Mitt Romney has now pretty much secured the GOP nomination for president. I am not a big Romney supporter but he is honest and is a brilliant businessman. Both of these assets will be a huge improvement over Obama.

Now we all need to be prepared for an all-out political war between May and the November election. Obama has no successful record to run on, so he will attack Romney in any way that he can and it’s not going to be pretty. The country is in such a mess due to Obama’s failed policies that the Democrats are going to create every type of distraction they can to take focus away from Obama’s record.

All the economic indicators in the last few weeks show that our economy is in serious decline. To anyone with any real-life experience in business, it seems that Obama is deliberately trying to destroy our free enterprise system. His actions certainly suggest that he despises the private business sector and he has openly stated his opposition to the oil and coal businesses. We are all painfully aware of how his war on oil has affected the price of gas.

Right now more Americans are on food stamps than ever before. The monthly unemployment rate or U3 rate is 8.2% but this figure does not include those who have given up searching for a job. The U6 rate which covers the last six months and does include those who have given up searching is 15%.

Social Security Disability is on schedule to run out of funds in 2015 and Social Security Retirement is projected to run out of funding in 2033. However, the Obama administration has no plan to deal with Social Security or Medicare and only ridicules any plans put forth by the Republicans.

The Democrats in Congress are discussing ways to tax the savings in tax exempt 401(k) plans and other retirement accounts.

This short video further explains our situation and you owe it to yourself to watch it. It is only 4 minutes long and is well worth the time. Simply click:  If I Wanted America To Fail

To get our country back to where it should be we need to understand how we are being manipulated and stand up for our freedom.

Best wishes,

Charles Moore

Obama accidentally exposed his plans for his second term when he spoke to Medvedev in Seoul within range of a live microphone. He said “This is my last election. After my election, I’ll have more flexibility”. Meaning he could strike a deal with the Russians on nuclear weapons and not be concerned about accountability to voters when he weakens our defenses.

Obama has aggressively attacked free enterprise with Obamacare, the government take over of General Motors, his war against oil and coal, as well as his policy of redistributing the nations wealth. Can you imagine what he’ll try to pull without the need to remain electable?

Obama and the Democrats promised Obamacare would cost no more than $938 billion over the first 10 years, yet the Congressional Budget Office just admitted it now projects 10 year costs to be $1.8 trillion or more. Other experts are predicting double or triple that amount just for the first 10 years.

While baby boomers are reaching the Medicare age of 65 at the pace of 10,000 per day for the next 20 years, Obamacare will cut Medicare by $500 billion. He has publicly stated that at a certain age, the elderly will have to be satisfied with the pain pill instead of an operation they may need. Do you really want the government deciding what type of medical care you can receive or what type of insurance you must buy?

Another example of this administration’s lunacy is the way they are handling our oil and gas supply. Average national cost of regular gas is $3.91 per gallon as of March 28, 2012 and still rising. However, the Obama administration is still doing all it can to block more drilling and construction of Canadian pipelines that can dramatically increase supply and reduce cost. The Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu stated in 2008 that he thought the United States gas price should be just as high as the European price which is $8 dollars per gallon now. It appears he is well on the way to accomplishing that.

It is true that US oil production is up but that is due to production on private land. Obama has reduced production on government land by 40% and is still doing all he can to impede private production with regulations and taxes.

Oil companies and geologists have discovered oil reserves that can safely make the US independent from outside oil for 70 to 200 years. With the supply we have available, there is no justifiable reason we should be paying more than $2.00 – $2.50 per gallon. There is no legitimate reason for Obama to be forcing failed “Green energy” on a nation that does not want it.

The Supreme Court is hearing testimony this week as to whether the mandates in Obamacare are constitutional or not. If the Justices honor their oaths to uphold the Constitution, this may be the end of Obamacare.

National defense, energy supplies and health care are just three areas that Obama has the desire to “fundamentally transform”. He is even dictating to the Catholic Church that they must provide birth control. We can’t say that he didn’t give fair warning before he was elected but we couldn’t imagine he would be this radical.

For those of us who are approaching 65 or already older, we need to realize that Obama sees us as a major target for cutbacks, if he has his way. If you don’t already understand that, you had better wake up and pay attention before the November election. If the Supreme Court doesn’t do their duty to stop his unconstitutional rampage, we need to be sure we do on election day. We’ll have no one to blame but ourselves for the mess we will be in if we don’t.

Best wishes,

Charles Moore

We baby boomers are starting to reach retirement age. Experts that keep track of such statistics claim that 10,000 of us turn 65 each day starting this year. That seems like an awful lot but I guess they’re right. Anyway there are a lot of us reaching retirement now and I hope this list will help make your planning a little easier.

Retiring is a major step for all of us. Usually, there is a great deal of confusion, chaos and doubt before retirement, followed by a some bouts of boredom and a little regret. To help make things easier and to keep everything under control, here is a list of 18 things to do before retirement. A little planning can make the time after retirement less overwhelming.

- Prepare an updated balance sheet of income and expense.
- Use up any company paid vacation days you have earned.
- Get rid of debt.
- Make a list of things you’d like to do – a “bucket list.”
- Get your car inspected for any maintenance needed.
- If you have a will, make sure it is updated.
- If you don’t have a will, get one, and then make sure it stays updated.
- Home inspection – check and replace any worn out items like doorknobs, faucets, light fixtures, etc.
- Begin the paperwork to file for social security.
- Make sure you have transitional insurance in place, and are applying for other forms of insurance.
- Consider moving to a smaller home or apartment for the sake of ease in maintenance.
- Consider moving to a single story home for ease of mobility as you age.
- Assess life insurance needs.
- Talk to your financial advisor about making changes to your portfolio to help support your needs and wants after retirement.
- Check into long-term care insurance.
- Assign a power of attorney in the event of an emergency.
- Have an attorney draw up an advanced medical directive to make sure everyone knows your health care and end of life wishes.
- Play a practical joke on your boss – AND coworkers just to have a good laugh.

Now that you have all of that out of the way, you can relax, and enjoy the rest of your retirement celebrations. Don’t forget to count down the number of days on a large, easy-to-read wall hanging that can be seen clear across the room. On your last day, run around having fun, playing practical jokes, and generally having a great time.

Mix a bit of silliness in with the serious business of preparing to retire. Pay attention to your current investments as well as your estate and any insurance you wish to keep after retiring. Also, make sure your basic needs are covered and you have some wiggle room in your finances for at least three months after you retire.

This extra cushion will allow you to get settled into your new life, finding your “groove” so to speak, and start taking advantage of all the things you were planning on doing. Plus, you will have time to reminisce on those practical jokes you played on your boss and coworkers. Retirement is a fun time and should be enjoyed. Just make sure you have all of the work done before you go off and play.

Enjoy your retirement, you’ve earned it.

Best wishes,

Charles

I hope you all have enjoyed a happy Easter even though many of us are still dealing with damage caused by severe weather. Many in Missouri and North Carolina are faced with completely rebuilding their lives because of tornadoes.

Unfortunately as so many are rebuilding, Obama still seems determined to transform the United States and force his radical changes down our throats. Gas prices hit $5/gallon in Chicago this morning and instead of blaming his shutdown on drilling, Obama wants us to blame the oil companies for being greedy. As long as Obama wants to destroy the oil and coal companies, we had better get prepared for the worst. The price of gas is expected to keep rising.

There are abundant untapped oil and gas deposits in the United States that can be safely extracted but our current government still blocks production. Shell Oil has just announced cancellation of plans to drill in Alaska this summer because of excessive government regulations. I don’t think any of us object to alternative energies that improve efficiency and price but right now the alternative methods just aren’t there yet.

Obama’s war against gas and coal is bad enough but his political manipulation of the economy is now a national debt crisis. Last week Standard and Poors lowered their outlook on United States debt from stable to negative. Whatever steps Congress takes to try to control the president’s spending, we will start noticing higher prices on many items in June if not sooner. A lot of food items are already showing substantial increase in price.

Keep aware of the changing economy and plan ahead the best you can to avoid as much pain as possible. I’m not optimistic about the current Congress stopping Obama’s radical policy before the 2012 elections.

It is especially important for you to stay aware of price increases and inflation if you are already on a fixed income like many on the senior side of 50. A little planning may prevent you from having to do without things you may need later.

I’m not trying to alarm you but I do hope you will keep aware and be prepared for unpleasant changes later.

Best regards,

Charles Moore

Although it looks like we’re all going to enjoy a beautiful spring of this year, I hear that this summer is going to hit us with some unpleasant challenges.

We are already dealing with price shock at the gas prompts. The day Obama became president, gas prices were $1.44 per gallon and as of April 4, 2011 gas prices were $3.68 per gallon. With all the unrest in the Mideast, future oil supplies are uncertain and prices are reflecting it. What is infuriating is that Obama still prevents our oil companies from drilling. We have abundant sources for oil in the United States and the technology to safely drill for it but it seems Obama prefers to let prices spike to the point he can force his green energy experiments down our throats.

It seems that we better be ready to suffer through unnecessary high prices for gas until we can elect a president who doesn’t plan to destroy US oil and coal companies. Unfortunately these current high gas costs will also raise the prices of everything else we buy that has to be shipped to the stores. I’m sure you’ve already noticed the increase in grocery prices recently.

Last week, the head of Walmart stated that he is already seeing significant price increases in the goods Walmart is buying for the summer season. He predicts that we will start feeling this inflation everywhere as soon as June.

On the positive side, the economy does seem to be making some modest gains and some of the politicians are admitting that government policies are doing too much harm to our economy. We will need to be prepared for a rough economy and high prices until we can change leadership with the 2012 elections but at least the public and some of the politicians are already demanding changes.

I’m not trying to ruin your mood during this pleasant spring weather but I do hope you will plan ahead so that radical politicians and high prices won’t spoil your summer plans.

No matter what part of the country you live in or even which country you live in, you most likely had to deal with some sort of severe weather over the holidays. If you didn’t have snow, mud slides, floods, tornadoes and or brutal cold, you were very lucky.

Here we had our first white Christmas in 120 years. Plus I’ve been dealing with a plumbing problem all week that I believe is going to get the best of me. At least I haven’t had crocodiles swimming into my house like some in flooded areas of Australia.

With a start like this it’s got to mean things are going to get better in 2011. Today a new U.S. Congress takes control and promises to stop the insane spending of the past two years. Conservatives pledge to repeal the government takeover of health care which is already proving to be a massive failure. Over 250 companies have already been granted waivers from Obamacare to prevent them from having to cancel health care for their employees and the plan hasn’t even taken full effect yet.

Another promising indicator is that the private sector added 297,000 new jobs after the extension of the Bush tax cuts was approved. If reckless government spending stops and companies regain the confidence to hire employees, the economy may rebound quicker than we expected.

There are still many serious problems that we need to deal with this year but hopefully our new representatives will keep the promises they made to get elected and make our nation more prosperous for all of us. It will be a pleasant surprise if we all get the happy new year we wished for a few days ago.

This has been a hectic holiday season already. Since the elections, most of us are wondering how much the economy will improve in 2011 or if it will continue to flounder.

With the new Congress I am optimistic that we will see government intimidation start to ease and the economy showing signs of growth and progress again. It’s sad to see how many liberals are so rabid to promote class warfare to punish the rich instead of promoting free enterprise and getting people back to work.

As I write this, Democrat Senators are loading their version of the tax bill with billions of dollars of pork payoffs for their special interests. Harry Reid is leading the charge so he can pay off the casinos and unions for getting him enough votes to stay in DC for another term. There is even an add-on for rum companies in Puerto Rico. There is so much controversy surrounding this bill that Obama has even called in Bill Clinton to get him out of trouble.

If the tax bill doesn’t pass before January 1 unemployment extensions will also be delayed. Whatever the Democrats do between now and January 1 things should start to improve with the new year, though I’m sure it will be a battle.

On top of the political storm, much of the country is now facing severe winter weather to make Christmas shopping and travel even more of a challenge. I hope that these political games and crazy weather will not spoil any of your family’s Christmas plans.

Enjoy the holidays and look forward to a better new year. Merry Christmas to you and your family.

I had a very strange morning last Thursday. I was driving to the other side of town on some routine errands on one of our busier four-lane surface streets. As I passed through an intersection I noticed two police cars on the other side of the road, one off the side of the road and the other stopped in the middle of the street. It was the last day of September and traffic was heavier than usual, so I had to keep moving but nothing other than the police cars seemed unusual.

I had just driven about 200 yards when I saw what they were waiting for. Over a hill came a procession of police cars with all their flashers on but no sirens. Then as all the other cars tried to move out of their way, I noticed a blue Acura kept slowly winding through the other cars. I could barely see the driver’s head behind the steering wheel.

I counted eight police cars slowly following and knew there were at least two more waiting just ahead. From what I saw I thought it was a slow speed chase that we see on television so often. It wouldn’t last long, not only was the driver headed toward denser traffic, he was also approaching police headquarters. As I drove on, two more police cars passed with lights and sirens blasting, that put my count to 12 police cars. I thought it seemed like a lot for just some slow chase but went on with my errands.

About 30 minutes later I was back in my car and heard over the radio the police had been after an armed bank robber. Our police had enough notice to completely block the robber as he got closer to the town center. He pulled into a shopping center and as police approached his car, he shot himself in the head.

It only took eight minutes from the first 911 call for our police to locate and stop the man. They did their job well and no one was hurt except the bank robber and that was by his own hand.

Authorities are still trying to learn about this man but right now all we know is that he was 32 years old, single, lived about 50 miles away and had been unemployed for several years. He had never been in any type of serious trouble before this. It’s sad for anyone to end up this desperate but thankfully he didn’t harm anyone else.

I’m sure you’ll agree it was a memorable morning for me but why should you be concerned? Well, I just saw a report on Fox News that stated there are currently 14.9 million people currently unemployed in the United States. In 2009, 5.1% of the US workforce was made up of illegal aliens and Obama seems more concerned about benefits for these illegal aliens and open borders than he is about jobs and security for legal US citizens. He still has a moratorium in force that prevents US companies from drilling in the Gulf which puts thousands of oil workers out of work and also affects many others who depend on their business for a living. This is after two separate federal judges have ruled against the legality of this moratorium.

In addition, the immigration problems along our southern border seem to get worse and more violent each day. Mexican drug “Pirates” reportedly shot and killed a US citizen on lake Falcon which straddles the border between Texas and Mexico just last week. Phoenix, Arizona is now claimed to be the kidnapping capital of the world due to the illegal immigration problems. This flood of illegals is not only a problem for law enforcement but causes a major drain on our economy and employment opportunities. Yet the Obama administration behaves as if border security does not deserve their attention.

Many US citizens are currently facing economic and employment situations that cause them to be concerned and worried about their futures. They need help from leaders who want to encourage business and job growth not those who dream up schemes to confiscate the wealth of successful corporations and business owners.

Please keep in mind this sense of desperation so many are living with now when you vote in November. It’s time to return to opportunity and reject repression. Too many good people are unemployed and frustrated due to misguided attempts to “fundamentally transform”  our nation. We all deserve better.

Everyone agrees that the mortgage crisis has caused the near failure of our banking system. Many banks or financial institutions have failed or been absorbed by government directed takeovers. This economic crisis has resulted in the loss of millions of jobs, caused unbelievable losses in real estate and forced  a horrifying number of mortgage foreclosures. There have also been many well planned and hard earned retirement plans wrecked which I know has been a very painful reality for so many of us already over 50.

We have all been living through this nightmare for the last 2 years and I’m sure these facts are not news to you. The real blame for the problem has been argued since the crisis became evident.  The November Midterm elections this year may be the most important for this country’s future since the Constitution was enacted and I want you to have a clear knowledge of how we got to the situation that now exists.

The following video shows what happened in 2004 when a banking inspector warned the House Banking Committee of the problems he had discovered at Fannie Mae and the troubling actions of Frank Raines.

As each day passes and more oil spills into the Gulf, it is becoming evident that Obama intends to take advantage of this crisis to advance his personal agenda. Obama has made a number of references that this crisis requires us to transform our basic energy structure.

Day three of the spill the Dutch offered assistance of special skimmer ships which can pick up 20,000 tons of sludge a day, yet at day 65 Obama still refuses the offer. Europeans claim that they could clean up the oil in four months on their own and with US assistance only three months. However Obama chooses a nine-month plan without outside help.

On June 22, a federal judge in Louisiana reversed a six-month moratorium on all drilling when it was discovered that the recommendations of a board of experts investigating the situation had been misrepresented by the government. Even so, the Interior Department pledges they will get the drilling ban back in force as soon as possible.

It’s sad that people in power are willing to do so much damage to the Gulf Coast and so many thousands whose jobs depend on the oil industry to manipulate this crisis for political advantage. The federal government has even stopped dredging operations to protect the Louisiana coast because they didn’t like where the sand was dredged. They even shut down a skimmer ship because its life preservers were not the right type.

It’s a shame when an accident as serious as this occurs that our federal government appears to be trying to prolong the problem and delay those who are most desperate to repair the damage and put their lives back together.