Defending the Culture of Corruption

The application of Reaganomics has changed America. Our infrastructures have been neglected and are falling apart. Production has been shipped to third world countries where regulations on child labor, noxious materials and working environment are inexistent or without enforcement. Costs associated with production facilities in unstable states are pushed onto the US state department and our military. It only seems appropriate that Hank and Ben suddenly realize that the fundamentals of the economy are not sound, requesting that the US taxpayer fund a $ 700 BILLION bailout of financial institutions.

Business and Washington are unified in their cries that “Main Street does not understand that this is to save them!” They propose purchasing bad financial products at higher than market prices so the banks will lend to Joe Worker. Right… Banks will lend according to their current risk parameters. That is the way banks work. Buying these “assets” will only make the US taxpayer responsible for bad investment decisions made by greedy Wall Street dudes.

There is a much darker aspect to this plan. US banks are not the major holders of these securities. With a blossoming trade imbalance US dollars are held in the TRILLIONS of dollars by China. Many US corporations are shutting US facilities and investing great sums in China to take advantage of lax regulations. Perhaps, one day last week, Hank received a phone call from his Chinese buddies indicating that they did not intend to lose money on these bad financial instruments and held the US government responsible for lack of financial regulation. Perhaps they also reminded Hank of the value of US investments currently in China.

As one life insurance company’s advertisement states, “Hank got the message.” Suddenly the administration’s presentation of the US economy went from “We are number one”, to “Armageddon is upon us!” It happened so fast, the Republican candidate for president, John McCain, stated, “the fundamentals of the economy are sound” on the same day that Hank and Ben were telling Congress that end of the US economy is nigh.


This BAILOUT WILL NOT FIX ANYTHING. It will increase public debt. The real problems are serious. The US can return to wealth and prosperity but we must recognize and cure the real problems, not the symptoms. FYI the real problems are that 72% of our economy is consumer spending. We no longer produce a reasonable portion of the goods we consume. We confuse smoke and mirrors services with real assets. We have expanding income inequality and finally our government is corrupt. Our politicians and business leaders are pillaging the equity of this nation for personal gain. Do not fall for the talking points. This BAILOUT IS NOT FOR MAINSTREET.

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Congress Shows Contempt for US Citizens at State of the Union Speech

I love watching the State of the Union speech every year. It is the best scripted comedy show around. A copy of the speech is disturbed to attendees before the President arrives so they have time to figure out when they will hoot and holler and when they will stay seated with drawn faces. The commentators will then count the number of people, the number of times, and even the decibel level to determine whether or not the concept has support. I thought we already had a function that served that purpose, the congressional vote.

Last night I was amazed that the politicians, for the first time since I have been watching, truthfully showed their contempt for the American people. In closing the President told of how the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America came to express the forefather’s desire for a populous government. The original declaration contained the phrase, “We the delegates…”. The Preamble of the Constitution of the United States of America instead contains the words, “WE THE PEOPLE”.

The president paused after this statement. To his dismay the room was silent. Many our elected leaders were nodding off. Others had their long faces on. I could see their thoughts in their faces, “Why is this idiot reminding the people that they are America. Good grief we already have Lou Dobbs encouraging people to get involved. We cannot have the ignorant plebe actually getting involved in government!”

Let your elected representative know who he/she/it works for and who’s money they are spending to make themselves rich. I am going to send a message with the simple words “WE THE PEOPLE” to each one of my representatives. You can do this too very easily. Congress.Org has the email addresses of all Federal Elected Representatives (House and Senate). They also have an easy to use form that will get to your politician. Let them know that you know who owns America.

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America’s Special Interest require new form of Government

Mr. Obama evidenced the importance of Special Interest groups in the US. In the South Carolina Primary, among Black Voters, he took home 80% of the vote. Such high percentages remind me of rulers like Sadam Hussein who received 100% of the votes of his country. I am not saying that Mr. Obama will kill or imprison Black America if they do not vote for him simply that special interest representation has become the name of the game in the US. The Republican and Democratic parties have become victims of special interest groups pushing the party’s agenda much farther right and left than the population would accept. The candidates have platforms that do not represent Middle America’s interests. The centrist candidates are eliminated in the primary process. The majority of the people do not have a candidate that represents their interests.

Our current form of government was created in very different times when people were spread out over thousands of miles and letters would take months to get from point A to point B. Newspapers published information that often was several months old and the people had no way of getting to know the candidates. Today this is no longer true. The political process happens in real time and Americans are more informed and involved than ever before.

A national discussion takes place on many conceptual issues. The people want one thing and make it known yet the politicians do the opposite to appease their special interests. A recent example is “Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” There is no doubt that among Americans there is broad based support to enforce existing laws before taking on Amnesty, Visas and the likes yet the politicians continued to propose law after law against America’s wishes.

It is obvious that our form of Government no longer represents the people or the best interests of America. We should consider other forms of government including Parliamentary Government where more parties could be represented with a Prime Minister who forms a coalition of interests. Middle America would have a voice. If our Government is incapable of representing America then we need to change government. America is not made up of Special Interests and if someone wants to vote for a candidate because they are Black, a Woman, an Evangelist, Hispanic or because they are Muslim then they should have a candidate that represents their interests but for the rest of America who want to elect a President who will protect the interests of most Americans, we should not have our choices limited to those supported by special interests.

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The Fundamentals of the Economy are Strong! The Crisis is over!?!

Wow, I decided to write about the Border Patrol Agent killed by Undocumented Workers and the financial crisis is over. All of the economic problems of the United States have been solved. The financial institutions declared victory today and even told the EU FED that he had to get with the program and reduce rates in the EU. As one international analyst put it, “They are behind the curve.” This is another way of saying, “THEY KNOW NOTHING!”

Arrogance and Stupidity usually walk hand in hand. Most people believe that the US economy is the largest in the world. Different than what most Americans believe the US is no longer the world’s largest economy. The EU dwarfs the US in both GDP and Population. The EU has intelligently mandated that their FED has one job. Their job is to fight inflation. Yet when our Analysts and Experts talk about what the EU must do they are thinking that the EU political system is similar to that of the US. Fortunately for the world, Corporatism was banned in most Western European countries after WWII.

The collusion between government and Corporate America is a bad thing. The FED panicked following the drop in world markets on Martin Luther King day. They believed that the the smoke and mirrors financial structure of the US had spread into the rest of the world. They cut rates by ¾ % in an emergency action. Their reasoning was that the drop in the markets, in itself, became a economic factor. In other words the loss of value on the US stock market is as important as the loss of equity in housing. The obvious solution is to create excess liquidity (drop FED rates) and not worry about rampant inflation. They also promised additional cuts at the upcoming meeting.

The politicians are also preparing a tax rebate plan. The idea is that by putting money into the economy that money will be spent keeping GDP above zero. They are targetting negative growth instead of understanding why the economy is contracting. That is like wiping the forhead of a soldier shot in the stomach. He feels comforted but will most likely die in any case.

These programs are bad. Not only will they not produce the desired results, they increase public debt and accelerate inflation. I do not think we have taken on the structural problems in our economy. Perhaps we can find another area to create a bubble that will carry us on for another couple of years but sooner or later we must pay the piper.

More importantly after the FED ran to save the financial institutions, Societe’ Generale announced that it had sold positions due to fraudulant trading by a broker. The stock markets tanked because of a rogue trader.

Government should never be beholding to business or financial institutions. This must be a priority if we want to return the US to a position of strength.

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We Voted for Change and Got More of the Same

Americans voted to depose most incumbent politicians in the most recent elections. Some wanted an end to the war in Iraq while others wanted fiscal discipline and still others wanted a government that represented the people and not the corporations.

In the traditional serpentine fashion of politicians we have received change. After millions of phone calls from Americans they passed legislation for a border fence. Unfortunately in the legislation they only funded a small portion of the construction. Last week they further reallocated funds away from the border fence for other pet projects known as pork. Important stuff like a hiking/bike trail and rat control in Alaska?!?

We did get other changes. We had votes and resolutions supporting various religious holidays new and old from religions across the world. Strangely enough the only resolution not to pass was the one in favor of Christmas. I guess that it is appropriate that a holiday celebrated by most Americans be defeated. These politicians make Judas look like a holy saint.

Not happy with the way things were going in Washington our politicians voted to reduce their work week and get back home for Christmas (the same holiday object of the resolution that did not pass). Unfortunately the small job of approving the federal budget had not been taken on. They were so busy trying to impeach Bush they forgot they actually have something important to do. Well, time is short and the flights on government supplied aircraft are already booked. These politicians had nothing better than to pass the budget in the middle of the night. This was too great a temptation for the thieves. A blank check for pork and the budget is full.

An old saying, “Things must change to remain the same,” never rang so true. We have seen the fruit of change from Republican to Democrat. We must now make real change and get rid of both parties before the next elections if we want this country to return to its greatness.

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America Changes – What is the real debate?

Over the last year I have explored the changes that the United States is undergoing. Rampant unemployment (while official data indicates the lowest unemployment in history), inflation at third world country levels (while the government’s Ppi indicates less than two percent), 1 % of the population homeless, 33% of the population food insecure, 50% of the population that cannot afford a major illness, University costs inflating at 50% a year while young college graduates see salaries decreasing when adjusted for inflation, identity theft rampant, public budget deficits at historically high levels while national infrastructures fall apart, and personal freedoms completely usurped by corporate America and the big brother style of government.

When speaking with people I know well I am often surprised at the position they take on the issues. I am not surprised because of the views are strange instead it is because I know their stated values. The ones who surprised me the most are members of my own family. Actively religious they grew up with the same teachings and values that have defined my defining principles yet they easily do what is financially advantageous instead of what is ethically right. I am always thrown by the statement, “I am not doing anything illegal.” They knew well that ethically their actions were very bad but the fact that law did not prohibit it made everything ok.

All of the issues are merely symptoms. They are the result of the way Americans see right and wrong. The debate that is raging, without a single word spoken about this specific topic, is very simple. It is our vision of the future. The opposing and contrasting views are:

1. The individual is more important than the whole of humanity
2. Progression of the whole of Humanity is more important than the individual.

As I was a child I was inspired by the words of John Kennedy, “Ask not what your country can do for you instead ask what you can do for your country. “ and Martin Luther King’s dream of the equality of mankind, and, even, Startrek’s Spock sacrificing his life for the crew with the words, “The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” As a child I read avidly books recounting the heroic actions of WWII. I am an Eagle Scout with respect for flag and country.

I thought the principles that guide my actions were a result of my family’s strict religious adherence. I could not understand how religious people could be individual oriented in their reasoning. Recently I realized that who I am is not a product of my religious upbringing instead I was influenced by those leaders who spoke of unity, by the selfless actions of soldiers in difficult times and public service contributing to our nation.

Often I have been ridiculed as the “idealist” looking for the Utopian existence. Other times I am labeled as a socialist, populist or even pinko commie fag. What can I say? I believe the progression of humanity, the future of our children is more important than me having a newer, bigger, better car. I believe that long term stability is more important that instant gratification. These basic principles guide my every decision

This is the basic discussion in the US political debate yet candidates are fighting over the symptoms. Fighting over the symptoms will simply divide our nation. We need candidates who will talk about the real issue. We need candidates who can unite Americans around the future. This is leadership. Where are the leaders who can honestly talk about the future? Where do they stand on these basic issues? Dear candidates, please tell us, where do you stand on the basic principles that I was taught are, the who America is?

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Steven Colbert withdraws Presidential Bid

Steven Colbert has decided not to run for president of the United States following the refusal of the State of North Carolina to put him on the Democratic Ballot. The Democratic Party lobbied the State adamantly to refuse Mr. Colbert’s nomination on the ballot. Their reasoning, “We do not want to make a mockery of this sacred institution.” Aside from the fact that Mr. Colbert would have received a tremendous number of votes the reasoning indicated by the Democratic Party is absurd. Mr. Colbert cannot make a mockery of our political process, THE POLITICIANS HAVE ALREADY DONE THAT. Votes for Mr. Colbert would have indicated the disdain that US citizens have for our politicians. Considering that a recent CNN Poll indicated that 87% are angry about how our country is being governed it is highly probable that Mr. Colbert would have won the State.

Mr. Colbert’s decision to run was a ray of hope in the tempest that is America’s immediate future. New blood without ties to corporate America is our best chance at mitigating the total economic collapse the direct result of thirty years of the disastrous economic policy known as Reaganomics. Mr. Colbert, please consider running as an independent. The Democrats and Republicans are all the same. They are simply corrupt members of the “Good ole boys club.”

Obviously all the “Good ole boys” are saying that we must not change things. We need the dynasties. We must favor corporate greed and ask more sacrifices of our working citizens. We need open borders. We must eliminate quality and safety controls on products from other countries. It may have been ok to attempt this new economic plan but after 30 years it is time that we take account of our economy and the status of the United States. Only an outsider can do this.

Please, Mr. Colbert, run as an Independent. We need change and our current political system will only allow for this to come from someone who has name recognition for other reasons.

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Divided We Fall

I was reading an article about the anti-war protests in San Francisco. One of the promoters stated, “Where's the outcry? Where's the horror that almost 4,000 Americans have died in a foreign country that we invaded?" Robbins said. "I'm almost as angry at the American people as I am the president. I think Americans have become apathetic and placid about the whole thing.” These words hit me with astounding force. They did not hit me because I think we should be demonstrating against the war in Iraq or that we should hightail it out of there. No, they hit me hard because this individual strongly believes in what she is doing and is pissed off because other Americans will not support her quest. I do not get upset with other Americans because they continue to buy Chinese goods putting their children’s health at risk or because they will not push for alternative energy sources but the seeming apathy does affect my consideration of my fellow Americans.

Last night I was chatting with my cooking buddies. Among the topics of conversation were “the land of fruits and nuts”, the apparent conflict of “why someone can die in a war but not drink a beer”, the fallacy that “illegal immigration cannot be enforced for lack of manpower while we actively throw teenagers in jail for breaking local curfew laws”, and “prohibiting smoking while air born pollutants skyrocket.” I thought about “our dreams”. As college students, we talked about changing the world by eliminating poverty, making education available to all no matter what their social class, and world peace. That was a time when social movement rallies had as many student participants as football games (well maybe not as many but it was acceptable to be socially involved).

Some time ago these same cooking buddies expressed how our political machine had been so successful in dividing the nation. We can no longer act as a people because it is now thousands of specific “us and them”. The religious right believes that abortion and gay marriage are the most important questions, others believe we must “save the environment from humanity”, still others believe that we must “protect ourselves from the evil Muslims.” So here we are, the most informed and financially capable segment of American society, divided, fighting this or that symptom of the greater illness. We are not getting at the cause. We are unable to come together to fight for what made us see a better future because we are heads down, concentrated on the minutia. Our politicians have one. World order is safe. Poverty, wars, despair will be with us for many generations because we are divided and Divided We Fall.

Tags: Government Politics Recession Corporate America Finance Illegal Immigration Economy Reaganomics

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The Bailout of Speculative Investments continues - The Mafia is Alive and Well

Recently I suggested it would be less expensive for the US government to give $1 trillion to the financial institutions to cover their speculative losses than to play the games with interest rates and liquidity which will have long term negative effects on the US economy. It seems that someone, who actually counts, had the same idea. The Treasury, yes Mr. Wall Street now Treasury Secretary, is sponsoring the creation of a bailout fund between Bank of America (BAC) and JP Morgan (JPM). The fund of $ 100 billion would buy distressed bad loans allowing the banks to not write off the bad loans.

These loans would then be packaged again and sold “avoiding fire sale pricing.” Where have we heard this before? Rumors are circulating, “the fund is guaranteed by the government”. It is so sad that we live in a country that will spend its money protecting the financial gains of speculators and “cannot afford to insure poor children!”

The examples of collusion and corruption are too numerous to list. Politicians are using our tax dollars to repay the favors from corporate America. We often think that the mafia has been eliminated in the US. I suggest that the mafia is alive and well. It has changed form. Now they call it Corporate America. The ills of corruption are the same. The economy suffers. The citizens are intimidated and freedoms are lost. So at the risk of finding a dead fish on my doorstep, this is CORRUPTION. Stop Collusion between business and government. Prosecute politicians receiving corporate bribes.

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Republican Presidential Debate – Candidates say 1930 like Depression Imminent

On the day of the Republican Debate for Presidential Candidates, the FED released the minutes of the most recent meeting where the 50 basis point cut in interest rates was decided. Oddly enough no reference was made to increasing inflation. Even more interesting is that the discussion about the labor statistics were surprisingly missing. Unanimously the entire board decided to drop the FED reference point by 0.50%. Hmmmmmmm. No inflation, no referral to labor data and the entire board decided to bailout the financial institutions for billions of dollars of speculative losses.

While the debate was going, Alcoa announced its numbers. Alcoa makes aluminum products and sells goods across the world. Alcoa missed its earning numbers by about 4%. Total revenues were up but strangely enough cost of goods sold increased and they were unable to pass on the increases to their customers.

We know that a weakening dollar makes commodities increase in price while they were unable to sell their goods at a higher dollar price. So not only do we have inflation across the US economy but we have exported it across the world through our irresponsible interest rate policy.

Politicians are comparing this period to the 1930s. They are saying that “protectionism” will result in another great depression. Protectionism, as they call it, cannot do anything. We are heading for the greatest depression the US has ever known because of the disastrous policies of Reaganomics and the wholesale auction of America’s equity. The candidates are convinced that Americans are not intelligent enough to understand jobs, economy or finance. The same people who are advocating that the US government not respect its contractual agreements with the American people think that US citizens are not educated enough to know about how to run a business or spend their money.

The reason Americans are upset with the economy is that the economy is bad. Inflation is incredibly high and families cannot pay their bills. The Pollyannesque view that politicians are presenting does not correspond to what we are experiencing. It’s the economy stupid! Politicians think that we are jealous because some people are making a lot of money. This is not the case. We do not like people making a lot of money when they do not deserve it and our investments suffer. We do not like spending $ 2 billion a week on a war to protect corporate interests and then hear that we do not have enough money in the governmental coffers to pay for social security. Social Security is a contract. If the government cannot respect its responsibilities then the government must liquidate its assets and it cannot take on new financial responsibilities.

Dear Presidential Candidates,

we are not as dumb as you think. Most of us understand financial responsibility. Many of us are enticed into the stupidity of Wall Street speculation because if we do not take these risks we are unable to compete in today’s “service economy” where quality and hard work no longer mean anything. If we do not play the games we are unable to feed our families. This must stop. Americans can handle the truth. Give us real information. Tell it like it is. Let the greedy traders in the financial institutions go bankrupt. Perhaps we will then be able to value skilled labor, hard work, and sacrifice for our future.

Smoke and mirrors eventually dissipate. The piper must be paid. We know how to work hard and make a better future but we must have a true vision of today’s reality. It is not by chance that Americans do not trust politicians. Show some balls and tell it like it is.

One Citizen.

Tags: Government Politics Recession Corporate America Finance Illegal Immigration Economy Reaganomics

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Reagonomics vs. The People of the United States of America

“Get off your lazy butts, stop whining, get a job, and invest!” Words of wisdom from the mouthpiece of the Republican Party and most vocal supporter of Reagonomics vehemently stated in response to the recent poll that found that 60% of Republicans thought Free Trade is not a good thing. He reiterated his remarks when he found that 50% of Republicans think that the US economy is going to get worse in the near future. As he spouted off against the American worker he made a few remarks that explain why our politicians do not understand what is going on in America.

The first, and most obvious, is that the DOW Jones Ind. Average is at historically high levels. He was equating the level of the stock market with the economy. This is a gross error for several reasons. Just as oil has gone up as the dollar has weakened so do stocks. Stocks are commodities with a limited addressable market. The price is usually some multiple of earnings. Since 50% of the earning of companies in the DOW are earned outside the US they return at a higher nominal value (simply 1 Euro now translates to 1.42 Dollars).

As we send more of our equity (dollars) to countries supplying us with goods and services these countries must have something to buy. Since we no longer make anything they buy stocks. Recently they bought mortgages and real estate but today they buy stocks and US Treasuries.

Finally, on an inflation adjusted basis stocks are just now at the levels of the 2000 crash. It is inappropriate to equate nominal gains in the stock market without adjusting for these levels. Should this be done most likely the stock market would be following the US economy in its downward spiral.

This same Republican Reaganomic’s mouthpiece stated that he could not understand why Americans did not feel great about the economy. After numerous years of losses in real income, Joe Worker finally had a 2.5% gain last year. He then indicated that with Core Inflation at 2% the average American gained 0.5%. He forgot to indicate that while the economy may look at long term inflation tendencies through Core (CPI) the family pays the real inflation immediately. Energy now costs twice that of just 24 months ago and food has risen over 50%. Most families are not able to survive just buying refrigerators, they must also buy food, have heat and put gasoline in their cars.

It is always valuable to tune out the rhetoric and look at the fruits when judging if something is good or bad. Economists will tell you that Free Trade is always good. The facts are that Free Trade requires enlightened self-interest. When enlightened is gone self-interest is only greed. When greed is the primary motivating factor for trade then the results are disastrous because goods are not produced with the best cost-quality relationship. They are produced where they can eliminate or move costs onto someone else.

The case is lead in toys. It is not necessary to test for lead in toys made in USA given our legislation lead paint is no longer produced. Our lead free paints cost more. China does not have this legislation therefore their paint costs less. The producer saves money. He cannot control the quality of workmanship because that would eliminate his cost advantage.

Simply said the Reaganomics, Free Trade, Open Borders HB1 VISA and Amnesty supporters are all talking the talk. They are trying to present a case without facts using talking points and buzzwords like protectionist, lazy American workers, populist, racist, etc. Tune them out and think about what is really going on around you. This is the only time that the politicians may listen to WE THE PEOPLE. Your voice must be heard.

Tags: Government Politics Recession Corporate America Finance Illegal Immigration Economy Reaganomics

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Elections 2008 - Another Non Event

The 2008 election season is about to begin. The American people are asking for change resulting in one of the largest field of candidates in decades. The problem is that they are simply variations of the same old, same old. Barak Obama, who was seen early as new blood. Sold out to corporate America and the amnesty groups. Oh well, money is thicker than blood…

The month of August and the first days of September have brought to light some of the downside of Cowboy Capitalism and Reaganomics. The financial markets have taken a “negative tone” as they were surprised that the economy sucks, that people are making less than before, and generally WE THE PEOPLE are concerned about our future. Well boys, wake up and smell the manure. Obviously different news stations are giving a different spin, according to which party they have decided to support, as are all the news anchors. Shouldn’t these “Professionals” be independent?

The market is still fine, sitting firmly above 13,000 and the “smartest guys in the room” are trying to blame the new congress, the old congress the President, the rhetoric from the front runner to be our future president. None are coming out and saying, “We were wrong. We need to change. We need to create a better future for our children and, perhaps, leave something for them.” I know that will never happen. To accept that one is wrong they first must have a functioning brain and then, what seems to be most lacking in those in public view, honesty.

This is best expressed by a common belief, “Our politicians will never make the hard decisions. They will never Fess up to their misdeeds and tell the American People that they have embezzled our nations wealth and sold our children into slavery. The only thing that matters is that things go along rather well and any crashes are someone else’s problems…”

Many are now saying that I am too pessimistic. Hillary will be different. It will be Bill all over again. Things will change. Ben Stein most appropriately expressed the reality of American politics.

When asked, “Will Hillary Clinton as President create a more populous government?”

Ben vehemently expressed, “C’mon, what an idiotic question. Hillary is so into corporate America for financing that she couldn’t change anything even if she had an inkling to do it. Which she does not.”

The elections of 2008 are another non event. Our politicians will become more corrupt. Our government will take more money in taxes and provide fewer services. The Dynasties are alive and well. The economy will continue to suffer. More Americans will lose their jobs while unemployment will remain stubbornly under 5%. Fewer people will have health insurance and more Americans will be working homeless. CEOs will continue to make $100 million salaries while their employees cannot afford to put food on their table.

Tags: Government Politics Recession Corporate America Finance Illegal Immigration Economy Reaganomics

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Time for a third political party – Return of the Blue Dog Democrats

Day after day our politicians operate with what they are calling leadership. At the risk of being censured by the ACLU for not being sensitive I will provide a translation. When someone in Washington calls for leadership they are saying that they intend to go against the will of the people. Another important translation is populous. When our elected officials use this word they are saying that the person guilty of populism is listening to the stupidity of the will of the people.

Our politicians no longer represent WE THE PEOPLE. They are all off on some agenda. Our political system makes it nearly impossible to get new blood into the system. The Democrats have to pander to the fanatic left and the Republicans have to pander to the religious fanatics. The people who make it through the “vetting” process represent these extremes, not WE THE PEOPLE. It is time for the government of the United States to represent the citizens of the United States. The masses of the United States are not financial executives or CEOs. They are not the religious fanatics who believe that it is ok to kill someone in order to stop abortion. The majority of Americans do not believe that religion should be eliminated nor do they believe that America should stop using energy to protect the environment. WE THE PEOPLE are moderates. This is evidenced by the ease with which the country switches from Republican to Democrat and vice-versa.

Americans believe in hard work. They believe education is important for all and that people should not die in the streets because they cannot afford healthcare insurance. Americans are tolerant. They will elect an openly gay politician and call for the resignation of a politician who says he is straight and goes looking for male company. Americans will spend their last penny to support a religious guru on television and call for his complete destruction when it becomes evident that he does not live the life he preaches. WE THE PEOPLE can accept personal lifestyles; WE THE PEOPE abhor hypocrisy.

At one time it was said that southern democrats were more conservative than the most conservative Republicans. Across the nation the working class Democrats were called BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS. They believed in Fiscal Responsibility, God and Country, Hard Work, Education for all, Assistance for those less fortunate and Personal Responsibility. The idea was that together we are stronger than we are singularly. Today I may be better off and I will help you with your hard times. Tomorrow the tide might change. The BLUE DOG DEMOCRATICS believe that government has a role to mitigate excesses. They believe that we must first secure our home front before we secure others. BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS believe in volunteer work and are wiling to make significant sacrifices for the good of their neighbors and their country.

These are the principles that influence the lives of most people I know. In these times of rampant political corruption and the destruction of America's working class perhaps it is time for a resurgence of the BLUE DOG DEMOCRATS made up of working folk, like you and me.

Tags: Government Politics China Corporate America Finance Illegal Immigration Economy Reaganomics

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The Sky is Falling, The Sky is Falling

I was stunned to see the promoters of Cowboy Capitalism screaming at the top of their lungs, “Bernanke, you do not know how bad it is out there. The financial system is going to crash! Drop the Fed Rate now!” I thought they were going to blow a gasket, perhaps with blood gushing from the juggler veins as they prodded the Federal Reserve Chairman to change Fed Policy to save the banking institutions. Yes the voices of Cowboy Capitalism, AKA let the free market take care of everything, promoting governmental intervention to save Financial America from its own short-sighted, greedy, unscrupulous behavior.

Why are they so concerned? The DOW is off less than 8 percent from all time highs. Before a Bear market could be in place the DOW would have to lose 2,000 points. The problem is that the financial institutions are overextended. They made bad decisions and are looking for a governmental bailout. Well so much for the CEOs being worth 100 million a year, any dummy like me could have told you that. Perhaps I will get a call from some big financial institution to run their “Keep us from doing stupid things” department.

Yes, the financial system is in trouble. Yes, some big boys are going to lose a great deal of money. Yes, those hundred million dollar CEOs were actually greedy and risk bankrupting the primary US financial institutions. No, the government should not intervene.

No one can accuse our government of sound economic policy. The implementation Reaganomic policies has been eating away at our national equity and making Americans poorer every day to the benefit of a few people in the upper echelons of society. I, and many others have been saying for years that the pendulum has swung too far and that our way of life, as we have known it, will change dramatically. Unbridled greed, self-interest without the enlightened adjective, have taken us to a breaking point.

Finance is one of our major industries. The other two driving portions of our economy are healthcare and housing. Woops! Housing is suffering from the same stupidity as the financial sector. I wonder if the 12% of the US economy that actually makes something will be able to pull us through?

It is time to pay the piper. Somehow, when I read about the pre 1929 crash I have to make sure we have not switched to 2004-2007. There are many similarities in the 1920s. Let’s hope the 2008-2018 are not the 1930s.

If the late 1920s was the age of the stockbroker, the early 1930s was a time for apple-sellers - traditionally, a job resorted to by those down on their luck.

The link between the crash and the Depression is not clear-cut; the economic cycle was arguably moving to recession with or without a crash. But 1929 eliminated the optimism of the 1920s.

Tags: Government Politics Corporate America Finance Economy Reaganomics

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Infrastructures, Economy Tanking and Food Poisoning

So many events, what to discuss this week? It seems, thinking about politics and politicians, only negative things come to mind. Some will say that Americans want someone to blame for everything bad that happens. I believe it is more that Americans are very lucky. Notwithstanding our superficial “what have you done for me today” mentality, the United States has not suffered too much. I am not sure if it is just the law of probability working in our favor or somehow we are more resilient than other nations. Any way you look at it, we are lucky.

Our infrastructures need several trillion dollars in repairs, not new construction, simply repairs. One third of our population is “Food Insecure”. Product recalls for dangerous and poisonous products occur at about 1 a week. Some come from China. Some are homegrown. All are the result of economic policy that favors short-term thinking and is the result of corruption. Someone is making a buck at the expense of our nation’s physical and economic health.

The most recent data suggests that Hillary Clinton will win the next election and that most Americans are not concerned about political dynasties. In other words, most Americans do not see a need for change. Change cannot occur if it is not desired. We cannot build a better future if we do not see anything to improve today. A baby boomer friend explained it to me this way. “I suffered, I paid the price. I have been there and got the T Shirt. My children and grandchildren can pay their dues.”

What can I respond to that? A government really is the face of the people.

Tags: Government Politics Corporate America Corruption

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Politicians practicing Populism – Tell me it is not so!

I have taken a short interruption in writing. My family and friends felt like I was too involved in the negativity surrounding an objective look at the US economy, government and culture. The recent Senate proposed immigration bill, the negative connotation given to populists politicians and the news of China’s investment in a private equity firm forced me to pull out the keyboard and jot down some thoughts.


Populism is a bad thing. Just think, politicians listening to their voting public instead of doing what corporations desire. I cannot understand how they could be so arrogant… That constitution thing, “who needs it?” How dare our founding fathers ever think that government should represent real people? Just think if the preamble of the constitution were written today:

“We the incorporated entities of the United States, in order to form a more perfect free market, establish justice without class action representation, insure a domestic slave labor force, provide for the common defense of our investments abroad, promote the general profits, and secure the blessings of liberty of monopolies to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

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Signs of the times

This week ex Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan said that a recession was a possibility in the immediate future. Obviously this did not sit well with the Administration, or should I say with the Administration’s corporate buddies. By the end of the week every public official and his uncle, including Alan Greenspan, indicated that a recession was absolutely not in the cards. This week the stock exchanges experienced the worse declines in four years as mortgage companies are starting to die like flies in a cold winter storm. Consumer confidence is also declining as job cuts continue and real unemployment, the one that actually counts people that want to work but cannot find a job, is at historically high levels.

The other night I was talking with some friends. During the discussion, an eternal optimist indicated ironically “we should all cut our wrists and give up.” I am also an optimist and I understand exactly her point but my entrepreneurial background has also taught me that it is imperative to see problems, analyze them and take them on with full force. Just plugging along will always result in failure. We should not despair but looking at the world through rose-colored glasses may result in serious consequences. Our government wants us to think that they have the solutions and that they know the best path for the future. WE THE PEOPLE are too stupid to take on these problems.

We cannot allow our politicians to play this game. They are the ones who have taken us down this path in the first place. It is their greed that has sold our great nation to corporate America. It is their shortsighted view of the world that has destroyed our capability to produce even the minimum of what we consume in favor of a “service economy.” It is this group of selfish individuals who have taken our public debt to 47% of GDP. They have spent our future and given our equity to corporate America. They cannot be trusted to do anything. WE THE PEOPLE must take back our government. We need not despair, but we do need to understand and discuss the grave problems we face, without the political rhetoric.

Most importantly we must hold our government and our politicians responsible for the lies they tell us. We must find a way to permanently end their political career when they blatantly lie to us. The fact is that our economy is failing, our currency will continue to slide because we no longer produce goods, the money we have paid into Social Security has been spent by politicians to give tax breaks to corporate America, and you have “no expectation of privacy” as corporate America is involved in every aspect of your life.

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Gary Kasprov – The Other Russia

Maria Bartiromo of CNBC just finished an interview with Gary Kasprov, the famous chess champion. Mr. Kasprov is fighting for his Russia leading the opposition to Mr. Putin. It is widely understood that Mr. Kasprov and his political party risk their lives on a daily basis. What I found most interesting were the things Mr. Kasprov’s group, the Other Russia, are fighting against.

Apparently, 1/3 of the Russian citizens are not participating in the economic growth of the Russian economy. Could that be compared with 1/3 of the US population living under the level of poverty?

Political Corruption is not the problem it is the way of doing business. Could that be like lobbyist, corporate collusion and multimillion dollar financing of political campaigns by corporate America?

There is a widening gap between the very rich and the poor in Russia.

Most Russians do not feel that the government is representing their wishes instead the government is making the politicians and “cronies” richer.

Mr. Putin is sounding off in this period because his term ends in 1 ½ years. At the end of this term he cannot legally be re-elected without risking seizure of his wealth outside of Russia so he is trying to create a dynasty that will keep him in power after the elections. My goodness that sounds like the Kennedy family, the Bush family and the Clinton family.

As I listened to the references of KGB Inc. running the businesses I thought of the financial institutions and the fact that 10 funds own the majority of all shares combined on the US stock market.

Mr. Kasprov, would you be interested in US politics?

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Border Patrol Agent Assaulted in Jail – Why are we so confused?

One of the Border Patrol Agents recently convicted for shooting an illegal immigrant smuggling drugs across the border from Mexico was savagely beaten in prison over the weekend. Most Americans are amazed that these agents were convicted of any wrongdoing. Most Americans believe that the agents should have been allowed to remain free while they appeal the ruling. Most Americans do not understand why there is not a retrial, since 4 jurors stated they were coerced by the jury foreman. Most Americans do not understand why the President will not Pardon the agents even though the President is pardoning drug smugglers and the likes. Most Americans do not understand why the congressional pardon is taking months to get voted on.

While I am saddened for the agents and embarrassed by the way our representatives are not representing us perhaps this is a good thing. You see, most Americans believe that the justice system’s primary directive is to find the truth. That anyone accused surely is guilty, with a few exceptions. Most Americans believe that our elected representatives actually are interested in serving the public. Finally, most Americans believe in the institutions, the flag and the country.

Perhaps this is the wake-up call for most Americans. The justice system is out to convict YOU, not to find the truth. Our elected representatives are only interested in filling THEIR own pockets at YOUR expense. The Public Servant is not serving the public. Finally, the institutions are rotten to the core, the flag has lost its meaning through corruption and collusion between government and business and country will lose its relevance in the world if we do not take our country back.

Do you believe what politicians say? Do you believe the government data that the cost of living has only increased 2.5% this year? Do you agree that the government needs to break its contractual agreements with those who have paid into social security all their life? Do you believe that it is your responsibility to protect the corporation’s interests around the world while your neighbors die because they cannot afford health insurance? Do you believe that there are children born into this nation who are more valuable than others?

America while you are going to church on Sunday, please think about what our country has come to represent and remember that a nation is the face of a people.

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Important Congressional Action – The President wants the power of Congress

One of the most important questions, regarding the future of this nation, is currently before Congress. The constitution assigns the responsibilities of international treaties to the congress. The idea is that any international treaty or agreement will have significant consequences for the country and must be discussed by the elected officials. If the congress does something stupid like favoring corporate interests over the citizens then the congressmen will lose their jobs at the next election. Thirty years ago our congress decided it was a good idea to give this power to the Executive branch. They indicated that this would allow the country to enter into agreements in a more efficient manner.

The truth behind this proposition is that since corporations forage the congress our elected officials feel obliged to do what the corporations want. However most of these agreements are bad for the nation and hurt Joe Citizen. The solution is to give the power to somebody else with the capacity to do things secretly and then ask for ratification of the process once everything is already in place and the damage has been done. If the people get upset the congress can say that it was the Executive branch that has gone wild. It is no coincidence that Joe Citizen has become poorer and poorer and corporations have taken more and more power over the same period of time.

Still not convinced that this is dangerous. The Bush Administration has created an agreement for a North American Alliance similar to the EU. This alliance will primarily allow US corporations to freely access Mexican labor. This is the reason the Administration is so concerned about securing our borders. In fact, securing our borders will break the agreements they have been secretly advancing since 2001. This is the reason that Mexican politicians felt they were correct in petitioning our government over the border security and illegal alien legislation recently passed. In fact they were simply basing their objections on the de facto treaty that the Administration has enacted.

We must act to stop this now. It will allow discussion of all international treaties currently discussed in secret. It will bring a little bit of transparency back to our international relations. It will also tell us which politicians are taking kick-backs from corporations. Any legislator who votes to give this power to the Executive branch is openly declaring that he is in Corporate America’s pocket. Write your congressman, send an email, and call them. This is more important than the Presidential elections. The only bill more important for the survival of our nation would be one prohibiting corporations from lobbying our politicians.

Tags: Politics Corporate America Corrupt Politicians Government Data War on the Middle Class Border Security Port Security Stop Pork Spending Illegal Immigration

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