Category Archives: Immigration

Obama – Worst President EVER

Posted on October 18, 2013 by Danny Quinney | 10 comments

I really like having a website. It is a lot of fun. I especially like watching it grow. On “the back side” I can see how many people have read an article and often where the lead came from. Every time I get a new subscriber I take a slow sip of my cocoa, tent my fingers together and whisper “excellent.”

I love the comment sections. In the (almost) two years Lifezilla has been in existence I have allowed commenters to comment. “Commenters gotta comment, haters gotta hate, murders gotta murd” – I always say. I have to approve a persons first comment, after that I have it set up to approve automatically. I have a rule that I don’t reply to comments. Well…it’s really more of a guideline than a rule; I have replied a couple of times. I figure I said my peace in the article and if I have more to say I’ll write a new one.

Yesterday I received a comment that suggested any opposition to Obama could only be explained by “deep-seated racism.”

It was all I could do to not spew my cookies. I didn’t approve the comment.

The fact that Obama’s presidency isn’t only a failure but a colossal failure isn’t even really in dispute anymore. But, as a country we looked at his first term with record unemployment, no economic growth, metastasizing government, and of course, exploding debt and said, “Oh yeah! Sign me up for more of that.”

Now granted, the economy was in the crapper when Obama became President. Wouldn’t it be so funny if some people blamed George W. Bush for the recent government shut down?

Oh wait. They do!!!!

The saddest thing about that video is that their vote counts the same as mine.

Now because I have liberal friends who get all butt-hurt if I generalize anything, I’m going to concede that sooooomewhere in the 300 million plus people in America there is proooooobably one person or two who miiiiiight believe Obama sucks as a president because of the color of his skin.

The saddest thing about that is their vote counts the same as mine.

No. He is a failure as a president for real reasons (normally I would have links to all the following stories, but I’m too lazy today. You can Google them if you’re interested):

1- Obama is on pace to double the Federal debt in the 8 years of his presidency.

2- The U.S. has fallen in global competitiveness rankings every year.

3- Food stamp recipients up 50%.

4- A record number of Americans on disability (up 20%).

5- Median household income has gone down every year.

6- A record poverty rate of 16.1%

7- Gas prices have doubled.

8- Labor participation rate is at a 35-year low.

9- 7/8 of all “New jobs” are part-time (thanks Obamacare).

10- In 2009 the average duration of people collecting unemployment was 19.8 weeks, today it is 36.6 weeks.

11- Health insurance premiums and deductibles are skyrocketing.

12- In 2008 the Federal Reserve held $476 billion in U.S. bonds, today it holds more than $2 trillion.

13- 76% of Americans are now living paycheck to paycheck.

14- Student loan debt has more than doubled, now it is over $1 trillion.

15- In 2009 the U.S. debt to GDP ratio was under 70%, now it is over a 100%.

16- Not completely finished destroying the U.S. economy, President Obama announced the other day, October 16th, his plans to quickly move on to amnesty.

17- I could go on, but I’m getting bored.

“But Danny,” you whine, “you can’t blame all that on one man!!” Umm…Ya I can. It’s called LEADERSHIP, something that has been missing in Washington for five years. If the last white president, George W. Bush had a track record like that on even one of these things – not to mention the IRS targeting of the president’s enemies, or the disgrace of Benghazi, or the massive expansion of government spying – he would be metaphorically eviscerated by the people now defending Obama (for my butt-hurt liberal friends, the word “metaphorically” is a fancy way of saying they wouldn’t literally disembowel the former president.) No. All these things are just symptoms of Republicans who “want to impeach Obama for the crime of being president while black.”

Stupid.

Speaking of stupid. How about that debt ceiling debate, huh? The Democrats are calling it a major victory. It’s a pyrrhic victory at best (for my butt-hurt liberal friends “pyrrhic” is a fancy word for a victory at a huge cost.) What it really cost the American people is a precedent that the executive branch can amend law without Congressional approval. What could possibly go wrong with that?!?!?!?!?

This quote is a little bit out of context, but just a little bit. It’s about the 2^nd amendment, but the spirit is on topic.

“When dictators come to power, the first thing they do is take away the people’s weapons…I do not believe that [our nation’s leaders] have any desire to impose a dictatorship upon us. But this does not mean that such will always be the case. A nation rent internally, as ours has been in recent years, is always ripe for a ‘man on a white horse.’ A deterrent to that man, or to any man seeking unlawful power, is the knowledge that those who oppose him are not helpless.” – Ronald Reagan

That’s what drives me crazy about the left. To them history starts the moment they wake up. They don’t have the memory past yesterday or the foresight past tomorrow. Just because today’s leaders may not be tyrants doesn’t mean tomorrows won’t be (for my butt-hurt liberal friends – that was a generalization. I may not be talking about you.)

LIFEZILLA: Be careful what you bitch for

10 Comments

Posted in 2nd Amendment, America, Government Over-reach, Gun Control, Immigration, ObamaCare, Welfare

Tagged Amnesty, Debt Ceiling, Disability, GDP, Obama, Obamacare, Racism

Establishment Republicans are SOOOOOO Stupid

Posted on June 27, 2013 by Danny Quinney | 2 comments

I can’t start this article without slamming the President too. With ALLLLL the major problems we have as a country, what does the President want to focus on? Drumroll, please…Climate change. UUUUGH!!! Seriously. I’m almost speechless. It is days like today where the most exercise I get is rolling my eyes.

I’m going to go out on a limb and say “exercise” was probably the one thing Meatloaf wouldn’t do for love.

In 2010 at a press conference about Obamacare, then-Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi famously uttered the stupidest thing ever said on Capital Hill: “But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it.” Well, apparently we are doing it again, this time with a 1,200 page immigration bill.

Quick review. Here is what we are proposing: After the bill passes, Immigration officials must ensure that immigrants, upon entry, have the necessary funds for their personal sustenance and for their dependents (Article 34). We will classify the act of “illegal immigration” as a felony, with possible imprisonment for: a) foreigners who enter the country with fake or falsely signed papers (Article 116); b) up to 10 years for foreigners who are deported and illegally attempt to re-enter (Article 118); c) up to 6 years for foreigners who violate the terms of their visa (Articles 119 – 121); and d) up to 2 years for ANYONE who illegally enters the country (Article 123). We will also add an amendment to the Constitution that specifically forbids non-citizens to demonstrate or to express opinions on domestic politics.

Hey…that doesn’t sound all baaaaa…Wait…OHMIGOSH!! I’m so sorry. This isn’t right. I’m confused. The above is from MEXICO’S immigration laws and MEXICO’S Constitution. Boy is my face red.

(Ya see what I did here?)

No, no. We are going the opposite way. After all, we don’t want to be seen as bigots. (Hey, wouldn’t using the Mexican laws as a model be considered the most “un-bigoted” thing you could do?) In THIS bill even the CBO (Congressional Budget Office) admits it will: a) lower middle-class wages, b) hurt the poor, c) explode welfare costs, and d) cut illegal immigration by only 25%.

I think that last one is way off. There will be an explosion of new people. Because of the “supply and demand” rule, this explosion will only hurt the poor – more. Why, as an employer, would I give any employee a raise when I have a line out the door of people willing to work for minimum wage?

But wait. It gets worse than that. One of the provisions of Obamacare is that all employers who have over 50 employees must provide Health insurance or face a fine of $3,000 per month, per employee. So the employers have a choice between paying the fine or paying the expensive Health Care. Hmmm…? What to do? OH WAIT…If, as an employer, I get rid of my “citizen” employees and only hire the new “immigrant” employees I won’t have to pay the $3,000 fine OR insurance. You see, the new “immigrants” aren’t eligible for Federal programs. That’s a real win/win. Unless, of course you are a law-abiding citizen. Then for you, it sucks.

The problem is the Republican Party is being hacked to death with a double edged sword. On one side of the sword, the “Establishment Republicans” have been suckered by the business lobby (who support the cheap labor provided by illegal immigrants) into thinking they will never win a major election again without the Hispanic vote. I have thoughts on this, but that is another article for another day. On the other edge of the sword the Democrats (who only want reform so the new, entitlement-receiving immigrants will vote Democrat) paint those opposed to a slave labor class in America as being racist. It’s a plan brilliantly played by the Democrats. Big business doesn’t care and Establishment Republicans are too stupid to notice.

Too Stupid to Notice.

“Cheap labor” isn’t cheap. It is only cheap for the employer. Why? Well today, 71 percent of illegal immigrant households, with children, collect government benefits, and 57 percent of all immigrant households receive government benefits, compared to 39 percent of native households. Now instead of having to pay a little bit more for our strawberries, we all get to support underpaid employees.

I listened to Marco Rubio’s speech about this bill (June 26) and I have to tell you, there is a lot in the bill I agree with. I really like Marco Rubio. In this case I just believe he is wrong. Not that his points aren’t valid. I agree something needs to be done. I believe he is putting too much faith in the Democrats. Democrats lie. They will do it every single time. This bill is going to pass the Senate, not pass the House, go into “compromise” (read “Republicans will be suckered into caving – AGAIN”) and come out the other end as amnesty. Again, the bill is TWELVE HUNDRED PAGES.

Unquestionably there are good, hard working people who what to come and contribute to this county. I get that. I don’t fault anyone in wanting to come to this country. It’s the best country on earth . I also get there are those who came here as children and this is the only country they know. I agree something should be done for them. But we need to start with a fence. Good fences make good neighbors.

Instead of building a fence, using E-verify to ensure employees are legal FIRST, we are going to screw everything up.

LIFEZILLA: I’m not cynical. I’m even worse. I’m realistic.

2 Comments

Posted in America, Immigration, Social Issues, Welfare

Tagged CBO, Congressional Budget Office, Democrat Party, E-verify, Global Warming, Immigration, Marco Rubio, Minimum wage, Nancy Pelosi, Obamacare, Repubican Party

Wake Up (It’s 1984)

Posted on June 13, 2013 by Danny Quinney | 3 comments

When I, your humble writer was a mere, wee little (early teenage) lad, a friend introduced me to what would become one of my all time favorite bands.

Oingo Boingo.

I just gotta say, Oingo Boingo’s lead singer/song writer Danny Elfman is BRILLIANT. Since the 1980’s he has composed the scores of countless movies and television shows. Truly a talented, talented man.

It’s the song “Wake Up (It’s 1984)” that I want to talk about today.

If you are not familiar with the song, here is a link to a Youtube video. (This isn’t the official music video.)

Imagine a young Danny dancing in his room wearing nothing but his red BVD’s to this song (to this day doing “Jazz hands” just makes me look gay).

Just for fun here is a list of some fairly recent headlines:

USA Today – “Tea Party Groups Detail ‘harassment’ by IRS”
The Hill – “Complaints of IRS Targeting by Religious Groups on the rise”
Huffington Post – “DOJ Seized Fox News Phone Records”
Mediaite – “AP CEO: Justice Department Seized ‘Thousands & Thousands’ Of Phone Call Records”
Washington Times – “IRS Sued for Seizing 60 Million Medical Records”
CBS DC – “Dept. of Homeland Security: Laptops, Phones Can Be Searched Based on Hunches”
And then, of course, the latest:
The Guardian – “NSA Collecting Phone Records of Millions of Verizon Customers Daily”

It has gotten to the point where even Al Gore is calling it obscene. Wake Up (It’s 1984).

I want to say this again. AL (Jazeera) GORE has a problem with this. Al Gore, a man who would, conceivably, drive over a corpse to get a better parking space has a problem with this.

Wake up (It’s 1984)!

Well…not yet.

What cracks me up is the left’s response to these latest “scandals” (or, if the allegations that some emails may be monitored by intelligence agencies is true, we can change the word “scandals” to “Felons”). With a few notable exceptions, like Al (Jazeera) Gore, most of the left is giving the president a pass, or they blame George Bush (honestly, how can anyone still blame George Bush for anything and keep a straight face?). Ron Fournier of the National Journal said, “Welcome to the era of Bush-Obama, a 16-year span of U.S. history that will be remembered for an unprecedented erosion of civil liberties and a disregard for transparency.”

Yeah, Ron, that is cute and everything. But I just ain’t totally buying it.

In the first place if Bush had collected every phone call from one of the largest cell providers in the nation, we would STILL be hearing the screams from the left and he would have been thrown out of office. Bush’s surveillance program was actually limited and only monitored foreign phone calls. But somehow Obama gets a pass because his surveillance is a “logical extension” of the Bush policy, when in reality it is a HUGE escalation. Does anyone remember the weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth we endured when it was reported the Patriot Act gave the Department of Homeland Security the right to see what library books you checked out?

Library books. It’s kinda cute.

Now, I don’t think it’s the governments business what my kids or I check out from the library, but when you compare that to the Obama administration gathering information and monitoring traffic on major websites like Facebook and Google, it ain’t really the same thing. And yet he gets a pass.

The double standard here is staggering.

Take a minute to check out this video: (I can’t embed it for some reason)

Did you watch it? The hypocrisy is overwhelming.

And still I’m not living in fear … yet. Why? Well, my personal ratio of library to Google searches is about 1 to 10,000. Roughly 98% of all my Google searches are to help me “speeel wrods I don’t no.” You take me and times 300 million other Americans – and you’re talking about a lot of data. For the majority of Americans, I doubt anyone would ever really lay eyes on it. But there is that creepy guy I knew in high school who works for the NSA … hmmm?

I have two issues. The first is the definition of words. Words mean things. Depending on what side of the desk you’re on, you are either a freedom fighter, or a terrorist. I know what a terrorist is today, but what will it be tomorrow? The other issue is the “slippery slope” that this is. Where will this lead? We went from monitoring library books to monitoring Google and Facebook. That’s a big ass slippery slope. What’s next?

Gratefully, the American people are aware and the majority of them still get that freedom is a fragile thing. The ACLU is even suing the Obama administration over the NSA surveillance. That’s right. The ACLU is actually concerned over the erosion of our American Civil Liberties. That’s like the first three letters in their name. Hopefully with the outrage the American people have with the program it will be scaled back. If not, I guess if we don’t want the government listening to our calls we can exchange our phones for two big red Solo cups and a REALLLLLLLY LOOOOONG string.

I have to admit, with all the HUGE problems looming on the horizon – high unemployment, entitlement bankruptcy, the implosion of Obamacare, economic stagnation, and granting amnesty before closing the border – having a government computer looking for patterns in over a gazillion phone calls (if that is all it is) bugs me. But it’s not 1984.

Yet.

LIFEZILLA: I never follow my own advise. What do I look like, an idiot?

3 Comments

Posted in America, Big Brother, Government Over-reach, Immigration, Social Issues

Tagged 1984, ACLU, Al Gore, Big Brother, George Bush, Google+, NSA, Obamacare, Oingo Boingo, Verizon

Immi(de)gration

Posted on March 6, 2013 by Danny Quinney | 18 comments

Immi(de)gration

Okay, from the start I want you to know this one may be a little harder to follow. I’m not known for being extra bright, and I’m kind of a scatter brain. You know what, just, just stick with me until the end.

To understand my thought process on this I need to give you a history lesson. For the seven people who read my articles this may be a review.

War hero Andrew Jackson formed the Democratic Party with three main planks. The first plank was to continue taking the land from the American Indians. These people had three options: Go west, become farmers, or be killed. The second plank was the continuation and expansion of slavery. The third plank would now be called an “expansionary monetary policy.” This policy allowed white settlers to borrow money to buy “newly acquired” Indian land and with the work of slaves raise profitable crops for market: tobacco, cotton, etc. The policies of cheap land and cheap labor made Jackson very popular in the South. As President he destroyed the National Bank and started a “spoils system.”

In many history books Jackson’s victory is presented as a triumph for democracy over elitism. And to be honest, if you overlook the very real issues of slavery and genocide, there is some truth to this view.

The Whig party was started in direct opposition to everything Jackson and the Democrats stood for. The Republican Party emerged from the Whigs when the Whigs went “Pro-choice” on slavery.

For more information on this part of history go see the movie Lincoln (which totally should have won the Academy Award for best picture. I thought Argo was a good movie. Lincoln was way better).

Republicans then started fighting for civil rights, despite intense Democratic opposition. (See Civil Rights acts of 1866, 1871, 1875, 1957, 1960) The Democrats started the KKK, they opposed military desegregation, and were generally all-around jackasses. (Fun fact: Andrew Jackson’s opponents started calling him “Andrew Jackass.” He embraced this in his campaigning, making the jackass his symbol. Later the donkey came to represent the Democratic Party.) Most people will tell you the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is the only Civil Rights Act EVER. It’s true if you consider it is the only one the Democrats supported.

Normally, right about now, I would have a cute little phrase or humorous one-liner that I would add. For the past twenty minutes I’ve been trying to think of a clever way to weave “a reptile dysfunction” into the article, but can’t…sooooooo just laugh, okay?

Presidential candidate John F. Kennedy changed the face of the Democratic Party when he made a two minute phone call to the wife of imprisoned Dr. Martin Luther King.

I think Kennedy was sincere in his desire for Civil Rights. Judging by his record as a Senator, his running mate Lyndon B. Johnson, was not. (Ronald Kessler, “Inside The White House” quotes a USAF crewman on Air Force One, Robert N. MacMillan, who heard LBJ justifying his wanting the 1964 civil rights bill by saying, “I’ll have them ni@@ers voting Democratic for two hundred years.”)

I don’t mean to totally get off the subject here. I think Dr. King was a great man. His “I have a dream” speech and his letter from Birmingham jail are extraordinary. That being said, I believe Thurgood Marshall did waaaaaaaaay more for Civil Rights than Dr. King. He won case after case in front of the Supreme Court.

In 1965 Teddy Kennedy took a much needed break from drowning women in his car to change America’s immigration policy from one that was similar to every other country in the world “What benefit can you provide for our country?” to “Do you have a pulse, and what can we do for you?”

Now for those of you who think I’m drawing a link between racism and immigration, I wanna put your mind at ease. That is exactly what I’m doing.

Racism is ugly in any form. The “in your face” kind makes the news, but I think the subtle kind is the worst. Making laws and policies that stifle creativity and human ingenuity is wrong. Saying things like, “there-there (person of color), you don’t have to learn English. It’s really hard. You just sit right here and let the state take care of you” just isn’t right. It’s soft bigotry of low expectations.

Isn’t it better to hope for every individual to reach their full potential? Can you do that while knowingly transferring the burden of your support onto society? I’ll give you a hint, ya can’t. I don’t know how they did it, but somehow the Democratic Party put the “rad” in degrading.

Before you get your panties in a wad, I’m not saying all Democrats are racist. There are some, just like there are in any large group. I’m also not saying many Democrats aren’t sincerely caring. They are. I’m just saying many of the policies implemented by the Democratic Party, though well intentioned, are misguided. Taking care of someone by giving them “free stuff” is economic slavery. Freedom is economic opportunity.

I disagree with Marco Rubio’s amnesty idea. All that will do is flood the market with a bunch of low-skilled workers. This will enable employers to pay minimum wage for years. It will stifle people’s growth more.

Does something need to be done about immigration? Absolutely. I especially think the “Dreamers” group is something we should discuss. But nothing should be done until we put a fence up. Stop the flow. Then discuss.

The Republican Party began as the anti-slavery party. They believed that “All men are created equal” (and it took the deaths of nearly 600,000 primarily white men to prove it). Today’s Republican Party stands for: Limited Government, Life, Personal Responsibility and a Strong National Defense. We believe people aren’t property; they are not wards of the state. In my little brain, I believe today’s Democratic Party stands for: Getting as many people dependent on the Government so we can keep winning elections, and the right for women to have unprotected sex with men they don’t necessarily care for, without consequences.

But still, “today’s Republicans” are painted as racist and uncaring. Even with stalwart men and women like Tim Scott, Clarence Thomas, Condoleezza Rice, Marco Rubio, Mia Love, Allen West, Dr. Alveda King and Bobby Jindal on the fronts lines.

Un-be-freakin-lievable.

LIFEZILLA: I hate being Bi-polar. It’s awesome.