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RedBlueNetwork.com

I would like to invite everyone to join www.redbluenetwork.com. The site is a social networking site dedicated to politics. I am currently still adding features to the site, and will be adding a chat feature along with the ability to having video on the site. You have the ability to create your own profile, share political files along with creating groups and pages.

Stop by, take a look and join!

AA for Conservatives?

“Hi! My name is Billy Windsor and I am a conservative.” Let me say that again. “My name is Billy Windsor and I am a conservative.” One more time for emphasis……”My name is Billy Windsor and I am a conservative!” Ahhh…..you try it now. “My name is (insert name) and I am a conservative.”

Since the election of President Obama, all I have heard is how irrelevant conservatives are, that our ideas have been rebuked and thrown away by a majority of Americans. One writer on the Jackson Sun forums said that conservatives need their own version of AA (hence the opening) to face our demons and embrace the “real world”. But this thought begs the following questions:

1. Are we conservatives truly irrelevant?
2. Have our ideas been rebuked?
3. What “demons” do we need to rid ourselves of?
4. To use an Obama-ism, what change can WE believe in?

Answer #1 – Are we truly irrelevant? My simple reply is “No”, but let’s be a little more specific. No, we are not irrelevant. We (by that I mean conservatives) make up a sizable portion of the population. We are not a majority, but like liberals, have a loud voice that can be heard when used. We are all from different backgrounds: poor, rich, blue-collar, white-collar, white, black, Asian, Hispanic, so on and so forth. So, do you think we should be considered irrelevant?

Answer #2 – Have our ideas been rebuked? They may not have been rebuked, but they have definitely been pushed to the back of the line. Why is that? Unfortunately, it has to do with the fact that the Republican Party seemingly embraced the left’s way of thinking with spending. The party of limited government morphed into a bloated helium balloon, which was popped in 2006. Don’t get me wrong, we conservatives are as guilty as anyone else, mainly because we were not vocal about how the party changed. Now, we are maligned as “hypocrites” when we complain about the current level of spending vs. what President Bush spent. We may not have been rebuked, but our moral standing and ideas have taken a beating.

Answer #3 – The left would say that our demons are: old ideas, failed policies (i.e. tax cuts), and no compassion for the “less fortunate”. I would have to vastly disagree! I firmly believe that our “demons” that we need to destroy are: lack of communication, failure to be vocal, and not getting the younger generations on board with us.

We as conservatives are fighting an uphill battle in the war of communication. In the mainstream, our only true voice is talk radio, and even that is under attack. So, we need to broaden our way of communication to get our ideas and thoughts out there. As mentioned earlier, our failure to be vocal has allowed our ideas to be pushed aside and have us maligned as “hypocrites”. We need to stand up and say “This is what we think and how it should be”. And this starts with getting younger people involved. President Obama capitalized on this by involving the “Youtube” generation. Though we have a lot of young conservatives, we allowed the left to define us as old men and women with no understanding of how things work today. That has to change today!

Answer #4 – What change can we believe in? It is definitely not the change that is being preached by President Obama and those who support him. By definition, being conservative means we are not open to change, that we need to keep the “old ways”. However, being a conservative in the United States means that we need to support the true ideas we have stood for. That means a limited government and not a bloated, George Orwellian “1984” Big Brother. That means capitalism with supply and demand, not socialistic redistribution of wealth. That means promoting those who celebrate achievement and competition while demoting those who want “fairness” at the cost of punishing success. It means lower taxes for all (or my preferred way of the Fair Tax). What it means is that if we want change (to use the Obama-ism), then we have to make that change ourselves and not wait for someone else to do it.

Czech president warns not to endanger free markets

Massive government spending and tighter regulation would prolong recession, Czech President Vaclav Klaus said on Monday, as he urged U.S. President Barack Obama not to endanger the free market economy in his response to the financial crisis.
In a speech at Columbia University in New York, Klaus, a former Czech prime minister who championed the free market after the fall of Communism 20 years ago, said he never expected to see such extensive government intervention again in his lifetime as he now sees around the world.
"I am therefore convinced that fighting for freedom and free markets, something we always appreciated here in this country (the United States), remains the task of the day," Klaus said.

Read the rest of the story at AlertNews.

We are back

After a long break from campaigning for State Representative in the 28th District in Michigan this year, The Political Life is back; sharing political opinions and stories from around the globe. In 2009, the website will move from the current format to a more robust format. More on that will be announced in early January.

To everyone, have a Happy and safe New Year!

Dollar surges as global fears rise

The dollar surged to a two-year high against the pound and a six-month peak against the euro on Friday, as fears about spreading economic gloom triggered a sell-off in commodities.
Against sterling, the US currency notched up its 11th consecutive day of gains – its longest uninterrupted rise in more than 35 years – as markets became increasingly convinced that the US was best-placed to weather the global downturn.

The strong dollar rebound undermined sentiment in the gold market, where prices fell below $800 for the first time this year to $774.90 a troy ounce, almost a quarter lower than early March’s record $1,030.80.
Prices for crude oil, platinum, copper, aluminium, corn and soyabeans have also retreated from records hit this year, prompting speculation that commodity prices have reached a turning point.
“The golden age when commodity prices could only go up is gone,” said Marco Annunziata, chief economist at Unicredit.

Read the story at the Financial Times.

Sovereign Wealth funds buying up foreclosures

According to a recent article in the New York Post, sovereign wealth funds are now looking at foreclosed residential properties. These funds have already gobbled up various iconic commercial real estates, such as the Chrysler Building. How much more of the US can be bought by foreign nations?

"A sovereign fund would have two distinct advantages over other investors - the depressed value of the US dollar makes the homes a bargain, and sovereign funds have deeper pockets.
The sovereign fund of Abu Dhabi, for example, has a reported $875 billion in assets, while Norway has $391 billion, Singapore has $303 billion and Kuwait has $264 billion in their sovereign funds, which are funded by proceeds from oil sales.
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority is expected to announce next month what type of US distressed assets they will be investing in and real estate is at the top of the list, according to a report in Financial Times last week."

Sad times, in my opinion.

You can view the article here.