I am happy the former President is finding energy in participating in his own economic campaign, but, it is the same old corrupt paradigm and we don't need it.

The project has a book published call "The 4% Solution." It is very Republican, it is very rhetorical and it won't work.


The 4% Project with its red covered solution guide (the color of communists) is more of the same. It is a pie in the sky 'big idea' for Republicans to tout as 'the definitive answer' to all the problems of the USA.


We now know what the big pow-wow with Dick and George was for disguised as a Romney fundraiser. It wasn't about supporting Romney, it was about promoting their own solution that will serve to increase their personal wealth. Romney is to proctor the new economy according to Bush/Cheney and the dream machine to have the good old days back again.


I would like to think the Old Regime is acting out of guilt for the damage of their past administration, but, they have no guilt, they have no remorse and this is about expanding personal wealth.


I just can't wait for Neil Bush to return from China with his new woman to bring this solution to reality, can you?


The problems the USA has is profound. It is not competitive anymore because of the damage done to our educational system among other things for a decade of bad ideas. The red book guide to 4% Chinese growth in the USA does not address the need to bring back the competitive edge of the USA, it simply adds more poor paying jobs to the USA economy while calling it progress.


Grateful for a new heart, does Cheney go fishing? No. Does he take gun lessons on safe operation when in the company of others? No. 


No, he sure doesn't. He simply engaged in "The Empire Strikes Back." Seriously. Did Darth Vader every change his ways? No. Did he ever apologize to Luke for all the problems he caused while seeking to annihilate populations of people? No. So, why expect something civilized from Richard Cheney.


Where did Darth Cheney make his first stop after some fund raising? Capital Hill where anyone would expect to find a Heart Transplant patient. And what exactly was he doing on Capital Hill? Besides a lunch paid for by others. Was he promoting the bill regarding the benefits of transplants in gratitude for his new lease on life? No. Was he seeking to make the world a safer place from the Climate Crisis? No. Was he asking to have the President demand a Peace Treaty from every nation in the world? No. He was looking to increase the military budget of the USA Defense Department. Now, that is what I call a walking miracle that sincerely learned how precious life actually is, wouldn't you say?

Dick Cheney offers the GOP familiar advice on spending (click here)

By Dana Milbank

Dick Cheney has not had a change of heart.

The former vice president, the reinvigorated new owner of a transplanted ticker, went to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to advise Republicans on budget strategy as Washington heads for the “fiscal cliff.” And Cheney’s message hadn’t changed a bit since the days, early in the George W. Bush administration, when he told the Treasury secretary not to worry about deficits....

The ideologues want junior Senator Marco Rubio.

According to Hannity's guest yesterday the "Party" wants to have a 10 point bounce coming out of the GOP Convention. The ideologues are convinced if Rubio was the Vice President nominee to run with Romney they would get a 10 point spike out of the convention, the same as Clinton after his convention.


They can dream, can't they? Oh, wait. No, they can't, they don't like The Dream Act.

10 Years Of Marco Rubio's Tax Returns (click here)

The Senator from Florida and possible vice president pick released his tax returns from 2000-2009 during his 2010 run for the Senate, but they're no longer available on his campaign website. News organizations noted in 2010 that his wealth increased along with his power during his time in the Florida House of Representatives. Rubio joins Senator Scott Brown among Romney allies who have released many more years of tax returns than the nominee....

This is typical of the GOP. They consume anyone in the area to provide a good 'stimulus' to a weak ticket. They have the history of doing so and this is no different. 

Senator Rubio should have his own aspirations because I believe he is very talented and dedicated and why he dare not go against the Tea Party. Given another six to ten years, Senator Rubio will be ready to make his own run for President as a Republican candidate. But, due to the fact every election to the GOP is a desperate election to save the country from being taken over from the inside, ie: communists, any covert conspiracy of the day, etc., they destroy careers of some of their most new and junior members.

Rather than asking its members what their aspirations are for their career, the GOP believes every Republican should 'toe the line' and be at the disposal of their agenda to win no matter the price to the candidate in the long run. Every time the GOP has leaned on a junior member to run for the Vice Presidency their career is over. It can be pointed to over and over. These GOP members are inexperienced in a way the Presidency demands. 


Well. We'll see what the mistake is this year, but, I sincerely hope, while flattering to ask to be a nominee to run for Vice President, the choice will be one that is actually ready to be President.

Losses to farmers from historic drought due to the Climate Crisis.

Farmers across the United States (click title to entry - thank you) hoped for rain in July 2012 as a drought of historic proportions parched key commodity crops, including corn, soybeans, and wheat. On July 11, the United States Department of Agricultureannounced that more than 1,000 counties in 26 states qualified as natural disaster areas—the largest total area ever declared a disaster zone by the agency....


The Drought Monitor and this NASA photograph were rendered the same day. The effects of the drought is more than obvious. The lack of action by the USA Congress to due to Republican priorities in regard to climate is more than obvious.


Drought is a long term problem. This is not something that happened over night or in the last few months. Every USA agency and environmental interest in the country has been speaking to this for years if not decades.

Drought worsens crop damage, raising world food, fuel worry (click here) 

July 16, 2012|Andrew Stern | Reuters

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Corn and soybeans in the U.S. Midwest baked in an unrelenting heat wave on Monday with fears rising of big crop losses that will boost food and fuel prices and cut exports and aid from the world's top shipper of the key crops.

The condition of the nation's corn and soybeans as of Sunday deteriorated even more than grain traders had feared, and the U.S. Agriculture Department cuts its weekly corn crop condition rating by the biggest amount in nearly a decade.

Health Hazards of Heat Waves, Wildfires, and Other Extreme Weather (click here)

Posted July 17, 2012

...tens of millions of people are vulnerable to extreme heat.

Now that climate change is making potent heat waves more commonplace, these numbers will only continue to rise. NRDC recently released a report concluding that an additional 33,000 heat-related deaths will occur by 2050 as a result of climate change.

The summer of 2012 has already delivered one record-breaking event after another, from wildfires to freak storms. This barrage of destruction has prompted more meteorologists and mainstream media outlets to finally make the connection between extreme weather and climate change.

But in the midst of all the intense coverage, a quieter, more personal story has been lost: the many ways extreme weather threatens our health....

Seasonal firefighters win federal health benefits (click here)

July 17, 2012

WASHINGTON—The White House says about 8,000 temporary firefighters and their families will get access to federal health insurance following a petition drive bolstered by this year's historic fire season in the West.

President Barack Obama says the nation has been inspired by the heroism of firefighters battling deadly wildfires this summer. Obama says he has directed his administration to ensure the firefighters "can count on the care and protection they need."

The temporary firefighters weren't covered by federal health insurance because under federal rules, temporary seasonal employees can't buy into federal insurance plans.

Members of a South Dakota-based hotshot crew who fought wildfires this year launched a petition drive seeking the health benefits and gathered more than 125,000 signatures.

The cost of an unaddressed Climate Crisis is high and this is only two locations. 

Insurers estimate Colo. fire damage $449.7M (click here)

Posted: Jul 17, 2012 12:03 PM by Kirsten Bennett 
Updated: Jul 17, 2012 12:32 PM

DENVER (AP) - Insurers estimate that Colorado wildfires that destroyed over 600 homes are responsible for at least $449.7 million in damage.

The figure released Tuesday by the Rocky Mountain Insurance Information Association is based on claims filed so far for houses lost at the High Park Fire in Larimer County and the Waldo Canyon Fire in Colorado Springs. It also includes claims for personal belongings and cars lost and living expenses in the fires' aftermath but not commercial losses. It's expected to grow as claims are processed.
Waldo Canyon accounted for the bulk at $352.6 million while High Park homeowners have filed for $97.1 million in damages.
Association spokeswoman Carole Walker said there were more homes without insurance and a greater variety of property values in the High Park burn area than in Colorado Springs.

Is Romney a criminal? Does he have a character issue?

I don't think anyone knows enough to say yes or no about the criminal allogations. And by the way the Obama Campaign never made the allogations he was a criminal. They pointed to the fact 'Two Truths Cannot' exist at the same time. 


There needs to be "Subpoena duces tecum."


There are not sworn statements. 


Basically, there is no accountability that matters by the Romney campaign to quiet the call for proof of his activities with Bain Capital to justify the deception occurring during the years he claims his focus was the Olympics. He obviously deceived people. He stated officially he was the sole owner, CEO and President of Bain Capital while designating a management committee to act in his interests. He could have gone back to Bain at any point in time during those three years he claims he was 'completely absent' from decisions of the company.


Does he continue to have a character issue?  Did he ever stop having a character issue is the question? No, he never has stopped having a character issue. He was more than happy to elevate his image away from being a ruthless business man by affiliating with the 2002 Olympics. But, what sincerely reveals his character is the fact he did not discern the brutality in Burma when he outsourced the Olympic uniforms. He never took humanity into account. He never took objections raised at the time based in humanity into account. THAT fact cannot be disputed.


I my opinion the realization he didn't care about the people of Burma and only the bottom line of 'making ends meet' for the Olympics speaks to his success with his company Bain Capital. He makes decisions based on profit, not values of the human condition and quality of life. He has no problem outsourcing jobs to dirt cheap labor under the oppression of a dictatorship.


..."When I looked at the label for the uniform, I went nuts," (click title to entry - thank you) one former torchbearer tells the Guardian. "When you are sending work representing the US to a military dictatorship, I have an issue with that." After receiving more than a thousand emails protesting the uniforms, the Salt Lake Organizing Committee offered this bizarre response: "The torch relay clothes were NOT made in Burma. They were manufactured in Myanmar." The committee apologized after activists pointed out that Burma and Myanmar are the same country....


Olympic CEO, Willard Mitt Romney never embraced the profound purpose of the Olympics, he only saw dollar signs and personal political gains.


The Olympics are steeped in all kinds of symbolism. The Olympic Rings were first displayed in 1920 at the Antwerp games. The symbol represent the five continents participating in the games. The rings aren't standing alone, they are intertwined. The symbol is about coming together. World War I ended in 1918. This is an expression of peace and the fact people can come together over a common idea to act in competition against each other while seeking greatness. 


To the left is the symbol of the 2002 Olympics. I suppose. But, tell me what the heck that symbol is pre-empting the Olympic Rings without their colors. Below to the right is the London Games symbol. There is no comparison. The spirit of the games is upheld. I can only hope the scrutiny of all the London games can hold up to its purpose and goals. 


The Olympics isn't just about great athletes. Olympic athletes are the best their countries can send to compete. There are plenty of international competitions for the same athletes, but, none have the esteem and importance of the Olympics.


The point is when Romney was CEO of the Olympics he didn't uphold the values of the Olympics. Burma was a brutal dictatorship, yet he allowed that dynamic to apply to the business of the 2002 Olympics. The Olympics are not about brutal dictatorships, it is about dissolving that paradigm and upholding the integrity of THE BEST VALUES of each participating country.



There is no doubt Willard Mitt Romney made financial ends meet for the 2002 Olympics after the attacks of September 11, 2001. But, to realize he didn't care about how that happened while American soldiers were fighting terrorists seeking to impose oppressive dictatorships over free countries is outrageous. 


Mitt Romney is Wall Street. He is Wall Street through and through and he is not trustworthy both in the methods he upholds American values, defends those values and portrays his authority to every extreme allowed by law with his relationship with Bain from 1999 forward.


Now, his answer to imposing his political flag waving is to go to London so Americans can view his once authority in Utah. I doubt he'll be finding people from America on a rope line for his political campaign in London. But, hey, he thinks being in London at the Olympics is a political strength of his campaign. Really?

I can't believe this has gone on for seven years. This is a flood plain. People should not be living there.

Published: July 16, 2012 Updated 7 hours ago


...An Associated Press examination (click title to entry - thank you) of the properties sold to the government by homeowners New Orleans after the catastrophic 2005 flood has found that about $86 million has been spent on 5,100 abandoned parcels. And there's no end in sight to maintenance costs for perhaps most of the 3,100 properties that remain unsold....


Over 1100  people died during Katrina. That isn't enough for everyone? The people that sold their homes were wise to do it, but, the lingering reality of the devastation of the city and its people needs to stop.  


New Orleans Ninth District was never respected as a dangerous reality. For as long as I can remember New Orleans sank due to oil and gas drilling. At the time of Katrina the sinking was 20 feet, more in some places. The city knew they were vulnerable and "The Big One" was considered folk lore by elected officials outside of the city'a Mayor. 


Then reality came to visit and Katrina was that storm no one ever planned for except to place axes in their attics. The plan was that as the flood waters rose the people, the poor people of the Ninth Ward would hack through their roofs and escape to survive. That is exactly what occurred.


The Wetlands were devastated by the petroleum ships. The wetlands were not there to stop/tame the storm surge. So, Katrina delivered flood waters reaching 20 or move feet high. Those that lived through the storm in the Ninth Ward were amazing. They carried out the plan Mayor Ray Nagin helped instill for survival and they lived. He should be proud of that fact. It is a fact that the federal government didn't care about them and never enforced environmental protections to stop flood waters. There was never wetlands restoration. Governors, even today, that see the oil industry as necessary never considered those people important. Yet, billions of dollars US were spent on the after math.


It is time to let go. These lands are not safe. People have moved on and it is time to realize the pain is over and the healing has taken place as best it can. 


The abandoned houses in the flood zone that are a problem for police should be bulldozed. The driveways and roads jack hammered to be impassible for drug activity, electric polls and lines removed and secured from the area to make it safe. And water mains shut off along with the removal of fire plugs. Then let the natural world take over. There is no reason to continue to hold on to lands that are too dangerous for homes. Katrina was right, it is time to give it up.

Romney states any further reporting of income is not required.

By whom?


Romney freely states he does not want anyone scrutinizing his tax returns. He states he doesn't want people scrutinizing his wife's tax returns. So, we at least know she has tax returns now.


The reason stated is that it would bring up issues that could hurt his political aspirations. Really?


Then he goes on to say Teresa Heinz Kerry was a very wealthy woman that never released her tax returns. He is making an analogy to Heinz Kerry? In regard to his wife? Really? Wow. Teresa's activities were well known, though. She was widely traveled to Africa and involved with charities. I don't think there is a comparison to the transparency we saw with Teresa.


The work of the Teresa and H. John Heinz III Foundation (click title to entry - thank you) focuses on health and the environment. Our work supports a wide variety of events, activities, and programs. 

One of our premier programs is the annual Women's Health and the Environment Conference. This conference series explores the impact of our physical, psychological, and economic environments on the health and well-being of women. 

An exciting foundation event was the Campus Earth Summit. While the event took place several years ago, its findings ...

I don't believe the analogy is correct. Teresa received wealth from her family, she was very transparent about it and she used it with compassion, not self-indulgence. Not to say she was uncomfortable. That isn't the case, but, the Heinz wealth is very different in its etiologies and uses than Bain Capital. There really is no analogy that I can see. 


Besides, she had her detractors. It never ceases to amaze me how Democratic women are always, without exception, villainesses. They are attacked regularly by the Right Wing as powerful vamps. I really think the GOP is scared of powerful women. 


Democratic women frequently are affiliated with compassionate enterprises. Secretary Clinton was first involved with The Children's Defense Fund before being involved with politics. Teresa Kerry was simply seeking people in need as a focus in her life. She had many outreaches not dissimilar to The Gates Foundation and its activities. They enjoy giving back. They are proud of themselves for being involved with efforts to assist others from impoverished states of health and economy. So, the attacks on Democratic women are grossly wrong, but, are convenient for the political Right Wing of the USA.


A more contemporary example was when Dennis Miller stated, "Would you want to sit next to MIKE-A Brzezinski? Of course that was a slam against her feminity by making her name, usually pronounced MEEKA (like the meek shall inherit the Earth) sound masculine. Powerful women to the Right Wing are emasculinating. So, while her name is spelled Mika, it is not pronounced that way. It was a direct insult to her femininity and the fact she has been writing very empowering books for women. When men attack a woman for her femininity while asserting her prowess in business or government, it only reflects their own insecurities. I thought that went out in the sixties; evidently not.


"Knowing Your Value" (click here for Amazon)


I sincerely believe the hypermasculine content of the Bush/Cheney administration reflects more insecurity to advance war than any other time in the nation's history. That hypermasculine content is superfluous and out of step with contemporaries in any other nation. I sincerely believe the political Right Wing is afraid of women and their ability to be feminine in the same roles they have as men. THAT is not a well integrated personality. It just isn't.

The bill the Republicans never passed - American Jobs Act - Subtitle E of Title IV

Continuing with "Offsets" to The American Jobs Act
Subtitle E -- Dual Capacity Taxpayers


Sec. 441.  Modifications of Foreign Tax Credit Rules Applicable to Dual Capacity Taxpayers

(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 901 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to credit 
for taxes of foreign countries and of possessions of the United States) is amended by 
redesignating subsection (n) as subsection (o) and by inserting after subsection (m) the following new subsection:

Sec. 901. Taxes of foreign countries and of possessions of United
        States (click title to entry - thank you)

The contradictory statements below are from the US Chamber of Commerce


A dual capacity taxpayer is a multinational company click here) that pays a levy to a foreign country and also receives a specific economic benefit from that foreign country. Nearly all dual capacity taxpayers are U.S. based oil and gas companies that have operations in foreign countries....


...Limiting the creditability of foreign taxes paid by dual capacity taxpayers would impose double taxation on these taxpayers and make them uncompetitive in the global market....


So, let me get this right, the primary Dual Capacity Taxpayers are oil and gas companies, yet, they are uncompetitive in the global market place. This is the USA Chamber of Commerce making the argument that US Oil and Gas Companies are uncompetitive in the market place. 


Sure.


And whom is it that owns the Republicans in the US House and Senate, exactly? And why is it the Republicans obstructed the President's Job's Bill? The COST? It wasn't the cost, it was the fact their cronies were disgruntled over NOTHING, but, their greed.

And why is it Republicans see deregulation and tax reduction as the answer to job creation? Because it works? No. Because it feeds their cronies regardless of the suffering of the American citizen.

Uncompetitive in the global market. What a joke!

‘‘(1) GENERAL RULE.—Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, any amount paid or accrued by a dual capacity taxpayer or any member of the worldwide affiliated group of which such dual capacity taxpayer is also a member to any foreign country or to any possession of the United States for any period shall not be considered a tax to the extent such amount exceeds the amount (determined in accordance with regulations) which would have been required to be paid if the taxpayer were not a dual capacity taxpayer

The tax burden to the USA by the petroleum industry has been absorbed by the USA Treasury. This Offset requires the USA to receive their taxes along with the foreign nation.


The Petroleum Industry pays less taxes operating in foreign countries. They not only receive subsidies from the USA Treasury, they don't pay taxes to the USA Treasury.


Last time I checked Nova Scotia, Canada has a 17% tourism tax. It is applied to hotels, food and all the amenities a tourist would encounter including shops where tourists occur. As a tourist that tax is paid. Nova Scotia is a beautiful place with wonderful people, there are many reasons to travel there. The tax is simply part of the vacation a person takes.


When the tourist comes home to the USA they don't claim "I am a Dual Capacity Citizen Taxpayer," they simply pay the taxes due to the USA Treasury. 


I remind the Petroleum Industry has legitimate costs to their business. They are allowed to reduce their tax burden while the USA Treasury absorbs their costs and accepts a lower tax rate. So, for all the claims the petroleum industry creates jobs, the salaries paid to those employees are absorbed by the USA Treasury to the extent they can be deducted from profits. So, don't tell me the petroleum industry isn't taken care off if they are not exempt from a Dual Capacity Taxpayer.

(b) CONTRARY TREATY OBLIGATIONS UPHELD.—The amendments made by this 
section shall not apply to the extent contrary to any treaty obligation of the United States.

The Offset is not breach treaties which are passed by the Congress after negotiations with the President. This strictly applies only to the IRS tax forms.

(c) EFFECTIVE DATE.— The amendments made by this section shall apply to amounts that, if such amounts were an amount of tax paid or accrued, would be considered paid or accrued in taxable years beginning after December 31, 2012.

This Offset was not even immediate. The petroleum industry would have time to ready themselves to pay those taxes so it would not effect operations today. The ADJUSTMENT of the petroleum industry would not begin until immediately after midnight on New Years Eve of 2012.


That provision is definitely a paradigm the Plutocrats understand. Definitely. The learning curve would be short. The stroke of midnight, New Years Eve, tears start to roll. Be prepared with hankies for friends affiliated with same.

Sec. 442.  Separate Basket Treatment Taxes Paid on Foreign Oil and Gas Income



(a) SEPARATE BASKET FOR FOREIGN TAX CREDIT.—Paragraph (1) of section 
904(d) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 is amended by striking ‘‘and’’ at the end of 
subparagraph (A), by striking the period at the end of subparagraph (B) and inserting ‘‘, and’’, and by adding at the end the following:

TITLE 26 - INTERNAL REVENUE CODE 
      Subtitle A - Income Taxes
       CHAPTER 1 - NORMAL TAXES AND SURTAXES
        Subchapter N - Tax Based on Income From Sources Within or Without
              the United States
          PART III - INCOME FROM SOURCES WITHOUT THE UNITED STATES
           Subpart A - Foreign Tax Credit (click here)

Sec. 904. Limitation on credit

(d) Separate application of section with respect to certain
        categories of income
(1) In general.--The provisions of subsections (a), (b), 
        and (c) and sections 902, 907, and 960 shall be applied 
        separately with respect to--
                    (A) passive category income, and
                    (B) general category income.
             (C) combined foreign oil and gas                   income (as defined in section                  907(b)(1)).’

‘‘(C) combined foreign oil and gas income (as defined in section 907(b)(1)) (below).’’

(1) Personal exemptions
        For purposes of subsection (a), the taxable income in the case
      of an individual, estate, or trust shall be computed without any
      deduction for personal exemptions under section 151 or 642(b).

Internal Revenue Code:Sec. 151. Allowance of deductions for personal exemptions (click here)






Internal Revenue Code:Sec. 642. Special rules for credits and deductions (click here)






(b) Deduction for personal exemption

President Obama has gone to every extent to make sure none of the Offsets effect 'the individual' because they are the STRENGTH of the economy. Don't tell me he doesn't know what he is doing, he does. His focus in extremely consistent.


The Obama Mandate for Recovery is to empower the Middle Class as consumers and provide every aspect of that consumerism at all levels of income. Where the incomes of Americans begin to reach a level of unfairness in loss of tax payments; adjustments have to occur. We have a national debt to pay down. Those best to help the most need to participate in a way the empowers the USA. Unfairness in the tax code is draconian. 


The continued tax cuts for all would be wonderful, no one denies that, but it is not possible. NOT POSSIBLE. It will not injure the USA economy. The greatest number of consumer comes from the Middle Class. Maximizing the power of the Middle Class consumer adds income/profit to those wealthy when that wealth comes from business. I don't care if it is small business or Wall Street big box stores. The Middle Class consumer is the venue of growth. Look to the Friday after Thanksgiving to understand that paradigm is real.


When job growth occurs the income through the entire economy is exponential. So, while the wealthy would be paying more in taxes to the US Treasury, they would be receiving more income. They wouldn't feel it. Guaranteed.


The Republicans are simply wrong. They never came to the side of President Obama to end the disaster that occurred in 2008 beginning in 2007. 


I'll start here next time.

Subtitle F – Increased Target and Trigger for Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction
Sec. 451.  Increased Target and Trigger for Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction

Greedy is another adjective, too. I mean either get out of the company and stop salivating or admit what it was all about.

Until tomorrow...


15 July 2012 Last updated at 19:46 ET

Syria conflict: Reports of heavy fighting in Damascus (click title to entry - thank you)

Turn them loose again? Who are you going to trust?

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — An unidentified employee of U.K. bank Barclays PLC told the New York Federal Reserve Bank more than four years ago that the bank was filing false reports on a key interest rate, according to documents released by the regional bank on Friday.

The documents show that a summary of this admission was quickly circulated throughout the U.S. government, including the Federal Reserve and the Treasury Department, in 2008. The London rate for interbank lending, known as Libor, is now at the center of a sweeping industry-wide, cross-border investigation into the setting of interbank-lending rates....

Within in two days after our first troops were killed, Halliburton was at work in the Iraqi oil fields.

I don't want another one that is just like the two that left four years ago. 


Romney is shady, secretive and manipulative. 


Hello?


Romney has a character and credibility problem and that isn't going to change.


Let's add, ruthlessness to the adjectives while I'm at it.


...Given all the taxpayer money (click title to entry - thank you) involved, you might think the process for awarding those contracts would be open and competitive. 

But, as 60 Minutes reported last spring, the earliest contracts were given to a few favored companies. And some of the biggest winners in the sweepstakes to rebuild Iraq have one thing in common: lots of very close friends in very high places. Correspondent Steve Kroft reports.


One is Halliburton, the Houston-based energy services and construction giant whose former CEO, Dick Cheney, is now vice president of the United States. 

Even before the first shots were fired in Iraq, the Pentagon had secretly awarded Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown & Root a two-year, no-bid contract to put out oil well fires and to handle other unspecified duties involving war damage to the country's petroleum industry. It is worth up to $7 billion....

It is too late after they are in office to investigate the truth. All he wanted was to be out of the company, too.

"In light of the facts uncovered, it would be difficult to establish that, even assuming (Mr.) Bush possessed material nonpublic information, he acted with sentience or intent to defraud".


"...it would be difficult to establish that..."

That means the SEC didn't have enough EVIDENCE to prosecute. It doesn't mean he wasn't guilty.

"W" was known to have consulted with officers inside the company and people outside the company when he sold the stock, but, it didn't add up to enough for prosecution.

GST Steel in Kansas City knew less than nothing about Bain Capital.

As CEO of GST Steel receiving an offer for the company I would take all that to the Board of Trustees, owners, etc. in order to provide as much information as possible to make decisions.

I'd look at past records of Bain Capital, whom its leadership was and what could be the possible outcomes for everyone including labor, their pensions and the unions. It would be my duty to report as accurately as possible what I believed would be the result of any sale of the company to Bain Capital.


I would turn to financial records and SEC records to assist in that knowledge base. Remember, GST Steel knows nothing except there is an offer from Bain. It doesn't even know the viability of such an offer. We are talking about a company with employees with years of employment and plans for retirement. GST Steel had to formulate a knowledge base and outcome scenarios. GST Steel was NOT worthless. It had not declared bankruptcy until Bain Capital took over the company. GST Steel had a client base. It had value. So the company did not have to accept any offer, it was not at The Sheriff's Sale, if you will?


In my reading I run across a disclosure statement saying the sole owner, CEO and President is not engaging in management. SO WHAT? 


Romney misrepresented the activities and standing of Bain Capital, pushed for substantial amounts of money to close the deal on leaving and never bothered to come to terms with the 'final deal' until he was ready to take the Massachusetts Governor seat.


He was just as responsible for what occurred with GST Steel as any of the management committee HE PUT IN PLACE to do his dirty work and get all the money he could squeeze out of the deal. 


End of discussion and the SEC needs to examine the brevity of these activities.

Romeny did and does profit from a company he built that put Americans out of work and cheated them out of pensions

Were these people ever told Willard Mitt Romney was CEO, owner and President in name only?


Were they?


No. They weren't. 


How much of the treasury and bailout went to the 'payoff' of Romeny the Greed Merchant?


The documents with the SEC never clarified the entity they were dealing with it. People have a right to know whom they were dealing with and they did not. That is FRAUD, plain and simple. The documents of the SEC are suppose to uphold the dignity of the market and they failed.

Romney is a fraud. He signed documents indicating he was CEO and President of Bain Capital.

The Cinderella Syndrome.

He deceived the SEC while holding the ultimate control of the company hostage for the wealth he wanted. He could have changed his mind completely from any of that status and told the Olympic Committee to find another CEO. He wasn't about to give up control. The election for Governor turned the corner for those at Bain that would take over the company.

He has been lying about this for so long all those close to him are willing to play along. Romney pointing to a committee making day to day decisions is like saying, "But little sister did it." 

As sole owner, CEO and President of Bain Capital he wasn't about to take his finger off the pulse of that company and to believe for one minute all activities and employees were ostracized out of his life is outrageous. He needs to stop trying to blame anyone else but himself.

The SEC needs to investigate the brevity of these activities. I haven't changed my mind about anything and the discussion is closed. More than ever.

...Conard contended that, despite Romney’s legal status as CEO and sole owner of Bain Capital on federal regulatory documents filed with the SEC, a “management committee” oversaw the company’s day-to-day operations after Romney left in 1999. According to former Securities and Exchange Commission officials, however, representing Romney as the CEO of the company when he was no longer in charge would have been misleading to both federal regulators and investors.

“If the information is not correct then investors are potentially being materially misled,” Edward Siedle, a securities lawyer formerly with the SEC’s Division of Investment Management, said in a telephone interview Saturday. “The filings are supposed to require material disclosure. I mean, these aren’t pointless forms.”

Siedle added that both investors and federal regulators rely on timely and accurate filings for up-to-date information about a financial company’s operations, and that the officers listed on the filings should be considered responsible for the company’s actions. “All those designations indicate that he had significant responsibility at the firm,” Siedle said of Romney. “There’s a reason he was listed as president and CEO all those years.”

The USA military needs to back off the adrenalin.

There are brain chemical imbalances at work. Adrenalin is an enemy to the psychi. We know that from PTSD from soldiers as well as rape victims.

Adrenalin is fight or flight, it comes into play with rape victims trying to save their lives through escape and it effects soldiers fighting to keep their lives. Adrenalin is extremely powerful and permanently. The word was PERMANENTLY imprints on the psychi. We know that for a fact. It is part of the mysterious 'animous' of the human being.


Those committing suicide are not NECESSARILY seeing battle. They are not specifically deployed to any specific site or from any specific base. I don't know what the Basic Training is like these days, but, there were not these issues before 2001. The Urban Warfare model is hideously insidious on the psychi. It is as though shadows are stalking soldiers resulting in hyper-vigilance and adrenalin imprinting on emotions. Once the emotions are that imprinted on the 'survival mechanisms' that are body chemistry there is no removing them, there is disability and medication to keep them in the world.


ARE THESE SOLDIERS ALSO EXPERIENCING PAIN? If the neural system is over loaded with chemicals pain can result. If these folks are not getting rest/sleep/REMs they should be observed on a unit somewhere, heck even sleep centers properly staffed, to find out what helps them sleep. REMs are necessary, I don't care what anyone says otherwise. REMs are necessary to reset those neuro-receptors. 


If it were me, I would throw a major tranquilizer KNOWN TO WORK, like Thorazine at them. Give them enough by BODY WEIGHT to sit them on their butts and then through therapy and repeated visits to MD and psychiatrists start to reduce their amounts of medication to find out what works. Sometimes a major dose of valium can disorient enough through sedation to bring a new reality to the mind, but, the 'rest' from the emotional strain should reset the neuro-respectors with valium. It relieves the nervous system for a period of time and might very well allow sanity to grow.


There was that medication recently, Paxil I think it was, that is being used successfully with some coma victims. It uses DIFFERENT pathways to reignite cognition and awareness and finally a conscious state. That is always a possibility, but, that is a drug research study.


You gotta keep them alive in order to make it better. They have to understand that. They have to have hope for tomorrow. Certainly, the lethargy of an overworked patient load at the VA does not provide hope until a human voice is at the other end of the phone, but, families can provide hope through offering comfort in whatever manner it occurs. Keep trying to reach professionals that can help. Don't give up. Everyone needs to believe these people and DON'T TRY SUGAR PILLS, okay? These folks are our veterans, our soldiers, they aren't lying; they want help. They should get it without question. The details can be sorted out later, but, ya gotta keep 'em alive.


Adrenalin is like a psychological scar. Most of the time it is a good thing and creates long term skills for survival, but, there are those times when it simply imprints survival on the mind and it sticks like glue. Neural glue.


Ya know the idea that a 'temporary disability for our soldiers' is a great idea that needs to be floated here. The AFLAC commericals with the duck filling that gap to help a family through needs to be available while soldiers are being triaged. By triage I mean evaluated for permanent disability. 


In years gone by it was not unusual to have soldiers with existing mental problems become part of the corp. There is that percentage of people that make it through and are in the ranks. They usually show up under stress of Base Training and are discharged, but, they were soldiers for a short time and they are treated by the VA. The military is not exclusive in the idea there are people with mental health problems within the ranks. Mental illness manifests the way it manifests and there is no rhythm or reason to the events sparking it or the outcomes. But, these people are important. They need our help and they need to receive it.


Perhaps, General Shinseki can ask for a special fund for providing emergency psychological services on base and off for soldiers and veterans. Recruit professionals to staff the emergency centers if the VA doesn't have any to spare. Bring them in. They served our country and we need to accept that responsibility and give them hope. If the households where they live are considered to be problematic, then treat the household in therapy with the soldier manifesting symptoms. Get the facts, sort out the details, apply permanent disability where it applies, provide long term therapy and/or support groups to increase opportunity for work and a life they are proud of and save lives.


There also needs to be an ORIENTATION process to mental health with the soldiers. Seeking help is not a disease, it prevents it. The people in our military needs to appreciate that reality. They are no good to us, their families or to our work force if they can't function. Mental health is a part of health. Soldiers need to appreciate they are human beings and not simply an extension of a gun.


When researchers asked 72 soldiers at Fort Carson, Colo., (click title to entry - thank you) why they tried to kill themselves, out of the 33 reasons they had to choose from, all of the soldiers included one in particular — a desire to end intense....