Mark Knows It All

Last week Denny Hastert, former Speaker of the House, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Chicago for violating Federal banking laws and lying about it to the FBI.  Hastert had been withdrawing large sums of money from his personal bank account for a period of years.   Cash transactions over $10,000.00 must be reported to the Federal government.   Hastert was withdrawing $50,000.00 per.   When questioned by bank officials, Hastert then reduced the withdrawals to under $10,000.00.   That is against the law and was reported to bank regulators.   The FBI questioned Hastert concerned that he was being extorted. Hastert denied giving the money to anybody.   Further investigation discovered it was being paid to an unnamed individual who was blackmailing Hastert related to “sexual misconduct” when he was a high school teacher and wrestling coach prior to 1981. Total payments were $1.7 million. Hastert and his problems aside, this demonstrates the omnipresence of the Federal gover

On Saturday night around 8:30 PM Officers Benjamin Deen (34) and Liquori Tate (25) were shot to death after making a routine traffic stop in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.  Deen was a former “Officer of the Year."  Tate had just graduated from the Police Academy in 2014 proud and anxious to serve his community.  As of today, four suspects are under arrest; two charged with capital murder and two more with obstruction of justice and being accessories after the fact. I saw the story late Saturday on the Drudge Report.  When I turned the news on Sunday morning I waited for the story to be reported.  I waited some more.  Then I waited some more.  Eventually it made the news…but always the 3 rd or 4 th story on the air, and that included Fox.  Monday night brought more of the same.  CNN barely reported it at all.  Fox had some righteous indignation, but that was it. One of the two deceased officers was black.  All of the arrested were black.  Where is the Federal government

David Cameron was just re-elected Prime Minister of Great Britain.  That matters to you how?   It matters because it was an epic battle between the Tories...Britain’s Conservative Party led by Cameron, and the Labour Party…led by Ed Miliband.   It matters because David Axelrod was imported to Britain to assist the Labour Party get elected.   It matters because one of the major issues in the election was Britain’s immigration policy.   And it matters because the pollsters got it wrong in a major way. Going into the election, polls showed a neck and neck race…dead even with neither party getting the necessary seats in Parliament to form a government.  It would require a coalition government. The pundits and American Press were giddy giving the advantage to the progressive Labour Party.  Surprise.  As I write this, the Conservatives not only won the election handily, it appears that they may achieve sufficient votes in Parliament to form a government without a smaller party coali

Every 20 years or so America falls in love with liberalism.  It’s a feel good kind of ideology where Americans fraught with a combination of narcissism and guilt can wrap themselves in do-gooder's clothes while looking caring to those around them.  The old term was limousine liberals.  Ted Kennedy, the late liberal lion of the Senate, was a prime example.  While he was busy foisting busing on the rest of America, he was safely hidden behind the walls of his family’s compound in Hyannis Port sending his children to private schools. Barack Obama was supposed to be the pinnacle of liberalism….except now it is called Progressivism.  He was to be the Great Black Hope who could fix all the problems.  Buttressed by a fawning press which still refuses to examine his obvious and egregious flaws, he turned out to be nothing more than a throwback leftist 60’s radical who utilized Chicago style thug politics to punish his enemies and crony capitalism to reward his supporters.  His a

Do I sound bitter? Gee...do ya think?  I have always been a community minded individual.  I love the community in which I live. Over the years our community has oftentimes faced seemingly insurmountable problems so I tried to help in any small way I was able.  I tend to get overly involved and personally buy into whatever it is I am trying to do because I don’t do things half.  It takes 100% to get the job done.  Sounds good!  Well maybe not so much.  As the saying goes: the road to hell is paved with good intentions.  I have learned some hard lessons.  Community Service is not for the faint of heart, or for those looking for the best in mankind, or for those actually expecting to accomplish something or make a difference.  It is tough.  It is hard.  And common sense is at a premium. One of my first do-gooder ventures involved a church council whose Sunday night meetings would go on ad-infinitum.  One Sunday evening they debated for over two hours whether to turn the pil

                                                                       Today I am 65.  Milestone birthdays are not my favorite thing.  I got a telephone call from my Medicare Supplemental carrier today to answer a series of automated questions.  “Do you need help getting dressed in the morning?  Are you happy?  Can you bathe yourself?  Do you use a walker?  You are doing a good job.  We are almost finished now.”  The last question the machine asked was if I suffer from depression.  I answered "Yes"….I am 65 telling my health history to a machine.  Of course I’m depressed.  My Dad taught me to always look forward and never look back.  I try to live by that rule.  But on my 65 th birthday it’s hard to do.  When I was born most people didn’t have televisions.  My family didn’t get one until I was 4.  I would go to my neighbor’s house to watch Howdy Doody and Susie Side Saddle.  Automatic transmissions on cars were extra.  Windows rolled up and down and air co