The crux of the debate regarding GM and Chrysler and AIG and all the others is not the minutia of should the CEO be fired or not, the debate is on the principles of government's role versus the role of private business.  If we don't look at that, then we lose to the central planners, to the big government socialists who want our attention diverted precisely to the smaller argument of who should be running GM at the top, and the bonuses at AIG, and not the debacle of government taking over operations of privately owned business. I know it's difficult , with all the excitement and controversy, to step back and keep the big picture in focus, but if we lose that big picture we lose everything. This not a random romp by government egos who are trying to help one or two businesses stay afloat, this is nothing short of a complete flip of the government's role in limited interference. You have to understand that our freedom as citizens depends entirely on a very limited role of a central government. Up until the Obama Presidency, we have had some measure of restraint on this front. There has been a weak, but maintained modicum , a spark of respect for the principles of self determination and freedom to succeed or fail, allowing capitalism to absorb the failures and make successes from them.   But mass ignorance, driven by populist emotions have carried a radical socialist to the highest chair in government, and given him a fully functional right and left arm in the Senate and the House or Representatives that are working in conjunction with him put a hangman's noose around the necks of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Ben Franklin and all the founders of our nation whose brilliance long ago gave us a foundation of freedom to grow a nation upon. We are fast forgetting what freedom is and what it means to lose it.   It was those great figures from our past who declared their freedom from a self ordained Monarch, a singular power-grabbing authority who in some ways is very like Barack Obama today. The founders of our nation were willing to fight to have their freedom from an oppressive King and to be able to choose their own destinies, to rise or fall by the merit of their individual efforts rather than to have their futures and lives determined by an overlord. The fight is not about whether AIG should give out bonuses, or GM should lose it's CEO, it's about whether we rule ourselves, or the government rules us.  It's about whether we declare for freedom, or lay down and let the central government crush us under it's boot heel. We need to remember how to be free, and not willingly tie puppet strings to our own arms and legs and let our government play us like fools in a side show in the name of saving us from ourselves.

- Mike Silverman

 
The Declaration of Independence: ( WITH NOTES ADDED BY ME... in parenthesis)

 This first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence lays out the basic reasons for pursuing redress of grievances against a government that has gone out of control.  My notes inserted into it were meant simply to point out the modern equivalence of some of those grievances. It seems that  far too many of our elected leaders have forgotten or forsaken the principles and ideas of our nation's founding. We have a governing body now that seems to have lost its way from the principles primarily embodied in the right to liberty. Freedom. From freedom all the rest of it becomes possible.
 
- Mike Silverman

There are generally two schools of thought regarding bullies. The first approach is to take them head-on and show them you will not tolerate being abused. The other approach is to ignore them, don't feed thier ego, and eventually they give up. It's been soundly proven that the second approach is almost always an abysmal failure. Ignoring the bully either entices him to be even more brazen in his attacks, or it appears to give the bully credibility since you won't defend yourself..., or both. So why bring this up? Sarah Palin has been bullied by the press, by Hollywood, by every Democrat pundit, from nearly the very first day that McCain announced her as his choice for a running mate. Her children, her husband, her stature as a mother, her intelligence, have been ridiculed in the way a mindless bully attempts to ridicule who he perceives to be the most defenseless target on the playground. As a politician a certain amount of this comes with the job, and you have to allow it to roll off your back..., to a degree. But there comes a time when it's reached its limit and the bullies need to be taught a lesson. When people who were on your side are turned against you launching the most petty, snide, cowardly, immature attacks from deep in the shadows, helping your enemies to tear you down, it's time to go after those traitors. Senator McCain proves again he is an absolutely bitter ingrate and a waste of time, as he sits idly by allowing lies from his own campaign staffers to be tossed at Governor Palin. Why? Because he never liked Conservatives and thinks they are the problem with the Republican Party. Sarah Palin worked harder than McCain himself in the last nine weeks of the campaign, to try to get him elected. And everyone I know thinks it's also disgraceful that Fox News drools this garbage all over it's network without first waiting for a response from governor Palin so that it can be presented as a fair and balanced report. Cameron should be fired for his hack journalism in aiding this spreading of innuendo and lies and violating the credo of his own network's slogan of fair and balanced.

Also have you heard of Obama's plan to force all public school students to perform community service? This is the sort of thing courts punish criminals with. Obama wants to do this to students. Obama said... "So when I'm President, I will set a goal for all American middle and high school students to perform 50 hours of service a year, and for all college students to perform 100 hours of service a year. This means that by the time you graduate college, you'll have done 17 weeks of service.". So what is this supposed to be, Obama's forced labor camps? Will the students have to wear t-shirts with Obama's image on them while they perform thier forced labor? What's next? Every school room must have a portrait of Obama on the wall that the students have to salute? Looks like we better hold on tight. The Obama presidency is going to be a very bumpy ride for those who cherish freedom.

 - Mike Silverman