wrbpilots random rants

Nancy Pelosi Running For Dogmatist Of The Year

2012-01-08T13:58:00.000-05:00

Quote of The Day:

This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when the baby gets hold of a hammer.

Will Rogers (1879 - 1935)

~~Nazi~~ Nancy Pelosi said That the failed Republican policies of George Bush drove the USA into the recession and financial meltdown of 2008. All during 2009 and 2010 she praised Obama nonstop for his relentless efforts to attain his legacy with the takeover of the health care industry by him and his fellow socialists. Obama, Biden, Pelosi and their comrades need to be reminded that Bush inherited a great big mess from Slick Willie Clinton. One country offered to turn over Osama bin Laden to The USA for his attacks on U.S. embassies during his administration. He refused the offer, wanting the Saudis to take custody of Bin Laden. One of my worst "what if" scenarios is what if the Supreme Court did not uphold Bush's election in 2000 and Al Gore was president when The September 11 attacks occurred. I doubt Gore would have responded half as quickly and effectively as Bush did.
Also, the Bush Administration tried to rein in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac but the House Financial Services Committee stonewalled his efforts to protect their 2 cash cows. Click here and here to view my earlier posts on this subject.

DNC Chairwoman Returns From Pluto

2011-12-13T21:33:00.001-05:00

Quote Of The Day:

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself.
- Mark Twain, a Biography

~~Demagogues~~Democrats are obsessive about accusing Republicans of being heartless and cruel to anyone besides the rich. Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (Fla.) displayed a Democratic flaw, the dreaded LGCA (little gray cell anemia) on Fox And Friends with Gretchen Carlson. Ms. Carlson said the unemployment has increased since Obama took office. Ms. Wasserman Schultz told Ms. Carlson that the unemployment rate has not gone up since Obama became president and is going down. Ms. Carlson realized that the DNC Chairwoman was fact-impaired and tried to help her out by using a simple yes or no question, Has the unemployment rate gone up since Obama took office? Wasserman Schultz gave a very vague and evasive answer that unemployment was nearing the rate it was at when Obama took office. Here is the unemployment rate monthly since Obama took office.

Unemployment Rate in the United States:

2009

January, 7.6%

February, 8.1%

March, 8.5%

April, 8.9%

May, 9.4%

June, 9.5%

July, 9.4%

August, 9.7%

September, 9.8%

October, 10.2%

November, 10%

December, 10%

2010

January, 9.7%

February, 9.7%

March, 9.7%

April, 9.9%

May, 9.7%

June, 9.5%

July, 9.5%

August, 9.6%

September, 9.6%

October, 9.6%

November, 9.8%

December, 9.4%

2011

January, 9.0%

February, 8.9%

March, 8.8%

April, 9.0%

May, 9.1%

June, 9.2%

July, 9.1%

August, 9.1%

September, 9.1%

October, 9.0%

November, 8.6%

Thanks to CNSNews.com for the unemployment data

Here's a video of Ms. Wasserman Schultz's misstatement of facts.

Barry Seotero's Thanksgiving day failure

2011-11-26T22:58:00.001-05:00

President Obama forgot (OOOOPPPPSSSS!!!) to mention GOD in his thanksgiving speech to the USA. Well, so what, when you consider the abuse he had to take from his 20 year pastor Jeremy Wright, maybe it was not so bad. WRONG!!! IF you want to lead a nation with the religious traditions of the USA you need to mention GOD in your speeches.

Occupy Chicago teach in receives instructions from above

2011-11-20T17:17:00.000-05:00

Occupy Chicago had a teach-in recently that was disrupted by Chicago Board of Trade employees. The CBOT employees dropped McDonald's employment applications of the teach-in participants. I personally found it very offensive. The politically correct thing to do would be to mix in applications for Wendy's, Pizza Hut, K-Mart and others. Interesting fact. One in eight Americans has been a McDonald's employee at one point in their lives.

patriotic millionaires for fiscal strength "oops" moment

2011-11-19T22:40:00.000-05:00

On November 16, 2011, the patriotic millionaires for fiscal strength petitioned the super committee to raise the marginal tax rate on everyone earning one million dollars or more to 39.5 percent. Too bad none of them brought their checkbooks. I guess they plan to mail in their contributions to boost the bottom line of the USPS.

Advice for Obama, Biden & other "Fair SHare for Rich People's Taxes" Stop Demagoguing the Rich

2011-10-03T22:31:00.000-04:00

Here is a few words of sage advice for Barack "middle class warrior" Obama. Stop demagoguing the rich. Who do you think is funding your campaign? If you think you are the advocate of the lower and middle classes, Do your campaign dinners at $1000.00 a plate and up take the food stamp card for payment?? No, there's a good reason for that. All lower class income and most all middle class income people cannot afford such outrageous prices, no matter how much they support you. Please note that Mr. Johnson is only one of three millionaire democratic contributors to be interviewed for this video segment.

A Short Video on Obama's Leadership

2011-09-07T10:41:00.002-04:00

Here's a video I found on Facebook. I hope you enjoy it.

Carney On Obama's Leadership from RightChange on Vimeo.

Nancy Pelosi has Another Foolish Rant

2011-09-06T15:40:00.001-04:00

Someone videotaped Nancy Pelosi ranting at the GOP for their fiscal responsibility acts. This was a fund raiser on August 21, 2011. This was after Standard & Poor downgraded the USA's credit rating for the first time since 1917, when S&P first started coverage of the USA credit worthiness. I guess Ms. Pelosi was so busy teaching Girl Scouts how to camp or sell cookies to notice the downgrade. Either that or she does not care about passing $14+ trillion in debt on to the next generation(s) of Americans, i. e. our children.

Another Quote On The U.S. Debt

2011-08-24T22:53:00.000-04:00

"The problem is, is that the way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents – #43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back — $30,000 for every man, woman and child. That’s irresponsible. It’s unpatriotic." Presidential Candidate Barack Obama in Fargo, ND Campaign Event July 3, 2008

Remember, Barack Obama would not wear a U.S. Flag lapel pin on the campaign trail, preferring to find other methods for expressing his love for the USA and all it stands for; The U.S. Constitution and the rights it protects.

A Quote and an Observation

2011-08-24T21:21:00.000-04:00

"The Constitution is not an instrument for the government to restrain the people, it is an instrument for the people to restrain the government -- lest it come to dominate our lives and interests." - Founding Father Patrick Henry

I just read an interesting article on the "Debt Runup Race" between George W. Bush and Barack H. Obama. Bush took 96 months to add $4.9 trillion to the U.S. debt. In 31 months Obama added $4.0 trillion to the U.S. debt. Is Bush a slacker compared to the overachieving Obama?? Or is it the other way around, Bush is an overachiever in fiscal responsibility compared to Obama's tax and spend, rinse and repeat approach to the U.S. debt problem??? Unless Obama really puts the brakes on the pending train wreck of the U.S. debt, I think Obama's one term spending will make Bush look like a penny-pincher, not a common characteristic of a U.S. politician, regardless of party.

I'm in Love!!!

2011-08-07T22:12:00.000-04:00

Wow, Amilya Antonetti,chairman and CEO of AMA productions, is even smarter than she is gorgeous. Here is a brief clip of her on Fox morning news with Neal Cavuto. Just watch this to see what I mean.

S & P lowers the U. S. credit rating to (gasp, moan ) . . . . AA+!!!

2011-08-06T23:50:00.000-04:00

Standard & Poor reduced the U.S. government's long term credit rating to AA+. The good news is AA+ is the 2nd highest credit rating. Microsoft now has a higher credit rating than the U.S., but AA+ is still the envy of many governments and corporations. Ford Motor Company has a B+ rating, pretty impressive when you realize Ford did not request any stimulus, bailout or any other form of handouts from the U.S. government.

Here are a few fearless predictions on the effects of this historic event. (S&P has rated the U.S. government's long term debt at AAA since they first rated it in 1917)

1. No increase in the interest charged to the U.S. government. Remember, AA+ is still investment grade. Also remember lots of countries and the U.N. are dependent on the U.S. for protection from larger enemies.

2. We do have a large stockpile of thermonuclear weapons.(sarcasm alert!!)

3. We give away loads of money in foreign aid.

4. In the long term, The U.S. will learn a few valuable lessons and mend its ways. One of the biggest messages the election of 2010 sent to Washington was the lack of approval many voters have for the Pirates of the Potomac (our politicians). They believe D.C. suffers a severe lack of adult supervision.

Ignore all the finger pointing and blame setting. the U.S. did not get into this depression overnight because of one political party or one presidential administration. It took a long time and a lot of bad judgment by lots of people to get into this mess. It will take a while to undo the damage. The Japanese have a saying, fix the problem and not the blame. (Sean Connery to Wesley Snipes in Rising Sun, a great movie worth watching more than once )

President Obama Going Bipolar Over Corporate Jets

2011-07-02T04:17:00.000-04:00

In Wednesday's ~~raging rant~~ presser against Republicans over the debt limit extension, he specifically named corporate jet owners as a group the Republicans should deny any tax breaks to in order to help lower the deficit without cutting taxes and spending. This struck me as peculiar for at least two reasons. President Obama's stimulus bill encouraged purchase of large manufactured goods, corporate jets included, by offering accelerated depreciation. Accelerated depreciation allows corporations to write off more of the jet's purchase price on their tax returns. The goal was to get companies spending to help the economy, especially the ailing aviation industry. In September 2010, Mr. Obama signed the H.R. 5927, the Small Business Lending Fund Act. This bill also offered tax breaks for companies that purchased corporate jets. Mr. Obama said in Wednesday's speech, “I’ve said to some of the Republican leaders, you go talk to your constituents, the Republican constituents, and ask them are they willing to compromise their kids’ safety so that some corporate jet owner continues to get a tax break.” Quite a change of attitude, wouldn't you say?

I cannot imagine any private corporation, no matter what size it is, using a Boeing 747 to haul their CEO and senior executives around. Mr. Obama frequently uses Air Force 747s for his travels. According to Boeing, the 747 gets 5 gallons per mile. That is no typo folks, 5 gallons of jet fuel per mile. Mark Knoller, CBS news reporter, found this out from Boeing so he could report this on Mr. Obama's trip to DEs Moines, Iowa, to plant a single tree for earth day. Let's face facts, folks, Obama is just another limousine liberal. Do what I say and not what I do because I am smarter, wiser and better than you.

$3.6 Million for studies of drugged up monkeys on Taxpayer's Tab

2011-06-10T15:20:00.001-04:00

Where's PETA when we need them? The National Institute for Drug Abuse, a division of the National Institute of Health, received $3.6 million over the last 10 years to get rhesus monkeys to smoke PCP, Heroin, Meth and Cocaine. One study even researched the effects of drugs on female monkeys during different stages of their menstrual cycles. I can just hear ex Madame House Speaker Nancy Pelosi complaining of gender discrimination because no studies were made of the effects of contraband drugs on male monkey menstrual cycles. What an ~~affront~~, wait, make that assault on women such as Ms. Pelosi.

Here's the part that's really shocking. Monkeys react to drugs like people do: dilated pupils and high strung agitated behavior. Wait one minute, don't researchers experiment on monkeys because they are so similar to humans? I've got a better idea. Leave the monkeys in the jungles and rain forests, use convicts for research. The U.S. has lots of drug addicts in prisons now, let them earn their keep as research volunteers. They can get money like research volunteers on the outside do. Maybe give them less money and a get of jail early card as a reward for volunteering. Just make certain they live drug free after the research is completed so they will not fall back to their old habits when they are released.

(Yet Another) Warning on The U.S. Government Debt

2011-06-08T18:48:00.000-04:00

Today Fitch's Ratings issued a statement that if the U.S. Government does nothing to correct its growing debt problems it will review the U.S. Government's credit rating in August 2011. August 2011 is when the current emergency measures to extend the U.S. Government's ability to borrow money under the current debt ceiling expire. Moody's as well as Standard and Poor rating services have already issued warnings of a credit rating review. Is anyone in Congress or the Administration paying attention here?? We'll find out by Sept. 30. 2011, when the 2011 fiscal year ends.

Obama's slip of the tongue on religion

2011-06-06T15:30:00.000-04:00

Here's a brief YouTube clip of an interview of Barack Obama by George Stephanopoulos. It is done in a barn. I wonder whose benefit this is for, Obama or Stephanopoulos? Anyway, Obama says McCain has not commented on his Muslin faith and his loyal sock puppet Stephanopoulos promptly corrects him by saying Christian faith.

Time is Running out on the U.S. Debt Problem

2011-06-05T19:51:00.001-04:00

China recently lowered its holding of U.S. Treasury bills by 97%. Treasury bills are debt instruments that mature in 12 months or less.

Moody's said it would have to re-evaluate the U.S. credit rating of Aaa if there is no progress on reduction of the U.S. debt by Mid July, 2011.

The U.S. unemployment rate for May 2011 increased to 9.1% The Stimulus bill was supposed to lower unemployment to an 8% rate.

A word to the wise and our congress. We cannot keep delaying action on our debt problems any longer. Our past approach has been described as kicking the can down the road. We have hit a road block the size of the Great Wall of China and need to act now to reduce our debt. 40% of U.S. government spending is borrowed money. The interest on the debt is snowballing. Soon it will become an avalanche that will bury us and drastically reduce our economy and standard of living.

One last request of our congress: stop pointing the finger of blame at each other. There is enough blame for every democrat, republican, socialist, tea partier and everyone else. Be bold. Stop fixing the blame and start fixing the problem.

Qaddafi's Green Book On Socialism

2011-06-03T23:01:00.000-04:00

Here is a clip of former U.S. Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney's appearance on Libyan TV. She sounds like a grade school teacher which leads me to believe she regards anyone that does not agree with her politics is juvenile. She ran on the green party ticket for the U.S. Presidency in 2008. Chronic overachiever that she is, her goal was to capture 5% of the votes. The Green Party was created for people of color. That is the politically correct term for non-white people. She said she discovered Qaddafi's Green Book on a visit to Libya. The Green Book opposes capitalism, the creating force behind modern transatlantic travel. I guess she either swam to Libya or used capitalist created jet airliners. She also liked Qaddafi's concept of direct democracy which she defined as the politically correct term for Socialism.
Ms. McKinney's only reference to the Libyan resistance movement was to say someone attributed Qaddafi's mercenary troops as black, which she said was typical propaganda that U.S. black people were used to. I never read anywhere the mercenaries were black, they were referred to as Syrians, an Arab nation not an African one.

To see the clip on YouTube just click here.

Michigan Man wins Lottery Big Time, Legally Keeps Food Stamp Card

2011-05-18T23:01:00.000-04:00

Over 11 months ago, Leroy Fick, age 59 of Auburn , Michigan won $2 million in the state lottery game "Make Me Rich". After taxes and fees, he was left with a less than paltry $850,000. Prior to his winnings, he was a Michigan Bridge Card recipient, AKA food stamps. Mr. Fick reported his winning to his local Department of Human Services. He was advised that since he accepted his winning in a lump sum payment, it did not affect his bridge card eligibility at all. If he had taken the winnings in annuity form spread over time, the money would be counted as income, rendering him ineligible for food assistance. Apparently, there is no resource or asset limits on food assistance. I used to work as a welfare case worker in the early 1990s and there was a $1,000.00 asset limit on food stamps. This was in Ohio. I cannot imagine that the Federal Guidelines for food assistance have changed that much. How will we ever balance our budget or reduce government spending if we keep giving money away like this??
Michigan's state population for 2010 was 10,079,985. 1.9 million people in Michigan received food assistance. That is 18.8 percent of the state's population on food assistance funded by taxpayers. In 2009 the Inspector General's office investigated 2600 food assistance complaints and found $5 million + in fraud. My question is how flagrant were these fraud cases if money in the bank is not fraud???

The Train to Nowhere Departing at a Leisurely Pace

2011-05-18T04:42:00.000-04:00

Remember back to the Stimulus/Bailout/spend our way out of a recession caused by subprime lending ad nausem era how high speed trains (faster than a speeding bullet) were going to create lots of jobs and improve our infrastructure?? Well, guess what. Several states have reviewed their budgetary state of affairs and decided now is not the time to throw more money at a system that is currently losing money. So, no bullet trains for now. But wait, the state of Illinois is spending $3bn of their existing stimulus funds on adding 3 new trains to the 5 that run between Chicago and St. Louis. Not only that, the average speed of these trains will increase from 51.2 mph to 56.8 mph!!! Woo Hoo Hold on to your hats everyone!! We'll need airline pilots to fly these rail rockets!! I wonder how much more $$$ it would take to get these trains to the magical mile a minute speed of 60 mph?? 1, 2, 4 billion?? I doubt it. There would be calls for research on the effects of breaking this subsonic barrier on the environment, no doubt about it. Never mind that tractor trailer rigs break this barrier on a daily basis. To paraphrase Rahm Emanuel, Barack Obama's former chief of staff and the future mayor of Chicago, "Never let an opportunity to waste taxpayers money go to waste."

Pelosi's District Awarded 38 of 204 Obamacare Waivers in April

2011-05-17T16:29:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Day: "But we have to pass the bill so that you can find out what’s in it…” – Nancy Pelosi, March 9, 2010, referring to obamacare

Counter Quote of the Day: "Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread."
-- Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, 1821

The Obama Administration's Department of Health and Human Services awarded 204 waivers from obamacare in April. 38 of these went to businesses in ex-speaker Nancy Pelosi's current congressional district. The unusual part of this story is the presence of luxury restaurants, hotels and boutiques in the winner's circle. One restaurant had entrees ranging from $15.00 to $60.00, definitely not a Mickey D's franchise. Usually, these waivers go to businesses with low wage jobs such as fast food restaurants and nursing homes. Most of the 38 winners did not return calls to the DailyCaller who reported this interesting coincidence. If memory serves me correctly, Nancy Pelosi was one of Obamacare's biggest supporters and called opponents of it astroturf and Nazis. Yes, folks, Nancy Pelosi, cheerleader emeritus for the 2500 pages of pork, earmarks and bribes known as Obamacare called people who objected to the nationalized and socialized aspects of this nightmare brought to our health care delivery system Nazis. Nazis were nationalist socialist led by Adolph Hitler in WWII. Maybe Pelosi meant it as a compliment. Maybe after reading the entire act Pelosi decided it was a mistake and was discretely cheering the TEA partyers on to victory. Right, Yeah!!

gutsycall.com . . .unbelievable

2011-05-08T22:10:00.000-04:00

On 4 May, 2011 someone purchased the domain name "gutsycall.com" at GoDaddy.com. This person(s) also bought a privacy service where the owner's name is not given but refers to a GoDaddy subsidary so the public cannot find out the true owner of the domain without a court order. When someone types gutsycall.com into their browser's address bar, they are redirected to barackobama.com. Of course, the Obama administration is denying they set up the website or bought the domain name. I'm certain there are a few fans of BHO who would do this for him. No matter who did it, BHO still has to contend with our huge national debt, high unemployment and increased states resistance to obamacare. Let's not forget the immigration issue and the crime problems on the Mexican border. If BHO thinks he can sit on the laurels of bin Ladel's death and it will turn into a magic carpet to deliver him to November 2012 with popularity he has a lot to learn. One of the best things to come out of bin Laden's death, aside from the death itself, was a recent public opinion poll. Despite the Lamestream Media's talking airheads constant praise of BHO and his 18 hour delayed gutsy call, most Americans attribute the demise of bin Laden to the combined efforts of the CIA and the US Armed Forces. It is reassuring to know that common sense is still alive and well among the American people.

Latest Revelation From the White House

2011-05-08T21:13:00.000-04:00

President Barack Obama made the earth stand still the other day when he revealed that Osama bin Laden had a support group within Pakistan!! I was quite flabbergasted since I would never had thought it was possible. Granted, OBL did stay there for several years; granted, he was very close to a Pakistani military academy and 3 Pakistani army regiments and he was in a neighborhood full of retired Pakistani military officers. I would never have connected the dots together to reach that conclusion. Maybe I should get a Harvard Law Degree. Nope, I don't want to become a socialist and despise the USA.

bin Laden hit the wrong tower in NYC

2011-05-07T15:45:00.003-04:00

Navi Pillay, UN high commissioner for human rights, has requested details on Osama bin Laden's death since all counterterrorism acts must respect international law. Respect international law?? Did the UN make inquiries to Al-qaeda for details on why they hijacked 4 commercial airliners and used them as weapons to destroy both NYC world trade towers, damage the Pentagon and crash in Pennsylvania killing 3000 people in one day?? No, they didn't. Apparently, Ms. Pillay has been on her Sony PlayStation the last 10 years and missed the ongoing saga of Osama bin Laden. I wonder if she would have made this absurd request if the PlayStation Network was not shut down. Has she become another addict of PlayStation? Is the withdrawal addling her thought processes? If the US had notified third parties such as Ms. Pillay, would operational secrecy been maintained?? I don't think so. Check out Michelle Malkin's response to Ms. Pillay here.

Speaking of ex-speaker Nancy Pelosi

2011-05-06T17:08:00.000-04:00

Here's an amusing video clip of Nancy Pelosi speaking on the virtues of unemployment insurance benefits. Yes folks, she did find two good things about unemployment compensation. It helps people who lost their jobs pay for food and shelter. When people spend their unemployment benefits they "create" jobs. It is an interesting idea that she claims has the support of many economists. Except for the fact she and these economists have it all wrong, I would support the idea too. The problem is unemployment benefits are 50% of a persons wages in a recent 12 month period. So unemployed people are stimulating the economy less because they have to cut back on their spending. Ms. Pelosi would really help stimulate the economy by putting her mind in gear and her mouth in neutral. If she would help repeal obamacare and other job crushing tax bills she would see unemployment start to drop. Every time congress finds a new way to spend the taxpayers money, they send more jobs offshore. IF she would sponsor real immigration reform and cut down the number of illegal immigrants taking jobs from American Citizens. Oops, I forgot, immigration amnesty is encouraged by democrats like Pelosi in hopes the immigrants will vote for them. Stop taxing the citizens who are already here and you wouldn't need to import votes.

http://youtu.be/Wg7hatVEflA

Note: This video was made in July 2010

next stop . . . Armageddon

2011-05-06T12:10:00.000-04:00

The end of days is near, folks. Nancy Pelosi, former speaker of the House of Representatives and ardent critic of the Bush Administration's failure to quickly capture OBL, (see my 5/3/2011 post) called George Bush (he is such a lucky ducky) to thank him for his efforts that made OBL's capture possible. What's next? Hopefully, Obama will morally rejuvenate himself and admit the patient care and protection act is a 2000+ page pile of porkulus in dire need of repeal. Ha Ha Ha, I'm such a dreamer.

Osama bin Laden died for his sins

2011-05-03T19:56:00.000-04:00

On Sunday May 1. 2011, President Obama announced to the world (after a 30+ minute delay) that Osama bin Laden was killed by an American Armed Forces Special Operations team. The team found him in a heavily fortified, $1 million mansion in Abbotabad, Pakistan. Abbotabad is a suburb of Islamabad, Pakistan and the home of a Pakistani military academy. Several retired Pakistani Military (read as rich) lived very close to the compound. The team, Seal Team 6 to be precise, came in by helicopter and left 40 minutes later with bin Laden's corpse. Bin Laden was buried at sea on the USS Carl Vinson. The rationale for this was to respect Muslim burial tradition of burial within 24 hours of death. Burial at sea was chosen to prevent the grave from becoming a shrine or Mecca for his followers.
A lot of people are breathing a sigh of relief over this.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is not one of them. She did a complete 180 degree turn from her position in 2006. Then, she said bin Laden had done irreversible harm to the nation and finding him would never correct it. Way back in 2006, she said that the capture or killing of OBL was 5 years too late and would not make the USA any safer. On Monday May 1, 2011, Ms. Pelosi said “The death of Osama bin Laden marks the most significant development in our fight against al-Qaida,” Check out the link below for all the details. A special thanks to Michelle Malkin for bringing this to my attention.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Pelosi Changes Tune on bin Laden
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

The Prodigal Birth Certificate

2011-04-28T05:08:00.000-04:00

On Monday, April 25, 2011 Hawaii's registrar certified a long form birth certificate for Barack Hussien Obama as a true and legal document. During Tuesday's White House press briefing, Jay Carney lambasted a reporter for asking why the President did not release the long form birth certificate and settle the issue of his eligibility. On Wednesday morning, the White House posted the long form birth certificate online. Obama said he did this to end the controversy over his citizenship so he could focus on more important issues. The controversy did not seem to affect his "focus" (maybe obsession would be a better term) on ramming Obamacare through congress despite all the negative feedback the American People were giving him on it.
The timelines on this are interesting. Back in January, Neal Abercrombie, Governor of Hawaii and friend of the President's maternal grandparents, announced there was some kind of written record of Obama's birth, just not a long form birth certificate. Then on April 25 a long form birth certificate is conjured up, certified and delivered to the White House on Wednesday morning at the latest.
There are already skeptics who doubt the authenticity of this instant birth certificate. The list of suspicious items is long. Why is Obama Senior's race listed as African. African is not a race it is a nationality. Negro or colored were the terms used for black people back in the 1960s. There are faint x marks above the boxes for twin and triplet. The attending physican's signature box is smudged.

If Obama thinks this will make doubts about his citizenship and eligibility go away, he's wrong. To paraphrase his buddy Rahm Emanuel, never let a possible conspiracy to deceive the people go to waste. As one of our creditors, China, likes to say: we will be living in interesting times.

The True Road to Recovery

2011-04-11T21:41:00.000-04:00

Friday night John Boehner, Harry Reid and Barack Obama reached a budget agreement for the U.S. government. Conservatives and liberals complained there was too much compromise involved but hey, that is how agreements are reached between parties with different agendas. Personally, I would have preferred higher spending cuts. The democrats' threat to shut down the government would have hurt them more than the republicans. Remember, Bill Clinton shut the government down for 3 weeks in 1995 and we're still here. Back in the 1970s the government was shut down over budget problems. I was a Federal employee with the Social Security Administration at the time. I and my coworkers went to work every day. The only difference was our earnings from October 1 until the budget was resolved was delayed. We did not get any interest on the delayed funds even though they were in the U. S. Treasury deposits accounts earning interest.

At least we have a budget again. The ~~demagogues~~ democrats were so busy with their 2500 page earmark and pork-laden piece of scrap law called obamacare they forgot(??!!) to make a budget. A budget is a map for government to follow. No budget means no real control over the government's spending.

One more point here. There were reports that non-essential federal employees would be laid off until the budget impasse was resolved. The number of employees affected was estimated between 500,000 and 800,000. If that number could be reduced that would be a considerable savings. It's like what Jay Leno said in response to Mr. Obama's request that small businesses increase hiring, The President forgot that only the government hires more people than they need.

obamacare waiver 1001

2011-03-25T05:17:00.001-04:00

Michael Weiner, U.S. rep for New York City, possible candidate for mayor of New York City, wants to grant yet another waiver for obamacare regulations. Since over 1000 waivers have already been granted in the first 12 months of obamacare this should not seem too shocking. Since most of these waivers were granted to obamacare's most ardent supporters, such as public employee unions, it still should not be shocking. Since Mr. Weiner was one of the last left wing liberals to give up on the public option, it still should not be too shocking. The shocking fact is Mr. Weiner wants to grant an obamacare waiver to the City of New York, population 8+ million (according to the 2008 World Almanac and book of facts). Mr. Weiner is of the opinion that the big apple is so well versed in the practice of socialized medicine and government invervention into individual lives and liberties that the obamanation could take lessons from NYC on how to pave the road to socialism. This is a change of heart from the Obama administration and his ~~sock puppets~~ czars who want to transform the USA into a socialist democracy like too much of western Europe.

The question of the day is how many dema~~gogues~~crats and other supporters of obamacare have got to label obamacare as the doormat to a single payer health care system??!! People that think socialized/nationalized health care or even government in general should try living in one of these nations. How many people think millionaire socialist documentary maker Michael Moore will request an air ambulance to Havana when he has a heart attack?? (Yes, I believe he has a heart, despite the fact that he fired one of his employees on Christmas Eve. I do wonder how many chambers his heart has, though)

A Simple Method to Reduce Government Spending

2011-02-11T04:21:00.000-05:00

I recently came across a website for the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention called MMWR, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. It reports incidents of disease such as HIV, heart disease, cancers, salmonella and e-coli, to name a few. My first impression was what a ghoulish report this must be, albeit a necessary one. Then I had a real brainstorm. Why not publish the report monthly and send out an alert to health officials and doctors if there is a sudden spike in a particular disease that warrants prompt investigation. This would save taxpayers dollars on printing and production costs as well as spare health officials and doctors from having an information overload. This is such a simple and straightforward idea it should be a cakewalk to implement as far government programs go. The only problem is government's innate resistance to change, especially when brings about more productivity per worker. As Jay Leno commented on the tonight show, President Obama asked the nation's small businesses to hire more people. Obama forgot that only the Government hires more people than it needs. (not a verbatim quote, but you get the idea) For more information on the MMWR click here.

Obamacare declared unconstitutional again

2011-02-01T21:32:00.001-05:00

U. S. District Judge Roger Vinson ruled that Obamacare is unconstitutional because of the individual mandate. Since Obamacare did not carry a severability clause, this rendered the entire act unconstitutional and therefore null and void. Judge Vinson did allow the government to continue implementing the act until it was struck down by the U S Supreme Court or Congress. Declaring the act unconstitutional was a cake walk. The best part was his reference to one of the great constitutional legal minds of the day, then presidential candidate Barack Obama. He was on one of the great forums for public policy and legal discussions, the Ellen Degeneres show February 28, 2008. He faulted Hillary Clinton's campaign requiring universal coverage to pay for increased coverage while lowering policy costs. Mr. Obama stated "She’d have the government force every individual to buy insurance and I don’t have such a mandate because I don’t think the problem is that people don’t want health insurance, it’s that they can’t afford it, . . .So, I focus more on lowering costs." Mr. Obama also stated that if mandatory health insurance would lower health insurance premuims, then mandatory home ownership would alleviate homelessness. The home ownership remark struck me as odd coming from a politician who accepted $126,000.00 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, merchants of sub prime mortgages.

Howard Dean on the future of obamacare

2011-01-07T10:49:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting clip of Howard Dean, former Democratic National Committee Chairman and presidential candidate, espousing on the future of Obamacare. President Obama makes a "clip within a clip" cameo appearance reiterating his empty promise that people can keep their existing health insurance and their doctor. Period and end of story.

An intrepid reporter asked if the individual mandate was constitutional, he replied he didn't care because the courts would work that out. His comment that small business would drop private insurance and dump their employees into the state exchanges was revealing of the true nature of obamacare. Gee whiz, Howard, I seem to recall employers could be fined for not providing health insurance. I hope it's a small fine if they decide to do that. Of course, politician that he is, he also failed to answer the individual mandate constitutionality issue. This tactic must be on page 1 of the democrats obamacare talking points handbook.

the wicked witch of the west speaks again

2011-01-06T17:54:00.000-05:00

Quote of the week

“If everyone in America was very, very pleased with his or her health insurance and had no complaints, and had access to quality affordable health care in our country, it still would have been necessary for us to pass the health-care reform bill because we could not sustain the system,” Nancy Pelosi January 4, 2011.

Counterquotes of the week

"It could probably be shown by facts and figures that there is no distinctly native American criminal class except Congress."
-- Mark Twain, 1894

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session. "
-- Mark Twain (1866)

Here is a video of Nancy Pelosi trying to justify the tactics the democrats used to ram Obamacare through Congress. Enjoy!

Mrs. Pelosi just doesn't get it. The American people know the costs of health insurance is too high and heading higher. The American people do not want more government interference in health care. Obamacare scares Americans because it is a paving stone in the road to socialism. This is why the democrats lost the house in the 2010 election.

National Security 101

2010-12-15T20:49:00.000-05:00

Here's the latest earthshaking news from Obamaville, AKA 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, AKA the White House.

Forget Iran's and North Korea's nuclear arms development, forget Osama Bin Laden and his merry band of suicide bombers, here's the latest threat to USA national security:

Childhood Obesity!! Good Golly Mrs. Michelle, thanks for the warning. Michelle Obama stated in a press conference before president Obama signed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, that military officials stated that 25% of USA young people are too fat to join the military. This makes obesity a risk to national security? If fat folks want to join the military, put them in cook school and let them be around food all day. They will probably get so sick of being around food all day they will probably lose weight and become eligible for other positions. Our armed forces are overburdened with defense of not only the USA, but bearing the major burden of UN "peacekeeping missions" all over the world. If we had "fat brigades" that provided humanitarian relief to disaster areas all over the world, maybe their exposure to the misery, suffering and hunger poor people suffer worldwide would curb their own food cravings.

I saw an article about all woman teams in the US Marine Corps. They were called female engagement teams or FET for short. The USMC thought a FET could make more and faster progress with Afghan women than USMC guys could. Maybe the Marines should start LEAT (lard arsed engagement teams). Their mission would be to bond with their fellow fat folks and encourage them to give up killing each other. This is just the 21st century version of the beat your swords into plowshares. If people want to grow food, warfare becomes a hindrance and nuisance. Maybe the love of corned beef and cabbage could help people tolerate their differences and work together for their common good.

obamacare declared Unconstitutional.

2010-12-13T18:43:00.000-05:00

On 13 December, 2010 the Virginia Supreme Court Declared Obamacare Unconstitutional!!! Of course, the Obama Adminstration will file an appeal to the United States Supreme Court. Now the fun begins!!!! Go free markets, Go Liberty Loving Americans Go!!!!

Sarah Palin's humorous and interesting twitter post

2010-12-06T10:50:00.000-05:00

I just came across a very illuminating and homurous youtube post called "Bar Stool Economics". I wish more of our politicians could remove their political blinders and realize what soaking the rich for more and more taxes without trying to reduce spending will do. Rush Limbaugh moved his number one rated radio talk show over this. New York City started taxing the rich more and he decided to move to Palm Beach, Florida. I wonder why he didn't do it sooner. Do you think New York is really glad to get rid of him. I'm surprised NY has not tried to put some kind of "ex-pat" tax on him and other millionaires who give up the big apple for more of their earnings in their pockets.

P. S. Click on the text message, the origins of this article go back to 2002 and no one knows for certain who the original author is, except for the original author, of course.

11611141

a couple of videos

2010-11-23T06:15:00.000-05:00

Here's a couple of videos that poke fun at some of our politicians. It will offset the tragedy at Yeonpyeong the earlier post and whatever other news you see today. If I do not post again, have a safe and grope-free Thanksgiving Day.

Video 1 "Safer"

Safer from RightChange on Vimeo.

Video 2: The return of the (now) 25 foot Pelosi

North Korea attacks South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.

2010-11-23T04:31:00.001-05:00

North Korea launched an artillery attack on Yeonpyeong, an island of 1200 people near the North Korean border. South Korea launched 80 rounds of artillery in defense. No motives have been given at this time. The South Korean President announced an investigation into a possible relationship between this attack and North Korean war game exercises started near the border on Monday 2 November, 2010. IMHO, it's time to offer South Korea enough missiles to bomb North Korea's new nuclear enrichment plant back to the stone age, after they sign an acceptable trade agreement.

Actually, the US and South Korea have mutual defense treaties in place. Maybe North Korea is trying to frighten US and South Korea into breaking the treaty. Let's hope this does not worsen and the treaties remain strong.

Halloween special rants

2010-11-01T00:03:00.000-04:00

What better way to celebrate Halloween than a visit with the wicked witch of the west, the current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. Here are a couple YouTube clips of her. She must be a narcissistic foot fetisher and a very limber lady to be able to put her foot in her mouth as she does.

Video clip 1

She states that without Obama'a economic recovery package, 500,000,000 Americans will lose their jobs. According to the CIA World Fact Book, the US population size was 310,232,863 (July 2010 est.) Now here's the truly scary fact of life. The US Presidential line of sucession goes first to the VP currently Joe Biden then to the Speaker of the House, currently the WWW, Nancy Pelosi. As much as I disagree with the President, I pray for his continuing health and safety.

Video 2

In this clip Speaker Pelosi ignores a reporter's question about the fairness of the Health Care bill's individual mandate to buy health insurance. She also evades his question about whether people who do not get health insurance can go to jail. Finally, she just ends the press conference and ignores the reporter.

Also, her defense of the insurance mandate is that without it, people will go to emergency rooms and pass the bill on to others. She said the mandate was fair because it provides subsidies for people who cannot afford health insurance. These subsidies are taxpayer funded, so the mandate will not spare people having to pay for other people's medical bills, it just changes the way the taxpayers subsidize the underinsured medical bills. That is just another redistribution of wealth scam on her part.

2 Videos of 2 demagogues trying to rewrite history of their past statements

2010-10-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Here's two videos to think about on election day, Tuesday 2 November, 2010. The first one is from For America reminding us of what a nightmare Obamacare is. The second one is from CNBC Power Lunch. It features the master of the disasters known as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, rep Barney Frank, the first openly gay congressman and currently the chairman of the house financial services committee. In it he states after the FM/FM collapse that he was always opposed to sub prime mortgages and advocated more rental housing??!! Does he not know most of his statements in congress are on C-Span and in many cases YouTube as well? The Power Lunch reporters conjured up one statement from 2005 that contradicts his first statement.

video 1

video 2

Nancy Pelosi buys votes with Obamacare Promise

2010-09-15T22:12:00.000-04:00

Quote of the Day:

We see it as an entrepreneurial bill, a bill that says to someone, if you want to be creative and be a musician or whatever, you can leave your work, focus on your talent, your skill, your passion, your aspirations because you will have health care.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi May 2010

Counter Quote of the Day:

"Imagine, if you will, that I am an idiot.
Then, imagine that I am also a Congressman.
But, alas, I repeat myself."
-- Mark Twain

I found this video of Speaker Nancy Pelosi encouraging musicians to give up their regular jobs to pursue development of their creative or performing arts skills. The USA is in an economic depression and she tells people that have jobs that provide health insurance to quit and follow their dreams. Thankfully, she does not start singing "Climb Every Mountain" from the "Sound of Music."

Obamacare 101

2010-09-15T18:47:00.000-04:00

I just read an interesting article on the Business and Media Institute's website about Obamacare. McDonald's and White Castle both did studies to asses the effects of Obamacare on their business. McDonald's concluded that their franchisees would lose 15% to 20% of their profits if all the provisions of Obamacare are enforced. White Castle found that their net income would decline by 55%. You do not need an Ivy league law degree to realize a 55% loss of net income will not start a hiring frenzy. It will probably lead to restaurant closings, layoffs and workers getting fewer work hours AKA underemployment.

BTW, the article was titled "We are Headed for 15 Percent Permanent Unemployment."

A sad day for the First Family

2010-08-21T02:55:00.000-04:00

The first family is vacationing at Martha's Vineyard. Some of the beaches there are closed due to possible coliform contamination. President Obama played golf instead of swimming.

Rima Fakih, the first Muslim winner of the Miss USA pageant, said she agreed with Mr. Obama's statement that the Cordoba Initiative has the Constitutional right to build a mosque there. She also went on to say she felt it should not be built so close to ground zero. According to the New York Post, she said "I also agree that it shouldn't be so close to the World Trade Center. We should be more concerned with the tragedy than religion."

Finally, Obama's mortgage aid program had a 48% dropout rate according to a recent treasury department report. "The government program as currently structured is petering out. It is taking in fewer homeowners, more are dropping out and fewer people are ending up in permanent modifications," said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody's Analytics. This was reported at BreitBart.com in an article by AP's Economics Writer Martin Crutsinger. On the bright side 32% of homeowners in the program received permanent mortgage modifications and are current on their payments.

Treasury Department hosts housing conference

2010-08-17T14:23:00.000-04:00

The Treasury Dept is hosting a conference on the future of the US Government in the housing and mortgage industries. Mortgage executives and government housing officials will attend this first of many conferences on this subject. (Was anyone expecting decisive action from a pre-lame duck administration and congress?) Government officials are expected to say that government needs to decrease its involvement in the housing and mortgage industries. In December 2009, the US Treasury removed the $400 billion limit on bailing out Fannie and Freddie. This puts the US taxpayers at risk for any and all losses Fannie and Freddie sustain. How much more involved can the US government get with these 2 companies? At $400 Billion, the sky was the limit. Unlimited liability will put us on the dark side of the moon.

Another consideration is the US Congress, specifically the house financial services committee. Barney Frank, Maxine Waters and cohorts allowed Franklin Raines, director of Fannie Mae to change the pay plan so he received $91 million from 1998 to 2004. Then accounting discrepancies (AKA cooking the books) were uncovered and he was forced out and had a settlement of $24 million on the charges. Look for resistance to reform by the boatload from these folks. Click here for my post on Barney Frank.

Update on my earlier post

2010-07-16T18:09:00.000-04:00

Before the people with no sense of humor start accusing me of advocating barbarian practices, let me say this.

First, The human cannonball solution was done with zip point naught seriousness on my part. This would flood the Mexican embassy with trial lawyers seeking work visas in Mexico. hhhmmmm maybe that would cut down on medical malpractice suits and help bring down health insurance costs. I also think it would be cruel to the aliens.

Second, I made the IRS agent suggestion only half in jest. What kind of health care reform bill needs 16,000 IRS agents. Not any real ones. How many tax and spend bills would need that many agents? All of them. I am all for health care cost reform. That is why I am opposed to the Obama-Pelosi-Reid socialized health care disaster.

A simple solution to the Arizona illegal aliens problems

2010-07-16T17:55:00.000-04:00

I was websurfing earlier today and saw an article about the Arizona border security problems with illegal aliens. Beside it was a picture of a Border Patrol Agent using binoculars to survey the border for illegal aliens. He had a pickup truck with a cap on it for holding prisoners. Then I realized what the problem was: Border Patrol Agents are too wimpy and kind-hearted for the task. They carry water and nabs for illegal aliens they find suffering from dehydration and low blood sugar.

Then I had an inspiration. Remember when President Obama ordered 1200 national guard troops sent to the border to support law enforcement agents? The troops could not actually enforce laws just support the enforcers. Now, remember how many IRS agents would need to be hired if Obamacare is not defeated? Try 16,000 or 320 per state. His actions speak louder than his words and tell of different agendas.

Why not just take 3,200 of those agents and put them on Arizona border enforcement. Take off the Border Patrol markings on the vehicles and replace them with IRS markings. At the busier crossings have an armored truck to safeguard all the fines and penalties they impose. This would make the most determined prospective illegal alien think twice before crossing.

Another quick solution. Buy cannons used by the circuses for human cannonball shows and set them up at the border. Give them a summary trial at the border then outfit them with a parachute, a water bottle and a pack of nabs. Then shoot them across the Rio Grande. Think of all the paperwork that would save not to mention cutting down on recidivist crossers.

Interesting fact on Oil Taxes

2010-05-28T01:50:00.000-04:00

Remember when Obama said that BP would pay for all damages caused by the Gulf of Mexico oil spill? I just learned that there is an 8 cent per barrel tax on all crude oil drilled in or imported into the USA. The tax monies go into a fund to reimburse the Coast Guard and other government agencies expenses incurred to contain and clean up oil spills. If BP has to reimburse these expenses, can they apply for a refund of the tax they already paid into this fund? I doubt it. If President Obama is so concerned about sparing the American taxpayers any losses from these spills, he should donate all the campaign contributions received from the oil companies. He got the biggest contributions from them, it's time for Obama to practice what he preaches and spread some of the wealth oil companies spread his way into this fund. It would show his sincerity behind earlier promises about transparency in government and no lobbyist influence. Will this happen? Probably not.

Go GOP!!! Hold the Democrats feet to the fire!!!

2010-03-25T04:40:00.000-04:00

I just read a news article that the Obama/Pelosi/Reidcare reconciliation bill has procedural flaws in it and will have to be returned to the house for amendment. I am glad the Senate Republicans have not given up hope and are working to uphold the will of the American people and repeal the 2500 plus page bill. The best part of this is not that flaws were discovered so soon but the flaws were in the parts pertaining to the student loan takeover of the bill. Golly galorisky gee whiz, who could have imagined that the dedicated demagogues of the house could have made a mistake. It makes me wonder how many, if any, of them bothered to read the bill.

Rep. Barney Frank, d-Mass let the cat out of the health care nationalization bag already. He said that if the current bill led to an overload on the health care system and led to an emergency enactment of a public option, this would be a good way to segue the USA into a single payer health care system. Barney boy, Americans are not socialists. We are a freedom loving country and will not change for you or your fellow control freaks who cannot imagine the American people running their lives without constant government intervention and micromismanagement.

Nancy Pelosi inserts foot into mouth.

2010-03-16T19:55:00.000-04:00

I just came across a quote from a March 9, 2010 press release from the office of Speaker Nancy Pelosi. I just had to share it with everyone.

"We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what's in it away from the fog of the controversy."

I bet she wishes she had thought that one through a little bit more. What happened to transparency in government? If she wants the fog of controversy to clear, just do your deeds on the house floor with C-Span to document it for you. Do away with the closed doors meetings that you and your fellow democrats use so much recently.

In the interest of making this a fair and balanced rant, I offer 2 counter quotes.

"Imagine, if you will, that I am an idiot.
Then, imagine that I am also a Congressman.
But, alas, I repeat myself."
-- Mark Twain

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts. "
-- Will Rogers

For more information on the GOP healthcare reform bill click here.

A word to the wise or casting pearls before swine?

2010-02-28T12:52:00.001-05:00

In Saturday's address to the American Public, President Obama said he was willing to negotiate with the GOP if they were sincere in working to make Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Baucuscare the law of the land. He did this after his much heralded "bipartisan health care summit" on Thursday. On Monday he announced his own version of a health care overhaul (AKA nationalized, socialized health care) to the nation. Is it just me or was his announcement of an Obama/Pelosi/Reid/Baucuscare plan counterproductive to any sincere effort to reach an accord with the GOP? While I'm on this subject, isn't his unilateral announcement of Obamacare just another act of desperation to get his legacy of Obamacare rammed down the throats of the American people who do not want it? So far, Obamacare has been an egotrip at the expense of America's prosperity and personal liberty. Every President does this in his first year of office. Maybe Congress should enact first year legislation signature limits on Presidents. After all, one of the duties of Congress is to be a deliberative body, not the express lane for taxation and spending.

On Sunday, February 28, house speaker Nancy Pelosi advised her fellow Democrats to vote for Obama/Pelosicare even if their constituents disapprove of it. She stated that Social Security and Medicare were initially unpopular but nowadays are favorite tax and spend programs of the American Public. OK, maybe she was not bold and forthright enough to label them as the wealth distribution programs they are, but she was serious about voting along Obama/Pelosi party lines instead of their constituents best interests, not to mention wishes. Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Obama need to read the US Constitution. I do not expect this will morally rejuvenate either one of them. I am hoping a glance at America's History will make them realize they are servants of the public who elected them, not the other way around. They do not rule by divine right.
Even if they do not figure this out now, I am certain both of them will be reminded of this in November's congressional elections.

Wellpoint raises premiums in California

2010-02-11T22:40:00.001-05:00

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NEV) got on the Senate floor today to crucify Wellpoint for health insurance premium increases. He did not elaborate on anything vaguely resembling facts. He said that Wellpoint and other "greedy insurance companies that care more about profits than people" are an excuse to ram nationalized medicine down the throats of the American taxpayers. This reminded me of an article Dana Milbank (Washingtonpost.com) wrote about Mr. Reid back when he introduced his own bill with the public option (aka socialized medicine). He did not consult any of his fellow senators; democrat, republican or independent. He just did it out of the blue sky. Mr. Milbank wrote that this was unusual behavior for Mr. Reid, who was known mainly for just bringing pork barrel funds to Nevada. Mr. Milbank thought the real motivation for Mr. Reid's newfound concern for all his fellow Americans was the difficult re-election he faces this year. By becoming an advocate for the public option, Mr. Reid hoped to win over more left wing liberals in Nevada.

I have to agree with Mr. Milbank. Mr. Reid's motivation is self preservation of his Senate seat, not any newly awakened compassion for taxpayers with rising health insurance costs.

Wellpoint's CEO of the consumer business unit, Brian A. Sassi, pointed out that California consumer business unit has been losing customers due to the recession and higher health care costs. Healthy people are dropping insurance or buying less expensive plans. When this happens there is less revenue to cover the sicker & older people who keep their plans. He also pointed out that the House and Senate bills have been watered down on the issue of universal coverage. The penalties for not buying insurance are too low to enforce compliance with any requirement for universal coverage. Unless Mr. Reid and his universal health care left wing cronies are willing to start fund drives to cover these losses, the premiums will go up or Wellpoint will have to get out of the individual health insurance business in California.

Of course, Congress will hold hearings about these increases. What else is new? This is just demagogues putting on a show. I have no doubt part of Mr. Reid's rise in attacks on the insurance companies for being insurance companies is another effort to get himself re-elected.

Go Michelle Obama!!!

2010-01-29T14:46:00.000-05:00

Where have I been lately? I just read about Michelle Obama's initiative on childhood obesity. Finally, something really substantial that will lower the spiraling cost of health care. This is something I forgot to put in my last post on the subject. Reversal of the growing epidemic of obesity will save scads of money in the future without lots of taxes today.
This is a great example of what our government needs to do, start using a variation of the KISS principle. Instead of Keep It Simple Stupid, Keep It Short and Succinct. As I have ranted before, it is easier and less burdensome to enact a 50 page bill than a 500 page bill. 2000 page bills are a nightmare for small businesses, why does our congress keep working on them?
Another interesting tidbit I learned is the Surgeon General, Regina Benjamin, is overweight. She defends her size by saying it helps her identify with the 67% of Americans who are overweight. I am obese and my doctor is very lean. He is an active runner. He practices what he preaches. Maybe this will be a great opportunity for Vice Admiral Benjamin to lead the way by personal lifestyle changes to lose weight.
Ranting about weight loss and government action, check out OKCmillion. Mick Cornett, mayor of Oklahoma City initiated a challenge to his city to lose 1 million pounds. Oklahoma City is one of the most overweight cities in the USA. Mayor Cornett started this campaign so Oklahoma City can shed its overweight stigma. (Sorry, I couldn't resist that almost pun.)

A modest but realistic proposal on health care reform

2010-01-27T20:30:00.000-05:00

I read an AP article online today indicating the democrats are still trying to put through their bloated 2000 page pig ears.(pork and earmarks) They are hoping President Obama's state of the union address tonight will inspire them to get back on track and railroad their alleged health care reform through congress and onto the backs of the American Taxpayers. Speaker Nancy Pelosi said not having a health care reform package enacted was unacceptable. Last week she said she did not have the votes to pass the Senate health care bill. Is there a link between Botox abuse and Alzheimer's?

I know I've said parts of this before so bear with me. Here is my proposal on REAL health care reform:

1. Put limits on malpractice suit payment amounts. This would lower the malpractice insurance premiums paid by health care providers. It would also cut back on the use of "defensive medicine" where Doctors order marginally at best procedures not for the benefit of their patients but to protect themselves from a malpractice claim.

2. Limit advertisements for prescription drugs and other covered procedures. They are the most prevalent ads in the media today. These ads actually encourage patients to ask for certain drugs from their doctors. If they trust an ad on TV or a magazine more than their doctor's judgment, they should change doctors. After all, that is what doctors really provide; their professional opinion and advice on the best method to treat illness and injury.

3. Put page limits on all legislation, not just health care boondoogles. The senate finance committee's version was 1000 pages! The house, overachievers that they are, doubled the ante to 2000 pages. If any member of congress has the rare blend of audicity, stupidity and arrogance to say they have read any of these bills, they should be shot in both feet with a pellet gun. The members of congress do not read these bills, they rely on congressional aides and interns (remember Monica Lewinsky?) to read and summarize a small portion of the total bill.

There was a parable about several blind men trying to describe an elephant by touching different parts of the elephant's body. Needless to say, the man touching the trunk reached a different conclusion than the men touching the elephant's ears, flanks, legs and underbelly. This is the same way health care bills are presented to congress.

To continue elephant parable usage, let me quote the great educator Marva Collins. When her students faced an overwhelming learning task, she would say "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." If congress would do this instead of trying to swallow the whole hog at once, they would be more effective and productive legislators. (Did I just mix my metaphors with elephant and hog?)

Republicans win "Teddy Kennedy's" Massachusetts Senate Seat

2010-01-20T00:05:00.000-05:00

In a rare display of realistic maturity, Martha Coakley conceded that republican Scott Brown won The special senate election to fill the vacancy caused by Edward Kennedy's recent death. Earlier, her campaign attorney held a press conference to let the world know he contacted the Massachusetts secretary of state's office that there were three alleged cases of ballots being pre-marked for Scott Brown. Since then, the secretary of state's office dismissed the allegations as unfounded and unprovable.
What does this mean for the USA? First, there are 41 republicans in the US senate now, enough votes to stop the democrats efforts to railroad their alleged health care reforms which are actually a thin disguise for socialized medicine. Second, the timing is remarkable. President Obama was sworn into office on January 20, 2009. His one year anniversary will have a sad note to it. Many of the Massachusetts voters reported discontent and disappointment with his performance in office. Many democrats are concerned now about the upcoming 2010 elections.
Let's face facts. The people of Massachusetts have spoken their minds at the polls. Maybe the democrats should listen to people who live outside the DC beltway more.

Fat Cat Bankers??!!

2009-12-19T05:23:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, December 13, 2009 President Obama referred to American bankers as "fat cat bankers" who "just do not get it." This was said during an interview on CBS's "60 Minutes." He was referring to bankers inability to understand why Americans were upset with their large bonuses after taking bailout money. I guess President Obama forgot that the sub prime lending which caused the banking and credit crisis started when Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac had to be put in conversatorship in September 2008. President Obama, who said that he would not have anything to do with lobbyists, did accept $120,000.00 from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac during his 144 days in the US Senate. In a similar vein, there was an article in the New York Times that 4 bailout recipients are still struggling and may need further government funding. Guess who's on this list. If you say Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, you're today's winner.
Please remember this, it was sub prime lending that set off this recession. Why did banks and mortgage companies make loans to people that could not handle these loans? One big hint, the community reinvestment act. This act requires banks to conduct business with all communities within their service area. The act was passed to prevent redlining, the practice of not engaging in risky and imprudent transactions such as sub prime loans. The US government encouraged and cajoled the "fat cat bankers" to make high risk mortgages with the implicit guarantee that the government would back up the loans if defaults became a problem.

The latest on congressional spending

2009-12-17T21:25:00.000-05:00

According to the Associated Press, the house democrats are pushing through a $1.1 trillion (think 11 zeros and 3 commas to the right of the 1.1) spending bill in addition to whatever they finally decide (if anything) on the health care debacle often referred to as overhaul or reform.

The folks at Taxpayers for Common Sense found $3.9 billion funding congressional pet projects known as earmarks. They counted 5227 altogether. On a state by state basis this is over 100 earmarks per state. On a congressional district basis using 435 districts this is 12 per district. President Obama said he would read through every line of legislation and strike out unnecessary spending.

I wonder how many earmarks there were before his careful scrutiny of the bill??

Transparency with the stimulus funds report

2009-11-18T21:03:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading an interesting article on the Phoenix Arizona tv Channel 12 news website about the uproar over the errors in the stimulus quarterly reports. Apparently lots of funds were sent to nonexistent congressional districts. Fortunately, there were also lots of jobs created or saved in these same phantom districts. The Franklin Center for Public and Government Integrity reports there were over 440 phantom districts in the stimulus reports.

This amazes me since there are only 435 congressional districts in the USA. I am not an accountant or auditor, but it seems to me that if X amount of funds were paid to phantom districts then there should also be X amount of funds missing from the total paid to the non-phantom i.e. real congressional districts. Channel 12 reports that it appears most of the phantom funds were paid to the intended receivers, they just made a little error in reporting the district number.

I am certain this can be corrected sooner or later. Maybe the stimulus reports should only be done by states and not districts. After all transparency means the ability to see something clearly. Phantom means invisible.

If we, the American people, will have accounting problems with the $787 billion stimulus spending, what problems will we encounter if Obama/Pelosi care gets enacted? The senate finance version was about 1000 pages, the house version 1990 pages. We cannot afford the printing costs of these proposed bills. What will happen when if it is passed and employers, insurers and health care providers have to figure out how to cope with it? I am thinking, if the government cannot do better than this with the stimulus, we may have a health care revolution in the near future.

Poll shows (kinda sorta) increased support for public option.

2009-10-20T19:56:00.001-04:00

The WashingtonPost.com ran an article today about a poll that shows increased public support for a public option in the health care overhaul debate. Seniors and independents raised support for the infamous public option to a spellbinding 57%. Of course, there are a few caveats that will not fit into a headline or sound bite.

First, the public option has to be administered by the states, not the federal government. Second, only people without access to affordable private or employer provided plans can participate in the public option. Since the public option provisions all call for federal subsidies as "seed money" I doubt that the states will really run these programs. Too many state administered programs are vying for federal funds and subsidies as it is, what will be different about this one?

And now for the $64,000 question. What is affordable insurance? It will probably be a percentage of annual income. But what percent is a very big and very loaded question.

My prediction is if the public option is voted into law, these provisions will not be respected by congress. Congress will get its way on a short term basis and find themselves facing another republican or better yet independent revolution in 2010 or 2012 at the latest.

Health care math

2009-10-12T23:50:00.000-04:00

The Congressional Budget Office announced that the Senate finance committee's bill will cost $829 billion over the next 10 years while generating revenue of $911 billion over the next 10 years. The revenue will be from taxes, fees and penalties in the proposed legislation. This will result in a net deficit reduction of $81 billion. When I subtract $911 billion from $829 billion I get $82 billion. But I am not going to make a big deal of this, I'll attribute it to rounding down. What I do want to rant about is some of the assumptions used here. First, the CBO uses the estimates of the bill for the Cadillac tax, a tax on high cost health insurance plans. Many members of congress have labeled the insurance industry as profit motivated to the point of greed and avarice. (This is a vampire calling a mosquito a blood sucking fiend) What makes anybody think the insurers will not cut back on selling these plans and pass on the tax cost to the buyers who still purchase these Cadillac plans?
The CBO is the same agency that said on July 16,2009 that none of the proposed health care bills would do anything to bring down the curve in health care costs. See my earlier post on the same day for details. In less than 4 months a complete reversal in the impact of health care bills occurred? Wow, I'm impressed.(more sarcasm) Anyone who has suffered the mental torture of an economics class and can still remember any of it will tell you economists always add the caveat "all other things being equal" to anything they say. In real life this does not work, so I doubt that the $81 billion dollar savings will survive the next 10 years.
And another point, this is still proposed legislation, the finance committee will vote on it tomorrow then the process starts over again trying to get the bill signed by the Senate and then it will go to the house of reps. Remember what our wildcat house speaker Nancy Pelosi said? A health care bill will not pass the house without a public option. Let's hope Ms. Pelosi can adjust to the fact that most Americans do not want more government, especially government selling health insurance. More to come as this saga unfolds.

Good Grief, Barack Obama!!

2009-10-10T21:20:00.001-04:00

With apologies to the Charles Schulz estate and peanuts fans everywhere, how else can I put it? Friday a week ago, the IOC awarded the 2016 Olympic games to Rio De Janeiro over Chicago. Big shock to the media since there was a "Dream Team" lobbying for Chicago as the host city. Yesterday, President Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize. Another big surprise. The Nobel committee said Obama's promise of nuclear disarmament and diplomacy were the virtues that influenced their vote. I only have one problem with this. The nomination deadline was February 1, 2009. Mr. Obama was sworn in as President January 20, 2009. He won the presidential campaign November 4, 2008. He did not have very much time to turn his potential into acts. The combination of this nomination with Al Gore's Nobel Peace Prize for unfounded and bad science makes me lose faith in the Nobel Prize Committee.

A few random rants and thoughts

2009-10-04T02:28:00.000-04:00

One trend that disturbs me is health care overhaul zealots blaming opposition to obamacare on racism. This is not only absurd but completely unfounded by facts. Mr. Obama got 96% of the black vote. Big deal, so what. Even 100% of a minority is still a minority. Mr. Obama got elected President of the USA by not only black people, but white, hispanic & asian people as well. The only people using race as an issue are the Charley Rangels of the world. He told a predominantly black audience in his district over the august congressional recess that opponents to obamacare and the public option just could not accept the fact that a black man was the President of the USA. Mr. Rangel was probably just "playing the audience" to rally support for the misnamed public option. Again, do the math. Mr Obama was elected POTUS by 52% of all the American Voters.
People that say no other president has received so much criticism have not been in the USA very long or have the memory spans of a very brain damaged fruit fly. Criticism is part of the job for any president. To his credit, Mr. Obama has recognized this fact. Now if he will just recognize the fact that he has over 3 years to improve, not tear down the USA's health care system he will accomplish more than he could with his current strategies.

Olympic Committee follows Obama's words

2009-10-03T13:13:00.001-04:00

Just one comment on the IOC appointment of Rio De Janeiro as the host city for 2016 Olympic games. Remember Joe the Plumber from the 2008 presidential campaign? Mr. Obama told Joe he "wanted to spread the wealth." The IOC decided to do just that and awarded Rio the 2016 Olympic games. As Brazil's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva pointed out the Olympics have been held in North America, Europe and Asia, never in a tropical country. Kudos to the IOC!! Way to go, Rio!!

A few comments on the health care bill.

2009-09-29T21:31:00.000-04:00

It is really difficult to comment on the current health care bill being massaged and sculpted by the senate finance committee. It is still very much so under construction, or destruction depending on your outlook. I am glad the finance committee was able to defeat the public option. Maybe they were paying attention to the voters concerns at all those town hall meetings in August.
On the other hand, I don't see where this so called private co-op (with a $6b government subsidy as "seed money") is a big improvement. It sure looks like this co-op is going to be another government sponsored extortion, excuse me, enterprise. This frightens me because it seems like the health care equivalent of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for the housing industry. Do the American Taxpayers need to finance another nightmare for another industry important to the American economy? I think not.
What really burns me up is the congressmen's statement that the insurance business needs to have their feet held to the fire. If this isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I cannot imagine what would be.
Here's a few suggestions for all our congress men and women to help them get through this.

1. Leave your egomania out of the decision making process. The voters did not elect you so you can create a legacy or make history at their expense. The voters elected you to represent their interests in congress, not visa versa.

2. Stop calling anyone who disagrees with your ideas Nazis and astroturf. There are still WWII veterans around who would take great offense at you referring to their sons and daughters as nazis just because they do not believe the public option is a gift from heaven above via yourselves.

3. Start using page limits on legislation. Remember the acronym KISS. Keep It Simple Stupid.

4. Accomplish some real positive health care reform. Put a limit on medical malpractice lawsuit awards. Too many doctors are practicing too much defensive medicine. They order tests and other procedures that are not medically necessary just to protect themselves from lawsuits.

Well, this is enough for now. If I go on any further I might be made an honorary member of congress. (What irony indeed)

A few more thoughts on healthcare overhaul (aka nationalized medicine)

2009-09-09T11:42:00.013-04:00

There is an old saying," if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The USA has the best healthcare delivery system on this planet. It is not broken but nonetheless fearless leaders in DC, mainly liberals and democrats, want to overhaul it. An overhaul is not needed. The problem every American has with our healthcare system is the drastic increases in its costs. This is what needs fixing. Unfortunately, our politicians are only good at taxing Americans and then giving some of it back to bribe us to vote for them. This is why there is so much stress and disagreement coming out on the healthcare issue. American voters are justified in their fear of what the warlocks and witches of congress will conjure up as an "overhaul" of our health care system. Americans need to deluge their congressional representatives with their viewpoints on healthcare. Eventually they will listen or be voted out of office.

The lack of universal healthcare coverage is the lamest excuse Big Brother Government Healthcare advocates use in this debate. They harp on the fact that the USA is the only "developed " country on earth without it. Two questions come to mind when I hear this. First,"and your point is . . ?" and second "So Frigging What??!!!" When I was growing up, I used this argument to try to get my parents permission to do something. The conversation would go like this. Me," can I do such and such, all the other kids at school can do it." My parents response, " if all the other kids at school jumped out of an airplane without a parachute, would you do it too?" Needless to say, we did not have very many of these conversations.

Another phrase I am tired of hearing from politicians is "the need to create a level playing field." This is usually given as an excuse for whatever legislation they want taxpayers to fund whether we want to or not. Well, I just found a website dedicated to all you level playing field fans. For a glimpse of level playing field Utopia, click here.

Congress attempts to rewrite preventive care study

2009-09-03T18:00:00.006-04:00

The September 1, 2009 issue of the Washington Post reports a study of the cost effectiveness of preventive care is not going to generate the savings that have been promised by advocates of Obamacare. Entitled "Using clinical information to project health care spending," the study was published on the website of the journal of health policy research "Health Affairs." Michael J. O'Grady , one of 4 authors of the study, had this to say about the study. "There's no free lunch here. Prevention will not pay for everything. But it's not as expensive as it looks at first blush"

How did Obamacare supporters in Congress react to this. They have already requested the Congressional Budget Office, the nonpartisan agency established by Congress to provide impartial evaluations of the cost effects of proposed legislation, to revise their studies to support their position. Donna Christensen, (D-US Virgin Islands) introduced a bill which would allow congressional leaders to request the CBO to alter their research methodology to a longer time period in hopes it would show more beneficial cost savings. I wonder what the Obamacare fans would say if the 25 year time frame still did not generate the savings they say preventive care will cause.

I say preventive care should be a major part of any health care reform. It doesn't matter to me if it generates savings or not, it will improve the quality of life for the chronically ill. The Hippocratic Oath requires Medical Doctors to do no harm or injustice to their patients. This is what preventive care is all about, providing the best care possible for the ill. The Obamacare fans seem to want their cake, eat it and lose weight at the same time.

More observations on the economy

2009-08-28T23:15:00.006-04:00

Second, one of the first causalities of Obamacare was the "public option" provision. This would have set up a government run and funded insurance plan open to anyone. Its proponents said that the provision would provide a little healthy competition to private insurers to "keep them honest." Private insurers are not saints, but they do not need politicians and bureaucrats to "keep them honest." Insurers today are the referees of this game we call a health care industry. Health care providers want to be paid well for all their training and services given to their patients. Patients want the best care possible with minimal out of pocket expenses. Employers want low premiums. Guess who has to come up with a way to appease these demands and stay on a budget. That's right, the insurers. Imagine, if you will, that the health care providers, consumers and employers were all guests at a dinner party. The host is the insurers. A large strawberry cheesecake is placed on the table for dessert. Each of the guests demanded one half of the cheesecake as their well earned slice. Do you still think the insurers are as greedy and evil as our politicians claim?

Also, the public option was a mandate, which is politico-speak for legal requirement. Option means choice. If the public "option" is required by law, it is not a choice or option. The politicians should have called it a public mandate. I think they were afraid the mandate would give away their real intent, to let the taxpayer subsidized "option" be chosen by so many people it would become a single payer system. Under a single payer system, who do you think will control the system. If you said the politicians, move to the head of the class.

Look back at the end of the first paragraph and the dinner party cheesecake dilemma. Now imagine the same situation except the government is the host instead of private insurers. How do you think the government would have handled the dilemma? Based on their past performances in similar situations, I believe they would have ordered 2 more cheesecakes and put the bill on a credit card billable to the American Taxpayers, present and future generations.

A few observations on the economy

2009-08-28T01:01:00.005-04:00

I want to set a few facts straight here. First, President Obama is quite sincere when he says he will not raise our taxes by one cent. The U. S. Constitution says that "All bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills." US Presidents can and usually do propose legislation to Congress for their approval. They can hit the campaign trail and try to raise voter support to their proposed bills. They can hold press conferences and media appearances to urge, support, cajole or whatever they believe necessary to get their proposed legislation approved by Congress. They also have the right to veto any proposed bills and return them to Congress. Congress then has the option to amend the bill to appease the President or hold a second vote in hopes of getting enough votes to override the veto. Congress also has the option to let their proposed bills die on the vine.

In summary, when our taxes go up in the future to cover all the funds given away in the name of economic stimulus and recovery, it will be the Congress that passes the legislation. The President will only be able to veto the bills or sign off on them as law.

More fact straightening to come soon.

A sign of REAL Hope from the health care front.

2009-08-16T21:40:00.002-04:00

Quote of the Day:

"I think there will be a competitor to private insurers," Sebelius says, "That's really the essential part, is you don't turn over the whole new marketplace to private insurance companies and trust them to do the right thing. We need some choices, we need some competition." Kathleen Sebelius US Secretary of HHS. NY Times August 16, 2009.

Counterquote of the Day

"It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the Government from falling into error."
-- Robert Houghwout Jackson, Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Judge at the War-Crimes Tribunal in Nuremberg

I am glad to hear the President and his health care reform comrades are finally starting to listen to Americans who live outside of the DC Beltway. Most Americans know that health care costs are climbing but they still want their current insurance (if they have it). Remember, when the New Deal gave us the Social Security Act, the social security tax was 1% of the first $3000.00 annual wages for then covered employees. Now workers pay 6.2% of the first $102,000.00 for social security and 1.45% for Medicare on all wages, the sky's the limit for Medicare. Despite these increases lots of people do not believe they will be able to depend on it at all. This is a major reason why American Voters are so concerned about a public option for health care. They believe it will open yet another door for more government intrusion in their personal lives and the American Economy.

Here is my suggestion for President Obama, Secretary Selebius, Speaker Pelosi et al.
Read Charles Krauthammer's article "Health care reform: a better plan" in the August 7, 2009 edition of the Washington Post. He believes tort reform is the first priority. He cites a Massachusetts Medical Society study that shows that 5 of 6 doctors report 1 of 4 procedures they order are purely for defense from lawsuits. Cut down on these wasteful tests and you will save lots of money that can be directed to more productive use.

Obama's unhatched chickens

2009-08-16T05:29:00.004-04:00

We have the AARP on board because they know this is a good deal for our seniors. AARP would not be endorsing a bill if it was undermining Medicare.
-President Barack Obama at Portsmouth, N. H. town hall meeting August 11, 2009

AARP has been working with Democrats and Republicans to fix our broken health care system. While the president was correct that AARP will not endorse a health care reform bill that would reduce Medicare benefits, indications that we have endorsed any of the major health care reform bills currently under consideration in Congress are inaccurate
-Tom Nelson, COO, AARP August 11, 2009 AARP Press Center

Well, can you blame AARP for not endorsing Obamacare at this time? There are 5 different health care "reform" bills under consideration in Congress now. Nobody knows what the final bill will contain or even if there will be a bill to vote on this year. Another reason for AARP withholding endorsement is many seniors concern that Medicare benefits will be cut to help pay for insurance on the currently uninsured. Since AARP is the largest lobby for Americans age 50 and up, to endorse any of the bills at this point would cause an uproar from their membership base. The best thing AARP can do for Americans at this point is advocate what lots of Americans want. They do not want a complete overhaul of the USA health care system in less than 12 months. Maybe if AARP reminded President Obama that he was elected for 4 years he might finally get the message and stop trying to push 1000+ pages of legislation through Congress overnight as if it is emergency legislation. It's not an emergency!!

Three cheers for sensible and reasoned arguments

2009-08-10T18:00:00.007-04:00

Quote of the Day:

"I suspect that once we get into the fall and people look at the actual legislation that's being proposed, that more sensible and reasoned arguments will emerge. And we're going to get this passed."
- President Barack Obama on his proposed 1000+ page health care reform bill. Yahoo News August 10, 2009

CounterQuote of the Day:

It will be of little avail to the people that the laws are made by men of their own choice, if the laws be so voluminous that they cannot be read, or so incoherent that they cannot be understood; if they be repealed or revised before they are promulgated, or undergo such incessant changes that no man who knows what the law is today can guess what is will be tomorrow."
-James Madison Federalist no. 62 February 27, 1788. Italics added

President Obama has gotten me a little dazed and confused. I was in total agreement with this quote until the last sentence. I was hoping he meant that negotiation & compromise would prevail in a bipartisan effort to really trim this whale of legislation down to the size of a tuna, a walleye or even a trout. But no, my hopes are dashed. My interpretation of "and we will get this passed" means his wants the whole 1000+ pages. This quote was made in response of some of the more vocal citizens at the Town Hall meetings. Some were against Obamacare, some for it. It's definitely a political hot potato.

Take a lesson from recent history, Mr. President. Hillarycare was 1300 pages and it never made it to a single vote. Here's another quote from today's WashingtonPost.com to help illustrate this. This is from Susan Wells speaking to Perry Chang, a volunteer canvassing door to door urging people to call their representatives on behalf of Obamacare:

It's like one of those things where you'd like to try it before you buy it," Wells said. "But once we do it, there's no going back."

I'm not sure where she stands on this. She told Mr. Chang she was concerned about friends and relatives without insurance. She likes her insurance but is concerned that her employer, the Red Cross, is cutting benefits. She attributed her angst about Obamacare to "fear of the unknown". This made me realize what bothers me about Obamacare. It is close to fear of the unknown, it is fear of the unknowable, unfathomable and incomprehensible. I am reminded of an old Chinese saying, "We are living in interesting times." This fall will be very interesting inside the DC beltway.

P. S. Is it just me or is there a pattern developing. Whenever we elect lawyers as Presidents, Clinton then Obama, we end up with proposed legislation that no one in their right mind would want enacted.

An Historic Day for Justice Sonia Sotomayor

2009-08-06T17:32:00.009-04:00

The US Senate voted 68-31 to approve President Obama's nominee for the US Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor. She is the first hispanic/latina and the third woman appointed to the bench of the Supreme Court of the US.(SCOTUS) See my earlier blog on this issue here. I am glad that this issue is resolved and our fearless leaders in the Congress can return to DC after their summer recess with this cleared from their agendas. Now they can devote more time to reforming the health care reform bills in Congress. As I have noted earlier in this blog, I would rather have smaller more efficient changes than a complete remake of the system.

If I found a magic lamp with a genie that could only grant wishes for US Congressional acts, these would be my wishes:

1. Term limits for members of Congress. Barney Frank, Teddy Kennedy, Maxine Waters, The Late Strom Thurmond. Need I go on?

2. Page limits for legislation. The health care reform under current consideration is 1000 pages. Hillarycare was 1300 pages. Get the point?

3. Abolish Government Sponsored Enterprises.(GSE) Social Security, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac.

More quotes on Obamacare

2009-07-27T17:00:00.013-04:00

2 quotes for today

Because they lack the bargaining power that large businesses have and face higher administrative costs per person, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more for the very same health insurance plans – costs that eat into their profits and get passed on to their employees.

As a result, small businesses are much less likely to offer health insurance. Those that do tend to have less generous plans. In a recent survey, one third of small businesses reported cutting benefits. Many have dropped coverage altogether. And many have shed jobs, or shut their doors entirely.

This is unsustainable, it’s unacceptable, and it’s going to change when I sign health insurance reform into law.
President Barack Obama Weekly Address to the Nation 7/25/2009 Available at www.whitehouse.gov/

When I take this bill to the floor, it will win. But we will move forward

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on CNN State of the Union July 26, 2009 Transcript available here.

First, I am absolutely delighted that President Obama realizes the importance of small business in the American economy. He cites a rather long study by the Council Of Economic Advisers to support his concern. The report is also available at whitehouse.gov. It is dated July 25, 2009 the day he gave his weekly address. Too bad the CAE didn't publish it sooner, I'm certain it would have dispelled any and all concerns about a negative impact of health care on small businesses. (slight sarcasm!)

For Speaker Pelosi, a point of clarification please. You stated that when you take the bill to the house floor you will win, which I presume is your goal. Then you say "But we will move forward." The way I interpret this remark is that the health care bill is a move backward, if you move forward after it is passed by the house.

And now a question for both of you. Imagine you are not professional politicians for a moment but small business owners. Which would be easier for you to understand and comply with, a bill that is 10 pages long, 100 pages long or 1000 pages, the length of the current Health Care Reform Bill? Do you see my point? I believe you will have better success if you break it up and try to get the least expensive and burdensome parts of the bill passed first. But then, what would I know? I'm not a professional politician.

Great News for health care reform!

2009-07-23T14:32:00.003-04:00

Senate majority leader Harry Reid (Dem-Nevada) announced today there will be no vote on President Obama's requested health care legislation before the summer recess. Thank goodness for this decision. There is still some sanity left in Congress. As I stated earlier, the USA has gotten by without the so-called direly needed health care reforms, we can get by a little bit longer. Again, I remind President Obama he still has 3 years left to do this. A little more deliberation and negotiation will only make it better not worse.

More scare tactics on health care reform

2009-07-18T12:34:00.011-04:00

This is from President Obama's weekly address to the nation today. You can read the entire text or watch the video at WhiteHouse.gov.

"Or whether we'll seize this opportunity -- one we might not have again for generations -- and finally pass health insurance reform this year, in 2009."(italics mine)

What is the basis for this?? What will happen 09/01/2009 that will prevent any form of legislation on health care for generations?! Congress is just taking their summer recess. They will come back and carry on as they always do. President Obama does not tell us the source of his urgency in his speech today or any other day that I am aware of. I sure hope he tells America why we can only act now, the suspense is killing me.

Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Az) delivered the Republican Weekly Address today and proposed a reason for President Obama's repeated warnings that it is now or never for health care reform.

"The President and some Democrats insist we must rush this plan through, why? Because the more Americans know about it, the more they oppose it. Something this important needs to be done right, rather than done quickly."

At first glance, it sounds like a conspiracy theory. But the more I review the rhetoric and the conspiracy theories of the President and the Democrats, his explanation becomes more and more plausible. You can watch his address here on youtube.

Good news/bad news on health care reform

2009-07-16T17:36:00.006-04:00

First the good news. President Obama is trying to have medicare reimbursement rates and policies decided by a commission of health care experts. Right now rates are being set by members of congress. Congressional use of medicare reimbursements as pork is a major cause of the increases in medicare costs. Obama's chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel described this as "the least talked-about, most important issue on the table." (Washington Post Com July 16 2009. "Obama Eyes The Purse Strings for Medicare") On this issue the Obama administration has my full support. Anything is better than setting reimbursement rates with a committee of 535.

The bad news came from testimony by the Congressional Budget Office Director today before the Senate Budget Committee. Douglas Elmendorf said there was nothing in the current bills that slow down the rate of federal spending for health care. Instead of bending the cost curve downward, a goal of health care reform, it will actually raise the rate of federal spending on health care. Here is a snippet of the questions Mr. Elmendorf had to face today. This is from the committee chairman, Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) As quoted from the Washington Post.Com July 16, 2009 "CBO Chief criticizes Democrats health reform measures":

"I'm going to really put you on the spot," Conrad told Elmendorf. "From what you have seen from the products of the committees that have reported, do you see a successful effort being mounted to bend the long-term cost curve?"Elmendorf responded: "No, Mr. Chairman."

I cannot add anything to his response. No means no, what else is there to say. Time to go back to the drawing board.

A Few Quotes on Obamacare

2009-07-15T20:30:00.006-04:00

Here's a few quotes on the so-called dire need for health care reform.

"We will work through some of the differences we have among the members, both Democrats and Republicans, with the objective that we will have a bill," Waxman said. "We cannot allow this issue to be delayed. We cannot put it off again. We cannot — quite frankly, cannot — go home for a recess unless the House and the Senate both pass bills to reform and restructure our health care system." Rep Henry Waxman D- California.

"I don't know many small-business men or women who are making themselves $280,000, so I am not sure that very many small businesses are going to be affected by this," Hoyer said. "But we are committed to paying for health care reform. The Senate is committed to paying for health care reform. . . . That is one option that has been proposed." House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md

Both quotes from the Belleville News-Democrat July 14, 2009 "House Democrats propose surtax on rich to pay for health care."

And now for a counter quote to both:

"Imagine, if you will, that I am an idiot.
Then, imagine that I am also a Congressman.
But, alas, I repeat myself."-- Mark Twain 1866

To Mr. Waxman, please read my blog on June 16, 2009 on health care reform. Bill Clinton said the same thing you did back in 1993. His prophecy of doom and gloom did not materialize. Health care reform advocates like yourself should read the parable about the little boy who cried "Wolf!" The USA has hobbled by without the so-called needed reforms we can probably get by a little longer. Maybe we should focus on economic recovery first then if there is a need for health care reforms it will be obvious to anyone.

To Mr. Hoyer, just because you don't know many small business people making $250,000 doesn't mean they aren't out there. Maybe you do know some and they just don't feel their earnings are any of your business.

Barney Frank attempts to be Big Brother

2009-07-09T21:20:00.006-04:00

Have you read George Orwell's novel 1984? The movie's male protagonist, Winston Smith, was a civil servant who rewrote history to suit the government, embodied by Big Brother. The government maintained all records and newspapers. Whenever something happened that was contradicted by past records or policies, the contrary items were purged and replaced with records that supported the new policy.

As you will see in this youtube video of Barney Frank interviewed by Bill O'Reilly on the O'Reilly factor, Mr. Frank seems to think that all the things he said and did in the past would not come back to haunt him.

Lots more to come on this later.

Last rant on the smoking prevention act (for now)

2009-07-02T21:25:00.006-04:00

Remember the Master Tobacco Settlement back in the 1990s? One of the rationales for this legislative extortion was the money would fund smoking prevention programs. Here is a graph from the campaign for smoke free kids. This group supported the smoking prevention act even though they have proof on their website that the states did not use their funds for cessation programs. Where did the money go? Wherever the state legislatures felt like spending it. Not unlike President Obama's campaign chat with Joe the Plumber. Obama wanted to "spread the wealth". A nice vague statement that can easily be sidestepped and revised ad nauseam later.

Spending Graph

The smaller parts of the graph are the amounts the states spent on their smoking cessation programs. The larger one is the amounts states received from the Master Tobacco Settlement and their current tobacco sales and excise taxes. You need a magnifying glass for the spending on smoking prevention programs. You can see the receipts from Tobacco taxes from across a large sized room. Do the math and you will see the states spent less than $7 billion over a 10 year period. During the same 10 year period they received over $200 billion. When politicians receive over $20 billion a year, they are not going to kill the goose that lays this many golden eggs. That is why the smoking prevention programs get such a small percentage of the tax receipts that tobacco generates.

To learn more about how we are doing on smoking cessation, visit Campaign for smoke free kids, just click here

another rant on the smoking prevention act

2009-06-27T16:38:00.006-04:00

Let me quote H. R. 1256 title II section 201:

Directs the Secretary (of Health and Human Services) to issue regulations that require color graphics (italics mine) depicting the negative health consequences of smoking to accompany cigarette label statements.

GovTrack.us. H.R. 1256--111th Congress (2009): Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, GovTrack.us (database of federal legislation) (accessed Jun 27, 2009)

Color graphics of lung cancer in a 7-11 store or a Walgreens? That is way beyond the point of unacceptable. 20% of Americans smoke. 20% of Americans are obese. (so overweight it is a major threat to their health. Mainly from Heart Disease, high blood pressure and Diabetes) Is congress going to mandate that Hostess show color graphics of the negative health consequences of twinkies, ding dongs, ho hos, cup cakes and snow balls? That will really enhance the shopping experience for families and children. I have a feeling the tobacco industry will go after this requirement and win.

smoking prevention act redux

2009-06-26T17:27:00.007-04:00

One more problem I have with this act is the glaring hypocrisy in both the act itself and in the politicians involved with it. If nicotine is addictive why does the act not allow the FDA to ban nicotine entirely? Alas, I am repeating myself from an earlier post. Banned or outlawed items cannot be taxed. Notice the act allows the nicotine levels to be lowered. This means smokers will have to increase their cigarette consumption to get their daily fix of nicotine. This will increase the tax revenue while exposing smokers to more of the thousands of ingredients in cigarette smoke(several of which are carcinogens and other toxins hazardous to human health). If our politicians are willing to live with the increased health hazards smokers incur in exchange for more tax dollars to spend, it's time for Americans to really wake up and demand better of our elected leaders. It could not get much worse.

When President Obama gladly signed this bill, he said it was to prevent future generations of America's children from picking up the habit. I am a big fan of irony so this statement really takes the cake. He admits to being a former heavy smoker and to "falling off the wagon" since the inauguration. He also said he would not smoke in front of his wife, his kids or in the White House. The reporter he told this to was in a generous mood and did not press him about the Rose Garden, the Presidential limo, Air Force and Marine Corps One etc. Mr. President, America's children are not dumb. They will see it as another "do as I say, not as I do" advice and lose a little respect for you. Good Grief, you promised your wife you'd quit if she let you run for the Presidency. If she can give up her lifestyle and home for 4 years in exchange for being one of the most powerful and influential women in America, You can quit smoking. People do it every day. Chew the gum, wear a patch, get an electronic cigarette.

I have a suggestion on how to manage your stress and lower the urge to smoke. Stop trying to do everything you want done in one year. Don't trust me, read the US Constitution. Unless you're impeached, you've got 4 years to accomplish things. Make this year's goal economic recovery first. To aid this just get one health care reform a done deed. Put a cap on malpractice claims payouts. The health care providers and insurers will appreciate this and might be more willing to help with your other goals later on. The only people who will oppose you will be the American Trial Lawyers Association.

another comment on the family smoking prevention act.

2009-06-25T20:16:00.006-04:00

Remember President Obama's promise not to raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000 a year? What he meant to say was no raises via federal income tax. Unless you have been living in a very remote country or under a really huge rock, you know that our politicians have lots and lots of ways to tax us. The recent increase in the federal tobacco tax is going to be paid by smokers unless they decide to quit. Incomewise, guess who does most of the smoking??? If you say the poor and lower middle class people, you can move to the front of the class. Let me quote Jane Gravelle, senior specialist in Economic Policy Finance and Government Division of the Congressional Research Service. (yes, the US Congress's research service)

It is generally recognized that cigarette taxes are one of the most regressive taxes, that is, a tax that falls more heavily on lower income individuals as a percentage of income.

At first glance, it seems President Obama is defeating his own goals by putting a very regressive tax on smokers. Bear in mind, this report is dated June 19, 2007 before that latest excise tax increase. I then had an epiphany moment. The rationale for the tax increase was to fund the State Childrens Health Insurance Plan. So, the smokers are actually helping to insure their children. Around here, Marlboros went from $4 and change to $5.25 to $5.60 a pack. I am sure poor people have no problem ponying up the extra money knowing it funds their kids health insurance. Way to go President Obama and Congress!!!

To read Ms. Gravelle's report go to http://opencrs.com/ and put order code RS22681 in the search box. The name of the report is "The Cigarette Tax Increase to Finance SCHIP".

A Few Comments on the Family smoking prevention and tobacco control act.

2009-06-22T19:06:00.008-04:00

Today, June 22, 2009 President Obama signed into law the family smoking prevention and tobacco control act. Let's review a few of his remarks during the ceremony. I am getting these quotes directly from the whitehouse's blog. Just go to whitehouse.gov and click on the blog.

Obama accused the tobacco industry of targeting young people, exposing them to a "constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn and where they play. Most insidiously, they are offered products with flavorings that mask the taste of tobacco and make it even more tempting."

R J Reynolds agreed to stop this in 2006, so I'm not seeing a whole lot of benefit from this, especially when one of the most popular cigarette flavorings, menthol, was exempted.

Also, the remark about "constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn and where they play." If where they learn means public schools, I do not recall ever seeing a cigarette ad at my grade or high school. ( I got my h.s. diploma in 1971 in Richmond, Va. The home of Phillip Morris) They were not for sale at my schools, kids who smoked had to buy them in stores. Seniors were allowed to smoke on a huge section of an oak tree outside the shop class if they had a note from their parents. Everyone else had to take their chances in the restrooms. My, how times have changed. But alas, I digress.

Mr. President, now that you are a de facto president of Government . . . wait I meant the new and soon to be improved General Motors, will you restrict auto ads aimed at younger people? Think of the lives you could save. Probably none. Let's get real here. With a few exceptions, most products are marketed to younger people. They are the next wave of customers and marketers want to establish brand loyalty with their newest prospective customers. Cigarette makers are providing a wanted product to consumers, just like car makers, insurance companies, banks, grocery stores etc.

I don't smoke. I used to but gave it up when the bad effects of smoking overwhelmed my desire to smoke. This is how most smokers stop. They just get tired of it and quit. I used to work for Social Security. I was amazed at the number of people I interviewed to start their disability benefits for lung cancer who had 2 packs of smokes, one in each shirt pocket. I know some people will smoke until the day it kills them. I cannot stop that and neither will this bill. More to come on this later.

A Few Comments on Health Care Reform

2009-06-16T22:53:00.016-04:00

Guess who said this.

And again I will say we must do this together. I pledge to you that I will do my best to see that business and labor and Government work together for a change.

But all of our efforts to strengthen the economy will fail—let me say this again; I feel so strongly about this—all of our efforts to strengthen the economy will fail unless we also take this year, not next year, not 5 years from now but this year, bold steps to reform our health care system.

No, it wasn't President Obama telling the AMA how he was going to reform the USA's health care delivery and financing system within 90 days. This is a quote from former President Bill Clinton's 1993 state of the union address. Due to the secrecy used to cover byzantine health care rationing, "Hillary Care" never came to be. If it had we would have deficit spending every year of the Clinton Administration and a health care system much worse than we have today. Maybe that's why Obama appointed HRC Secretary of State, to keep her out of his attempts to reform our health care system into what he thinks it should be.

Another question. Who was the first president(or presidential candidate) to advocate health care reform. Not Bill Clinton, but Theodore Roosevelt back at the beginning o of the 20th century, not the end of it.

The only change brought on by congress in our health care system was medicare back in 1966. It was part of LBJ's Great Society platform. It was the first government sponsored enterprise (GSE) to deal with our nation's health care financing. Now Obama and Kennedy want another GSE to help reform some of the shortcomings of our current system. Yes folks, you read me correctly. They want a public health insurance plan to compete with private health insurance. They believe this competition will keep private health insurance on its toes and hold down increases in health insurance premiums. Yeah, Right!! When Medicare was introduced most private insurers decided to not offer primary coverage to medicare beneficiaries. They only offered medicare supplement plans to cover deductibles and coinsurance. I doubt this public option, if it is ever enacted, would do what President Obama and his fellow reformers expect it to do.

And one more comment. This public insurance plan sure sounds like it will become for health insurance what Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are for housing. This makes me hope congress does not enact this plan. If the 70-80% of Americans are happy with their current coverage why are our leaders doing this public plan???
Also, in Kennedy's plan are 2 interesting provisions. One, all employers will be required to cover their employees or pay into a public insurance pool for people who cannot get or afford existing insurance. Second, Medicaid Coverage (basically health insurance for children,the disabled and seniors (age 65+)with limited income and resources) will be provided to all families whose income is less than 500% of the federal poverty level. For a family of four, this is $110,000 yearly !!!

The first question that comes to my mind is this. IF, employers are required to "play or pay" (give their employees health insurance or fund an insurance pool with their hard earned revenues) won't they be more reluctant to pay more cash compensation to their employees? IF so, won't fewer and fewer employees get raises and bonuses? Won't this mean fewer and fewer families will make less than 500% of poverty level income? If so, they will also be eligible for Medicaid. Who will be the primary insurer, medicaid or the employer's insurance? If I were an employer, forced to cover my employees with health insurance and found out several of my employees were receiving medicaid coverage as well, I would want to drop all insurance coverage like a very hot potato.

Second question, how will all these draconian and duplicitous measures make our health care system any better? Or, even better how will it make our economy any stronger or better? Every regulatory process (i.e. burden) the government imposes on employers is actually a really great boon to industry...if you are in the offshore outsourcing industry. Otherwise, it is a boon to the unemployment services industry, the welfare industry etc. When and if the congress and the US government finally figure out that many of their rules and regulations discourage business from hiring US workers, then we will get a better economy and with it, an even better health care system.

P. S. President Obama, Rome was not built in one day nor was it toppled in one day. What's your hurry and urgency on health care? You've got 3+ years to accomplish something. 70-80% of Americans like their current health care arrangements and are alarmed and disturbed by the prospects of changes you propose. Every President before had a full plate of issues just as you do. Why not focus on more demanding issues like Afghanistan, Iraq, the Middle East first and then slowly increase your focus on health care. Look at the Bill Clinton quote above. IF the USA managed to get by for 16 years without his calls for health care reform, maybe we can limp through another 16 months for better results. (no changes can be a very good result)

GM's one very small & very expensive step toward economic recovery

2009-06-03T21:42:00.037-04:00

June 1, 2009 GM filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy. 6 months ago, GM's former CEO Rick Wagoner said bankruptcy was unthinkable. He said American car buyers would not purchase cars from a carmaker in bankruptcy for fear of loss of warranty support. For the latest on this and other interesting tidbits of info on this monumental bankruptcy, go to GM's official bankruptcy website, www.gmreinvention.com. There you will find reassurances that current GM customers have nothing to worry about, GM asked the bankruptcy court to require continued honoring of all warranties, parts needs and promotions. Even customers of dealers that will not have their contracts renewed have nothing to worry about. Other GM dealers will gladly step up to the plate and fulfill any customer needs. I hope none of the unrenewed dealers were the only GM dealer within a 25-50 mile radius of their city/town. That would create a major inconvenience for existing customers and a discouragement for future prospective customers.

GM also plans to trim its dealerships down to 3600 by the end of 2010. From its 5969 dealers in 2008, this is a 40% reduction. At the end of 2008 GM had 20% share of the USA auto sales. Toyota had 19% share with 1500 dealers in the USA. Either GM is going to increase their market share or further reduce the number of dealers. Only time (36 to 60 months) will tell.

Now, for the really bad news. What can the owners of GM stock expect now. Go to gmreinvention.com and click on investors. This is how GM will respond to investors that try to file a claim with the bankruptcy court:

Why can't stockholders file claims with the court?
The Bankruptcy Code is clear that stock is an "interest" and not a "claim." Stockholders will be
instructed as to how they can establish their proof of interest. If a stockholder does file a "proof
of claim," the company will object to that claim on the basis that the stockholder does not have a
valid claim according to the rules of the Bankruptcy Code.

In 25 words or less, current GM shareholders are toasted road kill. Now we know why diversification of your investments is so important. If any of the GM shareholders are highly dependent on their GM share dividends in their retirement, they are in a world of pain. I hope most shareholders saw the writing on the wall before the US government did and bailed out. Ultimately, the bankruptcy court will decide if the shareholders will get any compensation. Let's face facts, folks. If the GM shares were worth anything, GM would not be in chapter 11. The share price reflects the market's and investors' valuation of the company as a profitable ongoing concern. The only good news for shareholders is if they also have a GM credit card, they will keep the bonus points and use them to purchase their next GM vehicle, if they feel so inclined and can still afford one. The stock of one of the (formerly) largest corporations in the world gets trashed but credit card points remain intact??!! With priorities like these, I no longer wonder how we got into this recession.

A question for Sonia Sotomayor

2009-05-30T01:19:00.009-04:00

President Obama's announcement of Sonia Sotomayor as his Supreme Court Justice Nominee unleashed a flood of favorable and unfavorable comments about her competency as a Supreme. Then came these 32 words from a 2001 lecture at UC Berkeley:

I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male who hasn't lived that life."

I am in the midst of a long overdue spring cleaning so I know how much glass is in my home. Therefore, I will not cast stones at Judge Sotomayor. I will ask a very rhetorical question.

Do you know about the Supreme Court ruling "Brown vs. Board of Education?" The long version is "Oliver Brown et al vs. the Topeka Board of Education." In 25 words or less, this decision declared the separate but equal doctrine for racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. This decision kick started the civil rights movement and made this nation a much better place for everyone. This decision was also reached by white males. The arguments were made by Thurgood Marshall, a black man, but nonetheless the decision was made by white males. (Thurgood Marshall became the first Black Man to be appointed a Justice of the United States Supreme Court)

My question to Judge Sotomayor. How would your wise Latina wisdom and richness of experiences have improved this decision? Maybe, just maybe us white males have richness of experience as well. Remember, you put a lot of emphasis on your experiences, but you seem to have overlooked the wisdom and richness of experience of us white males. Besides, what difference does richness of experience make? This is a country that respects rule of law. Everything I read about you prior to your gaffe makes me think you respect and will defend this concept.

Oh well, that's off my my chest. I wish you the best even if you do not get the appointment. (I think you should get it. Nobody's perfect!)

News from the wonderful world of USA finance

2009-05-26T00:46:00.006-04:00

First, Edward Liddy announced that he would be resigning from his $1.00 CEO position at AIG when a replacement was found. He felt that AIG has reached the point where a long term CEO was needed. ( See my 3/19/09 posting "congressional follies about AIG") AIG's Trustees are also requesting 6 new independent board members at the June 30, 2009 annual shareholders meeting. Earlier, Mr. Liddy had said AIG was on track to pay back the bailout money within the next 5 years. Mr. Liddy and the trustees are on the path to recovery for AIG. The USA owes them a well deserved Thank You Very Much for all your effort and endeavor to help get our economy strong again. Our fearless leaders in congress will probably berate them every chance they get. My advice to Mr. Liddy and the trustees, don't let the turkeys get you down!!

Second, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will be announcing rules for executive compensation for the banks receiving bailout funds. Nothing concrete has been announced yet but there are some interesting ideas on the subject already. In a May 24, 2009 Rueters article by Dena Aubin and Corbett Daly, they quoted 2 Harvard Law professors, Lucian Bebchuk and Holger Spamann On the subject. The professors believe executive compensation should be based on more criteria than stock price. Since equity (the bank's stock) is only 5% of a bank's assets, other items such as deposits, loan portfolios & credit ratings should also be used to set performance rewards. The professors argue that if stock price is the only criteria for rewards, the stock price can be artificially boosted at the expense of the rest of the banks assets. I agree with this idea. The purpose of incentives is to reward work that makes the company more profitable, not just the stock. If the company's overall profitability improves, the stock will improve as well.

RIP David Kellermann, CFO Freddie Mac

2009-04-22T12:04:00.002-04:00

A rather sad post today. David Kellermann, age 41, CFO for Freddie Mac was found dead today at his home in Fairfax, Va. (a suburb of Washington DC). The police are reporting it as an apparent suicide without any explanation why. The police are still conducting a homicide investigation at his home. Mr Kellermann worked at Freddie Mac for 16 years. He became CFO when Freddie Mac was placed in conservatorship in September 2008.

This is the second loss of a senior executive for Freddie Mac in as many months. On March 1, 2009, David Moffett, CEO of Freddie Mac since it was put in conversatorship, announced his intention to resign as CEO and Board member by March 13 at the latest.

My condolences to the Kellermann family and everyone at Freddie Mac. You lost a good man way too soon.

How to kill 2 birds with no stones

2009-04-15T08:51:00.007-04:00

During the recent Maersk Alabama piracy incident, I had a real brain storm. Since the US Government (AKA American taxpayers) is a major funder of the various and sundry plans to bail out/stimulate the economy, let's save them some money. Rather than set up this elaborate public private investment plan, let's cut out a few of the middle men/women and a few layers of regulatory bureaucracy all at once. Just take the absolute worst of the Legacy loans & securities (FKA toxic assets) & sell them off to the pirates (or their ransom victims) for ransom. The Somali pirates consider themselves voluntary coast guard to protect Somali waters from foreign fishing trawlers and toxic waste dumpers. Selling them legacy assets is not much of a reach beyond volunteer coast guardsmen. Remember, the pirates seized the Maersk Alabama, a loaded container ship which is not easily mistaken for a fishing trawler. The fact that the Maersk Alabama was carrying tons of food aid for Kenya, Mozambique and Somalia really makes the volunteer coast guard defense really indefensible. The millions of dollars received as ransom for seized ships speaks for itself.

President Obama should consider putting Bernie Madoff on a work release program to promote the idea to the Somalis. The possibilities are endless. Since the worst of these legacy assets are only suitable for extreme speculative investing or wrapping fish, the Somalis should get better use out of the assets than most nations or investors.

Big Brother or Waxman the wimp??

2009-04-03T12:12:00.004-04:00

On Thursday, April 2, 2009 the US House of Representatives passed H. R. 1256, the Waxman Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act by a vote of 298-112. (Italics mine) This act gives the FDA authority to regulate tobacco products by such means as larger warning statements, disclosure of ingredients, limits on flavoring additives and control of marketing efforts, especially when children are targeted. (italics mine again) If you are interested in the details and want a better return on your tax dollars, visit this site http://thomas.loc.gov/ . Do not read this in front of your computer workstation. It is such a great antidote for insomnia you will end up with your head on your keyboard which could initiate a large bill for membership to very obscure websites you didn't know existed.

Rep. Waxman proclaimed his so-called triumph over the evil tobacco industry with this press announcement:

"This is truly a historic day in the fight against tobacco, and I am proud that we have taken such decisive action," said Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., the bill's sponsor. "Today we have moved to place the regulation of tobacco under FDA in order to protect the public health, and now we all can breathe a little easier."

If this proclamation does not win the lamest, worst excuse of a pun award, there shouldn't be one!!

Also, please note that there are more regulations and restrictions in this bill than the earlier tobacco settlement. (AKA government sponsored extortion) Our fearless leaders in Congress justify this in the name of dramatic improvements in public health. It seems they have discovered what the American public has known for decades. Tobacco use can be bad for your health. Another noteworthy item, all of these draconian "Big Brother" regulations are the result of Congress' supposed altruistic concern for public health. If they are so concerned about their beloved taxpayers, why doesn't this proposed law ban the sale of tobacco products, rather than create more laws and bureaucracy?? The answer is banned products cannot be taxed. In other words, Mr. Waxman and conspirators do not wish to kill the cash cow, just cut back on how much pasture they can access. More on this to come.

And one more thing. Isn't the FDA the same government agency whose diligent efforts maintain our food safety and security from such diseases as Escherichia coli (E. coli), salmonella and Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy(aka Mad Cow Disease)??? More on this to come as well.

US Congress's strengths and weaknesses

2009-03-31T18:43:00.006-04:00

Quote of the Day

"Were we directed from Washington when to sow, and when to reap, we should soon want bread."
Thomas Jefferson, Autobiography, 1821

What Congress is good at:

Creating new taxes

Raising existing taxes

Filibustering

Grandstanding

Slandering and disrespecting people they grill at committees and hearings.

Catering to their own interests (AKA Pork Barrel legislation)

Writing incomprehensible laws

Micromismanagement

Usurping individual rights guaranteed by Our Constitution

What congress is bad at:

Managing Automobile Companies

Managing Banks

Managing Insurance Companies

Managing Investment Companies

Managing Mortgage Companies

Managing Tobacco Companies

Managing the US Government

Managing the US Economy

Protecting Individual Liberties

congressional follies redux 3/24/09

2009-03-24T09:32:00.004-04:00

Here's a quick post on a lighter note. Today Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Bernard Bernanke testify before congress today. They will ask for increased regulatory oversight and power over financial institutions that are in dire straits. The press (AKA the media) report that the congressmen/women plan to "grill" Mssr. Geithner and Bernanke about the government's handling of the AIG Bonus payments. Yes, folks, you got that right. Our beloved legislators that amended the stimulus/bailout bill to allow the bonus payments in the first place will "grill" these men about how these payments were handled!! Sounds to me like Congress wants to pass the buck on their own legislation to the executive branch. The notion of Congress protecting the taxpayers from the executive branch is similar to using wild weasels to guard a chicken coop from a fox. DC is a town where blame is ladled out like gravy over a thanksgiving dinner at a homeless shelter while responsibility and accountability for acts committed or omitted is avoided at any cost. No wonder we are in an extreme recession. Will senator Michael Dodd (dem. Connecticut) have to sit between the congresspeople and 2 of Obama's biggest dogs of financial regulation?

A Few Thoughts on the 90% Bonus Tax.

2009-03-23T09:07:00.011-04:00

Quote of the Day:

“We figure the local and state governments will take care of the other 10 percent.”

Rep. Charley Rangel's explanation for the 90% tax on tarp recipients bonus payments.

Counterquote of the Day:

"No man's life, liberty, or property are safe while the legislature is in session."
-- Mark Twain (1866)

Holy Smoke, America!! Did this really just happen to us? The American colonies rebel yell against England was "taxation without representation is tyranny!" Now we have a 90% tax rate with representation!! Perhaps it is time for another tax rebellion. The Senate is proposing a 70% tax on bonus payments, 35% paid by the company and the other 35% paid by the recipients. Even that is way too high. I think our representatives need to take a real deep breath, exhale slowly, then read the Constitution. Is this what they want for our future generations? I think not. This bill was composed mainly to make the most political hay over the public's distress over the bonus payments. It scares me how quickly this bill was passed. Congress, especially the house financial services committee, used delaying tactics and dogged resistance to prevent reform or overhaul of Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac for years. If they had acted half as fast on reform of these GSEs, (government sponsored enterprises, more on this later) the USA could have avoided the super recession we are experiencing and just had a nice regular recession that goes away in a year or two. If Congress can pass such outrageous tax bills for one reason, I am certain they will be able to think of more. Who knows, maybe all the opponents of war will tax the extra pay for overseas and dangerous duty military people receive.

Since the unions and activists have arranged busloads of people to hike to the AIG executives homes, would it not be fair to let the overtime pay of union workers be taxed the same as bonuses for people who do not get paid by the hour but by results? When it comes down to brass tacks, overtime is just another bonus. Since the UAW get paid when they are out of work, congress could really clean up here.

If the unions and activists cared more about all the taxpayers and not just the unionized ones, they would also organize a march in DC to all the congresspeople's DC homes to lodge complaints about their micromismanagement of this financial fiasco. Remember, all this started with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, not AIG.

Congressional follies about AIG

2009-03-19T10:26:00.008-04:00

Quote of the Day:

"Some People say I make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."

Will Rogers

First of all, a standing ovation is due to Edward Liddy, CEO of AIG for standing up to the arrogance of Steven Lynch. (A Massachusetts democrat, definitely not the comedian!) Mr. Liddy took the job for $1.00 and no stock options to try and help out his country. Mr. Lynch was way out of line in his questioning of Mr. Liddy and should apologize. What do you have to say for yourself, Mr. Lynch?

Second, this is $165 million, that's 6 zeros and 2 commas, not the trillions (12 zeros and 4 commas) that the bailout efforts and economic stimulus packages will cost the American taxpayers. This is just political grandstanding to deflect the interest of the press and public away from the massive spending the Obama Administration and Congress want to enact in the name of economic recovery. Politicos are very good at straining minnows and swallowing whales. It's called micromismanagement.

Third, were President Obama and Rep. Lynch both absent from law school the days contract law was taught? This was a pre-existing contract and failure to pay could have exposed AIG to lawsuits.

Fourth, will Timothy Geithner get his old job as Governor of the New York Federal Reserve Board back if he takes the fall for all this congressional hubris over $.0000165 trillion retention bonus that the original bailout bill allowed to go through in the first place?

I think Mr. Liddy should be given the chance to do what he said he will do in his recent letters to Treasury Secretary Geithner. Repay the bailout money and keep the good businesses of AIG intact and contributing to the USA economy. He was the CEO of Allstate, another large insurance company. He is offering all his experience for $1.00. He has a better chance of succeeding than any and all members of the house financial services committee could do. Remember, this committee repeatedly defended Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae right up until they went into conservatorship. How many of them work for $1.00. My educated guess is none,zip, goose egg, zero.

Barney Frank: Plenty of rich people that we can tax

2009-03-16T09:21:00.007-04:00

Here is a really interesting interview of Barney Frank by CNBC's Maria Bartiromo. Thanks to her control of the interview by stopping Mr. Frank from chatting on about his influence on John McCain, it is only 52 seconds long. It is very revealing of Mr. Frank's attitudes on taxes, the rich and the role of government.

I was so impressed I had an epiphany moment. I realized there was a whole class of people who could be made super rich by legislative fiat, one of Mr. Frank's favorite pastimes. Let's declare all political campaign contributions as taxable income to the end user, politicians such as Mr. Frank. The politicians usually do whatever whim and fancy hits them regardless of how it affects major contributors. Remember the tobacco settlement back in Bill Clinton's presidency. The tobacco companies contributed $millions if not $billions and they still got screwed - whoops, make that sued by the US Government. Part of the settlement required smoking cessation programs support and severe curtailment of advertising. To make matters worse if these draconian measures did not produce a certain level of smoking cessation after a few years, more penalties would be applied!!!

Just think, several hundred new millionaires all conveniently working within the DC beltway. That is my idea of change for the better. Since our politicians seem so obsessed with controlling executive compensation in the private sector, what better way to lead than by such a courageous example. However, I believe this bill is ever proposed would generate an unprecedented amount of bipartisan opposition.

Still, It is a great idea, maybe it will inspire other great ideas that stand a snowball's chance in Heck of becoming the law of the land.

Why the Economic Corpulence Package will not work

2009-03-03T17:36:00.008-05:00

President Obama (and his supporters) said one of the ways his economic stimulus package will (eventually) succeed is by encouraging banks and other creditors to start lending again so people can go out and buy lots of stuff. All of this spending will "save or create" lots of jobs, all good ones and all here in the USA. Wait one minute here, what happened to more manna from heaven than we can shake a stick at?? Cures for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, hangnails, etc, etc?? Throw in the moon and stars while you're making pie in the sky promises.

Increasing credit liquidity (aka encouraging banks and other creditors to start lending at lower standards just to boost Gross Domestic Product) will not turn around the worldwide economic recession. The reason for this blog and the current economic crisis is the gross overextension of credit caused by subprime mortgage lending. In other words, lending money for extremely high ticket purchases, homes that the buyers were not expected to be able to repay in the long run, turned a nice normal all-American business cycle recession into a severe worldwide recession.

In 2005, the USA had a negative personal savings rate, the first time since the great depression. In 25 words or less, the USA spending exceeded its disposal income. (disposal income is money after taxes. Jiminy Cricket, talk about your endangered species!!) A return to the credit abuse habits that got the USA into this extreme recession will not get us out of it. We may see an increase in sales and gross domestic product on a short term basis, but another extreme recession will be just around the corner. IMHO, Americans don't need more cell phones with cameras, music, video and web surfing ability; we need to hunker down, tighten our belts and get our feet back under us. Put another way, start living within our means and saving money for long term wants and needs. College tuition, home purchase, retirement come to mind.

President Obama recently said he wanted the US government to do the same thing American families do with their money. Sit down, work out a budget so the family income will cover all necessary expenses and some savings for future items. This would be real, unprecedented change for the better. Now the decision must be made, do we continue to encourage a consumption based economy or start to encourage a savings based economy?

Armageddon California style updates for 02/09

2009-02-19T08:38:00.005-05:00

Time to review the latest events in the California State Budget crisis. Notice I did not label this a progress report since there has not been enough of that to report. However, here are the highlights for this month.

First, John Chiang, the state controller announced suspension of all travel and per diem expense checks for all state employees including the legislators. They receive per diem checks of $173.00 to offset the expense of living in Sacramento. Let's do the math. 120 lawmakers times $173.00 a day is $20,760.00 daily savings. For a 5 day work week, that's $103,800.00 a week. This does not include the travel and per diem expenses for the rest of the state work force. Remember, this is just a suspension of payments due. When the legislators finally get around to passing a budget it will be paid.

Next, Governor Schwarzenegger tried to enact a 2 day a month furlough (days off without pay) for all state employees. John Chiang resisted the effort with the support of state employee unions, so Arnold had to take John to court to enforce it. The courts have already ruled that Arnold can do this since it is an emergency.

On February 10, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that the State of California will lay off 20% of its work force, letting go of those with the least amount of seniority. Wow, that's one out of 5 workers. California has about (for now anyway) 200,000 employees. I can't imagine that in a pool of 200,000 employees some wouldn't be willing to accept an early retirement if some of the payment reductions that usually apply to early retirements were waived. But then again, public employee pensions are very expensive. Maybe Arnold and the lawmakers made a good choice to let go of the least senior employees. If anyone has any thoughts on the subject, share them here.

Time for the USA to change its national bird.

2009-02-11T08:42:00.006-05:00

US Treasury Secretary Timothy (doggone, I forgot to file my taxes!!!) Geithner announced a plan to set up a government and private investor partnership to buy up to $1 trillion+ (that's 12 zeroes and 4 commas) worth of troubled assets from the nation's financial firms. In Wall Street jargon this is known as a vulture fund. Since the distressed securities involved are close to dead, this moniker is very fitting, even explicit. Vulture fund investors take the risks involved with deeply discounted securities in hopes that the investments will eventually recover and then be sold at a profit. The biggest risk for VF investors is the market is right about the securities and they are wrong. Most VF investors minimize this risk by researching the companies in the VF to find out what the odds are of a recovery. They also make certain the fund is well diversified so that one failed security will not wipe out any hopes for future profits.
I just do not see how this $trillion+ vulture fund will work. The hope being that trading out these bad debt instruments with money or better debt instruments will encourage the firms to start lending to consumers and businesses again. First, where are the private investors going to come from? How many people will buy into the notion that a portfolio of mortgages issued to people who were not expected to afford them when they were issued has the potential for profit? Not many, that's for sure. Most investors would not touch these portfolios unless they were buying them at pennies on the dollar or if the government were to guarantee the investments in some way. (remember Bear Sterns, AIG, Citigroup, GM, Chrysler, Fannie Mae,Freddie Mac?)
Secretary Geithner's announcement was given a thumbs down response on Wall Street as investors voted with their wallets and sold off a lot of stocks. This in turn led to declines in world stock markets as well.

A Very Brief History of California State Budget Crises

2009-01-28T12:23:00.009-05:00

Yes, folks, crises is not an error. It is the plural of crisis. Just since 1992 there have been 3. In 1992 the state funds ran so low that the state employees were issued warrants instead of paychecks. Banks honored the warrants and redeemed them later with a 5% premium. It took 2 months for the legislature to pass a budget.

In 2002, thanks to California's kinda sorta deregulation of the electricity market, there was another crisis. The legislature assumed the competition that(snicker snicker ha ha)deregulation brought would hold prices down until 2 weeks after Heck froze over. So they put a cap on how much electric companies could charge consumers. Yes, the politicos in Sacramento put a limit (AKA regulation) on how much electricity providers could charge their customers. They never thought that inflation would nudge prices up, that developing countries (India, China for example) would not want more oil for their expanding energy needs or anything else would drive prices for electricity production up. In other words, the legislature did not do much thinking at all when they set up this "deregulated" electricity market. When real life kicked in, California's electric suppliers were forced (by legislative fiat of course!!) to pay more for electricity then they were allowed to charge consumers. This brought on rolling brownouts and the recall of Governor Gray Davis.

Now, Arnold Schwarzenegger is Governor and dealing with the same problem. The state of California spends more money than it takes in. If California was a nation onto itself separate from the USA, it would be somewhere between the 5th and 10 largest economy worldwide based on gross domestic product. How does a state with a gross domestic product larger than lots of nations end up with such a deficit that a budget emergency needs to be declared and the state stops paying its bills ??!!! Truth is much,much stranger than fiction.

The First Lady is Smoking Hot!!!!

2009-01-26T11:45:00.004-05:00

I saw a picture of President & First Lady Obama walking down Pennsylvania Ave on January 20. The Prez had his overcoat buttoned up, probably due to the ambient air temperature of 20 something fahrenheit. The First Lady had her coat open. Unless she had thermal underwear on, I don't know how she could not feel the chill in the air. Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she was born and raised in Chicago, the windy city on the shore of Lake Michigan. President Obama was raised in much balmier climates( Hawaii, Indonesia & Kansas) so it would be natural for him to button up his overcoat. Oh well, just more proof that opposites attract! Maybe Barack's balmy nature and Michelle's Chicago heartiness will make for a winning team in the White House. Let's hope so.