This fortnight we are thinking about a number of problems facing our country and our state. First, did you get the North Korean wakeup calls? Last December they launched a three-stage rocket, which established their intercontinental ballistic missile capability and then in February they conducted another nuclear test. Added to this is Iran's involvement and support of the North Koreans.

In fact, it is highly probable the recent test was for Iran. The reason to worry is we do not have an operational missile defense system besides some limited interceptors, so if you live on the east, west or gulf coast, you have no protection. One scary thought, a single nuclear bomb exploded in the atmosphere above the U.S. with the resulting electromagnetic pulse released would in effect put the U.S. back to a time before electricity, communications, motorized transportation, electronic banking, and more, like what is being demonstrated on the NBC television show, Revolution. And what is the Barack Obama administration doing? Absolutely nothing.

This week the U.S. Senate denied cloture on the filibuster of Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense. If Republicans stick together this turkey can be sent out to the pasture. There is so much wrong with this guy it is stunning. Let's start with the fact he is clueless regarding defense policy based on his pathetic testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Texas' own rookie Senator Ted Cruz made mincemeat out of Hagel and clearly with little time in the Senate (6 weeks), he knows more about defense and foreign policy than Mr. Hagel. His fair questions got no real answers because Hagel knows little. Beyond that it is clear he has been on the payroll of interests hostile to the U.S. and its strong ally Israel. We don't owe Obama someone clearly not qualified to serve. Surely Obama can find someone in America qualified and smart enough to run the Defense Department.

The 2013 Houston mayor's race will be voted on come November. This is a non-partisan, but not non-ideological race. The conservative-Republican vote is a critical component for anyone who wants to win. The latest candidate to enter is former City Attorney Ben Hall. Incumbent Mayor Annise Parker is also thought to be running for her third and final term. This is a race TCR will watch and evaluate down the line, as observers believe our vote may be the decider in who wins.

TCR Comment: Richard Russell, Editor of the long running investment advisory Dow Theory Letters recently opined that the problems of Europe have now come to America!

"Do you want to live like the Europeans in a welfare state? Relax, you already do. Check this out. Americans are already addicted to government services and government money handouts. For instance - at present, 60 million Americans depend on Medicaid benefits, 54 million receive Social Security, 48 million receive Medicare, and 45 million get food stamps. More than 20 million Americans work for the government, and millions more are private contractors who depend on government funding. So, long live America, the welfare nation."

 1. Only in America could the rich people, who pay 86% of all income taxes, be accused of not paying their "fair share" by people who don't pay any income taxes at all.

 2. Only in America could people claim that the government still discriminates against black Americans when they have a black President, a black Attorney General, and roughly 18% of the federal work-force is black while only 12% of the population is black.

 3. Only in America could they have had the two people most responsible for our tax code, Timothy Geithner, the head of the Treasury Department, and Charles Rangel, who once ran the Ways and Means Committee, BOTH turn out to be tax cheats who are in favor of higher taxes.

 4. Only in America can they have terrorists kill people in the name of Allah and have the media primarily react by fretting the Muslims might be harmed in the backlash.

 5. Only in America would they make people who want to legally become American citizens wait for years in their home countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars for the privilege while we discuss letting anyone who sneaks into the country illegally just 'magically' become American citizens.

 6. Only in America could the people who believe in balancing the budget and sticking by the country's Constitution be thought of as "extremists".

 7. Only in America could you need to present a driver's license to cash a check or buy alcohol, but not to vote.

 8. Only in America could people demand the government investigate whether oil companies are gouging the public because the price of gas went up when the return on equity invested in a major U.S. oil company (Marathon Oil) is less than half of a company making tennis shoes (Nike).

 9. Only in America could the government collect more tax dollars from the people than any nation in recorded history, still spend a Trillion dollars more than it has per year - for total spending of $7 Million PER MINUTE, and complain that it doesn't have nearly enough money.

10. Only in America could politicians talk about the greed of the rich at a $35,000.00 a plate campaign fund-raising event.

We now know why our President did not want to discuss what happened at Benghazi before the election. We also now know why Hillary Clinton was in hiding in South America. They were AWOL on the night our Ambassador and three other Americans were killed.

As low as ones opinion may be of Obama and Clinton, few thought that the two of them were off in a hot tub somewhere having a little party. Of course, we do not know what they were actually doing that evening because they continue to stonewall us on the entire issue. One thing we now know because of testimony last week is they were not actively following the action. That may be why we did not see any nifty photos like we did after the killing of Osama.

This follows on the heels of our column last week. The press should be ashamed of how it has handled this issue. A pliant press that genuflects at the altar of a left-wing President endangers all of us as much as the weak leadership of the officials. They should hand in the credentials in shame.

Our soon-to-be Treasury Secretary, Jack Lew, has a fascinating resume. He started as a Legislative aide in Washington at the age of 27. Six years later he became the principle domestic policy adviser to the-then Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill. Only in Washington would someone gain such "wisdom" in six years working as a staff person to garner such a lofty position.

No wonder people say 23 years later, he is intellectually arrogant. He was like Yoda -- so young. He's arrogance is such that he is taking a job for which Hazel at the Coffee Shop has more experience. At least she has some business experience. She probably has to bank her own customers. But he did attend Harvard. That is good enough in the Obama Administration.

Speaking of cabinet members (important ones), how does someone with such a thin resume as Chuck Hagel get to be nominated as Defense Secretary? Are we that void of leadership in this country? Really what was Obama thinking? Are there any grownups in the Democratic Party who can tell the President to pull this nomination for the sake of the country?

I received an update on our worker's compensation policy due to a new California law. The good news is that both sleeping disorders and sexual dysfunction will no longer be considered for permanent disability under worker's comp. However, temporary disability and medical treatment will still be payable. And people say we are whacky in California.

What I don't understand is that if you look at a woman cross-eyed you can be charged with sexual harassment, but sexual dysfunction is covered by worker's comp. You can't win for losing.

Is there anyone left voting for the Baseball Hall of Fame that actually follows the game? Given the opportunity, these guys would not vote in Musial or Gehrig.

For you Academy Awards fans, the Academy's governing board certainly has a fraud going. As you know they recently expanded the category of best picture from five choices to anywhere from five to ten with nine nominees in 2013. But there are four nominees that don't have a chance. Those are the ones where the director of the film was not nominated for Best Director.

In my book that means Argo, Les Miserables, Django Unchained and Zero Dark Thirty have very little chance of winning as Best Picture. Maybe a film could win if the director does not win, but certainly it has no chance of winning when the director does not even get nominated. Thus, those films are added simply to churn interest and viewers of the show itself. Thus, the fraud.

After suffering through the carpetbagger Frank McCourt era of LA Dodger ownership, it is certainly nice to have the new crew. In addition to obtaining some competitive players, they are immediately doing the updates to the stadium that were so utterly necessary. New High–Definition video boards; a new sound system, modern Wi-Fi and cell connections, new bathrooms and redone food concessions will bring Dodger Stadium back to its heyday.

Where would you rather be on opening day, April 1st, at Dodger Stadium in short sleeves looking out at Palm trees or bundled up at Yankee Stadium fighting a cold wind?

Bill Kristol had it partially correct that Republicans should not be falling on their sword to save tax rates from rising on high-income taxpayers. If someone graphed out where the people reside that are making over $450,000, the vast majority of them would be in Blue States; i.e., New York, Connecticut and California will be the hardest hit.

Don't waste your time waiting for the residents of those states to defeat their Congressmen and Senators who voted to raise their taxes. They are too stupid to figure it out, which brings into question how they are able to make that much money in the first place.

Certainly you heard about the loony left's idea of minting a platinum coin and declaring it worth a trillion dollars. For now it has been put to rest, but don't bet against this idea getting advanced. This is how these lunatic ideas become a reality to the loathsome. They repeat it and repeat it until they believe it. After all, they have convinced themselves that there is actually money in the Social Security Trust Fund and that it is financially solvent for the next 20 years.

This time they have enlisted their Zen-meister, Paul Krugman, who they believe has creditability because some Norwegian narcissists gave him a Nobel. Krugman received his award for explaining the patterns of international trade and the geographic concentration of wealth by examining the effects of economies of scale of consumer preferences for diverse goods and services. And who exactly did he explain this too? If Krugman can promote this idea, God knows what is in those 20 books he has written. Got to be some pretty heady stuff.

If you ever doubted the degradation of our culture read this. We were listening to American Top 40 created by Casey Kasem and now hosted by Ryan Seacrest. Seacrest offered "coming up after this next song we will see whether new mother Snooki has any pregnancy advice for Kim Kardishian."

Red, White & Blue featuring TCR Editor Gary Polland, liberal commentator David Jones and moderator Linda Lorelle on Fridays at 7:30 pm on PBS Houston Channel 8.1, replaying Sundays at 12:30 p.m. on Channel 8.1, Mondays at 11:30 pm on Channel 8.2 and on the web at www.houstonpbs.org.

The current show as well as past shows are available on YouTube.

Gary Polland is a long-time conservative and Republican spokesman, fund-raiser, and leader who completed three terms as the Harris County Republican Chairman. During his three terms, Gary was described as the most successful county Chairman in America by Human Events - The National Conservative Weekly. He is in his fifteenth year of editing a newsletter dealing with key conservative and Republican issues. The last twelve years he has edited Texas Conservative Review. As a public service for the last 10 years, Gary has published election guides for the GOP primary, general elections and city elections, all with the purpose of assisting conservative candidates. Gary is also in his eleventh year of co-hosting Red, White and Blue on PBS Houston. Gary is a practicing attorney and strategic consultant. He can be reached at (713) 621-6335.