The Countdown To Sturgis Bikeweek Continues...

This weekend is spent, and so am I. The heat is taking its toll as I work on the bike in the driveway, in the yard and garden getting it ready, and running all over town in my non-AC compliant vehicles.

We ran all over town gathering the necessities of a week long bike rally. We picked up all sorts of new leather (grips covers, hair ties, tool bags, lighter sheaths, you name it), spare tent stakes, nylon cord, leather waterproof treatment, spare bike parts & tools, oil, oil filters, new brain buckets for the fascist states that we pass through with helmet laws, the list goes on and on.

I just got done equipping my bike with a cigarette lighter adaptor. This wasn't all that difficult, but I never really decided to do it until now. It's mounted just behind the right rear footpeg, and works great. We'll now have XM satellite radio and a place to charge our cell phones. Needless to say, a week long trip covering thousands of miles on a motorcycle can be very unforgiving. Bikers frequently do not get second chances. I've survived more time and miles on 2 wheels than some people have on 4, and this will be my 4th trip to the black hills. Nevertheless, I take each trip seriously and approach it as my first.

"If you see my bike on a trailer, call 911, it's stolen". I ride my bike to Sturgis, unlike the soft-butts that make up the majority of the trailer ridden highways of I-29 and I-90. There is just no substitute for striking out on your own with nothing but yourself, your horse, and whatever you can cram into your saddle bags.

In less than a week, we'll be walking the same ground as General George Armstrong Custer, Chief Sitting Bull, and countless pioneers who forged their way west. I'll be sitting in the same bars and casinos as Wild Bill Hickock, testing my ability to gamble and hold liquor with the best sinners in the nation. During the day, we'll ride through the cool forests of the black hills, taking in the crisp air and fresh smell of pine as we make our way farther west, through Custer National Forest and on to Hewlett Wyoming. We'll stop by to take in Mount Rushmore, which of course is graced by an image of one of our greatest Presidents, Teddy Roosevelt.

Freedom is an aquired taste; and those of us who are fortunate enough to know its true meaning will never settle for anything less. There is nothing so close to a true libertarian state as you'll find for the next 2 weeks at Sturgis, South Dakota. If you've never been, you don't know what you're missing.

3 Weeks until the 66th Anual Black Hills Motor Classic

In the midst of a crisis in the Middle East, a campaign effort in full swing, a garden that's about ready to harvest and can, and dealing with 3 teen-age kids who are all to ready to go back to school, I'm looking forward to a break. That break is a scant 3 weeks away, and will come in the form of the 66th Anual Black Hills Motor Class, in Sturgis, South Dakota.

The Sturgis tradition continues, after all these years, as a way for motorcycle enthusiasts of all stripes, religions, and beliefs to come together to ride, take in some great music, and celebrate freedom. It is an experience unparalled anywhere on earth, and has to be seen to be believed. Many years the attendence exceeds over 500,000 bikers. Groups like the Hell's Angels and El Foresteros ride alongside the Christian Motorcycle Association, and the majority of bikers: individuals and couples, groups of friends and co-workers. Some are mechanics, some are lawyers, some are plumbers, some are janitors, and some are physicians. It doesn't matter at Sturgis. Nobody wears a nametag. Nobody wears a uniform. When you belly up to the bar, the biker next to you could be an outlaw, but he could be a prominent attorney (but I'm being redundant here LOL).

Miles and miles of cycles pour into South Dakota and Wyoming from everywhere in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The home of ranchers, buffalo, numerous national forests rich with history, American Indians, white men and anyone else with a motorcycle ride free as a brotherhood. Sturgis has no shortage of chrome, leather, silicone and testosterone. The U.S. Air force regularly performs fly-overs. The Mobil Vietnam Veterans Memorial is on display. Groups ranging from The American Cannabis Society to Bikers for Christ set up booths downtown. A biker can order a shot of whiskey, he can attend a bible study, or he can just ride through the black hills and take in the scenery.

Sturgis Bike Weeks is truly a celebration of diversity and freedom. It draws rugged individualists from every corner of the nation. It's long on individual liberty, and short on regulation. Bikers outnumber police about 10,000 to 1. Yet for some reason, I've never seen any problems, nor do I ever feel ill-at ease. After all, I'm safe, and my property is safe, because the legislature is not in session!

I have never felt more at home than I do in the black hills of South Dakota with 500,000 of my closest biker friends. In fact, I was so inspired by it, that I wrote this poem:

Chrome and leather, horses of steel
As far as can be, a scene so surreal
Thunder in the streets; the artwork goes by
The fire in the pipes ascends to the sky

An offering of humility; a feeling of tranquility
Amidst the lone savage is a belief in civility
To flirt with death is to be married to life
The lure of a mistress brings love to a wife

Ink on the skin; some say it's a sin
Feeling is human, it comes from within
You may deny it now, and avoid it somehow;
It comes back tenfold; to it you will bow

Freedom to move, freedom to ride
Your wife at your back, your friend at your side
Open the throttle, it obeys your command
Hundreds of horses in the palm of your hand

To those who don't know; to those who don't care
The future lies in the youth who stop as they stare
An honest opinion is a child's dominion
The excitement of the day can never go away

So saddle your horse, then plot your course
Your ride awaits, you'll have no remorse!
Set up your tent, then bare your breast...
We're goin' to sturgis, the best of the best!

A break from local politics...

Once again, our federal government has done something so agregious that I must break from local politics to voice my opposition.

The United States, since about the time of Teddy Roosevelt, has developed a bad habit of meddling in the affairs of other nations. Although we do have some responsibility as the last superpower on the world stage, we have worn out our welcome in many areas of the world.

The Middle East has always been a hotbed of sectarian violence. Since biblical times, various factions have fought and killed their neighboring tribes. Women, children, animals, and all living things were sometimes killed in a scorched earth policy. The hatred that we see in modern times has ancient roots, and is not going to be solved by George Bush, nor any of his successors.

In the middle ages the crusaders fought to take the holy land from the "infidels". These Europeans were scarecely prepared for the fierce fighting they encountered, but, as we see today, religion is a very powerful motivator. The slaughter continued in the fight against the Ottoman Empire and anyone else that stood in the way of the Noble's quest for the holy grail. As recently as the 20th century, England was continuing to expirament with Islamic regions. Iraq is a sterling example of this failed policy.

The English crown attempted to unite 3 separate ethnic groups to form a single nation. Obviously the only way these sworn enemies could be held together is under the iron fist of a brutal dictator. The most recent dictator was of course Saddam Hussein. When the west had finally had enough of Hussein, it launched another crusade to oust him. The result is just what any student of history could have predicted: an even more unstable Middle East, and a virtual civil war in which the U.S. and our allies are forced to take sides.

The most disappointing chapter in this saga in recent times is our Congress' virtually unanimous vote to support Israel in this conflict. The nation of Israel was created by the league of nations, with President Truman's strong support. To date this author sees no strategic value in our support for Israel, nor does he see any benefit from our armed support of this country. The only reasons that can reasonable be offered is that Israel is supposed to be a democracy, and then, of course, the more plausible explanation: Religion.

Israel continues to pound its neighbors with bombs and rockets. This puppet nation has treated the Arabs it has displaced like dogs since 1948. Although this is common knowledege, apparantly the number of congressmen with the gall to stand up for it can be counted on two hands.

In writing this article, the author of course stands a very good chance of being labeled as anti-semitic. This is not the case, however. The author fails to see any reason to continue to support and arm a nation that fights its neighbors, killing women and children indiscriminately. Though it is true that Israel was provoked in the most recent exchange, the retaliation has been excessive. Why does this continue to go on? The most obvious explanation is the powerful Jewish lobby that has our congress' undivided attention.

Newt Gingrich recently commented that this is the beginning of world war III. Granted this may be a bit of a stretch, but it's certainly possible. Let's hope not, because we're a bit too pre-occupied to defend ourselves at the present moment.

We, the people of the United States, need to send the Jewish lobby packing, as well as any other foreign country that seeks to influence our foreign policy to such a radical extent. It's about time we took our contry back, and stopped the nation building expiraments that are getting our uniformed men and women killed. Please write your congressman and let him know that you are watching, and you're tired of the killing, most all of which is done in the name of God.

Where does the money go?

As I'm known to do every so often, I created a spreadsheet and tracked nearly every dime I made and spent in a pay period. I hadn't done this in a while, and, although I had my suspicions, the results shocked even me. Here are my expenses, broken out by percentage. Note that the percentage is over 100%, meaning I had to draw on savings. This is obviously not a typical budget, but it is not very far off nonetheless:

Income tax: 26%
Medical expenses (insurance, dental & medical co-pays, etc): 26%
Retirement savings: 4%
Utilities: 27%
Grocery: 10%
discretionary: 8%
Short term-loan repayment: 12%

Notice that 52% of my check is gone before I ever see it (Income tax and payroll deductions for heatlh insurance). Another 27% goes to utilities, which admitedly is a bit high for several reasons (the heat wave, some charges on my phone bill that were put there fraudulently and will be credited back, etc). But these things do happen fairly regularly.

Note that I didn't break out expenses for gasoline. This is because I use very little. I ride a motorcycle 7 miles to work, and that's about it other than short errands.

The important thing to note is that my budget has to be fairly average (middle class). I make decent money, I have 2 kids, and I'm debt free. But I'm being strip mined by 2 expense categories, taxes and health care. And this of course doesn't count property tax, sales tax, etc.

There isn't much that can be done at this point about either one. I will be attempting to find cheaper insurance in the form of a Health Savings Account (HSA) shortly, however I have one child in braces and another not far behind. And, I'm running for state office to help lower taxes, so I'm doing all I can.

It seems the world today has no problem with saddling up the working family man and riding him into the ground. Not only am I paying huge expenses to support a welfare state, and insurance that's sky-high mainly because of excessive government involvment (and people who are insulated from actual expenses because of insurance), but I support 2 kids as well (I have full custody and currently am not receiving any child support).

Having said all that, there are those on the left who can do nothing more but try harder to pick my pockets. They don't see anything morally wrong with forcing me to contribute to their charity (the welfare state) when I can't even afford to pay my own bills much of the time, largely because of the welfare state in the first place.

It's time that the working class cast off the shackles of guilt trips and stood up for ourselves. We're pulling the load of an entire nation, and are made to feel guilty when we say enough is enough. Well I'm saying it now: ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore. It's time for an overhaul of our tax and spend (or borrow and spend as the case may be) government, and our wildly out of control health care system.

Will you take a stand, or will you cower at the threat of a guilt trip from the left?

Crime emergency declared in Washington, DC

According to a Washington Post article today, there has been a "crime emergency" declared in our nation's capitol. The story can be found here: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/12/02/AR2005120202018.html

How ironic it is that the worst crime in the entire nation is in our federal government's backyard. While people are being murdered, raped, robbed, and mugged, what is our federal government doing? It's busy trying to outlaw internet gambling, flag burning, gay marriage, and making sure "under God" stays in the pledge of allegiance.

Why do we allow the federal government to tell us we can't gamble on the internet? I have enjoyed internet gaming for years, and the crime rate at my house is zero. Yet our self-righteous congressmen and dictatorial president have decreed that they know what's best for me... not just once, or twice, but over and over. I must not burn the flag. I must not support gay marriage. I must say "Under God". I cannot gamble on the internet. I cannot smoke pot even if I'm dying of cancer (yet I can get a perscription for marinol at $80.00 a pill).

It is a sad state of affairs when this type of legislation is the best our government can offer, while at the same time the city they call home is a virtual combat zone. How about they stop worrying about what I'm doing on the internet and others are doing in their bedrooms and pay attention to something that actually matters?

Smoking ban is all smoke and mirrors

I was extremely disappointed to read the opinions in today's opinion page of the Kansas City Star regarding the proposed smoking bans in restraunts and bars. 10 people were asked whether or not they supported the ban, and, all 10 said yes. Some had a few caveats, but the decision was unanimous nonetheless. Numerous reasons were given, but the one that is perhaps the most troubling is the (paraphrased), "I don't smoke, so it should be banned", or "I just quit, and I don't want the temptation to start again, so yes it should be banned".

Of all 10 opinions, not one seemed to recognize two key facts: 1) smoking is legal, and 2) bars and restraunts are private property. Nothing more needs to be said. If we as citizens fall into the trap of asking the government to outlaw things that we personally don't agree with, which take place on or in private property, where do we draw the line? Frankly, I don't like hip-hop music. Two of my favorite bars in town used to blast hip-hop several nights per week. Not once did I consider asking the government to ban hip-hop music simply because I wanted to go to one of these establishments and not be bothered by music I don't like. Instead, I didn't go on those nights, and voted with my wallet. And guess what? Neither of them is playing hip-hop any longer! (That could be a testimonial of how much I drink I suppose???? LOL)

Granted there is a difference between hip-hop and tobacco smoke. It is a widely accepted fact that tobacco smoke, even 2nd hand, causes health problems. There, I said it. Everyone knows it. But the fact remains that smoking tobacco is legal, and the hypocritical lawyers and politicians are making a fortune from it, while at the same time demonizing it. If it's so bad, why not just outlaw it? The reason is simple, the almighty dollar.

The bottom line is not whether or not you smoke. It's not even whether or not you want to smell smoke in a bar or restraunt. The bottom line is this: at what point do we outlaw legal, peaceful activities in and on private property that nobody is forced to participate in? And, as a follow up question, where does it end?

America: Freedom to Fascism

A new film by Aaron Russo is schedule to be released later this month. The film is called America: Freedom to Fascism. The promotional website can be found at http://www.freedomtofascism.com There is a 15 minute preview of the movie on the website.

Though I have not yet seen the entire movie, the website and the preview do make some good points. I am concerned, however, that the presentation of these points in the manner that Russo has chosen is somewhat deceptive. For example, he maintains that there is no law requiring U.S. citizens to pay a federal income tax. He fails to mention the 16th amendment (which was passed in 1913 and authorizes an income tax), and title 26 U.S. law (a large portion of income tax code) however.

He then launches into a familiar diatribe about the Federal Reserve being a "private corporation" Again, he fails to fully explain how the fed works. The fed, as well as our monetary system, is probably one of the least understood aspects of modern life. When Russo asks the average person on the street if he was aware that "the fed is a private corporation", he most often is met with the proverbial deer in the headlights look. The film is really more of a statement on people's lack of understanding of our legal and financial systems than it is an exposure of a conspiracy (Russo's main goal in my opinion).

Because there is so much misunderstanding about the fed, and because I work in the financial industry and have a basic understanding of the subject, I decided to write a wikipedia article on Russo's film (on the subjects of the tax code and the fed). I am working with another wikipedia author who is a tax attorney, as well as an individual who is promoting a website debunking the myths of the film. Here is what have composed thus far:

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America: Freedom to Fascism is a movie produced by activist Aaron Ruso. Russo maintains that there is no law requiring U.S. citizens to pay federal income tax. In the movie, he interviews citizens from all walks of life and challenges them to find any law requiring that the tax be paid. Russo also maintains that the Federal Reserve bank is a private organization and is largely responsible for our nation's debt. Again, he interviews people and asks them if they were aware that our national debt was owed to a private corporation. He then explains his position on this.

The examples above are just two of Russos stated objectives. The film is already creating controversy, however. Many people believe that the movie does not fully disclose the facts regarding such topics as income tax and the federal reserve.

For instance, in the case of the federal income tax, the 16th amendment clearly states that, " The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration". Furthermore, the current federal income tax code is a matter of record. Title 26 of the U.S. code enumerates current tax law, as authorized by the 16th amendment.

A more detailed examination of Russo's claims about the federal reserve raises more questions as well. The federal reserve bank, created in 1913 by an act of congress, is a unique entity that operates independently of the US government, but still subject to its authority. The federal reserve banking system is comprised of 12 regional banks. A board of 12 governors, appointed by the U.S. President and confirmed by congress, preside over the banks. They collectively have the authority to alter economic conditions in order to influence the economy. This is accomplished though such activies as changing the prime interest rate (the rate member banks pay for short term loans from the federal reserve), increasing or decreasing the reserving requirement (the amount of deposits that member banks must retain in relationship to loans), and stock margins (the amount of stock that may be purchased on credit). There are other powers that the Federal Reserve has, such as buying and selling government securities, which influence the supply of money.

A bank that is a member of the federal reserve is required to purchase stock in the federal reserve. This stock is unlike traditional stock, however, because the rights of the stock owner are very limited. For example, the stock cannot be used in personal transactions such as assignment and collateral. It cannot be sold or transferred. Dividends are limited to 6% by law, however the federal reserve itself does not operate for profit. Instead, the interest revenue it collects is used to pay operating expenses only. All remaining funds above operating expense are despoited back into the U.S. Treasury. Thus, critics of the film maintain that the Federal Reserve is not strictly a private corporation, although it can be said that it is not strictly a branch of government either.

The reason for the autonomy of the Federal Reserve is to shield it from the demands and pressures of politics. Since neither the governors nor the member banks stand to gain from the fed's decisions, they are free to set market conditions as they see fit. This prevents the corruption that could arise should the government be allowed to speed up or slow down the economy, such as in an election year.

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What we as concerned citizens should advocate is a repeal of the 16th amendment and an abolition of the IRS. Seeking to advance conspiracy theories about how a banking cartel is profiting from our income tax (as Russo says) is not only deceptive, but largely a waste of time.