Richard Cook

Read The Bill!

2010-05-16T17:08:00.000-07:00

Arizona passes a law to help protect the interest of their people. A law that makes illegal immigration, illegal. Why? Because the federal government won't take any action. So our Attorney General comes out and condemns the bill, but why? While being questioned by Congressman Ted Poe (R-Texas) he admits that he hasn't even read the bill (see below). So how can you condemn it without reading it? This is how we got govenment controlled health care, cap and trade as well as all of the other bills passed by this current Congress. We have to elect representatives and leaders that will read the bill before voting to make it law!

Arizona and Immigration

2010-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

By now you have heard all the pros and cons, arguments for and against, protests, etc. about this immigration bill from AZ. Well, so have I. So I decided to add my 2 bits to the discussion.

With the way the bill is written, I don't see any problem with it. All it does is reinforce the Federal Immigration laws. Asking someone who is stopped for suspicious behavior is not racism, its the law. A police officer doesn't take your word for who you are, you must prove it. When you are stopped for a traffic violation or other offense, the first thing asked for is id. So what is the problem with asking an suspected illegal immigrate who has been stopped, once again been stopped, for some other activity, for id? NOTHING! Officers can't stop them unless they are doing something else suspicious.

If the Federal Government was enforcing the laws already on the books, states wouldn't have to take matters into their own hands.

Wise Words

2010-05-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

During this political season let's be reminded of these wise words:

You cannot help the poor by destroying the rich.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong
You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot lift the wage earner up by pulling the wage payer down.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away people's initiative and independence.
You cannot help people permanently by doing for them, what they could and should do for themselves.

Abraham Lincoln

Bailouts for Big Business?

2010-04-23T07:17:00.001-07:00

The new bill proposed by our government seems to be nothing more than a permanent bailout for big business. Let's hope that those in Washington come to their senses and realize this and vote it down. Its time for them to realize that the American people are fed up with paying for all of their useless projects. Its time for the American people to stand up and shout "ENOUGH!". Let's Flip the House this election year!

New Thoughts

2010-04-12T07:15:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I was fortunate enough to be able to attend the Southern Republican Leadership Conference in New Orleans. There were a lot of great speakers, both nationally and locally. I met a lot of like minded people who all have the same goal, returning this country to the greatness it was.

I don't remember who said it, but there was one great line that I believe could be the mantra for this upcoming election; "Repeal, Replace and Restore". I know we have heard repeal and replace a lot. This is in reference to the terrible health care plan passed by Congress. And I agree we need to do this, but lets go one more step. Lets restore our grand, proud nation to greatness. We are looking weak to the rest of the world. This is something I do not wish to stand for.

Our present government is taking us on a downward spiral. We need leaders who will work to build this country back to its economic and military power that it should be. As the election of 2010 advances, remember this as you choose your officials.

God Bless America!

2010-04-07T09:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, I'm sorry that it's been a while since I've posted anything. Not much of a blogger I guess. I will try my best to keep up with posts more often.

I will be speaking at the Tax Day Tea Party on April 15th at the State Capital. The event will begin at 11 am and continue to 1 pm. I am not sure at what time I will be speaking but there are going to be a lot of great guests. Come out, listen to some great speeches and stop by and say hi. Looking forward to meeting each and every one of you.

God Bless.

Gas prices finally down. But....

2008-10-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Finally, gas prices have dropped. Here in Byram, I actually paid $2.45 for a gallon of gas. Never thought that day would arrive. There are predictions of it going lower. Not for the but. OPEC says they aren't making enough profit. So they are considering lowering production so that prices will rise. And it seems to be working. The price for a barrel of oil has gone up about $3 today. This is a good example of why we need to begin drilling in the US. We don't need to rely on other countries for fuel. Let's drill here and drill now!

Can Our Economy Be Fixed?

2008-10-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

To answer that question, yes it can. But what will it take? First off, we don't need to raise taxes. When people are worried how to buy gas, food, health care and such, they don't need the government coming in and sticking their hands deeper into our pockets. Leave the taxes alone unless you want to cut them more. When people can keep more of their money, they will spend more of their money helping the economy.

We also need to cut the capital gains tax. Let's give people a reason to invest money into our businesses and economy.

Don't increase the taxes on the rich. This is just plain dumb. "But they deserve to pay more taxes!". This is the cry of the liberal. The only problem is that the rich own alot of the businesses that supply the goods that the middle and lower classes need. When the government raises taxes on the "big, evil" corporations, they just pass the cost on to us with higher prices. So who is really getting hurt here?

Reagan showed us in the 80s that if you cut taxes, people invest in business. This creates more jobs. This means more people are working and paying taxes and not collecting handouts from the government. Economics 101.

So no new taxes, cut spending, cut capital gains. This is a start. But there is a long way to go. But you don't tax yourself out of the problem.

And the bottom line is that its not Wall Street that makes this country great, its Main Street. The everyday joe that gets up and goes to work for 8, 9, 10 hours a day and comes back to his family. Thats what will fix our economy.

Let's Do Whats Right For The American People (Yea, Right!)

2008-10-02T09:52:00.000-07:00

Once again, the Senate stepped up to help save America by passing their version of the bail out plan. But once again they go back to old politics as usual. They can't just come together and pass a simple (but questionable) bill. They load it down with pork AGAIN! Here are some of the earmarks added:

- Film and Television Productions (Sec. 502)
- Wooden Arrows designed for use by children (Sec. 503)
- 6 page package of earmarks for litigants in the 1989 Exxon Valdez incident, Alaska (Sec. 504)
- Virgin Island and Puerto Rican Rum (Section 308)
- American Samoa (Sec. 309)
- Mine Rescue Teams (Sec. 310)
- Mine Safety Equipment (Sec. 311)
- Domestic Production Activities in Puerto Rico (Sec. 312)
- Indian Tribes (Sec. 314, 315)
- Railroads (Sec. 316)
- Auto Racing Tracks (317)
- District of Columbia (Sec. 322)
- Wool Research (Sec. 325)

The biggest bail out in history and they have to play politics. Why can't we just do what is good for the American People and fix this mess that Congress put us in, in the first place. If they had been doing their jobs over the last few years they could have fixed this. The signs were there, regulators called for an over haul, but Congress didn't listen. So now we're having to pay for their screw ups.

Who is Obama running against?

2008-09-09T08:28:00.000-07:00

The dems and media keep comparing Obama's experience against Palin's. But he's not running against Palin, he running against McCain. Let's compare their experience. Palin is not running for president (yet!). I understand they are worried about her if something happens to McCain. But let's not put the cart in front of the horse. We'll cross that bridge when and if it comes. Palin is a great choice for McCain. She brings the executive experience he needs. I believe that she is capable of doing whatever job or duty is required of her.

So let's get back to real campaign, Obama vs. McCain.

First female vice president.

2008-09-03T06:14:00.000-07:00

Congrats on McCain on a great choice for VP, Sarah Palin. A pro-life, fiscal conservative with executive experience. If fact, has more executive experience than any of the candidates. And why do the left-wing blogs and media keep comparing her to Obama? He's running against McCain. That's where the comparisons should be.

A Good Reason To Drill Now!

2008-08-21T10:18:00.000-07:00

At the time of this writing (12:19 pm CST), a barrel of oil has gone up $5.25. Why? Because of the invasion of Georgia by Russia. Investors are afraid that Russia might block the flow of oil. If we were drilling and using our own oil this wouldn't be a worry of ours.

Our leaders that won't allow a vote on drilling say that the reason is it will take 10 years to get it out and it won't affect the price more than a couple of cents. BULL! This was the same reason we got 10 years ago. If we had started then, we would be getting the oil by now and wouldn't be paying $4 a gallon for gas. Experts tell us that it is possible to be getting some of the oil within 2 years.

And about the price, President Bush removed the executive ban on offshore drilling and within 2 days a barrel of oil went down $10 and further over the next few weeks. And this was with the congressional ban still in place. Imagine what might happen when it's lifted.

The Dems like taxes right? Just think of all the tax income from drilling in our own fields. We currently spend from $400 to $700 billion for overseas oil now. What if we kept that money here? And what about the jobs created from new drilling? More taxes, not to mention more people working.

I am for drilling now and spending less for oil. But should we just drill and do nothing else? NO! Let's develop alternative fuel sources. Nuclear, wind, and more. I personally like the hydrogen fuel cell if we can find a way to make it financially feasible. But whatever, let's get it and get off of oil. But until then, we need more oil. Begin drilling and doing research. Why can't we do both?

What Makes America Great?

2008-08-13T10:59:00.000-07:00

The other day I posted an article about being proud of America because it was great. But what makes America and Mississippi great? It's the people. In Mississippi and America, its the people that make it a great state and nation. Mississippi has some of the best minds in the country. There are companies from all over the nation that recruit from here. Aerospace, technology, computer and more.

And America has come up with some of the greatest ideas, projects and inventions the world has ever known. I mean, come on, we put a man on the moon in less than ten years. And yet there are people saying that it's going to take over ten years for us to get some oil out of the ground? I don't believe this. Americans can do anything they put their mind to. And when someone tells them that it can't be done, look out, we'll find a way.

So the next time you hear someone say, "America is evil", "America is bad", "It's not as good as it once was", or something of that nature, tell them to step back. "AMERICA is great, has been GREAT, and will continue to be GREAT.

Be Proud!

2008-08-08T09:51:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to take a moment and say how great I think America is. There has been some folks in the news later that have said it wasn't as great as it had been or that it was a mean country. Balderdash (always wanted to use that word). America is a great nation. And it still has tons of greatness left in it. Yea, we've had problems and we always will. But would you rather live somewhere else?

So stand up and shout it out, "America is Great!" Be proud to be an American.

Should We Drill Now?

2008-07-28T17:07:00.003-07:00

In my opinion, yes. There is too much at stake not to. Simple economics show that greater supply means lower prices. Just "inflating our tires" is not enough. Yes, this will give you a little better gas mileage, but the point is being missed by miles.

By drilling on our own soil, we reduce our needs for oil from countries that are not always friendly to us. What happens if tomorrow they say, oil is now $200 a barrel? Or we're not selling to you anymore? Or another military action breaks out in the region? What do we do then?

The smartest thing for the US to do now is begin the process of drilling offshore, in Anwr and the oil shales out in the midwest. But our Congressional leaders say no. Why? They say it will take up to ten years before we can see a drop of oil from these regions. The oil people say two to five years. Regardless of how long it takes, we need to get started. If we had started drilling ten years ago, we would see the benefits today. Each day we wait is another day of dependence on foreign oil. According to the experts, we have enough oil in our own fields to last for decades. Let's get started.

At the same time we are drilling, we need to also invest in alternative fuels, wind, solar, electric, hydrogen fuel cells, nuclear, and whatever else the creative minds of the US can come up with. We need to lessen our need for fossil fuels, but it will be a long process. Let's get the oil we need now, and encourage the development of new fuels for the future.