Sunday, October 25, 2009

Justice concludes black voters need Democratic Party - Washington Times

Justice concludes black voters need Democratic Party - Washington Times

Comment: Another "shocking" news item that has not been well reported or reported at all by mainstream media.

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Go Left... No! Go Right...

What About The Middle?

To thoughtful Americans, every administration comes to a critical moment and a burning issue where leadership must choose whether to serve its own party's best interest -- OR -- rise above rank party politics and serve the well-being of the nation as a whole.

In case anyone has forgotten, the United States is comprised of over 305,000,000 citizens whose lives are effected by every new federal law, every treaty, every new expenditure, every currency fluctuation -- all of which are determined by every 'yay' and 'nay' vote cast in the U. S. House and Senate. In spite of a 2-party system that has grown accustomed to U. S. Representatives and U. S. Senators voting for party solidarity by voting the 'party line', Democrat and Republican ideologies and desires do not represent all the people.

A May 2009 Pew Poll reported: "average of surveys conducted this year, 36% say they are independents, 35% are Democrats, while 23% are Republicans."

Yep, at that time 36% identified themselves as Independents who are not beholding to any party. A number that has surely grown (although hard to verify) given recent poll number showing a 76% disapproval rating for Congress and dropping ratings for President Obama across the board.

So how are the Congressionally Disenfranchised being represented by a Democrat-controlled White House and Congress?

To put it bluntly, they aren't.

Independent voters - similar to the 1.4++ Million active duty members of the U. S. Military - are not on the radar screen except as potential voters who can be swayed to elect another Democrat or Republican in 2010 and 2012 elections. Potential voters who will be wooed and possibly seduced again by sleight-of-hand trickery designed to disguise fiction as fact such as attempting to conceal more deficit spending for economic stimulation as being something other than one more costly 'stimulus' program. (SEE: Pelosi Refuses to Call New Spending Another Stimulus Package.)

The 2 burning issues of the day: Health Care Reform and the Obama Paralytic Tapdance over much-needed troop support for Afghanistan.

On Health Care
Traditional media, insurance and medical industry analysts, and plenty of "pajama bloggers" are covering the Health Care debate. And numerous credible sources are fact-checking information as it unfolds. And plenty of political action groups and events are available for anyone who wants to get actively involved.  So what can be added to this thorny topic?  Speaking as an average citizen -- not going left or right:
Mr. Obama has the opportunity to distinguish himself as something far more than the first African-American president or the first sitting president to ever appear on Letterman. He has a singular and rare opportunity to actually act in the best interest of the nation as a whole. He can stop serving factional interests any time he so chooses. He can -- if willing -- start serving the American people without regard to their race, creed, or color.   More urgently he could -- if willing --stop pitting factions against each other at a time when the nation desperately needs political unification by credible leaders.

He could stop beating the drum for more deficit spending. He could -- if willing -- elaborate about the process that led him to determine that health care reform without tort reform first is the best possible way to reduce un-necessary medical spending.
He could - if willing - provide substantiated facts resulting from diligent research that detail the proposed Medicare cuts. Something desperately needed if only to ease the concerns of the elderly who will bear the brunt of any change to Medicare.. He could - if willing - end all arguments around health care by demonstrating the wisdom and depth of his plan -- not by repeating orchestrated messages, but by providing facts that everyone can examine and question.

He could do all these things and more, but he doesn't.
It is no wonder that conservative talk show hosts -- like Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, and Shawn Hannity -- question both his actions and motives. As are more and more people who are bone weary of Democrat and Republican name-calling. Sound-byte hype just doesn't cut it any more. Especially as diversions to reasonable investigation into the consequences of proposed sweeping legislation before it is signed into law.
With news headlines like these below reporting more infantile cat fights on both sides of the aisle - it becomes more and more apparent that Democrats including Mr. Obama do not care about anyone or anything except those who toe the party line and support the left exclusively.

Grayson: Republicans are 'the enemy of America'
Today: Grayson said on MSNBC that the GOP is the enemy of anybody who wants "anything good for this country," including health care reform, climate change legislation and "certainly the enemy of peace."

Do What They're Told: Obama takes a swipe at GOP
"Democrats are an opinionated bunch. You know, the other side, they just kinda sometimes do what they're told. Democrats, y'all thinkin' for yourselves."
U. S. Military In Harm's Way
1.4+ Million U.S. citizens are currently serving on active duty in the U. S. Armed Forces. While they do not constitute a large enough voting block to influence Republicans or Democrats with promises of future votes, these people are the sons, daughters, sisters and brothers of other voters who understand that when Mr. Obama as Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces delays and delays sending requested troops to secure not only the goal, but to reduce escalating troop casualties something is not just amiss... it is flat-out broken.

The loss of one more American soldier's life on an Afghanistan battlefield that could have been prevented by increased troop strength is a heavy burden for anyone to bear. 

54 days have elapsed since General McChrystal requested additional troops.

On Tuesday, October 20th, Lance Cpl. David R. Baker of Painesville OH was killed in Operation Enduring Freedom / Afghanistan. He is 39th American soldier who lost his life in October. 70 others lost their lives in September.

54 days is a long time to a soldier fighting a war. It is a long time to parents, friends and family who carry a 24/7 burden of concern for all who are serving in combat zones. And it is an agonizingly long time for a general to wait for an answer from his commander-in-chief on a matter he feels is not only urgent, but one that will keep costing soldier's lives with every passing day.

During this time, Mr. Obama has tapdanced his way across television studios, ballrooms, and town meeting halls -- telling jokes, entertaining the plain folk, and pushing Health Care tweaked-speak sound-bytes in front of every camera that would record and broadcast his words without question.

As criticism over stalling tactics began to mount, the public was treated to some film footage of Situation Room sessions that have still provided no answer to General McChrystal. Although to his credit, Obama gave a hushed nod to deploy 13,000 troops as a bandaid..
Sadly, the bandaids did not arrive in time to save Lance Cpl. Baker or the as yet to be identified soldier who died yesterday. His or her death brings the death toll to 40 for October as of the 21st.

Some Suggestions

  1. If you are an Independent voter or a disenchanted Repubican or Democrat, express your disapproval to those who currently represent you and your state..
  2. Express your disapproval to the White House.
  3. Express your disapproval to any media source that is endorsing and perpetuating Anita Dunn and company "TWEAKED SPEAK".
  4. Vote for the most honest and able new representation available in 2010 elections.
  5. Rally around and support the most honest and able potential presidential candidate you can find for the 2012 presidential campaign.
In the meantime, the addage: "You will know them by their fruits" is a timely reminder that when reasonable and legitimate questions by anyone who will suffer the consequences spawned by another's decisions are met with sharp-tongued invective and obscuration, the fruit is rotten.

Sadly, the rotten fruit in both parties do not care about the middle Independent or the Military.  Though they will both gladly accept Visa, Master Card, Checks and Cash campaign contributions.  

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Hoodwinked by Propaganda

Fool me once, shame on you...fool me twice, shame on me

The Anita Dunn video about how "selectively enhanced" information carried the day for the Obama presidential campaign is another powerful warning to the nation about the dangers of tolerating any more glib politcal posturing that is characterized by invective, personal attacks, and vague generalities as way of obstructing fact-based, lucid debate about the critical issues of the day.

In the video, Dunn outlines the Obama strategy of controlling the media and hence the public through selectively presented information as the winning fundamental of their campaign. By her very words, Anita Dunn is a self-admitted propagandist. One who - through her own gift for gab - has placed herself and those she represents in the ranks of other nation-changing propagandists such as Hitler, Stalin, and Chairman Mao who relied upon disinformation schemes to seduce the populations of Germany, Russia, and China respectively.

Dunn's revelation also goes a long way in explaining her summarily dismissive response to yet another inquiry about a June 2009 speech she gave to impressionable graduating high school students in which she named Mao Tse Tung as one of her 2 most trusted philosophical exemplars. Her response to Glenn Beck's queries was to say references to Mao were an ironic, meaningless play she called  a joke, even though her speech presented Mao as a source of inspiration for these student to carry with them into the future.

As repeated by many in recent days, Dunn's candid comments in these videos are premonitions of things to come if the majority of American people continue to accept "selectively enhanced" mis-speak from the White House or Congress. Though, to her possible dismay, they have also provided much-needed insight into Obama's mystifying reluctance to assume the mantle of governance and  explains his disposition for creating a list of domestic 'enemies' who need to be silenced.

Dunn's description of how then candidate Obama was deliberately kept away from the media except as permitted to deliver calculated remarks suggests that the criticism made about his continuing campaign-mode even after inauguration is not without merit.  When all that matters regarding the public well-being is the sound-byte, not the substance behind it, then we can expect that Obama and his teleprompter will continue their uninterrupted publicity tour while the nation languishes from presidential neglect.

What the average citizen "gets" is that Dunn's instructive comments implies that these very same campaign tricks have been carried over to the governance of the nation.  They tell us to be wary of being hoodwinked again.  And urge the studious to read for themselves how propaganda shapes the fate of nations. 

The research article PROPAGANDA TECHNIQUES OF GERMAN FASCISM(1) details how Hitler successfully used the following propaganda strategies that when placed in today's context bear an uncanny resemblance to the posture and conduct of the Obama campaign and now the White House:
  1. "Name Calling" is a device to make us form a judgment without examining the evidence on which it should be based. Here the propagandist appeals to our hate and fear.
  2. "Glittering Generalities" is a device by which the propagandist identifies his program with virtue by use of "virtue words." Here he appeals to our emotions of love, generosity, and brotherhood.
  3.  "Transfer" is a device by which the propagandist carries over the authority, sanction, and prestige of something we respect and revere to something he would have us accept.
  4. The "Testimonial" is a device to make us accept anything from a patent medicine or a cigarette to a program of national policy.
  5. "Plain Folks" is a device used by politicians, labor leaders, business men, and even by ministers and educators to win our confidence by appearing to be people like ourselves—"just plain folks among the neighbors."
  6. "Card Stacking" is a device in which the propagandist employs all the arts of deception to win our support for himself, his group, nation, race, policy, practice, belief, or ideal. He stacks the cards against the truth. He uses under-emphasis and over-emphasis to dodge issues and evade facts.
  7. The "Band Wagon" is a device to make us follow the crowd, to accept the propagandist's program en masse. Here his theme is: "Everybody's doing it." His techniques range from those of medicine show to dramatic spectacle.
Sound familiar?

Considering all of that together with the five major phenomena characteristics of Fascism in Germany (listed below), one cannot turn a blind eye to rapidly evolving national events.
  1.  The destruction of labor unions.
  2. The destruction of "free enterprise" to bring business under the absolute control of the Führer.
  3. The destruction of "free enterprise" in agriculture.
  4. The destruction or silencing of members of the intellectual class—editors, professors, teachers, clergymen and others who by reason of native gifts, training, education, and experience are among the best equipped to analyze and appraise the policies and acts of the Führer and the hierarchy of Nazi officials.
  5. A monopoly of propaganda, accompanied by coercion, to keep all the people subservient to the authoritarian will.
Dunn and company have already set a dangerous precedent for future campaign hopefuls who, by emulating a campaign strategy based on trickery, will ensure ethics and morality have no further place in the annals of American politics.

It behooves all thoughtful Americans to consider the many countries where populations are suffering the whims and fancies of despotic rule before dismissing due consideration to the many warning signals that something is truly amiss in the halls of the American government.

Today, Republican Senator Lamar Alexander (TN), who served in the Nixon White House, provides his observations about the dangers of today's unsavory political climate in this Roll Call article: Alexander to White House: Don't Create 'Enemies List' in which he describes some of the White House tactics that are deliberately being used to discredit anyone who objects to their policies. That's No. 4 on the list of Characteristics of Fascism in Germany.

Even more perilous is the interlude between now and 2010 elections when more bail-outs and costly entitlement programs can and will be signed into law unless the American public stops it now by petitioning the government with their grievances and concerns.

Today, Roll Call also reports: Pelosi Refuses to Call New Spending Another Stimulus Package. That sure smells like a hybrid of "Card Stacking" and "Testimonal" given this excerpt: " After trotting out a handful of economists who each backed another stimulus package, Pelosi said Democrats would consider a host of ideas to spend more money and cut taxes next year."

Yep, false campaign promises fooled a lot of plain folks. But dropping presidential approval ratings and party defections offer the promise that people of good conscience will speak up before it is, indeed, too late.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Transparency...at last!

"oh what a tangled web we weave when we first begin to deceive.."

2009: October 18 Headline: White House Boasts: We 'control' news media - Communications chief offers shocking confession to foreign government - contains a video that is well-worth watching by anyone who is concerned about the Obama administration's mystifying refusal to meet the public's growing questions with forthright and honest answers.

The video is an accurate record of remarks made by Anita Dunn, the White House spokesperson who recently shocked some in the nation with her startling announcement that the Obama administration has just declared war on a new adversarial entity - FOX News.

Yes, you heard that right. A war that escalated over the weekend with 2 more White House spokespeople, Rahm Emmanuel and David Axelrod, publicly imploring other news networks, media outlets, and journalists to NOT follow FOX's lead in investigating matters that can and will effect 305+ Million U.S. Citizens. Matters such as health care reform, rising debt, the safety of troops in Afghanistan and more. A request that appalled many, including journalists, as it should since it was a plea to the media at large to turn a blind eye to the workings of the Obama adminstration.

Fortunately, Dunn's video comments explains in detail why the White House has proclaimed a domestic war on FOX News in addition to the foreign wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. They explain why Obama's closest advisors and representatives are taking to the national stage in a deliberate attempt to create a schism within the media community that can be widened by selectively branding networks and journalists as good guys or enemies based upon whether their reporting, editorials, and selection of talk shows are deemed "favorable" to the White House or not.

QUOTE: "Very rarely did we communicate through the press anything that we didn't absolutely control," said Dunn.

Take careful note of the word "control".

Captured on camera in an undeniable way, Ms. Dunn ticks off every step of how the success of Obama's campaign - first against Hillary Clinton and then against McCain - depended upon the tight control of what information was actually made available to the media. Media who would then broadcast those deliberately controlled messages to a public hungry for any information that could help them maked an informed voting decision. An admission that might be of some solace to Hillary Clinton who repeatedly complained about her opponent's disinformation tactics, but one that brings chills of horror to those who are so utterly weary of political trickery and schemes that they voted for Obama in hopes that he would, indeed, prove to be a man of his word - honest and true.

In spite of the heartbreak in discovering the sad fact that Barack Obama is no different than any other politician who has plotted and schemed his way into office on the wings of half-truths and cryptic sound-bytes, Dunn's video remarks provide the first blush of much-needed transparency into Obama's philosophy and approach to governing our large and diverse nation. To those whose first loyalty is to upholding the U. S. Constitution for the sake of all U.S. Citizens, this sobering behind-the-scenes peek is both an illuminating disclosure and further proof that a controlled media that unquestionably reports what it is fed by an individual, a group, or a government is the bedrock upon which every dictator and despot throughout history has founded his kingdom.

As Thomas Jefferson said:
"All tyranny needs to gain a foothold is for people of good conscience to remain silent."
Mindful of this timeless insight, in the days ahead - the poisonous weed of a government controlled media planted by Ms. Dunn and other contrivers during the Obama campaign years can be uprooted by swift and diligent investigative efforts and public reporting by any and all members of the media who refuse to blindly accept and propagate "selectively enhanced" information without question.

At this juncture, it might also serve the country well to review more of the insightful observations made by Hillary Clinton during her campaign since her complaints about dirty tricks are now proven true - courtesy of the Anita Dunn video.
"This is, you know, a, a — an unfortunate story line that the Obama campaign has pushed very successfully,” she said. “They’ve been putting out talking points. They’ve been making this — they’ve been telling people, in a very selective way, what the facts are.” ~ Hillary Clinton (Politico, Jan. 2008).
More so, it might well serve the country if Mrs. Clinton, in good conscience, stepped forward as a vocal public servant whose intimate knowledge about dirty politics and scheming ploys can help expedite a government that must become trustworthy enough to place the best interest of the nation as a whole ahead of divisive party politics serving highly selective special interest groups.

It is easy to muse that Hillary Clinton is far more palatable and probably far more useful to the American pubic in a new distinguished position such as Speaker of the House versus the vacuous Ms. Pelosi. And in times of war and economic struggle, the nation truly needs savvy fence-menders, not bumbling fence makers.

Perhaps Mrs. Clinton is one of the rare few who genuinely understands that the majority of citizens are fed up with immature bickering that consumes precious resources for the benefit of the few without any consideration for the anguish it is causing the American people. In fact, in an act of boldness, she might even articulate that such infantile antics are just a continuation of the same-o Obama story line: use any deterrent and any means whatsoever to obstruct authentic fact finding. Something that is both beneath the dignity of the Office of the President of the United States and an insult to the nation.

Monday, October 19, 2009

America's Most Fearful Peril

As seen by George Washington at Valley Forge, the winter of 1777

(excerpted from George Washington's Prophecy of America)

THIRD AND MOST FEARFUL PERIL
“Then my eyes beheld a fearful scene. From each of these continents arose thick black clouds that were soon joined into one. And throughout this mass there gleamed a dark red light by which I saw hordes of armed men. These men, moving with the cloud, marched by land and sailed by sea to America, which country was enveloped in the volume of cloud. And I dimly saw these vast armies devastate the whole country and ~ the villages, towns and cities which I had seen springing up.” “As my ears listened to the thundering of the cannon, clashing of the swords, and the shouts and cries of millions in mortal combat, I again heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.” Where the voice had ceased, the dark shadowy angel placed his trumpet once more to his mouth, and blew a long and fearful blast.”

HEAVEN INTERVENES
“Instantly a light as of a thousand suns shone down from above me, and pierced and broke into fragments the dark cloud which enveloped America. At the same moment the angel upon whose head still shown the word UNION, and who bore our national flag in one hand, and a sword in the other, descended from the heavens attended by, legions of white spirits. These immediately joined the inhabitants of America, who I perceived were well-nigh overcome, but who immediately taking courage again, closed up their broken ranks and renewed the battle.” “Again, amid the fearful noise of the conflict I heard the mysterious voice saying, ‘Son of the Republic, look and learn.’ As the voice ceased the shadowy angel for the last time dipped water from the ocean and sprinkled it upon America. Instantly the dark cloud rolled back, together with the armies it had brought, leaving the inhabitants of the land victorious.”

“Then once more, I beheld the villages, towns and cities springing up where I had seen them before, while the bright angel, planting the azure standard he had brought in the midst of them, cried with the loud voice: “While the stars remain, and the heaven send down dew upon the earth, so long shall the UNION last.” And taking from his brow the crown on which blazoned the word ‘UNION,’ he placed it upon the Standard while the people, kneeling down, said ‘Amen.”

THE INTERPRETATION
The scene instantly began to fade and dissolve, and I, at last saw nothing but the rising, curling vapor I at first beheld. This also disappeared, and I found myself once more gazing upon the mysterious visitor, who, in the same voice I had heard before, said, ‘Son of the Republic, what you have seen is thus interpreted; Three great perils will come upon the Republic. The most fearful for her is the third. But the whole world united shall not prevail against her. Let every child of the Republic learn to live for his God, his land, and UNION” With these words the vision vanished, and I started from my seat and felt that I had seen a vision wherein had been shown me the birth, the progress, and the destiny of the United States.’”

"Shame on you, Barack Obama," she said.

~ Hillary Clinton, Februrary 23, 2008

During the 2008 presidential campaign, Hillary Clinton diligently attempted to expose and articulate the many legitimate reasons why Barack Obama was not the best candidate to serve as President of the United States. This dated article from CNN News covers Mrs. Clinton's story about how her opponent was using misinformation and selective distortions to help further his campaign in Ohio.

"Obama is continuing to send false and discredited mailings with information that is not true to the voters of Ohio," Clinton said.

The Clinton complaint of using discredited information to support various policy positions and other concerns are now being echoed by thoughtful Americans from all walks of life. The latest finding by Harris Interactive, Inc. reports: "Three in five Americans believe country going off on wrong track" with over half of Americans (55%) giving Obama negative job approval ratings. To Mrs. Clinton's credit, the criticisms she leveled at Obama during the campaign years are proving themselves to be far more right than wrong.

10 months into his administration, Obama is facing a ballooning lack of public confidence in his capabilities to adequately lead the nation through these critical times as detailed in this 2009: October 19 Headline Story: "Majorities of Americans Give President Obama Negative Ratings on his Handling of 12 Major Issues".

Alarm bells like this cannot be ignored by government leaders, President Obama or his team of White House spokespeople. If those who are responsible for designing and pushing policy agendas are genuinely sincere about fulfilling their solemn pledge to serve the nation as a whole and can be true to their campaign promises, the chasm that has forming between the public and leadership can be bridged.

In his farewell address, George Washington spoke of several avenues of tyranny, including selfish ambition (with pretended patriotism,) collusion of powers, usurpation and precedence of usurpation, debt, foreign influence, and rank party politics.

The following excerpts illustrate the timeless dangers posed to the nation by unrestrained partisan strategies and tactics such as Mrs. Clinton repeatedly encountered during her campaign. May those who now serve in high office be ever reminded that their duty is first and foremost to serve and preserve the Union, not a political faction.
1.  One of the expedients of party to acquire influence within particular districts is to misrepresent the opinions and aims of other districts. You cannot shield yourselves too much against the jealousies and heart burnings which spring from these misrepresentations. They tend to render alien to each other those who ought to be bound together by fraternal affection.
2.  They (referring to political parties) serve to organize faction; to give it an artificial and extraordinary force; to put in the place of the delegated will of the nation the will of a party, often a small but artful and enterprising minority of the community; and, according to the alternate triumphs of different parties, to make the public administration the mirror of the ill concerted and incongruous projects of faction, rather than the organ of consistent and wholesome plans digested by common councils and modified by mutual interests.
However combinations or associations of the above description may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely, in the course of time and things, to become potent engines by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.
3.  The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissension, which in different ages and countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism.
The disorders and miseries which result gradually incline the minds of men to seek security and repose in the absolute power of an individual; and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction, more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation on the ruins of public liberty.
4.  It (referring to partisan politics) serves always to distract the public councils and enfeeble the public administration. It agitates the community with ill founded jealousies and false alarms, kindles the animosity of one part against another, foments occasionally riot and insurrection. It opens the door to foreign influence and corruption, which find a facilitated access to the government itself through the channels of party passions. Thus the policy and the will of one country are subjected to the policy and will of another.
5.  As a very important source of strength and security, cherish public credit. One method of preserving it is to use it as sparingly as possible, avoiding occasions of expense by cultivating peace, but remembering also that timely disbursements to prepare for danger frequently prevent much greater disbursements to repel it; avoiding likewise the accumulation of debt, not only by shunning occasions of expense, but by vigorous exertions in time of peace to discharge the debts which unavoidable wars may have occasioned, not ungenerously throwing upon posterity the burden which we ourselves ought to bear.

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Will Work For Food

"Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, feed him for lifetime"

An apt quote for a time when people are worried about how to feed their families and wondering where are those promised new industries who will be hiring thousands of people for permanent, full time positions.

The GLITCH is that jobs created under the economic Recovery Act are temporary jobs. Meaning project-related work that will end as soon as the worker is no longer needed.

What does this temporary shuffle of those who obtained short-lived jobs do to the monthly unemployment statistics?  It's obvious that when temporary jobs end, they will file for unemployment compensation again and then be added back as newly unemployed -- sometime down the road.

Is it because those seeking to glorify any small decline in monthly unemployment statistics need something to wave to the public as indisputable proof that hastily conceived deficit spending is the surefire way to end the recession? Shuffling workers to and from unemployment rolls might provide some short-lived tasty sound-bytes to refute those who question shortsighted solutions that add to the public debt - like temporary summer jobs for teenagers. But sleight of hand doesn't stimulate the most critical element needed for economic recovery:  permanent jobs that won't evaporate overnight.

Also...

It is very easy to miss the fact that in FDR's time - unemployment was higher in 1939  than when he took office in 1932.  Something that is rarely, if ever, mentioned in today's discussions about the wisdom of emulating FDR's ideology.  And easier still to not acknowledge that economic recovery was not stimulated because of short-lived New Deal road and bridge projects or special entitlement programs.  WWII came along and fueled a war effort manufacturing boom.

Oh well... let's look at what is happening in one state - thanks to the Recovery Act.  Are people working?  And are new, long lasting jobs being created?

This  2009: October 15 H article from The Providence (RI) Journal- Adding up the stimulus: Thousands of jobs created - offers some interesting, specific numbers that paint a picture of what is happening in just one state.  (Rhode Island was randomly picked, BTW)

PROVIDENCE — The Obama administration reported Thursday that at least 30,383 jobs have been created or saved across the nation as a direct result of the federal stimulus package, offering the first tangible job figures since the $787-billion Recovery Act became law eight months ago.

Rhode Island was the beneficiary of six jobs, according to the federal report.
Also:
“The numbers are incomplete,” Governor Caricieri’s spokeswoman Amy Kempe said of the six jobs reported on the federal site. “We have no control over those contracts.”
Indeed, the Carcieri administration released separate figures Thursday evening showing an additional 1,700 jobs created or saved in Rhode Island as a direct result of the stimulus. While the governor’s office could not immediately answer detailed questions about where job creation occurred, the state data included several hundred part-time summer jobs for youths, according to Kempe.
And:
Rhode Island’s six new positions included two created by contracts worth $3.88 million awarded to the Quonset Development Corporation for road construction and another $3 million to the State of Rhode Island for “river ecosystem restoration” in Wakefield.
The Burrillville Housing Authority created three jobs by spending $142,823 to “replace roadways, sidewalks and curbings.” And another job was spawned by a contract worth $43,905 to the Boston firm, Bargmann Hendrie & Archetype, Inc. “to assist with the administration of a construction contract for re-roofing and masonry repairs at the U.S. courthouse in Providence.”
Yep... 6 new temporary jobs were created by an incredibly expensive Recovery Act in a state where the unemployment rate is at 12.8% and climbing  (according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics).

That's 6 jobs within an estimated population of 1,076,189 people -- 73,300 of whom were out of work as of August 2009 (according to The Providence Journal: "R.I. jobless rate inches higher" - Sept 18, 2009)

Hmmm.... 6 new jobs for sure vs. 73,300 people who need jobs.

Doesn't do much to bolster much confidence that things are changing for the unemployed in Rhode Island.

How about the question of how they are feeding themselves right now?

2009: October 4 Headline: "Rhode Island shoppers’ use of food stamps spikes" reports:
The number of Rhode Islanders using the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program [SNAP], formerly the Food Stamp Program, has increased about 24 percent, from 87,285 to 107,891, from June 2008 to June 2009.
That number has been climbing steadily, up to roughly 117,000 persons — a record high in Rhode Island ...
Hmmm... 6 temporary jobs. 12.8% unemployment and rising.  And 117,000 people relying upon the SNAP Program to buy food.

As everyone is asking these days:  What happened to private sector,  long-term job creation aid?

And...what will happen to all these folks when federal funds are eventually cut as they must if the National Deficit is ever to be reduced or the U. S. Budget ever balanced for real?

How will they feed themselves for a lifetime if the taxpayers can't sustain their basic needs?

One World Government... a fait accompli?

Thatcher adviser: Copenhagen goal is 1-world government
'Global warming' to be used as 'pretext' for 'change'

By Jerome R. Corsi
© 2009 WorldNetDaily
http://www.wnd.com 

A former science adviser to British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher says the real purpose of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen on Dec. 7-18 is to use global warming hype as a pretext to lay the foundation for a one-world government.

"At [the 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in] Copenhagen this December, weeks away, a treaty will be signed," Monkton told a Minnesota Free Market Institute audience on Thursday at Bethel University in St. Paul.

"Your president will sign it. Most of the Third World countries will sign it, because they think they're going to get money out of it. Most of the left-wing regimes from the European Union will rubber stamp it. Virtually nobody won't sign it," he told the audience of some 700 attendees.


"I read that treaty and what it says is this: that a world government is going to be created. The word 'government' actually appears as the first of three purposes of the new entity."


"The second purpose is the transfer of wealth from the countries of the West to Third World countries, in satisfaction of what is called, coyly, 'climate debt' – because we've been burning CO2 and they haven't. We've been screwing up the climate and they haven't. And the third purpose of this new entity, this government is enforcement."
In an hour and a half lecture illustrated by slides featuring scientific data on a wide range of climate issues, Monkton refuted claims made by former Vice President Al Gore in his movie and book entitled "An Inconvenient Truth," as well as scientific arguments made by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Monckton argued that President Obama will sign the Copenhagen treaty at the December meeting, without seeking a two-thirds ratification of the treaty by the Senate, or any other type of Congressional approval.

"So, thank you, America. You were the beacon of freedom to the world. It is a privilege to stand on this soil of freedom while it is still free," he continued. "But, in the next few weeks, unless you stop it, your president will sign your freedom, your democracy, and your humanity away forever. "

"But I think it is here, here in your great nation, which I so love and I so admire – it is here that perhaps, at this eleventh hour, at the fifty-ninth minute and fifty-ninth second, you will rise up and you will stop your president from signing that dreadful treaty, that purposeless treaty. For there is no problem with the climate and, even if there were, an economic treaty does nothing to [help] it."
****

This gives one pause!

Read full story: http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=113219

Watch lecture video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=stij8sUybx0&feature=player_embedded#


View the PowerPoint slides: http://www.friendsofscience.org/assets/documents/monckton_2009.pdf

Saturday, October 17, 2009

12-Steps For Government Shop-A-Holics

From the playbook of Alcoholic's Anonymous...
the only way to stop excess spending is to just stop <period>


Sounds simple, right?

It should be that simple unless the people who are over-spending have become hooked on spending money.

Controversial FOX Radio and TV host Glenn Beck inspired this article. Not so much because he is a recovered alcoholic. Rather, that he has taken a bold stand in trying to identify what is behind the unprecedented shift in the way national government is conducting both itself and the affairs of the nation. And has candidly murmured that he feels people who are practicing a  recovery program can help the recovering nation in some way.

In the rooms of AA, it is common to hear that 1 drink is too many and 1,000 are not enough. In the halls of Congress, it is common to hear that $1Billion is too much and $1Trillion is not enough.

Sounds about the same, doesn't it?

Yesterday's breathtaking AP news report titled "2009 federal deficit surges to $1.42 trillion"  includes another mind boggling CBO projection:
"The Congressional Budget Office projects that the nation's debt held by investors both at home and abroad will increase by $9.1 trillion over the next decade, pushing the total to $17.1 trillion (by 2019) under Obama's spending plans."
As the National Debt Clock keeps chalking up bigger and bigger deficit numbers, it doesn't take an economist to figure out that something is terribly wrong. Or to notice that the U. S. Congress and the White House are indulging in a free-for-all spending spree with no end in sight while the Treasury is still churning out new currency because there are no cash reserves to draw upon. Even before adding proposed big dollar programs like the $2 Trillion price tag on health care,  the debt meter rolls on adding a few more billion here and few more billion there - calculating expenditures for things we can't even afford today, much less in another year or two.

Continuous spending without restraint is commonly called a shop-a-holic binge. Something anyone who has been through a 12 Step Recovery Program knows is a sure symptom of reckless, if not dangerous, behavior. Conduct that is not much different from how untreated addicts or alcoholics behave. Getting the fix - regardless of economic or human cost - is far more important than anything else in life. The problems get bigger and worse as time goes by. Lying, cheating, hiding, and stealing become a way of life. Eventually, the shop-a-holic or gambling addict will go bankrupt. The drug addict or alcoholic will experience something catastrophic or life threatening.

Regardless of which addiction expresses itself, the storm path of increasing destruction and misery is all the same. And no one in the path of an out-of-control binge is immune from the wreckage. Without corrective action, families, businesses, corporations, and yes -- even governments are at grave risk and can be devastated.

Those in recovery know the stages of addiction and the needed curative steps because they have lived them. AA founder Bill Wilson said:
"The alcoholic is like a tornado roaring his way through the lives of others. Hearts are broken. Sweet relationships are dead. Affections have been uprooted. Selfish and inconsiderate habits have kept the home in turmoil."
And:
"the alcoholic is an extreme example of self-will run riot, though he usually doesn't think so."

Add the river of denials that have been flowing from the lips of those who are pushing and riding the federal spending train into the observation and it becomes crystal clear why people in recovery can't help but see the exact same downward spiral that happens when the average person who becomes hooked on gambling or shopping, drugs or alcohol.

In this case, the nation is in turmoil. Turmoil that can only grow worse until the spending stops and sane discussion about how to resolve the nation's problems comes to the fore.

The President's job approval rating has dropped to 49% to 51% (depending upon which poll you read) while Congress's approval rating stands at 24%. Numbers like these cannot be ignored.

When 76% of voters cannot approve the job performance by those who are responsible for how national funds are used, then hearts are truly broken. Sweet relationships are dying, if not already dead. And all the while, Congress and the White House are pushing for costly health care changes and muttering about more bail-outs, more ear marks, more...more ... more. The entire scenario is surreal.

Bill Wilson is right. The tornado is, indeed, roaring its way through the lives of others. 305,000,000 others!  All of whom now have an equal share of the U. S. National Debt to the tune of $38,730.00 and rising.

Government over-spending could be stopped in its tracks and ultimately cured. But like any addiction, stopping the progressive destruction and reaching a cure requires certain radical changes. The first is admitting that there is a problem.

Yes there is a way out. Even a government can stop its excesses. A budget can be balanced. It's not easy. But it can be done. Millions of people worldwide have recovered from far worse indulgences than uncontrolled spending. But to do so, each and every one had to stop tap dancing around the problem with denials and accept a helping hand.

Sadly, the White House and Congressional leaders appear to be in an entrenched state of denial. This means things will probably get much worse before they can improve. Almost every day, some news news media reports yet another attack on the many messengers who are coming forward to protest or challenge the way the nation is currently being governed.  Some are labeled racists. Others are called liars. Some are laughed at. Others are scolded. Many are treated with disdain. And some, like FOX News, are labeled the enemy.

In a "it takes one to know one" way, anyone who has ever been in denial about anything knows what this type of reaction means.  It is the same abuse "those in the know" hurled at anyone who dared question their own destructive behavior before they agreed to earnest corrective measures. If you have ever witnessed a substance abuse "intervention" or confronted someone about problematic excesses, then slurs and adversarial posturing are not shocking in the context of addiction. Yet in the context of governing a nation, such behavior is about as mind boggling as the latest $17 Trillion estimate in the CBO report until one remembers that the nation is now being governed by over-spenders - a/k/a shop-a-holics.

Too bad there isn't rehab for politicians. And that voters have to wait until 2010 to elect some replacements.  It's a long shot to think that political enablers will suddenly stop enabling each other. Or that those in denial will miraculously find 'ears to hear'.  But one can hope. In the rooms of AA, there is always hope.  May it be so in the nation as well.

Friday, October 16, 2009

In Case You Forgot... How To Balance A Budget

U.S. schools teach every elementary school student how to add and subtract.

2 + 2 = 4.

10 - 9 = 1.

The amazing thing about adding and subtracting is that no matter how big the numbers might be, one can always find out how much it takes on the plus (+) side to equal or be greater than the minus (-) side.

This math trick isn't some new radical invention. It has been around for a long time. And has proven useful to people all over the world.

Even governments use it to be sure they are not spending more than their annual budgets call for.

It's really very simple.

If something costs $10.00 and you only have $9.00, then you need 1 more dollar before you can buy it.

You can earn the dollar at your job, withdraw it from your savings account, borrow it from a bank or a friend, or sell something you own.

The important fact everyone needs to know is that without that needed 1 extra dollar from somewhere, the $10.00 purchase cannot happen.

This is how average citizens balance their budgets:

Add up all your known expenses.

This includes things you must purchase every month, like rent, utilities, insurance, car payment, hired help, groceries, and loan or credit card payments.

The total of these known expenses is how much money you must earn every month to maintain your current standard of living.

Now add up your income.

This includes what you earn at your job and any other regular income you receive.

Now you're ready to see if your budget is balanced or if you are living beyond your means.

If your regular monthly expenses are MORE than what you earn each month, you are in the red.

This means you are spending more than you earn and are accumulating debt. Most likely credit card debt. Or borrowed money.

If your regular expenses are LESS than what you earn each month, you are in the black.

This means you have extra money that you can either save or spend or use to pay off debt..

Now let's move on to something more exciting like the National Debt.

Right now, it is $11.9+ Trillion Dollars. The current amount - courtesy of www.usdebtclock.org is $11, 913,019, 888, 901.

Your share as a U.S. citizen is $38,716.00.

Tax payers shares are $109,932.00. (Why? Not all citizens - like children - pay taxes.)

The National Debt has continued to increase an average of $3.93 billion per day since September 28, 2007.

The nation accumulates debt just like anyone - by spending beyond its means.

In 2009, the federal government has already overspent its annual budget by $1.2+ Trillion Dollars.

If this concerns you, contact your U. S. Congressman and U. S. Senator.

They are the people who are responsible for voting on how federal money is spent.

To learn more about National Debt, check out Defeat The Debt.com

Here is their explanation about Who We Owe:

The national debt currently stands at about $11.8 trillion, with much of that money owed to foreign nations and foreign investors. Our interest payments on that debt are enormous, estimated at $170 billion this year alone. Over the course of the next decade our payments are expected to quadruple, which will mean even more tax dollars flowing overseas. The largest foreign holders of US debt include countries with whom we have complex or even antagonistic relationships: China, Russia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and Libya, among others. Continued deficit spending leaves Americans no choice but to pay a large portion of our taxes to foreign governments.

Just in: Federal deficit hits all-time high $1.42 trillion


WASHINGTON – The federal budget deficit has surged to an all-time high of $1.42 trillion as the recession caused tax revenues to plunge while the government was spending massive amounts to stabilize the financial system and jump-start the economy.

The imbalance for the budget year ended Sept. 30, more than tripled last year's record. The Obama administration projects deficits will total $9.1 trillion over the next decade unless corrective action is taken.

Truth Is Stranger Than Fiction...right?

Have you noticed that those who govern the United States are behaving in ways that are almost impossible to believe? That whatever shocked you in yesterday's news is displaced by a bigger shocking story today? Reading or watching national news is like following a horror show disguised as a political thriller for those who value truth and honesty.

Foot dragging about additional troops and strategy for the war in Afghanistan while American troops are dying in battle brings up a GASP! in anyone who has a child, friend, or family member currently serving in the U. S. Armed Forces. A gasp that is followed by grave concerns when one remembers how many sons and daughters of U.S. Citizens have already been killed in the last 8 years of wars.

Then, we hear revelations that yet another Marxist / Socialist devotee currently representing the White House in some capacity. Yesterday it was Van Jones - a self-proclaimed Communist. Today, it is White House spokesperson Anita Dunn - a self proclaimed devotee of Mao Tse Tung's philosophy. Yes, alarm bells are ringing. The President's job approval rating has fallen below the 50% mark. And there are probably many who wish they had supported Hillary Clinton since her approval rating has soared in recent days.

These daily descriptions of betrayal, corruption, deceit, and self-aggrandizement are revealing that those who won 2008 elections based on solemn promises of change and accountability have turned their backs on the voters who elected them. A new era in government was supposed to have begun. One that is transparent about the workings of government. C-Span coverage was promised to insure public access to what were once "closed door sessions". That promise evaporated months ago. We were promised bi-partisan participation for crafting legislation. Yet, within weeks of the presidential inauguration, partisan politics hastily passed a costly and highly questionable economic stimulus package with Democrats thumbing their nose at anyone who questioned or critiqued its content.

Now, 9 months into the new adminstration with a trail of broken promises... the present-day political system feels more like a bullying dictatorship than a democracy that is dedicated to serving the well-being of the entire nation equally. Yes, citizens are concerned. Concern that is growing into a polarized schism with each passing day.

Rasmussen Polls show "the majority of voters (60%) continue to believe the nation is heading down the wrong track." (Oct 14).

Rising unemployment and ballooning national debt are equally, if not more important to the average citizen than passing health care reform this year. Greater or less costly health insurance will not feed one's family. It will not pay one's rent or mortgage payment. It will not buy clothes or school supplies for one's children. And it will not inspire consumer confidence to buy more products or create new business or industry to replace those that have already closed their doors.

2009: October 14 ~ A commentary - Obama's Middle Class Betrayal. - on Rasmussen Report is an interesting read about the new "politcally correct" climate of betrayal.

The widening gap between those who are devoted to sustaining the nation as a democracy with a free market economy and those who want to revolutionize the economy by nationalizing industry under the mandate of enacting "social justice" is well illustrated by today's simple poll numbers showing 40% of voters believe the economy should be the primary focus of federal government versus 13% who feel health care reform is the urgent priority of the day. This variance in voter opinion brings up the question: Why are national policy-makers so devoted to adding another financial burden to the national debt rather than responding to the growing cry of concerned citizens for fiscal responsibility? With 64% of those surveyed saying they are happy with the health care they now have, where is the fire?

To thoughtful Americans, when silence comes up like thunder in response to legitimate questions, and calls for reasonable explanations about policy priorities are met with emotionally charged personal attacks, it becomes well apparent that something is terribly amiss. Political leadership that refuses to consider ideas from all sides about sweeping reforms such as current health care proposals that -- if not handled carefully -- could instantly nationalize the 6th largest industry in the country is a genuine cause for concern. And then there are the costs...

On the matter of health care, we are hearing cost estimates that range from $850+ Billion to $2 Trillion USD. Mind boggling numbers that will be added to the already staggering $11.9+ Trillion National Debt (a debt load of $38,716.00 per citizen and growing!).

Even more distrubing is while we are told it will take some time to forge an actual piece of legislation that can be realistically discussed, more tax payer dollars are spent every day to promote the idea of an as yet undefined health care reform plan.

No wonder people are upset. It is bad enough to watch national offices that were once seats of dignity, respect and self-restraint turn into a daily parody of the WWE - where finger pointing, back stabbing, and name calling are to be expected from CM Punk, the Moscow Mauler, or Tommy Dreamer. Yet, when antics such as these take precedence over actually governing the nation in a responsible way, one must wonder what kind of leadership would declare war on a news broadcast company for examining all sides of a sweeping national reform. This recent pithy comment by Salon.com's Camille Paglia says it well:
"He (Obama) is surrounded by some mighty small potatoes who need shoveling into the dumpster. The petty provincials need to go, and far more sophisticated and world-savvy analysts must urgently be brought on board."

Hear! Hear!