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Editorial Archives
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EDITORIALS FROM THE BACHELOR'S BEAT
GOP Should Not Run Dem Party!
When the Democrats established a rule that states could not hold their primary elections for Presidential candidates early or they would lose their delegates to the Democrat national convention, the Republicans laughed.
Once again, the state of Florida is having some serious effects on our democratic processes for electing a President. In the past it was the hanging chads and the controversy over counting votes that eventually resulted in the U.S. Supreme Court deciding issues that caused George W. Bush to be sworn in as President.
Now a Republican governor and a Republican state legislature have ordered the Florida Democrats to have a primary election contrary to the Democrat party’s own rules. With both Dem front-runners - Barrack Obama and Hillary Clinton having been on the Florida ballot, the votes of Floridians are now being ignored. The Democrats, so anxious to follow their own rules, are throwing out all those Florida votes - and the Republicans are laughing.
The situation was similar in Michigan, but there the Democrat party called the shots and all the candidates were not on the ballot. They have to pay the price for ignoring their own party rules.
But the Florida delegates should be seated and their votes counted - or the Republicans get to laugh and laugh and laugh as they make a mockery of the democratic process!
CarFax Reports Misleading!
While agreeing to settle a lawsuit out of court, CarFax has refused to acknowledge any wrongdoing - but the reports it issues can be misleading.
As part of a settlement in an Ohio court, CarFax agreed to make prominent disclosures that the history report it issues might not contain complete information. That is the rub!
The reports are usually based on data available via state Motor Vehicle Departments as to whether or not the title has ever been declared as a “salvage” vehicle and information from insurance companies regarding major damage claims - ie: flood, collision, etc. But, if the car was not insured, no report of the damage will exist with either insurance firms or the DMV.
This newspaper recently ran a CarFax report on a vehicle that had been stolen and never recovered. The car was reported stolen to the police, yet the report from CarFax made no such revelation - and it reported the vehicle history to be just fine!
Vehicle-history reports have become popular for consumers who want to know whether the used vehicle they're buying has been wrecked, flooded, stolen, repurchased under a state Lemon Law program, or had another significant problem that could affect its reliability, safety, or value.
Some car dealers offer prospective buyers free reports as evidence that a used vehicle has a clean history. But, the reports are nothing more than a selling tool and the public should realize that they carry no more weight of legitimacy than the promises of the used car salesman.
We, too, feel that it is nice to get some reassurance as to the history of a vehicle we are considering purchasing - but we would like it even better if CarFax actually states: This vehicle has Never been reported stolen; This vehicle has Never been in a flood; This vehicle has Never been damaged in a fire; This vehicle has Never been in a collision causing damage in excess of 50 percent of its value.
Without such guarantees, the reports CarFax issues are - another promise from the salesman!
Payday Loans Or Loan Sharks!
There are movements afoot at both the state and national levels to put some caps on the amount of interest those payday loan centers can charge.
The instant cash and check cashing stores are on the corners of virtually every major intersection and politicians are questioning the high rates of interest they charge to make a loan to someone who has to get some money quick or pay a $50 late charge on some other account.
There are several points the politicians, including those running for the office of President, do not seem to take into consideration:
* Many of these loans are “high risk” and without collateral - tightening the interest rate these businesses can charge will also mean the lender has to raise the standards necessary in order to make the loan. Fewer people will be able to make a loan.
* While it is true the interest rates and fees may be high, the instant cash stores have put a lot of criminal “loan sharks” out of business - and that means less violence. The old time criminal loan sharks were inclined to use muscle to collect unpaid debts. The modern loan shark can legally use the courts and law to collect.
* People have to accept responsibility for the decisions they make. Most lessons in life are costly and learning about interest rates, fees and the cost of borrowing and repayment is a lesson all should learn. Laws should not deter the learning process.
* There is a need for these businesses or they would not exist. What the lawmakers should consider is just requiring the lenders to make sure the borrower understands the total amount that has to be repaid without distorting the numbers. Then it remains a choice for the borrower and a free enterprise business for the lender.
Something Is Wrong!
While a large portion of U.S. grain production is now going to produce ethanol as a supposed way to reduce our consumption of crude for gasoline, we continue to pay farmers (including agricultural corporations formed under NAFTA) to leave farm acreage dormant - and we continue to pay corporate farmers to not grow crops!
With a shortage of grain the cost of food is going up along with the cost of diesel fuel the farmers use to grow the products and truckers and railroads use to deliver the food products - and we continue to pay corporate farmers to not grow crops!
The U.S. is the largest single supplier of charitable foods being shipped to under-privileged nations like the Haiti, Bangladesh and many African nations. Since “food” production in the U.S. has declined by 40 percent, the charity shipments to those countries has also been reduced - and we continue to pay corporate farmers to not grow crops!
As a result, people are starving and food riots have broken out in many distribution centers - and we continue to pay corporate farmers to not grow crops!
This past week President George Bush announced that he now wants to use inflated U.S. dollars to buy crops from other agricultural producing nations so we can send those crops to the starving nations - and we continue to pay corporate farmers to not grow crops!
McCain Needs Some Lessons!
When the obvious Republican nominee for President made the enlightening statement that he did not “understand economics” many supporters just shrugged it off and figured they could provide people to help him with his “economic homework.” But his recent statement that the Federal government should give-up the 18-cents per gallon it collects on gasoline and 24 cents it collects on diesel fuel may be an example of either “not understanding” or possibly trying to help Bush-Cheney and their oil company interests to make even more money on the backs of the American motorists.
Senator McCain says he thinks eliminating the fuel tax during the summer months will “help” the public - when, in fact, it will just make it easier for the oil companies to raise their prices and profits!
The greatest fears the oil company big-whigs have are: (1) the possibility of some real price and production controls on their products coming out of the ground; (2) A reduced demand by the consumers leaving them with fuel in the storage tanks and production contracts they can’t sell.
While some gullible Americans would thank Senator McCain for “saving” them a few bucks, realistic citizens will recognize that the oil companies would be the real beneficiaries - not the people! At the rates the price of fuel is going up, the cost of a gallon of gasoline would increase 18 cents while the Senate and House take a vote to institute the tax-reduction.
And what would it save? The average motorist is consuming about 15 gallons of gasoline a week - total savings would be $2.70 a week. Not enough for two cups of coffee!
If Senator McCain and his colleagues were to put a bill in place that would “raise” the taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel, commensurate with any price increases the oil companies pass along, the oil companies would back peddle! They would make sure their “friends” in OPEC keep the prices down so they don’t have too big of a surplus of fuel on hand - processed gasoline does spoil in the storage tanks!
Also, Senator McCain, since you think we need to stay in Iraq, how about explaining what is happening to all that Iraqi oil that was supposed to defray the costs of that war and pay for the rebuilding of that nation?
Tips To Avoid Road Rage!
The shootings that occur on our streets and highways as a result of uncontrolled “Road Rage” are becoming more frequent! The oncoming heat of summer is likely to make the situation even worse.
Experts have few clues as to exactly what triggers this violent rage that overcomes drivers who might otherwise be perfectly normal citizens. But, behind the wheel of a car, when confronted with a frustrating situation involving another motorist, some drivers are likely to flip out and start shooting.
Everyone could take some steps to avoid causing road rage and avoid being the victim of some flipped-out motorist - just follow a few simple tips:
1 - Be aware of the fact that you are not on the road alone! There are other drivers who have places to go and things to do.
2 - Stay off your cell phone while driving! Drivers talking on cell phones are inclined to be unaware of others, drive too slow, don’t move over when they are blocking traffic - they frustrate other motorists.
3 - You are not a traffic cop! It is not your place to line-up with another vehicle and “go steady” - that is, to pace or drive along side another vehicle at the exact same speed because it is the lawful speed. The person who wants to exceed the posted speed limit (regardless of the reason) is going to be frustrated by your parallel driving. This frustration could get you killed! If you are not passing another vehicle, move in with the traffic in a single lane. Do not block what is commonly called the “high speed lane.” You are risking your life and the lives of others by doing this. Also - you do not know the reason someone wants to drive faster - they could have an injured child in the car who is bleeding to death - and you want to play traffic cop and force them to slow down?
4 – Be tolerant! Everyone makes a mistake (present reader excepted) and allowing them to raise our blood pressure and create hostility on the highway is foolish. If you see someone who is about to miss a turn-off frantically (and dangerously) trying to switch lanes at the last second, give them a “brake” if you can do so safely. True, people have to recognize that there is another turn-off ahead and, to be safe, they should skip they should pay attention and go for the next turn. But, we can be tolerant of all the foolishness on the highways and streets – we’ll be safer as a result.
4 - Leave early! You are less likely to be frustrated by the inane actions of other motorists if you aren’t in a hurry. When you get frustrated you are subject to whipping around other cars, changing lanes and “teach that jerk a lesson” by cutting them off - and that can lead to two drivers experiencing road rage.
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Child (?) Brides & Polygamy!
The media is having a field day by NOT appealing to the prurient interests of the public when they constantly report on a Texas raid of a Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints (FLDS) compound (village?) in which numerous young ladies under the age of 18 were reportedly being forced to marry older men, have sex and have babies.
We have no doubt there were some problems within that FLDS facility however, the media and law enforcement might be making a mountain out of a molehill. Up until about 50 years ago, it was perfectly natural for young women of 16, 17 and 18 to get married and have children.
In fact, even today, young women can be declared “emancipated” and get married at 16 in almost every state. Some states don’t even require the court’s consent - just the parent’s consent for their 16 year old daughter to marry. For that matter, we can go back in our history and find that girls as young as 14 were often married and then moved west with their new husbands (usually about 10 or 20 years their senior) to settle the west.
Another point - Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ, was only presumed to be 12 years old when she conceived and was ordered by an “angel” to marry a 35-year old carpenter named Joseph.
If a group of men and women choose to practice polygamy and do not use force or fraud, that is their business - not the business of society. To claim that the subjects are “brainwashed” into accepting the dictates of a preacher, pastor, prophet, priest or Pope, as “the word of God” - THAT IS brainwashing. Why should the pot call the kettle black?
We don’t approve of girls under 16 getting married, but we don’t understand why anyone - court, parent, legislator, preacher - would or could have the authority to “approve or disapprove” of a marriage. In fact, why does anyone need government or religious “license” to have sex?
If a young woman from the Texas FLDS church says she was forcibly raped, the authorities should investigate, arrest and charge the person or persons responsible. The same is true of any other community within these United States - regardless of political or religious affiliation.
But to slam the entire village is not a proper procedure - ethically, morally or legally!
Protecting Freedom Of Speech!
If a government can shut down public access to certain segments of the Internet, as China is doing, is the Internet phenomenon as a freedom of speech promoter, just a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
When the newspapers and magazines print their final hard copy issues what communications will remain? Radio and TV can already be shut down by flipping a switch controlled by a dictator or repressive bureaucracy! Apparently, the Internet can be subject to the same fate! In fact, in most instances all electronic communications can be SHUT DOWN just by flipping a switch or shooting down a satellite.
Yes, there are those with some knowledge of radio who could set-up mobile pirate radio broadcasting stations - but that would be very limited news! So many broadcasters are now working hand in glove with bloggers and other Internet providers to secure the news of the day. Even the old standbys UPI, AP, Reuters - all are totally dependent on the Internet to send their news and photos to the media.
Some might think it is paranoia setting in, but there have been numerous things happening in the communications field that makes one want to CYA (cover your ass) - and many of the concerns involve China, Rev. Sun Myung Moon and his followers (referred to as “moonies”) as they branch out into establishing very good Internet servers, communications programs, helpful web sites - all very nice but making the pubic dependent on those sponsoring forces - China and the Moonies. Anyone who wants to know (at this time) can use the Internet search engines and follow one lead to another to determine that several major search programs were created by Moonies and are controlled by Rev. Moon. Ditto for numerous electronic AND print media.
Rev. Moon, for those who don’t know, was a former Korean equivalent of a CIA operative before he decided he could develop greater power and control more as a “preacher.” He often performs mass marriages of his “dedicated” followers in sports stadiums, virtually filling the field with brides and grooms. And, in many instances, the marriages are “arranged” by Rev. Moon.
Rev. Moon publishes the Washington Times (DC) newspaper, has numerous U.S. political connections and sponsors an annual Prayer Breakfast for the President and Congress each year - and this doesn’t even touch on his connections.
Possible, if the FLDS (see above editorial) did something like this, they wouldn’t be bothered by Texas, Arizona, Nevada or Utah authorities.
Yes, They Are Bitter!
When Barack Obama made his now famous speech in which he referred to all those people in Pennsylvania as being “bitter”, he could not have imagined the pretentious uproar it would create with his enemies and opponents for the office of President.
Hillary Clinton’s people jumped on the statement – how dare this man refer to the good people of Pennsylvania as “bitter?” John McCain’s people jumped on the statement! The Republican party jumped on the statement! What could possibly make this upstart think the people of Pennsylvania (or any other Americans) are “bitter” and taking refuge in their guns and god – just because they lost their jobs and industries?
We have news for all those who condemned that statement – IT IS TRUE! Americans everywhere, especially in the previously industrialized section of the country – and the people from Silicon valley – and the farmers – all are “bitter” as a result of the Bushes and the Clintons and the McCain’s and all the rest of the candidates (with a couple of exceptions) who have assisted or ignored the treasonous programs our government and elected officials have sponsored that have caused entire industries and all the hundreds of thousands of jobs to leave this country.
Should a person be happy that his or her government has made a deal to ship the Pittsburgh steel foundries to China? Should that person be happy when they realize that all the government’s promises to get new jobs into the area fall flat?
The people are ticked-off – they are bitter – and no amount of double talk will change that!
But all those Obama critics won’t sponsor a real survey of the people to find out if they are “bitter” – they already know the answer. They will get the real survey for Pennsylvania next Tuesday (April 22) and then again on November 4, 2008.
A Time For Isolationism?
The unsettled mood in America right now is either a real shift in economic affairs or a consumer and worker storm that could become close to an economic revolution.
A record number of Americans believe the country is on the wrong track. We are shipping jobs out of the country and taxing businesses that keep their production facitilites within the U.S. borders. The Iraq war is not only costing lives, U.S. military and Iraqi civilians, it is costing us the value of the dollar (what remains).
When someone loses their job and is on the verge of losing their home, car and everything they have worked for (the American Dream) they often take some time to think of how they got into such dire straights.
It is easy for the man or woman who works for a major firm and pulls down in excess of $100,000 a year to say the “economy is good” - but let the company start outsourcing, shipping jobs out of the country, and they quickly see the hand-writing on the wall! Their job will also leave our shores.
The Federal Reserve’s monetry structures are not simple - and all are tied into the desire by corporate CEO’s and accountants to make the “bottom line” look good, even if their company is losing economic ground. The best way to do that is “inflation” - if the company’s gross and profits are a greater amount than the previous years’ figures, the corporate executives appear to have secured their positions. But such inflationary economic policies are somewhat like a “Ponzi Scheme” and require an ever expanding sphere of operations. Ergo, we ship the jobs and the productivity out of the United States so the CEOs won’t appear impotent!
Our nation, as recently as 50 years ago, had everything needed to make it the most productive and viable economic power in the world. Every nation wanted to emulate our system - so we changed it! We started importing more goods and gradually exported our economic security. The value of the dollar declined and the Yen, Pound, Mark, Franc and eventually the Euro all increased in value.
Our leaders decided to alter our economic system and print funny money with nothing to back it up but a pledge to trust in God - “In God We Trust” . Corporations started to utilize the inflationary economy and the Ponzi Scheme was fully operational with the public as victims.
The cost to Americans workers and retirees is their homes, their jobs, their investments, their way of life and their pride!
We are still capable of revitalizing our productivity in this nation. We can produce steel, copper, food stuffs, and manufacture these things into useful items for our own use. We don’t need to import things that we can produce ourselves.
The next President must rescind all so-called “Free Trade” agreements, use the bully-pulpit to penalize imports and encourage corporations to return their operations to U.S. shores or face severe penalties.
Congressman Ron Paul is still a candidate for President, despite the fact that he is not pushing the campaign since McCain has it locked - he has not withdrawn. Paul has no hope of winning. But his antiwar, isolationist message keeps the support of enthusiastic volunteers. They are also representative of a revival of what can be called the new economic isolationism for America.
The “Free Trade” agreements and movements are strangling America. They are, in fact, NOT “Fair” Trade!
We cannot afford this globalization of our economy!
We cannot afford to be policeman to the world!
We cannot afford to allow our economy to crumble while we expand the economy of other nations!
We must return to being a productive nation, producing things for ourselves and restoring the American Dream to Americans!
Fuel Prices
As diesel fuel climbs above the $4 per gallon mark and regular gasoline rises to $3.30 plus, The American public is “outraged” that milk, bread, meat and all consumables and merchandise in the stores is costing more! Why don’t these across the board price increases for diesel and gasoline fuel constitute Price Fixing?
Should it make any difference if the prices are fixed by a meeting between the American oil company CEO’s, working in collusion, or some Arabian Sheiks and other dictator meeting and calling themselves OPEC – and they do the price fixing?
Traditionally (prior to the first George Bush being elected President in 1988) the price of diesel fuel was approximately one-half of the pump rice for regular gasoline. The difference in price was a reflection of the fact that diesel fuel only went through on process at the refinery – while the crude went through a few more cycles before it was usable as gasoline.
The process for refining diesel and gasoline have not changed much – yet the oil barrons are now charging more for diesel than for gasoline. This is were the “conspiracy” starts – they have conspired to keep their profit margins up by charging “less” for gasoline and subsidizing the loss by charging excessively high prices for diesel fuel.
When they raise the price of gasoline, the public (consumers) rebel and start to cut back on driving. But when they charge too much for diesel fuel, the truckers and railroads can’t cut back on their consumption – they are in business and they have to pay what it takes to keep their businesses running. BUT, those increased costs for transportation are then passed along to the public (consumers) via higher prices for milk, bread, meat – anything found in a store – anything transported to market. Keep in mind that farmers run most of their equipment on that expensive diesel fuel.
How do they get away with this? Why does this problem exist? Why don’t our elected representatives (ha!) take on these so-called American oil company execs and stop this abuse?
Just because the oil companies kick in to their political campaigns is no excuse – is it? Just because the President and Vice President are powerfully connected with all of the oil industry – that’s no excuse – is it?
The laws are being ignored and the public is being victimized!
One might ask why OPEC keeps raising the price of oil – but the answer is simple: Bush and his cronies have an “occupation force” stationed in Iraq and are sending their friends (Halliburton, Bechtel and others) billions of dollars to supposedly rebuild the infra-structure in that occupied country. The treasury is printing the money and creating inflation in the process of running the presses. The dollar is inflated and it “appears” OPEC is raising the price of crude oil. But the price of crude is not climbing at such a rate when compared to the Euro – the Europeans aren’t paying Bush and Cheney’s rip-off friends to rebuild Iraq!
When the Cheney-Bush regime ends in Washington, Mr. Cheney’s company, Halliburton Oil, will have completed most of its move to Dubai – along with all the dollars it has ripped off from the U.S. Treasury and converted to Euros and gold.
We have no doubt that Mr. Cheney and the Bushes (most of them) will have nice, secure villas to live in – compliments of the Crown Prince of Dubai.
For those that don’t know, the Bush family’s interests in oil goes back to grandpa Preston Bush – he is the Bush who had all the connections with Hitler and the Nazi party and was so involved with them that the U.S. government had to take legal actions against him. This was at the same time when American troops and our allies were being killed by the Germans (Circa WWII).
For those who don’t know, Dick Cheney got his foot in the door while serving in the first President Bush’s Cabinet (during the first war with Iraq) – and in 1992 he became the CEO of Halliburton Oil, the world’s largest facilitator of oil drilling and processing.
Now, does anyone wonder why the cost of everything is going up and up and up?
Recover The Old Economy?
March 14, 2008
Bring someone into your community to spend a dollar and you have added another six dollars in activity to the local economy. That is how business and government looked at promotion and development - back in the middle of the last century!
The way it worked was that when the dollar was spent in a local store, it circulated around via wages, rents, utilities, taxes, etc., and was spent over and over again until it was virtually taxed out of existence or was needed to buy merchandise from outside the community.
Now, however, it doesn’t work that way. When a dollar is spent it still circulates around the community, but only about 3 times - during which it is taxed out of existence or sent to some foreign country, like China or Iraq!
Expansion of the U.S. economy and helping other less fortunate nations sounded like the “nice thing to do” when politicians and expanding business leaders suggested it. As it turned out it was “nice” for the other countries and some ineffective corporate leaders who profited from the expansion at the cost of U.S. economic development and U.S. jobs.
We are now informed that the money being spent in Iraq (costing lives of American troops and Iraqi civilians) is enough to build all the roads, hospitals, water treatment centers, dams and other infrastructures this nation desperately needs - and put all unemployed Americans back to work at good paying jobs - which would allow them to buy and keep their homes, cars and credit. Our dollar would be holding its own compared to the Euro and other foreign currencies if we weren’t spending on and sending money to Iraq and others nations.
Keep in mind that while the price of oil from OPEC continues to climb as related to the U.S. dollar, oil prices are not climbing when related to the Euro!
George W. Bush isn’t the only one to blame for this economic screw-up - it can be traced back to all the previous administrations that chose to ignore the Constitutional restrictions placed on government, Republican and Democrat alike! AND we can look in the mirror and point a finger at ourselves - we have the government and economy we deserve! We have elected these people and WE are responsible for what they have done!
Until the American people wake up and take the time to know and understand exactly what our Constitution says about the authority of government, they will continue to vote away our liberty, industry, jobs and economy in exchange for some vague promises of politicians and special interest groups!
And we should not think that the special interest groups are just normal businesses - there are those special interest groups who espouse high ideals and cause the same problems as they promote their religions, their ideas of clean air, their desire to save the species, their desire to spend for education so they don’t have to be responsible for teaching their kids anything at home (before they even go to school), their desire to have government pay for sporting events or to subsidize anything with printed money that is not backed by gold or silver AS REQUIRED IN THE U.S. CONSTITUTION!
Printing and spending currency (money) with nothing to back it up creates inflation (higher prices for everything) and reduces the value of dollars already in circulation. In fact, printing such funny money is akin to taxing everyone - without their direct consent and knowledge.
When this simple point is ignored, it means money is created out of thin air and our entire economic structure (the one the world once wanted to emulate) falls apart and America becomes a second-rate nation!
| Changine Our Attitudes!
March 7, 2008
Greed is not good according to most
philosophic and economic experts, but
when some government officials says “eliminate taxes” they add the unspoken phrase “as long as we can have at least 40 per cent.”
Governments at all levels are constantly in search of ever more cash to oil their creaking bureaucratic machinery. In the U.S. this desire for “tax” revenues was slightly diminished when the past four administrations realized how easy it was to “just print the money”! In fact, the George Bush administration has been giving tax breaks and rebates to the people while he spends more money than any President - ever! He can do it (with the consent of Congress) by authorizing more treasury bills (IOU’s) and ordering the mint to print more money - in fact, sometimes it isn’t even necessary to run the printing presses - it can be done with “electronic” means - just push a button, move a decimal point and, wallah, you have all the money (?) needed.
But some nations want to suck businesses out of America (along with the jobs and tax bases) so they adopt tax structures that become an incentive or corporate leaders to change national allegiance. Even Vice President Dick Cheney is moving his Halliburton Corporation headquarters to Dubai as soon as his term in office is over.
Kuwait has passed a bill to sharply cut its uniquely high rate. Here is the one-sentence story in the Washington Post: “Kuwait’s parliament passed a bill to cut taxes on profit of foreign companies to 15 percent, abolishing a progressive scale established in 1955 with a maximum rate of 55 percent, in a bid to attract investments and diversify the economy.”
The United States corporate rates remain the second highest in the industrialized world at 39.3 percent. According to a national tax group, the following countries are taking the actions listed:
* Poland may adopt a flat tax
* Iceland and Taiwan to cut corporate tax rates
* People leaving Ireland due to high personal income taxes
* Hungarian government considers a flat tax
* Kuwait cuts corporate tax rate
* Swiss canton adopts flat tax.
Our economy is running downhill and those elected to public office don’t really understand that they are the ones who must make things right.
Return jobs to the U.S. by eliminating those so-called ‘Free Trade” agreements.
Return to a financial standard as defined in the U.S. Constitution. Without a standard, inflation results and the price of everything climbs. Notice, the price of gasoline when measured in Euros has not increased - it only goes up when measured in U.S. dollars.
Reduce and change controls on corporations regarding essential industries. What good is it to place prohibitive environmental controls on a smelter or refinery in Arizona or along the Texas border with Mexico and then allow the U.S. firm to move to Mexico and build the same polluting structure a few miles from our border? This is stupidity and it costs Americans dearly - in health and finances!
CUT TAXES - In Fact, eliminate income taxes on individuals - and in doing so, reduce or eliminate spending for “entitlements” and on things like being the policeman to the world.
| Where Are The Workers?
Feb. 29, 2008
While citizens complained about the illegal (undocumented) aliens who where depriving citizens of jobs, businesses continued to hire anyone who wanted to work. But eventually the complainers won - the laws were passed and job sites are posted with notices to employers that they can be arrested and fined for hiring someone who does not meet the criteria established by the Homeland Security.
In the state of Arizona Sheriff Joe is making sure these laws are enforced - and he intends to arrest these illegal workers.
But alongside the postings to warn employers, the U.S. Department of Justice has a posting advising everyone that they cannot be fired from a job or even challenged just because they are apparently from another county.
Not only is this confusing to workers, it is double confusion for employers. The results, in many places of business, is that workers of questionable legal status are leaving their jobs and the American citizens are NOT stepping in to fill those positions.
In restaurants and at constructions sites, there is a shortage of hired help and in many instances the owner of the firm is back working behind the counters due to a lack of employees.
The economy is hurting (it is a recession) but those with big incomes don’t notice it as much as the factory worker or the tradesmen or the small merchants. The big money people won’t realize there is a problem until they can’t find someone to wash their car or serve the food at their favorite restaurant.
The jobs American citizens have complained about losing to foreigners were not the jobs taken by immigrants to this country (legal or not) - they lost their big jobs to the outsourcing to foreign countries. This outsourcing was the result of taxes on American firms and so-called “free trade” agreements with other nations.
Wake up America! The media and the politicians are lying to us - they always have and this election year is not any different!
| Get Mecham Right!
Feb. 29, 2008
Numerous stories are in print about former Arizona Governor Evan Mecham – however, most continue to slander him even as his memorial service is being held on Saturday.
Governor Mecham tried 5 times before he succeeded in winning the governor’s chair in 1986– much to the chagrin of the Arizona Republic newspaper. Mecham ran as an independent in a 3-way race and the Arizona Republic’s “scientific polling” showed that Mecham would only get 15 percent of the vote – and that poll was taken just a few days before election day.
The state’s largest daily newspaper had egg on it’s front page face when Mecham garnered more than one-half of the votes and won the election. Nobody had ever been elected governor of Arizona without the endorsement of the Republic newspaper.
Immediately after the election, anti-Mecham forces attacked – he was berated for “canceling” the Martin Luther King holiday – when in fact he merely cancelled the fact that it was a “paid Holiday” created by his predecessor, Gov. Bruce Babbitt. In Arizona the governor’s office does not have authority to create “paid” holidays – it has to be done by the legislature. Mecham finally got that point across to some close followers of MLK, but the general media still carries the same old story.
When the media stories point to Mecham’s subsequent impeachment, they fail to mention that more than half of the state lawmakers who voted to impeach were all on the “take” from special interest groups and within a couple of years, those same legislators were caught, on camera, taking payoffs in the controversial ABSCAM sting operation.
Before they could force him out of office, Mecham pointed out to the governors of the Western States Governors Conference the trickery being played on all states that caused them to reduce the speed limits to 55 mph. Immediately following that revelation, the Federal government backed-off and states once again took control of their speed limits.
Many other distortions and omissions about the political career of the Honorable Evan Mecham are perpetuated and probably will be forever.
But this week we want to thank Evan Mecham for all he did to make this world a better place to live.
| Just $8 - Not A Billion!
Feb. 22, 2008
Politicians and bureaucrats can toss around terms like “One Hundred Billion Dollars” or “One Trillion Dollars” with ease. They spend in these terms! But the average and even the above average person finds it difficult to consider these as real numbers.
What is a BILLION of anything? Can our readers conceive of what they could buy if they had $1,000,000,000? Probably not! So the big-spenders throw these number around without concern for upsetting the general public.
We suggest everyone start converting those billions of dollars to more reasonable figures. Let us use some simple figures - and we’ll round them off to make calculations easy:
There are approximately 334 Million people in these United States - if we divide that number into One Billion Dollars, we find that it amounts to $3 for each man, woman and child.
When government spend a Billion Dollars - they are spending $3 for every member of your household - since there are about 2.7 people per household, that really means the government is spending approximately $8 of your money.
When the politician decides to throw $100 billion into Iraq to rebuild that country’s infrastructure (roads, hospitals, schools, etc) they are sending Iraq $800 of YOUR money - even if they don’t levy a tax for it. Just running the printing presses and “creating” money is a tax - the inflation caused by circulating more printed dollars literally decreases the value of every dollar you have in your pocket, in the bank or money that is owed to you. They are spending YOUR MONEY!
Remember: Every $1 billion in expenditures by government costs you $8. Think about that when some politician says it is necessary!
| Another Big Ditch!
Feb. 15, 2008
In 1817 this country built the “Big Ditch” - also known as the Erie Canal - as a means of moving goods across the Great Lakes and onto the Hudson River and then to the oceans and the world. It was a mammoth project for that era, but the American will prevailed.
About 100 years later, 1917, another “Big ditch” was opened, better known as the Panama Canal. This gigantic Yankee undertaking allowed shipping to travel from the East Coast (Atlantic) to the West Coast (Pacific) without having to traverse the intense weather and distance resulting from a passage all the way around the tip of the South American Continent.
The year 2017 is just 9 years away and if we start now we could build another big ditch from Brownsville, Texas, to San Diego, California, and solve some of the problems we face today:
1) We have surrendered control of the Panama Canal and gradually a Chinese “firm” is wresting financial control of the canal.
2) Tankers are being built on a small scale so that the Panama Canal locks can still handle them - the Panama Canal is just too small for many of the tankers, freighters and other ships sailing the seas, today.
3) There is concern that one day we will not be able to use the Panama Canal for our warships and some aircraft carriers can barely squeeze thru the locks.
4) Illegal aliens are constantly crossing the border into the U.S. from Mexico. This “Big ditch” would make that extremely difficult.
5) Most illegals coming to the U.S. are in search of employment, despite the export of manufacturing jobs from the U.S. to Mexico via NAFTA. Construction of the “Millennium Big Ditch” would have to be a joint effort between Mexico and the U.S. - thereby creating many needed construction jobs on both sides of the border.
6) The U.S. economy is floundering and needs a boost. Ditto for Mexico. Jobs are needed and all the residual businesses and jobs that would result from building that “Millennium (2017) Big Ditch” would justify the expense.
| Enough Is Enough!
Feb. 8, 2008
If we just say NO to Federal dictates and BIG BROTHER ID CARDS, how long would government be able to lie to the people? How long could government controllers hold out if everyone refused to get a “special” national identity card?
The controllers in Washington, backed by some local control fanatics, are insistent that we, the people, must have some form of uniform National Identity Card! Without these cards in our individual possession, the bureaucracy will not be able to guarantee our security!
Anyone who does not have such a card will not be allowed to enter a Federal building - and eventually, any public building - not a post office, not to pay taxes, kids couldn’t go to school, nobody to serve on juries or testify in courts. These are not the places where terrorists and illegal immigrants hang out - so why the big deal?
In fact, Big Brother wants us to have such Federally issued identity cards before we are allowed to board an airplane - and eventually a bus. In fact, there is no reason we shouldn’t be required to produce such a card before we can gas-up and drive to aunt Mildred’s house in the next state. If we have the government issued identity cards they will contain more electronic information on each individual than many of us want to remember.
Government can use the excuse of “conserving fuel” as a reason to demand that we have the card electronically upgraded before we can travel more than 100 miles from our residence. Shades of Adolph Hitler - the Fourth Reich lives!
But the advantages are - you will only need one card for everything. It will be your credit card, driver’s license, passport, gun permit (oh, yeah), voter ID, health insurance card, proof of liability insurance and even the title for your car - all on one little card. The coding can be electronically imbedded to show your credit rating and even all the health data and vital signs from your last visit to the doctor.
Of course, if you write a letter to the editor, or post something the government doesn’t like on a Blog, you might find your card electronically damaged - and it might remain damaged for several weeks. It would be best not to speak out!
Terrorists and drug smugglers won’t be bothered much by the National Identity Card. All that is necessary is to “borrow” someone else’s card, scan the electronic data encrypted, have another card made with that person’s name and encrypted information and the terrorist’s picture - then return the borrowed card and nobody will know! They will be free to go anywhere just as long as the original data owner isn’t doing the same thing.
National security?? Bull! A drug smuggling cartel or a terrorist group can easily buy the same equipment used by the government and duplicate anything. They have the money and the incentive.
But the law-abiding citizen can’t afford to have a phony ID card - they will have to surrender their rights and sign up for the real thing!
Many years ago, when the Federal government (FCC) tried to force radio permits on everyone with a CB radio, the people flat refused to get the licenses and eventually the FCC backed off!
It is time for the real Americans to tell the government to “back off” and say “Enough!”
| Anti-Murder Law!
Feb. 8, 2008
While the First amendment to the Constitution prohibits the government from making laws regarding the practice of religion, the government is also charged with a responsibility to protect the rights of the citizens - especially the right to not be murdered because of a religious belief!
Every state has laws against murder and planning or fostering a murder. Those laws need to be enforced vigorously against certain Muslim sects that not only promulgate the teaching of Jihad (religious murder) but allow parents to murder their own offspring if they don’t obey a parental order.
Recently the news has carried items about Muslim men killing their own daughters for refusing to cover their heads and threatening a daughter with death if she refused to marry the man her father had selected for her.
The federal government managed to convince the Church of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons) to officially denounce their religious belief in polygamy (numerous wives) - even though that appeared to be government interference with a religion. If the Federal powers can protect women from Mormon polygamy abuse, those powers can be applied against teaching a Muslim belief to murder non-believers and infidels!
| A Real Stimulus Package!
Feb. 1, 2008
Government officials at all levels are enthusiastic about their latest economic stimulus to stop our economy from dumping so deep that it is called a depression. They, in their great wisdom have determined that giving a $600 rebate to everyone who files a tax return - even if they didn’t have any money coming back - is a great way to boost the economy.
This is identical to George W. Bush’s program at the start of his administration - then he ordered everyone to get a $300 rebate. But the problems this time will be the same as the last . Two things can happen:
People will use the money to shop (buy foreign products, sending the dollar out of the county and our balance of payments to China and other countries will expand) ; Pay off some credit card debt and put more money into the hands of the bankers to try and find a way to loan it out - and our dollar will be further devalued.
Seven years ago this newspaper suggested a way to get that money boost into the economy without destroying it. Simply give the money to each city government with the conditions that it can only be used to buy items for city use that have been manufactured in the United States.
Cities could buy computers, office equipment, fire trucks, police cars, maintenance equipment, and the myriad of other things on which cities spend so much money. And everything has to be made in the U.S.!
This would get the money into the economy and stimulate U.S. manufacturing - creating jobs for Americans in America!
There could even be another provision or string attached to the money: Companies that move their manufacturing or service divisions out of the country will be penalized with a special tax on any profits they make from the stimulus package - or give the ones who stay in America a bonus.
Salesmen will be back on the road trying to sell their products to the various city governments; restaurants will be frequented; hotels will be occupied; cars will be rented; perk tickets to various events will be purchased; tips will be paid to waiters and waitresses; factories will have to hire people to produce the products being sold - the economy booms!
Just handing it back to the people, directly, will only result in more dollars being shipped out of the country as the people buy cheaper, foreign-made products!
| Feb. 5th Could Be The Day!
Feb. 1, 2008
If you aren’t registered to vote, you can forget about reading this! There are going to be some people selected to possibly be the next President of the United States - some are great, some are good and some are the anti-thesis of the liberty and justice!
Primary elections in which the people can flex some muscle and help to choose the right person for the job is Tuesday, February 5th.
Those of you who are still not sure about which candidate is most in accord with your thinking and beliefs should go to a web page called the Electoral Compass - you can find it at electoral compass.com and you will be asked several questions about national issues facing the next president. The website will then generate a comparison between your answers and those given by the presidential contenders - and show you where you stand with each of the candidates.
If you prefer you can go to TheBeatAZ.com and click on the link a the top of the page - it will take you directly to the questionnaire.
Do this and then vote!
| A Caring America Requires Caring Americans!
Jan. 25, 2008
It is not “caring” to vote for someone because of their gender, race or religion - and that was never more certain than it is with this 2008 race for the Presidency of these United States of America.
The Democrats are trying to choose the best of four candidates to be their nominee:
An Anglo-American woman;
A man of African-American descent;
An Anglo-American male who has run for vice-president in the past;
An Anglo-American male, former mayor, who has previously run for President.
Note: Three are lawyers; and U.S. Senators (or former) - one is not a lawyer and is a Congressman. All claim to be Christians. None have served in the military.
The Republicans have a field consisting of:
A businessman and former state governor who is a Mormon;
A career public servant (U.S. Senator) and former POW circa Viet Nam - a Christian;
A professional Baptist minister and former state governor;
A medical doctor who is a U.S. Congressman and was once a candidate for President for the Libertarian Party - a Christian.
A life-long public servant and former mayor who is an ex-communicated Catholic;
Note - in the GOP field there is only one lawyer - and Rudy Giuliani. Only two candidates served in the military - Captain John McCain (Navy pilot) and Captain Ron Paul (flight surgeon).
In the Democrat field, each candidate is attempting to outdo the other with the adopted keyword “change” as they compete for votes - with the possible exception of candidate Dennis Kucinich. All claim that they want to get our troops out of Iraq immediately, although some qualify their withdrawal pledges, leaving them a loophole to use with which they can leave the troops in Iraq indefinitely.
In the Republican field, all candidates except one wants to spend your money to encourage you to spend more money - the exception is Congressman Ron Paul. All candidates seem to be in favor of withdrawing our troops from Iraq, but only one actually commits himself to start withdrawal immediately and get them all back home within a year - again, Ron Paul.
Beyond the surface commitments, there are numerous considerations and each candidate has to be scrutinized individually to determine what they would really do to effect a real change on matters of concern to most caring Americans:
Stop jobs and industry from being shipped out of the country.
Stop and/or resolve the illegal immigration problems.
Encourage businesses to rejoin the “America First” attitude when it comes to merchandising and manufacturing.
Amend all Free Trade Agreements so that they are either “Fair Trade” or cancelled (only the President can do this).
Bolster the U.S. economic structure and stop inflation by returning to a valid monetary system and the U.S. Constitutional form of government.
Effect a real Energy Plan and policy that results in Caring Americans being energy independent of foreign corporations and potentates.
Restore individual rights of Caring Americans that have been severely restricted as a result of the terrorist acts against a Caring America!
- By Jay Evenson
NOTE:
If you are making your decision regarding a candidate based on gender, religion or race, no amount of logic could possibly change your mind.
If those are not your deciding considerations, this article is not sufficient for you to make an informed decision. This newspaper suggests that you use the Internet and go to a website - and invest just 3 minutes of your time to see where you stand as related to each of the candidates. Just go to
electoralcompass.com.
You will be provided with questions regarding specific issues facing the nation - issues on which the candidates have all stated a position - when you finish, the computer will generate a graph indicating the candidate(s) that stand closest to your opinions.
| Throw Away Votes?
Jan. 18, 2008
Some voters choose to forget about the candidate they would really like to win and cast their ballots for the one they “think” will win. Often, they try to justify doing this by saying they don’t want their vote to be “wasted.”
Veteran poll watchers have another name for such voting - everyone wants to claim they “backed the winner.”
Usually, the voter decides that his or her candidate (the one with whom they really agree most of the time) doesn’t stand much of a chance, and they opt to make a choice for the lesser of the two remaining evils. Neither choice gives them the government they want, but they decide on devil #1 or devil #2. They subsequently get what they deserve!
Over the history of this nation, the people have steadily realized that they never seem to get the people into office that they would really prefer. Could it be this asinine attitude that they should “back a winner” instead of “creating a winner?”
Throw away votes are those cast for Devil #1 and Devil #2. We get the government we deserve!
| Bush Seeks Halo!
Jan. 18, 2008
President George W. Bush is making a few trips to Israel and Palestine and says he wants to broker a peace deal “this year.” He has had 7 years in which to broker such a deal (if it can be done) but has virtually ignored that volatile situation - until now!
What’s the rush? President Bush will, without a doubt in any non-ultra conservative mind, go down in history as the worst president this nation has ever had. We think he might realize this and is making this last ditch effort to accomplish something as remote as peace between Israel and Palestine. If it appears they make a deal, George W. Bush will take bows and hold the halo around his head as he leaves office next year. Of course, former Presidents have played this game before and the leadership of Palestine and Israel are always happy to go along - until the next guy takes office.
The questions we have are:
How much is Bush promising to pay these countries to make a peace deal this year?
Will the money be paid by the U.S. Treasury (via more inflation) or will Daddy (George H.W.) and Dick Cheney use Halliburton money to pay the costs?
Will Halliburton pay the money before it moves its headquarters from Texas to the protection of Dubai, or will they pay it after they move?
| Fed Bails Out Big Money!
Jan. 11, 2008
Nobody can negate a legitimate contract in these United States - not Bush, not the Federal Reserve, not Congress and not the Supreme Court - but the key word is “legitimate”!
When money lenders pushed all those low interest, no qualifying, Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARMs) at the uninformed public, they created legitimate contracts - even if the signers didn’t totally understand what would happen to their payments when the rate increased. Unless it can be proven that the lenders intended and did “defraud” the people, no agency of government can cancel that indebtedness short of an arbitrated declaration of bankruptcy.
There is no doubt that people who signed for those ARMs would love to be bailed out - they don’t want to lose their homes! Nobody should doubt that the sub-prime lenders would love to be bailed out since many of those mortgages are going into default.
Enter the big money people - they buy the mortgages at extreme discounts because they all look like bad paper. The national economy is in crisis!
Enter the Federal government and the Federal Reserve: Order that the interest rates on those mortgages be kept at the initial rate and the Fed will pick up the difference in payments (the extra interest) and pay it to the big money people who bought all those mortgages. Big profits and the taxpayers will pay for it!
This isn’t the first time this trick has been played - and it isn’t over yet!
We had a farm loan problem which was created when money was made available to farmers to expand their farms (circa Jimmy Carter) and a crop problem (Circa Ronald Reagan). The farms were eventually lost when the farmers couldn’t repay the loans - so the notes were purchased by big money people who foreclosed (circa George H.W. Bush) and then sold them to Canadian firms via the U.S. Canada Free Trade Agreement.
Our nation has had one financial debacle after another. There was the time when savings and loan companies were given the freedom to invest in almost anything and that resulted in a gigantic economic crash - and the big money people stepped in and bought them out. The little investors in the S&Ls were the losers.
We had a fuel crisis clear back in 1972 and our intelligent government changed the rules and started rewarding the oil producers by allowing them to tie local production and costs into a program that encouraged “importing” oil and charging the same prices for U.S. produced oil that OPEC charged. The big money people won again!
Currently the banks are being allowed to get into the stock and insurance underwriting business - guess where that will end up!
BE FOREWARNED: The offering of Credit Cards to just about anyone who will take one is the next area in which the big money people will profit and America will lose. When the credit cards max-out and the people cannot pay because abusive interest rates keep the debt up - and they are hungry and virtually homeless - the big money people will buy all those debts (at 90 percent discount) and then the Federal government will bail them out by underwriting the debt. America loses again - only this time it will be our entire economy!
The question now is: Who are those “big money people” who profit from all this economic turmoil?
| Nazi Way To Fix Immigration!
Dec. 28, 2007
We don’t just lose our rights all in one fell swoop! It happens one step at a time! It starts by happening to someone else! Anyone who doesn’t believe this can review the process by which Adolph Hitler took power in German over 80 years ago. He started by attacking Jews - then gypsies, homosexuals and the mentally retarded - one group at a time!
In the U.S., illegal aliens (primarily Mexican nationals) are declared to be a problem. Some advocate that we must find a way to kick them out of the U.S. - but that would mean dividing families. Many of their children were born in this country. According to the U.S. Constitution, those kids have a birth-right and are citizens of the U.S.! They could even hold the office of President of the United States after they reach the age of 35.
For current illegal immigrants, this is a problem - for each of them and for all of us legal citizens. We could resolve the problem in the future by amending our Constitution so that a child does not have a “birth-right” just because the mother dropped the kid on this side of the border.
Such a Constitutional Amendment would simply declare that the newborn must be the offspring of at least one citizen of the United States of America or someone legally permitted to be in this country at the time of birth. If both the mother and father were citizens of Brazil, the kid is Brazilian!
Next step toward our fascist Fourth Reich, is to get rid of all illegal aliens (and their descendants) and that means declaring anyone who did not enter the country via a government issued permit illegal aliens - and so are their offspring and descendants. The Nazi’s did it to anyone of Jewish ancestry - even if their families had been citizens of Germany for over 100 years. If Hitler could do it, so can we!
This would make Bush, Cheney and all those people at Homeland Security very happy. They could then continue to follow the prescription written by the fascists in Nazi Germany and require everyone in these United States to prove their ancestry!!
Wow!! That means one hell of a lot of people searching the genealogy records. The Mormon Church would be overwhelmed (it maintains the most sophisticated genealogy system and data base in the world). In fact many of those people are supporters of George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, and Homeland Security. What happens if we kick all those people out of the country?
Just as the Nazis required everyone to prove that they did not have one drop of Jewish ancestry in their background, Bush-Cheney’s Homeland Security can require that everyone prove that their parents, grand parents and great grand parents actually entered the United States with the knowledge and permission of the government. If they can’t prove it, kick them and their descendants out of the country!
Whoops! That would mean problems for a lot of people. All those Norwegians that came in via the ships up the St. Lawrence and into the Great Lakes, bypassing customs and immigration - settling in Wisconsin and Minnesota - even the ones who decided to follow Joseph Smith and his Mormon faith to Utah - whoooops, all would be declared non-citizens!
The Native Americans (some still call them American Indians) could actually get their land back - but then they wouldn’t have anyone to play the slots and drop money in their casinos!
| The Right To Listen!
Oct. 5, 2007
The fact that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited to speak to 600 students at Columbia University created a firestorm of debate about “free speech.” It appears that some people believe that the only people who should have that right are those with whom they agree. If “they” don’t like someone “they” think that nobody should hear what that person has to say.
Our Rights under the First Amendment are not just to allow people to speak or the press to write, it is to make sure that nobody conceals information from all of the people - it is the people’s Right to Know that the First Amendment really protects!
We don’t agree with what we heard of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s speech and positions, and we certainly don’t like the idea that he might be supplying arms to Iranian insurgents to use against American troops - but we have to listen to the other side, also. There is an old saying about “know your enemy” - and it would have been nice if the people in charge knew something about the enemy BEFORE we invaded Iraq, Afghanistan or Vietnam.
And let’s keep the facts straight - Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was invited to speak by the School of International Relations at Columbia University. Those are graduate students (over 21) who are supposed to be learning how to deal with foreign countries, governments and leaders. To tell them they should not hear the beliefs and attitudes of the President of a major country would be akin to telling a research scientist that he (or she) should never listen to the thoughts of a research scientist from an unfriendly country.
We Can't Laugh!
Oct. 5, 2007
When the U.S. Department of Justice pays out $4 for each meatball served to DOJ employees - or $60,000 for a seafood dinner for DOJ employees - or $13,000 for cookies and brownies as snacks at one event for 1,542 people - it could be laughable, but when the same DOJ employees are paid a per-diem to cover meals, their greed is disgusting!
Even worse, when one thinks of the number of people who have lost their homes, their cars, jobs and businesses because they couldn’t pay up $5,000 or $10,000 in taxes and penalties (money the government needs to pay for all the DOJ snacks and goodies) such frivolous waste by government borders on being - maybe even is - criminal! It certainly isn’t how this nation was intended to function when our Constitution was adopted.
Greed Means Lost Jobs!
Oct. 5, 2007
The greed of the American people (buying cheap imports instead of American made products) has resulted in a loss of our major raw materials industries and subsequently our manufacturing businesses and jobs.
A fix right now is difficult to determine, but a fix for the future must be put in place! All items sold in the U.S. should have a label showing every country’s percentage of involvement in the product. At least, then, Americans can make a choice between supporting a foreign country or keeping a job in America.
Is it Free Trade? Shouldn’t it be Fair Trade?
| May We Suggest?
Nov. 3, 2006
Some people vote for the individual who is running for a public office, but not always for the right reason. Often their justification is that they have met the candidate personally or they really like the way he or she shakes hands, tells a joke or they make the voter feel relaxed or they agree with the candidate on one hot issue - none of which is cause to put that person in public office.
Some vote for the political party - right, left, Republican, Democrat, Libertarian or whatever - but not for the right reasons.
Some voters, as may be the case in this election on November 7th, will vote for the challengers to the incumbents because they don’t like what the party in power has been doing, and while that is a valid reason - “Send them a message” - it isn’t really the correct way to choose a candidate.
Please allow us to suggest that you go to a new website - IntelligentVote.com - and see how often you really agree with the incumbent candidates before you cast your precious vote!
This website will, in just a few minutes, enable you to determine if the Congressman or Senator who has claimed to represent you is actually doing so. It isn’t complicated and the only info you provide is your zip-code.
The site gives you several issues that have already been voted on by your elected officials in Congress and asks how you would have voted. If you are not familiar with the bills or issues, you can click and get a brief summary or double-click and see the entire bill.
After you determine how you think the Congressman or Senator should have voted, the website will calculate how often you really agree with your elected representatives based on how they actually voted.
We suggest that if you don’t agree with the candidate more than 50 percent of the time, vote for the other candidate.
Eventually, the website, IntelligentVote.com, may be expanded to include each of the 50 states and the statewide offices, representatives in the legislature and even county and city elections.
| The War is Over!
Sept. 9, 2006
President Bush and his Republican cohorts want to leave the impression that we must support the “War” in Iraq! With rare exception, the American people support the efforts of our troops who are now acting as “policemen” as we have become the occupation forces in the nation we “conquered”. The “war is over” - President Bush said it was over three years ago!
As long as we remain in Iraq as an occupying army, our young men and women will continue to put their lives on the line, be injured and die. We changed the regime, failed to find weapons of mass destruction, helped establish an Iraqi Constitution, police, military and political system. The people of Iraq have voted and now have their own government.
Our continued presence with any more than a training and advisory contingent, will encourage more resistance by the religious groups and their never-ending confrontations. To think otherwise is to deny the history of that region and its fanatical religious supporters. Should Americans continue to be placed at risk and die to perpetuate this?
War, by definition, is an activity undertaken against a political or social entity, while the terrorist network is a coalition of individuals. Law enforcement, by definition, is an activity undertaken against just such individuals or networks.
Law enforcement is the use of force against individuals who violate the law. It targets individual suspects and accomplices. If a crime syndicate takes root in a state or city, law enforcement doesn’t bomb the city’s infrastructure and terrorize entire neighborhoods with tanks, helicopters, grenades, house-to-house raids, mass arrests, torture, and other intended and “unintended” consequences.
True, we must “do something” about terrorism. International law enforcement; not war. Initiating an illegal war to carry out a police action creates more enemies for U.S. citizens and places this country in further jeopardy.
Republicans are arguing that we need to “win the war in Iraq” and that Democrats stand for ending the war. Democrats should be saying: ”We are not calling for an end to the war - The war is over! We’re calling for an end to the occupation of Iraq.”
| Conservatives Today are Fascists of 60 Years Ago!
Sept. 9, 2006
By J.Jay Evenson
Guest Commentary
Once upon a time, I was a Conservative! Barry Goldwater introduced me as a “real conservative” and the head of the Arizona John Birth Society (of which I was NOT a member) stated publicly that I was more Conservative than the JBS!
I resigned from the Republican party when Nixon repeatedly lied to the American people, but I stayed close enough to support Ronald Reagan for the Presidency. I was a charter member of his Presidential Transition Foundation and a guest at some White House social functions. At the outset I disapproved of Reagan’s choice for VP (George H.W. Bush) but I thought my political hero would solve all problems, despite people like Bush. By the time President Reagan ran for his second term, I was totally disenchanted with him and the GOP. Eventually I realized that the President (Reagan) really didn’t have as much power as most believe. He is at the mercy of those around him.
Conservatives today are not the conservatives of 30 or 40 years ago! While old-time conservatives were often somewhat religious, they kept religion out of politics and law. They respected the Constitution, the Rights of others and the First Amendment. Back in the 60s, a conservative believed in strict adherence to the Constitution, keeping government out of the private affairs of the people, and government providing only those services that the individual or local government was not reasonably able to provide.
Most candidates for public office, today, who classify themselves as Conservatives or reformists, are really advocating various degrees of fascism! They are religious to the core and want their religious beliefs adopted as laws for everyone to obey. Instead of upholding and defending the Constitution, they look for ways to justify circumventing the provisions of that document and the Rights of individuals.
Most of the political spectrum has shifted dramatically to the right - so far to the right that old time Conservatives are now ultra-right wing religious Fascists - and the socialist left wing is now closer to the conservative positions from 50 years ago.
It is interesting that George W. Bush is now claiming that anyone who opposes his views or his occupation of Iraq must be a fascist. This from the man who circumvented the Constitution by having his friend and oil-company cohort, Dick Cheney, change residence so he could be the VP; this from the man who ignores judges and Congress to violate the Constitutional Rights of the people; this from the man who lied to the world about WMDs in Iraq, to justify invading that country.
And the reasons for all this circumvention of the U.S. Constitution - not to take possession of the Iraqi oil fields, but to have control so that Saddam Hussein could not undercut OPEC oil prices by selling his oil to France, Germany and others on the black market.
A law passed by Congress in 1974 allows Cheney-Bush and companies to charge the same price for oil as is charged on the international market. When Saddam sold oil cheaper than OPEC, the cost of oil went down. Now that the Iraqi oil is no longer available, the price of oil goes up and so do the profits of Cheney and Bush supporters!
The old saying “Too soon we get old, too late we get smart” certainly applies in some areas of politics.
| 'Times' Has Double Standard!
July 14, 2006
Those who critique The New York Times' publication of a story on tracking down terrorist financing, as President Bush did, find many of the paper's defenders accusing them of attacking press freedom, even though they have done nothing of the kind.
The tactic is the equivalent of saying someone is unpatriotic if he disagrees with U.S. foreign policy, a way of wrapping yourself in the First Amendment, and hiding there from charges of gross arrogance and irresponsibility.
The fact that some Times columnists would seek this refuge is particularly strange considering that the Times in a 2004 editorial essentially said that the government should wreck a TV broadcasting company if it exercised its rights as spelled out in the Constitution. The paper's allegiance to free press and speech seems to reach little further than its own newsroom.
Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., wants an investigation and prosecution of the Times on charges of treason. Some people, even newspapers, say hip, hip, hurrah to the idea, but the administration itself isn't having any. As is the case with most critics and congressional Republicans, the administration has gone no further than to say the Times made an outrageously bad judgment call weakening a program that has saved lives by thwarting terrorist ambitions. The unavoidable conclusion, as voiced in a resolution of the House, is that the Times and other papers that joined in breaking the story put lives at risk.
Frank Rich of the Times, said that nothing in the Times story was a surprise to terrorists and that the president's denunciation adds up to an "assault on a free press." Other liberal commentators echo the sentiment. Even the American Society of Newspaper Editors issued a statement saying the administration and Congress "are threatening America's bedrock values of free speech and free press with their attempts to demonize newspapers for fulfilling their constitutional role in our democratic society."
| Freedom v. Liberty!
July 30, 2006
To most people the words liberty and freedom are the same, but there is a difference! Freedom is granted by someone and can be taken away by the granting authority; Liberty, on the other hand, is a Right - an Unalienable right - and cannot be taken away except by force or fraud!
There is a major difference between “Liberty” and “Freedom!” Most people intermix the two words without realizing that the bureaucratic controllers eventually eliminate one word in favor of the other – they prefer everyone use the word that allows them to manipulate people – Freedom!
It would be nice if Americans would take a few minutes from the hot dogs, picnics, fireworks and celebration to learn something of the true meaning of Independence Day – July 4th.
Freedom is granted while Liberty is taken! Take a few minutes and read a few pages from some historical document, or just type in a phrase on the Internet and see what it really means and what our founding fathers had to say about the ability of the people to “hold on to their liberty.”
In a speech to the Virginia Convention, on June the 16th, 1788, James Madison (1751-1836) said: "I believe there are more instances of the abridgment of the freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations."
Lurking dangers to our liberty exist, not only to "insidious encroachment"; but, as a much respected judge of the U. S. Supreme Court, Louis D. Brandeis (1856-1941), pointed out, after echoing Madison's view, the greatest danger exists in "men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding."
More dangerous, still, is for the rest of us to fall asleep: The Nazis did not spring with their policies full blown onto the stage; their atrocities were proceeded by a series of steps that took place over many years, steps that had the implicit consent of a sleepy people that were, are, no different then the rest of us.
Liberty is not something we have gained through the efforts of our ancestors; but, rather, it is something with which we are born; it comes with life's package. “Preserving” our individual Liberty is something else! There is only one limitation on our Liberty - to acknowledge the rights of others. Our liberty does not mean we can do whatever we please when others are involved. We must respect the Rights of everyone else as we exercise our rights - and they must respect the rights of others or lose their own!
| Too Many Checks And Balances?
June 30, 2006
Last week, government officials confirmed they have been gathering financial records on countless Americans from a vast international database. Revelations about this Bush administration program comes on heels of the NSA program's spying on Americans' conversations, and appears to lack meaningful checks and balances to protect American privacy.
The U.S. government is gaining access to vast troves of international financial data with no judicial or Congressional oversight nor any definition of how the information is being used, multiple news outlets revealed last week. With the cooperation of the Society for Worldwide Inter-bank Financial Telecommunication, more commonly referred to as “Swift”, tens of thousands of records have been turned over to the CIA, the FBI and the Treasury Department at the request of the U.S. government.
The House Judiciary Committee has now voted in favor of a resolution demanding that the administration turn over documents about the illegal spying program. However, behind the scenes, Senator Arlen Specter has been pushing for legislation that would make the illegal surveillance program legal, allowing the president and future presidents to wiretap any American, secretly, indefinitely, and without any oversight.
In a Michigan federal court two weeks ago, ACLU attorney Ann Beeson argued for an immediate end to the Bush administration's warrantless spying program.
The government argued that the ACLU's defense of the Constitution and checks on presidential power were "extreme." Beeson responded: "If our view of the separation of powers is extreme, than the Constitution is extreme."
Separation of powers is “extreme”? That sounds like a total anti-American dictatorship - the Bush-Cheny Dictatorship!
It is important for everyone across America who is concerned about this erosion of our civil liberties to speak out.
Members of Congress need to hear our outrage loud and clear so that they will hold the Bush Administration accountable for its actions.
| Terrorism Of Journalists!
June 9, 2006
Terrorism isn’t just a tool employed by religious fanatics against governments - sometimes it is a tactic used to silence the press by crime cartels and corrupt politicians.
Journalism is a life-threatening profession in many parts of the world. Attacks on the press have escalated in recent years, and the news media, especially in crime-ridden areas, are being silenced by organized crime.
Across Mexico, journalists are being threatened and killed for doing their job. Instead of investigating and reporting on what would otherwise make front-page news, there is a trend of self-censorship by reporters and the media. They are threatened by powerful drug cartels and corrupt politicians who wish to keep news of their activities out of the public eye, perpetrating impunity and lawlessness.
“It’s very difficult to be a reporter here,” said Raul Llamas, a radio reporter who used to cover the two warring cartels vying for control of the busiest port of entry into the U.S., just over the border from Texas. “One of my colleagues was killed, and people are too scared.” His colleague was fellow journalist Guadalupe García Escamilla, who was shot nine times as she left the Estereo 91 radio station.
The editor of El Mañana newspaper, Ramón Cantú, said that his newspaper would scale back its already limited coverage of the drug cartels in order to protect its staff. The paper has imposed a high level of self-censorship since its previous editor, Roberto Javier Mora García, was stabbed to death in March 2004.
The El Mañana attack sparked nationwide outrage and the Mexican government announced it would name a special prosecutor to investigate crimes against journalists. President Vicente Fox appointed David Vega Vera, a well-known lawyer and human rights advocate. “Whoever attacks freedom of expression, attacks society,” Fox said in announcing the appointment.
But it is not only journalists covering the drug cartels who are being silenced. Last December, Lydia Cacho was arrested for writing a book, “The Demons of Eden: The Power behind Pornography.” Someone in the Mexican government wanted her silenced.
In countries around the world, including the U.S., publications are censored, fined, suspended and closed down, while journalists, editors and publishers are harassed, attacked, detained and, in some instances, even murdered.
The U.S. Congress is now considering a bill to make it illegal for reporters to write about anything that may be considered by government to involve national security or “classified information.”
The chilling effects of any “anti-press” law diminish the public’s right to know - especially since most reporters will not know they have done something illegal until after the fact. As a result, they stop reporting the real news and start filling space with nonsense about the entertainment and sports industries.
| Who Is Responsible?
June 2, 2006
Rep. John Murtha, a former Marine who served his country in war, says the deaths of as many as two dozen Iraqi civilians and an ensuing cover-up threaten to do more harm to U.S. efforts in Iraq than even the Abu Ghraib prison scandal.
“This is the kind of war you have to win the hearts and minds of the people,” Murtha, D-Pa., said Sunday. “And we're set back every time something like this happens. This is worse than Abu Ghraib.”
He was comparing the shootings last November at Haditha, a city in western Iraq, with the revelations that U.S. military personnel had abused Iraqi detainees at Abu Ghraib, a U.S.-run prison outside of Baghdad. The prison scandal severely damaged the U.S. effort to win over the Arab world.
A bomb was claimed to have rocked a military convoy in Haditha on Nov. 19, killing a Marine. The Marines then shot and killed unarmed civilians in a taxi at the scene and went into two homes and shot other people, according to numerous reports. Then, according to evidence being gathered, the Marines planted rifles and other items on the victims in order to justify the killings.
Murtha said high-level reports he received indicated that no one fired upon the Marines and there was no military action against the U.S. forces after the initial explosion. Yet the deaths were not seriously investigated until March because an early probe was stifled within days of the incident.
Murtha has criticized the Bush administration's conduct of the war. He repeated his view that the war cannot be won militarily and needs political solutions, which he said were damaged by such incidents involving the U.S.
A defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press on Friday that evidence gathered so far strongly indicated that the Haditha killings were unjustified.
Early this year, a videotape of the aftermath of the incident, showing the bodies of women and children, was obtained by Time magazine and Arab television stations. The military then undertook another investigation.
Obviously, anyone who has been subjected to attack will be frightened and the troops and followers may react in a manner that appears to be illegal. Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is making such claims to justify his troops’ retaliation against civilians following an attempt on his life - and he is now being tried by the courts! Saddam may not have specifically ordered the killing of those he believed made the attempt on his life - but he is being held responsible.
Should U.S. President George W. Bush be held to the same type of accountability?
| Elect, Don't Appoint!!
June 2, 2006
The editorial writers at The Arizona Republic newspaper are now suggesting that the state legislature put a constitutional question on the ballot to deprive the voting public of the right to elect certain public officials. That newspaper thinks the democratic principle of voting for such positions as State Treasurer, School Superintendent and others are wasted on the ignorant mass of voters!
About 25 years ago that same newspaper endorsed a constitutional amendment (and the public subsequently approved it) that judges should be appointed by some all knowing board and the governor - instead of being elected. The result of that has been the establishment of numerous limited jurisdiction courts in which the judges can do just about anything they want without reprisal from the voters. The judicial system in Arizona has become a complicated mockery of speedy (?) justice (?) that even trained attorneys do not understand. If a judge is a screw-up under the appointment system, it is virtually impossible to remove him or her from the bench. Under the non-elected judicial system, the rules are changed on an almost monthly basis.
Arizona voters were totally misled when they changed the Constitution to allow appointment of judges. Instead of speedy justice and legal principles being involved that require specific actions by the courts, the procedures are long and drawn out. The ever-increasing court cases testifies to this fact!
The same results will evolve if the Arizona Constitution is amended to exclude voter participation in electing any public officials.
True - the voters don’t always know everything about a candidate or even the job when they go to vote. But when an “elected” official screws up and is not doing the job correctly, someone will step forward who knows the right way and run for that office. The candidate will spend time and money to educate the voters about the mishandled post and the public will decide who is right and who is wrong - at the poles - on election day!
The system of appointments (instead of elections) means that wrong-doing will be covered up by those who do the appointing and nobody will be standing as a watch-dog over the post!
| If People Had The Courage!
May 12, 2006
A recent survey indicates that the public’s personal solutions to higher gas prices range from 33 percent who drive less to only one percent who opt for public transportation as a way to save a few bucks.
With that data in mind, Congress should consider all the billions of dollars going out to subsidize public transit. It isn’t paying off - people want the supposed independence of driving their own vehicle. So, why not use some of those billions to subsidize and encourage the manufacture of alternative (renewable) fuel vehicles?
Some time back (when gas prices jumped to $2 a gallon) this newspaper suggested an additional tax (shudder) on gasoline equal to any increases imposed by the oil companies. Yes, it would be an additional expense to the consumer, but the decreases in fuel sales and reduced profits to the oil industry would discourage them from raising prices. And, if the additional tax money were used to subsidize the building of alternative fuel vehicles in the U.S., we would find those cars cheaper to buy - further decreasing the demand for gasoline.
If people had the courage to allow Congress to do this, they could also place some job producing condition on the subsidy: The vehicles must be manufactured in the U.S.; ninety percent of all parts and materials must be produced and manufactured in the U.S. - not imported from some foreign county. This would then create more manufacturing jobs in this country.
Any efforts by Congress to review the profits and pricing of the oil industry would be futile. The oil firms are multi-national and they change ownership, signs on the stations and accounting procedures as frequently as some women change their hair style.
| Taxes For Edifices?
May 12, 2006
It is nice to walk into some government building and see the three-story high entry-ways, 12-foot wide halls, spacious offices and all the marble, glass, brass and windows - but it all costs the taxpayers money!
When government, local, state and national, suggests tax increases, the public can readily assume the money is going to pay for these edifices to bureaucratic inefficiency. Anyone who has ever viewed the wasted space in the downtown Phoenix City Hall or the Sandra Day O’Conner Federal Court building can’t help but wonder how much it costs to heat and cool this empty space!
Until government officials cease building these monuments to themselves, voters should file their objections by rejecting any and all requests for bond issues, authority or taxation for such construction and upkeep. It is much cheaper to build smaller, energy efficient government buildings and then commission statues to honor those we feel should be honored.
| GWB Is the Culprit!
May 12, 2006
When Valerie Plame, wife of a former ambassador, was “exposed” as being a CIA operative, President G.W. Bush announced to the world that the revelation of such classified information put the lives of numerous people at risk. He was adamant in stating that exposing this woman as a CIA person put every one of her contacts at risk of being killed, tortured or otherwise harmed.
We agreed! When a CIA operative is exposed, their contacts and information gatherers are compromised. In fact, anyone who ever had contact with the ambassador or his wife would feel betrayed and compromised - making intelligence gathering more difficult.
Now it has been revealed that the release of this “confidential” data was authorized by Vice President Dick Cheney with the approval of President Bush.. The White House spinners were quick to point out that the President can de-classify any information anytime he chooses. So what? His purpose was political and not necessarily in the best interests of national security - of course, George Bush thinks (?) anything that is good for him must be good for the nation.
Any CIA effort to recruit assistance in foreign countries has been put under a severe handicap. Who wants to be a spy when the man in charge could cost them their life - just to put down a political critic?
| Foreign Investment Limits!
March 24, 2006
Since Congress was finally awakened to how the American people feel about selling America to foreigners (thanks to Lou Dobbs and some other media Knights), it is a good time to make some major changes in the way any foreign individuals, companies, monarchs and governments can invest their U.S. trade credits.
While U.S. jobs are outsourced, both high tech and manufacturing, the American consumer continues to assist in the decline of jobs by buying the cheap imports - often without even looking at the labels or packaging that indicates the country in which the item was made. These cheap imports and purchases have resulted in a balance of payment deficit into the Trillions of dollars over the past several years.
Those nations that have shipped all those goods to us are wallowing in huge credits, payable primarily in the United States. Most cannot just take the money and run - they have to spend it here. But they aren’t buying our products!
This is exactly what happened with the highly publicized UAE-Dubai Ports attempt to buy six primary shipping ports in the U.S. The UAE, like China and many OPEC nations, has Billions of dollars credit and they don’t seem to want to buy our manufactured products or technology. So, they try and buy big U.S. business ventures with all that money (credits).
When our Constitution was adopted, government was created “by the people” - and, although corporations existed at the time, they are conspicuously absent from that document. We must accept the fact that all corporations are extensions of the government - a corporation can only exist as an entity if the government says it exists. This is also true of limited liability partnerships - they only exist because government says they exist. Unlike a corporation or L.L.P., in a simple partnership each partner is responsible for what is happening in their business and the partnership is no more than a group of individuals “doing business as” - DBA.
To protect our national resources, and that includes jobs, foreign credits must be severally restricted by Congress and the President, in the following manner:
1) Foreign credits can still be used to buy U.S. made products to be exported “to” their country, and since it doesn’t affect our economy, they can buy all the artwork they can afford;
2) Limit all investments in the U.S. by foreigners to the purchase of public stocks with a maximum of ten percent ownership in major companies;
3) Limit foreign stock ownership to 40 percent in smaller firms - encouraging start-up investments that will create jobs in the U.S.;
4) Prohibit investments in any company with more than 10 percent of its business involved in defense contracts or national security (a similar limit already exists as related to some countries - but not all).
5) Help American businesses compete by putting a handicap on those imports that are extremely cheap (non-competitive) because of virtual slave labor in the foreign country. This could be accomplished by levying a corporate tax on American businesses that derive more than 25 percent of their revenues from the sale of foreign made goods.
If that sounds too simplistic, keep in mind that the more complicated the process is, the more likely someone will have a sweetheart deal and the American workers and taxpayers end up the loser. Keeping it simple keeps it honest!
Free Trade Is Not!
The numerous so-called Free Trade agreements and U.S. taxes are problems in restoring real competition and preventing out-sourcing of jobs. The trade agreements lock many multi-national firms into the system and they get all the gravy - but they aren’t subject to the same environmental regulations and taxes the American firms have to endure. Only the President has the authority to change the Free Trade Agreements - our Congress give him the exclusive power.
Freedom of Speech Restricted By Media Corporations!
While considering that corporations are merely an extension of the government bureaucracy, keep in mind that all major media is owned and controlled by these government extensions!
When a journalist digs up a story that the government doesn’t like, the story is killed. If the journalist doesn’t like it, they are dismissed on some pretext, usually for some “unethical” mistake they made several years earlier.
| Ban Lawyers From Public Office?
March 17, 2006
In the medical field there is a problem with a disorder known as “Munchausen Syndrome”. That is a circumstance when a care-giver (lay person, nurse or doctor) creates a medical problem that stumps the experts and then heroically cures the patient. Some experts believe the problem exists at varying levels and is often more prevalent than it appears.
Some lawyers seem to be practicing a form of “Legal Munchausen Syndrome”. They are often elected to legislative positions where they write and pass laws that create legal nightmares for businesses and the general public - then “heroically” solve the problems while charging huge fees for their service.
Since lawyers are approved to practice by the Supreme Courts of each judicial district, they become “officers of the court.” While the “officers of the court” are supposedly committed to representing their clients and upholding the “dignity” of their profession, there is the possibility that such an “officer” serving in a legislative capacity may have a serious conflict of interests.
The old phrase “Ignorance of the law is no excuse” is ridiculous when the average person has neither the time nor inclination to try and read, much less understand, the proliferation of laws (and regulations) being written and adopted.
Take a look at the Revised Statutes of any state - the city ordinances - the Federal Laws - The Code of Federal Regulations - and top it off with the every-changing Court rules - and you find they try cover just about every facet of life, and are often contradictory to what most lay people believe to be just and proper. In fact, the lawyers who drafted most of these documents often know of other statutes that say the opposite - the “Legal Munchausen Syndrome” at work.
When a lay person is elected to be a legislator, county commissioner or city council person, they like to think they can solve the major problems that occur on a regular basis. Some erroneously think they should pass laws that force others to think and act as they do. But, for the most part, they are our neighbors and have to live with what they adopt as ordinances or laws. Lawyers don’t!
Put six people on a legislative committee, have it contaminated with the presence of a lawyer and the lawyer will make sure any laws passed are written in such a way that he (or she) and their brethren can continue to practice the “Legal Munchausen Syndrome”.
Lawyers should never be elected or appointed to serve in any capacity except as a Judge, Prosecutor or Attorney General.
| Don't Pull Your Shades!
Feb. 24, 2006
While the controversy rages about protecting the 4th Amendment, President Bush and his advisors continue to say that they are exempt from the restrictions placed on government (them) by the amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Barely a majority of the population disagrees with the administration wire-tapping phones, and intercepting all manner of communications without a search warrant. Bush says they are doing it for “our own good.”
Those who support ignoring the Constitutional provision for search warrants - even ignoring the FISA court’s supposed legal ability to grant such warrants retroactively - often comment “I’ve got nothing to hide. They can tap my phone and read my e-mail. I’m a good American!”
These same people have window shades on their windows at home. They draw those shades for “privacy”. Just because a person has their shades drawn is not an indication that they are doing something wrong or are terrorists - they are just insuring their privacy. What would they think if government (government is comprised of our neighbors) decided to require an outside mechanism that would allow them (neighbors/police) to raise the drapes slightly and peek in - just to make sure they aren’t doing something wrong? Then, if they really are good Americans, they would object.
The time to object is when the culprit is getting his foot in the door. Hitler took away the Rights to millions of German citizens one step at a time. Each step he targeted a different group - Jews, Gypsies, mentally retarded, homosexuals - and if he had completed his agenda, the rights of all people would be subordinate to the whims of Adolph Hitler and his Nazi regime.
Either we have a Constitution or we don’t! If we are to truly be “free” Americans, our elected and appointed officials must adhere to the limitations that we, the people, have imposed on their authority over us.
Any idiot can solve a problem if they don’t have to adhere to the Constitution, laws and Rights of others!
| Big Winners Or Losers?
Feb. 24, 2006
We recently published a quip stating that the “Lottery is a tax on people who tend to be poor at math!”
The few bucks spent each week by purchasers of lottery tickets is trivial for the resultant hopes and dreams of the buyers - whether they win or not. But there is one major problem with the state sponsored lotteries conducted in the U.S.. It is the only country in the world that taxes lottery winnings!
The recent winner(s) of the $350 Million Power Ball lottery will only receive about $124 Million, after taxes, if they take it as a lump sum payment. If they bring in several relatives to jointly claim the prize (because it is so large) odds are they still won’t be able to get around that big chunk in taxes.
Since the lottery operators (states) already make large profits from the sale of tickets, it seems wrong that Uncle Sam takes about 70 percent of the prize! No other country in the world levies such a tax on gambling winnings - especially when they have taken a cut from the “anti”.
| Ignorance Is No Excuse!
Dec. 30, 2005
U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez, President Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney claim to justify illegal wire-tapping and message interception under the auspices of “protect and defend” the United States of America. They, each of them, try to cite the U.S. Constitution’s presidential authority to violate the Rights of the people.
Anyone who has ever taken a high school course in contract law knows that an addendum (Amendment) to a contract (the Constitution) affects and limits the entire contract. When the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution were adopted, the authority previously granted to the three branches of government was restricted. No authority was to violate the Rights reserved to the people.
Congress decided to make an exception for the President to authorize, via the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC), which considers surveillance and physical search orders from the Department of Justice and US intelligence agencies. Congress included a provision that he or his agents must first get the approval of a special judge (a search warrant) of the FISC secret court before, or immediately after, the monitoring of phone calls, e-mails and other correspondence was conducted. It was Congress’ way of maintaining the appearance of abiding by the restrictions placed on government by the Constitution.
The President refused to do this even though that secret court has denied approval of such invasions of privacy only four times in the past.
When George W. Bush decided to announce who his vice-presidential running mate would be, he first sent Dick Cheney packing back to Wyoming. Cheney was a former resident of that state but had not lived there for over 20 years. He, like Bush, was a resident of the State of Texas. This move, although legal, circumvented the intent of the U.S. Constitution.
This act, by itself, indicated what we could expect from Bush & Company - they did not intend to follow the Constitution. It dictates that the President and Vice President cannot be from the same state. “Circumvention” is obviously the key word in the conduct of the office of President George W. Bush. He is flagrantly violating the Constitution and the subsequent laws of the United States.
Of course, he can always claim that he was following the advice of Attorney General Gonzalez - but, as a lawyer, Gonzalez should know better. In fact, most courts will hold an accused individual criminally liable even if he can prove he was operating under the advice of his attorney. “Ignorance of the law is no excuse!”
Should Gonzalez resign? Should George W. Bush be impeached?
That will be for the people, via their Congressional representatives, to decide!
| Airline Security?
Dec. 30, 2005
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) was created to “search & protect” the traveling public on airplanes. The hi-jacking of commercial jetliners and crashing them into public buildings (9-11) was enough to cause many people to be concerned about airline safety.
Numerous items were banned from being taken on board airplanes - even such things as table knives used in first class meal service. The public was prohibited from bringing on anything that might be used as a weapon and, although the list of these items has been relaxed, the public is still subjected to removing shoes and jackets before they go thru the metal detector - just to make sure they aren’t carrying any hidden weapons.
But the relaxation of the “list of banned items” now makes us wonder if a | | |
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