BIKE FROM SEATTLE TO PORTLAND? NO PROBLEM!

Ron and Kelly biked 200 miles last Saturday in the Seattle to Portland bike race. . . AND they did it in ONE day instead of two days like most riders in the race. About 10,000 riders do this annually. This is the 2nd time Ron has successfully completed this trek, the first time being 4 years ago.

Last year he attempted it and had a bad crash about half way through that damaged his bike as well as split his helmet! He was determined to do it again, and finish this time.

Not bad for a guy who's turning 70 years old in September!

Kelly, who's done this race several times, took up the challenge to do it in one day with Ron, and he did it!

CONGRATULATIONS GUYS! You done good!

The Tragedy in the Gulf.

Remember when the Bush administration was crucified in the media over the government's delay in giving aid to Katrina's victims (even though Louisiana's governor had refused the federal government's aid)? Now the oil spill in the Gulf is considered the greatest ecological disaster of all time . What a tragedy for those states and the people who live and work there.

The Obama administration has performed abysmally in the wake of this disaster. Yet, we see very little criticism in the media (except for FOX). Instead the President is using the disaster to promote his political agenda of stopping offshore drilling at the expense of thousands of jobs in an already devastated area. He is looking for whose "ass to kick"! Nice language for a President. He's throwing blame around everywhere.

The truth is that the federal government is more responsible for the oil spill than BP! They recently gave that oil rig safety awards! Then, when the spill occurred, the federal government refused offers of help from all over the world. The government's environmental agencies stopped the governors from taking action to prevent oil from reaching their shores. The President chose NOT to waive the Jones Act (as President Bush did after Katrina) in order to allow foreign workers to assist in cleaning up the oil.

When Saddam Hussein destroyed oil wells at the end of the Gulf War, millions of gallons of oil spilled into the sea. Saudi Arabia brought dozens of ships in, and the oil was cleaned up in a matter of days and most of the oil recovered. Why couldn't we have done the same thing?

Months into the oil spill, and now our beaches are contaminated with oil. The fishing industry in the area has been devastated. Thousands are out of work. Wildlife are dying in the oil.

But President Obama is playing golf! Ah, life is good!

What will July 4, 2011 bring?

As we celebrated July 4th yesterday, I thought about how different our country is now compared to a few years ago. In past years, I watched the fireworks and felt so proud to be an American. Now, I look at the fireworks and I have a feeling of fear for our country and for our future.

Our nation is at a critical juncture where we can either proceed to correct the errors that have been made and move our country back to its core principles, or we can proceed down the current path to loss of freedom and economic catastrophe.

We have a President and Congress who do not value our Constitution and who knowingly violate it, simply because they can! These "progressives" believe that the Constitution is a "changing" document, so, realistically, it becomes whatever they want it to be! They no longer feel constrained by the limits placed upon government by the Constitution. This puts us in very dangerous territory and threatens our freedoms and our republic.

We have a President and Congress who think they have a credit card without limits to spend the American people's tax dollars. They have no concept of fiscal responsibility. If any of us managed our money the way Congress manages our tax dollars, we would be in bankruptcy. That's where our country will be if something doesn't change. The government is supposed to work for US--not us work for them! They cannot continue to strangle our economy with heavy taxation and excessive government spending.

We have a Congress whose members make a career out of being in Congress and whose votes can be bought by special interests and anyone who contributes to their campaigns. They pass legislation and make laws in areas where they have no expertise or experience. Yet, we are all supposed to believe that they know what is best for us! All I see is the mess these career politicians have made of our economy and our country. We need term limits!

This is a critical time. In November, we must put people in office who will stand up for the Constitution and the restrictions it puts on government. We must elect people who will NOT SPEND OUR MONEY unless it's absolutely necessary. There are times when we just have to say NO to those who would constantly have their hands in the taxpayers' pockets. We must stop the downhill slide of our economy and go back to free market principles.

I hope we can do this. Will we be proud to be Americans next July 4th, or will fear, frustration and anger be in our hearts instead? Make your vote count in November!