stays up late.
Mommy thinks baby is blonde and smart and cute like her.
All this feeding gets a man tired.

More pictures and films soon.

The Audacity of Change

2008-01-08T14:46:00.000-05:00

Change, change change, change, change.

I am now qualified to lead this country, wait i need to say change one more time... change.

I want to change the greatest and highest quality health care system this world has ever seen.

I want to change our terrible 95 % employment rate.

I want to change our taxes to redistribute wealth to the economically challenged.

I want to change our education system that tens of thousands from around the globe come to.

Taking money from those who earn it and giving it to the poor and needy is not a governments job, it is the citizens job. The American Government has bitten off more than it can chew and now is choking to death on the bite. The Government can not save the world, it can only make it possible for its citizens too. The taxes that i see taken from me on a monthly basis in my mind are supposed to be paying for my representation in the government. So that if ten thousand dollars is given to the government it goes directly to paying for my rights( security, education, representation federally, and to cover expenses that come up on a local level ). It is not to pay for hundreds of social projects that have nothing to do with my interests and do not impact my life at all.

One of my greatest pet peeves of an elected officials campaign is telling the common man that if we tax the rich and give to the poor we are doing what is right. The Robin Hood theory of the big bad rich people who have taxed, stole and pillaged what the rest of us have worked so hard to make, so they will become a modern day Robin of Locksley and take it back for the common man. It is exactly the opposite of what they are going to do, Robin Hood gave to those who were taxed too heavily, so in a sense he would be giving money back to the rich who were working hard. To make Americans who work hard and benefit for it the bad guy in this election is maddeningly upsetting. By saying these things we are going to drive people who are in charge of the big corporations into other countries that offer tax breaks and free market conditions to those who succeed.

Success and Profit are being misportrayed as bad words today in America by people who want to socialize our country. By trying to put restrictions on success they are adding a form of Affirmitive Action in taxation form.

You can not make everyone in America middle class like Democrats want to, you can only increase the opportunity for freedom and success for the people who want to work hard for it.

Happy Thanksgiving

2007-11-27T23:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Turkey day to all.

The combination of turkey and football is intoxicating to the senses. I spent the holiday in Paso Robles, California with my in-laws eating, sleeping in, watching pigskin, and missing the cool crisp Michigan air. I would like all to comment on this post with what you are thankful for this thanksgiving in the land of the free and home of the brave. This is the list of things i am thankful for this year.

New babies (Sophia, Eva, Jackson, Trent, many more.)
Devin Hester
My cats (white sox, peaches and Stephen)
The Journey song Don't stop believing.
Illinois Football (so i don't have to choose UM or MSU)
Advent Calenders full of chocolate
Star Wars anything
The video game rock band letting me live out the dream of a rock star in my living room
Season One of The Wire
My Personal relationship with Jesus
Juice Williams
Safe Plane Landings.....then driving from Las Vegas to Sacramento when the entire airport loses power and seriously freaks everyone out
Reggie Bush/Barry Bonds being indicted and investigated
Freedom of Religion
My beautiful wife Grace

I hope everyone the best Merry Christmas and the happiest of holidays. God Bless.

Immigration Reform is Needed?

2007-11-12T22:29:00.000-05:00

Give me one rational argument for illegal immigration, please, i cant think of a single one myself and i don't want to feel like a racist like the media says i am anymore.

I cant think of any other group of immigrants in America's past that have came into the country and not assimilated. Irish, Jewish, Italian, and Polish immigrants in the past all came here for opportunities not available in their own countries. LEGALLY. They paid the price to become part of our nation, some would tell you it is every one's right to be here and be able to take care of themselves. It is not a right, it is a privilege to live here and when the first step you take to come here is breaking a law that is designed to protect this country you show a lack of respect for this country.

American Pride

2007-11-07T23:13:00.000-05:00

What is the job of any elected official? Firstly, to represent the people that put him or her into that office as best they can--making decisions that reflect the values of the community they were elected to represent gives them the best chance to prosper. Secondly, to inspire confidence and steer his or her constituency into economic growth and self reliance, while making sure that the export business is 10% higher than the importing. Currently, I don't see this happening from the senators and governor that are supposed to be our "voice" in government. I hear excuses about how this presidency has let us down by allowing the economy to fall to the point where jobs are relocating overseas. What we have to remember is that these same Democrats were in office when the NATO agreement was put into effect that enables this to happen. Trying to level the playing field again has gotten us into a world of hurt. They were worrying so much about the poor in neighboring countries being unfairly stepped on by the big bad American economy that they started handicapping us; manipulating the general public into feeling guilty about our success, and blaming others' failures on our success. It is an idea that the party wants us to adopt, that whenever someone does something good the results are negative for someone else. Shame. That is what they sell and i don't buy it. I believe in having pride in where you came from, pride in the people that came before you and sacrificed life so that simple freedoms are safe. Pride in America.

I have heard the democratic policies described as "feel good" policies, while the republicans have more of a "do good" policy agenda. What this means is that instead of doing the right thing and making a tough decision that positively affects the community as a whole, they want to make everyone happy and install a pseudo-socialist government that controls how much we have, how much we make, and how much we spend. By instituting government policies that try and recreate everyone as equals, they are taking away what makes us such a great nation to begin with and that is our individuality. Even now, as we speak, congress is trying to institute a new law that requires business owners to offer paid sick leave to all workers. Taking away a business owners' decision making power is ridiculously overstepping the bounds of what the government is supposed to concern itself with. Sweden has tried this policy and close to 20% of the people abused it severely reducing the strength of the economy. Please give the people of this country back the freedom they fought for and vote republican next year.

Affirmative Action

2007-11-01T01:29:00.000-04:00

To me affirmative action is a program that signifies the American governments view that this country's minority population needs a helping hand. It is what is fundamentally wrong with the answers to the problems we believe that we have.

1. The government diagnoses the problem: Minority People are under represented in the higher working classes.
2. They treat those people like the "victims" and instead of creating an equal playing field they find a simpler solution and grade them with a curve.

"Simpler solution" to democrats means a plan that creates tons of new taxes with little results.

For example when someone tells you it is our responsibility as a country to take care of our poor, they are wrong. That is the simple solution and easiest to tax. It is our responsibility as people of faith and values to take care of the poor. Distributing wealth from the rich to the poor just for the sake that they are poor helps no one; it hinders our growth as a nation. Instead of teaching a man to fish on his own, we have made him dependent on the state. A capitalist society needs haves and have not's for it to work. If you knew that no matter how hard you worked or how little you did that your paycheck would be the same as any other person's, how hard would you really work? Everyone does not deserve the same, they deserve what they work for and i believe that America shows us that everyday, with a new story of hard work translating to success. I don't think many of us out there would be breaking our backs like we are now in order to support our family if this was not the case. The carrot of "being well off" and part of the upper middle class is what drives our nation to the top economically. That endless spirit of entrepreneurship and want of more for our family keeps us driven. Affirmative Action kills a person's drive to succeed by providing them an edge they would not have had, thus making them soft and vulnerable when the curtain of protection is lifted and they finally see how harsh the world can be. I believe a person's hard work should be the reason to accept them to a particular school or job, not the color of their skin. Some may say "But Jon, racism is still prevalent in today's society"... to this I say it always will be until we are all treated equal. Affirmative Action does not level the playing field it tips the scales.

Environment

2007-10-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

Being the national hub of the auto industry, Michigan is in a key strategic position to combat global warming through significant reductions in automobile CO2 emissions. By combining reducing energy consumption with a devotion to cultivating renewable energy, our state could indeed be a leader in cutting CO2 emissions and preserving the environment.

My Environmental Plan

* Raise standards in the automobile industry. The automobile was born in Michigan, and Detroit is the leading automobile producer in the country. We have our pulse on which cars are put into the marketplace and can give the auto industry grants or subsidies for producing bio fuel powered cars, solar powered cars, and using other clean energy technology in production.

* Raise the fuel economy standards in automobiles to 50 mpg, which would be on par with the rest of the world in 2016.

* Make walking or bike riding to work affordable for every Michigan family. Often people say they cannot afford to live near their work. I would like to see a $5,000 yearly tax credit for families that live within two miles of their main employer. Living in the suburbs, far away from work, is a personal choice that many people make, and this credit would make it very affordable for people to walk or ride a bike to work.

* Invest in transportation infrastructure such as elevated or underground Metros for cities such as Grand Rapids, Lansing, and Flint. This would provide an attractive and more inexpensive method for those who commute to work, and Metros generally create a great income stream for their city and state if every Metro ticket is taxed a few cents.

* Create a surplus of renewable energy by encouraging Michigan homeowners to cultivate their own solar and wind energy and send extra back to the grid to be resold to the general public and to neighboring states. Government could encourage this by mimicking Germany's buyback program which guarantees a minimum rate of 50 cents per kilowatt hour, guaranteed for the next twenty years, making it worthwhile for the average person to invest in the infrastructure of solar and wind energy. Surplus energy could be sold back, with the eventual goal to create enough surplus energy to export to cities such as Chicago, Indianapolis, and Cleveland and generate an enormous income stream.

Three Blind Mice

2007-10-25T23:16:00.000-04:00

Three leaders in the democratic party have crossed a line of respect for the American public who gave them their trust. Governor Switzer of New York, Diane Feinstein California Senator, and Pete Stark Congressman of California's thirteenth district.

Switzer is trying to pass a bill that gives illegal immigrants drivers licenses and allows anyone in the state to vote with only a license and not a social security number. Blatantly trying to buy votes from a group that does not deserve the right to vote..... Diluting our vote as Americans in the process. For some reason the thought of giving a group of people that does not pay taxes and have come here with no regard and respect for our laws really upsets me. This is the misuse of power and responsibility that i will call to end when i am elected, taking on the fight that I know you the people want me to.

Feinstein is the worst kind of politician, a hypocritical one with an agenda of power at any cost. Her hatred for all things 'Bush' has blinded her to anything that might be considered positive the President has done. Her staunch support of Cindy Sheehan to sit in front of the President's home in Texas, and other anti-war rallies by the group Pink Code has never been challenged. In the past week though something has changed; liberals that are even farther left than she is are camping out in front of her house and bothering her and other neighbors because she won't stand up to Bush. She has told the papers that she wishes they were homeless people so she can call the police and have them arrested for loitering, since they are such an inconvenience to her. They should not be allowed to picket her home, because they are causing a disturbance and this is not right. The message here is assert your freedom of speech, only as long as you agree with her views and get out of her way.

Stark is the worst offender of them all. This past week he said that President Bush gets amusement from soldiers heads blowing off in Iraq. What happened to respect for the commander in chief and a united front in a time of war? Not to mention, keeping our soldiers spirits up overseas. The first reaction i had when i heard this was sadness, that a representative of our government in a time of war would say something borderline treasonous. No matter what is happening and what you believe this country is The UNITED States, and that is the most important fact.... All three of these democrats have crossed that line and until they learn simple teamwork we are going to be fighting on two sides until the end of the war. The first step in teamwork is making sure that when you don't agree with the majority you set your differences aside and put the team first. They have proven terrible team players.

Rehabilitation

2007-10-24T23:10:00.000-04:00

Prisons are not working, and instead of the focus being the rehabilitation of the inmate, the focus is the comfort and well being of the inmate. Someone who has spent time in prison is 84% more likely to return; furthermore, the worse the crime the more likely they will be imprisoned again. What can we do though? They deserve the right to watch TV, exercise, and have time to sit around the yard and talk don't they? I say no, they have taken away something that belongs to good hard working Americans. For example, they may have taken away something tangible like a TV, or perhaps they've stolen one's right and freedom to walk down the street at night without fear of harm, they may even have sold drugs to our youth. Anyone that commits crimes against our society is someone that does not value our freedoms and values, and they do not deserve the same rights we do. They also need to pay us back in order to regain what they have taken for granted; that is the reason for this proposal.

Michigan's State Prison Proposal

1. All Prisoners are given sentences of hours needed to work, not just days in prisons.

2. The terms can not be lessened based on good behavior.

3. All amenities (TV, classes, visitation, books) are going to be worked for based on hours worked daily.

4. Jobs will include Highway Cleanup, Forest Clearing, and Crop Picking. But the largest amount of jobs will be in Manufacturing so that the prisoners have the opportunity to learn skills in order to become working members of our society. The jobs in plants will be brought in by tax breaks for the plants and the opportunity to lessen costs on labor.

5. All the jobs that the inmates are completing are helping to pay for the time they stay, and the revenue that it is replacing can go to our schools, roads and other areas under funded.

6. Inmates who do not want to work are given one hour a day by themselves outdoors and that is all.

I would like to introduce the second member of my staff, my brother Matthew Rodriguez. He is going to be heading my Design and Marketing team on the new campaign. His eye for photography is amazing and when combined with his computer skills and love of animation we are excited to see what he has in store for this election year. Known for his basketball skills in the town of Zeeland where he grew up, his smile and charisma are just as bright as the potential he brings to our team. Thank you for your support and Welcome Matthew.

My Michigan State Health Care Proposal

2007-10-23T21:48:00.000-04:00

Lets get one thing straight, when Nancy Pelosi and the democratic party says that voting against an increase in federal funding for children's health care is akin to wanting children to not receive medical help, she is a liar. The democratic party wants you to think that the children who are in poor and needy families are turned away by doctors and clinics, laying in the gutter sick and dying while the rich and wealthy sit around and laugh. When a child goes to the doctor or clinic they are always treated, what is at stake is how the bill will be paid. Medicaid covers all families with incomes on or below the poverty line, the increase would be for families of 4 that make between 42 and 81 thousand a year. That does not sound like a family in need of funds to myself, and if your in an area that this is not enough money to live comfortably..... move.

The Michigan State Health Plan

1. Government Medicaid is only for families at or below the poverty line

2. Independent Board of 7 former appointed doctors from which all major specialties would be represented. All malpractice cases would have to make it through this board, and the decision that it has would be final. This would lower costs greatly in the judicial system, and trained professionals would be the ones deciding what constitutes malpractice in an industry that is riddled with fake lawsuits that take up time and money. This would lower the insurance costs for medical professionals and in turn come back to the consumer and the government that pays for the Medicaid families.

3. Have all insurance that is bought in state have a waiver that states this malpractice board is the final arbiter in all cases.

4. Patients on Medicaid can have the Medicaid revoked or lowered if the patient smokes, takes drugs, drinks heavily or is obese to the point that it affects their health without medical condition.

The advantages of this system are many, the judicial system's load is lightened so money is saved by less cases being tried. Then the insurance for both the consumer and the doctor is lowered, plus the insurance companies are happy by an increase in profit percentage when the false claims go down since they are easily weeded out by trained doctors. With the extra money that is also saved by the governments Medicaid program, taxes can also be lowered.

Separation of Church and State

2007-10-22T23:22:00.000-04:00

I can not pick up a paper without hearing the separation of church and state being brought up to try and shame social conservatives who want to cast votes based on beliefs learned in the church. The idea that "voting on what you believe" is infringing on someone else's right to live is completely wrong, it is what we are called to do. It is the judicial systems job to do the best they can to interpret our laws. Our job is to vote someone into office that will best serve us as a country, reflect our beliefs and live in a way to honor each one everyday. An example of this is when someone tells you that voting for someone who favors a ban on abortion is wrong since it is infringing on the right of a woman to choose and pushing your biblical beliefs on them. This is exactly what is protected in the Separation, not denied; the right for you to send your opinion and voice by voting for someone who mirrors what you want to say. The Separation was not meant to keep beliefs out like some want you to think, but include them no matter if you like them or you don't.

I want to also introduce my top political consultant and Chief of Staff, Eric Neutzling. Eric is a long time friend whose controlled demeanor and quick wit are like a fresh breath of cool air. His background includes a psychology degree from Calvin College, law enforcement, and counseling special ed kids. On top of being an expert chef and musician, he is also adept on the baseball diamond with a bat in his hands. We are excited and proud to welcome him.

First Things First

2007-10-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my web site. The very first thing you need to know is... this blog is my launching pad for a seat in the 2016 Michigan State Senate. In my various posts, I will discuss the political issues that affect you. I ask for your continued support as I gain gradual but determined momentum, like a heavy torant of water creating a new path, towards 2016 and beyond.

Thank you.
Jonathan Rodriguez