No New Taxes

I for one do not beleive the Republicans nor do I trust the Democrats. This is by far the best artical I have read since the SC ruled on Obamacare. The government can now tax us for living by Linoge If my understanding is correct - and I make absolutely no claims that it is, given that far smarter and better-educated people than me are still arguing over the specific details - the following has transpired: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act - colloquially known as "ObamaCare" - was passed with strict and absolute adherence to the notion that it was not a tax. Specifically: STEPHANOPOULOS: That may be, but it’s still a tax increase. OBAMA: No. That’s not true, George. The — for us to say that you’ve got to take a responsibility to get health insurance is absolutely not a tax increase. What it’s saying is, is that we’re not going to have other people carrying your burdens for you anymore than the fact that right now everybody in America, just about, has to get auto insurance. Nobody considers that a tax increase. People say to themselves, that is a fair way to make sure that if you hit my car, that I’m not covering all the costs. [...] STEPHANOPOULOS: I — I don’t think I’m making it up. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary: Tax — “a charge, usually of money, imposed by authority on persons or property for public purposes.” OBAMA: George, the fact that you looked up Merriam’s Dictionary, the definition of tax increase, indicates to me that you’re stretching a little bit right now. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have gone to the dictionary to check on the definition. I mean what… STEPHANOPOULOS: Well, no, but… OBAMA: …what you’re saying is… STEPHANOPOULOS: I wanted to check for myself. But your critics say it is a tax increase. OBAMA: My critics say everything is a tax increase. My critics say that I’m taking over every sector of the economy. You know that. Look, we can have a legitimate debate about whether or not we’re going to have an individual mandate or not, but… STEPHANOPOULOS: But you reject that it’s a tax increase? OBAMA: I absolutely reject that notion. However, the Supreme Court of the United States of America just ruled that the "individual mandate" section of ObamaCare constitutes a tax, and is therefore acceptable under the law. Taking those two data points in and of themselves and discarding everything else surrounding this discussion, it would seem to me that passing a law as not-a-tax in the House, not-a-tax in the Senate, and not-a-tax on the President's very desk, and then turning around and clarifying / transforming / explaining the law as an actual tax after it has already been signed and added to the United States Code constitutes the very definition of "taxation without representation", or, as a certain document once put it, "imposing Taxes on us without our Consent". I genuinely have to wonder if our government, and, worse, the people who elected our supposed "representatives" into their respective positions, comprehend the fact that people have died, wars have been fought, and countries have been shattered and reformed over "a long train of abuses and usurpations" as the one they are constructing today... On a somewhat related point, did you know that the "lay and collect Taxes" part of the enumeration of Congress' power in Article 1 Section 8 of the United States Constitution means the Congress can tax you for not owning something? According to Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority decision, it does: Rather, it makes going without insurance just another thing the Government taxes, like buying gasoline or earning income. And if the mandate is in effect just a tax hike on certain taxpayers who do not have health insurance, it may be within Congress’s constitutional power to tax. The lengths and extents to which that ability could and will be abused are simply mind-boggling. Oh, you do not own an electric car? You do not own super-expensive impossible-to-get firearm-owner's liability insurance? Oh, you do not own a telescreen? Well, that lack of ownership is "just another thing the Government taxes". It will be completely impossible for me to take seriously anything further said by someone who whinges about how D.C. vs. Heller "rewrote" the Constitution but simultaneously praises this ruling, and I will be very sorely pressed to not smack said person upside the head for good measure. The same holds for any Republican who has the unmitigated gall to tell me I have to vote for Romney, because having a "conservative" picking Supreme Court Justices is essential! Guess what, dumbasses? Roberts was chosen by none other than President George W. Bush.

SR40c

The selection of available guns is overwhelming for someone looking to pick up their first pistol or even adding to their collection. Part of this problem is the numorous calibers that are available today, and the  different types of guns to fit everyone’s taste make the combinations seemingly endless. The first gun that will probably be thrown in front of you will be a Glock, to put it nicely they are the Iphones of guns. I have nothing against Glocks, they are great guns, just not what i wanted. One reason i went away from Glock was price, I was looking to stay on the cheaper side, around $400 was what i was looking to spend and new Glocks are north of $500. I also was not looking for the cheapest thing on the shelf, Hi-points are great guns for the price point, but again not what i was looking for. I did a lot of research online comparing different manufactures models in the range I was looking for, that’s when i ran across a Ruger ad for their new SR40C. At the time the 40C was just coming out the 9C had already been out for over a year and had some great feed back and reviews. The 40C and 9C are almost identical, they have the same design and are within a thousands of an inch in size. I took a trip to one of our local gun shops to get a hands on feel for a few different guns, including the Ruger SR’s. After actually getting a chance to feel the guns and cycle them it was down to three models: S&W M&P compact, Springfield XD-M and the Ruger SR’s. The XD-M was a bit bigger then i liked, and i did not care at all for the grip safety. M&P was very nice, felt ok in my hand, lay out was comfortable for me to reach and i liked the sights. It did have a few things i didn’t care for, most the price, our shop was a bit high on it and I didn’t care for only having 10rd mags. The Rugers where a pleasant surprise, they felt right at home in my hand and i loved the 1911 style safety unlike most people. They offer a lower capacity-concealed carry mag and the optional high capacity mag with spacer include, also the price was right at just over $400. Now the next hard part, 9mm or .40 S&W. I had to consider "knockdown power". The sights are fully adjustable so you can fit it to your shooting style. Take down and cleaning are a breeze, just pop out the take down pin, push the ejector down and the slide comes right off then the barrel and recoil spring will come right out to be cleaned. The striker and spring come off easily to be cleaned, which ensures the firing pin is clear and will hit the primer correctly. Reassembly is just as easy. The only downfalls i can think of are the lack of accessorizes, the gun hasn’t been out long enough yet to catch on, but luckily a lot of stuff for  the SR9C will work with the .40. The other thing is if you go with the brushed stainless steel its a bit more work to keep it clean. I think i can live with both of those small issues. I will be heading to the Range this weekend and will share some photos.

The End of the World as We Know It... and I feel fine.

http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/forums/posts.aspx?postID=32236&postRepeater1-p=1#32243&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=social%2B&utm_campaign=20120625-facebook-social-forumtopic

Glock torture test.

http://youtu.be/Crq3nM4Q5Cw

Welcome and hello.

This is my first attempt to try and blog about a hobby that has become a passion... Or maybe even an obsession. I received my fathers Colt 1911 after he passed away last December. I have since started purchasing other guns, reading everything I can find, joining groups and even considering competing (I keep telling myself I am good enough) however, my grouping tells me I need more practice. I just purchased a Ruger SR40. I wanted a Glock... But something about the Ruger just feels right and not to mention the stamp on the side that reminded me that it was born in Prescott, AZ. I really like this gun. Not to mention that it is a whole lot sexier then that block from Austria. I hope to keep this blog alive with updates, photos and anything else that comes to mind about the world of firearms.

New Ruger SR40c