Tony Island Blog - Sane Thoughts for an Insane World

MERRY   CHRISTMAS!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Taking a short break as 2011 comes to a close. There's no need to end the year on a negative vibe! See you all in 2012! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Are you part of the latest craze - streaming Internet content (mainly TV series and movies and/or music) to your HDTV? If so, which streaming content provider do you subscribe to: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Pandora or some other provider? Do you subscribe to more than one provider? How do you stream your content - via a laptop/PC connected to your TV, a streaming media box or perhaps a dedicated unit like Google TV or Logitech Revue? Perhaps it's built-in to your blu-ray player or HDTV itself? I'm interested in what other services and streaming options there are. I'm currently subscribed to Netflix streaming (only, no DVD service for now) via my blu-ray player. I have purchased a dedicated streaming unit (by RCA), but haven't installed it yet. Are you a streaming "hold out" and still rent DVDs? If so, how do you do that - Redbox, Blockbuster, Netflix or some other outlet? Let us know by commenting below! Thanks for re...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Enjoy your holiday. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Libtards, such as those "occupying" Wall Street, rail against Corporations as though Corporations are the cause of all that's wrong in America. On the other hand, the right wing, mostly Libertarian, crowd attacks Government as the root of all evil in this world. Which side is correct? I really think it's an easy call, but for the Libtards among us, let's spell it out. G-O-V-E-R-N-M-E-N-T is evil. It's that simple. Why you might ask? Well, let's see...only Government can: 1) Force you to buy health insurance 2) Tax you on your hard earned wages (multiple times!) 3) Force you to contribute to a Ponzi Scheme retirement system (Social Security) 4) Take away your private property (eminent domain), even if it's to turn it over to an evil Corporation (ie, not for creating a public use such as a highway). 5) Make the laws, then interpet them (ie, though separate branches, the legislative and judicial branches ar...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Today, November 6, 2011 is exactly one year to the day that we elect (re-elect?) a new President to guide us for the following 4 years. There have been several Republican debates (another one will be this Wed, Nov 9 on CNBC). The candidates are getting bruised by the liberal media. There are the OWS protests. The Tea Party has been rather silent (protest wise at least). Where do you stand in all this? Are you ready to cast your ballot? Do you want change or should we stick with what we got and hope for better candidates in 2016? From here on in, it will be a bruising battle from all sides - liberals, media and conservatives. Take a stand and share your thoughts by leaving a comment. I'd like to hear my readers' thoughts as we head into a very contentious election season. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Here's a quick 30 second message put together by the GOP on Obama's flip-flop on whether Americans are better off today than they were when he took office: What do you think? Time for him to go? Leave a comment or two below, Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island blog! This is one of those periods in my life where I have so many racing thoughts in my head, I can't really sit and write anything coherent, so I thought I'd let you, the blog reader, voice your opinion on the current "Occupy" movement. What started out as Occupy Wall Street has morphed into Occupy [insert city name here]. According to a recent ABC News poll, 39% of Americans support the Occupy movement. Are you one of the 39%? I still don't know what these people want. Nor do I understand what we'll do with all the tax money that pours in to the coffers once they get tax hikes on "the rich" enacted? Do the 99% get a check in the mail to get our "fair share" of this largess that the rich are hoarding from us? If so, how long (and how much?) will these handouts last? I didn't want to give the OWS much coverage, but the constant coverage by the mainstream media (after handily ignoring it all for about 3 week...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Today, October 15th, 2011, marks the 60th anniversary of the debut of the I Love Lucy show. The I Love Lucy show holds a special place in my heart. Those four characters are like old friends to me. I laughed at them and cried with them. They taught me a lot about being a friend and having a friend. I have collected the entire series on DVD but of course haven't sat down to watch it all. The DVDs are chock full of extras - I can unequivocally recommend them if you are a fan (of course, if you are a fan, then you already have the series). I've wanted to attend a Lucy Convention in Jamestown, NY but haven't had the chance yet. Of course, this year would have been ideal as it was also Lucy's 100th birthday year. Do you love Lucy? If you do - please share your thoughts with us on this special day! Have you attended a Lucy gathering in Jamestown? If so, please share your experience with us! I do hope to get there one day soon. Thanks for...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! There's lots going on out in the political world and the real world. What are you thinking about most these days? The protest on Wall Street by ultra-leftists? Racist slurs and Rick Perry? Gay soldier being booed at Republican debate with no comment by debaters? How about the Star Wars Blu-Ray discs with yet more changes to the original films by Lucas? Or the stunning implosion by the Red Sox in September? Surely there's something on your mind - share it with us to spark some solid discussion! Leave your thoughts below in the Comment box. Till next time, thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Today, September 17, we celebrate Constitution Day and Citizenship Day! On this date, in 1787, the Constitution was signed and sent to the states for ratification. Here's a wonderful animated short about the Constitution by Schoolhouse Rock: Doesn't that video give you a warm, fuzzy in your heart? Enjoy your liberties granted by the United States Constitution - you don't know when they'll be gone. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Tony Island Blog respectfully remains silent on this day of remembrance. 9/11/2001 - 9/11/2011

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! As much as I carped about the President's jobs speech last night, I really think the Republican-controlled House should pass the bill intact. As is, no changes. Rubber stamp it and send it to the Senate. The Senate should rubber stamp it and send it to the President. Sign it and be done with it. The same would hold true for his "deficit reduction" plan he's going to propose sometime in the next month. Rubber stamp that baby and pass it into law. Lickety-split, time's a-wasting. Why the sudden change of heart? It's mere politics - let's stop the silly posturing - the Republican controlled House can't make changes that the Democrat Senate won't allow. So, why waste politcal capital? The people don't understand the nuances of freedom. They're addicted to the Federal tit. Show the people that "we" can work together - any tax increases can be overturned in the next Congress - a mere 16 months away. ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Did you watch the President's "jobs speech" tonight? If you didn't, it's no big deal as he said the same thing he's said before: spend more money now to put people to work tomorrow. If you listen carefully to his coded speech, you'll see that the President wants to funnel jobs to union members: construction crews to fix bridges, roads, etc. Money to "first responders" which translates to unionized police and fire fighters. Money to teachers to educate our children - ie, unionized government workers. This bill won't cost anything because it will be paid for by raising Warren Buffet's tax rate (he pays a lower rate than his secretary - the outrage!! But don't lower his secretary's rate, just raise his...well, Warren did ask for it, the President tells us)  We'll eliminate corporate loopholes so we can lower the corporate tax rate (but not to zero - God forbid)...isn't it outrageous how oil ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Did you catch tonight's Republican Presidential debate on MSNBC? If not, here's the first of 4 parts: You see the rest by following the suggested links at the end of the video. I thought it was a solid debate by all the candidates. There were some great lines ("If 10% is good enough for God, then 9% should be good enough for the Federal govt.", Herman Cain on his 9/9/9 tax plan). I'm not sure I could pick a winner - I thought they were all about even, though I don't see Jon Huntsman gaining any traction. I think the race will tighten up in the next few weeks. There's another debate scheduled for Monday, Sept. 12, 2011. What are your thoughts on tonight's debate? Did it change your mind on your candidate? Are you closer to choosing a candidate if you are undecided? Please share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Today, we're going to examine the 500lb gorilla in the room - gay marriage; but, we're not going to discuss the moral issues surrounding this highly touchy subject, simply (ha!) the political dynamics surrounding this issue. For many Republican presidential hopefuls, "states' rights" is a key issue this campaign season: devolve Federal power back to the states and let the states decide their own fates. All is well and good until the issue of gay marriage comes up. Here, the hopefuls make a 180 and decide that the Federal government must be involved and it must be a Federal law or Constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. A typical explanation from the hopefuls is Mitt Romney's. Romney is fearful that one state won't recognize another state's legal gay marriage (ie, if a gay married couple move from New York to Utah, they'd be in legal limbo) and thus a Federal gay marriage ban needs to be in place. So which...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Happy Labor Day, 2011 to you! This Labor Day (as the past few have) brings a few important questions: 1) Are you working? Bonus: How long have you been employed by your current company? 2) If not, how long have you been unemployed? Bonus: How long were you employed before your layoff? 3) If you are working, how's the health of your company? Your industry? The President is scheduled to make a "major" jobs speech this coming Thursday. What do you think he'll propose to get the jobs engine running again? What do you think he should propose? Feel free to vent some frustrations here in our comments section - it sometimes helps. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Are you in Hurricane/Tropical storm Irene's path? If so, how have you been impacted? Feel free to share what's going on with you by leaving a comment below! We'll be back to our regular postings soon. Take care and be safe! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I've been thinking about something lately - let's pretend that we elect a "Tea Party" Congress in 2012. Both houses are firmly in the hands of spending cutters - they take a large axe to much (if not all) of the Federal budget and manage not only to balance it, but to have a surplus that goes toward the debt. Then what happens after that? How many more Congresses will the people elect that will continue to cut and not spend? Stop wars and not start them? Stop "investing" and start saving? And my answer to that is...probably very few. It's hard to imagine sending a politician to Washington and have him/her do NOTHING! Think about it - if you sent your rep or Senator to Washington and he reported back to you that he did absolutely nothing - would you re-elect him? Would you seriously re-elect that person? And I think the answer is: NO! "We sent you there and paid you, now do something for us - send us some Federal ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I wanted to present you with two quick, but complementary, video reviews that will help you understand the fiscal conservative view. First up is I Want Your Money - this is a neat film that basically summarizes the conservative fiscal viewpoint. It cleverly uses animated Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama sketches to explain various concepts. It also interviews some mainstream conservatives, which was nice to put a face to the books I've been reading by these same conservatives. I recommend the video to get a grounding in current conservative economics and thought. It seems the Blu-Ray version is a Director's Cut with "never before seen footage" - I didn't see this version, but I'm sure the added footage makes it even better than the standard version I saw. Next up is I.O.U.S.A. The film is slightly outdated as it was filmed at the end of the Bush presidency (and thus tends to skewer Bush a bit, though deservedly so) but it st...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Take a moment to read this news article (complete with pictures!) about China's first aircraft carrier . While we bicker how about much more in debt we need to go (which is essentially what raising the debt ceiling is all about), China is developing its military muscle I don't want to sound like a "tin-foiled" alarmist, but I really found that article ominous. I don't think China's going to start a world war or anything, but I do think they will eventually combine their increased economic power with their increasing military power to throw their weight around the world - much like the US did for the latter half of the 20th century (and into the 21st). There won't be anyone to stop their increasing ambitions as the US will be straight jacked with our ever deepening debt problem. We're going to lose the global supremacy war and who knows how a global China will be to live under? Again, I don't think she'll invad...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I found this cool Presidential Approval Tracker (based on Gallup polling) on USAToday.com: http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/presidential-approval-tracker.htm You can compare Presidents' approval ratings or isolate one President. It's fun - try it out and leave your thoughts below! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Well, Ron Paul is telling it like it is - the debt bill just passed is basically a "fraud". The cuts aren't cuts in spending but cuts in spending increases . Check the video out for yourself: What are your thoughts? Let us know by leaving a comment below. Did you enjoy this post? Want more like it? Less like it? Rate this post to let us know! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Have you seen any good (or bad) summer blockbusters? I haven't. I'll probably end up watching them on DVD/Blu-ray/Streaming at some point. I keep forgetting to hit the cinema to see some of the movies that really should be seen on a big screen - usually those with lots of special effects (or 3D - though I can't always make out 3D and will not pay extra for it! :). I did see some current movies on DVD and streaming...quick reviews: Green Hornet - sucked. It didn't know if it was a comedy, drama, super hero flick or ... something else. It was too uneven. It's too bad, too. The producers may have had a budding franchise on their hands. I recorded the original 1960s series on my DVR but have yet to see it. It's better than this schlock though (I did see the series one time years and years ago). Check it out only if you have a need to see all the superhero flicks that come out! The Fighter - I was totally confused when I first s...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Radical Leftists claim that the Bush tax cuts all but created the current debt crisis. Sane rational people maintain that tax cuts alone don't cause deficits - it's the combination of tax cuts and continued (or increased) spending that causes deficits. Actually, it's always spending that causes a deficit - correction - it's always over -spending incoming revenue that causes a deficit. It's impossible to have a deficit without spending.That's the definition of a deficit - over spending incoming revenue. But, surely, you say, tax cuts must  some how contribute to deficit spending, no? Well, actually, no. They only contribute to deficit spending when you don't account for the lower revenue they produce and continue to spend at the same rate you spent before you cut taxes. To prove this, let's take a quick trip to Fantasy-Land - a land where everything is milk and honey and the streets are paved with gold. In Fantasy-Land, ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Please study the graphic below carefully before reading the analysis that follows:  Before I begin my analysis of this graphic, I'd like to mention that it came from a New York Times editorial . Enough said. OK, where do I begin? I must say two things about this graphic off the bat: 1) it's absolutely brilliant! It takes a confusing subject (deficit, debt, budgeting) and confuses it even further. It places Vaseline over the lens of the budget debate to "soften the image" and thus make Obama look better. 2) it does show how fiscally irresponsible President Bush was. Liberal Loons run around calling Bush conservative - this graphic should show them he was anything but. Perhaps he was a social conservative, but he didn't seem to be a fiscal conservative. Now onto some of the gritty details. At first glance, you can easily fall into the Liberal trap that has been set - namely, that Bush's policies all but created the cur...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I stole this graphic from a Wall Street Journal online article : Gee, I guess the rich do pay their taxes and basically ours. Go down to the middle class and approximately 97.1% of taxes paid are paid by these two groups. It's high time we re-balance this tax paying act and spread the tax base. And before you all post comments suggesting that I'm "rich" ... please don't bother. I'm in the yellow box all the way through. Your thoughts? Raise taxes on the rich? How high should it go - till they contribute 75% of revenues? Share your thoughts below! And click a rating button to let us know how you rate this post! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! As you may have heard by now, Netflix, the DVD rental-by-mail company, has decided to restructure its pricing plans to separate the DVD rentals from the streaming option. Previously, for as low as $9.99/month, you were able to have unlimited DVD rental (though only one home at a time) and unlimited streaming. Now, starting in September, 2011 for current members (immediately for new members), the unlimited 1 DVD plan is $7.99/month and the unlimited streaming is $7.99/month. Together, it will be $15.98. This is a rather large jump to say the least. The increase caused thousands of subscribers to flood the Netflix blog with feedback - much of it against the pricing changes along with threats to cancel memberships. I'll take a different viewpoint though (don't I always?) - I think it makes a lot of business sense to do this. By separating the income streams for DVDs and unlimited streaming, Netflix will have the cash flow needed to bet...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Have you caught Fran Drescher's new show Happily Divorced , playing on TV Land (Weds, 10:30p ET)? I started watching it a few weeks back - it has its moments. It's not quite as funny (yet) as The Nanny, but I'll give it time. The first season of The Nanny was a tad uneven, too. It takes a bit for the writers to "find" the characters and their story lines. Once they do, I feel the series will be almost as funny as The Nanny was. The reason I say "almost as funny" is that there isn't the bevy of characters that The Nanny had. All of them were funny and could hold their own scenes. While I like the casting of Fran's parents (though nothing can be beat her mother and grandmother from her previous series), I'm a bit turned off by her husband. He just doesn't quite gel for me. I know it would have been thought of as "The Nanny II" if they brought back all the old characters, but at least we would know ...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Just saw this posted on Facebook, so I thought I'd get it out there fast. It's the first Ron Paul advertisement of the 2012 election cycle. It's a great ad...check it out and leave a comment! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog! 

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! President Obama held a news conference this morning in which he spouted more hot air that sounded good, but, when examined closely, is the same ole, same ole. Basically, the (evil) Republicans are holding him back from making a grand cut in the deficit (upwards of $4 trillion over the next so many years). He's willing to cut the budget and reform entitlements "if only" the (evil) Republicans would allow him to raise taxes, mostly by letting the Bush tax cuts expire in the "outlying years". By making all these reforms, the President, with absolutely no evil plans to expand goverment, would be able to continue making investments in America such as job re-training, "infrastructure bank" and student loans, among many other Progressive initiatives. Of course, all of these intiatives are outlined in the Constitution, thus justifying the President's spending of taxpayers money on them. The President was pummeled by reporte...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! While you would think that a right-leaning blog such as Tony Island Blog would whole-heartedly support a "balanced budget amendment", in this case, you would be wrong. I am currently reading a book (review forthcoming) that, among many issues, outlines and supports a balanced budget amendment ("BBA"). There are eleven sections (when the book was published) to this proposed amendment, some of which contain definitions of various terms used in the amendment. While the idea of a balanced budget amendment gives my heart the "warm fuzzies", my logical head tells me it's not the way to go. So, without further ado: Here are my 5 reasons against any constitutional balanced budget amendment: 1) The Constitution should not be filled with economic amendments - Our Constitution elegantly outlines our (limited) form of government. It doesn't contain economic theories or definitions and neither should any proposed amendme...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! This clip is a few years old, but I only found it the other day. Boy is Rep Maxine Waters a real nut - or, maybe, she's just honest? What an asinine thing to say. Yet she keeps getting re-elected. Her constituency is really out of step with the rest of country. Play the clip below, then share your thoughts by leaving a comment. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I just wanted to share a new blog I found the other day - http://www.black-and-right.com/ As you might surmise from the URL, it's a right of center web site hosted by...wait for it...a black man! And...grab onto your socks...he hails from Massachusetts! Wow - has the world ended yet? He's got some great stuff. I always find it fascinating to find off-beat conservatives out there- that is, ones other than "white racists" that the media loves to portray all conservatives as being. Of course, I'm sure Bob Parks, the owner of http://www.black-and-right.com/  , gets his fair share of hate mail from liberal black Democrats. Check out his site for a refreshing take on conservatism. Have you checked out Bob Parks' blog or a similar "non-traditional conservative" blog lately? If so, share the link with us by posting a comment! Worthy "non-traditional" Web sites/blogs will get a shout out. Thanks for reading T...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! The President is holding a Twitter Town Hall as I post this blog - of course, I expected hard hitting questions and honest answers and as sure as the sun sets in the West, I got neither. On a question about why Obama isn't pushing more tech jobs instead of manufacturing jobs, Obama drones on about manufacturing jobs having higher pay, etc. Sure, for lower educated Americans, manufacturing is a great way to lift yourself out of poverty, but there aren't enough of them to employ everyone who needs a job. Of course, the real reason Obama pushes manufacturing jobs is the Unions. Not too many union members in Silicon Valley. We still haven't learned that Unions destroyed GM and Chrysler. He continues to defend the role of government in creating jobs which we know can't happen - government can't create jobs, only destroy them. But he won't acknowledge that. He's a smooth talker. Too bad he's smoothly talking us to Third Wor...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Just a short post to wish all my readers A Happy Independence Day! How are you celebrating July 4th? Family, food and fireworks? Whatever you do - think about the reason this day exists and what would have happened had our Founding Fathers lost the war. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I saw this Web article as I was surfing the Web today. I thought it was enlightening. They rank the 10 states that are the least restrictive and the 10 most restrictive on personal freedoms. I knew my state would make the most restrictive list..but I won't tell you which one it is! Anyway, check it here: The Ten States That Restrict Personal Freedom (And Those That Protect It) - 24/7 Wall St. then come back here and let us know your thoughts. If you live in one of the 20 states highlighted in the article, do you agree or disagree with your rank and listing? Have you taken any action to increase (or decrease) personal freedom in your state regardless of the list it's on (if either)? Are we headed to a future filled with nanny-states? Voice your opinion below! Let out some steam! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! 30 Days was a short-lived series by Morgan Spurlock, the producer of Super Size Me , which was reviewed here . There were 3 seasons comprised of 6 episodes per season. Each episode took a willing participant and immersed him/her into an alien environment to explore a culture/lifestyle that was the opposite of what he/she knows to see if how it would affect him/her. Basically, it took the old saying "To walk in someone else's shoes" to the test. I've only been through the first season, but I've found the series interesting and enlightening - more so by watching the participants reactions to their new environments than by my own reaction to the events depicted. The topics covered in the first season were living on minimum wage, a Christian living among Muslims, anti-aging, straight man in a gay world, off the grid and binge drinking Mom. Two of the episodes that popped out at me were "Off the Grid" in which two New Yor...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! You may remember this post I made a while back about Facebook. In re-reading that post, I can see the beginnings of the obsession I find myself in now. It's really not so much Facebook itself (I still don't care that my friends think "It's a beach day!") but the social games - specifically Farmville and Cafe World. I am totally hooked - and while I feel I can walk away any day, I don't! And I don't want to! I dunno what it is about those two games (I've tried at least a dozen Facebook games off and on) that keeps me coming back. Well, they do tend to update them, continually adding more depth which sucks me in even further. A few years ago, I swore to myself I would never " pay to play " yet since then I've sunk in at least $20 of my own money (I know, it's not a lot of dough  but considering I have nothing to show for it except a few fake trees on a fake farm, it's a lot!!) and $20 of gift money.....

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Just a short post to congratulate the Boston Bruins hockey team on a job well done! They won their sixth Stanley Cup (the last one was in 1972!) by defeating the Vancouver Canucks, 4-0 in Game 7, on the road in Vancouver, on June 15th, 2011! The Bruins accomplished at least one first - they were the first hockey team to win 3 Game 7s in the same playoff season. Boston became the first city to have all four of its major sports teams win a championship in a 7 year period. Sadly, some idiots started rioting over the loss. But, there's no need for Canadians to apologize - the world knows that the houligans that started the rioting would have done the same thing had the Canucks won it all. It was basically an excuse for them to go on a rampage and pillage, loot the city. Canuck fans be proud of your team for all it accomplished this season - don't let the loss or the rioting tarnish an otherwise great season and prou...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! William Voegeli's Never Enough: America's Limitless Welfare State  takes a look at the welfare state that was basically created during the New Deal era. On the one hand, you have the Liberal Loons (my term, not Voegeli's) who insist that the welfare state must grow larger to help those in need. On the other hand, you have the fiscal conservatives who equally adamantly insist that the Federal government must get smaller, thus lowering taxes and enabling the private sector to expand and create more jobs. This see-saw from large to small and back is examined by Voegeli. He lays some ground work in the first half of the book, comparing the US to other countries in various ways. In the second part of the book, he takes a look at the liberal and conservative viewpoint of how things should be. He basically comes to the conclusion that conservatives have to admit that the welfare state will never go away so it's best to deal with it and manage...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! It's not often I tell readers to STOP reading my blog and to read something else. In this case, I urge you to grab a copy of Liberty Defined , turn off the PC and read it. It's absolutely fascinating. Ron Paul takes 50 issues, in alphabetical order, and gives his reasoned views on them. He touches on a wide variety of issues such as abortion, defense and terrorism. This stuff isn't for the faint of heart. It's hard core libertarianism - traditional conservatives will recoil at some of his views, especially on drugs and defense. But, if you have an open mind, a libertarian attitude and/or the ability to read other viewpoints on current issues, then this is the book for you. I really recommend adding it to your personal library. Top quality stuff. It was a real eye-opener for me. While I knew I'd agree with many of the issues presented, I was surprised to be in total agreement on his views on defense after reading that chapter. I'm...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I finally got around to watching Super Size Me , the semi-controversial look at McDonald's food and its effect on your health. I rather enjoyed this documentary. I know there are some issues out there surrounding the movie, but overall I thought it was very good. Apparently, it had such an impact that McDonald's eliminated the Super Size! It was rather disturbing to see Morgan, the producer and subject of the documentary, not only eat all that McDonald's food, but also the changes that it wrought on his body. At the end of the documentary, they state that he was back to normal in about 8 weeks of healthy eating. I recommend catching this movie along with Food Nation that was previously reviewed here. Have you seen Super Size Me? If so, leave your thoughts below! Do you have a favorite expose-type documentary you can recommend? Leave a comment below - if it sounds interesting, I'll check into it! Thanks for reading Tony Island Bl...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I haven't been following this very closely, but apparently the voters of San Francisco, this November, will vote on whether to ban circumcision, religious or not, within city limits. To add fuel to the fire, anti-Semitic comic books are being created by the anti-circumcision forces. This is all very frightening. This is PC run amuck. What will be next? I can't imagine, but I'm sure it will be another frightening step toward a future I'd rather not be a part. Where in the world do activists get the notion that they can ban a religious practice that dates back 1000s of years? All for some twisted beliefs about foreskins and circumcision? Let's hope this is soundly defeated by the voters of San Francisco. Please add your thoughts to this issue by leaving a comment below. Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! If you are interested in liberty, then you have to read Woods and Gutzman's Who Killed the Constitution ? Taking 12 pivotal points in American history, the authors dissect the decisions and actions taken by Presidents, Supreme Court justices and Congresses to completely kill and gut the Constitution. I won't get into the 12 scenarios dissected so you can read them freshly for yourself, but I will say it was both an enlightening and depressing read. In the final chapter, the authors posit the question - "Can a written Constitution survive?" - any Constitution, not just ours, but of course ours is the one in discussion. It's an interesting question to pose considering ours has already been killed. At 202 pages, the book is a quick read - there's also the complete text of the Constitution as an appendix. This book is a real eye-opener and will have you thinking as you read each page. I strongly recommend you grab yourself a co...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I am currently reading a book about the "neverending" expansion of the social welfare net here in the United States. That got me to peruse some books about the Constitution (and Declaration of Independence) on Amazon.com. And that got me to thinking...how the hell can Liberal-Progressivess support the ever expanding Federal government? If you read the history of the American Revolution, read the Declaration of Independence and Constitution , you can't help but be moved by it all. And see the very scary and ominous parallels between the British government of the 1770s and the US government of the late 20th/early 21st century. They are both tyrants, yet the Liberal-Progressives insist on making the Federal government bigger, more powerful, more tyrannical (mandated health insurance, anyone?). Why? What exactly is their answer to "How big is too big?" when it comes to the power and breadth of the US government. When and where will...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! You may have gotten the impression from the various political posts here that I didn't vote for President Obama...and, you'd be wrong. I wanted to let you into my thought process when I went to vote in November, 2008. But, to do that, we first have to travel back slightly further to 2004. President Bush was running for re-election. While I was never a huge fan of Bush, as a "loyal" Republican, I voted for him anyway. I actually wanted him to win so that the 2008 Presidential field, on both sides of the aisle, would be wide open. We'd have a large group of candidates from which to choose. And, so, as fate would have it, Bush won a second term and 2008 brought us a large field of Presidential candidates. As the election season wore on, the American system of primaries, caucuses and other oddities winnowed down the large field to two men: McCain and Obama. I wasn't really that happy with either choice. I didn't follow the el...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! His citizenship status, and thus his eligibility for the Presidency, has been swirling around him ever since his 2008 campaign. Is he a citizen or not? Is he a "natural born" citizen, thus fulfilling the Constitutional requirement to be President? Even the liberal New York Times weighed in with several articles, including this one . Yet, my doubts remain - was Senator McCain ever eligible (constitutionally) to be President? Oh, wait. You thought I was talking about President Obama's eligibility? Doesn't that make you a bit of a racist? I mean, surely, we can't discuss the "birther" issue without being racist? Or can we? Have we become so PC that any discussion that involves a person of color invokes the race card? It's quite funny with all the nonsense surrounding Obama's birth status that we can't discuss the issue rationally. Black Americans are up in arms calling anyone who mentions the issue a "raci...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! A nice complement to the "I Live Green" stamp mentioned in a previous blogpost is this Green 3D Recycle mug: Green 3D Recycle by original_designs Create custom imprinted coffee mugs at Zazzle Use it at work, on the bus or anywhere you want the world to know that you recycle! Let us know how you use your  Green  3D Recycle Mug by leaving a comment below! Thank you for  reading  Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Do you - recycle? Re-use? Live Green? Does anyone else know? If not, or even if they do, tell the world with the "I Live Green" stamp! I re-cycle, re-use, live green by stamped custom stamps usps made on zazzle.com Tell us what you think of the stamp by leaving a comment below! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! A few weeks ago, a furor erupted in the liberal media over GE's non-payment of income taxes. There were various reasons for this, but the main issue pounded on by the media was the non-payment of taxes. Now, does it really matter if GE or any other corporation pays income taxes? Back in the '80s, Ronald Reagan said it best - corporations don't pay taxes, people do. And there's the rub. As we scramble about looking for tax money to cut the deficit (and, of course, increase spending...err, I mean investing!), the easiest targets are the large corporations. But the problem is that corporations don't pay taxes - people do. Oh sure, corporations fill out tax forms and fork over a good chunk of change to the government (on all levels) but do they really pay taxes? Of course not - those costs are later borne by the employees (in the form of lower wages and benefits), the customers (via higher prices or stable prices with less output - think...

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! Tired of all the current political discourse? Tired of hoping for change? Then you need to VOTE for change on Novemeber 6, 2012! And, why not remind your fellow Americans to do the same with this short-sleeve T-shirt? It's just in time for warm weather and hot politics! Get it before Obama's birth certificate disappears! Don't HOPE for CHANGE - Vote, 2012 by stamped Let us know where you're wearing your Vote 2012 T-shirt by posting a comment below! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! I was quickly checking my "stats" page for Tony Island Blog readership. It appears there's a smattering of readers from, literally, around the world! From China to Russia, Denmark to Portugal! Very interesting. I haven't delved deeply into the stats, but it's great to see such a spread of visitors to this blog. Please, tell us where you're from, what brought you here and what you like/don't like about Tony Island Blog in the comment box below! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! In Massachusetts and Maine, today, April 18, 2011, is Patriots' Day. To celebrate, I thought I'd share this poster with you: Reagan: Government is the problem. by FamousQuotes Learn how to sell your art online at Zazzle. Feel free to buy one poster for yourself and another one for each of your friends. Remember those prophetic words Reagan spoke during his first inaugural address. I don't understand why liberal-progressives don't see this? Why don't they understand that what the Government gives today (like "free heatlh care"), it can take tomorrow (like your life!) Leave us a comment to let us know where you hung your Reagan Patriots' Day poster! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to Tony Island Blog! One more bumper sticker for your consideration - which sums up the Democrats current mindset: Anti-Obama - Everyone deserves what you work hard by antiobama More Obama approved obama approved typical white person white person white people for obama Bumper Stickers As usual, let us know where you slap this bumper sticker - car, home or work slap it where it can be seen! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to my blog! Here's a clever (but ultimately sad) bumper sticker - it sums things up nicely: No Child Left A Dime by OBumper Create a bumper sticker using zazzle Help spread the word - slap this cumper sticker anywhere and everywhere people will take notice! Let us know where you posted your bumper sticker by leaving a comment below! Thanks for reading Tony Island Blog!

Welcome to my blog! Thought I'd post one more bumper sticker...and I think you'll love this one, too! Sorry Yet? Anti-Obama Bumper Sticker by My2Cents View other Sorry yet Bumper Stickers I know I'm sorry - I voted for the bum! :) Same as before, let us know where you slap this bumper sticker - and any reactions you get from others after they see it by leaving a comment below! Thanks for reading Tong Island Blog!