The Most Important Presidential Election of Our Times

Joe Biden did have one correct thing to say in his October 2, 2008 vice presidential debate with Sarah Palin: that this is the most important presidential election of our times. But rather than drawing the conclusion that this is the time for Barack Obama in the White House, I instead draw the conclusion that it is imperative for the future of our nation that we elect John McCain on November 4.

The single most important political issue of our time is the war on terror; specifically the war on radical Islamic extremism. The enemy in this war will not surrender peacefully on a battleship, and will not see the error of their ways through reason. Islamic extremists are breeding an intergenerational, ideological, and religious hatred of the United States of America, a hatred which is self-propagating and which cannot be defeated by conventional tactics of diplomacy and political pressure.

The democrats, led by Barack Obama, have made it their campaign platform to pursue an immediate withdrawal of American troops from Iraq. Pulling out of Iraq at this juncture would be a disaster of gigantic proportions, since it would bolster Islamic extremists’ perception of America as an entity that can be defeated and brought down. Our terrorist enemies are not easily identifiable with uniforms and military equipment; they masquerade as ordinary people until the opportunity to strike, whether for weeks or months or years or decades. America simply cannot afford to take for granted that the terrorism problem has been solved. It is true that it has been seven years since 9/11 and that we have been successful thus far in keeping the war on terror from occurring right here on American soil; and how easily America forgets that it is the policies of a Republican president which have kept the war on terror overseas instead of on Main Street, USA. In my opinion, the choice between John McCain and Barack Obama in November is very clear. Either we elect John McCain with our eyes open to the real possibility that Islamic extremism will be the number one issue of the 21st Century, or we elect Barack Obama and run the risk of discovering this brute-force fact about the 21st Century on the receiving end of another 9/11 attack at the hand of the terrorists to whom he would so willingly wave a white flag of surrender. America ought to be the shining light on a hill to the rest of the world, not a nation that tucks tail and runs away in the face of blatant evil.

And although the recent economic crisis has stolen some of the thunder away from the war on terror, Americans need to keep things in proper perspective. The economy is important, no doubt, but the war on radical Islamic extremism will not die out in a generation and will seek us out if we do not seek and destroy it first. My grandfather always told me that carpet bombing is the only way to win a war. With terrorism we do not have the luxury of knowing our enemy face-to-face on a battlefield, so it is not that simple with this enemy; but the principle is the same. Unless we wipe terrorism off the face of the globe, the world will know no peace.

On the subject of the economy, the democratic formula of taxing the wealthy to pay for social programs amounts to blatant wealth redistribution. We cannot sustain a viable American economy by placing a tax burden on those who provide jobs and capital to grow the economy. This will result in more American jobs being sent overseas and an increased dependence on the global economy for our own economic well-being. America must sustain a vibrant economy within its own borders as much as possible, and Republican economics make this possible.

And finally on the subject of energy, you can be assured that the time has truly come to seek out alternative energy sources when even the Republicans are calling for alternative energy. We are too dependent upon foreign oil, and every year we are sending hundreds of billions of dollars overseas to countries that don’t like us very much, except for the money we send, and that are potentially happy to feed this money to terrorists. It is both an economic issue and a national security issue. We absolutely must get off of foreign energy dependence, which means seeking out new energy sources such as natural gas, solar, and wind power. But in the meantime we are sitting on large reserves of offshore oil and oil in Alaska that we can use to bide our time as we seek out these new sources of energy. The Republican energy policy will get us off of foreign oil dependence while giving us the economic stimulus and wiggle room to seek out the next generation of energy supply in our own backyards.

I very seldom write opinion pieces, folks, since I trust the common sense and good judgment of my fellow citizens to make discerning judgments themselves. But in this case, I believe there is simply too much at stake for me not to be outspoken about the seriousness of this 2008 presidential election. Barack Obama’s plans spell risk and disaster for the American national security, the American economy, and the American future. I do not doubt Barack Obama’s good intentions, but I do question his wisdom and his policies.

John McCain, on the other hand, knows firsthand what it means to be an American, having been on the receiving end of non-American values during his time as a prisoner of war. John McCain knows that we must preserve the special and God-given things we have in this country, no matter what the cost. War is ugly, but evil must be defeated head-on, and we cannot wait and hope that the terrorists will change their minds about us if we just leave them alone for a while and talk to them gently. Make no mistake about it, there will be a war on terror for decades to come, and if anyone thinks otherwise they are simply deluding themselves. We as Americans must persevere and trust that our virtues and our freedoms are given to us by our creator, but they can be taken away by foolish men who show weakness in the face of our greatest national struggle. And if not by those men themselves, then by those who mean to destroy us. Americans, I think, simply do not grasp what it means to say that our enemy does not just hate us, they want us dead and they want our great country destroyed unto the dust. And they will cowardly die in suicidal attempts to take as many Americans with them as they can. My fellow Americans, John McCain knows what it means to lay his life on the line for his country, and in these most dangerous times I want that steady hand of conviction as my president.

God forbid that another tragedy like 9/11 ever happens to America again, but we cannot forget that to the terrorists 9/11 was just the beginning. They will not simply pacify themselves, and they will remain resolute in their hatred of our way of life; and so we likewise must be firm to oppose them, remembering the generations of blood that have been shed already for the preservation of American liberty and American ideals. My grandfather fought for this county, as did my step-father and my father-in-law, and they each saw more evil than I ever care to see. But evil is out there, whether or not we choose to see it or choose to think about it. We cannot abandon this country to those who would turn a blind eye, whether out of good intentions or ill, to the very real dangers that our country faces. History has given us the choice between John McCain and Barack Obama. Make a good choice.

The Meteoric Rise of Sarah Palin: Predicting Election Results with Google Trends

The meteoric rise of Alaska governor Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee in the 2008 U.S. general election has caused a great deal of excitement amongst American voters. With this in mind, it has occurred to me that the recent Google Trend search statistics for the candidates' names might provide an interesting barometer to gauge the outcome of the election in November. So without further ado, here are my findings:

The above chart (clickable) shows that Governor Palin significantly outpaced any of the other candidates (Barack Obama, John McCain, and Joe Biden) in the number of Google searches for their respective names. The message is absolutely clear, Sarah Palin will win the presidential election for John McCain. Google may not be omniscient, but neither does it lie: Sarah Palin is not just the topic du jour; she is our next Vice President and is the most popular person to hit the political arena since Washington and Lincoln.

Retirement Portfolio Update: 5-2-08

Grand Total = $7482.84

Roth IRA:

EFA (Euro-Asia Index ETF): 13.4492 @ $76.48 = $1028.59
IWM (Russell 2000 Index ETF): 12.6549 @ $72.52 = $917.73
SPY (S&P 500 SPDR Index ETF): 5.4482 @ $141.51 = $770.97
Sharebuilder Money Market Fund = $0.88

Taxable Investment Account:

AAV (Advantage Energy Income Fund): 9.218 @ $11.69 = $107.76
C (Citigroup): 20.00 @ $26.39 = $527.80

University 403(b):

UC Pathway 2040 Mutual Fund: 157.849 @ $13.03 = $2056.32

University DCP:

UC Pathway 2040 Mutual Fund: 79.559 @ $13.03 = $1036.43

CalSTRS:

Cash Balance Program: $1036.36

Associated Content Top 1000

I, Zachary Fruhling am officially a "Top 1000" content producer on Associated Content (see Zachary Fruhling's Content Producer Page). Woo hoo! While I am unsure of the exact criterion used to determine the Top 1000 content producers, I have a hunch that it is either total number of articles submitted or total page views. I have recently become re-excited about Associated Content as a means to passive income, seeing as how my residual performance payment income is out-pacing my investment dividends.

By no means have I given up on long-term investing as a means to financial security, but I have reaffirmed my commitment to produce content for Associated Content on a regular basis to supplement and grow my passive income.

For those who are unfamiliar with Associated Content, AC is a company that will pay their writers anywhere from $3.00 to $20.00 for short to medium length articles on a variety of topics, including product and restaurant reviews, local news, how-to articles, etc. In addition to an up-front payment, Associated Content also pays residuals based on the total number of continuing page views generated by your content.

Most of the articles I have written for AC are simple product or restaurant reviews, and how-to articles on a number of areas within my expertise. Here is a list of my top ten Associated Content articles, so you can get an idea of the type of articles that AC regularly pays for:

1) How to Whiten Your Teeth Cheaply with Hydrogen Peroxide as a Mouthwash (6063 Page Views)

2) How to Make a Lemon Battery (3505 Page Views)

3) How to Write with a Fountain Pen (3403 Page Views)

4) How to Improve Your Handwriting (3268 Page Views)

5) Lindemans Framboise Raspberry Lambic Beer is a Delicious Alternative to Traditional Beer (3223 Page Views)

6) Top Fin 10 Gallon Goldfish Aquarium Starter Kit (2990 Page Views)

7) Why Buy an iPhone When You Could Have $11,553? (2471 Page Views)

8) Mother's Circus Animal Cookies Are Fun and Delicious (1884 Page Views)

9) Splenda Vs. Sweet'N Low (1777 Page Views)

10) TetraFin Goldfish Flakes: How to Feed Goldfish Properly (1653 Page Views)

As you can see, the topic of each of these articles is narrowly focused but fills a specific niche that someone is likely to be searching for. None of these articles took more than 15 minutes or so to write, but I am receiving money from each of them each month, deposited directly into my Paypal account. If you have not yet given Associated Content a try, and if you write quickly with quality, then Associated Content may be a good way to generate and supplement your passive income.

You can click here to join Associated Content and start earning some money for your writing. You will not likely get rich by writing for Associated Content, but the passive residual income is worth the effort.

Dividend Update for 4-30-08

It has been a while since I posted an update of my dividend/distribution payments; so without further ado, here is a list of my dividend payments through today, 4-30-08, since my becoming an investor in January of 2007:

Roth IRA Dividends:

iShares MSCI EAFE Index ETF (EFA):

01/04/08: ($18.02)

iShares Russell 2000 Index ETF (IWM):

03/29/07: ($0.64)
07/05/07: ($0.86)
10/01/07: ($1.58)
01/03/08: ($2.18)
03/28/08: ($1.07)

S&P 500 Index "Spiders" ETF (SPY):

04/30/07: ($1.27)
07/31/07: ($1.62)
10/31/07: ($3.22)
01/31/08: ($3.49)
04/31/08: ($3.48)

PowerShares High Yield Dividend Achievers ETF (PEY):

04/30/07: ($1.11)
05/31/07: ($1.38)
06/29/07: ($1.39)
07/31/07: ($1.82)
08/31/07: ($1.82)
09/31/07: ($2.29)
10/31/07: ($2.25)
11/30/07: ($2.27)
12/31/07: ($5.25)

Money Market Fund:

02/21/07: ($0.47)
03/21/07: ($0.53)
04/23/07: ($0.64)
05/21/07: ($0.26)
07/23/07: ($0.36)
08/21/07: ($0.37)
09/21/07: ($0.26)
10/22/07: ($0.12)
11/21/07: ($0.34)
12/21/07: ($0.24)
01/31/08: ($0.06)
02/29/08: ($0.16)
03/31/08: ($0.29)


Taxable Account Dividends:

Advantage Energy Income Fund (AAV):

03/19/07: ($0.87)
04/18/07: ($0.91)
05/17/07: ($0.94)
06/19/07: ($0.99)
07/19/07: ($1.01)
08/17/07: ($0.99)
09/19/07: ($1.05)
11/19/07: ($1.12)
12/19/07: ($1.10)
01/17/08: ($0.88)
02/20/08: ($0.92)
03/19/08: ($0.93)
04/17/08: ($0.91)

Money Market Fund:

02/21/07: ($0.35)
03/21/07: ($1.55)
04/23/07: ($3.25)
05/21/07: ($4.62)
06/21/07: ($2.68)
03/31/08: ($0.06)