The National Security State

Psy-Ops

It is corruption. You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.

Make it their reality when they are young and they will accept any aspect of invasion of privacy from here out. 

Money, money, money.

Microsoft in Government (click here)

Stuxnet Helps Make the Case for Good IT Security Hygiene

By Steve White

Cybersecurity Architect, Enterprise Services 

“Stuxnet is the Hiroshima of cyber-war.” That evocative closing line, which ran in the April 2010 Vanity Fair article on last year’s most infamous cyber attack, makes my blood freeze every time I read it....

This is a joke, right? Big Red One is 1st Infantry Division of the US Army. NOT FUNNY!

Pull the funding on NORAD'S Santa Project. Microsoft has a very strange idea of fun.

The jerks militarized the Santa Tracker. The mountains even look like chocolate frosting. This is the most disgusting actions NORAD and Microsoft could have done.

Santa's getting some new digital digs. (click here)

In 1955, after a Sears ad mistakenly listed its number as Santa's, the Northern American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) began receiving calls from children asking about the whereabouts of Mr. Claus. Ever since, the agency has continued to provide the status and location of Santa on Dec. 25, and this year, it will do so with the help of Microsoft and a flashy new website.

Visit http://www.noradsanta.org/ today and you will be brought to a brand new site that not only counts down the days until Santa will begin delivering presents but lets you visit the digital North Pole and play various games. Every day, NORAD will release a new game on the site; currently you can help Santa shoot hoops or help light the tree by solving a maze.

On Christmas day, the site will monitor Santa and the reindeers' whereabouts on a map and keep a running tally of the number of gifts delivered.....

Children don't need a militarized Santa. It adds fear to their lives and for some children it could be traumatic at a time when losses of a parent are felt more deeply during the holidays. I can't believe NORDA and Microsoft are this stupid. This is stupid.

Children and Fear of War and Terrorism (click here)

Tips for Parents and Teachers

National Association of School Psychologists

Terrorist attacks in our country and threats or realities of war are frightening experiences for all Americans. Children may be especially fearful that threatened or actual military action overseas will result in more personal loss and violence here at home. Because repeated scenes of destruction of lives and property are featured in the news media, they understand that “enemies of the United States” can cause harm in this country....

...Emotional Responses

Emotional responses vary in nature and severity from child to child.  Nonetheless, there are some similarities in how children (and adults) feel when their lives are impacted by war or the threat of war:

• Fear:
• Loss of control: 
• Anger: 
• Loss of stability: 
• Isolation: 
• Confusion: This can occur on two levels. First, children  may feel confused about terrorist attacks and war, what further dangers might arise, and when the violence will stop. Second, children may have trouble understanding the difference between violence as entertainment and the real events taking place on the news. Today's children live in the world of Armageddon, Independence Day, Air Force One, and cartoon Super Heroes. Some of the modern media violence is unnervingly real. Youngsters may have difficulty separating reality from fantasy, cartoon heroes and villains from the government soldiers and real terrorists. Separating the realities of war from media fantasy may require adult help. 

This is just what parents and family need on Christmas Eve, fear and worry over Santa arriving at all. Who came up with this one, Hayden?

What Can Parents and Teachers Do?

Help children to feel personally safe:

• Try to maintain normal routines and schedules to provide a sense of stability and security. 

I can hear it now:

Child: "Why does Santa need a jet?" 

Parent: "Ahhhh, I guess there is a lot of traffic tonight." 

Child: "Is Santa going to be, okay?"

Parent: "Of course he will, NORAD is giving him an escort."

Child: "NORAD didn't prevent 911."

Parent: "How did you know that?" 

Child: "Everyone knows that."

Parent: "You know something, this is just a cartoon. The government really doesn't know Santa has better radar than they do and doesn't need anyone but Rudolph in bad weather. Let's have some cookies and milk."

I hate to say he told you so, but, he did tell you so.

From the very beginning of the passage of the law President Obama stated, "This law will bend the cost curve of health care down in the USA." He said it and everyone that cared to comment argued and argued that he was naive and wrong. 

Guess who is "W"rong now?

Posted Dec. 3, 2013 @ 1:45 pm
Canandaigua, N.Y.

...But the news is better (click here) on another major health care front: reining in the rising costs that have made American health care the most expensive in the world.

A report released last month by the Council of Economic Advisers pronounced health care spending growth at record low rates. “According to the most recent projections, real per capita health care spending has grown at an estimated average annual rate of just 1.3 percent over the three years since 2010,” the report says. “This is the lowest rate on record for any three – year period and less than one-third the long-term historical average stretching back to 1965.”...

Roger Smith took a relatively successful company and gutted it.

Correction Appended

By STEVEN PROKESCH

Published: November 7, 1986

In a sweeping move (click here) to cut costs and regain its competitive edge, the General Motors Corporation announced yesterday that it would close 11 plants in the United States that employ about 29,000 people, or more than 5 percent of its work force in this country.

Calling the shutdowns ''the first phase'' of a reorganization and modernization program, G.M. officials said at a news conference in Detroit that they were also studying the possible closing of other assembly, stamping, engine and component facilities. ''I wouldn't say this is the end of the plant closings,'' said F. James McDonald, the company's president.

Roger B. Smith, G.M.'s chairman, said the shutdowns were part of G.M.'s $10 billion program to replace obsolete facilities with modern, efficient plants. By making the company more competitive, he added, these moves would improve its ability to maintain market leadership and enhance the job security of its remaining work force....

Roger Smith was CEO of GM for 9 years and from the beginning of his leadership the company began to lose money; every year got worse. It isn't like these guys are in leadership as if an act of congress. Yet, no stockholder bothered to come forward to fire the guy. GM was going down the tubes under Smith's leadership and no one stopped him. Amazing. Little tin gods. Untouchable. 

...But the closings were seen as a hard blow to Michigan's economy and extremely damaging to other states in the region....

...But U.A.W. officials noted that many of the most senior employees at the facilities had already transferred to other plants, reducing the chances that the remaining workers, with less seniority, would be offered jobs elsewhere.

Harvey E. Heinbach, an analyst at Merrill Lynch & Company, estimated that the plants to be closed accounted for 10 percent of G.M.'s annual North American production capacity of nine million vehicles....

You, know the USA demands 'Fitness Tests' for large banks; it isn't a bad idea for companies this large that the USA economy and citizens rely on. 

Smith came into leadership at GM at the time Japanese cars were taking a larger percentage of the market in the USA. Smith had no skills and never understood the intricacies of making cars. He was a hatchet man. Nothing else. 

He rid the company of many top managers and came up with an idea that PRODUCTION COSTS could be cut by homogenizing parts of the assembly of the cars. In other words, the exterior of the car would have a different style design. Even the interiors were custom to the style of the cars. But, the mechanical works of the cars were to be more and more similar, hence, less factories would be needed and he could get rid of much of the cost currently experienced by GM, namely the employees. Look, payrolls are a large part of production plants, so all one has to do is look at a company the size of GM and see answers to financial losses by ridding it of employees. It is an easy fix. IF, the company didn't rely on well skilled employees that had loyalty to the company and the cars.

The employees were great people. My father had a friend that worked in design for one of the Big Three. He loved cars. He loved every aspect of cars. Cars are personal when purchased, but, to build and have them perform on the road was a real thrill for many people. The car employees loved their work. Exciting. The American Road and their participation in it. Without working within the car industry not only hurt towns and the State of Michigan, but, the people, too. With the loss of their jobs they faced unemployment, but, there was also that huge loss of pride gone. To say there was depression among entire segments of Michigan populous was an understatement. Their culture was crushed and then GM seeks an understanding as to why the American people are loyal. It is cultural. 

But, what occurred under Roger Smith was extremely tragic. Not just to the people losing their jobs, but, to the company itself. Smith spent something like 8 billion dollars. Not the 2013 billion, but, the 1990s billions. It was nuts. He never transitioned his ideas, he sledged hammered the company. 

He was a dictator. He made people believe 'his vision' was the future and it needed time to mellow. Talk about ego, was there a room big enough? He retooled the entire company to make homogenized automobiles while the car market took off around him. It left him behind in a larger way than existed with GM before his leadership. He retooled the company without the experts that built it in the first place. He knew nothing about running a company that size and knew even less about car design and how they are built. He absolutely had no respect of the reputation of GM or the financial resources it had and once he had destroyed what was good in the company before his leadership he had no recourse but to continue to increase debt to make his vision work.

In his last years with GM he never achieved any of his visions and the company fell more and more into irretrievable debt.

When I look at Ford and realize the leadership of the company has been a decent of the first Ford car maker, it all makes sense to me. They lived cars, breathed cars and loved cars. The Ford Family has been a guiding light to that company and it shows.

It can't be phony. US industrialists have to know the industry they are in, the market, but, they have to know the product intimately. I am convinced of that when looking across the spectrum of time during the industrial revolution. The companies that did well were lead by their founders and continued the high quality that began it's reputation.

I am not saying successful companies only come from family based entrepreneurship, but, it does come from within the company by employees with many, many years of loyalty.

Today, there is a Wall Street that 'components' the market, extrapolates it with margins and assaults the money through complicated equations. There is really no loyalty to that 'system.' It takes on the philosophy of disloyalty. There is nothing permanent about Wall Street anymore. It is all about riding the bubble and making obscene money without conscience.

Economies of countries are about BUILDING permanence in Large Capital investments. Wall Street is paper. The two clash. They don't compliment each other anymore and the people of a nation is left in the breach.

If the USA is to be successful it has to rid itself of the Roger Smiths and seek loyalty to a product in companies that span the country. I wish GM never knew Roger Smith. One of the most successful investors in the USA has had many successes, but, his investments are NOT bubbles. Warren Buffet is one of the most successful investors in the world. The products his investments produce have been on the shelves of the USA for decades. They are cultural. They have loyalty. 

The rewards of company leadership has to include a degree of loyalty to the product, but, also the people that work for that company. If there is a lesson about Detroit it is that no one cared about the people, the products the people made, the culture surrounding that product and the permanence of economic engine of that loyalty.

Roger Smith was a failure and until recent years GM has been the victim of his whims so long ago. When GM finally opened itself to the opinions of the people it found some success again. That is the lesson of Detroit. It all could have been avoided FOR THE RIGHT REASONS.

I have a question. What reassurances does any government have that a private contractor is incapable of a payload of nuclear material?

By W.J. Hennigan

December 3, 2013, 4:40 p.m.

With a thunderous roar, (click here) a 224-foot rocket carrying a massive satellite launched from Cape Canaveral and blasted into outer space, hurtling over the Atlantic Ocean as it cut across the night sky.

On Tuesday, Hawthorne rocket maker SpaceX lifted the SES-8 telecommunications satellite into geostationary transfer orbit -- nearly 50,000 miles from Earth. It was the first time the company reached such a distance, which is about one-quarter of the way to the moon.

Before the launch attempt, SpaceX said it would be the most challenging mission to date, and technical issues cropped up early....

After GM left, it was a one way street for Detroit with the name Failure Avenue.

Article IX § 24

STATE CONSTITUTION (EXCERPT) (click here)
CONSTITUTION OF MICHIGAN OF 1963

§ 24 Public pension plans and retirement systems, obligation.

Sec. 24.
The accrued financial benefits of each pension plan and retirement system of the state and its political subdivisions shall be a contractual obligation thereof which shall not be diminished or impaired thereby.
Financial benefits arising on account of service rendered in each fiscal year shall be funded during that year and such funding shall not be used for financing unfunded accrued liabilities.

History: Const. 1963, Art. IX, § 24, Eff. Jan. 1, 1964

© 2009 Legislative Council, State of Michigan

Detroit was placed between a rock and a hard place. GM abandoned good governance of it's own industry and outsourced the jobs that created Detroit in it's best days. While GM was viable and under good management the city grew and grew and grew. Then the worst happened, the tax base was lost along with the failure of it's largest private industry, GM.

Detroit was far too large both in square miles and population to continue to carry out services with an ever shrinking tax base. I blame GM's Roger Smith. He engineered the beginning of the decline of Detroit. He didn't care and if he was any kind of CEO he would have improved his product and not looked for cheap profits.

As the tax base shrank and services couldn't be carried out to support communities the city continued to deteriorate. The Detroit government began to skip funding into the pension funds and the short fall never stopped. There was also corruption that certainly didn't help the city, but, it never amounted to the monies the pension fund was suppose to be worth.

The rest of the narrative is all to familiar to Americans whom lost homes.

Politicians (click here) made a habit of skipping payments pension contributions, effectively stealing from the pockets of retirees, to fatten the wallets of corporations and business interests through subsidies and tax expenditures. At the same time, Wall Street pushed politicians to shift pension fund assets into risky "alternative" investment classes to reap millions in hedge fund management fees. Now, underfunded from a combination of these factors and the 2008 market crash, public sector retirement plans are under further attack from reform groups that vastly overstate plan underfunding in hopes of converting defined benefit plans to defined contribution plans. 

Skipping payments was a matter of fact. The Detroit Treasury could not keep up with the loss of tax incomes. There aren't many other cities in the USA that have major auto manufacturers as a local industry either. The loss was monumental. Detroit had little to chance to recuperate.

The subsides were to attract new business to Detroit to recover from the loss of it's major local industry. There was no way there would be any other industry coming into the region that would employ all the workers once employed by GM and provide the tax base those employees supported. Detroit was doomed. 

The city's government was doing everything it could to rebuild. As the tragedy became more and more real, the city became desperate and the faux security of Wall Street under Bush was the carrot and stick that pushed the city into 'risk' where it never had before.

Then came the market crash of 2008 and the handwriting was on the wall. It was going to destroy Detroit.

The problem for some time was that Detroit wasn't alone in it's ability to survive. When GM left Michigan the state also became vulnerable to rising unemployment and loss of a strong tax base. The holes in the Michigan economy were far to large to be mended. So, the state in the early years was mostly unavailable for any bailout, loans or restructuring agreement. Michigan was hit hard, and it was as though every city was traumatized without exception.

So, when people want to point fingers at who's fault it is, the real answer is Wall Street Greed without a conscience to respect the people hoping something would work out in time.

When Snyder came into office it was simply a matter of manipulating the circumstances to make it possible to destroy democracy and slice and dice the city into manageable lots for sale to his friends.

There was no big picture that a Wall Street genius is suppose to bring with him when elected to a public office. Snyder is not an innovator. He is not a builder. He is, however, one who believes in destroying an entity for the sake of profiteering . He isn't a beam of hope. He is Republican that believes in shrinking and eliminating government. Detroit didn't have a chance. 

Snyder has been the most negative governor Michigan has ever had. Michigan needed big ideas to replace the one that left. One would think someone like Snyder would seek to build and bring industry to the state to turn it around. He could not do that, he doesn't have the DNA. Michigan is evidence of it and Detroit the  best example.

Flattery will get you nowhere.

Goldman has that reputation as being a busybody. An international busybody. Goldman, as a financial firm, has more members and former members (if there is such a thing) involved in government around the world. Goldman definitely likes hands on control of their investments.

I congratulate Commission Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia. He is correct and obviously does not relish the hint of corruption portrayed in Goldman's assessment. Goldman is an imposing presence globally. In this instance, they don't understand the Indian culture and it's sense of status. The people require a trust relationship with their government and with a population of more than one billion people that is important. 

India's growth is not new. What is new is the recognition of the financial sector since they have become scared skinny of the variability they are seeing in the Chinese economy. Why do I feel like I have written this before? Deja vu.

But, the remarks by the Deputy Chairman is more than appropriate. India's government is interested in improving the conditions of their people, not just adding income to investment firms and banks that are not interested in the people so much as their own pants pocket lining.

I mean let's face it, if India didn't learn from the American experience with these jerks after 2008 then one would consider them fools. Why is it these financial banks think they are actually reputable when they are nothing but parasites to the people of any nation?

Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia

NEW DELHI: Planning Commission deputy chairman (click here) Montek Singh Ahluwalia on Saturday said US investment bank Goldman Sachs should not be commenting on political matters.

"I don't agree with Goldman Sachs. Lots of people have said they should not be pronouncing on these things," Ahluwalia said on the sidelines of a function organised by the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses here.

Goldman Sachs had in a recent report upgraded the Indian markets on the likelihood of Narendra Modi coming to power.

"The truth of the matter is we are perfectly aware what needs to be done, at least as far as the Planning Commission is concerned. We have laid out a very bold agenda, which has been approved by the Cabinet, NDC (National Development Council) and so on," he said.

"In the last six months before a general election, that's not when all these things are implemented. So, I have no idea what Goldman Sachs means," he added.

Goldman Sachs, in a report titled "Modi-fying Our View: Raise India to Marketweight," upgraded its outlook for domestic equities and revised its end-2014 target for the Nifty index to 6,900 points, implying a 9 per cent rise from current levels.

The report attributed the optimism to the opposition BJP-led alliance gaining ground in opinion polls in the past few months, suggesting a higher probability of a BJP-led alliance forming the next government.

The 18-page report described the BJP's prime ministerial candidate as more business-friendly.

Commerce and industry minister Anand Sharma had said the report was "most inappropriate and objectionable." Goldman Sachs stood by the report, saying it was based on investor sentiment and does not reflect political bias....

The Associated Press
December 1, 2013 

SPRINGFIELD, MO. — A southwest Missouri zoo (click here) is evaluating its elephant program following the death of a zookeeper and nationwide changes in how the industry is caring for the animals.

The Springfield News-Leader reports that a 41-year-old female named Patience remains out of the view of visitors to the Dickerson Park Zoo more than a month after she knocked elephant manager John Bradford to the ground as he leaned in between the bars. He was killed immediately.

Staff hasn't determined whether Patience will return to the public eye.

"We're not sure at this point what the structure is going to be," Zoo Director Mike Crocker said in a recent interview. "We're having to do a lot of evaluating of our program, our numbers — where we're going to go from here."

Nationally, elephant programs are in flux. Facing continued pressure from animal rights groups and increased regulations, some zoos are spending tens of millions of dollars on high-profile expansions of their elephant exhibits. Other programs are being shuttered completely....

Elephants are considered a vulnerable species. (click here)

The picture to the right is the Forest Elephant and the far straighter tucks than the Savanna Elephant. It is a genetic adaptation. The straight tusks prevent trees from catching on them. 

...There are two subspecies of African elephants—the Savanna (or bush) elephant and the Forest elephant. Savanna elephants are larger than forest elephants, and their tusks curve outwards. In addition to being smaller, forest elephants are darker and their tusks are straighter and point downward. There are also differences in the size and shape of the skull and skeleton between the two subspecies.

Forest elephants, a distinct subspecies of African elephants, are uniquely adapted to the forest habitat of the Congo Basin, but are in sharp decline due to poaching for the international ivory trade. It is estimated that probably one quarter to one third of the total African elephant population is made up of forest elephants.

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/12/01/2935706/springfield-zoo-evaluates-its.html#storylink=cpy

The Pope Family Cheap Markets? They are a problem?

My initial reaction is, where is John Edwards? These are his people. The two class system of North Carolina. The two Americas. I imagine he is satisfied to be left alone while Ms. Hunter is writing yet another tell all book. She is toxic and John should sue her. She isn't going to stop being the bad girl to John's good boy. Never. He should put an end to the exploitation of his name and the victimization of his child.

But, that said it is interesting there is FINALLY a boycott of the Pope Cheap Chain Stores.

While John Edwards was a Senator he worked to end the danger to children's products. Why? Because of the cheap stores like that of the Pope Family. When he worked as a liability lawyer he received some of the highest settlements and judgements in the State of North Carolina primarily regarding children.

The products there are mostly cheap throw aways that no one else wants to sell. I don't believe there is one item in any of those stores made in America. The products he sells for decorations and toys are dangerous, both, in the materials they are made of and the dyes used. I would never purchase a product from that store and I have been in those stores. It is the poor that shop there. 

Here is something interesting. All the children of North Carolina have to purchase their own school supplies. I'll give you one guess where the poor children find their supplies!

I am glad they are taking this action. I hope they are able to make a strong impression about the reality of "The Two Americas" and how the poor are victimized in North Carolina. 

Do you know when the Republicans gained a majority in the NC State House and Senate they passed legislation rejecting Medicare and Medicaid as insurance payment in the UNC Chapel Hill Hospital. I don't know if that lasted because the medical society took it up with the legislature after they did that.

To prove how very toxic people like Pope are, Chapel Hill is a magnificent hospital. I think their Family Practice Clinic is ranked second in the nation. At least it used to be, but, the hospital is where many resident physicians begin their practice. As a result Chapel Hill is a place many poor from the area and across the state come for treatment. Chapel Hill receives monies from the state and has an obligation to care for those that can't pay. At least it used to. But, to even legislate the refusal of Medicare and Medicaid as payment for services is an illustration of the ruthlessness of these no goods in the NC government. Ruthless and cruel with absolutely no conscience about the hardship or deaths it might cause. It is too bad the poor can't seem to get their act together like everyone else.

There may be more ways to make the Pope Family feel the pain they are causing by removing funding to education, health and important services to the poor. Buy making it their purpose to completely privatize the entire North Carolina government. That is their goal. They won't be deterred from it. Promise. But, if there is sincere movement to bring a financial decline to the "Cheap Chain Stores," it might make an impression. Evidently, if Pope is willing to come down of his high horse to speak the the chair of the NAACP in North Carolina he is already worried. More reason to keep on keepin' on. 

Pope is on a mission to prove that government works best when left in the hands of the private sector and he fully intends to line his pockets with North Carolina treasury monies in providing those services. I mean if he is going to rule the USA he has to get his billions from somewhere.

The North Carolina Association of Educators (click here) is calling on shoppers to boycott stores owned by conservative powerbroker Art Pope this holiday season. The teachers are targeting stores in Pope's Variety Wholesalers retail chain, which includes Roses and Maxway, in response to what they call his "anti-public education" policies.

The flier announcing the boycott, which launched November 28, reads:

Conservative, anti-public school businessman Art Pope owns Variety Wholesalers, Inc., the umbrella company for the 8 stores listed. His profits fund anti-public education political candidates and supports anti-public education initiatives that include vouchers, reduced investment in public education, merit pay schemes, and the elimi- nation of professional development programs for educators.

Support the NCAE holiday season boycott.

Avoid shopping at these stores to protest using your tax money to fund private schools and pay for private educations....

Who knew?

I could not believe how much Sasha had grown lately. She was such a peanut at the first inauguration with her Dad peaking over his shoulder to be sure she was okay on that very cold winter day and now she is nearly as tall as her mother. 

It seems as though the public hadn't seen them in a while until they pardoned the turkeys. 

They are good looking family, but, this picture was in the Sydney Morning Herald. Evidently, the Aussies find the Obama girls to be fashion trend setters.

December 3, 2013

Sasha Obama has done it again. (click here) Weeks ago the youngest first daughter wore a sweater in public that ended up selling out shortly thereafter. Now her recent ensemble at her father’s official Thanksgiving turkey-pardoning news conference has also generated headlines, and style watchers are anticipating that it may spark frenzy, too. This would simply mean that the 12-year-old is following in the footsteps of her mother, who is well-known for putting brands and designers on the map.

But aside from their fashion choices, there is another way in which Sasha and her older sister, Malia, may end up becoming role models and trendsetters for a generation of girls. They exude confidence not only in what they wear but also in how they wear it. Both Obama daughters are tall for their age and tall, period, and yet you never catch them slouching as if being tall were a shame. And this is no small feat....

While Hebrews are thinking about gift giving during Hanukkah, Bebe Netanyahu is in the middle of scandal.

Dec 2, 2013

Jerusalem: (click here) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s penchant for scented candles is setting off a stink, with media and politicians accusing him Monday of extravagantly spending public money. 

According to an expense document obtained by a civil liberties group, Netanyahu spent $1,700 on scented candles, $23,300 on flower arrangements and $31,600 on gardening at his official residence in Jerusalem, among other costs totaling about $909,000 in 2012. The group obtained the document following a freedom of information request....

...“When the prime minister presents such inflated and absurd amounts in the expense sheet to the nation, he can’t look at his citizens in the eye and swear that there must be cuts to their welfare, health care, security and education,” wrote Arye Aplatoni in the Maariv daily....

It would seem in this season of giving the people of Israel are less worried about any nuclear engagement so much as the exploitation of their national treasury.

I want to say this all about getting the nation's attention, but, it goes too far.

Pope Francis is a sweetheart. It is a shame Jeb Bush lied to the American people about the US Embassy. I find it interesting no matter how Pope Francis strives to bring people together he is running into the same problem President Obama is having with the American Right Wing. Interesting, isn't it?

Look at this. "Salon" has an article about the 10 worst right-wing statements of the week.

...2. Cliff Kinkaid: Marxists have infiltrated the Catholic Church. (click here)

The problem goes a lot deeper than Stu Varney (and Rush Limbaugh) had feared. The Catholic Church itself is infiltrated with Marxists. This conspiracy theory is brought to you by the right-wing, misnamed Accuracy in Media director, Cliff Kincaid.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’m not here to beat up on the pope,” Kinkaid insisted in a video recently uploaded to YouTube. “That’s not my job. But I can read. I can read this document. I can see what he is saying, and I can tell you right now that this is a very, very disappointing document, and it makes me wonder about the future of the Roman Catholic Church in this world and what they’re heading towards.”...

Pope Francis has proven himself in being just about the most humble Pope the Catholics have known. He has endeared himself to the people he seeks to lead in a manner of inclusiveness. He is cleaning up the politics within the church and set new benchmarks for the church. There are very few that can argue with his leadership, unless of course, one is a Right Wing American seeking wedge issues at the expense of slandering a world leader.

I think President Obama needs to address the slander the Right Wing is handing out and it would not hurt to defend Pope Francis either. 

We all know Catholic leaders have taken issue with topics such as abortion, contraception, undocumented workers and the poor. We all know Catholic leadership doesn't see the faithful in the light of a democracy whereby all individuals have rights in ways the church may not approve. Not all Americans are Catholic. We all know the Catholic leadership over extends it's presence in the USA to effect elections. It isn't appropriate, but, it is tolerated because the USA has freedom of speech. So, the Catholic leadership is welcome to voice it's opinions. It is the USA, everybody has to try, ya know?

December 1, 2013 11:05 PM

...Pope Francis released the 84-page document, (click here) titled “The Joy of the Gospel,” earlier this week. While it doesn’t offer new doctrine, it outlines his priorities and passions, which includes a renewal for a church he called “bruised, hurting and dirty…because it has been out on the streets.”...

But, I find it more distressing that this wonderful Pope is being slandered for political fodder in the USA. The Right Wing must be desperate. Pope Francis is delightful. He is welcome by more and more people in his opinion of the human condition in all it's frailty and imperfections. That after all is what religious leadership is all about, isn't it? Recognizing the frailties and failings of the human condition and find ways to uplift people from despair and give them hope, purpose and direction.

President Obama is used to the hate filled speech of the USA Right Wing. Unfortunately, he is used to it. But, Pope Francis? 

The White House stated at the onset of this decision it was made for security reasons. End of discussion. Unless the slanderous bloviaters want to provide additional security so the office doesn't have to be moved, they need to stop picking on the Pope and those serving the USA in the State Department.

When such statements are made it ultimately causes problems for our foreign staff. There are always backlashes for hate speech and we don't need it. The Right Wing owes the State Department, President Obama and Pope Francis an apology. Will they get it? Heck, no, expect more of the same hate speech, they appear not to be able to anything else.

Women are no longer a secondary or minor income to a family.

Not only are they a significant income to a family, they are important drivers to the USA economy. More and more women need daycare for their children.

Every week parents are paying for someone to care for their children in order to support the family. That is a significant expense to American families that contributes to the USA economy. It isn't disposable income, however, it is a necessity.

Pre-K educations in public schools with daycare options would help immensely to providing more disposable income and/or savings to realize the American Dream.

Paying for a half day of daycare rather than long hours of daycare will reduce the drag on Americans' budgets. It is also a strong beginning to a child's education.

Make it a campaign issue and make it happen. It benefits families as well as our economy and upward mobility. It is good policy and good politics.

Fifty-eight percent of women (click here) in the United States age 16 and over participate in the labor force (working or looking for work). This includes 57 percent of White women, 60 percent of Black women, 57 percent of Hispanic women, and 57 percent of Asian women.

Our nation’s 67 million working women4 hold nearly half of today’s jobs.5 Of these 67 million working women, about 52.8 million are White, 8.6 million are Black, and 3.6 million are Asian.6 Women of Hispanic or Latino ethnicity (who may be of any race) make up 9.2 million of the 67 million women workers.

The fact sheets highlight the different situations of the larger populations of women of color in the U.S. labor force. It assembles selected Federal government data and statistical resources to present a picture of the economic status of Black, Asian, and Hispanic women in the labor force. Sufficient data were not available on the relatively smaller populations of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, and other Pacific Islander women in the labor force, so they are excluded....

Drone package delivery will hurt the USA economy.

Same day delivery is not dependent on drones. Currently, companies with good delivery services, especially in large merchandise, have a very effective strategy.

Example: Pianos. They can't be delivered by drones.

With the upcoming holidays, pianos will sell to those longing for one in their home after mastering their lessons. So, in deciding what piano they want they choose, the William E. Steinway Limited Edition. But, they are manufactured partly in Germany and partly in New York. So, like how long is it going to take to have that piano set up in the living room in time for Christmas Morning?

How does overnight sound? But, it has to be delivered to a Colorado address. How can it be here overnight?

Simple, warehouse space. And one might be surprised how local economies benefit from such enterprises. Steinway decided it is best to have an inventory of pianos where their stores are located. So, they took the initiative to store their inventory all over the country. And yes, it can be delivered overnight from a warehouse storage area far from their factories.

Overnight delivery isn't about speed of transportation, it is about smart warehousing and knowing the market. So, as a gift giving holiday approaches companies SHOULD BE checking where their products sell heavily and open up more warehouse space to stock what sells in a given market. 



Amazon, with their dreamscape of drone delivery will be facing an uphill battle to provide cost effective service. A drone is not liked in general in the USA. And to have one at the door with a package is even less desirable. Not only that, but, it is not cost effective. 

When a USPS truck delivers packages in a local economy there are many packages in the truck and the expense is spread over a large consumer base. The drone delivers one or maybe two packages at a time. Not only that but unless every drone has a pilot the infrastructure for pilotless drones is extremely expensive. Cell towers won't allow for successful drone delivery. There would have to be a computer chip at each address so the pilotless drone can find it's destination. The entire enterprise is interesting, but, quite frankly it won't get off the ground.

This is from a 2003 report (click here).

...So how big is this mundane business of delivering stuff? How important is it?

• The U.S. Postal Service says it "anchors a $900 billion domestic mailing industry that employs roughly one in fifteen American workers." Given a domestic workforce of 143.1 million people in October 2002, more than 9.5 million U.S. jobs are related to the postal system.
• UPS had profits of $2.4 billion in 2001. In comparison, media and online giant AOL Time Warner lost $4.9 billion, while General Motors had a net income of $601 million and IBM earned $7.7 billion.
• The U.S. Postal Service has more employees than any domestic business except Wal-Mart.
• The $584 million profit generated in fiscal 2001 by FedEx was more than six times larger than the $90.4 million in net income earned by EBay in 2001.
• The parcel delivery market has been the fastest-growing transportation segment in the United States over the past two decades. This market has more than doubled its share of the nation's transportation budget since 1980 and now carries at least 10% of each day's gross domestic product. (Note 1)

While the parcel, package and overnight delivery business is massive, figures from the Colography Group, an Atlanta market research organization which specializes in shipping and transportation issues, show that for the first three quarters of 2000 important industry sectors were dominated by a few major players. (Note 2),

In the "parcel" sector, a category which includes packages weighing from 2 to 70 pounds, UPS collected 63.9% of all revenue. UPS generated more than 80% of the revenue from parcels handled as "ground" shipments.

In the "overnight" category, FedEx took in 58.2% of all overnight letter receipts and 59.3% of all revenue from packages under 2 pounds.
The Postal Service generated 70.4% of the revenue from parcels under 2 pounds that were handled as a deferred air (2-3 day service)....

The recession is globally regional and won't effect Wall Street.

It is crazy, isn't it? The Middle Class is shrinking in the USA and may be entering a recession, but, Wall Street is reaching all time highs. Crazy, right? 

Wall Street is receiving record highs because of new consumers, but, they aren't in the USA.

By Biswajit Baruah, ET Bureau
2 Dec, 2013, 06.36AM IST 

MUMBAI: Indian markets (click here) are likely to edge higher this week on better-than-expected second quarter GDP numbers, according to analysts. 

Flows from institutional investors could also set the tone, with some experts saying the aggressive buying by foreign investors on Friday is likely to keep stock-specific momentum up. "The second-quarter GDP numbers will dictate market sentiment this week. If Nifty trades above 6,210 levels, then the index will invite fresh long buying positions, and thi .. 

The uptick of Indian's GDP is what is suppose to happen, however, it isn't suppose to happen at the cost of the USA's economy. What is crazy is the fact the USA markets are abandoned to foreign investment. Why does any investment hack away at established economies in order to invest in other national economies? That is crazy. Wall Street is playing BUBBLE GAMES with the global economy. There will eventually be a burst bubble in India and then where will we be? 

Investment to improve the standard of living of other nations is correct and benevolent, but, to do it at the cost of existing and stable economies is counter productive to a larger global economy.

An example of this is the China Bubble. That already happened. China can recover when their citizens begin to receiver higher incomes. China will have to legislate a minimum wage in order to recover their GDP.

"Morning Papers" - It's Origins (click here)

The Rooster

"Okeydoke"

11/30/2013

"Corporate Profits Are At All-Time Record Peak at 70% of GDP" (click here)

Over 83 percent of the current market trading self identify as Bullish. That is also an all-time high. That means there are more bulls trading today then before the dot.com bubble and before the the credit bubble of 2007.

The distribution of the wealth is skewed and dangerous.

By Lauren Coleman-Lochner, Lindsey Rupp & Leslie Patton

Dec 1, 2013 12:00 AM ET

U.S. retailers eked out a 2.3 percent sales gain (click here) on Thanksgiving and Black Friday, in line with a prediction for the weakest holiday results since 2009.

Sales at brick-and-mortar stores on Thanksgiving and Black Friday rose to $12.3 billion, according to a report yesterday from ShopperTrak. The Chicago-based researcher reiterated its prediction that sales for the entire holiday season will gain 2.4 percent, the smallest increase since the last recession....

There was marginally more money spent by less people. If people are subsistence earners, there is less and less money circulating in the economy. This is a sign of the greed that currently exists within Wall Street and reflected by Republicans unwillingness to pass an increase in the Minimum Wage. The bears are worried about a recession. It may have already begun and the American economy can thank the Republicans for it. Austerity doesn't work and lack of support of the Middle Class is tragedy waiting to happen.

I cannot understand how legislators punish their own citizens. That is more then immoral. When such dynamics exist, it disregards the economic well being of the country and the condition of the people. I don't understand how any citizen can vote against their own best interests.