Agreeing With Ed Rendell

I hate to agree with the former governor of Pennsylvania and chairman of the Democratic National Committee, but even a blind hog finds an acorn every now and then.

This morning on Morning Joe, Rendell coined a new acronym, GON. Get Out Now. He was talking about Afghanistan, and he was right.

We cannot remake that country in our image. Chaos reigns there, and the Afghans are plotting right now to do harm to our troops in the name of their religion. We must be vigilant, but this situation is getting worse every day. Bring them home.

It is past time.

Casino Gambling

I am sick of hearing about casinos. Since the election campaign of 2007, most of what we hear out of Frankfort is casinos. It is time for it to stop, and only the people of Kentucky have the power to stop it.

Neither side will give up its ground. The Senate has voted against the amendment sponsored by Damon Thayer, Republican, Georgetown. It was an overwhelming defeat, yet the pro-gaming forces, as reported by the Courier-Journal on Saturday, February 25, were not giving up their fight to have casino gambling in Kentucky.

The solution is easy.

Let the people of Kentucky decide and end it. Once the voters accept or reject expanded gambling, the issue is dead, and we can move on to addressing unemployment, government overspending, and term limits.

I will vote no on passage of the constitutional amendment. Gambling is terrible policy to address budget concerns. We were sold the same bill of goods when the lottery amendment was passed almost 30 years ago. The lottery didn't help, and casinos won't help either.

Government is bloated and inefficient. It sucks the very blood from the people who work daily to keep the family budget balanced while the parasite in Frankfort bloats on the lifeblood of Kentuckians. It is time to stop it.

Shrink government and do it for yourself. Nothing government can do for you is as satisfying as that which you can do for yourself.

Government's job is to protect you and your property. Instead, it sucks your money into the great vacuum on the Kentucky River, never to return.

It is time to decide. It is time to end the debate on casinos by letting Kentuckians put it to rest. Only then will the issue be settled.

Conservatism and Me

You can depend on what I am writing to you, my friends.

I am a Conservative first. I believe the Declaration of Independence is the greatest proclamation of Liberty that has ever been produced by mortal man. The words of it lay out the perfect case for Liberty against Tyranny. Its final words whereby the signers pledge their "lives, fortunes, and sacred honor" send chills down my spine. When I hear these words spoken, I am moved to tears by the Courage of the Founders. I can hardly read this proclamation without emotion welling up inside me. I am proud of my heritage, and the Declaration is a huge part of my life.

The Constitution is our rule book. We use it as a guide for operation. Its direction is clear to one who believes America is the most exceptional nation ever established on the Earth. The prose is beautiful in its simplicity. Its clarity is obvious to those who want his fellow man to be treated with equality. Nothing is hidden. It states clearly what the government can and cannot do, and there is no ambiguity. The perversion of the Constitution by the Leftist Statists is shameful for its deception and its utter disregard for the rights of individuals.

And that brings me to the larger point: If Republicans are elected, but they are not Conservatives first and foremost, then I have lost and so have you.

Learn what you believe. Tell others. Defend your beliefs, and tell folks up front exactly what you plan to do about it. God bless you all.