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Alienation or Alien Nation: Your Choice

Capture4-30-2010-4.47.51 PM

The government, by their action – or should I say lack of action – has fomented another crisis for the purpose of pandering to a political constituency.

The democrats are hoping that the Hispanics become democrats in gratitude, become union members and support their socialist brand of entitlement politics.

The republicans are hoping that the Hispanics become republicans in gratitude, become low-paid wage slaves and support their socialist brand of entitlement politics.

The Administration is not enforcing existing law as they subvert our Constitution – thus alienating a large number of American citizens.

Arizona, recognizing that the Obama Administration is not upholding the Constitution and is not enforcing the laws of the land, has taken matters into their own hands: crafting a law which mirrors the constitutional United States law.

They did this to protect their citizens from murder, kidnapping, rape, torture, drugs and to insure that scarce social services which provide front-line protection and medical services to their legal residents is not spent on illegal aliens which have no right to be in this country in the first place.

You can argue about the ethics, morals, cultural sensitivities. You can romanticize the hard-working illegal alien, claiming that they are performing work that no American would perform.

The truth is that the government, and particularly the Obama Administration, is overlooking the simplest solution to the problem.

One, give every illegal alien 180 days to apply for the alien registration card that they are, by law, required to have. Along with this registration comes a “safety" net,” a temporary work permit to work in the United States.

Two, deport any illegal alien who does not possess a valid work permit. No exceptions. That includes families with American-born children.

Three, declare the interpretation of the 14th Amendment null and void – children will assume the nationality of their parents at birth; unless one parent is a legal American citizen.

Fourth, within one year, any holder of a valid work permit can apply for a permanent work permit. These permits will include criminal background and employment checks. Work permits will be renewable every five years, when another background check will be run.

Fifth, any person convicted of a crime or serious felony will have their immigration status reviewed -- and if they are found to be a danger to the community, will be subject to deportation.

Sixth, any employer who knowingly employs illegal aliens or gives registered aliens preference over legal American citizens shall be punished.

Seventh, repeal or replace any conflicting legislation which does not support this current immigration system.

That solves the current crisis and sets the stage for more comprehensive immigration reform. Note that I did not need to introduce 1000+ pages of dense, complex legalese to explain my idea or setup a legal precedent. Clear, easy to understand and no wiggle-room.

Of course, the immigration lawyers and immigration activists will take a big hit in both income and political influence. Too ‘effin bad as we do not run the United States for their personal benefit.

You decide …

Do we want to express our alienation with our government or do we want to live in an alien nation?

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


SECRET MEMO: IS THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION SELLING OUR BIRTHRIGHTS AND PANDERING TO CALIFORNIA SPECIAL INTERESTS?

On April 22, 2009, I wrote a blog item titled “DIANNE FEINSTEIN: OOPS I DID IT AGAIN?” which contained a section that started …

I seem to remember something about Senator Feinstein and gold mining that I had heard when I was with my hunting buddies on a daytrip to the old ghost town at Bodie State Park.  And then I found this …

“On October 8, 1994 the biggest gold heist in history occurred, but this theft lacked the melodrama of a Jesse James holdup or the excitement of a Brink's truck robbery. Nary a word was reported by the media even though this thievery was committed in the light of day. The citizens that were being robbed tried to cry out for help but the lawmen wouldn't listen because unbeknownst to them they were helping the bandits gain their booty.”

The 103rd Congress managed to accomplish more than a gang of train robbers could achieve in a lifetime when they approved the Desert Wilderness Protection Act. ‘Instead of voting on the Desert Wilderness Protection Act, Congress should be convening a criminal investigation,’ said Donald Fife, spokesman for the National Association of Mining Districts. Fife was commenting on recent information that indicates tens of billions of dollars in gold deposits and huge real estate swindles may be the motivating factors behind the act.”

Sponsored by Senator Diane Feinstein, the Desert Wilderness Protection Act and it's companion bill known as the California Desert Protection Act create three new national parks and seventy-four new wilderness areas in the desert of California that would total 8 million acres (an area the size of Maryland). This will close this acreage to development, force out private owners within the protected area and close down mines and ranches. It would also expand the Death Valley and Joshua Tree national monuments and upgrade them to national parks. This is the largest wilderness land lockup since the 1980 Alaska Lands Act; largest ever in the lower 48 states. Senator Feinstein contends that the fragile ecosystem of the desert must be protected from development, but in reality the areas being placed into park and wilderness closures are not threatened.”

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So I was naturally interested in the Washington Examiner’s editorial asking … 

“Why is Ken Salazar hiding memo on new monuments, wilderness areas?”

“Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar was asked in a Feb. 26, 2010, letter from Western Caucus Chairman Rep. Rob Bishop, R-UT, and other representatives from western states for the missing pages from a leaked government memo that “contained detailed information about the administration’s plans to designate as many as 14 new national monuments and lock up as much as 13 million acres in states throughout the West.”

Why it matters …

Contained within a secret document leaked by unknown persons, is a section that deals with the exact geographic area that was cited in the story about a great gold theft involving manipulation of public lands for personal gain.

Capture4-29-2010-5.34.03 PM

“Attachment 4 -- Prospective Conservation Designation: National Monument Designations under the Antiquities Act”

“Many nationally significant landscapes are worthy of inclusion in the NLCS. The areas listed below may be good candidates for National Monument designation under the Antiquities Act; however, further evaluations should be completed prior to any final decision, including an assessment of public and Congressional support.”

“Bodie Hills, CA”

“The remote Bodie Hills, located in the eastern Sierra Nevada, provide habitat for the imperiled sage grouse and the iconic pronghorn antelope, rare in California. The ghost town of Bodie State Historic Park, managed by the State of California, lies at the center of the Bodie Hills. Bodie State Historic Park is known as the best preserved ghost town in the West and receives several hundred thousand visits annually. Numerous gold mining operations have been proposed in the
Bodies, and a new proposal is pending
. Bodie Hills provides an opportunity to link. both
ecotourism and cultural tourism providing benefits to the surrounding communities.”

Is the THEFT of our natural resources by the special interests in exchange for campaign contributions and support continuing?

If you believe the original story about the misuse of government power to convey extremely valuable land and mineral rights to certain special interests, then perhaps this might be  part and parcel (pun intended) in the continuing illegal conversion or theft of public property.

One section of the story stood out …

It is alleged that JLB Realty Corp. based out of Chicago, is tied to Dick Blum, millionaire husband of Sen. Diane Feinstein and that JLB allegedly will stand to make a huge profit on this development. In the name of "re-wilding" millions of acres of desert, grave financial and environmental damage will occur once the land is closed to the public.

Could it be that the same special interests, emboldened by the democrat majority in Congress and the election of a democrat President with ties to Chicago’s thuggish politics is now back for a second dip? Just asking?

Bottom line …

With so much governmental malfeasance and corruption, it is imperative that “we the people” elect honest brokers to look out for our national interests. The self-dealing and corrupt politicians and their special interest friends must be investigated and held to account for their past actions. Properties deeds conveyed in an illegal manner or as part of some special interest deal must be reviewed and, when appropriate, returned to their rightful owners – be they individuals, corporations or “we the people.”

We need to clean up this cesspool of corruption in Washington, starting this November. Before we find that the resources of our nation have been plundered for private gain and our political system turned into an European socialist quagmire.

-- steve

Reference Links …

 THE GREAT GOLD HEIST

Why is Ken Salazar hiding memo on new monuments, wilderness areas? | Washington Examiner

DIANNE FEINSTEIN: OOPS I DID IT AGAIN?


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Another look at Al Gore and the global warming movement ...

By no means a successful politician or a man of the people, Al Gore has managed to emerge as the public point man and icon of the global weather activists who have found a way to subvert governments, raise significant funding and achieve respectability to promote their self-serving financial and political causes.

And when one considers this movement to have been infiltrated by the far-left radical socialists, communists, anarchists and others whose fundamental political philosophy is dependent on a ruling elite, a strong government central planning effort, wealth redistribution and a submissive populace, the original cause becomes more than somewhat suspect.

To this end, I believe that Eric Hoffer, the eminent philosopher has it right …

Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket."
— Eric Hoffer (The True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements)

What we know …

The science is far from settled and there is more of a self-interest alliance, rather than a scientific consensus, that is promoting global warming …

Fact: Global warming and/or global climate change is nothing more than a scientific hypothesis – it is not a fact and its basic premise of a continually rising global mean temperature that will significantly affect our ecosystem remains unproven.

Fact: Because of geological and climate timescales, global warming may never become statistically measurable above the noise of normal climate variability until thousands of years have passed.

Fact: The historical and proxy data that is being used to drive global climate models is highly suspect and may have been manipulated to support an erroneous conclusion. There is absolute proof of weather measurement apparatus being improperly located and the data being artificially created or manipulated.

Fact: The current global climate models are flawed, hampered by erroneous assumptions and using arbitrary parameters (such as a doubling of the atmospheric CO2 levels) to produce their so-called results. I would like to remind people that computer programs, left to their own devices, can produce pretty pictures of leafs and shells – but fail to impute meaning or significant to what remains little more than pretty designs based on random date.

Fact: Most scientists working for prestigious institutions are subtlety, and sometimes not so subtlety, coerced into supporting programs which are bringing hundreds of millions of government-sponsored and directed funding into these institutions. And at the very least, scientists who may disagree with the institution’s core self-interests are encouraged to remain quite or lose their position, funding or ability to proceed with their own work.

Fact: The peer-review process in climate-related science has apparently been compromised by the actions of a few powerful scientists and their followers. The so-called guarantee that “peer-review,” in actuality a pre-publication process that does not verify the author’s data or hypothesis, means that an author is credible or correct is wrong. The process is misunderstood by the public and is not a blue-ribbon seal of approval.

Fact: The basic reason that global warming is being promoted is because individuals, governments, corporations and institutions find it a convenient mechanism for obtaining the public’s money and instituting public policies which enhance their personal, professional and political power.

Fact: Carbon dioxide is not a pollutant and the rise in atmospheric CO2 levels lags the rise in temperature – not a causal event. In fact, the rise in CO2 can be related to the rise in ocean temperatures much as an open beer emits carbon dioxide as it warms.

Fact: There are many beneficial side effects from an increased carbon dioxide level and a warmer global mean temperature.

Fact: Man has always adapted to changing natural phenomena and will continue to do so in the future. People change their habits or move to more beneficial areas.

Fact: The thought that any government legislation can change global weather is about as ludicrous as passing a law against volcanoes.

I am here to say “the emperor has no clothes” and the matter of climate change, well-deserving of further scientific study, is being turned into a scam to screw-over the public.

Consider the bible of the left, the New York Times as they note …

“At 40, Earth Day Is Now Big Business”

“So strong was the anti-business sentiment for the first Earth Day in 1970 that organizers took no money from corporations and held teach-ins “to challenge corporate and government leaders.”

“Forty years later, the day has turned into a premier marketing platform for selling a variety of goods and services, like office products, Greek yogurt and eco-dentistry.”

The movement has turned into a marketing ploy … much like that of labeling produce as “organic” to produce higher profit margins – knowing full well that their is no government specification of what it means to be “organic.”

The goal should be pollution control …

I know of no one, myself included, who believes that we should be subjected to polluted ground, water and air.

So why shouldn’t our government attempt to control pollution instead of providing big corporate interests the right to continue their polluting ways by buying “pollution credits” which allows them to pollute while passing the costs along to their customers, and by extension, the general public?

Bottom line …

So why should we allow our politicians to raise our taxes, curtail our personal freedoms and re-distribute our collective wealth to other nations under the rubric of socialism?

So why should we allow scammers such as Al Gore and his special interest partners to loot the public’s treasury for their own gain – while demanding their bought-and-paid-for government officials provide them with ever more power and money?

We need honest brokers: in science, in government and in our corporations. Capitalism and profits are not dirty words as they have driven 200 years of progress into a nation unlike the world has ever seen. To throw this away on some socialist or communist dream of a social utopia is both wrong and foolish.

Let’s vote these corrupt bastards out of our government. Scorn those scientists who fudge the facts for their own self-interest. And boycott those polluting corporations which are putting our lives at risk.

Climate change is real and variable. And there is absolutely no proof that government interference is beneficial – just as government interference in the economy and other world affairs often makes the situation worse and the people more miserable.

Vote the corrupt bastards out of office, be they democrat or republican.

-- steve

Reference links:

On 40th Anniversary, Earth Day Is Big Business - NYTimes.com


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


California term limits initiative is a sham vote for more corrupt politicians

There is no doubt that California is in dire financial straits – caused by long-term politicians who have become well-accustomed to a privileged existence where they can game the system to live a very, very comfortable lifestyle. 

Well it's about time that Californians pushed back against these politicians, on both sides of the aisle, who have turned our formerly golden State of California into a cesspool of political and special interest corruption. Where votes can be openly purchased by campaign funding, media support and voter drives. Lobbyists donating to tax-exempt "protocol" funds which pay the expenses of elected officials and are touted as saving the taxpayer millions of dollars.

Now comes a proposed initiative to alter California’s term limits laws …

While it might sound good on the surface, reducing a politician’s total time served in the legislature from 14 years to 12 years, it is absolutely another ploy to keep the ruling (note I did not say governing) democrats in power for longer periods of time in a single chamber.

According to the Sacramento Bee  …

“The initiative would create a 12-year cap on legislative terms, allowing lawmakers to serve 12 years consecutively in one house or split time between the Assembly and the Senate. Currently, lawmakers can serve up to 14 years -- three two-year terms in the Assembly and two four-year terms in the Senate.”

This would allow politicians to become even more embedded in the legislative procedures … and as we have seen on numerous occasions, these procedures are rife with self-dealing, favors, trades and swaps; in essence, you vote for my proposal and I will vote for your proposal – the public be damned.

“The changes would take effect for officials elected beginning in 2012, so current lawmakers and candidates elected this year would not be affected.”

The usual suspects supporting “special interest” corruption …

"Californians know our current system has created a merry-go-round of politicians looking ahead to the next office instead of focusing on the state's complex issues. ‘By reforming term limits, we will get a fresh start with lawmakers who will gain independence from lobbyists, develop expertise and be accountable to the people who elect them,’ Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce President Gary Toebben and Los Angeles County Federation of Labor/AFL-CIO Executive Secretary/Treasurer Maria Elena Durazo, co-chairs of the campaign, said in a statement.”

An absolute lie?

By reforming term limits, we will get a fresh start with lawmakers who will gain independence from lobbyists, develop expertise and be accountable to the people who elect them.”

One need only look at whose statement was cited as a positive endorsement of the proposed initiative to know that both co-chairs of the campaign represent lobbying groups and that the toxic influence of  the special interests including public service employee unions is the proximate cause of California’s fiscal woes. How can the State afford to continue to fund outrageous union salary and benefit packages – including the underfunded pensions – without going broke?

Truth-be-told, this would allow favored politicians even more time to trade favors for campaign support. It would put them in a position of accumulating even more power in terms of seniority committee assignments.

Bottom line …

There is nothing positive to be found in this initiative that will do what its proponents claim.

It will not give California a fresh start.

It will not make the lawmakers more independent of lobbyists.

It will not allow legislators to develop more expertise, since most of the expertise is supplied by staff and consultants; and in many cases, the legislative language found in bills is proposed by special interest lobbyists.

And it will certainly not make these legislators more accountable to the people who elect them.

And it certainly will benefit those who have spent hundreds of thousands of dollars supporting this initiative drive.

Considering what these legislators have done to our State, I suggest that we not reelect incumbents at all – throw them all out on their asses. And vote for conservatives to replace the far-left liberal and socialistic democrats who have helped make our state the “social experiment” for the nation. At a great cost in time, effort, money and jobs.

Throw these people under the bus – or accept that we will become Alta México in word and deed.,

-- steve

Reference Links …

Capitol Alert: Ballot measure to alter terms limits turns in 1 million signatures


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


What are we, Muslims?

A not that funny joke …

National Security Adviser, General James Jones, opened his remarks at the Washington Institute For Near East Policy with a Jewish joke. One that I thought was only slightly funny and which attempted to lighten the tone of a very somber subject: the security of the United States and its global relations.

Many people in media and some in the Jewish community decided to spin this story into a media event – one indicating racial insensitivity and inappropriateness – some going as far to review the General’s past and call it an effort bordering on anti-Semitism.

Perhaps it was inappropriate given the circumstances, but it did absolutely no harm. Nobody rose in protest. Nobody set cars on fire or looted local businesses. Nobody made death threats and nobody was killed.

Remember folks, this is a heavily Jewish institution and they are not Muslims: rioting, looting and killing at every imagined slight to their religion.

Here are the General Jones’ opening remarks …

“ On this, your twenty-fifth anniversary, let me commend all those who have made the Washington Institute for Near East Policy the respected institution it is today, especially past presidents Barbi Weinberg, Fred Lafer, Michael Stein, and your chairman, Howard Berkowitz.”

And here is the joke in video format …

For those without video download capabilities, here is the joke …

“A Taliban militant gets lost and is wandering around the desert looking for water. He finally arrives at a store run by a Jew and asks for water. The Jewish vendor tells him he doesn’t have any water but can gladly sell him a tie. The Taliban, the jokes goes on, begins to curse and yell at the Jewish storeowner. The Jew, unmoved, offers the rude militant an idea: Beyond the hill, there is a restaurant; they can sell you water. The Taliban keeps cursing and finally leaves toward the hill. An hour later he’s back at the tie store. He walks in and tells the merchant: ‘Your brother tells me I need a tie to get into the restaurant.’”

Not the greatest joke, nor is it the the appropriate forum to throw out a clinker, but it is OK – no harm, no foul.

The Jewish media . ..

According to the Jewish Forward

“After the speech, two participants suggested, in private conversations with the Forward, that Jones’ joke might have been inappropriate. After all, making jokes about greedy Jewish merchants can be seen at times as insensitive.”

“A prominent think-tank source who attended the event said the joke was “wrong in so many levels” and that it ‘demonstrated a lack of sensitivity.’ The source also asked: ‘Can you imagine him telling a black joke at an event of African Americans?’”

The White House may have been embarrassed …

Obviously the White House did not need additional tsuris (troubles), so they avoided the big megillah (long story) and edited the video and transcript accordingly. I am sure it wasn’t Administration censorship -- given the open, transparent, accountable ethical tone set by President Obama.

Bottom line …

Get over it! It was a Gentile (non-Jew) trying to be funny and it didn’t quite work. No biggie. Now if they had sent Don Rickles to lecture on foreign policy or General Colin Powell, who speaks fluent Yiddish, now that’s an another story.

-- steve

Reference Links …

Michael Stein Address featuring James L. Jones -- 2010 Soref Symposium

Gen. (Ret.) James L. Jones, USMC, President Obama's national security advisor, delivered the Michael Stein Address on U.S. Middle East Policy at The Washington Institute's 2010 Soref Symposium on April 21, 2010. The event honored the Institute's 25th anniversary.  

My favorite jokes – Jan Murray (March 11, 1978)

This is the original telling of the joke by Borscht Belt (Jewish comedy circuit) comedian Jan Murray.


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Political candidates: before you ask for my support ...

Due to my blog, facebook page and twitter accounts, I am receiving a great number of requests, both for financial support and for mentions in my blog.

Some believe that my conservative stance means that I will represent some fringe candidate or someone who can only be described as quirky. Wrong!

While I am looking for someone who is conservative, I am also looking for someone who will be effective (knowing the right tasks to do) and efficient (performing these tasks with a minimum of time, energy and expense – mostly by doing it right the first time and avoiding “change orders”).

Therefore, I suggest you study the following … 

One candidate who seems like a perfectly respectable chap recently asked me to sign-0n to his campaign by visiting his website, donating money and helping him to get out the word.

Unfortunately, my replies says it all …

With all due respect, I see nothing in your background that qualifies you to run for the Senate other than your good intentions. While I believe you will honor your oath of office, I also believe you will be winging it when it comes to difficult matters such as science, technology, employment and finance. I am sorry that I cannot hop on board, but do wish you the best of luck. -- steve 

P.S. Good luck with your music career.

Even more prominent, but second and third-tier candidates are asking bloggers such as myself to contribute and support their campaigns. To them I say …

Yes, you have achieved a measure of name recognition and are able to raise a substantial amount of money. But, unfortunately, while you represent a portion of my own political agenda, your quirkiness and failure to disavow loathsome extremists that are promoting your campaign with time, effort and money – makes you unacceptable to me as a candidate who might represent my voice.

Therefore, I wish you the best of luck with your campaign. – steve

And to some of the top tier candidates …

Do you think I am out of  my ‘effin mind. You represent the same level of complacency and corruption  as those who you wish to replace. A different face on the same old asshole. I don’t care what you call yourself: liberal, moderate, conservative, Republican or Democrat – you have no ideas of your own and are nothing without your special interest sponsors.  I see you are well-known, well-financed and represent all that I hate in politics. I do not wish you luck and hope you fall on your ass. – steve

And a little something for the celebrities …

WTF: While you have uber-name recognition, I know you are nothing like your public persona or the person you portray in the movies. I have seen what a good-looking, articulate actor can do with a TelePrompTer and a great speech writer. All Hollywood smoke and mirrors making a narcissistic  ego-maniac look like a presentable political candidate.

So with all due thanks for the past entertainment you have provided, I do not need any more clowns in my life to amuse me while you send my beloved nation down the road to socialism or worse.

F_You very much – steve

Bottom line …

Folks, if I could only reach one person with the following message, I could claim success.

We are at an historic crossroads, where our constitution has been attacked and our politicians are either complacent or corrupt. They no longer listen to “we the people,” but to the special interests who support their campaign with funding, media support and voters. All people who expect a payback – not in good governance, but in access, favors, employment and contracts – an opportunity to personally and professionally benefit from their support.

Unless we elect honest, competent brokers to represent us, we are doomed to become a third-world nation; with the politics of France and the corruption and social problems of Mexico.

Research the candidates, step outside of media propaganda and paid advertisements. Check out the candidates for yourself. And then vote as if your life depended on it – because surely this time it does. With the passage of Obamacare, it has become an urgent  matter of life and death.

-- steve

Great Quote:  W.C. Fields often exclaimed, "People need to believe in something, so I believe I'll have another drink."


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Financial Reform: What the New York Times did not say ...

Once again, the New York times has angered me by not telling the complete story and ostensibly spinning the story to support their left-leaning political agenda which routinely excoriates big business in favor of a faux-consumerism that does not really exist.

The story according to the New York Times …

“Rating Agency Data Aided Wall Street in Deals”

“One of the mysteries of the financial crisis is how mortgage investments that turned out to be so bad earned credit ratings that made them look so good.”

“One answer is that Wall Street was given access to the formulas behind those magic ratings — and hired away some of the very people who had devised them.”

“In essence, banks started with the answers and worked backward, reverse-engineering top-flight ratings for investments that were, in some cases, riskier than ratings suggested, according to former agency employees.”

The major credit rating agencies, Moody’s, Standard & Poor’s and Fitch, drew renewed criticism on Friday on Capitol Hill for failing to warn of the dangers posed by complex investments like the one that has drawn Goldman Sachs into a legal whirlwind.

“The rating agencies made public computer models that were used to devise ratings to make the process less secretive. That way, banks and others issuing bonds — companies and states, for instance — wouldn’t be surprised by a weak rating that could make it harder to sell the bonds or that would require them to offer a higher interest rate.”

“But by routinely sharing their models, the agencies in effect gave bankers the tools to tinker with their complicated mortgage deals until the models produced the desired ratings.”

There were other ways that the models used to rate mortgage investments like the controversial Goldman deal, Abacus 2007-AC1, were flawed. Like many in the financial community, the agencies had assumed that home prices were unlikely to decline. They also assumed that complex investments linked to home loans drawn from around the nation were diversified, and thus safer.

Both of those assumptions were wrong, and investors the world over lost many billions of dollars. In that Abacus investment, for instance, 84 percent of the underlying bonds were downgraded within six months.”

“But for Goldman and other banks, a road map to the right ratings wasn’t enough. Analysts from the agencies were hired to help construct the deals.”

The real story that you need to know …

1. The proximate cause of the mortgage meltdown that triggered the current financial catastrophe was governmental interference.

The Federal Reserve – although not a government agency, the Federal Reserve maintained artificially low interest rates to recapitalize financial institutions who lost big in the crash of the dot com bust. The global pool of capital could no longer earn an acceptable rate of return by buying safe government securities, so they turned to the mortgage markets – the next safest investment at that time.

The Congress – through lobbyist-sponsored legislation, the government removed many of the older depression-era safeguards that protected our financial systems. Gone was the separation between banks and brokerages which gave rise to financial behemoths with their built in conflicts of interests and competing internal goals. Gone was the ability of the states to regulate against toxic derivatives using the states “gaming” and bucket-shop laws.

The Administration – Both parties were taking significant amounts of money from both the trial lawyers and Wall Street wizards. Both parties were pandering to the minorities by promoting the “American Dream” of home ownership. Both parties were openly supportive of Administrative agencies severely penalizing financial insitutions if they did not make loans in disadvantaged areas – even if those loans demanded a relaxation of underwriting standards.

The democrats – I am specifically pointing the finger at democrats for using the GSEs (Government Sponsored Entities) like Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as instruments of social change, their personal piggybank and a place to park politicians and friends in high-paying positions. As the executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac were cooking their books to earn large executive bonuses and please Wall Street, Barney Frank, Maxine Waters and others were openly defending these corrupt institutions as being safe, sound and well-managed. Something that was far from the truth.

The bottom line being that the government either demanded, authorized, encouraged or allowed reduced underwriting standards which led to unsound banking practices which saw hairdressers pyramiding homes as speculative investments and other egregious acts. That is, in addition to, the relaxed atmosphere of the Administration’s regulatory agencies who were seemingly in bed with the very firms they regulated. Lax oversight was rampant and most bureaucrats did not understand or even care about the systemic influence on the economy. They were happy to keep their jobs and promote the interests of their respective agencies.

2.  The data used to feed the Wall Street ratings models was extremely flawed.

The failure of historic data – Models are built on assumptions and use historic data as a comparison to current situations. In this particular case, the older data on mortgage delinquencies was based on older, more sound banking rules. The older data did not reflect newer financial constructs such as the Home Equity Line of Credit which, in essence, is a subordinate lien secured by your home. The older data did not reflect the ease at which troubled homeowners could refinance their troublesome mortgages in a rising and speculative marketplace.

The failure of economists – Many economists did not see the impending bubble forming nor were able to adequately assess its impact on the broader economy. Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan, arguably one of the smartest financial wonks in the world, confessed that he had not seen the true picture until it was too late. And the chief economic shill for the National Association of Realtors was openly touting real estate investment while the bubble was bursting. Like they say: “on one hand, we know a lot about the statistics; but on the other hand, we know little about their real impact on the broader economy.”

The failure of the FICO scoring system – there is no doubt in my mind that one of the key components of the financial models was compromised during the time period in question. The FICO score is accepted by most financial people as a predictive indicator of potential default on financial obligations. Unfortunately, the system overwhelmed the FICO system and rendered this most important tool almost irrelevant. Consider a troubled homeowner, barely able to pay his bills, overburdened with credit card debt and about to miss his first mortgage payment. Through the magic of a rising real estate market, this poor soul is able to re-finance his mortgage burden, pay off his credit card debt and possibly take back cash to spend on fixing up the house (adding to its value) or use the money on vacations. Consider his FICO score after the transactions:  A notation of a satisfactorily paid off mortgage (plus points), no substantial credit card debt (plus points) and no derogatory information which would indicate that the consumer was a major credit risk in dire straits and ready to default. When this consumer’s loan is now included in a mortgage-backed security, it is a ticking time bomb waiting to explode. Now replicate this scenario a hundred thousand or more times over and you begin to see the problem.

3. The Wall Street financial wizards concocted a hedge based on a form of insurance that never was actuarially sound.

It was a very, very bad idea to use a company’s strong balance sheet to underwrite a form of  “insurance” which allowed investors to purchase protection against defaults in securitized pools. Using statistical models, mostly based on flawed historical mortgage default rates, a company promised to pay a counterparty for the declining value of a mortgage pool in return of a small “insurance like” premium. Figuring that they could hardly lose money in a rising real estate market, these firms wrote many more contracts that they could fulfill if the market turned sour. From the issuing company’s perspective, it looked like a free flow of profits. From the Wall Street Wizard’s perspective, it looked like these contracts could be used to hedge toxic assets against default and thus persuade the ratings agencies to provide a triple-A investment-grade rating on toxic crap. And from the investor’s perspective, one could use these contracts to bet on assets that, unlike real insurance, you didn’t even own. And because these companies did not use actuarially sound methods to build adequate reserves, we were presented with an AIG – which required a government bailout to prevent other financial firms from crashing and burning.

4. The professionals allowed the system to be compromised for personal gain …

The accounting professionals –created accounting standards which enabled financial institutions to hide their growing risk from the regulatory agencies, the public and their counterparties in “off balance sheet” accounts known as special purpose vehicles. Where changes in a billion dollar portfolio of assets were done by only recording profits and losses on the assets – and never showing the assets themselves on the parent firm’s balance sheet where they would have served as a red flag for all to see.

The legal professionals – all of these complex machinations carried lawyer’s letters stating that they were legal, proper and in compliance with all of the existing local, state and federal laws, rules, regulations, interpretations and guidelines. With a caveat that one could either go by the strict word of the law or take a much looser interpretation.

Bottom line …

Regulatory reform by dishonest brokers such as the Obama Administration and Congress, acting to promote a political agenda and satisfy their special interests, are once again subverting the financial system.

They are using the faux-opposition of the financial industry to disguise the fact that the legislation’s “resolution authority” provides for government control and bailouts in perpetuity.

They are excusing the failure of the Administration’s regulatory agencies to oversee the financial sector and punish wrongdoing – by creating an even more complex bureacracy that will be more inept than the regulators currently in place.

They are whitewashing this entire sordid chapter in financial history in favor of receiving ever greater campaign funding in the upcoming 2010-2012 election cycle.

And the legislation does not even strongly regulate the derivatives which were the vehicles that almost crashed the American economy.

And we can only urge our representatives to vote NO on Obama’s corrupt financial regulatory reform initiatives. That is, until the government can prove that the regulatory agencies and regulations they have in place are working in the public’s interest – and not as a subsidiary of the firms they purport to regulate.

VOTE TO RESTORE OUR CONGRESSIONAL CHECKS AND BALANCES IN NOVEMBER – THROW OUT THE CORRUPT DEMOCRATS AND REPUBLICANS WHO ARE SUBVERTED OUR FINANCIAL SYSTEM AND SELLING OUT AMERICA.

-- steve

Reference Links:

Rating Agencies Shared Data, and Wall St. Seized on It - NYTimes.com


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Obama: Spinning Wall Street Reform ...

Never in the history of our nation, even considering both Richard Nixon, Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton, has a President so consistently lied to the American public on a regular basis. Only to be excused by the mainstream media as Obama’s “campaign mode.” As if politicians are free to lie to the American public while campaigning – only to be given a “pass” when then get elected. Unfortunately, the assumption that politicians will stop lying and campaigning when they get elected and settle down to do the people’s business is both false and misleading.

With President Obama, you cannot trust anything he says. Which is a very, very said state of affairs in our country. So the antidote to the Obama spin is to watch his actions; not what he says, but what he does.

  • Like his associations with Chicago thieves, like Tony Rezko.
  • Like his associations with openly racists and un-American characters like Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Minister Louis Farrakahn and Father Phleger.
  • Like condemning public outrage while cavorting with known domestic terrorists like William Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn.
  • Like appointing known socialists and communists to high and influential positions within the government; many without passing through the Senate Confirmation process.

So watch as the President spins “Wall Street Reform” as he openly plays host to the Goldman Sachs alumni club. Where his Administrations regulatory agencies go after Goldman Sachs while Obama hosts their Chairman at least four times at the White House while the Administration is “preparing” charges.  Charges which, in all likelihood, will result in some sort of fine with Goldman neither admitting nor denying the allegations. A small cost to plunder the nation for billions of dollars.

So why am I not surprised when I get the following message to lend my support to the Congressional weasels who do not read nor understand the purposely long and complex legislative bills they are voting for? 

Capture4-24-2010-12.20.24 PM

OneCitizen --

Last week, Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell got all 41 GOP senators to promise to oppose Wall Street reform. He thought President Obama would back down in the face of a unified show of force.

He was wrong.

Instead, the President stood in front of Wall Street bankers Thursday, going to bat for consumers and confronting the toughest of crowds with a strong message: Reform is good for Americans, good for the market, and it's time to get on board.

Bipartisan discussions have begun again -- but Wall Street lobbyists are still swarming Capitol Hill, trying to trip up negotiations and maintain the gridlock that has defined Washington for far too long.

So now, it's up to us. We need to show Senate Republicans that the American people are watching closely to see whose side they end up on.

Tell Sen. McConnell: Stop standing in the way of desperately needed change to win favor with your Wall Street allies.

Tell Republican senators to stand up to Wall Street. Send a letter.

The President laid out a bold plan to hold Wall Street accountable, to protect American taxpayers by ensuring they'll never again be asked to bail out a big firm "too big to fail," and to put in place the strongest consumer financial protections ever proposed.

But this fight isn't just about fixing Wall Street. It's also about fixing Washington.

For too long, it's been a place where special interests have set the rules and petty partisanship has stood in the way of progress. As the President said Thursday, "We can and must put this kind of cynical politics aside."

Thanks to strong leadership from the President and Democrats in Congress, the gridlock is starting to crack, and Republicans are slowly giving signs that they'll come on board. The Senate has even scheduled a preliminary vote for Monday at 5:15 p.m.

But Wall Street lobbyists are flooding in to firm up opposition -- trying to carve out loopholes and exemptions for big banks and lenders who have long exploited consumers.

The only sure-fire way to make sure that the special interests don't get their way is to show Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans that Americans are standing firmly with the President. Tell them to join us to fight for American families who are counting on reform, not the big Wall Street banks. Send a letter today:

Thanks,

Mitch
Mitch Stewart
Director
Organizing for America

The truth is far different …

1. It’s Washington politics, as usual, but this time with a virulent “Chicago-style” corrupt twist.

2.  The President and the Congressional democrats have taken a record amount of money from the largest financial and legal firms in the nation. Far in excess of what the Republicans were given under the Bush Administration.

3.  The President’s “ban on lobbyists” was nothing but a campaign promise – and lobbyists are pervasive in top government positions. How many people remember saying that people who work in the Obama Administration couldn’t return to lobby government for at least a year? Only to see White House Legal Counsel Larry Craig join Goldman Sachs to help with their pending “legal woes.”

4.  The President is lying when he claims that there will be no more “bailouts.” The current financial reform bill provides an unlimited “resolution authority” that can be used for any financial firm or any corporation deemed significant to the financial sector. Like General Motors, Chrysler, AIG or any other Administration-favored firm.

5.  The financial reform legislation creates additional bureaucracy and further dilutes the government’s watchdog and regulatory activities.

And worst of all, this overly complex legislation was written behind closed doors, with little or no bipartisan input … by democrat staff and financial industry lobbyists.

Truth-be-told …

This is another attempt to control our economy by those who believe in socialist wealth redistribution. Even the President himself openly admits that he is about “redistributive change.” 

Imagine the control over your life when the Obama Administration gets is legislative dream? Life-or-death control over individuals via healthcare; control over the finances of our nation through financial reform, and control over our economy through the control of energy production and consumption. With these tools in place, the socialists can go about the business of weakening the United States and making third-world nations stronger – all to achieve so-called “social justice” in the world.

Bottom line …

We need to stop these corrupt radical socialists before they damage the United States beyond repair. We need honest brokers to serve “we the people.” We need to reject Chicago-style anti-American thuggery overlaid with socialist “black theology.” And we need to restore Constitutional checks and balances to our government by voting out these toxic cretins who pretend they doing the peoples business while lining their own pockets and those of their special interest friends from the public purse.

Enough is enough – we need to vote out democrats and replace them with conservatives. As a party, we need to avoid Judas goats like John McCain, Lindsey Graham, Olympia Snowe, Susan Collins and others who hop the aisle to pander to the far-left social activists that have now taken over the democrat party.

VOTE in November as if your life depended upon it – because with Obamacare and all of the other crippling legislation – it really does.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


Screw the teachers unions!

Just got back from a meeting where the teachers’ union was trying to convince voters in California that it was anti-education and anti-American to cut educational spending – even in a time of great financial difficulty.

I raised a few points which were loudly greeted with catcalls and derisive remarks.

So I decided to set forth my objections to the situation here in Los Angeles, California.

The educational system has failed to balance their educational responsibilities with the available revenue and their continued spending.

They did not need a billion-dollar high school; where the first one was built on a known toxic waste site, torn down and rebuilt elsewhere.

They did not need a palatial headquarters.

They did not need a modern arts high school that cost three times the cost of an average high school; built to the specifications of a modern-arts-loving billionaire developer who seemed to have undue political influence over the board. And  one might ask why was this specialty high-school is located in the proximity of the real estate activities of the billionaire – and a population which had little or no regard for modern art? 

They did not need to do real estate deals with politically-connected special interests.

They did not need to waste more than a hundred million dollars on a payroll system that did not work as advertised.

They did not need to create permanent lifetime jobs with salaries, benefits and retirement programs far beyond what is available in the private sector.

And they did not need to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to buy out the contract of a ex-Navy superintendent who was not getting the job done; educationally, politically or by any other measure.

Especially when enrollment was down and approximately 50% of the students failed to graduate.

And especially when the teachers’ union is demanding more and more – while their members failed in their primary responsibility: to educate our children.

Freezing the union salaries for two years and reworking the new teachers salaries, benefits and retirements programs seems like a prudent course of action.

That is, of course, unless you are a union leader needing more membership and more money – especially to offset the shortfalls in underfunded pension plans which invested in some dicey investments.

All-in-all, when we vote for leadership in California, we must make sure that the candidates are not bought-and-paid-for by the public employee unions. Or the system will never change and the rest of us will be stuck supporting an elite ruling class and their privileged union members.

Remember the sad fact is that public employee unions are advocating against the public. There is little or no need for any special representation of public employees when they are protected, like any other citizens, against the egregious actions of their employers by the law.

There should be no protected class of super-citizens that are immune from the economic and social forces which affect us all. Equality under the law.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS


The media is becoming a clear and present danger to American society ...

It seems that we no longer have an impartial media and that some of the largest mainstream media outlets have thrown their tacit support to the government – apparently in return for access to newsmakers, potential favors concerning allocated frequency spectrum and broadcasting rights, government grants, employment within the government, government advertising dollars and, of course, their sympathy with left-wing politics.

How else would you explain members of the mainstream media vilifying the tea party movement? Comparing them to white racist militants hell-bent on causing mischief and violence. Claiming that they are comprised of mostly white individuals – when the truth is that the black community voted en mass for Obama and is more likely to support his actions rather than protest them. Look at the tea bag movement carefully. It seems comprised of mostly older Americans who are extremely upset with the direction our government is taking, not crazy loons.

In fact, the media hardly covered the oppositions dirty tricks of trying to infiltrate the movement to shout racist epithets or wave objectionable signs to attract enough media attention to discredit the movement. Something directly out of  communist Saul Alinsky’s Rules for Radicals.

Why is the President, members of his Administration and members of Congress loudly shouting about the lack of civil discourse in America – pointing to the alleged (and not proven) rowdiness of the tea party movement?

Because this is what they do, this is what they understand and they hate it when their tactics are exposed … and even worse, used against them.

Want to see fair and balanced coverage, watch the mainstream media to see if the balance their stories with reminders like this …

And as for our President and his Administration …

Why is he embarking on an Orwellian language trip by banning references to Muslim Terrorists? Why are his people constantly referring to home-grown domestic terrorists?

Don’t they know or remember that one of Barack Obama’s closest friends and associates, Bill Ayers, was a domestic terrorist who bombed a police station and escaped punishment on a technicality. Check out Bill Ayers and his wife Bernadine Dohrn. Ask yourself, how could, Barack Obama, the President of the United States, openly embrace terrorists who tried to violently overthrow the United States? Or why Bill Clinton, who seems to be such an expert on domestic terrorism, pardoned foreign terrorists caught red-handed making bombs?

Bottom line …

Watch the clip – and then note the overwhelming hypocrisy of this Administration and their mainstream media toadies.

The level of corruption and anti-American behavior in the government and the mainstream media is staggering. Hopefully, we will be able to reverse these trends starting in November, 2o10.

-- steve


“Nullius in verba”-- take nobody's word for it!
"Acta non verba" -- actions not words

“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”-- George Bernard Shaw

“Progressive, liberal, Socialist, Marxist, Democratic Socialist -- they are all COMMUNISTS.”

“The key to fighting the craziness of the progressives is to hold them responsible for their actions, not their intentions.” – OCS

"The object in life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." -- Marcus Aurelius

“A people that elect corrupt politicians, imposters, thieves, and traitors are not victims... but accomplices” -- George Orwell

“Fere libenter homines id quod volunt credunt." (The people gladly believe what they wish to.) ~Julius Caesar

“Describing the problem is quite different from knowing the solution. Except in politics." ~ OCS