Time to draw a line?

Hi neighbors. How many of you are Baby Boomers? How many of you remember when we trusted our government to do the right thing -- for us and in our name? Why did we stop electing generals to run our country and start electing lawyers and politicians? Maybe that's where we went wrong.

Let's face it, if we want a government that actually represents we Baby Boomers, we'd better find a "redneck" and put him (or her) in office. Preferably a redneck whose at least served in the military?

I have nothing against Obama, but sometimes being "reasonable" and tolerant with people might not work. As my daddy said, "Sometimes you have to draw a line -- and stand firmly behind it."

When a dictator states that he wants to bomb America out of existence, maybe we should give him a John Wayne or Dirty Harry response. You know what I mean; we should just talk softly and flash that big stick we carry. Maybe our president should just look him in the eye, smile and say, "Those are fighting words in my neck of the woods, son. You sure you want to go there?"

But carrying our big stick isn't politically correct these days. Even hinting that we have a stick of any kind is considered inappropriate. Is our only option when publicly threatened and harassed limited to wringing our hands and trying to placate dictators?

Most kids learn before the fourth grade that bullies can't be bought off. Mainly because there isn't enough money to satisfy their need to take away what someone else has. When you get tired of being shoved around you stand up and shove back. A bloody nose is a small price to pay for self-esteem and freedom from continuing badgering.

America is like a strong, large-built mountain of a man who is constantly being teased and picked on by smaller built men who want to egg him into a public fight. They figure if the big guy actually fights them, they can cry foul and say how unfair the fight was. If they win, or just get the big guy to walk away without fighting, they can have bragging rights forever.

This kind of harassment usually only ends when the big guy finally tires of it and picks the little guy up and shakes him up a bit.

Do I think we should go to war? Absolutely not! Not unless we are attacked. We pretty much have our hands full now anyway. I think our president should have a private little one-on-one with this dictator and simply point out that he should shut up, back off or bring it on -- and face the consequences.

To back our president up, our military should know the location of this dictator 24/7 and make certain if America is attacked, he won't slip off to hide and leave his people to suffer the retaliation alone.

I feel it is our military's responsibility to know when any plane enters American airspace and its point of origin. The same should of course, apply to missiles carrying bombs of any type and certainly nuclear warheads. Countries that attack other countries have to face the consequences -- they are not unnamed terrorists with no homeland.

I don't think American citizens will "understand" if another attack by any one is allowed to happen on American soil. Our government needs to tow the line as much as it needs to start drawing them.

While I'm ranting about the government, let's figure out what we should do to prevent a repeat, or continuation, of our present economic disaster.

First, let's stop giving tax breaks to companies that take their jobs to other countries. Particularly, let's make it a rule that if our taxpayers bail a company out of bankruptcy, they don't use that money to open new production plants in Canada and Mexico.

Make it mandatory that companies (or individuals) who employ illegal aliens pay extremely high fines. Let the National Guard stay home and guard the borders.

To fight illegal drug importation -- keep looking for the top kingpins -- but start rounding up and sentencing those of any age or ilk who use illegal drugs and put them to work doing all those jobs "Americans won't do." A few weeks of hand picking peaches and grapes will give them plenty of time to get clean and sober, improve their overall health while earning minimum wage and rethink the "thrill" of drug use.

Until the next time friends remember there are always solutions to problems, but some require a little straightforward action across the board.