Monday, March 30, 2009
Would you buy a car from this man?
Now I know that I’m getting old because a younger reader of this Blog just called me and asked, “Janis Joplin? Who’s she?”
The other reason I know I’m aging is that today one of America’s most revered corporations effectively changed its name. From today, GM stands for “Government Motors”. For today the White House runs the show. They fire, they hire. They make the decisions and it was all very predictable. Take a government hand-out and it owns you.
It has been a sad month for skilled business executives. You know, the ones that actually produce something while working 70 or 80 or 100 hours per week.
Earlier this month, 3 AIG executives resigned. Maybe it was just one too many ACORN bus tours past their house or maybe it was the threat of harm to their spouses and kids.
So, the Obama administration just fired Rick Wagoner and Obama is now in the car business. Or is he? Well, I think it’s much more likely that we’ll pour more and more billions into GM mainly because it’s a payback to the UAW. It’s also possible that the union will run the company for a while but this time they will finally run it into the ground. And then it will go into Chapter 11.
I am convinced that if that had been the elected course months ago, we would have saved an awful lot of my money and we would have been closer to a resolution by now.
Then, there is Chrysler who has been told to be acquired by Fiat or go away. Imagine what leverage that gives Fiat?
No wonder that Obama went to “Community Organizing College” where it doesn’t matter what you know. What matters is what they think you know!
But, ever the optimist, I try to find the pony hidden behind the manure. Perhaps this way, we’ll get our border fence at last.
Looking inwards to stop the talent from leaving.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Welcome to Europe. Now go Home!!
I think it’s possible that Obama is going to get his head handed to him as he heads to London for the next G20 meeting. Now it may be too late but let’s hope instead that he comes back with a brain. I’m pretty sure he has one right now but it seems to be full of stuff he learned from Bill Ayers, Jeremiah Wright and on and on. Then it got topped up with ideologies from his liberal schools and then it got spiced up with Chicago-style thug politics.
On his last trip to Europe, he was hailed with almost as much Messianic fervor as he was here on the last night of the Denver convention. Times change though, but not nearly as fast as public opinion.
George Washington was our first President and after him came 42 others. They did their bit to rack up debt but the 44th will indeed go down in history. Six years from now Obama’s policies will have created a debt bigger than all the other spendthrifts combined. And he shows no signs of stopping!
Within Europe alone, this current fiscal crisis has brought down at least three cabinets namely Iceland, Latvia and Hungary. The last Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mirak Topolanek has described Obama’s plan as “The Road to Hell”. Angela Merkel of Germany has warned that throwing too much money into reviving global economic recovery would make that recovery unsustainable. She said further that,” The crisis did not come about because we issued too little money but because we created economic growth with too much money …..”
Then add Daniel Hannan’s now famous 3 minutes in the European Parliament when he warned that. “You cannot spend your way out of recession nor can you borrow your way out of debt.”
But Obama and his friends on the Hill still don’t seem to get it.
For some reason, a parody of a Janis Joplin song keeps playing in my head.
“Obama won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.”
On his last trip to Europe, he was hailed with almost as much Messianic fervor as he was here on the last night of the Denver convention. Times change though, but not nearly as fast as public opinion.
George Washington was our first President and after him came 42 others. They did their bit to rack up debt but the 44th will indeed go down in history. Six years from now Obama’s policies will have created a debt bigger than all the other spendthrifts combined. And he shows no signs of stopping!
Within Europe alone, this current fiscal crisis has brought down at least three cabinets namely Iceland, Latvia and Hungary. The last Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Mirak Topolanek has described Obama’s plan as “The Road to Hell”. Angela Merkel of Germany has warned that throwing too much money into reviving global economic recovery would make that recovery unsustainable. She said further that,” The crisis did not come about because we issued too little money but because we created economic growth with too much money …..”
Then add Daniel Hannan’s now famous 3 minutes in the European Parliament when he warned that. “You cannot spend your way out of recession nor can you borrow your way out of debt.”
But Obama and his friends on the Hill still don’t seem to get it.
For some reason, a parody of a Janis Joplin song keeps playing in my head.
“Obama won’t you buy me a Mercedes Benz.”
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Aim, Fire, Oops!
I went to a Birthday dinner last night at the “Roaring Fork” in Scottsdale and the restaurant was packed; so much for the recession here. Anyway the honoree was about to go on a trip out of town and mentioned that packing was not a favorite thing to do mainly because something always seemed to be forgotten. And I mentioned that my answer was, and has been for ever, to make lists.
As a result, my writing desk here is stuffed with lists of topics, ideas, thoughts or sometimes just junk. The latter I try to throw away but I’m pretty sure that my liberal readers feel differently. Sometimes I can find a common theme from different notes from different lists and scratch a whole bunch off my “to write” list in one go and, when I can, that feels good. However, sometimes there is one that won’t go away and so it deserves a post on its own. And, I guess, now its time has come.
Back in 1995 I was heavily involved with the Dole campaign to try to head off Clinton’s second term. Three memories of that time are still so vivid. The first is that Dole who was so vibrant, so articulate, so engaging when you were up close and personal but on TV he turned into a log. My second memory was that, I articulated that concern and some “suit” suggested I join another party.
Third though was at a debate I attended, at which the question of gun control came up. Well, this was California where “bleeding heart” liberalism tends to prevail. So, NRA does not mean the National Rifle Association or, it’s not the first thing that comes to mind. More likely it’ll be the National Recreational Area around the Golden Gate Bridge. Anyway, in a brief lull in the heated discussion, an older man in the front row stood, raised his hand and was recognized by the Chair.
As he pulled back his jacket and shirt sleeve he said very quietly, “Please do not let them take your guns. We did.” Then he turned his bared wrist around and revealed his tattooed number from the camps.
Yesterday I received an email from an airline employee; one whose job it is to fly and not just someone who works on the ramp. It concerned her and it should concern you too.
In defiance of the rights endowed by the Second Amendment, in defiance of the legislation awarded by the previous administration after 911 and in defiance of common sense, Obama is quietly seeking to remove the rights of qualified flight deck officers to be armed.
Chip away, chip away at those rights Mr. Barack Hussein Obama and, while you do so, you'd be well advised to contemplate whatever manifestation of G-d you hold dear and pray that your blind ideology will not come back to haunt your conscience forever.
As a result, my writing desk here is stuffed with lists of topics, ideas, thoughts or sometimes just junk. The latter I try to throw away but I’m pretty sure that my liberal readers feel differently. Sometimes I can find a common theme from different notes from different lists and scratch a whole bunch off my “to write” list in one go and, when I can, that feels good. However, sometimes there is one that won’t go away and so it deserves a post on its own. And, I guess, now its time has come.
Back in 1995 I was heavily involved with the Dole campaign to try to head off Clinton’s second term. Three memories of that time are still so vivid. The first is that Dole who was so vibrant, so articulate, so engaging when you were up close and personal but on TV he turned into a log. My second memory was that, I articulated that concern and some “suit” suggested I join another party.
Third though was at a debate I attended, at which the question of gun control came up. Well, this was California where “bleeding heart” liberalism tends to prevail. So, NRA does not mean the National Rifle Association or, it’s not the first thing that comes to mind. More likely it’ll be the National Recreational Area around the Golden Gate Bridge. Anyway, in a brief lull in the heated discussion, an older man in the front row stood, raised his hand and was recognized by the Chair.
As he pulled back his jacket and shirt sleeve he said very quietly, “Please do not let them take your guns. We did.” Then he turned his bared wrist around and revealed his tattooed number from the camps.
Yesterday I received an email from an airline employee; one whose job it is to fly and not just someone who works on the ramp. It concerned her and it should concern you too.
In defiance of the rights endowed by the Second Amendment, in defiance of the legislation awarded by the previous administration after 911 and in defiance of common sense, Obama is quietly seeking to remove the rights of qualified flight deck officers to be armed.
Chip away, chip away at those rights Mr. Barack Hussein Obama and, while you do so, you'd be well advised to contemplate whatever manifestation of G-d you hold dear and pray that your blind ideology will not come back to haunt your conscience forever.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Quod Erat Demonstrandum!
Insomnia isn’t all bad and it is truly amazing how clear things become at 2 o’clock in the morning after the routine trip to the bathroom. Last night was no exception and I started thinking more about yesterday’s post, the one entitled “Sig Heil”.
And my thoughts were on the bigger picture rather than just the subject of the post itself but more the continuing double standard of reporting of, and attitudes toward, the Obama and Bush administrations. Now, before some liberal jumps all over my case and points out that Obama has only been around for 2 months, let me head off that “red herring”, (the pun was accidental but very appropriate) by pointing out that the media’s “love fest” with Obama started a long time before that; years in fact.
Much hysteria, both textual and vocal, has been leveled at the AIG executives and their bonuses. But, I have seen little or no mention about the bonuses paid to the executives and consultants of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Both organizations received billions of dollars of public money and, while there are efforts afoot to cancel the bonus payouts for this year, virtually nothing has been said about the 2008 bonanza. And, it isn’t known generally or, if it is, it’s not reported but more than $400,000 was paid to one Rahm Emanuel who just happens to be Obama’s chief of staff and moreover 2 former executives of these agencies were on Obama’s transition team.
Then the pretended outrage continues about the fact that some people want Obama to fail and that criticizing the man is somehow unpatriotic. Well that posture started with the last administration on day 1 predating by years the start of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan and James Carville is on record as saying just that the day before September 11, 2001.
And, who can forget Hillary’s screeching assertion that dissent and criticism was the duty of any loyal opposition.
Also, let us remember that President Bush’s father’s chance for a second term was almost certainly lost when he mouthed the oft reported phrase of, “No New Taxes” and then did the opposite. Contrast that treatment with one of Obama’s decisions earlier this week that the much vaunted tax cut for 95% of taxpayers and amounting to $13 per week will disappear after just 1 year. Was that ever mentioned on the campaign trail?
But, we can all see if we want to look that whatever Obama said on the campaign trail doesn’t mean much now even down to the level of trivia and presumably promises to his kids. Go back to the Leno appearance as he revealed that the idea of getting a dog was merely, “a promise for the campaign”.
I could go on and on but this is a Blog post and not a thesis but I would be remiss if I didn’t add an update to the Caterpillar story. Do you remember this one? Job losses in Indiana, Illinois and Georgia led Obama to tell the nation that he had been assured by Caterpillar that, if his stimulus package passed, the company would hire back some. The very next day the Caterpillar CEO refuted this claim and added that more layoffs were inevitable. Earlier this week, Caterpillar laid off another 2400 people.
Here’s the irony though. Obama’s initial statement got massive positive media coverage. The subsequent events were awarded no coverage at all.
As you were probably taught in geometry, QED !!
And my thoughts were on the bigger picture rather than just the subject of the post itself but more the continuing double standard of reporting of, and attitudes toward, the Obama and Bush administrations. Now, before some liberal jumps all over my case and points out that Obama has only been around for 2 months, let me head off that “red herring”, (the pun was accidental but very appropriate) by pointing out that the media’s “love fest” with Obama started a long time before that; years in fact.
Much hysteria, both textual and vocal, has been leveled at the AIG executives and their bonuses. But, I have seen little or no mention about the bonuses paid to the executives and consultants of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Both organizations received billions of dollars of public money and, while there are efforts afoot to cancel the bonus payouts for this year, virtually nothing has been said about the 2008 bonanza. And, it isn’t known generally or, if it is, it’s not reported but more than $400,000 was paid to one Rahm Emanuel who just happens to be Obama’s chief of staff and moreover 2 former executives of these agencies were on Obama’s transition team.
Then the pretended outrage continues about the fact that some people want Obama to fail and that criticizing the man is somehow unpatriotic. Well that posture started with the last administration on day 1 predating by years the start of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan and James Carville is on record as saying just that the day before September 11, 2001.
And, who can forget Hillary’s screeching assertion that dissent and criticism was the duty of any loyal opposition.
Also, let us remember that President Bush’s father’s chance for a second term was almost certainly lost when he mouthed the oft reported phrase of, “No New Taxes” and then did the opposite. Contrast that treatment with one of Obama’s decisions earlier this week that the much vaunted tax cut for 95% of taxpayers and amounting to $13 per week will disappear after just 1 year. Was that ever mentioned on the campaign trail?
But, we can all see if we want to look that whatever Obama said on the campaign trail doesn’t mean much now even down to the level of trivia and presumably promises to his kids. Go back to the Leno appearance as he revealed that the idea of getting a dog was merely, “a promise for the campaign”.
I could go on and on but this is a Blog post and not a thesis but I would be remiss if I didn’t add an update to the Caterpillar story. Do you remember this one? Job losses in Indiana, Illinois and Georgia led Obama to tell the nation that he had been assured by Caterpillar that, if his stimulus package passed, the company would hire back some. The very next day the Caterpillar CEO refuted this claim and added that more layoffs were inevitable. Earlier this week, Caterpillar laid off another 2400 people.
Here’s the irony though. Obama’s initial statement got massive positive media coverage. The subsequent events were awarded no coverage at all.
As you were probably taught in geometry, QED !!
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Sieg Heil!
Less than a year ago, I was sitting by a very pretty lake on a beautiful summer evening. I had a Scotch and water in one hand and a canapé in the other. It was the prelude to a delightful dinner with friends. At some time during that cocktail hour I was described as, “just about the most patriotic person’, the speaker had ever met.
But now, I’ve just had an up-close-and -personal look at, and a lesson in, the cult of personality.
It seems that, if you criticize Obama, then you are not patriotic anymore. In fact, I was told that I should “go back to Great Britain”.
Let me state this loud and clear. Obama is not America!!
I will do all I can to ensure that four years from now he will be history. It remains to be seen though just how much of the America I love will still remain when he’s gone. However, it remains my duty and my responsibility to rebuild whatever can be rebuilt and to paint over as much as I can of Obama’s graffiti.
In other words, I’m not going anywhere! And more and more are, and will be, joining our ranks.
We’re not going down without a fight. And when Obama is gone, we loyal Americans will still be here with our dreams still alive, with our vision still intact and with our will stronger than ever.
But now, I’ve just had an up-close-and -personal look at, and a lesson in, the cult of personality.
It seems that, if you criticize Obama, then you are not patriotic anymore. In fact, I was told that I should “go back to Great Britain”.
Let me state this loud and clear. Obama is not America!!
I will do all I can to ensure that four years from now he will be history. It remains to be seen though just how much of the America I love will still remain when he’s gone. However, it remains my duty and my responsibility to rebuild whatever can be rebuilt and to paint over as much as I can of Obama’s graffiti.
In other words, I’m not going anywhere! And more and more are, and will be, joining our ranks.
We’re not going down without a fight. And when Obama is gone, we loyal Americans will still be here with our dreams still alive, with our vision still intact and with our will stronger than ever.
Chains maybe, but no whips please!
I didn’t think I was a masochistic type but I must have been when I elected to watch Obama last night.
And now I know I’m not because he tortured me and I didn’t like it. But it did do one thing. I sat here with my notepad and collected ammo. I’ll serve some of that up later perhaps but a couple of things leap out.
Just about the only time Obama really came to life was with the glee with which he announced that he was proposing to reduce the deductibility of charitable donations. Now that’s notable for three reasons.
First, when the Obamas revealed their tax returns in the run-up to the last “selection” it was clear that they don’t really believe in this stuff. In 2004, they gave less than 1% to charity which just happens to be perfectly in line with a recent survey. This survey found that the more conservative gave, on average, almost seven times that of the most liberal and, by the way, there is no correlation between the percentage donated and the income of the donor.
Secondly, and via clear derivation, the liberal answer is that the “Government should provide”. Now that would be fine except the “Government” will always seek to control. And maybe that would be fine too if that control was both effective and efficient. Checked out the Post Office lately?
Which, is as smooth a segue as I can manage in order to talk about FedEx.
That company does the job the Post Office is supposed to do and is, at the same time, both effective and efficient. Now we hear that even one of the most successful companies is going to be initiating incalculable job losses. Why; they’re successful?
For years now some unions, most notably the Teamsters, have been seeking to unionize that company. Both the management and the employees have to date resisted this move. Now though, this resistance is threatened by the implementation of the so-called “Card Check” legislation. For those who are not familiar with this abomination (no I spelled it right), let me paraphrase it as the unions’ attempt to force a non-secret ballot in any company they target. With the “goons’ watching as they tap the pickaxe handles against their other hand.
FedEx can see the handwriting and know if it happens, and their employees are forced to unionize, that there costs will increase. So, FedEx had orders in with Boeing to buy 30 cargo jets to carry their packages worldwide. These orders have now been cancelled or put on hold.
Just how many jobs does that threaten?
Perhaps, they can go and work for the Post Office and stuff more junk mail through my door.
Just what I really need.
Monday, March 23, 2009
Kristallnacht?
When Obama isn’t making “jokes” about the Special Olympics or practicing his bowling or selecting his picks for the NCAA playoffs or insulting our allies or kissing up to our enemies, he seems to spend the rest of his valuable time whipping up the mob about AIG.
Fortunately for him, most of the media are still in post-orgasmic bliss about his election and inauguration and therefore don’t ask tough questions or, for the most part, any questions at all. Except, they do seem to be fascinated by Mrs. Obama’s vegetable garden and positively giddy about the proposed White House beehive.
But, unfortunately for her husband, not all the rest of the American public are quite so enthralled about fennel and squash and the prospect of White House honey. Which goes some way to explain why today’s Daily Tracking Poll conducted by Rasmussen shows a positive margin of just 4%. The actual numbers are even starker. 35% only “Strongly Approve” of his job performance while 31% “Strongly Disapprove”. This approval rating is lower than was President Bush’s showing at this stage of his presidency and he didn’t have the mainstream media rooting for him; in fact, quite the opposite.
What is interesting to me though about the continuing saga of AIG is the very selective criticism being leveled. For a start, we know that the wording inserted into the legislation was done by Senator Dodd of Connecticut which just happens to be where AIG is based. Initially, of course, he denied it and then he said that TurboTax Tim instructed him to do it. It’s very hard for me to believe that Geithner would take such a step without the approval and/or knowledge of his boss. But, let’s take Obama at his word no matter how difficult a task that may be, the wording was in the legislation and no one denies it. And he, Obama, signed off on it.
Another interesting twist on all this is that Richard Holbrooke received a bonus from AIG to the tune of $850,000 and this has received no play whatsoever. Could the reason be that Holbrooke is a member of this Obama administration?
Also, completely overlooked by the media and the mob being whipped up by it is that the money allocated to AIG is not a gift, it’s a loan. The company is on the hook for it!
Finally, I was appalled by the news this weekend that there have been organized bus tours of the homes of AIG executives. Plainly the goal was intimidation and what’s even more appalling was that the organizer was ACORN which, you probably recall, was one of the bodies represented by Obama in recent years. Now, I’m not calling them “Brownshirts” just yet but it's a little spooky.
Fortunately for him, most of the media are still in post-orgasmic bliss about his election and inauguration and therefore don’t ask tough questions or, for the most part, any questions at all. Except, they do seem to be fascinated by Mrs. Obama’s vegetable garden and positively giddy about the proposed White House beehive.
But, unfortunately for her husband, not all the rest of the American public are quite so enthralled about fennel and squash and the prospect of White House honey. Which goes some way to explain why today’s Daily Tracking Poll conducted by Rasmussen shows a positive margin of just 4%. The actual numbers are even starker. 35% only “Strongly Approve” of his job performance while 31% “Strongly Disapprove”. This approval rating is lower than was President Bush’s showing at this stage of his presidency and he didn’t have the mainstream media rooting for him; in fact, quite the opposite.
What is interesting to me though about the continuing saga of AIG is the very selective criticism being leveled. For a start, we know that the wording inserted into the legislation was done by Senator Dodd of Connecticut which just happens to be where AIG is based. Initially, of course, he denied it and then he said that TurboTax Tim instructed him to do it. It’s very hard for me to believe that Geithner would take such a step without the approval and/or knowledge of his boss. But, let’s take Obama at his word no matter how difficult a task that may be, the wording was in the legislation and no one denies it. And he, Obama, signed off on it.
Another interesting twist on all this is that Richard Holbrooke received a bonus from AIG to the tune of $850,000 and this has received no play whatsoever. Could the reason be that Holbrooke is a member of this Obama administration?
Also, completely overlooked by the media and the mob being whipped up by it is that the money allocated to AIG is not a gift, it’s a loan. The company is on the hook for it!
Finally, I was appalled by the news this weekend that there have been organized bus tours of the homes of AIG executives. Plainly the goal was intimidation and what’s even more appalling was that the organizer was ACORN which, you probably recall, was one of the bodies represented by Obama in recent years. Now, I’m not calling them “Brownshirts” just yet but it's a little spooky.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
"Brownie, you're doing a helluva job!"
I used to have lots of friends who voted for Obama. And they’re all still friends perhaps to a lesser extent but their Obama status is changing undeniably. Not all, because some of ‘em are so hooked its spooky. If it happened to be a Jim Jones or a David Koresh who was heading up the cult, the “folks who live on the Hill” would be screaming for an enquiry. But it’s not, it’s their fearless leader; B.H.Obama.
Well, we know how he’s doing domestically. How long has it been since he’s been trying to form a cabinet? How many nominations have been denied or thrown under the bus and how many heavy-duty financial types want to no part of Geithner’s screwed-up “miracles cures” and they certainly want no part of Obama’s view of the future?
Now, I’m not a betting man, but just how long do you think it will be before "Turbo Tax Tim" follows his predecessors under the wheels? A week, a month or what? Remember, he was the only person who understood this stuff and the only one who could save us. And yet Obama is still out there defending the man that many previous supporters in the financial community now recognize as a disaster. Do you remember what happened to President Bush when he made the mistake of defending the then director of FEMA after Katrina?
Domestically therefore, we are still thrashing around in the reeds so Obama decides to move on to bigger and better things. Where else to turn? If it’s screwed up at home perhaps it’s time to look outside these shores because, after all, he loves adulation and big crowds and stage-managed events. Do you recall Berlin? Maybe Nuremberg would have been better than Berlin. After all, they've done that kind of thing before.
During the run-up to the last election we heard a lot about change and hope and new directions. But, where can Obama go? He’s already pissed off two of our oldest allies, the UK and Ireland so clearly it’s time to drag out the old playbook and look elsewhere, but where?
How, about Afghanistan or Iran or North Korea? So off trots our fearless leader waving olive branches. The first effort was to the “moderate” members of the Taliban. They’re the ones who’ve only decapitated a couple of people or the ones who’ve only half-decapitated four people or the ones who’ve only stoned a woman half to death. The answer from the “moderate” Taliban was No !!!!!!!!!!!
OK, so let’s move on to Iran. The problem with that was that moderation does not exist in the ruling classes of that country. And an appearance on “You Tube” by the anointed one is not going to change that. So they said no as well.
Never mind; let’s move onto North Korea. After all Clinton and Madeline Albright did quite well there; well not quite because Kim Jong Il has no interest in olive branches. He wants “stuff” like oil, (and not olive oil either) and better yet money. So his response was to slap a freeze over the airspace over his benighted land for the next couple of weeks. In the past, this has often meant an upcoming missile test. Kim Jong Il doesn’t care about science, nor communications satellites nor space exploration; his mantra is just “show me the money just as the last lot did or was it the lot before that or both”?
And. since it’s my money we’re talking about, I guess I have a say. Obama is dumb enough or naïve enough or both to fall for it!
Well, we know how he’s doing domestically. How long has it been since he’s been trying to form a cabinet? How many nominations have been denied or thrown under the bus and how many heavy-duty financial types want to no part of Geithner’s screwed-up “miracles cures” and they certainly want no part of Obama’s view of the future?
Now, I’m not a betting man, but just how long do you think it will be before "Turbo Tax Tim" follows his predecessors under the wheels? A week, a month or what? Remember, he was the only person who understood this stuff and the only one who could save us. And yet Obama is still out there defending the man that many previous supporters in the financial community now recognize as a disaster. Do you remember what happened to President Bush when he made the mistake of defending the then director of FEMA after Katrina?
Domestically therefore, we are still thrashing around in the reeds so Obama decides to move on to bigger and better things. Where else to turn? If it’s screwed up at home perhaps it’s time to look outside these shores because, after all, he loves adulation and big crowds and stage-managed events. Do you recall Berlin? Maybe Nuremberg would have been better than Berlin. After all, they've done that kind of thing before.
During the run-up to the last election we heard a lot about change and hope and new directions. But, where can Obama go? He’s already pissed off two of our oldest allies, the UK and Ireland so clearly it’s time to drag out the old playbook and look elsewhere, but where?
How, about Afghanistan or Iran or North Korea? So off trots our fearless leader waving olive branches. The first effort was to the “moderate” members of the Taliban. They’re the ones who’ve only decapitated a couple of people or the ones who’ve only half-decapitated four people or the ones who’ve only stoned a woman half to death. The answer from the “moderate” Taliban was No !!!!!!!!!!!
OK, so let’s move on to Iran. The problem with that was that moderation does not exist in the ruling classes of that country. And an appearance on “You Tube” by the anointed one is not going to change that. So they said no as well.
Never mind; let’s move onto North Korea. After all Clinton and Madeline Albright did quite well there; well not quite because Kim Jong Il has no interest in olive branches. He wants “stuff” like oil, (and not olive oil either) and better yet money. So his response was to slap a freeze over the airspace over his benighted land for the next couple of weeks. In the past, this has often meant an upcoming missile test. Kim Jong Il doesn’t care about science, nor communications satellites nor space exploration; his mantra is just “show me the money just as the last lot did or was it the lot before that or both”?
And. since it’s my money we’re talking about, I guess I have a say. Obama is dumb enough or naïve enough or both to fall for it!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Literacy, Stupidity or Lying?
Clearly, in this country, two problems prevail. One is stupidity and the other is illiteracy.
If we, as a nation, were not quite so stupid then the GOP just might have chosen a more viable candidate to take on Obama last November. Then, we compounded the felony by electing what must be the most stupid Congress in our history. Which leads me to illiteracy and I’m not talking about the deplorable state of many of our public school systems.
No, the illiteracy that concerns me more is the illiteracy of that same Congress and also, it seems the current occupant of the Oval Office.
For all kinds of reasons, I’ve really tried to stay away from the AIG feeding frenzy but now I feel that I would be remiss if I didn’t point out a few things as I see them.
It’s pretty obvious that a section of the American people fueled by much of the media as well as Congressional and Presidential blowhards have decided to yank the pitchforks and the billhooks out from the tool shed, light the torches, stream up to the castle, drag out the recalcitrants and impale them on pikes. And leading the charge is Obama and the Democrats in the House and Senate. So what did AIG actually do?
Well for a start they acted in accordance with laws both Federal and State. How heinous? But, before we get too deep into this, let’s acknowledge a couple of things. First of all we must separate what is ethical, what is legal, what is constitutional and what is smart? And sometimes some of these overlap but most of the time they really don’t and moreover, it really depends on where you happen to be coming from.
Let’s take the easier ones first. The head of any corporation has one primary responsibility which outvotes all the rest and that is to protect the investment of and maximize the return to the people who put up their money in the first place which clearly Mr. Liddy strove to do. Liddy was appointed Sept. 16, 2008 after the main damage to AIG had been done.
He came at the request of former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. in the same emergency deal that gave the insurance giant its first $85 billion loan from the Federal Reserve. The government's goal was to save AIG from bankruptcy and spare the world economy from the consequences of the firm's failure. Liddy told Congress this week that he "came out of retirement to help my country." And his paycheck was and is $1 per year. So he’s hardly in it for the big bucks. As we said a moment or two ago, the damage to AIG had already been done so Liddy simply followed through on his mandate to salve what he could and perhaps rebuild the company.
Only some liberal economics professor in some liberal-dominated academic environment who has never held a real job in his or her life could claim that rebuilding a company is best done using losers. So part of Liddy’s strategy was to keep the winners and to keep them happy.
I know that some readers of this Blog are very close to the legal profession so I hope they will allow me to point out that, if you want to save money, it’s a good idea to stay away from litigation whenever possible. So here’s Liddy, making $1 per year and on the one hand his company is contractually obligated to pay bonuses in proportion to the terms of the contract and in proportion to the success of his winners. Another factor applies here too. AIG is based in Connecticut which has a statute commonly called the “Wage Law”. In essence this provides that any employee who can demonstrate that he or she has not been paid according to their contract is entitled to 200% of the shortfall.
So Liddy paid up as well he should especially when he knew that specifically written into law by Congress and ratified by Obama was wording that directed him so to do.
Now enter stage left comes the Democrats and Obama who now, after a lot of huffing and puffing, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, seek to introduce legislation to single out these bonuses for penal taxation. Have these people never read the Constitution they are sworn to defend? The third paragraph of Section 9 specifically states that, “No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed”. Missing completely from that is any mention of any exception for a Barney Frank “hissy fit” or Obama's self-righteous humbug.
Remember now, Obama was the man who claimed that he would go through personally, “line by line” every piece of legislation before he signed it. So, is it that he can’t read? Is it that he’s too stupid to understand what he’s reading or is he simply not telling the truth?
Anyway, so far we’ve established that what AIG did was legal and specifically ordered by the federal government. It was constitutional and it is clear that any attempt to undo it would not be.
But was it ethical? Absolutely, because it preserved the contractual integrity between employer and employee.
Was it smart? In the short term atmosphere of pompous outrage, your guess is as good as mine. In the longer term? Yes I think so because we are a society of law not Barney Frank's hissy fits.
And when that changes I’ll be the first to grab my pitchfork.
If we, as a nation, were not quite so stupid then the GOP just might have chosen a more viable candidate to take on Obama last November. Then, we compounded the felony by electing what must be the most stupid Congress in our history. Which leads me to illiteracy and I’m not talking about the deplorable state of many of our public school systems.
No, the illiteracy that concerns me more is the illiteracy of that same Congress and also, it seems the current occupant of the Oval Office.
For all kinds of reasons, I’ve really tried to stay away from the AIG feeding frenzy but now I feel that I would be remiss if I didn’t point out a few things as I see them.
It’s pretty obvious that a section of the American people fueled by much of the media as well as Congressional and Presidential blowhards have decided to yank the pitchforks and the billhooks out from the tool shed, light the torches, stream up to the castle, drag out the recalcitrants and impale them on pikes. And leading the charge is Obama and the Democrats in the House and Senate. So what did AIG actually do?
Well for a start they acted in accordance with laws both Federal and State. How heinous? But, before we get too deep into this, let’s acknowledge a couple of things. First of all we must separate what is ethical, what is legal, what is constitutional and what is smart? And sometimes some of these overlap but most of the time they really don’t and moreover, it really depends on where you happen to be coming from.
Let’s take the easier ones first. The head of any corporation has one primary responsibility which outvotes all the rest and that is to protect the investment of and maximize the return to the people who put up their money in the first place which clearly Mr. Liddy strove to do. Liddy was appointed Sept. 16, 2008 after the main damage to AIG had been done.
He came at the request of former Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. in the same emergency deal that gave the insurance giant its first $85 billion loan from the Federal Reserve. The government's goal was to save AIG from bankruptcy and spare the world economy from the consequences of the firm's failure. Liddy told Congress this week that he "came out of retirement to help my country." And his paycheck was and is $1 per year. So he’s hardly in it for the big bucks. As we said a moment or two ago, the damage to AIG had already been done so Liddy simply followed through on his mandate to salve what he could and perhaps rebuild the company.
Only some liberal economics professor in some liberal-dominated academic environment who has never held a real job in his or her life could claim that rebuilding a company is best done using losers. So part of Liddy’s strategy was to keep the winners and to keep them happy.
I know that some readers of this Blog are very close to the legal profession so I hope they will allow me to point out that, if you want to save money, it’s a good idea to stay away from litigation whenever possible. So here’s Liddy, making $1 per year and on the one hand his company is contractually obligated to pay bonuses in proportion to the terms of the contract and in proportion to the success of his winners. Another factor applies here too. AIG is based in Connecticut which has a statute commonly called the “Wage Law”. In essence this provides that any employee who can demonstrate that he or she has not been paid according to their contract is entitled to 200% of the shortfall.
So Liddy paid up as well he should especially when he knew that specifically written into law by Congress and ratified by Obama was wording that directed him so to do.
Now enter stage left comes the Democrats and Obama who now, after a lot of huffing and puffing, weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, seek to introduce legislation to single out these bonuses for penal taxation. Have these people never read the Constitution they are sworn to defend? The third paragraph of Section 9 specifically states that, “No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed”. Missing completely from that is any mention of any exception for a Barney Frank “hissy fit” or Obama's self-righteous humbug.
Remember now, Obama was the man who claimed that he would go through personally, “line by line” every piece of legislation before he signed it. So, is it that he can’t read? Is it that he’s too stupid to understand what he’s reading or is he simply not telling the truth?
Anyway, so far we’ve established that what AIG did was legal and specifically ordered by the federal government. It was constitutional and it is clear that any attempt to undo it would not be.
But was it ethical? Absolutely, because it preserved the contractual integrity between employer and employee.
Was it smart? In the short term atmosphere of pompous outrage, your guess is as good as mine. In the longer term? Yes I think so because we are a society of law not Barney Frank's hissy fits.
And when that changes I’ll be the first to grab my pitchfork.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
My Fairness Doctrine!
Several people have asked me if they can post to this Blog. The answer is a resounding "Yes" but I have to add you. So just send me an email and I'll do just that. My email address is:
jack-morris@qwest.net
Note though, the hosting site does reserve the right to disallow obscenities etc. but, with that said, I, as the owner, will not edit your posts but they do need to be "on point" and I do reserve the right to comment on them.
I previously had reported that I'd asked an "Obamaniac" to submit an answer to the question, "Is this what you voted for and why?" But, the response needed to be timely and my thus-imposed deadline passed without a response from the person in question. So perhaps this latest attempt to present diverse opinion will succeed where the previous one failed.
jack-morris@qwest.net
Note though, the hosting site does reserve the right to disallow obscenities etc. but, with that said, I, as the owner, will not edit your posts but they do need to be "on point" and I do reserve the right to comment on them.
I previously had reported that I'd asked an "Obamaniac" to submit an answer to the question, "Is this what you voted for and why?" But, the response needed to be timely and my thus-imposed deadline passed without a response from the person in question. So perhaps this latest attempt to present diverse opinion will succeed where the previous one failed.
Stupid is as Stupid Does!
I really shouldn’t take more than two days off from this labor of love because, when I do, there’s so much stuff that I want to talk about that, if I did it in chronological order, I’d be posting stale comment. Just like the drive-by media. So I decided to leapfrog a couple of days because my thoughts now are too precious to go into my mental refrigerator and simply won’t keep. And, of course, I can always go back to the stale stuff later if it still has legs.
I’m not sure how much traction this incident has gained in American newspapers or cable news but I do know that it caused a furor in the UK and Ireland. Plainly, as far as those foreign news outlets are concerned their “honeymoon” with Obama is over both as a reaction to it and the recent snub to Gordon Brown.
Here’s the story of “Telepromptergate”.
Tuesday was St Patrick’s Day and Obama decided to host an evening soiree at which the Guest of Honor was the “Taoiseach”, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen. To Obama though, just like no crisis should go to waste, no event is complete without a little politicking and in Obama’s case there can be no politicking without his security blanket, the ubiquitous teleprompter.
Well, Obama opened up the proceedings by delivering his speech as dictated by the omnipresent device and then it was the turn of the Taoiseach. Now, it was St Paddy’s Day, and it is not unknown for adult beverages to be an integral part of that joyous ritual and it could be that the teleprompter operator had got into the spirit both actually as well as figuratively. Anyway, when the honored guest began to speak, the operator was asleep at the switch and so Mr. Cowen began to deliver Obama’s immortal prose over again. It took a while for the speaker to realize this oversight but eventually he turned to Obama and said, “This is your speech”.
Then the Leader of the Western World, ever eager to help, ran back to the podium to make amends but by this time the teleprompter operator had regained his composure and had switched the text to that intended for Mr. Cowen. Old habits die hard though and so Obama just couldn’t help himself and began to read. He did eventually realize his error but not until after he had found that he was thanking himself for throwing his own party.
Can you imagine with what glee Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann would have reported the gaffe if “Bush the Stupid” had been the gaffer?
I’m not sure how much traction this incident has gained in American newspapers or cable news but I do know that it caused a furor in the UK and Ireland. Plainly, as far as those foreign news outlets are concerned their “honeymoon” with Obama is over both as a reaction to it and the recent snub to Gordon Brown.
Here’s the story of “Telepromptergate”.
Tuesday was St Patrick’s Day and Obama decided to host an evening soiree at which the Guest of Honor was the “Taoiseach”, the Prime Minister of Ireland, Brian Cowen. To Obama though, just like no crisis should go to waste, no event is complete without a little politicking and in Obama’s case there can be no politicking without his security blanket, the ubiquitous teleprompter.
Well, Obama opened up the proceedings by delivering his speech as dictated by the omnipresent device and then it was the turn of the Taoiseach. Now, it was St Paddy’s Day, and it is not unknown for adult beverages to be an integral part of that joyous ritual and it could be that the teleprompter operator had got into the spirit both actually as well as figuratively. Anyway, when the honored guest began to speak, the operator was asleep at the switch and so Mr. Cowen began to deliver Obama’s immortal prose over again. It took a while for the speaker to realize this oversight but eventually he turned to Obama and said, “This is your speech”.
Then the Leader of the Western World, ever eager to help, ran back to the podium to make amends but by this time the teleprompter operator had regained his composure and had switched the text to that intended for Mr. Cowen. Old habits die hard though and so Obama just couldn’t help himself and began to read. He did eventually realize his error but not until after he had found that he was thanking himself for throwing his own party.
Can you imagine with what glee Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann would have reported the gaffe if “Bush the Stupid” had been the gaffer?
Where are you Forrest Gump?
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Once upon a time there was a blind squirrel ........
No it’s not the start of a fairy tale I was writing for my two youngest grandsons. Not for all three because Oliver is much too sophisticated for stuff like that. Rather it’s a story for us, the voters but, once I started to write and the more I wrote, the sadder it got because we need a kick in the ass from the sharp toe of reality. Kids, on the other hand, need hope; that’s why they learn to walk so that they can get to the stuff they can’t quite reach. That’s why they learn to talk; so that they can ask questions and above all, ask why. Then later in life, they can ask why not. Because that is probably the most important question of all. The one we should all ask, all the time and we should never, ever stop.
Obama promised hope but then he crushed it with his actions. He has just saddled the yet unborn with debt that makes them bankrupt before the midwife or the doctor smacks their tush and welcomes them into the world. No wonder the first “gift” Obama’s government gives them is a Social Security Number.
Paying tax is patriotic according to Joe Biden and so the earlier the newborn starts the better. And the more they pay, according to Joe, the more patriotic they become. Who needs the DAR?
How did I get to “hair plug” Joe? Well he was about due, wasn’t he?
At least both Obama and Biden have one thing in common. Neither of them should ever hold a press conference. Obama doesn’t just in case a question comes up to which there is no answer on his teleprompter screen. Which brings up another question. Who is running the Democratic Party? My guess is Axelrod. Clearly it’s not Obama for if it were why would he need the questions in advance and/or why would he need that damn teleprompter for even the impromptu?
Even, “stupid, incoherent, dyslexic”, President George W. Bush” could handle that. But, perhaps the answer to that is because he couldn’t even find the thing in a crowded room or read it even when he did. Isn’t that what liberals think?
Anyway, back to Joe. Right after the details of the first stimulus package were published, Joe held a press conference and was asked, presumably by a small business owner, just what was in it for her. Joe thought for a little while but, obviously, not for long enough. Then he said, “If your business is on one side of a river and you have potential customers on the other, we’re going to make sure there’s a bridge between and that it’s a safe bridge”. He should have quit while he was losing but didn’t. “And”, he added, “You’ll all have ‘Smart Meters’ in your homes and your businesses so you’ll save energy which will mean lower utility bills so the customers will have more money and you, the business owner, will be able to lower your prices”.
Now, I ask you, did you ever hear such convoluted “gobbledygook”? One heartbeat away from the Oval Office?
But Joe wasn’t finished yet. He wasn’t about to go out on a low note. He was going to dig. And now came the prompt.
“Mr. Vice President, you mentioned a web page which lays all this out. Where can we find it”? This was the ball that he should have been able to knock out of the park with his eyes closed. But no, good ole Joe screwed it up again.
“Gee”, he said, “I should have that number in front of me but I just don’t”.
Now before my liberal fellow geeks climb all over me and remind me that any and every web page has a number, an IP address number to be precise, please believe me on this. Joe Biden couldn’t spell IP, he couldn’t tell you to save his life what the letters stand for, and he would not know what they meant.
While all this was going on, the Daily Telegraph from London was reporting more about the slap in the face to Gordon Brown. According to them and the White House and the U.S. State Department, the breach of accepted protocol was because Obama was “tired”, his workload was too high; and anyway, according to Foggy Bottom, “What’s so special about the UK”?
Clearly, therefore, Biden was right when on the primary campaign trail he declared, “Barack Obama is not ready to be the President of these United States”.
Which takes me back to my grandsons' fairy tale in which even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while!
Obama promised hope but then he crushed it with his actions. He has just saddled the yet unborn with debt that makes them bankrupt before the midwife or the doctor smacks their tush and welcomes them into the world. No wonder the first “gift” Obama’s government gives them is a Social Security Number.
Paying tax is patriotic according to Joe Biden and so the earlier the newborn starts the better. And the more they pay, according to Joe, the more patriotic they become. Who needs the DAR?
How did I get to “hair plug” Joe? Well he was about due, wasn’t he?
At least both Obama and Biden have one thing in common. Neither of them should ever hold a press conference. Obama doesn’t just in case a question comes up to which there is no answer on his teleprompter screen. Which brings up another question. Who is running the Democratic Party? My guess is Axelrod. Clearly it’s not Obama for if it were why would he need the questions in advance and/or why would he need that damn teleprompter for even the impromptu?
Even, “stupid, incoherent, dyslexic”, President George W. Bush” could handle that. But, perhaps the answer to that is because he couldn’t even find the thing in a crowded room or read it even when he did. Isn’t that what liberals think?
Anyway, back to Joe. Right after the details of the first stimulus package were published, Joe held a press conference and was asked, presumably by a small business owner, just what was in it for her. Joe thought for a little while but, obviously, not for long enough. Then he said, “If your business is on one side of a river and you have potential customers on the other, we’re going to make sure there’s a bridge between and that it’s a safe bridge”. He should have quit while he was losing but didn’t. “And”, he added, “You’ll all have ‘Smart Meters’ in your homes and your businesses so you’ll save energy which will mean lower utility bills so the customers will have more money and you, the business owner, will be able to lower your prices”.
Now, I ask you, did you ever hear such convoluted “gobbledygook”? One heartbeat away from the Oval Office?
But Joe wasn’t finished yet. He wasn’t about to go out on a low note. He was going to dig. And now came the prompt.
“Mr. Vice President, you mentioned a web page which lays all this out. Where can we find it”? This was the ball that he should have been able to knock out of the park with his eyes closed. But no, good ole Joe screwed it up again.
“Gee”, he said, “I should have that number in front of me but I just don’t”.
Now before my liberal fellow geeks climb all over me and remind me that any and every web page has a number, an IP address number to be precise, please believe me on this. Joe Biden couldn’t spell IP, he couldn’t tell you to save his life what the letters stand for, and he would not know what they meant.
While all this was going on, the Daily Telegraph from London was reporting more about the slap in the face to Gordon Brown. According to them and the White House and the U.S. State Department, the breach of accepted protocol was because Obama was “tired”, his workload was too high; and anyway, according to Foggy Bottom, “What’s so special about the UK”?
Clearly, therefore, Biden was right when on the primary campaign trail he declared, “Barack Obama is not ready to be the President of these United States”.
Which takes me back to my grandsons' fairy tale in which even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while!
Friday, March 13, 2009
Dollars and Nonsense!
“Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public”. H.L. Mencken spoke those words and a couple of days ago I saw a graphic example of the stupidity of people who should know better.
I had decided that the so-called squeeze in the credit market was probably overblown especially for those who could demonstrate their ability and their willingness to actually repay the loan. I realize that this novel concept is much at odds with current wisdom but I believed it to be the case and so I decided to test it by refinancing my home loan.
My old home loan was via Countrywide and was at a fixed rate of 6.375% which contrasted strongly with the rate quoted me by a mortgage broker, namely 4.875%. Obviously I was interested because the delta translated into significant monthly savings.
However, before I embarked on the not inconsiderable task of filling out reams of forms and hunting for documents to prove I was not a pauper-in-waiting, I decided to see if I could shortcut the process by calling Countrywide and asked what kind of rate they could come up with. I was told in no uncertain terms that they could not get even close to the newly quoted rate and was advised by a customer service rep, “to grab it as quickly as possible." And so I did.
Early on Wednesday morning I met with a notary to sign off on the new loan. The rate was indeed 4.875 but then I also discovered that the loan company was going to be …………… Wait for it. You’ve guessed it; Countrywide.
Now, perhaps it’s me and I’m just not sufficiently sophisticated enough in matters of high finance but the idiocy to me is simply amazing.
Toto, this isn’t Kansas anymore. Or is it?
It wouldn’t be so bad if I thought that this level of stupidity was a purely isolated case. But I know it’s not.
Since Obama was sworn in, the U.S. has been spending money on the various stimulus measures at the rate 1 Billion dollars per hour and all we have to show for it is a massive increase in the number of Government jobs. The only growing sector is Government which is precisely what socialists everywhere want to see. Even self-confessed Obama supporters such as Andy Grove, Jack Welsh, Warren Buffett and Barton Biggs are having second thoughts about the insane strategies of this administration and all have spoken out in the past week and said, in effect, the chaos must stop.
It seems though that Obama is impervious to any such advice and insists on charging ahead with his agenda including healthcare reform which is “Obama-Speak” for socialized medicine. That is why I, for one, want Obama to fail. There, I’ve said it and I mean it. I do not want to see Socialism in this country regardless of the layers of lipstick that Obama smears on the pig.
And I do want to see General Motors et al be forced into reorganization.
Capitalism without failure is like religion without sin!
I had decided that the so-called squeeze in the credit market was probably overblown especially for those who could demonstrate their ability and their willingness to actually repay the loan. I realize that this novel concept is much at odds with current wisdom but I believed it to be the case and so I decided to test it by refinancing my home loan.
My old home loan was via Countrywide and was at a fixed rate of 6.375% which contrasted strongly with the rate quoted me by a mortgage broker, namely 4.875%. Obviously I was interested because the delta translated into significant monthly savings.
However, before I embarked on the not inconsiderable task of filling out reams of forms and hunting for documents to prove I was not a pauper-in-waiting, I decided to see if I could shortcut the process by calling Countrywide and asked what kind of rate they could come up with. I was told in no uncertain terms that they could not get even close to the newly quoted rate and was advised by a customer service rep, “to grab it as quickly as possible." And so I did.
Early on Wednesday morning I met with a notary to sign off on the new loan. The rate was indeed 4.875 but then I also discovered that the loan company was going to be …………… Wait for it. You’ve guessed it; Countrywide.
Now, perhaps it’s me and I’m just not sufficiently sophisticated enough in matters of high finance but the idiocy to me is simply amazing.
Toto, this isn’t Kansas anymore. Or is it?
It wouldn’t be so bad if I thought that this level of stupidity was a purely isolated case. But I know it’s not.
Since Obama was sworn in, the U.S. has been spending money on the various stimulus measures at the rate 1 Billion dollars per hour and all we have to show for it is a massive increase in the number of Government jobs. The only growing sector is Government which is precisely what socialists everywhere want to see. Even self-confessed Obama supporters such as Andy Grove, Jack Welsh, Warren Buffett and Barton Biggs are having second thoughts about the insane strategies of this administration and all have spoken out in the past week and said, in effect, the chaos must stop.
It seems though that Obama is impervious to any such advice and insists on charging ahead with his agenda including healthcare reform which is “Obama-Speak” for socialized medicine. That is why I, for one, want Obama to fail. There, I’ve said it and I mean it. I do not want to see Socialism in this country regardless of the layers of lipstick that Obama smears on the pig.
And I do want to see General Motors et al be forced into reorganization.
Capitalism without failure is like religion without sin!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Dollars and Sense!
Call it a quirk. Call it a coincidence. Call it whatever.
But in the last two weeks I’ve been in contact with five people I’ve never met before. It really is a random sample but I don’t pretend the numbers promise statistical significance. And I don't I know who these people voted for last November nor have I asked. But I do know that four out of the five are expressing either opposition to, or displeasure at, Obama’s view of the world as it exists today and more importantly his moves to "fix" it.
Consider this; in the “Stimulus Package” there are 9000 earmarks. And some of them are Obama’s own. On the campaign trail during the last two years Obama promised to nix any bill which contained just one earmark. Time will tell. I’ll be watching; will you?
But now it’s time to get even more serious about money and the folly and the dangers of higher taxes. As an example let’s look at New York City and Mayor Bloomberg’s panic response.
In New York City 1% of the population pay 50% of the tax; just 40,000 people. On the other hand 50% of the population pay nothing. And 30% of those actually receive a check. Bloomberg’s city would grind to a halt if just a few of the payers picked up and went elsewhere. And he knows it. Hence his panic.
Then, that well known member of the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy", Whoopi Goldberg on “The View” earlier this week voiced a protest about impending increased taxation including the immortal words, “Did I vote for this?” Amazing the difference a few months can make between the campaign trail and now.
Even more amazing though was the assertion by Senator Harry Reid also earlier this week that paying taxes was “a voluntary procedure”. Really! That’ll come as quite a surprise to anyone who has ever fallen foul of the IRS. And this was from the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate and supposedly one of the smartest men in Washington.
Heaven help us!
But in the last two weeks I’ve been in contact with five people I’ve never met before. It really is a random sample but I don’t pretend the numbers promise statistical significance. And I don't I know who these people voted for last November nor have I asked. But I do know that four out of the five are expressing either opposition to, or displeasure at, Obama’s view of the world as it exists today and more importantly his moves to "fix" it.
Consider this; in the “Stimulus Package” there are 9000 earmarks. And some of them are Obama’s own. On the campaign trail during the last two years Obama promised to nix any bill which contained just one earmark. Time will tell. I’ll be watching; will you?
But now it’s time to get even more serious about money and the folly and the dangers of higher taxes. As an example let’s look at New York City and Mayor Bloomberg’s panic response.
In New York City 1% of the population pay 50% of the tax; just 40,000 people. On the other hand 50% of the population pay nothing. And 30% of those actually receive a check. Bloomberg’s city would grind to a halt if just a few of the payers picked up and went elsewhere. And he knows it. Hence his panic.
Then, that well known member of the “Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy", Whoopi Goldberg on “The View” earlier this week voiced a protest about impending increased taxation including the immortal words, “Did I vote for this?” Amazing the difference a few months can make between the campaign trail and now.
Even more amazing though was the assertion by Senator Harry Reid also earlier this week that paying taxes was “a voluntary procedure”. Really! That’ll come as quite a surprise to anyone who has ever fallen foul of the IRS. And this was from the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate and supposedly one of the smartest men in Washington.
Heaven help us!
However, when one looks at the list of Obama's nominations for Cabinet posts it does seem that, for Democrats, paying taxes is optional. Note to self; Call CPA and remind him that starting next year I've decided to opt out.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The Cabinet from Hell!
It’s pretty obvious that Obama has had a tough time selecting a cabinet due either to the fact that he’s inept or that all Democratic politicians have tax problems. In other words, according to Joe Biden, they lack patriotism.
So in the true spirit of bi-partisanship I’ve put together a possible list of candidates to make up a cabinet to match the “President from Hell”.
Treasury Secretary Bernie Madoff
Homeland Security William Ayers
Health & Human Services Jack Kevorkian
Transportation Secretary Ralph Nader
Defense Secretary Cindy Sheehan
Secretary of State Either Sean Penn or Bono
And, while not a cabinet post, how about Reverend Jeremiah Wright as Senate Chaplain?
So in the true spirit of bi-partisanship I’ve put together a possible list of candidates to make up a cabinet to match the “President from Hell”.
Treasury Secretary Bernie Madoff
Homeland Security William Ayers
Health & Human Services Jack Kevorkian
Transportation Secretary Ralph Nader
Defense Secretary Cindy Sheehan
Secretary of State Either Sean Penn or Bono
And, while not a cabinet post, how about Reverend Jeremiah Wright as Senate Chaplain?
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Good Money after Bad!
Well, I knew it couldn’t last. I tried it for 2 days but there’s too much good stuff to talk about involving money. And we’re talking your money, as well as, but mainly my money.
Note, I don’t mention Government money simply because the government doesn’t have any money. It has your money, our money, but mainly my money. Forgive me if I take this personally but my money is in my “Personal” checking account. So far at least.
As we speak, the United Auto Workers (UAW) is holding a convention at the 5 star Fontainebleau Resort in Miami, Florida. You would to have been in a coma to not realize that this union represents thousands upon thousands of members employed at the Big 3 and elsewhere. And that Big 3 has had two bailout payments so far and is asking for more.
Then earlier this week, GM’s own auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLC, raised severe doubts about its client’s ability to survive in its present form and reported that neither the auditor nor GM itself saw any sign of recovery. And where goeth GM, can the other two be far behind?
But it gets better. Wanna guess who was speaking to the assembled UAW multitude at the 5 star Fontainebleau Resort in Miami, Florida? No, I’d like to tell you it was Obama but he was too busy pissing off the Brits and hosting his Wednesday evening White House soirées. So he sent Biden but in order to maintain secrecy in the most “transparent administration ever”, the media would be excluded. Now we all know what that means. The left-wing media which is most of the American press and TV outlets would report nothing that reflected badly on this administration. And the ones who get “tingly legs’ whenever the subject comes up would applaud the statesmanship no matter how shameful the subject. So the agenda has to be pretty radical in order to exclude even these sycophants.
My sources tell me that at the top of the agenda is how to ram the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill through Congress as soon as possible. As you know, this disastrous compulsory unionism power grab would eliminate the secret ballot in workplace unionization drives and would subject millions of American workers to union intimidation and demands to pay union dues or be fired from their jobs. Just what we need; more powerful tools for the most powerful union in the country.
This is why an organized restructuring is the only way for the Big 3 as it would force vital changes in the labor contracts. And that is what the UAW fears and that is why Obama and his cronies are willing to spend my tax dollars to prop up these doomed companies.
At the same time that Obama is prepared to throw good money after bad, he is also supporting the so-called “Cap and Trade” policies.
More on that in a later post but as I read the implications, it would deal a mortal blow to an already moribund state. The one we are talking about. The Great State of Michigan.
Note, I don’t mention Government money simply because the government doesn’t have any money. It has your money, our money, but mainly my money. Forgive me if I take this personally but my money is in my “Personal” checking account. So far at least.
As we speak, the United Auto Workers (UAW) is holding a convention at the 5 star Fontainebleau Resort in Miami, Florida. You would to have been in a coma to not realize that this union represents thousands upon thousands of members employed at the Big 3 and elsewhere. And that Big 3 has had two bailout payments so far and is asking for more.
Then earlier this week, GM’s own auditors, Deloitte & Touche LLC, raised severe doubts about its client’s ability to survive in its present form and reported that neither the auditor nor GM itself saw any sign of recovery. And where goeth GM, can the other two be far behind?
But it gets better. Wanna guess who was speaking to the assembled UAW multitude at the 5 star Fontainebleau Resort in Miami, Florida? No, I’d like to tell you it was Obama but he was too busy pissing off the Brits and hosting his Wednesday evening White House soirées. So he sent Biden but in order to maintain secrecy in the most “transparent administration ever”, the media would be excluded. Now we all know what that means. The left-wing media which is most of the American press and TV outlets would report nothing that reflected badly on this administration. And the ones who get “tingly legs’ whenever the subject comes up would applaud the statesmanship no matter how shameful the subject. So the agenda has to be pretty radical in order to exclude even these sycophants.
My sources tell me that at the top of the agenda is how to ram the Card Check Forced Unionism Bill through Congress as soon as possible. As you know, this disastrous compulsory unionism power grab would eliminate the secret ballot in workplace unionization drives and would subject millions of American workers to union intimidation and demands to pay union dues or be fired from their jobs. Just what we need; more powerful tools for the most powerful union in the country.
This is why an organized restructuring is the only way for the Big 3 as it would force vital changes in the labor contracts. And that is what the UAW fears and that is why Obama and his cronies are willing to spend my tax dollars to prop up these doomed companies.
At the same time that Obama is prepared to throw good money after bad, he is also supporting the so-called “Cap and Trade” policies.
More on that in a later post but as I read the implications, it would deal a mortal blow to an already moribund state. The one we are talking about. The Great State of Michigan.
Saturday, March 7, 2009
Is This What You Voted For?
There has been talk lately from the Democrats about reintroducing that which has been called by them, "The Fairness Doctrine". It really isn't about fairness at all but much more about shutting up conservative opinion especially on radio.
Apparently, dominating both cable and broadcast TV is not enough for liberals. And, because liberal radio has not and seemingly cannot survive as witnessed by the various incarnations of Al Franken's "Air America", all of which are now defunct, they seek now to silence the opposite view.
Perhaps, therefore, it should be called, "The Censorship Doctrine" as it seems that the First Amendment and market forces don't sit too well with those on the Left.
But, your compassionate author, me, decided to preempt any enforcement. So, I've invited an avid Obama supporter to answer one question as that person surveys our world in March 2009.
I promised that I would not change, edit, cut, paste any part of that which that person submits. And, nor will I for to do so would render the whole exercise pointless.
I will comment on it because that's what I do and it's my Blog.
And, the question is:
Is this what you voted for?
It should be fun!
Also, go to any left-wing Blog and see how many invite a different viewpoint.
Go on. I dare you!
Apparently, dominating both cable and broadcast TV is not enough for liberals. And, because liberal radio has not and seemingly cannot survive as witnessed by the various incarnations of Al Franken's "Air America", all of which are now defunct, they seek now to silence the opposite view.
Perhaps, therefore, it should be called, "The Censorship Doctrine" as it seems that the First Amendment and market forces don't sit too well with those on the Left.
But, your compassionate author, me, decided to preempt any enforcement. So, I've invited an avid Obama supporter to answer one question as that person surveys our world in March 2009.
I promised that I would not change, edit, cut, paste any part of that which that person submits. And, nor will I for to do so would render the whole exercise pointless.
I will comment on it because that's what I do and it's my Blog.
And, the question is:
Is this what you voted for?
It should be fun!
Also, go to any left-wing Blog and see how many invite a different viewpoint.
Go on. I dare you!
Friday, March 6, 2009
Is it Real, or is it Memorex?
It may come as a surprise to some but I do have an emotional side and a logical side. And the left side, the logical one, is why I pussy-footed around one issue in yesterday’s post. I’m a Brit or, more accurately I was born a Brit and so that was one little smidgeon of my reticence as I did not want to come across as “whiny”. Then, yesterday at least, it seemed insignificant and I didn’t have all the facts. And, maybe I still don’t, but I do have an opinion. No surprise there?
Before I start, let me put on record that I detest Gordon Brown’s politics. Not quite as much as Obama’s but close ….
That said though, he is the British Head of State, ignoring the Queen which I would like to. Anyway, Brown visited Washington this week and as the representative of the oldest and the most loyal of our allies, he was treated shabbily.
Ignore the bust of Winston Churchill, given by the British people to America and returned immediately as reported in my last post. But consider this; it’s been a tradition for many years that when heads of state meet for the first time that gifts be exchanged. And they were.
Brown’s gifts to Obama were:-
An ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet once named HMS President. Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute.
Another treasure given to the U.S. President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolize Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria.
Finally, Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert
And, then; guess what? Obama presented Brown with a boxed set of 25 DVDs of American movies. In Obama’s defense, they were still in the original plastic wrap and it seems that Michelle had risked her very expensive nail job by scratching off the Costco price tag.
But, there is more to American generosity than that. Michelle presented not 1 but 2 toy helicopter models of Marine 1. Retail price in the White House Gift Store. Maybe $19.95. In Toys r’Us? Maybe half of that.
Ok, I hear you say. That’s all fluff and perhaps it is. But sometimes little things hurt and I know this has hurt our oldest ally.
Before I start, let me put on record that I detest Gordon Brown’s politics. Not quite as much as Obama’s but close ….
That said though, he is the British Head of State, ignoring the Queen which I would like to. Anyway, Brown visited Washington this week and as the representative of the oldest and the most loyal of our allies, he was treated shabbily.
Ignore the bust of Winston Churchill, given by the British people to America and returned immediately as reported in my last post. But consider this; it’s been a tradition for many years that when heads of state meet for the first time that gifts be exchanged. And they were.
Brown’s gifts to Obama were:-
An ornamental desk pen holder made from the oak timbers of Victorian anti-slaver HMS Gannet once named HMS President. Obama was so delighted he has already put it in pride of place in the Oval Office on the Resolute desk which was carved from timbers of Gannet’s sister ship, HMS Resolute.
Another treasure given to the U.S. President was the framed commission for HMS Resolute, a vessel that came to symbolize Anglo-US peace when it was saved from ice packs by Americans and given to Queen Victoria.
Finally, Brown gave a first edition set of the seven-volume classic biography of Churchill by Sir Martin Gilbert
And, then; guess what? Obama presented Brown with a boxed set of 25 DVDs of American movies. In Obama’s defense, they were still in the original plastic wrap and it seems that Michelle had risked her very expensive nail job by scratching off the Costco price tag.
But, there is more to American generosity than that. Michelle presented not 1 but 2 toy helicopter models of Marine 1. Retail price in the White House Gift Store. Maybe $19.95. In Toys r’Us? Maybe half of that.
Ok, I hear you say. That’s all fluff and perhaps it is. But sometimes little things hurt and I know this has hurt our oldest ally.
My only hope is that when Michelle dashed off to Costco for the DVD's she remembered that the European format is different. In other words, the U.S. ones won't work. Or maybe that was deliberate too?
So, Obama voters must decide.
Is it naiveté?
Is it stupidity?
Is it deliberate?
Is it real or is it Memorex?
Thursday, March 5, 2009
All Enemies Foreign and Domestic ............
Much of this blog to date has concerned itself with money. Perhaps I can be excused for concentrating so much on it because the crisis is so deep and the proposed cures are so massive and seemingly so ineffectual. But while money supposedly makes the world go around what about the second part of that truism, namely the World?
Remember during the campaign, the foreign policy of President Bush was trashed unmercifully. The world hates us we were told. Obama will change all that we were promised. The problem of Iran’s drive towards nuclear weapons capability will be solved by direct man-to-man diplomacy by Obama. Gone will be the days of missile strikes into Pakistan and Afghanistan with the attendant loss of innocent lives. Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay will be closed and its inmates would be transferred either back to their own native lands or to the federal justice system here in the U.S. Obama committed also to close down the email, internet and phone surveillance capabilities introduced after 911. And on and on ……….
In short, America’s status in the world would be rejuvenated just because of Obama and his charisma and policies. Right?
Well the truth is somewhat different. Surveillance stays and will even be expanded. The missile strikes into Pakistan and Afghanistan have been stepped up. However, one thing is different which is that "innocent" collateral damage is not mentioned by the drive-by media. Purely an oversight I'm sure.
The governments of the countries representing the inmates of Camp Delta have either refused to take back their errant citizens or they have “released them into the wild” only to find that these same poor "innocents" have gone straight back to terrorism. And please don’t cite the Geneva Convention at me, as it specifically precludes all but uniformed combatants. So all that didn’t turn out too well, did it? But, Obama supporters are always eager to find any spark of hope on which to pin their increasingly tenuous beliefs and so let’s look at the world of diplomacy for surely charisma, personality and oratory must prevail in this realm.
Well, not exactly. First there was the “hoo-hah” surrounding the bust of Winston Churchill presented to the American people by the British after 911. Obama took one look at it and sent it back. Now isn’t that gracious? Then this week, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was in town and even “The Huffington Post”, that bastion of left-wing politics, led with headline “Gordon Brown faces humiliation after the Obama snub”. So OK, Obama doesn’t like Brits, what else happened this week?
Despite the fact that Obama committed to “transparent government”, I am not nearly naïve enough to take that at face value and fully recognize that an effective foreign policy must necessarily include less obvious procedures. Let’s look at one such.
A few weeks ago, a secret letter was sent by Obama to Putin and Medvedev of Russia offering to strip the NATO missile defense shield from Poland if Russia would lean on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. Unfortunately for Obama, the Russians saw no need to keep it a secret but also refused to cooperate. Oh, they’d be very happy to see the missile defense system gone from their border but they have no intention of doing anything about Iran. And the reasons are twofold and decidedly predictable if you know what you are doing. First, anything that makes life difficult for the U.S. is a plus for Russia and secondly, Iran’s nuclear program relies very heavily on outside help from other governments including Russia of course.
In a way therefore, we’ve almost come full circle. We started out this post talking about money and we end with it as well. Who said money isn’t everything? And add sublime naiveties and the picture is bleak indeed.
Remember during the campaign, the foreign policy of President Bush was trashed unmercifully. The world hates us we were told. Obama will change all that we were promised. The problem of Iran’s drive towards nuclear weapons capability will be solved by direct man-to-man diplomacy by Obama. Gone will be the days of missile strikes into Pakistan and Afghanistan with the attendant loss of innocent lives. Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay will be closed and its inmates would be transferred either back to their own native lands or to the federal justice system here in the U.S. Obama committed also to close down the email, internet and phone surveillance capabilities introduced after 911. And on and on ……….
In short, America’s status in the world would be rejuvenated just because of Obama and his charisma and policies. Right?
Well the truth is somewhat different. Surveillance stays and will even be expanded. The missile strikes into Pakistan and Afghanistan have been stepped up. However, one thing is different which is that "innocent" collateral damage is not mentioned by the drive-by media. Purely an oversight I'm sure.
The governments of the countries representing the inmates of Camp Delta have either refused to take back their errant citizens or they have “released them into the wild” only to find that these same poor "innocents" have gone straight back to terrorism. And please don’t cite the Geneva Convention at me, as it specifically precludes all but uniformed combatants. So all that didn’t turn out too well, did it? But, Obama supporters are always eager to find any spark of hope on which to pin their increasingly tenuous beliefs and so let’s look at the world of diplomacy for surely charisma, personality and oratory must prevail in this realm.
Well, not exactly. First there was the “hoo-hah” surrounding the bust of Winston Churchill presented to the American people by the British after 911. Obama took one look at it and sent it back. Now isn’t that gracious? Then this week, the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, was in town and even “The Huffington Post”, that bastion of left-wing politics, led with headline “Gordon Brown faces humiliation after the Obama snub”. So OK, Obama doesn’t like Brits, what else happened this week?
Despite the fact that Obama committed to “transparent government”, I am not nearly naïve enough to take that at face value and fully recognize that an effective foreign policy must necessarily include less obvious procedures. Let’s look at one such.
A few weeks ago, a secret letter was sent by Obama to Putin and Medvedev of Russia offering to strip the NATO missile defense shield from Poland if Russia would lean on Iran to curb its nuclear ambitions. Unfortunately for Obama, the Russians saw no need to keep it a secret but also refused to cooperate. Oh, they’d be very happy to see the missile defense system gone from their border but they have no intention of doing anything about Iran. And the reasons are twofold and decidedly predictable if you know what you are doing. First, anything that makes life difficult for the U.S. is a plus for Russia and secondly, Iran’s nuclear program relies very heavily on outside help from other governments including Russia of course.
In a way therefore, we’ve almost come full circle. We started out this post talking about money and we end with it as well. Who said money isn’t everything? And add sublime naiveties and the picture is bleak indeed.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
"Honk If I'm Paying Your Mortgage!"
While I haven’t actually seen a bumper sticker with those words quite yet, it must surely be only a matter of time. For I sense a growing feeling of resentment among those of us who are meeting our responsibilities even as it becomes harder and harder to do so as our investments are eroded.
Back in 2002, as the stock market dipped after 911, Dick Gephardt, the then leader of the Democrats in the House, exulted that for every 200 point drop on the Dow it would translate into a gain of one more seat for his side of the aisle. If he was right, then Obama is in trouble deep. Even though his poll number is still high when it comes to “likeability”, when Rasmussen measured his effectiveness and job performance the picture was very different. At the last count it was 52% only and it has declined every week since his inauguration. And is there any wonder when the Dow has declined by almost 3000 points since that day? Yet, he does nothing about it. Clearly the trillions of dollars both spent and proposed have not and will not stem the flight of investment but there are some things that would.
Among these could be a halt to FICA taxes for a period, a commitment to reduce or suspend capital gains taxes or corporate and personal income taxes. And such a reduction would have to be a lot more than the $13 per week “windfall” we can expect to see in June. Instead though, Obama yesterday said that he didn’t concern himself with the “day-to-day gyrations of the Market”. Would that were true? The fact of the matter is that “gyrations” would be very welcome but instead all we’ve seen is “down” to the tune of 52% since it became clear that he would become the 44th occupant of the Oval Office.
Eventually, and it is starting to happen even as I write, buyer’s remorse is becoming felt by Obama voters. Oh, not by the left-wing fanatics who yearn to see the collapse of America, her economy and the engine of that economy which has been capitalism. No they will continue to cheer as more and more people become dependent on the Government for their every need. But, other than these, the vast majority of those who voted last November are beginning to feel the uncomfortable stirrings of having made a dreadful mistake. Clearly, for those who wish to see, Obama is not the man they thought or hoped he was and, while they may not admit it to anyone else yet, as they review the 401K or IRA their little internal voice grows ever louder.
A bumper sticker anyone? Soon it’ll be time to drag out the pitchforks. And I, for one, can't wait!
Back in 2002, as the stock market dipped after 911, Dick Gephardt, the then leader of the Democrats in the House, exulted that for every 200 point drop on the Dow it would translate into a gain of one more seat for his side of the aisle. If he was right, then Obama is in trouble deep. Even though his poll number is still high when it comes to “likeability”, when Rasmussen measured his effectiveness and job performance the picture was very different. At the last count it was 52% only and it has declined every week since his inauguration. And is there any wonder when the Dow has declined by almost 3000 points since that day? Yet, he does nothing about it. Clearly the trillions of dollars both spent and proposed have not and will not stem the flight of investment but there are some things that would.
Among these could be a halt to FICA taxes for a period, a commitment to reduce or suspend capital gains taxes or corporate and personal income taxes. And such a reduction would have to be a lot more than the $13 per week “windfall” we can expect to see in June. Instead though, Obama yesterday said that he didn’t concern himself with the “day-to-day gyrations of the Market”. Would that were true? The fact of the matter is that “gyrations” would be very welcome but instead all we’ve seen is “down” to the tune of 52% since it became clear that he would become the 44th occupant of the Oval Office.
Eventually, and it is starting to happen even as I write, buyer’s remorse is becoming felt by Obama voters. Oh, not by the left-wing fanatics who yearn to see the collapse of America, her economy and the engine of that economy which has been capitalism. No they will continue to cheer as more and more people become dependent on the Government for their every need. But, other than these, the vast majority of those who voted last November are beginning to feel the uncomfortable stirrings of having made a dreadful mistake. Clearly, for those who wish to see, Obama is not the man they thought or hoped he was and, while they may not admit it to anyone else yet, as they review the 401K or IRA their little internal voice grows ever louder.
A bumper sticker anyone? Soon it’ll be time to drag out the pitchforks. And I, for one, can't wait!
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