This Blog is created to stress the importance of Peace as an environmental directive. “I never give them hell. I just tell the truth and they think it’s hell.” – Harry Truman
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Subject: CHAMBLISS WILL SUPPO9RT TAX INCREASE (click title to entry - thank you)
To: Sen. Lamar Alexander Sen. Bob Corker April 18, 2011 Saxby Chambliss (R-GA) Says Senate Republicans Will Support Tax Increases Tell you what gentlemen, if you think that YOU WORK for Saxby Chambliss then go ahead and vote yes to raise taxes. But if you remember you work for the taxpayers in Tennessee then I suggest you vote NO ON ANY TAX INCREASES. Your job now is to SLASH SPENDING NOT INCREASE TAXES.
Georgia’s senior senator scored 97 percent on the group’s rating scale, which weighed votes on tax, fiscal trade and regulatory policy.
“I am humbled to receive this award,” Chambliss said. “I have always worked to protect taxpayers’ interests and will continue to do so.”
The group’s president, Duane Parde, said Chambliss was a stand out in a year of unusual rancor on the issues.
“2010 saw some of the most polarizing fiscal issues in the history of Congress, and NTU’s Rating depicted the trend in stark detail,” Parde said. “Although an increasing number of lawmakers voted with taxpayers’ interests, more than three times as many sided with special interests instead. With this lopsided tug-of-war among members of Congress, it is no wonder the nation’s finances were dragged into a quagmire last year.”
About 8,300 of the members of the National Taxpayers Union reside in the state of Georgia....
A panel of German economic experts has significantly upped its forecast for the country's tax revenue over the next two years, prompting conservative politicians to call for an expedited debate on tax cuts.
A stronger-than-expected economic recovery in 2010 led German authorities on Thursday to raise their outlook for federal, state and local tax revenue from 2010 through 2012 by a total of 61 billion euros ($86.8 billion).
The announcement quickly led Bavarian Finance Minister Georg Fahrenschon, a member of the conservative Christian Social Union (CSU), to call for an immediate discussion on cutting taxes.
"The economy is improving, the new prognoses are surprisingly good, and I think in light of this development there can't be any holdup in tax policy," he told public broadcaster Deutschlandfunk.
Budget cuts come first
But Chancellor Angela Merkel has resisted calls to cut taxes, saying the government's first priority should be cutting the state budget.
"In this year, we will accrue 50 billion euros more of debt," she told reporters on Thursday. "That's a debt level that we haven't had in decades."
Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble echoed Merkel's sentiment, saying the expected increase in tax revenue only showed that Germany's economic situation was not as dramatic as was previously thought.
"We're on the right path (with budget cuts)" he said in Berlin on Thursday. "It's difficult, but we will carry on."...
As an age of austerity looms for some of Germany’s poorest citizens, pressure is growing to impose higher taxes on the richest, setting the scene for fresh conflict in Chancellor Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition.
Thousands have taken to the streets this summer to demonstrate against plans by Merkel’s centre-right government to cut billions of euros in spending on the unemployed without imposing a similar burden on the other end of society.
Some senior figures from her conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) have urged Merkel to consider higher taxes for the rich, lest a steady slide in the administration’s popularity accelerate into freefall before six state elections next year....
Wall Street received its first real taste of Republican corruption of the USA Treasury during the Bush / Cheney years. They witnessed how Cheney could draw up an energy policy that provided plenty of exploitation of natural resources and over reached to focus on the Caspian Sea and the Middle East as strategic USA interests.
Wall Street then received the biggest 'wet kiss' they ever did as the banking regulations were dissolved and Bush sent $1.2 Billion to the housing market to 'move renters to homes.' The beginning of the housing bubble in 2003.
Then every measure of legislation was a jobs bill which supplied 'short term immediate' upticks in prosperity. "Flash in the Pan Economics." It was completely dependent upon the ability of the USA Congress to pump out spending bill after spending bill while raising the debt ceiling higher and higher and higher during the Bush years. The National Debt exploded. The money reserves of the country were drained and yet that was not enough.
The housing bubble became all too real following the resignation of John Snow and Paulson did nothing, but, travel to China to 'whine and wine and dine' those he felt would give insight to Goldman Sachs. Then the housing collapse of 2008. The SECOND major bailout and corruption of the USA was now endless.
The bailouts didn't stop there. The investment banks took their money and ran leaving the USA high and dry for an economy. The economy was shrinking and shrinking fast even as the investment banks stated they were going to pay off their 'bailout' in a short period of time. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act was a bailout for the nation and Governors were there to receive monies for 'shovel ready' jobs. The government infrastructure was bouyed and the next budget would fully fund the federal government securing more and more jobs and sending 'authority' in the real world to begin the process of 'restraiining corruption.'
The next huge bailout came as the elections of 2010 closed from the Fed in the way of QE1. That 'felt' so good it was followed by the next major bailout QE2.
Well.
It would seem the Wall Street crowd is again seeking to achieve great wealth at the cost of the American taxpayer. Enter stage right the 'speculators' that hope to make money from the insolvency of the USA.
How S&P's warning could actually help US debt (click title to entry - thank youi)
(AP) – 2 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — A warning from Standard & Poor's that mounting debts put the U.S. government's credit rating at risk blindsided markets last Monday. The Dow Jones industrial average lost more than 240 points in the morning before recovering. It was the worst one-day drop for stocks since fears over a nuclear meltdown in Japan sent investors into hiding on March 16.
The response made sense. A downgrade of U.S. debt, after all, could turn into an economic calamity. Here's the surprising part: After a quick dip, prices for U.S. government debt began rising.
Economists and bond traders offer varying explanations for the Treasury market's curious reaction, but there's a common thread: S&P's warning shot could actually wind up making bonds more attractive. If an actual downgrade were to occur, the effects would ripple through financial markets. When S&P lowers the credit rating on a country, it's saying that there's a greater chance the country won't pay its debts.
Creditors demand higher borrowing rates. In the U.S. it would mean higher interest payments for the federal government. All borrowers — from companies, homeowners to credit card users — would find it harder to borrow. Presumably, bond prices would fall.
The strength of Treasurys, the very debt that S&P said was at risk, left many observers confused. Aren't U.S. government bonds more dangerous now?
"There's quite a bit of head-scratching going on," said Guy LeBas, the chief fixed income strategist at Janney Montgomery Scott. "It looks like the bond market got hit in the head with a frying pan and is already up looking for a fight."...
...Kalivas and others say the threat of a downgrade may push Congressional Republicans and the Obama administration to reach an agreement on tackling the country's long-term debts. Cutting spending and raising taxes would lead the government to sell fewer Treasurys. A drop in supply would likely push Treasury prices up.
The warning could also prod Washington to make even deeper spending cuts more quickly than they would otherwise. Economists warn that slashing too deeply, just like raising taxes too high, could threaten the economic recovery. That could actually help the bond market, too.
When the economy slows, investors tend to take fewer risks and favor stable investments like bonds. During the financial crisis, for instance, Treasurys trounced other investments.
In a note sent to clients last week, Goldman Sachs economists said the greater threat of a downgrade wouldn't translate into higher long-term interest rates and lower Treasury prices. In fact, it would have the opposite effect. "A significant push toward fiscal austerity would lead to lower growth," they wrote. The Federal Reserve would also likely postpone raising short-term interest rates, because the threat of inflation would diminish. That, too, would add to the appeal of Treasurys.
In other words, what's bad for the economy is often good for Treasury bonds....
Basically, Wall Street could engineer huge profits by investing far less in the 'credit markets.' Not bad for people that have mastered the 'art of the con.'
Tories will raise tax rates for top earners (click title to entry - thank you)
The Conservatives will go into the next election committed to raising the top level of tax to 45p for those earning more than £150,000.
By Andrew Porter and Rosa Prince
7:00AM GMT 20 Mar 2009
David Cameron signalled that the rich would have to pay “their fair share” to rescue the economy from the mounting crisis in the public finances.
It was made clear that hundreds of thousands of top earners would face paying the new rate — which Labour will also introduce after the election if they hang on to power — if Mr Cameron enters Number 10.
In a speech intended to set out the Tory blueprint for economic recovery, Mr Cameron painted a grim picture of the likely situation he would face if elected Prime Minister.
He said the country faced slumping into a depression, meaning that “tough decisions” would have to be made. Making sure the rich paid their way would be
...Add it all up and the simple fact is (click title to entry - thank you) our domestic economy and the global economy are in for real challenges. Robust recovery? I don’t think so. The following pictorials paint a very ugly picture for what lies ahead. I direct you to the pictograph in the lower right which projects that the U.S. Gross Debt as % of GDP will approach 110% in 2015....
This is the argument the Right Wing CHRONICALLY makes as a 'foretelling' to what will occur with the USA. There are many ways of measuring debt, but, to compare the United States as an equivalent to Iceland, Greece, Ireland, Spain, Lithuania and Romania is not exactly what I would call a good analogy. In the same light, the United Kingdom is not in that ball park either. So, the Right Wing might like to make bad analogies, but, the economies of these small countries aren't even comparable to what the USA and the UK comprises as their resources and potential. As far as I am concerned it is a defunct argument. The USA's economy is far different than many nations and predicting its future based on wrongful analogies is not prudent. The global community looked to the USA post October 2008 to salvage their own economies.
The 'reserves' of the USA far exceed most countries on Earth without much exception. Comparable economies have to be the 'balance' of major countries of the European Union and Japan along with Australia. So, this is a really poor argument.
If Japan, the US, the EU and Australia decided to bring their economic strengths into a 'cooperative' of sorts, that really would be an interesting outcome. I doubt the WTO would appreciate it.
I feel so good come payday
I think of all the things I'm gonna buy when I pick up my pay
Don't you know but then they hand me that little brown envelope
I peep inside Lord I lose all hope
Cause from those total wages earned down to that net amount that's due
I feel the painful sense of loss between the two
There goes that bracelet for her arm there goes that new fence for my farm
There goes that brand new Pontiac there goes the shirt right off my back
You can dream about a honeymoon for two
You can dream but that's about all you can do
Cause by the time old Uncle Sam gets through with you
You can buy her a pair of hose a little powder for her nose
And take her down to Sloppy Joe's for beer and stew them are the facts after tax
You can dream about vacation in the sun
You can dream but you can't never have you one
Cause by the time your good old Uncle Sam gets done
You've got just enough for gas to see them city limits pass
And if you get back home fourth class I'd say you won
There goes that bracelet for her arm there goes that new fence for my farm
Send back that short wave radio cancel that trip to Mexico
Forget that brand new Pontiac there goes the shirt right off my back
Scholars and legal interpreters can better decide, but, I believe within the body of that resolution is an understanding there is a dictator in Libya ordering the slaughter of his own people. If that is the case and Gadaffi won't end the violence, then he has to be displaced from ordering the killing. I believe he and his compound can be shelled with the understanding of Arab Leaders that the truth of the resolution lies in that reality.
Libyan rebels are seen walking down a street close to a building where forces loyal to Col. Moammar Kadhafi are reportedly held up in Misrata on April 24, 2011
...Libyan government forces (click title to entry - thank you) shelled the besieged rebel-held port of Misrata Sunday, a day after officials signaled a change in tactics. Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Kaim claimed the army was suspending operations in Misrata and would hand over positions to pro-Gadhafi tribesmen....
There is NO military solution for Libya. There was not one for Iraq, either.
NATO's actions have CAUSED civilian deaths. That is a concern. We do not want to enhance the effort for the Gadhaffi regime while weakening the Liberation Rebels opposing him. If civilians die it will diminish the 'credibility' of NATO and escalate support for extremists like al Qaeda. If extremism receive support, then the opposition rebels won't be safe.
Abdel Bari Atwan writes: It has now become imperative to find a suitable exit for Gaddafi and ensure a peaceful transition of power
By Abdel Bari Atwan, Special to Gulf News
Published: 00:00 April 24, 2011
...Resolution 1973 allowed for a no-fly zone to protect Libyan citizens and it succeeded in averting the imminent massacre in Benghazi. Now, however, Gaddafi has adapted his military tactics to evade aerial bombardment — by hiding tanks and taking the battle to the heart of the cities for example — and the world can only look on in horror as his forces slaughter the citizens of Misrata.
Whilst considering what steps Nato might take next I remembered a curious tale I heard from a British taxi driver in 1991 during the first Gulf War. His late father, an architect, had been involved in the 1930s construction of King Gazi's Flowers Palace, in Baghdad; the day before I met him, the taxi driver's home had been visited by MI6 agents who were hoping the family had kept some of the architect's plans of the palace. They wanted to pinpoint possible hiding places of Saddam Hussain who had hunkered down in it.
The idea that foreign special forces might assassinate or spirit Colonel Gaddafi away is not as far-fetched as it may sound. Only last week, French agents kidnapped the stubborn ex-president Laurent Gbagbo of the Ivory Coast who refused to leave office despite having lost the election. The pointed reference to the International Criminal Court in their Op/Ed may suggest that Obama, Cameron and Sarkozy hope to see an abducted Gaddafi brought before it....
There is no support in Arab countries for invasion into Libya. Invasion by sophisticated military troops is not necessary in Libya. The opposition rebel forces have secured many areas for themselves with help from "The No Fly Zone." If NATO forces would enter Libya it would 'ignite' a war that may not be quelled in any short period of time, such as in Iraq, and many, many more civilians would die. WE KNOW THAT FOR A FACT.
The Neocon Congressmen are grossly in error on all counts in regard to NATO's success and the USA support of that effort. It is a success and millions of people are alive to prove it.
If there are forces within NATO, such as Italy, France, Great Britain that need more military jets or technology, they don't have to look far to find it. Nor does it take much to ask for assistance. Nor would they be refused if they wanted to purchase weapons and weapon technology from the USA. So, the 'idea' the European allies of the USA are weak and lack determination is a flat out lie. The TRUTH is that European alllies to the USA are CAREFUL, something the Bush Regime never appreciated.
No one is happy about the continued deaths of civilians in Miserata. No one. But, all realize to enter with sophisticatd troops and weapons will only bring 'the equivalent' of the same from extremists that will parlay this into an attack on Islam.
Libyan troops easing Misrata siege to allow tribal talks, regime claims (click title to entry - thank you)
Deputy foreign minister says frustrated tribal leaders will attack rebels themselves if deal not done by Monday night
Harriet Sherwood in Tripoli
guardian.co.uk,
Libyan forces have pulled back from their siege of Misrata to let tribal leaders in the area attempt to negotiate a political resolution, according to the Libyan government. In an acknowledgement that loyalist troops had failed to take control of the city after two months of the siege, the deputy foreign minister, Khaled Kaim, said: "The tactic of the army was to have a surgical strike but, with the [Nato] air strikes, that doesn't work." He said tribal leaders had set a 48-hour deadline – due to expire on Monday night – to strike a deal with the rebels, who hold the port area of Misrata and have made gains in the centre of the city in recent days. If the talks failed, the tribal leaders would launch a military assault on the rebel strongholds, Kaim said. He warned that could be "very bloody"....
I am quite confident Gadhaffi forces are using this opportunity to gather intelligence and redress the circumstances rather than resolving tribal issues under his Bedowin tent.
The opposition rebels need to be smarter, negotiate in good faith, but, realize this is more an opportunity than it is a profound resolution to the hostilites.
The American Necon Politicians need to take their politics elsewhere, this is NOT our fight.
This is a polygamous relationship. It is illegal in the USA. Do women still consent to it? Yeah, they do.
...In S.D. v. M.J.R., (click title to entry - thank you) the plaintiff, a Moroccan Muslim woman, lived with her Moroccan Muslim husband in New Jersey. She was repeatedly beaten and raped by her husband over the course of several weeks. While the plaintiff was being treated for her injuries at a hospital, a police detective interviewed her and took photographs of her injuries. Those photographs depicted injuries to plaintiff’s breasts, thighs and arm, bruised lips, eyes and right check. Further investigation established there were blood stains on the pillow and sheets of plaintiff’s bed.
The wife sought a permanent restraining order, and a New Jersey trial judge held a hearing in order to decide whether to issue the order. Evidence at trial established, among other things, that the husband told his wife, “You must do whatever I tell you to do. I want to hurt your flesh” and “this is according to our religion. You are my wife, I c[an] do anything to you.” The police detective testified about her findings, and some of the photographs were entered into evidence....
In the article by The Heritage Foundation, they make the claim that a woman is not safe from her husband in the USA. That is a LIE.
Domestic Violence occurs for many reasons, but, for a woman to seek retribution against her husband due to PREVIOUSLY CONSENTUAL sexual 'content' of the marriage is not going to win her a restraining order.
The 'content' of Sharia Law is taken completely out of context by The Heritage Foundation for hate mongering of Muslims. It is just that simple.
The problem with this case is that although the woman was proven to have received 'harsh' treatment by her husband it is not grounds for permanent restraining order. IT IS GROUNDS for a divorce now that she no longer consents to rough treatment by the man. She could move out of the relationship into a life she creates for herself with either visitation or custody of her children depending how it all works out for the best interest of the children.
The ONLY way this case becomes a case 'good enough' for 'the test' of a Permanent Restraining Order is if the man goes beyond the actions of 'normal' in separating and eventually divorcing his wife. If he is an Orthodox Muslim and will never change to realize the freedoms the USA allows to women and the equity she has for a happy and 'violence free' life and he seeks REVENGE against her for some 'understood religious right,' then he is entering the place within domestic violence cases and/or stalking cases that will put him in adverse light of the court.
The woman may be humiliated by her past sexual relationship with her husband, especially if she has confided in an American friend that does not tolerate domestic abuse. But, more than likely, she was given advice to TRY TO GET the upper legal hand by seeking a restraining order against him by provable facts that occurred within the relationship.
The case was not "W"rongly decided, it was correct. The woman obviously has the law to support her 'desire' for independence from a traditionally violent Orthodox Muslim relationship. The question is not the law in the USA and if we are to believe The Heritage Foundation, then the Mormons should be locked away forever.
The law cannot stop consentual relationships, no matter the context of that relationship. It can investigate deaths. It can investigate maiming and rape. But, it cannot hold 'bedroom antics' to the scrutiny of the courts when it fact it was all consentual right up to the point where it is not.
Where a woman is not respected she needs to be empowered to leave marriages and relationships. That is why there are domestic violence shelters and we are all too familiar with 'recidivism.' I don't know how many times staff at women's shelters shake their heads at the return of a woman to a violent relationship. Women return to these relationships for many reasons and frequently it is economic. But, all too frequently there is pressure on them by family or friends in undermining their intent to change their lives, especially in strongly ethnic or religous content.
The Heritage Foundation never SPOKE to the decision in this case, they spoke to the 'knuckling under' by the judge to 'Sharia Law.' That is a lie. They completely took the case out of context and used it for political fodder and it works. Believe me it works. The woman that passed this onto me, thought it was possible her husband would be given the right to beat her as this was now precedent by legal decision.
This is the span of I35 that collapse in 2007. Bush's Executive Branch focused on a 'gusset design' as the cause of the collapse. That is a lie.
The I-35 Bridge may have had a design that would not support the 'DEMANDS' of the bridge, BUT, that was not the fault of the engineer, it was the fact that a bridge built in 1967 was OVER-EXTENDED in its use and it was never, ever updated or stated to be INSUFFICIENT for the traffic it would come to serve.
In 1967, the Interstate 35W Mississippi River Bridge (click title to entry - thank you) in Minneapolis opened to traffic. The bridge was 1,907 feet long, had 14 spans, and by 2007 carried a daily average of 140,000 total vehicles north and south over four lanes between University Avenue and Washington Avenue. The vehicle count made it one of the busiest bridges in the country over the Mississippi River, and one of three principal arteries into downtown Minneapolis, a city with one of the highest population densities in the Midwest....
President Obama is absolutely correct. The infrastructure of the USA is sadly in need of repair. The I-35 Bridge was NEVER designed to withstand the rigors of its demands. The reason BUSH's Executive Branch focused on 'failure' of a gusset is because there would be demands for monies for USA infrastructure spending rather than his burgeoning emergency with Goldman Sachs.
The BRIDGE failed (click here) and the place where it 'gave way' was probably predictable given the high demand FORTY YEARS LATER !!! The lives lost that day were never given sufficient justice, just excuses.
...In the latest turnover in his administration, Bush called Paulson a "superb addition to my Cabinet," one who comes from one of the most respected firms on Wall Street.
“Mr. President, if confirmed, I look forward to working with you, your administration, and the Congress to help keep the American economy strong and competitive,” Paulson said.
Snow’s departure comes after more than a year of rumors and speculation that he would leave when Bush began making changes to his White House staff earlier this year....
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- U.S. home prices fell for their third straight quarter, according to an industry report released Tuesday. The median price of a single-family home fell 1.8 percent to $212,300 for the three months ended March 31, compared with the first quarter of 2006, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR)....
The median price of American homes is expected to fall this year for the first time since federal housing agencies began keeping statistics in 1950.
...While the housing slump has already rattled financial markets, it has so far had only a modest effect on consumer spending and economic growth. But forecasters now believe that its impact will lead to a slowdown over the next year or two. “For most people, this is not a disaster,” said Nigel Gault, an economist with Global Insight, a research firm in Waltham, Mass. “But it’s enough to cause them to pull back.”...
According to the New York Times the 'mood' of the country is at an all time low in the past two years. Two years. Well, that is because the electorate is CHRONICALLY disillusioned, disappointed and burdened.
The Republicans promised to do what is right for the country and job creation. The myth through the nation is that the Republicans know how to handle the economy best.
Hm.
...Mr. Obama has considerable support (click title to entry - thank you) for his proposal to end tax cuts for those households earning $250,000 a year and more: 72 percent of respondents approved of doing so as a way to address the deficit....
I feel for everyone. I am not happy, but, the same myth that put the Republcans into office in 2010 is a cancer in this country.
In order for the people of the USA to 'take control' of THEIR economy they first have to admit the Republicans are incapable of governing. They have stated they are incapable of job creation. The electorate of the USA has to admit the Bush/Cheney years were some of the most toxic economic years in recent recent history. They were morally toxic and eocnomicly toxic. When the electorate of the USA comes to terms with that reality they can 'move on.'
The Bush Years of Janaury 2001 through Janaury 2009 never GREW jobs. We lost jobs chronically. Jobs were outsourced, every legislative measure during those years was a 'spending program.' There was no legitimate legislation unless it was addressing social conservativism, such as "Terry's Law." That means there is was no governance. The Republicans don't expect to create jobs, they HOPE to 'create a business climate' that will 'encourage' jobs to be created.
Big difference. I do believe when the 'Great Depression' occurred the President EXPECTED to create jobs and he did.
The problem with 'the mood' of the country is that most Americans don't 'think about' the economy except in small terms, namely their own check books. In realizing that, there are ways to 'think about' the economy that can be extrapolated into an understanding of what is being DONE TO the USA economy.
ASSETS. Everyone understands what assets are. The USA has assets. Those assets are concrete, but, there are also very fluid aspects like 'the brain trust' and 'future potential' of the country. Don't think for one minute 'educational costs' are not about the economy, they are directly related the economy and 'the wealth of the nation.' But, Americans also understand their own budgets and 'savings' that will result in 'payouts' of costs, be it vacations or anticpating the need for a new car or refrigerator. They understand how 'groups of money' with a 'label' for their use is important.
What occurred in the last quarter of 2008? What sincerely occurred? Was it a tragedy? Was it something the USA had in its capacity to 'absorb?' It certainly was something that happened and 'was handled' in order to 'bailout' huge banks and an insurance firm that was 'in service' to those banks. Everyone wants to blame all kinds of reasons for what occurred in 2008, but, there is no doubt the 'crash' of 2008 was 'engineered' and the people, like Paulson, that came begging knew exactly what he was doing.
There are a lot of money reserves in the USA. During the Bush years most were excoriated for their 'balance' and laid waste. In other words, the 'protections' of things like airlines that carried a 'reserve of money' were manipulated to 'return those monies' to circulation and increase the circulating wealth that Wall Street brokerages could play with, including investment firms such as Goldman Sachs.
For those that had a bird's eye view of this mess, it was completely astounding. The average American was too busy 'trying to do the right thing,' and believing they were actually accomplishing something to realize how far "W"rong the 'global economy,' including the USA was headed. It was fairly 'stark' to watch it all transpiree and the only thing that could be done by spectators was to keep ones fingers crossed in 'hopes' those 'in control' were actually moral people with the best interest of the global and USA economy at heart. Hoping all the time that citizens were actually peasants, but, 'regarded.' As it worked out 'the person' was the 'last loyality' to these 'institutions of wealth.' Or, best said, 'toys of wealth' that have value and loss it, only to 'pressure' governments to act to uphold their integrity without guarantees to their countrymen.
The truth of the matter is the 'wealth toys' have been running out money to play with. Any reason is a good reason to play. Like, 'let's try quantitative easying' to 'make jobs' happen. If one recalls the first QE occurred as soon as a majority of Republicans were elected to the USA Congress. Why? TO HELP THEM LOOK GOOD as if they actually were doing something. It didn't work, so Wall Street needed anti-depressants and then there was QE2.
Now, if QE1 was in response to an election to help the Republicans 'look good' what does that mean? Does it mean they PREFER Republcans. Yes, but, not in the way one would think. Not that 'The Fed/ The Wealthy/The Players' believe Republicans are their friends, but, that Republicans LACK the morality to consider citizens important enough to actually put them at the center of policy. Republicans don't put citizens at the center of policy, they put their cronies at the center of policy.
Now, back to the 'monetary reserves' within the USA. Not necessary, money 'sitting around,' but money LEGISLATED. The fluidity of the USA is its capacity to move money. To legislate policy that moves money. The economy. Okay? So, when Republicans write legislation like the recent bill that funds the wealthy and defunds the poor and the elderly, they are doing it realizing 'there is a reserve of legislated money.' No surprise, right?
The reasons Republicans legislatie is for wealth. That is a fact. That is a VERIFIBLE fact. They do not legilslate to benefit the citizen. That is the role of govenrment. Government is suppose to uphold the dignity of the citizen through policy that works for them. There is nothing "W"rong or anti-government or anti-democracy about the theory 'cradle to grave.' That better be at the center of government policy even if that means upholding the private sector to supply the 'needs' of the people. That is not occurring anymore. That 'loyality' to the citizen is not at the center of government policy.
The Recovery and Reinvetment Act was about the citizen. The 'neglected' infrastructure of the country took a priority and it was decided we needed a tax break to help the Middle Class recover from the disasterous events of the last quarter of 2008. The Recovery and Reinvestment Act put money in the hands of many and infused the eoconomy with purchasing power. The tax break to the Poor and Middle Class helped the economy to stabilize. That is a fact.
We also needed a new energy infrastructure. We had aging power plants, growing need for domestic oil which was escalating in cost, a 'grid' that was grossly neglected and needed to be reconstructed, so there were 'significant' incentives to businesses to begin to move the USA out of the dark ages of energy production and into a 'bold new world.' Two years later and we are finally seeing the private sector reacting to those funds. Los Angeles is working on improving its air quality by being the first city in the USA to promote and institute 'public electric charging stations.' We are witnessing the implimentation of "Cape Wind.' We finally have solar manufacturing in New Mexico and wind turbines in Michigan. Home grown new infrastructure. Finally. That doesn't happen overnight and it doesn't happen without the commitment of government with support of the citizen. Slowly, but, surely the USA is turning this huge 'energy beast' into a 'friendly face' of benign environmental damage or danger. OR DANGER. DANGER. Like, destroyed fisheries and polluted tourist areas.
The Affordable Care Act became reality. It has been sabotaged a bit by a USA Senator named Joe Liberman, whom will no longer run for office. He put his 'insurance cronies' before the people of this country and defeated a vital Public Option necessary to 'control' private industry costs to the consumer. But, the Affordable Care Act is a magnificent document. It has stopped the bleeding, literally and figuratively. Oh, I know the costs of health insurance are being inflated before all the provisions go into effect, but, that will be addressed over time. Importantly, people are receiving coverage. There are lives being saved and longevity now within reach of people that didn't believe they would ever 'see the light at the end of the tunnel.'
Before we go down the road again of pursuing a Public Option again, we should see how this flies. The real challenge to contaiing 'health care premiums' lies in 'containing costs.' Secretary Sebilius has her hands full and the 'panels' funded by the Affordable Care Act will be invaluable to her, the the President and to the American people. There is every indication there will be strides in changing 'the dynamic' of 'the cost' of American health care once 2014 rolls around and the entire nation is 'on board.' I have confidence in the 'due dilligence' of President Obama and Secretary Sebilius to bring 'the best' of health care to the American people with a focus on cost and cost containment.
I may be by the year 2016, the topic of The Public Option will surface once again, IF, the American government cannot legislate to win compliance and loyalty of the Health Care Insurance Industry.
There have been significant impacts in social issues where President Obama has been able to impact our infrastructure, the most revolutionary being the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." It is such a hideous name and hideous concept. I always thougt it was laughable. But, the gracious First Lady Michelle Obama has been at the forefront in regard to tackling a profoundly worrisome health problem with our children, obesity. If one wants a healthy nation, then there needs to be a strong effort to return sanity to The American Diet and the First Lady is doing it. We are lucky to have a Second Lady, namely Mrs. Jill Biden that is compelling when it comes to advancing the purpose of Community Colleges and setting importance on education as a pathway to financial success for our nation. She and the First Lady have also 'dug in' to support military families to make a difference in lives and keep families together rather than disintegrating under the pressures of deployment.
But, as to why the country is so unhappy now, is because they wanted a bi-partisan Congress to work with the President to bring back jobs, encourage small businesses and HONOR the American citizen by containing the National Deficit, WITHOUT draconian cuts and victimization of women and the poor; while addressing the 'beginnings' of the National Debt. None of that has happened. We, as a nation, have witnessed more partisan politics than desired. Partisan politics that hurts 'the citizen' while 'indulging' the wealthy.
The point to all this is 'to temper' the 'mood' if you will in a hope that 'some outreach' will actually make a difference.
The American people are not interested in 'destroying' their country in order to allow exploitation of their Constitution and legal system. They are not interested in having their 'money reserves' for Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security LUSTED by Wall Street or 'lame' ideas about what is important other than 'entitlements.' The American people know what is important and it is NOT radical.
The American people want the dignity of their country upheld. They want leadership. Meaningful leadership. They want their senior citizens to receive their benefits as promised, their health care as needed and compassion for the needy in sufficient amounts. They want their military to be respected, but, also to be respectable; but they want their soldiers home from a war front where people are mostly illiterate and unable to 'learn' to be soldiers. They want to stop throwing money and weapons at meaningless military agendas and they want the spending brought BACK to Pre-Iraq War levels. They want their deficit addressed in a dignified way that will not destroy the Poor or Middle Class. They want an economy returned to them that will 'in time' be sustainable and productive with MEANINGFUL employment.
The people of the USA want a Middle Class. They want to honor a right for collective bargaining, they want to be able to have community leaders be honorable and produce good products and services for the country. We want responsible and honorable labor without calling union workers 'lazy' or 'unnecessary.' Labor is some of the most skilled in the world and there is no reason why the produces produced are the best in the world. No reason. If we can launch a Space Craft, we can build an electric car.
The people of the USA want to be put FIRST rather than last when it comes to government policy. They want reasonable policy that recognizes 'the right' of people to 'think' and carry out their lives uninterrupted and unexploited. The American people are not a commodity. Their economy and hopes for a better life is NOT a method to deceive and 'engineer' profits at the cost of lives and their 'striving.'
The American people want beauty in their lives, parks to enjoy, protections for their wildlife and an Earth environment that HONORS the priorities of their country and the safety of the future of their children.
The people of this country, in the year 2011, are very disillusioned and not completely able to 'get their minds' around the 'best' method to address their problems, all they know is that what is transpiring is exploitive, hideous and ruinous to this country. The 'methods' of finacial market places are NOT honorable , nor have they been for nearly ten years now.
The American People are still striving to 'Get Their Country Back,' but, what they don't realize is that is chronically shanghaied by Republcans that kiss the ground Wall Street walks on.
What the electorite has to remember is that they continue to trip over their own naivety in being willing to believe everything they hear and everything they see from sources not willing to listen to them, but, only for a while until they have the POWER they seek to once again exploit the people of the USA from their economic morality in a country where 'caring for each other' actually matters.
I have said it over and over and over again, the agenda of the Republicans for nearly ten years has resulted in the destruction of the American Dream. When are the people going to make that connection and stop their own disappointment because of the poor decisions they make at the ballot box?
...Kim Meier’s spring promotion, which includes a $17,000 credit at a nearby General Motors dealer, has produced seven sales since the beginning of March, a veritable windfall of business for a builder who sold only 20 houses last year. “We needed to do something dramatic,” said Mr. Meier. “The market’s been soft.”...
Offering a car as a bonus to purchasing a home? Wow. That is really 'out there.' The Ameican electorate has to put people into federal office to stop this excoriation of the American landscape.
A hot planet takes 'man hours' of cost and the repairs that go along with it in order to do business. Human Induced Global Warming is expensive. It adds to the cost of doing business and it imperils human life. How many more times and in increasing magnitude does this have to happen before everyone 'gets it?' That means the nationa stops denying the dangers of the use of fossil fuels and they do it now.
Crews inspect damage to the roof of Concourse C at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Saturday.
By BJ Lutz
A plane (click title to entry - thank you) that was moments away from beginning its journey to Chicago was hit by flying debris and lifted off the ground as a tornado passed through Lambert-St. Louis International Airport on Friday night, passengers said.
Chicagoan Jackie Hamm and four of her friends were heading back home after vacationing in Miami. Already delayed by weather, Hamm said she was happy to finally board American flight 699 for O'Hare.
"We passed the pilot on his way out, and he said, 'Well, I hope you guys brought a couple of books because it's going to be a while.' And we were like, 'Oh, that's so frustrating that they put us on the plane and now we have to wait on this plane,' but we're so grateful that we did because probably 15 minutes after we got on the plane our terminal was pretty much destroyed by the tornado."
Hamm, a freshman English teacher at Urban Prep Academy, said she's looking forward to getting back to the classroom on Monday and sharing her story with her students....
Tornado rolls right through Lambert-St. Louis Int'l Airport (click here for video - thank you)
Apr 23, 2011 12:32pm
(NECN: St. Louis, MO) - The Lambert-St. Louis International Airport remains shut down after a tornado rolled right through the airport. Gigantic plate glass windows were blown out, and it was pretty scary inside as we could see from some home-shot videos.
Crews are surveying the damage, and they hope to have the airport back at 70% capacity Sunday, and 100% by midweek. Luckily, no serious injuries have been reported so far, and there were no deaths. There were about four injuries reported from flying glass....
The BP Deepwater Horizon Disaster was caused by an exploratory well that when 'accessed' was 50% crude oil and 50% methane. The videos of the disaster shows an offshore drilling platform listing and burning, but, the videos show more than that, they show an uleashed vat of fossil fuel deposits reaching the surface of the sea with uninhibited fury.
The burning of the Deepwater Horizon, a state of the art drilling platform, was unabated. There was absolutely nothing any human or human imagination could do to stop that well from doing exactly what occurred. Sure there were huge mistakes along the way. Complete abandonment of the original drilling plan as the vat became more and more challenging to access. A Blowout Preventer that was never going to work even before it was lowered to the seabed. Substandard materials, substandard practices and more and more 'bargaining' with fate as the vat became more and more unattainable.
By the time BP's disaster became reality, it had abandoned its business plan, its safety margin, its insight and its desire for anything except greed. That is no wrod of a lie. The event will be the worst disaster to the USA in its history and continues to cause huge environmental damage was guaranteecd to happen. The petroleum industry is out of control and that is never more evident as the hydraulic fracturing that is occuring around the world.
Chesapeake Energy (click here) suspended the use of a controversial natural-gas production technique in Pennsylvania on Thursday as it worked to contain a well blowout that spilled toxic fluid into a local waterway....
Evidently the way to have a save environment in the USA is to first destroy it !
When watching the movie keep in mind that 'in the wild' these magnificent animals have a chance to survive.
But.
The entire scenario changes when a human enters the scene with a single gun.
Wildlife and natural places that remain on Earth are endangered in the most profound ways. If humans become uncivilized these animals haven't got a chance. The 'wild' is not the place for humans and it is the way it should be.
