Les wanted to know if I was interested in building on an addition to one of his ski lodges. We walked around the building and peered under a deck where the addition would go, both of us raising several questions about the existing structure. Soon, with Les in his work clothes (dress slacks and dress shirt) and I in mine (grubs), we were both crawling on our bellies through the dust, gravel, weeds, debris and just about everything else one might have the pleasure of finding under a heavily traveled ski lodge deck. I did make a couple of comments about our adventure but I’ll refrain from posting them here.

I’ve told that story more than one time but as I was thinking more about it this morning after getting off the phone with Les, that action actually is a pretty good characterization of him. Here’s a man who could have sat in the comfort of his clean office but instead did not hesitate to roll up his sleeves and get dirty.

I’ve known Les for perhaps 30-plus years and during that time he has given unselfishly to his community. Time and space will not permit the endless list of how he has impacted the people in his home town and surrounding area.

Les Otten is a businessman who understands many things, among them tourism, promotion, marketing, investment, providing a viable product and operating within a budget. Whoever resides in the Blaine House will face daunting tasks and challenges. I believe he is up for the challenge and can put together the right people to make it all happen.

One huge undertaking will be the financial shortfall of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife, a depleted whitetail deer herd, an overgrown population of coyotes and other predators, and environmental groups eager to make a living serving up lawsuits to stop hunting, trapping and fishing. The hunting, fishing, trapping and general outdoor recreation brings millions of dollars into Maine each year. The next governor has got to find a way to tidy up fish and game and make sure that those running it are in sync with the mission.

True to character, Otten will “roll up his sleeves and get dirty” on this issue.

All of the United States is at a crossroad. Things are changing and many of us don’t care for the direction it is going. If there’s one weapon we have as free Americans it is the right to vote. That’s where we can begin to push back.

Outdoor sportsmen can be independent people. We love to be outside, in the forests, on the water, enjoying the peace and quiet and the beauty God gave us. But to protect that, we have to give a bit more than we take sometimes. I’m asking every sportsman in Maine to make it a point to vote on June 8, 2010. Vote for the candidate(s) that you believe best represent your ideals. Finding the right people is extremely important at every level of government. Don’t wait to see who comes out on top. Be the one who puts your candidate at the top.

Tom Remington

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Washington, DC: In response to GE’s recent announcement of its sponsorship commemorating the Centennial Celebration of President Ronald Reagan’s birth, today the Free Enterprise Project of the National Center for Public Policy Research is criticizing GE CEO Jeff Immelt for exploiting Reagan’s legacy to curry favor with conservatives.

“I’m outraged over Immelt’s shameless exploitation of President Reagan’s historic presidency to improve GE’s reputation among conservatives. Reagan is the champion of conservatives because he fought for liberty and limited government. In contrast, Immelt uses GE’s vast lobbying resources to expand the size and role of government in order to create markets for its products and loot Americans of their liberty,” said Tom Borelli, Ph.D., Director of the Free Enterprise Project.

Borelli notes that GE is an aggressive supporter of cap-and-trade legislation and the company played a key role in passing the Waxman-Markey climate change bill last year. GE hopes the capping of carbon emissions would force demand for its renewable energy products such as wind turbines and solar panels. With cap-and-trade currently stalled in the Senate, GE lobbyists are now writing energy legislation for Lindsey Graham (R-SC) that would mandate that an increasing amount of electricity be derived from renewable energy sources.

“In anticipating a Tea Party surge of conservatives to be elected next November, Immelt needs to steer the GE ship hard right. With his revenue increasingly dependent on government projects, policies, and subsidies, Immelt can’t be caught on the progressive aisle if the Republicans take charge in Congress. That’s why Immelt is running ads recalling Reagan’s role with GE during the 1950′s,” added Borelli.

“It’s going to take a lot of advertising to wash away the progressive odor from Immelt’s policies. Immelt is a member of President Obama’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board and he has repeatedly been an Obama cheerleader ranging from defending the president’s commencement speech at Notre Dame to echoing Obama’s views on CEO greed during a talk at West Point. GE’s NBC Universal media empire frequently promotes the Administration’s green agenda and MSNBC’s progressive attack dogs, led by Keith Olbermann, consistently assaults anything that represents conservative values.”

GE is being richly rewarded by Obama’s economic stimulus package. GE lobbied the Administration to make sure its utility customers, including Duke Energy, Exelon and FPL Group, were given hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money.
The contrast between Reagan and Immelt’s GE is stark in regard to dealing with national adversaries. While Reagan was responsible for the fall of the Soviet Union, Immelt’s GE has profited from selling infrastructure equipment to Iran.

“Immelt should realize slick advertising will not cover up his pact with the progressive devils. Because of Immelt, today’s GE has far more in common with Obama, Reid, Pelosi and Olbermann than with President Reagan.”

Let’s face it. We now have Obamacare because we voted for him to be president out of hatred toward George W. Bush. However, electing Barack Hussein Obama only expedited the inevitable. You and I have sat on our hands for so long now, allowing laws to be passed in this land that are contrary to the U.S. Constitution. I know of nobody in Washington that evens considers the Constitution a worthy document.

This may be our last chance to reverse the tide. If we continue to elect representatives who view our Constitution as nothing but old, worthless history, our future is doomed and will be short lived. We can turn this around but it can’t happen on its own.

Photo from fOTOGLIF

The TPM has become a powerful force. Why? Because it is of the people and by the people. Because of the TPM business as usual in the political sphere got upended. We saw that in Virginia and New Jersey. When Scott Brown got elected to the Senate seat in Massachusetts, that is when it become clear to me that Republicans didn’t know what the Tea Party Movement was about either.

The next day Washington was abuzz. Politicians were scrambling around and doing one of two things – resigning or spinning their cocoons preparing to metamorphose into something they really weren’t out of fear for the life of luxury on Capital Hill they might lose.

The Democrats are running scared of the TPM because it has hurt them and they are clueless as to what it is and why. They rage on claiming “teabaggers” are just angry conservatives propped up by icons like Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Mark Levin and others. On the other hand, the Republicans think they “own” the TPM, as if it is just a tool of their party. Some republicans are even saying that the TPM could destroy the Republican Party.

Recently Sarah Palin, former governor of Alaska and Vice Presidential candidate under John McCain in 2010, said the Tea Partiers had to chose a party, I assume meaning they couldn’t form a third party, with strong hints they needed to morph into the Republican Party.

But Palin is not alone. Some political hopefuls, who have benefited greatly from the Tea Party Movement, are also encouraging the TPM to join forces with the Republican Party. Marco Rubio of Florida comes to mind. The list continues.

Speaking of Marco Rubio, I just got off the phone with one of his volunteers here in Florida. He was asking if Mr. Rubio could count on my vote in the upcoming primary. My answer was a simple yes, provided that he sticks to his conservative principles. I also mentioned about Rubio’s statement yesterday at CPAC that the Tea Party Movement had to join with the Republican Party. I explained my position and told him that what was good about the TPM as it stands is that if these candidates are the right ones, they will get the TPM votes. What’s more American than that?

So, is this joining forces really a good thing? I don’t think so. I am no suggesting a third party but certainly would not oppose the wishes of the majority of Americans. I think that it has become clear through witness of what the TPM has been able to achieve, it could possibly become a viable third party. Many oppose that claiming it would water down the Democrat and Republican parties. Perhaps but isn’t the meat and potatoes of the TPM all about destroying “politics as usual” in Washington? Serious argument can be made as to whether any of the existing parties really do represent the wishes of the American people.

I don’t think the TPM should become a third party but I also don’t believe merging into the Republican Party is the right move either. Both major political parties survive and rule over us by having far too much power, both within their own respective parties and on Capital Hill. This runs anti to the TPM.

The Tea Party Movement is powerful but they shouldn’t believe for a moment that they can meld into the Republican Party and still retain that power; the power of the people and by the people. Once the Republicans can seize the reins of the TPM, Washington will be back to business as usual without a very powerful watchdog group interested in real change – change back to a constitutionally run limited government.

The Tea Party Movement needs to pride itself on what it has accomplished and proudly stand alone sending a message to all party members, all politicians and all hopefuls that there is accountability. As a government of the people and by the people should be, representatives who go to Washington serve at the behest of the voters not via the powers of their parties. This country will return to its strength once the Tea Party Movement can reeducate Washington.

No more business as usual. It’s about the people.

Tom Remington

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Not only is Olbermann calling for reduced freedom in America, but the company that employs him has been using its own influence to save itself at taxpayer expense, says National Center for Public Policy Research Free Enterprise Project director Tom Borelli.

The decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission eases certain restrictions on the free speech of businesses, associations, organized labor and certain advocacy groups with regard to their participation in political campaigns. Olbermann suggested the decision in the Citizens United case would lead to corporations and wealthy citizens essentially buying lawmakers.

MSNBC is currently owned by General Electric.

Borelli said:

“To call increased political participation a threat to democracy is ludicrous. What seems to be the case is that Keith Olbermann wants to keep the playing field clear for his employer.

“Taxpayers kept GE solvent by bailing out GE Capital – the company’s financial arm. Yet the company now escapes Obama’s assault against the banking industry. Additionally, GE’s lobbying army – which has a $20 million annual budget – helped secure hundreds of millions of dollars for the company’s utility customers from Obama’s economic stimulus package, and the Waxman-Markey cap-and-trade bill that passed the House of Representatives would mandate the purchase of renewable energy products such as GE’s wind turbines.

“Let’s also not forget that taxpayer money was also used to prop up GE during the credit crisis. Shockingly, it’s our money that was used to pay Keith Olbermann’s salary.

Both shareholders and taxpayers should be outraged because GE CEO Jeff Immelt and Olbermann continue to use MSNBC to attack the American people in a failing effort to defend President Obama’s left-wing policies. Ultimately, for them, this effort may be a marketplace failure. To wit, GE’s NBC unit just today reported a 30 percent drop in profit.

“Immelt and Olbermann may have secured favors from the Obama Administration, but they are just continuing to prop up a losing enterprise.”

Photo from fOTOGLIF

Yesterday, Barack Obama interviewed with George Stephanopoulus of ABC News. (Transcript here.) There’s tons of information you can digest about Obama in that interview. I really don’t know why but one tiny bit of his “but what I will tell you” interview, jumped out at me as very revealing of the kind of person our president is.

If there’s one thing that I regret this year, is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us, that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values. (emphasis added)

What he might regret is that he is now seeing the results of total disregard of the people. His secrecy, behind the door deals, and the attempted cramming down our throats a government health care plan, hasn’t set well and Brown’s victory bore that out.

But look closer at what he said. He regrets not “speaking directly” to the people about their core values. Most people that might regret dissing the people would have said they regret not LISTENING to the American people. It is my belief this guy really does regret not speaking to the American people and telling them what their value system should be and if you follow his values and plan, he’ll reward you with bribes in the form of tax cuts, tax exemptions and tax dollar bailouts.

Now the President has to figure out how to go ahead and cram his radical agenda down our throats with only 59 democrats in the Senate.

Ray Stevens! That’s right. Do you remember the “Mississippi Squirrel Revival”? When Ray was a boy, he snuck a squirrel he had caught into church one Sunday. The squirrel escaped Ray’s box and created quite the uproar in the old church.

I believe if you watch the video, you’ll agree that Scott Brown might just be the squirrel that escaped the box and raised cane in Massachusetts.