A CALIFORNIA DEMOCRAT HISTORY LESSON ... RE-LEARNING THE 3 R's: REPEAL, RECALL, REVOLT!

In the past we have seen radical left activists infiltrate the halls of higher learning as well as the educational unions that dominate so much of what is being taught to our children today.

In case-after-case we have seen the tenets of multi-Culturalism, diversity and political correctness alter the very nature of the educational process.

In reading, where the substitution of “whole language” learning concepts replaced the sounding out of words (“phonics”) and produced a generation of functionally illiterate children who were more inclined to read pop-culture magazines and comic books than more stimulating fare.

In writing, where grammar, language and spelling use no longer counted; as long as the ideas being expressed were politically correct.

In mathematics where the correct answer was not as important as self-esteem. Where the ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide without the use of a calculator has gone the way of a dodo bird. Where repetitive drills and pop-quizzes give way to mathematics illustrated with pop-stories.

In history, where revisionism was the watchword and cultural biases were eliminated as moral equivalency was stressed. Good and evil were taught to be no more than just two concepts competing against other ideas. Where evildoers were celebrated as freedom fighters instead of terrorists and where patriotism was just another form of nationalism – something to be shunned in our global world. Where our forefathers whose wisdom produced our great nation were reduced to some old rich white guys who exploited the masses and just happened to occupy a particular time in history.

In behavior, where good citizenship and appropriate behavior gave way to the tolerance on insubordination and outright thuggish behavior. Where individualism was shunned and collectivism was the operative rule of the day.

An generation compromised by those activists who spouted far left liberal propaganda, demonized and punished anyone that did not agree with them and then destroyed the ability of today’s young citizens to think critically – against a solid background of historical context of right and wrong.

A generation compromised by those who needed to dumb down classes to accommodate non-English speakers being mainstreamed into inappropriate grade-levels based on their chronological age. Not to mention the dumbing down of the educational requirements to support a class of teachers who tried to game the system by teaching to the test, rather than simply teaching the required basics.

And now that the democrats have been so infiltrated by the radical left activists, perhaps it is time for the citizens of America to stand up and teach these political special interests our own version of the 3 R’s:

  • REPEAL

  • RECALL

  • REVOLT

Repealing a decade or more of politically correct programs that conferred citizenship rights on those who were illegally in the United State and were complicit en mass for the destruction of our healthcare, educational, judicial, retirement, social and cultural infrastructure. Repealing legislation which is confusing, conflicting and which contains the loopholes designed to further the aims of special interests who provided campaign funds to legislators who proven they could be bought for very little money. Repealing older legislation before replacing it with newer legislation so as to eliminate the patchwork of conflicting rules, regulations, laws, loopholes, grandfathered rights and such other legislative folderol.

Recalling those who have led us into unsustainable budgets, whose profligate spending produced nothing of lasting value while our utility systems were in desperate need of repair or replacement. Recalling those who have acted as surrogates for corrupt special interests – and especially those who attempted to breach the sovereignty of the United States by pandering to illegal aliens and others outside of our country.

Revolting against those taxes and surcharges which will surely bankrupt our nation, our states, our cities and ourselves as the accumulated result of our labors is transferred to those who refuse to work and whose claim to our bread and butter is based on their friendship with the people in power. Revolting against celebrities who, while dumb as rocks, manage to spew pre-written lines with believable sincerity. The ones who pretend they are intellectuals and yet cozy up to dictators and despots.

I must be a racist …

So before the name calling starts, let me warn you I do not care what you may call me. Because I refuse to pander to illegal aliens of Mexican decent, I must be a racist. Because I openly oppose Barack Obama, I must be a racist. Truth be known, everybody is a racist: preferring to be with their own tribe rather than somewhere more uncomfortable. It’s not right or wrong, but it is human nature.

But this is the tactic of the far left liberal democrat activist: to divide the masses by class, race, ethnicity, sex or any other category which can be used to promote the democrat concept of victimhood. For without victimhood, why would anyone lead democrat leaders to seek redress from “the man.”

Consider our politicians today …

The are almost thoroughly corrupt. Bought and paid-for by the unions and private sector special interests whose entire being rests upon being able to tap the public treasury and aided and abetted by those who are allowed to dictate how funds are spent.

Boy was I wrong …

I once admired what I thought was a principled politician. A man who openly spoke his mind on matters, especially those related to profligate spending and budgetary manipulations. Unfortunately, I learned a hard lesson in politics. When termed out, this man simply ran for another public office, a professional politician pursuing his career of living off the public teat. I was also surprised to learn that he was not a neighbor, living in my community. But an established resident of a suburb of the state Capitol. The house in the neighborhood belonged to his parents. Further disillusionment followed when I learned that a vote, which  I thought very odd for a fiscal conservative, was placed in context when I discovered the issue’s backers had spent millions of dollars on my representative’s campaign.

Most  politicians no longer represent the people …

We are living in an age where the politicos no longer listen to the public. They act solely in their best interests based on campaign funding, bloc voting and appearances in the media. We have lost control of our politicians – and by extension, our government on the local, state and federal levels.

Direct action: repeal, recall and revolt …

Thus we are faced with the prospect of taking direct action: by demanding the repeal of harmful legislation which will sink us further into debt and obligation to foreign nations. By demanding the recall of those who openly flout the public’s wishes by contesting legislation which has already been approved by the majority of the voters. Not to mention those who appear to be either corrupt or beholden to toxic special interests; especially those who do not wish the United States well or want to violate our sovereignty for economic or political power. And by revolting against those who are destroying America with their self-interest, self-serving policies.

There is absolutely no reason why we should tolerate the enlargement of government until the reach the critical mass of self-perpetuating and ever-increasing funding. Where we become the slaves to the elite rulers and their faceless bureaucrats. Damnit – they are supposed to work for me, not me for them.

Consider what I have said before you cast that next vote or write a contribution to a politician based on their celebrity appeal. Before you buy that next newspaper, magazine or listen or watch those who have sold America short. Before you bank with companies who were complicit in destroying our retirement funds. And before you trust those who have paid off our politicians with pennies on the dollar and then have surcharged our purchases to cover the expense of our own demise.

Disagree? You are welcome to argue your point. Either by commenting at the end of this blog entry or by sending an e-mail. Prove me wrong, I dare you!

Be well and be safe.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

flag


“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


Does the Treasury Secretary have a clue to solving the problem? Not if you see today's pathetic performance.

The Bush/Paulson solution failed …

Henry Paulson, the Secretary of the United States Treasury went before Congress and the American people and claimed that if the TARP (Troubled Assets Relief Program) legislation was not passed, we were sure to experience a financial system meltdown of catastrophic proportions.

As time went on, we were to learn:

  • The $700 BILLION number was picked from a hat; a number that sounded serious and substantial and less than a psychological barrier of $1 TRILLION.
  • After approximately half of the TARP funds were disbursed, we found out that the money was being spent by the banks to acquire other financial institutions or shore up the balance sheets of the recipient. Little or no money actually went to facilitate consumer or commercial lending.
  • In a pitch for the remaining funds, Paulson admitted that there were problems with the initial TARP fundings but that he needed the remaining money to avert a catastrophe in the financial markets. He also acknowledged that the banks were not, as a condition of receiving TARP funds, required to report to the Treasury Department exactly how these funds were allocated.

Time for the messiah …

Exit the Bush Administration and Treasury Secretary Paulson and enter the Obama Administration and Treasury Secretary Timothy “TurboTax” Geithner.

One would assume that Geithner, head of the New York Federal Reserve, close associate of Federal Reserve Chairman Bernanke, and one of the authors, with Treasury Secretary Paulson, of the TARP program would have a plan in place to distribute the remaining TARP funds and deal with the additional BILLIONS allocated in the Obama Stimulus package.

Winging it …

And now we find that Geithner, too, plans to wing-it with little or no real disclosure and a program of public utterances that are Obama-like in that they say little or nothing about the problems at hand, but simply quote the dire consequences of inaction.

Saying nothing of substance: Tim Geithner, in his own words …

The market doesn’t believe Geithner gave a credible answer…

In response to a presentation which featured a broad overview of the problem and very little of substantive detail of an estimated $1 TRILLION program, the market reacted;  the Dow industrials falling by 381.99 points, or 4.62 percent, to 7,888.88. Likewise in the much broader market,the Standard & Poor’s 500 index fell 42.73 points, or 4.91 percent, to 827.16. The NASDAQ composite fell 66.83 points, or 4.20 percent, to 1,524.73.

This is the biggest decline since Obama’s inauguration on January 20th. Quite a response to someone who has been hailed as “The One,” the messiah who can return normalcy to our financial markets as well as right previous social wrongs and his minion, Treasury Secretary Geithner.

Wait and See?

Truth be told, Paulson, Geithner and Bernanke do not have a plan – other than to try a little of this and a little of that – buying enough time so that the recession naturally corrects as it has historically and enough time for the financial institutions to further camouflage their balance sheets. 

For those readers who desire to read Treasury Secretary Geithner’s prepared remarks at today’s hearing before the Senate Banking Committee, they can be found here.

For those readers who want to really find out what Treasury Secretary Geithner is up to, you might want to click below.

Ask the Magic Eight-Ball

I am sorry I can’t be of any further help as my crystal ball seems somewhat cloudy.

What I do know is:

The first step in resolving this financial meltdown is to institute “safe and sane” accounting rules. Eliminating “off balance sheet” accounts and suspending or eliminating the “mark-to-market” requirement which has decimated the balance sheets of financial institutions.

The second step is to develop a methodology for handling toxic derivatives, be they held by individual financial institutions or be acquired by a so-called “bad bank.” By building a program to re-aggregate some of these assets, fire sale pricing might be side-stepped.

The third step is to develop rules and regulations for the creation and marketing of derivatives – the fruit of the poisonous tree which caused our fall from grace. Whether or not derivatives should be capped at two-generations, much like a multi-level sales program, will be up to the regulators.

The fourth step is to develop a marketplace to register and wind-down all of the credit default swaps which used as bogus insurance. Perhaps by cancelling all contracts in which the purchaser did not own the assets being covered. This estimated $55 TRILLION exposure must be eradicated before one has faith in an insurers, or anyone else’s balance sheet.

But this is all conditioned on stopping the downward spiral of the housing market. Without some form of price stabilization, mortgage-backed securities and other assets will continue to have “wonky” valuations that are more a product of computer schemes and the presence of a willing counterparty than a tangible and reliable value.

As for people who have lost their house to foreclosure or are about to lose their house in foreclosure, might I suggest that we simply apply sound underwriting standards which presuppose that one can muster the necessary cash flow to service their debt. In this instance, a cash flow equivalent to the amount of money that would be required to rent a property of equivalent value in today’s market. For those who purchased property far beyond their means, I am sorry. For those who tricked them into buying, be it the real estate agent who cited rising values, the appraiser who fudged the numbers, the loan officer who falsified data, or the borrower who simply misstated their credit capacity – you have a one-time “get out of jail free” card if you simply walk away from the property and relinquish all claims. Otherwise, let the chips fall where they may.

As for Treasury Secretary Geithner, we wish him well as we do Federal Chairman Bernanke. As for Obama, we wish him to fail before any more disastrous policies are initiated and the American Dream turns into a survivalist nightmare.

Be well and be safe.

-- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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


“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


Representative John Conyers: a pattern of promoting victimhood for political advantage?

This is not the first time …

This is not the first time that Representative John Conyers (D-Michigan) has utilized the Marxist tactic of dividing the population into classes of victims which can then be pitted against each other for political advantage.

Proposing special legal protections for those whose religion commands them to kill  or enslave “infidel” non-believers …

Once again, we find our enemies using our own freedoms and laws against us as they plot and prepare to attack the United States from within. There have been numerous accounts of radical hate speech being preached in Mosques, some of which are being funded by foreign radical Wahabist elements emanating from Saudi Arabia. One need only open their eyes to observe what happens when the Islamic community grows to critical mass in a Country – and then starts demanding the implementation of Sharia law and creating areas which are not welcoming of existing civil authority. Another instance of the demographic bombing of a nation leading to the creation of foreign-dominated influence within communities. Leading, of course, to gaining sufficient political power to ride roughshod over the original community’s laws. To the end of forcing those who do not agree to move away from the community and thus concentrating political power in the hands of those who advocate a radical philosophy.

According to Conyers’ own words …

“Text of My Resolution Regarding Religious Intolerance”

“I received a large number of comments, and quite a spirited debate, concerning my resolution opposing religious intolerance, including desecration of the Quran. I appreciate all of the comments, both those supporting and opposing my actions. I continue to believe that given recent events, it is worthwhile for the Congress to actually express its support for the freedom of religion.”

The resolution was drafted to oppose all religious intolerance. To the extent it mentions the Quran and Islam specifically, that is obviously to respond to those who believe our nation would tolerate disrespect of that religion or its holy book. Clearly we should not, at least in my opinion.”

“Anyway, below in the extended entry is the full text of H. Res. 288. I hope you agree that read in its totality, it is a fair and appropriate resolution.”

“Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives condemning bigotry and religious intolerance, and recognizing that holy books of every religion should be treated with dignity and respect.”

We are definitely living in an Orwellian world, when up is down, white is black and right is wrong. You need only ask yourself a single question: What other modern religion openly promotes religious  intolerance and bigotry as does Islam?

“Whereas believers of all religions, including the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, should be treated with respect and dignity;”

Right off the bat, we can see the democrats fondness for moral equivalency and their treatment of good and evil. Nowhere in the Judeo-Christian philosophy does it encourage those to kill non-believers and spread the religion at the point of a sword. At least, not in modern times and using modern weapons of mass destruction.

(And am I the only one to note that the Quran does not apparently have any reference to the creation and seems to be a selective mixing of existing Judeo-Christian principles with self-serving rules promulgated by a then local warlord?)

Whereas the word Islam comes from the Arabic root word meaning “peace” and “submission”;

Whereas there are an estimated 7,000,000 Muslims in America, from a wide variety of ethnic backgrounds, forming an integral part of the social fabric of America;

Whereas the Quran is the holy book for Muslims who recite passages from it in prayer and learn valuable lessons about peace, humanity and spirituality;

How conveniently Conyers overlooks toxic passages which urge its followers to commit barbarous acts of horror over the centuries to support the “religion of peace.”

    • “The only reward of those who make war against Allah and His messenger
      and strive after corruption in the land will be that they will be murdered or crucified,
      or have their hands and feet on alternate sides cut off, or will be expelled out of the land.
      Such will be their degradation in the world, and in the Hereafter theirs will be an awful doom; 005.033 [AL-MAEDA (THE TABLE) HOLY QURAN]”
    • “Strongest among men in enmity to the believers wilt thou find the Jews and Pagans; and nearest among them in love to the believers wilt thou find those who say, "We are Christians": because amongst these are men devoted to learning and men who have renounced the world, and they are not arrogant.” 005.082 

Hardly peace and religious tolerance for other non-Muslim peoples.

“Whereas it should never be official policy of the United States Government to disparage the Quran, Islam, or any religion in any way, shape, or form;”

It is already the policy of the United States to open accept all religions – it’s codified in the Constitution as the First Amendment. “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”

“Whereas mistreatment of prisoners and disrespect toward the holy book of any religion is unacceptable and against civilized humanity;”

What would a radical agenda be if it did not attack the government’s treatment of prisoners? 

The prisoners are not American citizens, protected by the Constitution and, in almost all cases, are not subject to the Geneva Convention due to their conduct on the battlefield. Conyers’ resolution does not mention that the prisoners have no compunction against killing, beheading, torturing, maiming, raping anyone that does not accept their religion. Or that the prisoners Conyers wants to be treated with religious respect were taken from the battlefield where they were engaged in attempting to kill or actually killing Americans. In my opinion, this “prisoner issue” is part and parcel of the democrats disregard for America as they attempt to regain and maintain political power. 

Restating the obvious …

“Whereas the infringement of an individual’s right to freedom of religion violates the Constitution and laws of the United States:

And creating another legally protected class enabling the enemy to self-fund their operations through extortionate lawsuits …

Now, therefore, be it  Resolved, That the House of Representatives–

(1) condemns bigotry, acts of violence, and intolerance against any religious group, including our friends, neighbors, and citizens of the Islamic faith;

The clause “and citizens of the Islamic faith” is totally unnecessary and should be stricken. In fact, the entire clause should read: “condemns bigotry, acts of violence, and intolerance against any religious group.” But that would hardly suit Conyers’ political agenda.

(2) declares that the civil rights and civil liberties of all individuals, including those of the Islamic faith, should be protected;

Again, the phrase “including those of the Islamic faith” should be stricken as being totally unnecessary.

(3) recognizes that the Quran, the holy book of Islam, as any other holy book of any religion, should be treated with dignity and respect; and

Here I disagree … any book, holy or otherwise, which urges believers to kill non-believers or force them into submission is not to be treated with dignity or respect – even if it forms the basis of a religion. If the book advocates violence and the suppression of God-given human rights and freedoms and demands fealty, it should be treated as any other political book.

(4) calls upon local, State, and Federal authorities to work to prevent bias-motivated crimes and acts against all individuals, including those of the Islamic faith.

<Source>

And, once again, the phrase “including those of the Islamic faith” should be stricken.

Is Conyers a racist or simply a self-promoting politician?

One may ask yourself, is Conyers’ reinforcing the rights of all American citizens, acting as a politician with a self-promoting agenda or is openly perpetrating an act of divisive racism by urging the separation of a single class of people, based on nothing more than their religion, as alleged victims of some overarching government or civil conspiracy?

Now consider Conyers’ current proposal: rewarding those for the actions of our ancestors …

Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act (H.R. 40 Introduced in House)

“To acknowledge the fundamental injustice, cruelty, brutality, and inhumanity of slavery in the United States and the 13 American colonies between 1619 and 1865 and to establish a commission to examine the institution of slavery, subsequently de jure and de facto racial and economic discrimination against African-Americans, and the impact of these forces on living African-Americans, to make recommendations to the Congress on appropriate remedies, and for other purposes.”

In literature, law and other areas of life, the abominable actions relating to the practice of slavery have been denounced. However, it appears to be the democrat’s dream to somehow create another level of “victimhood” out of the ancestors who may have suffered under slavery and then create another entitlement program to compensate the “aggrieved descendents” for the actions of people long dead. All for the political advantage of gaining the votes of a large class of current American citizens who have been traditionally treated by the U.S. government as a class of victims and worthy of special privileges.

Considering the amount of money that has gone into the war on poverty, affirmative action and other social programs which have not yielded broad reforms – I believe that we have already paid any debt owing to those who were enslaved by historical precedence. As for their modern descendents, I believe their grievance should be with the democrat party who has siphoned off monies that were legitimately owing to the American people and who have promoted egregious racists policies that have resulted in the breakup of the black family. By insisting that those requiring financial assistance not have a black male or father present in the house and by the upwards scaling of benefits to those who have a larger number of unaffordable children, I believe that the democrat party has wreaked havoc on black society and are the ones that should be punished for their actions.

Truth-be-told, it seems that it was the democrats who opposed racial equality and promoted racist policies at every turn of the political path. And were the most complicit in denying those American citizens who happen to be black decent housing, employment, education and other necessities of life – as they stole their birthright in an orgy of political and personal corruption. It is hard to think of a single major democrat-controlled predominantly black area that does not feature waste, fraud, corruption and a staggering crime rate.

My thoughts …

Why should any money be given to any citizen for the past actions of people long dead?

Why should I, the average American taxpayer, be taxed or surcharged for the actions of those over whom I exerted no control and, in fact, were not be related to me at all?

If society did owe a debt to some class of oppressed people, be they indigenous natives or people brought here against their will, has it not been long extinguished by the creation of “special” social programs like affirmative action. We have now spent trillions of dollars on the so-called democrat “Great Society” and the “War on Poverty.” There programs were abject failures and the democrats want to spend even more money.  

The problem is democrats not slavery …

We seem to have created a society where the average American citizen will go out of his way to avoid being labeled as a racist. A condition which has led to the rise of corrupt black leaders who feel that they are entitled to special privileges because of their skin color.

What we have inadvertently done to destroy much of the individualism and personal initiative that was championed by our forefathers is to create a sense of entitlement in those who are being portrayed as victims by those who want to secure and maintain power by creating an unbreakable bond of social benefits that can never be breached by the opposition party – a battle between those who offer opportunity to achieve and those who offer payments to the terminally lazy.

Obama’s change …

To those who can see clearly, consider that Barack Obama’s program of change and hope is really one of smoke and mirrors; put forth by a charismatic, telegenic and well-spoken (at least with a TelePrompTer) individual. Look behind the scenes and you will find an opportunist who has, by sheer luck, found himself in the Office of the President of the United States – not by popular acclaim, but by being the antithesis of one of the most maligned Presidents in modern history. An historical fluke. Consider Obama’s associations with radical anti-American, anti-Semitic, terrorist and corrupt people. People in and of the corrupt Chicago political machine. Now consider the number of corrupt democrats who are coming out of the woodwork.

Furthermore, consider the radical agenda of the democrats who seem to be willing to do or say anything to secure their future power. Especially by promoting “victimhood” and further entitlements.

One need only took at the so-called “stimulus” bill which was an amalgam of democrat pork barrel spending and social measures guaranteed to reward those who voted for democrats.

Institutionalized democratic crime?

Closer to home, consider Conyers’ wife, who appears for all intents and purposes to come from the Cynthia McKinney “crazy as a loon” branch of the democrat party.

According to the Detroit News

“Bribe probe ensnarls Conyers”

“Feds: Surveillance evidence suggests councilwoman took money tied to waste pact”

Federal investigators have electronic surveillance evidence that allegedly links Detroit City Council President Pro Tem Monica Conyers with receiving a payment or payments in connection with a city-approved sludge contract, two people familiar with the investigation said.”

“Conyers -- who changed her position from speaking in opposition to the sludge contract to voting in favor of it -- and at least one other council member are under FBI investigation in connection with possible bribes related to the $47 million contract with Synagro Technologies Inc. of Houston, one of the people familiar with the investigation said Friday. Bribes allegedly paid to people connected with the city but not members of the City Council also are under investigation, one person said.”

Of course, Conyers has professed innocence, but remains absent from her position. \

See Monica Conyers in action …

What can YOU do?

Study your history of civil rights and notice it was the Republicans and not the democrats who were fully engaged in promoting civil rights and the appointment of qualified blacks to positions of high office.

See if you can find a major city that is being run by democrats (one-party rule) that is not is serious trouble in terms of housing, employment, crime and poverty? Along with a disproportionate number of corrupt politicians.

Consider the democrat’s Marxist propensity for dividing people into various classes of victims along class, ethnic and racial lines for the purposes of political manipulation.

Vote for politicians who seem honest, ethical and who promote individual achievement over Marxist collectivism and further enslaving entitlements.

Demand that your elected officials punish corrupt politicians from both sides of the political aisle.

For the democrat victims among us, remember, you are an American first. Not a hyphenated-American who is somehow diminished by history. Our country guarantees equality of opportunity, not equality of outcomes. Suggested reading material: “While African Americans Slept: Leadership by Parasites” by Dr. Lenton Aikins.

Perhaps we should follow the army’s prescription for harmony: everybody is green, everybody is treated equally – like crap -- and rank, when not abused, has its privileges.  And incorporate the Navy’s command philosophy” everybody has a boss, everybody is accountable – and if it happened on your watch, you will be held responsible! 

-- steve

Quote of the day: “Know your enemy and you won't be defeated." -- Sun Zi

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:


“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


Bye, Bye Mainstream Media ...

How it must gall the print media to see their corporate empires crumble as readers and advertisers desert the traditional newspaper for the electronic media. And the rest of the mainstream media to see their viewers and listeners desert the traditional news broadcast for AM talk radio and the Internet.

Even those members of the mainstream media who maintain an Internet presence don’t get it. Perhaps because they are trying so hard to shore up their crumbling corporate enterprises that they have become merely a repeater of government and corporate handouts – and sources for pro-Obama/democrat commentary which defies all common sense when you are citing journalistic ethics and impartial neutrality as your stock in trade.

From Malibu to Manhattan, I do not know of a single person who believes that either the Los Angeles Times or the New York Times is not in the tank for Barack Obama and the liberal democrats. Occasionally publishing the other side in order to give some semblance of covering the news. I don’t know, perhaps they are being held hostage by their trade unions and forced to support the union’s far left liberal democrat position. In any event, fair and balanced has gone out the window.

How can I trust the journalists to fairly cover our government, our newly-elected President and his Administration’s policies when they were so far in the tank for Obama and his fellow left-leaning liberal democrats. I ask myself, are they withholding or shading the bad news? Or even worse, bagging on George Bush and the past administration in order to amplify the new administration’s accomplishments.

These are the people who no longer “speak truth to power” or adequately vet candidates. If they did, why are so many democrat candidates, including the President, now being exposed for past actions? No matter how much the mainstream media seeks to repeat the “Woodward and Bernstein era,” they have lost my trust – and my contribution to their bottom line.

I miss the “Evening Outrage …”

It has been a long time since I paid for a newspaper subscription. The Los Angeles Times was just too damn big to read thoroughly – and, in my opinion, too damn biased to the left to be taken seriously. And my favorite local paper, the Santa Monica-based Evening Outlook evaporated into the morass that was Copley Press and was finally closed on March 13, 1998 after 123 years of local reporting.  I miss the local coverage by reporters like Ed Moosbrugger  and Pat Alston who could be counted on for a “straight up” account of the events. No editorial shading there. And this was in a town known as the “People’s Republic of Santa Monica” which continues, to this very day, to define left-wing liberal democrat politics. While the paper did express its editorial opinion, which sometimes went against everything I believed in, the paper and the reporters were well-respected – no advortorialising or  slanting the coverage.

Times change and so do communication’s protocols …

My junior high journalism class reinforced my appreciation for the print media. Their place in the universe was secured by the very reason that newspapers could devote more time and attention to a story which was little more than an sensational soundbite teaser and a few basis facts on the radio. Where magazines were counted on to provide in-depth pieces which even transcended newspaper type accounts in that they were composed with a degree of fairness, sometimes with a fully-disclosed editorial slant.

But today, I listen to drive-time radio (AM) to hear the arguments and wailing on all sides of the political spectrum. I check the Matt Drudge’s site (www.drudgereport.com) as that serves to highlight what is important and a precursor to what will appear in the general news media. Occasionally, I will use Matt’s links to visit a columnist or traditional newspaper. If anything, I will scan either the Wall Street Journal or Investor's Business Daily. Occasionally, the Washington Post or the New York Post. I have TiVo set to record news and commentary from Fox and some financial programs on a channel which shall remain nameless – as they shamelessly promoted Obama as the second coming of the messiah. Much of the time, the programs are simply deleted without watching to make space for newer programs.

Thus I have the immediacy I want, something to fill my drive-time hours and coverage of other events should it be of interest.

Professionally, I subscribe to industry related RSS (Really Simple Syndication) feeds and receive e-mail bulletins from favored sources. My magazines tend to be business or hobby-oriented and not of a news or political nature.

And if I am angered, I very rarely write a letter to an editor or comment online to an article,. I express myself on my own blog – which, from entry one, is something I describe as a experiment in personal communications that beats yelling at the television or pounding the dash of my car.

And, in and off itself, this dooms the great majority of the print media and traditional mainstream broadcasters. Not only do I not trust them to deliver the straight news, I abhor the intrusion of entertainment production values into the mix.

And when one considers the public’s acceptance of cheap and cheesy reality shows interspersed with faux-crime dramas, television has indeed become the vast wasteland predicted almost 50 years ago by former Federal Communications Commission Chairman, FCC Chairman Newton Minnow.

“When television is good, nothing — not the theater, not the magazines or newspapers — nothing is better.”
“But when television is bad, nothing is worse. I invite you to sit down in front of your television set when your station goes on the air and stay there, for a day, without a book, without a magazine, without a newspaper, without a profit and loss sheet or a rating book to distract you. Keep your eyes glued to that set until the station signs off. I can assure you that what you will observe is a vast wasteland.”
“You will see a procession of game shows, formula comedies about totally unbelievable families, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, western bad men, western good men, private eyes, gangsters, more violence, and cartoons. And endlessly commercials — many screaming, cajoling, and offending. And most of all, boredom. True, you'll see a few things you will enjoy. But they will be very, very few. And if you think I exaggerate, I only ask you to try it."

Ditto for today’s mainstream media where “if it bleeds, it leads” and celebrity reigns supreme. Where politicians are treated as celebrities and promoted like toothpaste.

And the sad thing for the mainstream media is that I am not alone in my views.

-- 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 Evil Empire Strikes: The demographic bombing of their enemies?

Consider the United Nations …

What is the real agenda of the United Nations, a consortium of third-world nations that seems preoccupied with an environmental policy that starts and ends with population control?

The problem is the Earth’s population …

It was bad enough when the United Nations’ wildly optimistic population growth numbers were based on the faulty assumption that population growth was linear and the numbers were climbing so drastically as to endanger the planet. But it was their prescription: limit population growth by any means before we destroy the planet, that I found objectionable.

A matter of food …

Then it was on to the problem of feeding the world. Again, being short-sighted and not fully pressuring those despotic rogue nations to release the food received via international aid societies to starving people rather than diverting the food to the friends and military of the DIP (despot in power); with the surplus sold on the black market. Of course, the United Nations blamed the problem of commodity shortages on the rampant population growth – and once again their prescription was: limit population growth by any means before all of the world’s people starve. Unfortunately, there was enough food to go around and those who were being denied sustenance were in areas controlled by evildoers. Something the United Nations does not recognize as they promote diversity, multiculturalism and worst of all, the moral equivalency between good and evil, freedom and enslavement.

Global warming …

Now comes global warming. Dire predictions of population dislocation and rampant hunger as our planet’s ability to produce food is severely compromised by the weather. The prescription: limit population and its impact on the global climate. This time by a scheme to control the energy production of industrialized nations to reduce their prosperity and increase the financial impact of having additional children.

Idiot politicians …

So why am I not surprised when I read in London Sunday  Times …

  “Two children should be limit, says green guru”

“Couples who have more than two children are being ‘irresponsible’ by creating an unbearable burden on the environment, the government’s green adviser has warned.”

“Jonathon Porritt, who chairs the government’s Sustainable Development Commission, says curbing population growth through contraception and abortion must be at the heart of policies to fight global warming. He says political leaders and green campaigners should stop dodging the issue of environmental harm caused by an expanding population.”

“A report by the commission, to be published next month, will say that governments must reduce population growth through better family planning.”

“ ‘I am unapologetic about asking people to connect up their own responsibility for their total environmental footprint and how they decide to procreate and how many children they think are appropriate,” Porritt said.”

“ ‘I think we will work our way towards a position that says that having more than two children is irresponsible. It is the ghost at the table. We have all these big issues that everybody is looking at and then you don’t really hear anyone say the ‘p’ word.”

“The Optimum Population Trust, a campaign group of which Porritt is a patron, says each baby born in Britain will, during his or her lifetime, burn carbon roughly equivalent to 2½ acres of old-growth oak woodland - an area the size of Trafalgar Square.”

“The British population, now 61m, will pass 70m by 2028, the Office for National Statistics says. The fertility rate for women born outside Britain is estimated to be 2.5, compared with 1.7 for those born here. The global population of 6.7 billion is expected to rise to 9.2 billion by 2050.”

Demographic bombing …

Has anyone noticed that population control is exactly what our enemies, those who do not wish us well under our present political system, want. To be able to massively grow their population base while the “concerned” people reduce the very population growth needed to sustain their own culture – that which makes the people of the region unique.

By granting citizenship to those who give birth within a nation’s geographical borders, by overtly or covertly encouraging the migration of illegal aliens, and by promoting policies granting amnesty and citizenship to those who have broken the law, you are complicit is destroying the character of your nation.

Which is not a problem for the United Nations with their aspirations to serve as the seat of a “One World Government” and the arbiter of all things political, social and financial.

Eurabia: a convenient illustration is at hand …

“Europe is undergoing two profound changes. The first is the weakening of Christianity. The second is demographic decline. Presently, across Europe, there are only two-thirds the number of children born necessary to sustain the population. The consequent drop in population has mostly been made good by immigration of Muslims. The fast-growing Muslim population is generally not integrated into the host societies nor politically acculturated to its norms. To the contrary, radical Islamic movements are gaining in strength among these émigré populations. In addition, European governments, especially the French, have developed foreign policies aimed at winning the favor of Middle Eastern regimes.”

“The question arises: is this a temporary aberration or is Europe on the road to losing its historic identity? The latter: Europe is rapidly being transformed into ‘Eurabia,’ a cultural and political appendage of the Arab/Muslim world that is fundamentally anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, anti-Western and anti-American.” <Source>

Israel …

Israel faces much the same problem as other industrialized nations and it will be only a matter of time until the Israelis vanish from their land – especially when listening to a regime who wants to give up land for peace and remove self-contained and fertile settlers from the land promised by God.

In fact, had it not been for the meddling of certain muddle-headed Brits; the very people who, on a Sunday afternoon, reshaped the Middle East by drawing lines on a map to provide an aggrieved Prince Abdullah with a country (Jordan) because his brother, Faisal, was granted an arbitrary patch of sand now known as Iraq; much of the Middle East tribal conflict would have reduced as indigenous trade and cooperative governments developed. <Source: Kingmakers: the Invention of the Modern Middle East>

Los Angeles, California …

And across the pond, here in America, we are experiencing much the same thing. Consider that in the core of California’s largest city, Los Angeles, it appears as if you are in Little Tijuana: the signs are in Spanish, the dominant language is Spanish, a large number of the politicians are Hispanic and cater to their Hispanic constituency: legal citizens and illegal aliens alike – and law enforcement is extremely reluctant to enter certain areas without heavy reinforcements and advance planning. Vicious gangs, mostly comprised of illegal aliens, is slowly tightening their grip on the immigrant population with occasional spill-over into traditional society. This very demographic is pushing hard to create so-called anchor babied which, upon their birth in the United States, become automatic U.S. citizens. One wonders exactly how long it will be before the U.S. experiences a de facto annexation by Mexico or is forced by exigent circumstances (including the possible collapse of the Mexican government and infrastructure) to assume Mexico as either a protectorate or some other legal form of confederation?

The “elites” know best …

The point being: while the so-call intellectual elites and limousine liberals spout drivel about reducing population growth and saving the planet, we are being demographically being forced out of our homes and into accepting a foreign culture. Incrementally, of course, but it is happening. Of course, those limousine liberals who visibly support these policies are the very ones who are insulated, by wealth, power and position, from the consequences of the policies they foist on others in order to make some of them feel that they are contributing members of society instead of the wastrels, clowns and dilettantes they are in reality.

Who are our enemies?

Other than the radical Islamists and power-hungry dictatorships, why are we so afraid of pointing out that our enemies walk among us as they do their best to convert, co-opt and coerce those “do good – feel good” liberals into becoming fellow travelers in a nefarious plot to weaken Western civilization and the freedoms it holds dear.

“Porritt, who has two children, intends to persuade environmental pressure groups to make population a focus of campaigning.”

“Many organisation think it is not part of their business. My mission with the Friends of the Earth and the Greenpeaces of this world is to say: ‘You are betraying the interests of your members by refusing to address population issues and you are doing it for the wrong reasons because you think it is too controversial,” he said.

And just what are the interests of the members of Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth in addition to the normal ones of providing a social meeting ground for the disaffected, increasing their funding, expanding their leadership and allowing the members to “feel good about themselves” by associating with a cause bigger than their individual lives – saving their planet for future generations.

I wonder just how many of their members have noted that the old “cold warriors,” the Marxists, the Communists and the Anarchists have infiltrated the environmental movement to obtain tax-free funding from gullible people who can be easily fooled and led about like sheep. Not to mention pushing their political agenda while they aggregate political power by pointing the way to electing their fellow travelers for elective office. And appointing their cohorts when the arrive “on station.”

Let them die: it’s good for the planet …

“Porritt, a former chairman of the Green party, says the government must improve family planning, even if it means shifting money from curing illness to increasing contraception and abortion.”

“He said: ‘We still have one of the highest rates of teenage pregnancies in Europe and we still have relatively high levels of pregnancies going to birth, often among women who are not convinced they want to become mothers.”

To be fair, perhaps Porritt did not mean that we should ignore curing illness as a means for limiting population – or then again, maybe he did. There is no doubt in my mind that there are those who look towards pestilence, disease and weather-induced famine as means for achieving their goal of limited population.

A failure of religion?

Here in Los Angeles, under the direction of open borders advocate, Cardinal Roger Mahoney, the church is attempting to revive its flagging fortunes (dissipated by the international pedophile scandals) and declining membership. Since the Church is responsible to Rome, rather than Washington, D.C., it should be no surprise that they are welcoming illegal aliens into their flock and advocating an open borders policy – based, of course, on humanitarian grounds. As with the Cardinal’s apparent obstruction of justice in moving known pedophiles around his fiefdom, he appears not to concern himself with the destruction and decay that is slowly rotting Los Angeles and turning it into the equivalent of a third-world nation. Where productive and creative people are abandoning California for more business friendly and culturally attuned climes – and states which do not spend a massive amount of money catering to illegal aliens at the expense of their own legal constituency. One might ask, where is the morality in all of this? Is the Church also complicit in allowing our nation to be demographically bombed by illegal aliens who are pumping out anchor babies with abandon, not even mindful of the financial consequences of having unaffordable children as they seem to be well taken care of by California’s social benefits system. An entitlement system that will be greatly expanded by Barack Obama has he consolidates his “entitlement” constituency.

What can YOU do?

Decide for yourself whether or not you can afford to have, nurture and support children without state assistance. It is a personal God-given freedom that should not be abridged by church nor state.

If you disagree with the direction our elected officials are taking us, consider working with a grass-roots group to recall them or elect ones more beneficial to the constituency. Demand that those politicians who have committed crimes be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. For those who have committed acts that are short of criminal prosecution and have been allowed to file retroactive reports, turn them out of office.

It is time we take back our country from the political elites who believe they are entitled to dispense the taxpayer’s hard-earned money for their personal political benefit and personally profit from the results of  their actions.

It is also time to dial back the adoration of celebrity, knowing that most of these people are trained actors who are quite unlike the people they may portray on stage. Many of these “respected” people are sick puppies and would be shunned by decent people had the truth about their private actions become public. But then again, maybe not, as our culture is beginning to reward both the famous and the infamous.

As for the United Nations, consider the consequences of removing them from our shores and de-funding their initiatives. In my opinion, the UN is comprised of too many self-righteous, self-indulgent political hacks who pander to the worst among them.

As for the future, and at this point in time, it seems that our politicians and their special interest friends have temporarily doomed us to additional suffering – all in the name of the “quick buck” and political power play. Can you even imagine, in any other historical time, when politicians like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, George Bush (41 &43) and Jimmy Carter could be considered leaders? Or when the political parties would sacrifice their principles on the altar of political office – just to obtain access to the power to dole out funding to their friends?

We are screwed. Or as my best friend puts it, “doomed.” That is, unless we start to right the ship of state and stem the tide of liberalism that surely will become our downfall. If we continue to progress as is, those receiving entitlements will continue to vote for bigger and bigger entitlements and the political party that doles out the treats. Until we bankrupt ourselves and find the fruits of our labors accruing to the Chinese, the Indians, the Japanese and others who have not embraced the type of silly, superficial liberalism that is being spewed by our political leaders and celebrities – and widely publicized by a media that has compromised its journalistic ethics for corporate privileges doled out piecemeal by the politicians they pretend to cover.

Bottom line: take care of yourself and your family first. Be well and be safe.

-- steve

Quote of the Day: “Freedom is not a laughing matter, nor can it be bought from those who do not have the right to sell it.” – steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:

Two children should be limit, says green guru - Times Online


“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


Democrat Stimulus: Rewards to their radical political friends, special interests, unions and institutionalizing the type of corruption seen in democrat-controlled venues ...

This is pork barrel spending, pure and simple …

This is no stimulus package, it is a thinly disguised $825 BILLION (+347 billion in interest if paid off by 2020) rip-off of the American taxpayer in favor of the labor unions, radical leftists and socialists, the special interests and those who do not wish America to prosper.

This egregious piece of legislation, the largest single piece of economic law in history was crafted by a single party, did not go through any of the normal congressional committee hearings, was not subject to serious challenge and was passed with about one hour of discussion. Although the Republicans refused to vote for the stimulus program, the democrats pushed the bill through the House.

This is a more egregious example of democrats buying votes and financial support with their earmarks and social engineering programs.

Consider for a moment exactly how the following items will bring us our of our financial recession …

$1 BILLION for Amtrak which continues to require increasing subsidies to operate

$2 BILLION for childcare subsidies (expensive babysitting)

$2.4 BILLION for carbon capture demonstration projects

$650 million for digital television coupons (so the content owners can enforce copyright controls and bring you the latest pro Obama government propaganda)

$600 million for new government vehicles (over and above the direct bailout funds to the automakers and the money already allocated for their fuel-efficiency conversion efforts.)

$400 million for global warming research (provided the results are politically correct)

$50 million to the National Endowment for the Arts which produces little or nothing of tangible economic value.

$335 million for the Pelosi STD (sexually transmitted disease) program which will have a negligible effect on the economy.

Including money for such left-wing radical groups such as ACORN who were at the heart of the financial crisis with their “affordable housing initiatives” and who attempted to subvert the election process in favor of the democrats. Also money for educational activism groups which further push the liberal victimhood agenda of political correctness, multi-Culturalism and diversity by the numbers.

None of these items will repair our crippled financial institutions or  move our economy out of the doldrums ...

Bailing out Mexico and the illegal aliens …

The democrats are clearly sending a message to the unions and those who wish open borders that they are willing to assist illegal aliens …

The legislation, which now contains tax credits of $500 per worker and $1,000 per couple, appears to expressly disqualifies nonresident aliens, but contains a loophole which would allow people who don't have Social Security numbers to be eligible for the checks.

The bill would allow anyone with an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) to qualify for the tax credits – even if they paid no income tax. ITINs are provided by the IRS without regard to citizenship to enable those who work illegally in the United States to open bank accounts and access other social services.

One should remember that one of Mexico’s greatest source of hard-currency income are the remittances from thousands of illegal aliens living in the United States and sending money back home.

Why the rush …

According to the Congressional Budget Office, almost half of the stimulus package would not be spend until 2011, so the jobs they are proposing to create would come years after the passage of this particular bill.

“Spending Under H.R. 1. H.R. 1, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, as introduced in the House of Representatives on January 26, 2009, would result in additional spending of $604 billion over the 2009-2019 period, CBO estimates. About 15 percent of that spending would occur in the remaining several months of fiscal year 2009; another 37 percent would be spent in 2010. A total of almost 80 percent of the cumulative 11-year spending would occur from 2009 through 2011. (In addition to that spending, H.R.1 would reduce [tax and other] revenues by an estimated $212 billion over the 2009-2019 period.)”

Double or triple funding of existing programs …

“Moreover, under H.R. 1, some programs would receive funding that is significantly above (double, triple, or more) the amounts provided for existing or similar programs in recent years.”

My conclusion is that most of the job growth would occur in the public rather than the private sector – and what jobs may be directly be attributable to infrastructure funding would probably be under the control of the union, with all of its wage, benefits and work rules siphoning off both dollars and productivity. We can rest assured, based on historical projects, that any union project is likely to involve significant delays, massive cost overruns and an end-product which is somewhat less than first imagined.

Progress bound to be impeded by bureaucratic inertia …

“Frequently in the past, in all types of federal programs, a noticeable lag has occurred between sharp increases in budget authority and the resulting increases in outlays. Based on such experiences, CBO expects that federal agencies, along with states and other recipients of that funding, would find it difficult to properly manage and oversee a rapid expansion of existing programs so as to expend the added funds as quickly as they expend the resources provided for their ongoing programs.”

This is the type of government program which encourages waste, fraud, abuse, cronyism and results in the corruption of government workers. Historically, massive amounts of money (in the billions) have remained unaccounted for in fast-track government programs which featured expediency over prudent management. And with the democrats, one can rest assured that graft and corruption will follow the money.

Legislating governmental corruption …

“Actions that Could Accelerate Spending. CBO has not analyzed the various programs in detail in order to identify the specific steps that might be taken in each case to speed up spending. Some possibilities for accelerating spending in infrastructure and other grant programs include changing federal standards and requirements by:

    • Waiving requirements for environmental and judicial reviews;
    • Allowing contracts and grants to be awarded outside the normal competitive bidding process;
    • Waiving maintenance-of-effort requirements for state and local governments; and
    • Changing the way funds are distributed. For example, spending for some education programs might be sped up if the federal government used formulas instead of competitive processes to distribute funds. In the case of transportation projects, it could mean waiving formulas and instead giving priority to those grantees that are able to get to contract most quickly.”

Remember when the liberal left democrats excoriated President Bush over the Halliburton “no bid” contracts which were issued when Halliburton appeared to be the only company that could perform the required services in an accelerated time frame … well here is the exact same thing that is being considered to be legislatively implemented by the democrats. Hypocrisy, to say the least.

More of the same …

“Some funds for infrastructure projects might also be spent more quickly if recipients were:

    • Offered financial incentives for work completed within one to two years of enactment;
    • Given deadlines for obligating funds;
    • Given the authority to ‘pre-award’ contracts (that is, award contracts before all of the currently required approvals and certifications are obtained); and
    • Allowed to self-certify compliance with certain standards (federal agencies would then review paperwork and documentation after projects have begun).”

Financial incentives without controls often results in hasty, shoddy work which is a clear and present danger to the safety of American citizens. Pre-awards involve monies advanced to entities which can be spent on other projects, and should the project fail to get the necessary approvals, be irretrievably lost as the “special purpose” limited liability company formed for a particular venture simply files for bankruptcy – while the rest of the company moves on. And we all know that self-certification without controls, and severe penalties (not just money paid by the corporation but mandated jail time for its executives) is bound to result in further corruption of the system.

The scariest chart ever ...

Capture1-29-2009-6.02.31 PM

This chart, courtesy of the St. Louis Federal Reserve, shows the amount of currency in circulation. As you can plainly see, the largest early recessions/depressions (shown as gray bars) did not require huge stimulus injections. Now look at the sharp rise in money ... this is the prescription for future inflation which will rob us of purchasing value and sink future prosperity.

What can YOU do?

Observe the monumental hypocrisy of the democrats who are excoriating executive for their multi-million dollar bonuses while they dole out billions to their friends.

Considering that much of this money will be spent over a number of years, the democrats appear to be buying votes which require the recipients of these funds to vote democrat to keep the funds flowing, are you willing to cede political power to the democrats on the basis of special interest spending?

Consider also that it is unlikely that the democrat-controlled Justice Department would prosecute those who flagrantly abused the process or diverted funding as it would reflect poorly on the Administration’s oversight activities.

Consider that it is also unlikely that the mainstream media would report such events as it would run counter to their tacit support during the election cycle.

Consider that it is improbable that all of the politicians who are supporting this bill have thoroughly read and understand its 647 pages along with the supplementary materials.

You need to write your Republican Congressional representatives to thank them for remaining strong in the face of an ill-conceived, ill-advised and ill-timed program that would simply institutionalize democrat pork-barrel politics instead of providing a needed stimulus to our economy. 

You need to write to your democrat Congressional Representative to remind them that you will hold them responsible for the results of this package in 2010 and 2012.

Recessions rarely last long compared with cycles of prosperity and are often over before we see the benefits of Congressional remedies or stimulus efforts.  So consider also that this stimulus package is likely to promote disastrous inflationary or deflationary results since much of the money might be spent after the economic recovery is under way.

This stimulus package is a naked power grab by the democrats and one that is likely to move the United States down the road to socialism at a pace which may preclude remedy and mitigating action. Ask yourself, are you are willing to sell out America for a paltry $500 and the promise of future entitlements.

And consider that this governmental power grab is likely to be accelerated by the next fake crisis – global warming.

This is nothing short of an economic apocalypse!

-- steve

Quote of the Day: “If the politicians can monetize the political process and control the direct distribution of money, they can turn our nation over to our enemies without so much as single shot being fired.” – steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:

An Assessment of How Spending from the Economic Stimulus Proposals Currently Before the Congress Could Be Accelerated|Congressional Budget Office

H.R. 1 - American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009

“Making supplemental appropriations for job preservation and creation, infrastructure investment, energy efficiency and science, assistance to the unemployed, and State and local fiscal stabilization, for fiscal year ending September 30, 2009, and for other purposes.”

“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


AL GORE: A FEW MORE INCONVENIENT QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS APPEARANCE BEFORE A CONGRESSIONAL COMMITTEE ...

Today, Congress and the media were complicit in providing a forum to former Vice President Al Gore in order to commercially advertise and advocate for his global warming initiative. All of which leads me to ask a few inconvenient questions:

Question One: Why the Senate Foreign Relations Committee  and not the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works?

While a case may be made for hearing Al Gore’s speechifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the basis of their oversight of international treaties that would be used to implement any foreign agreements relating to global climate change, it is my contention that this presentation would have been more carefully considered under the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, whose Ranking Member, James Inhofe (R-OK) has done extensive work to shed light on the issue of global climate change and which is more than a rubber stamp for majority democrat positions which lead to bigger government, higher taxes and the incremental reduction in the freedoms of the average United States Citizen. 

Question Two: While it is widely assumed that you cannot lie to a Congressional Committee, why was Al Gore’s so-called testimony not submitted under oath?

It seems prudent to me that if any Senate Committee accepts what they widely characterize as “testimony,” that such information be submitted in a sworn statement by someone who is administered an oath to “tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.”

Question Three: Where the scientists who can refute Al Gore’s one-sided view of global climatology and why were the American people denied access to such testimony in order to present the issue in a fair and balanced manner?

The purpose of solicited testimony is to present Congress and the American people with the background information needed to develop effective, efficient and informed public policy legislation. It is not to promote the positions of a single political party or advocate for the self-serving enlargement of government; at least not without be subject to further scrutiny.

Question Four: Why is nobody questioning Al Gore’s apparent conflict of interest since he owns an interest in an enterprise which will be the recipient of any government funding for global warming?

Congress is known to cast a jaundiced eye on oil company executives when they are testifying, under oath, for the need to increase offshore drilling or executives and others who testify for the need to greatly expand our nuclear energy capabilities if we are ever to achieve some measure of energy independence.

Question Five: Why is Al Gore’s commercial enterprise based off-shore and out of reach of United States regulatory agencies which regulate financial offerings of a commercial nature?

Here is a former Vice President of the United States seeking billions of dollars for his pet project and yet his main commercial enterprise, Generation Investment Management, LLP  is based in London where it is regulated by the Financial Services Authority rather than the more stringent United States Regulatory Agencies and Commissions. For all intents and purposes, this company appears to be just another unregulated hedge fund that is preparing to capitalize on “cap and trade” programs as well as manage a global pool of capital in making so-called “green” investments. It should be noted that the brains behind the enterprise is David Blood, formerly the chief executive of Goldman Sachs Asset Management. Amusingly, the firm is nicknamed “Blood and Gore” based on the founder’s last names.

Gore’s other major effort,the Alliance for Climate Protection, is based in the United States and by their own literature is “aiming to persuade people of the importance, urgency and feasibility of adopting and implementing effective and comprehensive solutions for the climate crisis" Of course the Alliance for Climate Protection is a 501(c)3 organization and contributions made to the Alliance are tax deductible.

Question Five: Why is no one challenging Gore’s assertion that Carbon Dioxide is the prime trigger and/or contributor to global warming when CO2 is more plant food than pollution?

Statement to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee As Prepared

The dangerous and growing threat – a crisis (of course nobody would listen if there were not an artificially induced panic over a crisis)

“We are here today to talk about how we as Americans and how the United States of
America as part of the global community should address the dangerous and growing
threat of the climate crisis
.”

Need for immediate action … (quick, before you have time to think about it or adverse scientific facts are revealed)

“We have arrived at a moment of decision. Our home – Earth – is in grave danger. What is at risk of being destroyed is not the planet itself, of course, but the conditions that have made it hospitable for human beings. Moreover, we must face up to this urgent and unprecedented threat to the existence of our civilization at a time when our country must simultaneously solve two other worsening crises.”

Linking real problems with artificial ones … (a prime example of the left’s attempting to create equivalency between clear and present dangers and not-so-clear and not-so-present dangers)

“Our economy is in its deepest recession since the 1930s. And our national security is endangered by a vicious terrorist network and the complex challenge of ending the war in Iraq honorably while winning the military and political struggle in Afghanistan.

Truth be told, the current effects of this recession are less than those that occurred under another democrat administration, that of Jimmy Carter. And, of course, we need to gratuitously throw in “ending the war in Iraq” to appease those who do not wish us well – but continue to fund the democrat party.

“As we search for solutions to all three of these challenges, it is becoming clearer that they are linked by a common thread – our dangerous over-reliance on carbon-based fuels.”

“As long as we continue to send hundreds of billions of dollars for foreign oil – year after year – to the most dangerous and unstable regions of the world, our national security will continue to be at risk.”

“As long as we continue to allow our economy to remain shackled to the OPEC rollercoaster of rising and falling oil prices, our jobs and our way of life will remain at risk.”

I wonder if Al Gore has noticed that the current economic crisis was caused by the Wall Street Wizards who were playing games with the type of derivatives Al Gore and others propose for the energy markets, the extreme leverage of the banks as they sought to juice their investments, the unregulated non-insurance insurance that was sold to the ratings agencies to convince them to place an “investment grade” rating on junk securities, and the actions of unregulated hedge funds like the one he is currently running in England?

“Moreover, as the demand for oil worldwide grows rapidly over the longer term, even as the rate of new discoveries is falling, it is increasingly obvious that the roller coaster is headed for a crash. And we’re in the front car.
Most importantly, as long as we continue to depend on dirty fossil fuels like coal and oil to meet our energy needs, and dump 70 million tons of global warming pollution into the thin shell of atmosphere surrounding our planet, we move closer and closer to several dangerous tipping points which scientists have repeatedly warned – again just yesterday – will threaten to make it impossible for us to avoid irretrievable destruction of the conditions that make human civilization possible on this planet.”

Not only is this hyperbole of the worst kind … but he could have just said – implement a nuclear solution for power and 80% of your problem disappears, but nooooooo…. that would not serve the interests of the anti-war, anti-nuke, anti-America crowd.

“We're borrowing money from China to buy oil from the Persian Gulf to burn it in ways that destroy the planet. Every bit of that’s got to change.”

“For years our efforts to address the growing climate crisis have been undermined by the idea that we must choose between our planet and our way of life; between our moral duty and our economic well being. These are false choices. In fact, the solutions to the climate crisis are the very same solutions that will address our economic and national
security crises as well.”

Al Gore is dead wrong: these are correct choices – we should not cede our sovereignty, our economic future and our personal freedoms to benefit Gore and his fellow travelers as they make billions on the road to converting American into socialism. Our moral duty is to make America stronger, not weaker. And to base our actions on unproven and inaccurate “computer models” marks Gore as a self-serving dupe of those who do not wish the United States well. (Think George Soros whose funding is behind major initiatives to destroy American infrastructure)

“In order to repower our economy, restore American economic and moral leadership in the world and regain control of our destiny, we must take bold action now.”

Yes, I agree. We must take back our government from corrupt and self-serving politicians. We should tell Gore and those of his ilk to pound sand – preferably in Saudi Arabia.

“The first step is already before us. I urge this Congress to quickly pass the entirety of
President Obama’s Recovery package
. The plan’s unprecedented and critical investments in four key areas – energy efficiency, renewables, a unified national energy grid and the move to clean cars – represent an important down payment and are long overdue.”

“These crucial investments will create millions of new jobs and hasten our economic recovery – while strengthening our national security and beginning to solve the climate crisis.”

This is not true – and there are severe unintended consequences to allowing the democrats unfettered access to these funds – most of which are giant pork barrel projects for those who helped the democrats to win office.

And still no mention of nuclear energy …

“Quickly building our capacity to generate clean electricity will lay the groundwork for the next major step needed: placing a price on carbon. If Congress acts right away to pass President Obama's Recovery package and then takes decisive action this year to institute a cap-and-trade system for CO2 emissions – as many of our states and many other countries have already done – the United States will regain its credibility and enter the Copenhagen treaty talks with a renewed authority to lead the world in shaping a fair and effective treaty. And this treaty must be negotiated this year. Not next year. This year.”

Out credibility comes from our combined strength and resolve … not for appeasing European Socialists who are on their way to becoming the next conquest of IslamoFascists.

“A fair, effective and balanced treaty will put in place the global architecture that will place the world – at long last and in the nick of time – on a path toward solving the climate crisis and securing the future of human civilization.”

Complete and utter bullshit …

What chutzpah – solving the climate crisis, securing the future of human civilization? This man is corrupt, stupid and delusional. Of course, this is all aimed at the Messiah, the political deity who will either save us from extinction or move us down the road to socialism and a dictatorship. Where is this asshat’s proof of what he is saying. At this point it time it is all conjecture posed by those who have a self-serving agenda and whose scientific opinions have been compromised by political machinations.

“I am hopeful that this can be achieved. Let me outline for you the basis for the hope and optimism that I feel.”

“The Obama Administration has already signaled a strong willingness to regain U.S.
leadership on the global stage in the treaty talks, reversing years of inaction. This is
critical to success in Copenhagen and is clearly a top priority of the administration.

Developing countries that were once reluctant to join in the first phases of a global response to the climate crisis have themselves now become leaders in demanding action and in taking bold steps on their own initiatives. Brazil has proposed an impressive new plan to halt the destructive deforestation in that nation. Indonesia has emerged as a new constructive force in the talks. And China’s leaders have gained a strong understanding of the need for action and have already begun important new initiatives. Heads of state from around the world have begun to personally engage on this issue and forward-thinking corporate leaders have made this a top priority.”

This is complete and utter crap …

“More and more Americans are paying attention to the new evidence and fresh warnings from scientists. There is a much broader consensus on the need for action than there was when President George H.W. Bush negotiated – and the Senate ratified – the Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1992 and much stronger support for action than when we completed the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.”

Where are the non-political scientists testifying under oath? Where is the proof? In the mathematical models of an ethically-compromised computer modeler who is manipulating the raw data?

“Retired senior NASA atmospheric scientist Dr. John S. Theon, the former supervisor of James Hansen, NASA’s vocal man-made global warming fears soothsayer, has now publicly declared himself a skeptic and declared that Hansen ‘embarrassed NASA’ with his alarming climate claims and said Hansen was ‘was never muzzled.’ Theon joins the rapidly growing ranks of international scientists abandoning the promotion of anthropogenic global warming fears.”

“Theon declared ‘climate models are useless.’ ‘My own belief concerning anthropogenic climate change is that the models do not realistically simulate the climate system because there are many very important sub-grid scale processes that the models either replicate poorly or completely omit,’ Theon explained. ‘Furthermore, some scientists have manipulated the observed data to justify their model results. In doing so, they neither explain what they have modified in the observations, nor explain how they did it. They have resisted making their work transparent so that it can be replicated independently by other scientists. This is clearly contrary to how science should be done. Thus there is no rational justification for using climate model forecasts to determine public policy,’ he added.

“As Chief of several of NASA Headquarters’ programs (1982-94), an SES position, I was responsible for all weather and climate research in the entire agency, including the  research work by James Hansen, Roy Spencer, Joanne Simpson, and several hundred other scientists at NASA field centers, in academia, and in the private sector who worked on climate research.”

“Award-winning NASA Astronaut and Physicist Walter Cunningham of NASA’s Apollo 7 also recently chastised Hansen. ‘Hansen is a political activist who spreads fear even when NASA’s own data contradict him,’ Cunningham wrote in an essay in the July/August 2008 issue of Launch Magazine. ‘NASA should be at the forefront in the collection of scientific evidence and debunking the current hysteria over human-caused, or Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW). Unfortunately, it is becoming just another agency caught up in the politics of global warming, or worse, politicized science,” Cunningham wrote.”  <Source>

According to Cunningham …

“NASA should be at the forefront in the collection of scientific evidence and debunking the current hysteria over human-caused, or Anthropogenic Global Warming (AGW). Unfortunately, it is becoming just another agency caught up in the politics of global warming, or worse, politicized science. Advocacy is replacing objective evaluation of data, while scientific data is being ignored in favor of emotions and politics.”

“There are excellent correlations between the regular fluctuations of the Sun and the Earth’s temperature, while scientists cannot find a relationship between industrial activity, energy consumption, and global temperatures. But global warming is an issue no longer being decided in the scientific arena.”

“Saying the Earth is warming is to state the obvious. Since the end of the ice age, the Earth’s temperature has increased approximately 16 degrees Fahrenheit and sea levels have risen a total of 300 feet. That is certain and measurable evidence of warming, but it is not evidence of AGW—human-caused warming.”

“We can track the temperature of the Earth back for millennia. Knowing the temperature of the Earth, past or present, is a matter of collecting data, analyzing it, and coming up with the best answer to account for the data. Collecting such data on a global basis is a NASA forte.”

I believe in global climate change, but there is no way that humans can influence the temperature of our planet to any measurable degree with the tools currently at their disposal.”

“Any human contribution to global temperature change is lost in the noise of terrestrial and cosmic factors.”

“Our beautiful home planet has been warming and cooling for the last 4.8 billion years. Most recently, it has been warming—be it ever so slightly—but there is nothing unusual about it! The changes and rates of change in the Earth’s temperature, just since the Industrial Revolution, have occurred many times in our climatic history. While climate scientists generally agree that the Earth’s temperature is always changing, not many of them would say that humans are responsible for those changes.”

None of this is to say there are not legitimate reasons to restrict emissions of any number of chemicals into the atmosphere. We should just not fool ourselves into thinking we will change the temperature of the Earth by doing so.” <Source>

According to AL Gore’s “testimony …”

“The elements that I believe are key to a successful agreement in Copenhagen include:

  • Strong targets and timetables from industrialized countries and differentiated but binding commitments from developing countries that put the entire world under a system with one commitment: to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide and other global warming pollutants that cause the climate crisis; 

Binding commitments which institutionalize control over our respective economies and populations.

  • The inclusion of deforestation, which alone accounts for twenty percent of the  emissions that cause global warming;

The halt to industrialization in third-world countries.

  • The addition of sinks including those from soils, principally from farmlands and grazing lands with appropriate methodologies and accounting. Farmers and ranchers in the U.S. and around the world need to know that they can be part of  the solution;

Further control over the world’s food supply and a possible move to legislate “vegetarianism.”

  • The assurance that developing countries will have access to mechanisms and resources that will help them adapt to the worst impacts of the climate crisis and technologies to solve the problem; and,

Wealth redistribution from the United States to other countries to either mitigate the financial impact of our policies on their economies and possibly as reparations for our damage to their portion of the planet with our outrageous and profligate behaviors.

  • A strong compliance and verification regime.”

The creation of an extra-judicial, world-wide police force that can bridge sovereignty issues as they interfere with the economies (and military) of other sovereign nations.

“The road to Copenhagen is not easy, but we have traversed this ground before. We have negotiated the Montreal Protocol, a treaty to protect the ozone layer, and strengthened it to the point where we have banned most of the major substances that create the ozone hole over Antarctica. And we did it with bipartisan support. President Ronald Reagan and Speaker of the House Tip O’Neill joined hands to lead the way.”

Cite bi-partisanship and throw in the work of a few revered conservative icons.

The Al Gore dog and pony show: Earth in the Balance – Part II … 

“Let me now briefly discuss in more detail why we must do all of this within the next year, and with your permission Mr. Chairman, I would like to show a few new pictures that illustrate the unprecedented need for bold and speedy action this year.”

The blind leading the blind …

“Thank you Mr. Chairman. I am eager to respond to any questions that you and the
members of the committee have.”

The questions should come from climate scientists not politicians who rarely read and/or understand the legislation they are voting on. Most politicians are vain, stupid and motivated by self-interest. And while they pretend to represent their constituencies, in reality, they represent the power players and special interests who funded their campaign and the groups who could turn out large vote counts.

Question Six: Why are those who have mismanaged our economy pushing so hard to allow stimulus and other governmental funds to be used to combat as yet unproven climate change public policy initiatives?

There is no doubt in my mind that billions of dollars of the taxpayer’s money have been siphoned off by nefarious corporations and individuals for uses never intended by Congress or the taxpayers whose pocket is being plucked by those of dubious character. By distracting and confusing the public about the exact use of these so-called bailout or stimulus funds, those who are complicit in the crime of the century will escape scot-free; and with enough money to faithfully reward those politicians and bureaucrats that enabled the theft; either through campaign contributions, honorariums and future employment for them and their relatives. 

Question Seven: Why do the global climate change poobahs never mention nuclear energy as the most effective way of curbing pollution and achieving energy independence which would strengthen our nations and insulate us from foreign domination by oil and gas blackmailers?

The short answer is that the “peace at any price” appeasers, the anti-nuke brigade of the Marxist/Communist party and others who do not wish us well have co-opted the environmental movement as a source of funding and as a political action weapon against the United States. Our enemy has learned how to generate funding from weak-minded individuals who profess to be “do-gooders” and to use our own laws against us – whether to cripple our economy by reducing water flow to Southern California (to save the delta smelt) or to cripple our military (by disallowing the use of sonar that is necessary to protect our coastlines from foreign vessels). Occasionally, these people will mention nuclear energy – which is green, sustainable and scalable – in the same breath as wind power, wave power, solar power and other unreliable, unscalable energy generators which require government subsidies to be commercially viable. Citing of course, forty-year old reactor technology and hoary tells of nuclear terror from the Chernobyl days.

In the same way low-level conflict is promoted by arms dealers, we find our enemies, the energy companies and the politicians complicit in milking the productivity of the American citizen for their own personal purposes. Wealth transfer to the rich and powerful while weakening the United States.

And the most important final question: How does one maintain accountability for funds when the very character and nature of global climate change precludes measuring and tracking any so-called progress improvement?

It is a fact that any man-made effort to control climate change cannot be directly measured as the global temperature measurements are little more than extrapolated estimates in regional areas and that any true effect on the global mean temperature will not be seen, if ever, for hundreds of years – long after we are dead and the money has disappeared into the pockets of a few wealthy families which will continue to control local and global politics through their purchased politicians.

Of course, there are artificial measures, such as tons of CO2 allegedly eliminated which are all based on corrupt reporting systems run by those with the most to gain from fudging the numbers.

The quiet revolution – funded by us!

Before we consider the traitorous nature of our politicians who are ceding political control to environmentalists and freebooters who are attempting to loot our treasury and enslave us in more government regulation and lifelong debt, perhaps we should open our eyes and stop this craziness before it continues past the tipping point: when we have lost control of our government to those who purchased it for a pittance and those who we are forced to serve via our everyday labor.

As never before, we face an enemy that is close to conquering the United States without a single shot being fired. By using our own politicians and citizens as a culpable fifth column who are willing to sell out America in exchange for campaign dollars, a comfortable lifestyle and the chance to feel good about themselves.

Funded by our enemies and those who do not wish us well, evildoers have infiltrated education, the government, the media and other critical infrastructure. It is these people who, wittingly and unwittingly, are advancing the causes of worldwide socialism. A threat far greater than IslamoFascism as it is not a clear and present danger – it is hidden among the many words and deeds of our corrupt and possibly well-meaning politicians as they continue to pursue a policy of fiscal neglect and social change.

Even the media cannot be trusted to sound the alarm – they are smitten with celebrity and the sound of their oh so politically correct voices. Imagine John Wayne meeting with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez or any other dictator and proclaiming that one one hand they appear to be murderous thugs, but on the other hand they appear to want the best for their people? Hard to imagine, unless you see an unrepentant Marxists-like liberals  like Sean Penn and Danny Glover spout such nonsense.

We are doing it to us. Middle America is being compromised by those from Manhattan to Malibu by way of Washington, D.C..

The acid test is simple: nuclear energy will provide us with energy independence, dramatically lower pollution, abundant and cost effect electrical power and will solve many of the problems that are claimed to be associated with global warming. So why are these global warming alarmists and others not pushing this solution.

Could it be that what I said about the infiltration of our infrastructure by the Marxists/Socialists/Communists and their old-style anti-war and anti-nuke agenda is running rampant in the United States – funded by a variety of liberal sources, both foreign and domestic – and being advanced by their fellow travelers? 

That’s the way I see it. Prove me wrong.

What can YOU do?

Am I the only one who noticed that we are proposing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on climate research and computer modeling -- even though Al Gore tells us that the science is settled and that the majority of the scientists concur with his conclusions. Either the models are flawed and cannot be relied on to support a $6 TRILLION dollar policy decision -- or Al Gore is right and everything has already been determined. In my opinion, Al Gore is nothing but a jumped up grifter arrogantly demanding action and hoping nobody important calls "bullshit."

Before we spend more of our hard earned dollars on speculative climate ventures promoted by the socialists, communists, anarchists who have infiltrated the environmental movement in order to weaken the economy and military posture of the United States; before we cede our sovereignty to foreign-based organizations, panels and commissions which would be allowed to use the United States Courts to enforce their will upon American companies and people – let us prove, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that global climate change is more than just the natural variability of natural weather cycles and that the money that will be used to mitigate its effects would not be better spent on curbing pollution and becoming energy independent which will do more to improve our climate that the bullshit carbon cap and trade system that will only benefit the politicians, the Wall Street Wizards and our enemies.

You will notice that Senator John Kerry and other politicians and those with a vested interest, for either personal, professional or for profit reasons, speak in terms of certainty, of established scientific fact, in terms of crisis, catastrophe and the cost in human lives. With little more than climate models and supposition, these people want to, for their own purposes, dominate the United States and push it toward European socialism. They speak of the catastrophe that will be fall Earth if temperature rises only four degrees. And yet, it should be taken with a grain of salt. For those of you who are only enough to remember the United Nations’ dire predictions for a world beset with unbridled population growth – our nation, as well as the rest of the world, would have already experienced catestrophic breakdowns in social order and massive starvation. The United Nations was wrong then and they are wrong now. The difference is that nobody will be able to prove that our carbon reductions are having a climate effect, now, in our lifetime, and not for hundreds – if not thousands – of years. You must ask yourself, do we want to cede control of our nation to a group of politicians and special interest entities? The fruits of our labor, or more importantly, our freedoms? I think not.

Do not elect ideologues or political hacks that spout self-serving nonsense merely to get elected. Avoid those Marxists who, in the guise of liberal democrats, would sell out the United States to gain even a modicum of personal wealth and power.

Before we can do good for the world, let us consider doing good for ourselves.

Be well, be safe, and protect your life and money – nobody will do it for you unless they are on your payroll.

-- steve

Quote of the day: “Congress is like the weather, with a purpose that changes from day-to-day and can be predicted over the short term by taking the temperature of the surrounding public.” – steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:

Watch Gore’s “testimony” – Note: there is a late start to the committee hearing and you might want to scroll forward to 21:35 where the action commences and the sound begins. (Talk about wasted bandwidth)

Statements:

Senator Kerry's Opening Statement
Senator Lugar's Opening Statement

Witnesses:

The Honorable Albert A. Gore, Jr, Former Vice President of the United States, Nashville, TN


“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


It's for the children: unfortunately not YOUR children ...

Yes, America has a soft spot in its heart for Children, Firefighters, Nurses and Bambi. But how these iconic images are manipulated to direct funding decisions, union affairs and political actions is often as shameful as it is misleading.

At a time when our healthcare infrastructure is crumbling under the assault of illegal aliens who use emergency rooms as their primary care facilities and are overburdening our hospital’s maternity rooms in the quest to create “anchor” babies, someone must make some rational decisions.

Consider for a moment the following story …

“Ana Puente was an infant with a liver disorder when her aunt brought her illegally to the U.S. to seek medical care. She underwent two liver transplants at UCLA Medical Center as a child in 1989 and a third in 1998, each paid for by the state.”

“But when Puente turned 21 last June, she aged out of her state-funded health insurance and was unable to continue treatment at UCLA.”

“This year, her liver began failing again and she was hospitalized at County-USC Medical Center. In her Medi-Cal application, a USC doctor wrote, ‘Her current clinical course is irreversible, progressive and will lead to death without another liver transplant.’ The application was denied. The county gave her medication but does not have the resources to perform transplants.”

“Late last month Puente learned of another, little-known option for patients with certain healthcare needs. If she notified U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services that she was in the country illegally, state health officials might grant her full Medi-Cal coverage. Puente did so, her benefits were restored and she is now awaiting a fourth transplant at UCLA.”

“Jose Lopez said he came to the U.S. with his mother illegally as a child. Soon after, he contracted hepatitis A and received his first liver transplant. Eight years later, he got cirrhosis and received another transplant. Both were performed at UCLA and paid for by the state.”

“As his 21st birthday approached, his mother, Maria Elena Lopez, searched for clinics that might agree to treat her son. She applied for Medi-Cal for him but has not received a response.”

These cases highlight “ two controversial issues: Should illegal immigrants receive liver transplants in the U.S. and should taxpayers pick up the cost?”

“The average cost of a liver transplant and first-year follow-up is nearly $490,000, and anti-rejection medications can run more than $30,000 annually, according to the United Network for Organ Sharing, which oversees transplantation nationwide.”

“Donor livers are also in scarce supply. In California, nearly 3,700 people are on a waiting list for livers, according to the network. Last year, 767 liver transplants were performed in the state. <Source>

Americans are a compassionate people and nobody wants to see suffering prolonged. But the fact remains, that Mexico continues to outsource their major medical cases to the United States in the form of illegal aliens.

A question of fairness …

Why should legal citizens and residents of California accept the additional burden of supplying health care to a third world country at the expense of its own citizens and their health and welfare? Considering that Hispanics have risen to political power in a number of areas, and an open border policy is backed by the democrat party, the unions and the Roman Catholic Church, we are seeing a foreign invasion take place under our nose and doing little or nothing to stem the tide of Southern California’s conversion to Alta Mexico.

Harry Reid, enabler of illegal aliens …

One need only know that Harry Reid represents the State of Nevada which has become increasingly dependent upon the use of illegal alien labor in its resort communities. And considering the historic confluence of organized crime, labor unions and gambling, one must consider that this position is a precursor to an increased role of those elements in our society which does not wish America well and believes, like good socialists,  that our resources should be shared with the world, even though it may mean shortages and disruptions at home. In the socialist model, the individual must suffer and sacrifice for the collective.

According to CNSNews.com …

”SCHIP Bill Does Not Require Photo ID or Proof of Citizenship for Socialized Health Care”

“A proposed change to the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), currently under reauthorization by Congress, could make it possible for people to get health coverage by presenting only a Social Security number, not a photo ID or proof of legal residency or citizenship, such as a birth certificate, driver’s license or passport.”

“When asked about this proposed revision in the SCHIP enrollment rules, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) said the legislation ‘is enforceable and fair, and I don’t think we need to do any better than what we’ve done.’”

“Reid added that this proposed change can be debated and senators will be allowed to make amendments to SCHIP as reauthorization moves forward.”

Reversing former President Bush’s common-sense approach to controlling the rampant rise in healthcare costs by restricting delivery to those for whom the program was originally designed …

“The proposed change reverses a Bush administration regulation that required new enrollees to provide photo identification and proof of legal residency or citizenship to qualify for health coverage under SCHIP.”

Who among us has not seen the social security system complicitly sit back while fake, forged and stolen social security numbers have been used to cause millions of legal Americans to lose time, money and effort to straighten out paperwork catastrophes involving identity theft. Now we are beginning to see those who are finding that identity theft does not only extend to financial matters, but health matters as well – as insurance companies are being defrauded by those who present themselves as someone else.

“The new rule would require enrollees to present only a Social Security number and no other form of identification. This change opens the possibility that people could enroll in SCHIP with a fake or stolen Social Security number.”

Even IRS, at the urging of the financial industry, has enabled illegal aliens to obtain ITINs (Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers) which are issued without regard to immigration status and can often be used in the place of a social security number for financial transactions. And is it any wonder that the democrats are pushing hard to issue drivers licenses with photo-ID and biometric information to illegal aliens without the requirement to differentiate these licenses from those issued to legal citizens?

“The State Children’s Health Insurance Program, started in 1997, matches federal tax dollars with state funds to pay for the health care of children in families with modest incomes – incomes slightly above the cutoff for Medicaid coverage.”

Reid waffles …

One only wonder how this mediocre, and allegedly corrupt, example of a politician could rise so high in the democrat party as to assume the leadership of the Senate.

“Speaking at a press conference Friday about the past success of SCHIP, Reid was asked why the rules were changed and what states could do to prevent fraud. Reid was evasive in his answers.”

When asked if he was willing to accept the risk that people could abuse the new enrollment rule to get SCHIP coverage, Reid was evasive, telling CNSNews.com, ‘We’re going to have a full debate on this legislation. If people want to offer amendments, they can do that.’”

Here, again, is Harry Reid on the United States’ funding of abortions around the world …

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) would not comment Friday on President Obama’s reversal of the Mexico City Policy, which had prohibited U.S. tax dollars from going to organizations that promote or perform abortions abroad.”

The executive order means that abortions around the globe will now be paid for by federal funds. While Obama was expected to issue the order sometime Friday, he did not actually do so until around 7:00 p.m. that night--when weekly news coverage is at a minimum.”

“ ‘That’s not SCHIP,’ Reid responded to CNSNews.com when asked about the move to have the United States government fund abortions in other countries. Reid was speaking at a press conference at the Capitol on Friday afternoon in support of legislation to provide health insurance for children paid for by states and the federal government. ‘We can talk about that some other day,’ Reid said.” <Source>

Democrats continue their march towards universal health care coverage for all …

“Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) also was evasive in answering why Democrats removed another provision, broadly supported by congressional Republicans, which would have prevented families earning more than 300 percent of the federal poverty level from enrolling in SCHIP.”

“The bill would allow families earning more than $63,600 per year to enroll their children in federal health care.”

Jay Rockefeller is, for all intents and purposes, your typical rich, family-supported, far left democratic liberal who is insulated from the consequences of his legislative actions – and the normal day-to-day concerns facing ordinary citizens. Your typical limousine liberal who supports the concept of perfect people for a perfect world.

“We had a number of decisions to make on this,” said Rockefeller. “There are only so many fights you can take on.”

What the asshat does not understand is that you fight for “good” over “evil” and “right” over “wrong” each and every time you go to battle. There is no compromise – and those who compromise will open the door to evil just a little bit wider each and every time the lay down and claim “There are only so many fights you can take on.”

It’s for the children …

“Rockefeller chastised critics of the proposal, wondering how fellow senators could vote against a children’s bill simply because of its size.”

“ ‘To me, it should be difficult enough to (even) think of voting against a bill on children, but people around here want to do that, particularly if they can latch onto an issue like that.’”

Safeguards needed …

“The provision that could possibly allow fraudulent enrollment has been criticized by some conservative Republicans who think it lacks the provisions needed to adequately prevent illegal immigrants and others from getting free health care.”

There is no doubt that waste, fraud and corruption has driven the cost of socialized benefit costs beyond the bounds of our ability to continue to pay for adequate care and has degraded the entire healthcare infrastructure. Much of the benefits of this waste, fraud and corruption has gone to those who push nothing but paper, the insurance companies and major healthcare monitors who successfully lobbied Congress to become the well-paid gatekeeper to the system and whose executives pocket multi-million dollar bonuses and fly on private jets while legal citizens are denied healthcare in order to boost the company’s profits. Not to be overlooked is their lobbying efforts and campaign contributions which keeps them in a position of power.

Bottom line …

Truth be told, this is just another democrat ploy to obtain votes by empowering those they promoted to victimhood based on race, ethnicity, class – and now citizenship. Perhaps we should demand that the unions and the Roman Catholic Church lose their tax-exempt status and pay their fair share of the healthcare burden.

What can YOU do?

Remove the democrat socialists from office in 2010 and notify your elected officials that you are concerned about your children’s health and welfare and that the reason you are working hard and contributing your tax money to the local, state and federal government is to see that legal, law-abiding citizens receive the social benefits that they are paying for with their time, effort and money.

Consider that many cities have established clinics devoted for the care of illegal alien children and that prominent hospitals like UCLA are not primary care facilities. In the case of UCLA, while they do support emergency operations, they are considered a tertiary hospital – to be accessed for their specialty care after one has been seen by their primary care doctor/facility and/or regional/community medical center. Unless you are familiar with UCLA Hospital, now named the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, they have completed their new earthquake-resistant hospital – which contains fewer beds than the old hospital facility, thus making medical care harder to access.

There is no doubt that we need comprehensive immigration reform and we must remove politics, the unions and the church from the decision-making. My suggestions for such a program can be found at the end of my recent blog entry titled, “The public relations push to grant amnesty to illegal aliens on humanitarian grounds?

Consider that celebrities and other wealthy limousine liberals often attempt to make themselves feel better or justify the tremendous amount of money they have earned by promoting positions from which they are isolated. They have the money which can buy the best medical care in the world. They do not stand in lines and deal with the aggressive bureaucratic functionaries whose primary task is to say NO. Especially egregious are those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouths such as the Kennedys and Rockefellers. Families of privilege whose protection even extends to covering up crime and wrongdoing.

Remember, the United States is under assault for foreign powers who are “demographically bombing” the United States with illegal aliens whom they hope will retain their national allegiance when, and if, they are given citizenship. In addition to destroying our healthcare, education, judicial, retirement, social and cultural infrastructure – they are gaining the political power to vote us out of our own homes and turn America into a third-world nation.

It has always been a point of contention that we have, here in American, an underserved class of poverty-stricken blacks who live in crumbling democrat-ruled ghettos and certainly, as legal American citizens, deserve more consideration than illegal aliens. Their democrat-ruled school systems often produce illiterates and that is one of the root causes of continued poverty. Unfortunately, they do not make the connection between the democrats who talk about victimization and the democrats whose foot is on their neck. All led by self-proclaimed reverends and community activists who serve as Judas goats to perpetuate their victimhood to gain and maintain democrat political power. A reading assignment, Dr. Lenton Aikins’ book: While African-Americans Slept: Leadership by Parasites.”

Be well and be safe. Take care of yourself and your family first. Nobody in Mexico, China or any other foreign country cares about your welfare or is willing to reciprocate by providing the rights and privileges we accord to illegal aliens to your fellow United States citizens.

-- steve

Quote of the day: “In tough times, charity begins at home.” -- unknown

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:

SCHIP Bill Does Not Require Photo ID or Proof of Citizenship for Socialized Health Care|CNSNews.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


Republicans: Scared to do their jobs?

An imagined catastrophe …

The greatest catastrophe which can befall a politician is not getting elected or maintaining the office to which he holds or aspires. And the greatest catastrophe that can befall a political party, other than a severe imbalance in fundraising, is for its individual members to become professional, perpetual politicians who are afraid to do anything which might impact their candidacy in the next election cycle. Thus is born a cadre of gutless wonders who speak loudly and we all know where they keep their big stick.

You don’t win the hearts and minds of your constituents by abandoning your principles …

There is no doubt in my mind that the Republican Party’s Rockefeller wing has abandoned the conservative principles of Ronald Reagan. And that they listened to some political consultant who advised them that the American people were tired of strident rhetoric, continual strife and that the Republican Party needed to moderate its stance to attract those in the middle and those voters who were already sliced and diced by democrats into identifiable constituencies by race, ethnicity, class and citizenship. In essence, become the lite version of liberal democrats.

End result: disaster!

We all saw how that worked out. We got a Presidential Candidate who, when not openly disagreeing with his own party, was bed-hopping into the democrat camp in a display of bi-partisanship. Bi-partisanship which cost us the election and gave us some of the worst legislation ever to be crafted.

Mc-Cain Feingold opened up campaign finances to a Pandora’s box of evil outsiders, some of whom were foreign and precluded from financing an American election.

McCain-Kennedy immigration reform which was little more than amnesty for the illegal aliens who were already destroying our healthcare, education, judicial, retirement, social and cultural infrastructure.

McCain-Lieberman which attempted to institutionalize the myth of global warming and which would have led to a severe disruption in our economy and military affairs. Like man is responsible for the global weather and can change it by empowering the Wall Street Wizards to create and trade carbon credits. 

And even though he was denied the Presidency, McCain and his democrat pal Joseph Lieberman and his RINO (Republican In Name Only) Lindsey Graham continue to provide aid and comfort to the democrat party.

The Republican Leadership is upset …

  Now we find that the Republican Leaders are turning on conservative radio talk show hosts who are criticizing their leadership, or lack thereof, and pointing out the obvious: there are fewer Republicans in office due to their failed election strategies. They talk tough about how talk radio is only confusing the base and helping to erode their efforts to re-constitute the party’s brand. In essence, the continue to support the democrat position that conservative talk radio must be silenced, perhaps by a return of the so-called “Fairness Doctrine” under the guise of establishing a new concern for “localism.” Eschewing the nationally syndicated powerhouse talkers in favor of local talkers who are unable to command such a major audience as to influence party politics.

The cowards whine …

While these politicians whine that talk radio show hosts are making their leadership roles difficult, the truth is they are afraid. Afraid that attacking a sitting President with high approval numbers will alienate them from their constituency which will ultimately affect their candidacy in the next election cycle.

Too bad they don’t have the smarts to understand that you are not attacking the President or even the democrat party – you are describing the principles for which you stand and the positions you are willing to support in the face of fierce opposition.

It is not so much the need to attack the democrats as it is to put forth a fair, honest and ethical platform and invite all those in agreement to help you achieve your political goals. The trick is to pick issues that resonate with the people and point out that those who simply offer more and more entitlements in return for political support are bankrupting the nation.

In addition, it is time to put aside the “old club” rules which forbid attacks on fellow politicians. It is time to point our hypocrisy and corruption wherever it is found. It is time to say no to the special interests who tell the politicians that they can’t win without their tainted money and votes.

It is time for the people to take back their government …

It is time that we told the politicians, face-to-face, that they will be thrown out of office if they continue to engage in political maneuvers which hurt their constituents and support the special interests. That the people would rather see an ethical politician from the other party rather than a hypocritical and corrupt one from their own party in office.

Rush, Hannity, Levin …

The conservative talk show hosts are merely facilitators of the conversation. They are mirrors which reflect back their audience’s opinions on a variety of subjects, some important and some not so important. The hosts help to clarify the subjects being discussed.

And the reason they are hated by the opposition is because they give rise to a national discussion of the issues. Callers who disagree with the host’s position are often given quicker access to the host than those who agree. For it is only when the host challenges those who disagree with the host’s position, does the entire story unfold on the national stage. Silliness and stupidity are exposed and the American people can develop an informed opinion. No doubt why politicians in both political parties want to mitigate the power of talk radio.

These hosts are made more powerful by the mainstream media which either deliberately shades the truth in order to mix unacknowledged political commentary into their reporting or try to fit complex subjects into 3-minute segments. There is no doubt that the mainstream media skews left in favor of liberal democrats. And there is no doubt that they compromised their journalistic ethics to support an unknown candidate; one who has not been fully vetted to this day.

Suspicions of a stalking horse …

Some are beginning to believe that Obama and his fellow Clintonistas were the best thing to happen. It provides the Republican party with a plausible reason for the continued failure of democrat policies and takes the sting out of a Republican Administration which abandoned conservative principles – leading to domestic economic chaos and somewhat a failure of foreign affairs. Yes, they did keep the nation safe after 9/11 – but in the minds of many Americans, it was the way they went about it that rankled. How stupid must you be to consider waterboarding torture after watching Daniel Pearl or Nick Berg beheaded on video by the terrorists?

Never forget …

Who cares what the cheese-eating surrender monkeys in France think about America? Who cares what nations, who owe their existence and economies to America, thinks about our politics. Only those who do not wish us well, the democrats and their media friends. And unfortunately, they were able to parlay a confluence of stage-managed events into an election winning coalition. But, as we can easily anticipate, they will return to their ethical roots and be quickly mired in a cesspool of waste, fraud and corruption.

For those requiring an object lesson, see if you can view the following two videos – and then condemn America for its actions.

The first strike …

The second strike …

I purposely did not include the footage of the terrorist beheading of journalist Daniel Perl or communications worker Nicholas Berg.

Torture and atrocities which kill and maim their own citizens are commonplace in Islamic Countries. And while there are those who condemn those in the United States for betraying our national principles and engaging in torture – this is a media-driven story put forth by those who hate America. These are the people who are siding with an enemy who would rather kill every man, woman and child that has not sworn allegiance to the Islam faith and the mullahs who administer it.

These are the people who really want to shut down talk radio …

Before you condemn talk radio and claim that it is doing a disservice to America, consider exactly who is left to speak the truth to the American people and those who lead this great nation.

What can YOU do?

Realize that the truth is often repugnant to those politicians who are complicit in wrongdoing. People like Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid and the ilk want only their spin-doctored and tested viewpoint to be carried to the American people. So it is in our best interests to demand that our elected officials keep their hands off the media, especially talk radio.

The mainstream media, typified by NBC, is in the tank for Obama and the far left liberal democrats. Whether for the purposes of securing a corporate advantage, funding or simply following their leaderships liberal left viewpoint, the journalistic ethics of the mainstream media have been severely compromised and one can hardly regard the failing New York Times as the newspaper of national record. 

Be careful when listening to politicians. They will lie, cheat, steal and say or do anything to obtain and remain in office.

Be safe, be well – and vote for YOUR interests and those of AMERICA first. You can no longer trust your political party or their leadership.

-- steve

Quote of the Day: “Freedom of Speech means listening to those things you abhor in order to develop your own viewpoint of events which others see differently.” -- steve

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:


“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


Accounting for failure or the failure of accounting? (Updated)

UPDATE 02-04-09 IT'S ABOUT TIME ...

The Nationa Law Journal is reporting ... 

"Minnesota accounting firm has been hit by lawsuits alleging that it failed to detect problems in two separate Ponzi schemes -- the purported $50 billion investment scam by New York financier Bernard Madoff and the $3.5 billion alleged "electronics" scheme by Thomas Petters."

"The suits against McGladrey & Pullen, a national 100-office auditing firm in Bloomington, Minn., and similar suits stemming from the Madoff scandal against accounting firms KPMG, Ernst & Young and BDO Seidman, point up the likely spread of litigation as financial victims attempt to recover massive losses."

Original blog entry:

The blame game …

Once again we are presented with politicians running off at the mouth about the systemic causes of today’s financial crisis. Partially to diffuse and depersonalize blame and partially to deflect their own complicity in the meltdown of financial markets and institutions. 

There are those who blame President Bush for encouraging a laissez-faire, hands off policy when it comes to regulatory policies and then need for stringent oversight.

There are those who blame the Administration’s politicalized Agencies for faithfully executing what they believed to be the President’s policies.

There are those who blame Congress for using financial legislation to reward some special interest friends and punish others. For urging a relaxation in loan documentation for a politically valuable class of voters consisting of ethnic, racial and social class minorities; all in the guise of providing affordable housing.

There are those who blame the Wall Street Wizards for creating and marketing derivative products with dubious values.

There are those who blame the mortgage industry for allowing uncreditworthy borrowers to obtain loans for properties that they could never afford. And for manipulated appraisals and documentation.

There are those who blame the Federal Reserve for artificially manipulating interest rates to encourage the ever-expanding global pool of capital to seek refuge in the mortgage market.

And there are those who blame the consumer and commercial credit ratings agencies whose models failed to protect against a trend of uncreditworthy borrowers and suspicious loans.

Who enabled those who participated in the financial crisis?

And while all of these parties are partially to blame, one group stands out as not being publically excoriated for enabling the massive failure of today’s financial and social institutions. A group at the heart of almost every singular and institutionalized fraud. A group which overlooked their implicit charter to the people of the United States and their profession.

ACCOUNTANTS!

Behind each and every fraudulent company and transaction stood a legion of accountants. Some representing well-known signature firms, others lesser known but regionally powerful.

So how does a practitioner of a profession who signs a statement that: in their learned opinion, the financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of  the institution being audited; escape the consequences of their actions?

Escape, evasion and lawyer’s letters …

While we freely admit that it is possible for an organization to hide material facts from its auditors and that sampling may fail to reveal an ongoing fraud, what excuse can be made for the accounting profession?

A profession which wrote the rules that enabled the creation and accounting for derivatives?

A profession which wrote the rules regarding “off balance sheet” transactions which hide mounting risk and losses from the parties which rely on the accounting profession to protect the public, the shareholders and the counterparties involved with the enterprise?

A profession which stretched the limits of financial prudence and credulity in continuing to report on the ongoing activities of fatally flawed enterprises which they knew for certain were insolvent; that is that the losses had wiped out the shareholder’s equity and forced the firms into short-term borrowing to meet the costs of day-to-day operational expenses?

A profession which saw executive compensation bonuses and individual expenses that represented a significant impairment of the firm’s working capital and said nothing – not even a peep in the footnotes.

And a profession which now is working on loosening even the current standards as they implement European-style accounting which is even more subjective and compromising than the current United States accounting model.

How the hell can we trust our government and those firms who are receiving billions of the taxpayer’s hard earned dollars when we know the accounting system is flawed and its practitioner’s corrupted by those who reward them with audit and consulting business?

HOW DOES THE ACCOUNTING PROFESSION REDEEM ITS HONOR AFTER BEING COMPLICIT IN ONE OF THE WORST FINANCIAL DISASTERS IN AMERICA.

And, even worse, how does the government demonstrate to its constituency, the people of the United States, that the nation’s books are true, correct and accurate? That the taxpayer’s money is fully accounted for and that even the “black money” used in covert operations has not been stolen by some nefarious party?

The government knows its accounting systems and controls are deficient …

The government dictum, “as long as it is disclosed somewhere,” it provides us with political deniability has never been truer.

Consider this report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) …

“WASHINGTON (December 15, 2008) - For the 12th year in a row, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) was prevented from expressing an opinion on the consolidated financial statements of the U.S. government—other than the Statement of Social Insurance—because of numerous material internal control weaknesses and other limitations.”

“While significant progress has been made in improving financial management since the federal government began preparing consolidated financial statements 12 years ago, three major impediments have continued to prevent us from rendering an opinion on the accrual basis consolidated financial statements over this period of time.” 

Let’s review: 12 years in a row after the program was implemented 12 years ago = the accounting has never been accurate and the government’s books have never been balanced!

“Those include serious financial management problems at the Department of Defense, the federal government’s inability to adequately account for and reconcile intragovernmental activity and balances between federal agencies, and the federal government’s ineffective process for preparing the consolidated financial statements.”

“[Acting Comptroller General of the United States, Gene] Dodaro also noted three additional material weaknesses related to improper payments, information security, and tax collection activities.”

“Dodaro added that at least three major agencies did not get clean opinions – the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).”

No surprise here!

Who can we trust?

A country who can perform millions of computations per second to place a manned space vehicle on the moon certainly can design an accurate and effective accounting system. However, considering the national political priorities and the institutionalized political corruption, perhaps this accounting fail is by design rather than by accidental happenstance.  

If we are not able to trust the accounting profession to eliminate, isolate or disclose all of the sophisticated accounting dodges to provide the public with true and correct information, perhaps we should eliminate all restrictions to entering the accounting field and allow anyone to hold themselves out as a CPA – after seeing the results of this financial disaster, I am not so certain that the accounting profession’s stars function any better than lawyers who, as advocates, will shade and bend the truth to accommodate their client’s needs – even as they profess to be professionals and officers of the court.  

In the final analysis …

There is but one principal accounting principle that should be remembered:

Solvency represents the ability of an enterprise to pay its bills and service its debt without government intervention and accounting fictions.

And one warning to the accounting profession:

We need accountants who can cry “bullshit” when the public is being deceived – and if they are found complicit in enabling deceit; jail seems a nice place for them to remain while they study honest accounting techniques.

What can YOU do?

Perhaps we should ask our politicians to end the fiction of a fiscal year so as to enable ordinary people to understand the true expenditures and budgets on the same calendar basis the majority of citizens use for their accounting.

Perhaps we should demand that our politicians delay the implementation of IFRS (International Financial Reporting Standards) until they are proven to be better than the current United States GAAP (Generally Accepted Accounting Principles).

Considering the financial disaster brought about by the use of derivatives and other sophisticated financial instruments, perhaps we should demand that derivatives be outlawed until the government creates rules and regulation for their creation, use and marketing and that an exchange is established to add transparency to all derivative trades.

Likewise, we need the government to prohibit the use of credit default swaps by companies which do not create actuarially sound reserves and hold these instruments out as unregulated insurance. Especially considering that there may be 55 TRILLION dollars worth of CDS paper floating around the firmament – waiting to consume companies like a blast furnace consumes paper.

Bottom line: demand that our elected officials re-think the accounting profession, its rules and practitioners before we trust them with another trillion dollars of the taxpayer’s hard earned funds.

-- steve

Quote of the day: “Trust but verify!” – Ronald Wilson Reagan

A reminder from OneCitizenSpeaking.com: a large improvement can result from a small change…

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

Reference Links:

Fiscal Year 2008 Financial Report of the United States Government| Treasury Department and Office of Management and Budget


“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