You may have noticed that I have started having a few more ads on this site.  Both on the side bars, and even a few sponsored posts.  This helps out minimally, but it is still enough to help pay for my web hosting and other various fees.  I have investigated several opportunities over the past few months.  Another one that has come to my attention is BizzClick.  They are a Pay Per Click company that serves both advertisers and publishers, like me.

For the advertisers, they have the FiSoAp (Filter, Sort, Appreciate) system, which allows better targeting, so advertisers can be more confident that the traffic being driven to their site actually has an interest in their product.  They also have several other options to help ensure this as well.  Additionally, their 24/7 support is available when you need them, which is especially helpful for those that have their own business or weird hours for their web presence.

They also work for publishers, promising respectable advertisers and a lot of control.  They also have an affiliate program, so if you are interesting in signing up, let me know.  I am going to give it a try myself.

In a move that is sure to endear him to the Tea Party and true conservatives even more, Marco Rubio has fired one of the first shots for the upcoming debt ceiling increase debate.

In a scathing letter sent to Barack Obama this morning, Senator Marco Rubio said that under the President’s first term in office, “more and more people have come to believe that America is becoming a deadbeat nation.”

Rubio went on to pledge that he would challenge any further increase in the debt ceiling, arguing that “we [Congress] need to make it routine to actually spend no more than we take in.”

This is obviously the rallying cry for conservatives, but I believe this resonates with a majority of the people in this country.  How in the world can we continue to go more and more into debt with no legitimate attempt to reign in this deficit?

His plan:

Ideally such a [real plan to tackle our debt] would feature both pro-growth elements and spending restraints, including fundamental tax reform, regulatory reform, meaningful cuts to discretionary spending, a balanced-budget amendment, and reforms to save Social Security and Medicare.

Then he captures the frustration of most Americans:

If we had done this [pass a real debt plan] in mid-2011 when we last debated the debt ceiling, we could have set America on a path to economic growth and prosperity.  This would have led to more jobs and, in turn, to more duly employed taxpayers generating more growth-driven revenue to help us pay down our debt.  Instead, you failed to lead, punted the tough decisions and, in doing so, our credit rating was downgraded for the first time in our history.  It’s a tragic reality but, on your watch, more and more people have come to believe that America is becoming a deadbeat nation inevitably heading toward a European-style debt crisis.

I do not know if Marco Rubio will be the GOP Vice-Presidential candidate, but I would certainly think so.  He would especially capture the conservatives if on a Romney ticket.  I just do not know if he would agree to be on the ticket with a moderate like Romney.  His words and ideas are very popular and capture the frustrations of many Americans.  Even if he is not on the ticket this Fall, he is a superstar for the near future for the conservative cause.

Laptops are certainly in a tricky state right now.  As we see more and more folks purchase tablets, what will be the fate of laptops be?  They still have a very important place for the person that wants a full computer that is mobile.  Tablets just cannot quite fill all the needs of a full computer.  We think of many accessories for electronics, but something I have not really thought about in the past was a laptop cart.  When I first saw it, I thought why in the world would I need a cart for a laptop.  Then I realized laptop storage is important for folks that have shared laptops that can be checked out by various employees.  eLaptopCarts has just what you need.  They also run specials with free shipping and even a 110% price guarantee for 10 days after the sale.  Whether you need a mobile cart to set the laptop on or powered/non-powered storage, check them out for laptop carts.

I am fairly well shocked.  Iowa once again provides a winner (or near winner) that comes out of nowhere and seems to have no chance for the GOP nomination.  I am just curious what the reasoning was for the people that voted for him.  Santorum was irrelevant and barely talked in the debates.  I have no idea where he stands on the issues besides a couple boilerplate things.  I know he is a moderate Republican from Pennsylvania, and now he is trying to paint himself as a conservative.  I think his time in the sun will quickly fade as people start to investigate his stances on the issues.  Yet, I just do not understand how he did as well as he did in Iowa last night.

For me the big winner in Iowa was Mitt Romney.  All along his plan was to focus his attention on New Hampshire and not worry much about Iowa.  Yet, in the last few weeks he gained a lot of momentum and came out on top.  Iowa is inconsequential in terms of delegates, but it has provided us a lot of insight into the candidates.  I will not put too much stock into the New Hampshire primaries, but I am very interested to see the results in South Carolina.  I think Bachman’s few votes go mainly to Gingrich.  If Perry had left, I think Gingrich would have been sitting pretty.  He still had pretty good leads in the Palmetto state during the last polling.  So, we will see in two weeks how things go.

I thought last night’s Iowa debate was pretty entertaining, even though many in the media were disappointed that it did not provide them the one huge soundbite they desire.  I think this is good for the candidates and good for the election process as a whole.  I have read a few commentaries this morning and watched some recap last night.  As in most debates, there are mixed views of how each of the candidates did.  My thoughts:

• Newt Gingrich – While many believe he struggled early in the debate, I think this is somewhat overblown.  Certainly the Fannie/Freddie attacks hurt him, but I do not feel he dodged the questions, and I think he answered them honestly.  Also, he is willing to go against those conservatives (including me at times) with his support of Government Sponsored Entities (GSEs).  He gave a couple excellent examples of ones that work, including utility cooperatives.  At no point did Gingrich seem lost, clueless, or someone I would fear running the country, and for this he continues to win points.  His stance on limiting judges and knowledge of history wins him points across the board.
• Mitt Romney – Romney was pretty strong last night, while staying out of the fray.  Most of the attacks were focused and Gingrich, so Romney was able to stay on message pretty well.  I have to admit, that for the first time, he seems presidential.  He is still fairly low on my board of support, but I think I could support him – unlike John McCain – in a general election.  He was able to tout his business leadership, and I think he needs to continue to do so.  His only real stumble was when he was trying to explain how his stance on gay marriage has not changed.  He embraced that his stance on abortion has changed somewhat, and I think that helps quell the debate.
• Ron Paul – As predicted earlier, Ron Paul continues to have solid support and terrible fitting suits!  Unlike many of the other candidates, his support is steady.  Last night, however, even though he was a front-runner, he was not engaged as much as others on the stage.  He performed fairly well until his confrontation with Michele Bachmann over his Iran stance.  I think a lot of Paul’s ideas are solid, but his foreign policy scares me as well as others.  I think this is what really will limit him in the GOP primaries.
• Rick Perry – Governor Perry was not involved in very much of the debate, but he did a few good moments (despite a terrible haircut).  Obviously the most quotable moment of the debate was his comment that he was the Tim Tebow of the Iowa caucuses.  Unfortunately, this was just a forced quote that had nothing to do with the issues.  However, Perry had no bad moments last night.
• Michele Bachmann – Ms. Bachmann clearly decided she was going to go out with guns blazing last night.  She spent almost all her time attacking Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul.  She had some points that hit, but I cannot see her as the leader of the free world, at all.  I predict she will make it through the early primaries and then bow out.  I just do not see her finishing anywhere near the top in any of the early contests.  It almost seems like she is trying to do the bidding of the establishment Republicans in trying to destroy Newt Gingrich.  She even quoted George Will a couple times who clearly would like to see the Speaker go away.  Perhaps she is just trying to become Mitt Romney’s VP choice.
• Jon Hunstman – Remind me again why he is still in this thing?  He looks petty, cartoonish, and pained every time he speaks.  He clearly has no chance and was really a non factor again last night.
• Rick Santorum – Another non factor.  Fox News gave him some token air time, but clearly people do not want to hear from him like they do the front-runners

Overall, I felt it was a substantive, successful debate.  I agree with Neil Boortz that the social issues tend to make the GOP look petty at times.  While they are important, they really divide along party lines.  Coming out of this, I think we will see Gingrich bump back up in the Iowa polls followed closely by Romney and Paul.  Nationally, I think Paul will run about fourth.  However, I think it is clear the front-runners are Gingrich and Romney.  Paul, Perry, and Bachmann will continue to make a push through the early primaries.

As a small-time blogger, who runs a few blogs, I constantly am surrounded by the confusion of Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  There are many companies out there that offer SEO or resell SEO services.  Certainly a web search is a good place to start, but then you must find a way to do SEO on your own or choose to pay someone else to do it for you.  Hubshout is one company that offers these services, and their offerings even include social media packages.  As a disclaimer, I have not tried them out yet, but they appear to be a viable option for your needs.  So if you are in the SEO market, check them out.

I have talked about Battery Heads in the past, and they seem to be a great source for your battery needs.  This includes cameras, computers, and other electronics.  However, they are also a good source for chargers and AC adapters.  For instance, if you are looking for a Toshiba AC Adapter for your laptop, then they have just what you need.  With electronics as gifts, you certainly need extra batteries and chargers, so go check out Battery Heads for your needs.

Christian Whitson, a former U.S. State Department senior adviser and a principal at DC International Advisory, has a magnificent piece he has written.  Why Washington Is Shocked, Shocked By Newt Gingrich’s Rise Over Mitt Romney details many of the precise reasons the American people are flocking to Speaker Gingrich much to the dismay of establishment Republicans.

One of the more enjoyable spectacles out of Washington lately has been the horror of establishment Beltway Republicans that Newt Gingrich just might be their presidential nominee, having jumped ahead of Mitt Romney in recent polls. The cause of this is simple if often disguised: Newt is the opposite of everything they just know to be true.

Take for example Peggy Noonan, who pronounced Gingrich all but dead in May, noting “I have yet to meet a Gingrich 2012 supporter.”

This clearly baffles Ms. Noonan, whose writing I mostly agree with.  She is so entrenched within the mainstream government status quo, she has yet to meet anyone who is supporting the GOP frontrunner.  Mr. Gingrich is leading in national polls by over 10% and many state polls by more than this.  Clearly, Ms. Noonan is out of touch, which is why she is flabbergasted by Gingrich’s surge.

After all, this basically remains the Republican establishment that ran both of the federal government’s political branches for the better part of the last decade and managed to achieve essentially no conservative goals. The establishment Republicans didn’t merely acquiesce to big government implications of George W. Bush’s “compassionate conservatism” – they insisted on it. More than a few Bush officials who visited Capitol Hill lamented that it was difficult to tell the difference between Republicans and Democrats on spending issues. While President Obama has normalized trillion-dollar deficits, establishment Republicans got us halfway there during the previous decade.

Do not suppose Beltway Republicans have found religion since. Recall Republican Speaker Boehner claiming earlier this year that he would cut $100 billion of government spending—a modest goal considering the federal budget now exceeds $3500 billion. That cut soon became $61 billion, then a mere $39 billion (and realistically nothing when gimmicks are excluded). And Republicans share with Democrats parenthood of the subsequent ‘Super Committee’ fiasco.

The public is sick and tired of this “hogwash” from BOTH parties.  They are looking for spending cuts and government reform.  They have not gotten this under either party.  In fact, the last time we actually saw some control was when?  Wait for it…when Mr. Gingrich was the Speaker of the House.  We actually had balanced budgets and other items of real progress.

Now reenter Newt Gingrich, the man whom Republican Washington just knows failed as Speaker of the House, despite the welfare, capital gains tax and balanced budget reforms that bear his fingerprints.

On EPA replacement, for example, Gingrich says: “I don’t think you can train the current bureaucrats. I think their bias against capitalism, their bias against local government, their bias against economic rationality, is just amazing.”

Here, Gingrich is revealing his reverence for Andrew Jackson, who in his presidency succeeded in replacing fully one-fifth of the federal bureaucracy, seeing this as a requirement for radical change.

I keep hearing folks talk about Gingrich shutting down the government as a bad thing.  While we would not want this long term, I think the American people are truly yearning for someone that will take a strong stance on the issues of limiting government spending and control.  Someone that is willing to shut down the government if that is what it takes.

The idea of reversing federal growth is fine to keep on the wish list, but those who advocate it seriously are seen as rubes—either new arrivals in Washington who just fell off a turnip truck or unsophisticated congressmen from ‘flyover country.’ To be a true Beltway Republican is to have accepted the assumption that the scope of government cannot be radically altered. And they think it is politically foolish to try.

Thus the establishment just knows that you run a moderate like Mitt Romney for president. Conservatives have no place else to go and independents will be attracted—historical evidence to the contrary be damned.

Gingrich challenges this, believing 2012 may be one of those historical turning points where voters will be most attracted by a candidate who offers a radical divergence.

I truly think this will be the case this year.  Folks do not want Mitt Romney just because he has a better chance to win.  People want a President they can truly stand behind and one who has ideas for real change that will not cripple the country but will revitalize it.  They like that fact that Gingrich is a little bit extreme.  Romney’s moderate infuriates people that clearly want real change.  Washington insiders just cannot wrap their heads around this, but the American people can.

See more of my commentary leading up to the 2012 Election

The Politico has a pretty good piece today about the anti-Gingrich sentiment found among many of the leading conservative pundits.  Many, such as  George Will clearly do not want Speaker Gingrich to represent the GOP against President Obama.

No one has criticized Gingrich more acidly or consistently than George Will, the conservative commentator who said on ABC’s “This Week” that Gingrich “embodies almost everything disagreeable about modern Washington” and called him a “rental politician.”

“There is almost artistic vulgarity in Gingrich’s unrepented role as a hired larynx for interests profiting from such government follies as ethanol and cheap mortgages,” Will wrote in the Washington Post. “His Olympian sense of exemption from standards and logic allowed him, fresh from pocketing $1.6 million from Freddie Mac (for services as a ‘historian’), to say, ‘If you want to put people in jail,’ look at ‘the politicians who profited from’ Washington’s environment.”

Peggy Noonan writes:

“He has gone through his political life making huge strides, rising in influence and achievement, and then been destabilized by success, or just after it,” she wrote. “What [Republicans] fear is that he will show just enough discipline over the next few months, just enough focus, to win the nomination. And then, in the fall of 2012, once party leaders have come around and the GOP is fully behind him, he will begin baying at the moon.”

However, I think her next thought in the article is exactly Mr. Gingrich’s strong point in this contest.

“The antipathy of the establishment not only is not hurting him at this early date, it may be helping him. It may be part of the secret of his rise.”

Mr. Gingrich is clearly a real front-runner at this point that others are afraid of.  He has risen to the top at precisely the right time.  He is not going to fade away like Herman Cain, Rick Perry, or Michele Bachmann.  This is evidenced in the fact that his GOP opponents are actively attacking him.  They fear Gingrich, and know he is the their very real threat in this race.

See more of my commentary leading up to the 2012 Election

Guest post from: Kent Lara

Moving is never fun or easy but it’s amazing how much technology has improved the process over the past ten years. The last time I moved was 2001 and everything had to be coordinated and activated by a phone call and a conversation with a customer service representative. It could take hours to get through the process of setting up just one utility. Now it’s as simple as turning on your laptop. For example, to find internet service, I went to my search engine and typed internet providers Reidsville to find all the options in my area. No more flipping through the pages of the phone book or the yellow pages, making dozens of call to get prices then trying to negotiate. It’s all there on your screen. Even when you know the provider you want to use, like in our case where there is only one electric company, you can go to their website and enter your information and schedule when you want it turned on—without even talking to anyone!