If politicians and news media took an oath of silence things might get fixed

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If politicians did not have to campaign all the time and if the news media did not have to sell advertising there would be a lot less tension in our nation. Then they would be free to tell us just the truth and we would have a far more honest and hopeful picture of America.

For example, the headlines scream of the battle over extending the Bush tax cuts. What disagreement? They will be extended for all Americans for probably two years. End of controversy. What about the new START treaty with Russia that has been stuck in the Senate? Today the headlines said the GOP Whip declared the treaty dead. Nonsense!

All the politicians know reducing nuclear arms with Russia is a good thing, duh. Insiders also know our nuclear weapons are older than our Space Shuttles which have now flown their last mission because they are obsolete. Our current nuclear weapons need to be replaced with modern weapons using the most advanced technology. Add some money to modernize some of our weapons and the treaty will pass, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev will be a hero, and Prime Minister and soon to be President again Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin will have to wait to become the super-hero of the super-power.

So what about the bitter battle between alternative energy advocates and conventional energy advocates and their demands for a green future and energy independence? The truth is we have to become energy independent from foreign oil producers who manipulate the prices and supply and threaten our national security. We also need to make the most of green activities to reduce waste and reduce dependence on non-renewal energy like oil.

Forget the political fighting and special interest civil war. Forget the doom and gloom forecasts, special reports and movies by the news media of the destruction and chaos from an energy crisis. One day the president and congress will come to their senses and realize both things must happen.

We can have energy independence from the bad guys by exploiting natural gas, from America, and using it to replace 40-50% of our energy demand. At the same time more domestic oil from the Gulf, Alaska and offshore is needed. One goal of natural gas should be to use it in all semi-trailer trucks to replace diesel fuel currently in use. Diesel is from oil so this could reduce total domestic oil consumption by half.

It is true we are the biggest oil consumer in the world using 22 million barrels a year but Canada and Saudi Arabia use more oil per capita. Saudi Arabia uses 33 barrels per capita, Canada 24, the US 22, South Korea 16, Japan 13, Germany and France 11, the UK and Italy 10, and far down the list are China at 2 and India at less than 1 barrel per year per capita.

Imagine that, the two fastest growing and feared economies in the world, China and India, use a fraction of the oil per person as we do. Of course that is not from good energy conservation, it is a result of their much poorer standard of living, minimum wages and lack of commercial choices in much of these two emerging nations. As they evolve their oil consumption will sky rocket and soon enough they will be like us.

Alternative energy can help a little in the areas of electric cars, solar energy and improved conservation materials but contrary to popular myth, neither will help reduce energy use much. Oil savings must be offset by the high cost of electric generation and maintenance of the alternative. Wind turbines will most likely have even higher operating costs.

If global warming was truly a human created environmental disaster these alternatives might help. But then so does natural gas replacing oil reduce carbon emissions since it is much more efficient. However, since there have been at least four previous periods of global warming followed by ice ages, and we are yet to find evidence of gas stations, automobiles, or hair dryers in any of these previous ages, in fact there weren't even any carbon spewing humans alive back then, then we can assume with or without us Mother Nature will have her global warming and cooling cycles to purify the planet.

So, as for the debate over energy policy, combine aggressive energy independence through expanded natural gas use, oil drilling and alternative techniques combined with an energy compact with our neighbors Mexico and Canada, and we can have the best attack on energy independence and alternative energy possible.

The same thing is true with the economy and our entitlement programs which give politicians and news media a real chance to scare us. I mean without a strong economy and protected entitlement programs like Social Security and Medicare neither we when we retire or our kids yet to be born will be safe in the future. Right now if we have a job we wonder for how long and if we don't things don't seem inclined to change any time soon.

Both the media and the politicians are having a field day with scary stories written to make you afraid of the future. Think about it for a minute before embracing their fear tactics. Is there really any Republican or Democrat in congress who is going to get rid of your pension or earned health benefits? Do they really want you to have worse health care? What nonsense!

Whatever it takes to reduce the deficit from 20% of gnp to 3% of gnp will happen. The super rich should pay more by making certain they don't benefit more than the middle class in tax benefits. Today Warren Buffett, one of the richest billionaires in the world, said he was in the highest tax bracket yet only paid 17% taxes because of tax deductions, a lower percent than his secretaries and office workers who paid up to 34%. Warren said there should be a minimum tax paid by the rich and even with the all deductions they should never pay a lower tax rate than the middle class.

So we have a minimum high tax rate for the rich so they pay their fair share. We extend Social Security retirement a couple of years, make all Medicare and Medicaid recipients use alternative health care like traditional Chinese or Native American for annual maintenance and natural treatment. Instead of rewarding you to be sick by giving you more tests, prescription drugs, doctor and hospital visits, you will be rewarded to be well and use preventive maintenance. This is the only way to reduce health care costs while improving results.

Things may be tough, but they are far from bad. We are still the most powerful economic force on Earth with a gross national income of $9.8 trillion a year, while China is at $1.2 trillion and India is less than one half a trillion. Our old friends and allies of Japan $4.5 trillion, Germany $1.9, UK $1.4 and France $1.3 all are bigger than China or India.

There is only one nation on earth too big to fail because the future of every other country on earth is dependent on the United States for their own economic survival. Love us or hate us they still can't survive without us. So cheer up folks, in due time all will be well again. We are the United States of America, the people not the politicians, the industry not the government, the small business not the entitlements, and no one is going to take that away!
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Obamaville September 9 - A Bush League Obama Turns Back the Clock 2 Years

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Was I dreaming or was that Barack Obama yesterday, or two years earlier, blasting the Republicans just after John McCain and Sarah Palin had been nominated and the polls showed the 2008 election closing rapidly? There was Obama before another by invitation only Democratic rally in Ohio slamming the GOP for the Bush years, condemning them for destroying the economy, and demanding a chance to give us hope with change.

Of course he forgot to mention back then that the Democrats had been in control of the budget since Nancy Pelosi became Majority Leader in 2006 and was thus responsible for the budget deficit and the wars. Or that the Clinton White House had made the regulatory changes that resulted in the sub-prime mortgage fiasco that caused the economy to collapse. But that was campaign bravado and facts never got in the way of a good speech. President Obama, your enemy now may very well be Nancy Pelosi, she's a Democrat Mr. President from your very own party, who has been in control of the federal budget for the last FOUR years.

Turn the calendar forward two years and Obama is wrapping up his second year as president with a huge Democratic majority in the House and the Senate and what does the commander in chief have to say about the outlook in America? He is still blasting the Republicans for causing the economic mess, still lamenting about the cost of the two wars, one of which he has expanded, blames the GOP for blocking his legislation though his own party controls both houses of congress now, and seems to have forgotten that Bush has been long gone from the scene.

His polarizing political speeches continue to divide the nation. His condemnation of the "rich" continues to promote class warfare. His build up in Afghanistan has been dropped from the speeches. His promise to help heal the nation is lost by his vicious attacks on the GOP. And then there are the straw dogs he creates to win a point, like attacking House Republican leader John Boehner at least seven times by name. John WHO? Most of Main Street America has no clue who John Boehner is and could care less about a congressman from Ohio. What kind of presidential strategy is that?

Even the president's facts and sound bites are bush league. He said he would not hurt the middle class or small business by raising their taxes, yet his tax of everyone over $200,000 for individuals and $250,000 for couples means, according to independent small business groups and even ABC News, that over 894,000 small businesses in America will pay higher taxes thanks to his policies.

The only thing more predictable than Obama being bush league is MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, the resident Republican in the liberal conclave of the Morning Joe Show being shameless in his quite obvious efforts to make it look like the GOP is hopelessly ineffective and impotent. Joe, if he really is a Republican, needs to change his party registration to the Democrat party he seems to espouse so fervently.

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A Timely Message from Journalist Charlie Reese

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The article below is pretty neutral, ...not anti republican or democrat.

Charlie Reese, a retired reporter for the Orlando Sentinel has hit the nail directly on the head, defining clearly who it is that in the final analysis must assume responsibility for the judgments made that impact each one of us every day.

It's a short but good read. Worth the time. Worth remembering!

545 vs. 300,000,000

EVERY CITIZEN NEEDS TO READ THIS AND THINK ABOUT WHAT THIS JOURNALIST HAS SCRIPTED IN THIS MESSAGE. READ IT AND THEN REALLY THINK ABOUT OUR CURRENT POLITICAL DEBACLE.

[Charley Reese has been a journalist for 49 years, reporting on everything from sports to politics. From 1969–71, he worked as a campaign staffer for gubernatorial, senatorial and congressional races in several states. He was an editor, assistant to the publisher, and columnist for the Orlando Sentinel from 1971 to 2001. He now writes a syndicated column which is carried on LewRockwell.com. Reese served two years active duty in the U.S. Army as a tank gunner.]

545 PEOPLE--By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of Representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices equates to 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.

I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason. They have no legal authority They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes.

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits.

The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes. Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million cannot replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people. When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red.

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ.

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power.

Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote "all" of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

What you do with this article now that you have read it......... Is up to you.

The following might be funny if it weren't so darned true. Be sure to read all the way to the end:

Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table, At which he's fed.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule.
Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts Anyway!

Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he Tries to think.

Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears.
Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass.
Tax all he has Then let him know That you won't be done Till he has no dough.

When he screams and hollers; Then tax him some more, Tax him till He's good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he's laid.
Put these words Upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom'.

When he's gone, Do not relax, It's time to apply The inheritance tax.
Sales Tax
School Tax
Liquor Tax
Luxury Tax
Excise Taxes
Property Tax
Cigarette Tax
Medicare Tax
Inventory Tax
Real Estate Tax
Well Permit Tax
Fuel Permit Tax
Inheritance Tax
Road Usage Tax
CDL license Tax
Dog License Tax
State Income Tax
Food License Tax
Vehicle Sales Tax
Gross Receipts Tax
Social Security Tax
Service Charge Tax
Fishing License Tax
Federal Income Tax
Building Permit Tax
IRS Interest Charges
Hunting License Tax
Marriage License Tax
Corporate Income Tax
Personal Property Tax
Accounts Receivable Tax
Recreational Vehicle Tax
Workers Compensation Tax
Watercraft Registration Tax
Telephone Usage Charge Tax
Telephone Federal Excise Tax
Telephone State and Local Tax
IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax)
State Unemployment Tax (SUTA)
Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA)
Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax
Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax
Gasoline Tax (currently 44.75 cents per gallon)
Utility Taxes Vehicle License Registration Tax
Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Taxes
Telephone Recurring and Nonrecurring Charges Tax

STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY?

Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, & our nation was the most prosperous in the world.

We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids.

What in the hell happened? Can you spell 'politicians?' I hope this goes around THE USA at least 100 times!!! YOU can help it get there!!!

GO AHEAD - - - BE AN AMERICAN!!!

P.S. If you do the right thing and pass this on - which is entirely up to you - please do the right thing and highlight and delete any addresses you receive with it.

Thank You

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Democrats Can't Pass Budget - Republicans Can't Tell Budget Cuts - What to do?

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So we have a stalemate in Washington, what else is new? Since neither the majority nor minority party has demonstrated any leadership to date on controlling our budget maybe they would like to hear from the people about how to go about balancing the budget.

Here is my primer on how to get control of America, our budget deficit and national debt.

1. No Congressman (House or Senate) should be allowed to vote on any bill benefiting their campaign contributors. A very straight forward law to prevent conflicts of interest. It should be illegal to vote on bills where the congressman received campaign money from a special interest. Such a rule does not exist and is long overdue.

2. Consolidate half of the overseas military bases in the USA along the Mexican border bringing home - 20,000 - 25,000 troops and support staff to each of four new bases, one in Arizona, one in New Mexico, and two in Texas strategically located along the border to discourage illegal immigration.



Over 1 million American troops are stationed overseas and NOT in a war zone. By relocating a total of about 100,000 troops back to America we would save billions of lost dollars and substantially reduce the cost of keeping troops overseas. A second phase of this relocation would be to bring home an additional, 500,000 troops over the next five years.

3. Require pharmaceutical companies to provide prescription drugs for 25% less than currently charged for the Medicare and Medicaid programs the first year, and an additional 25% less the second year. If they resist get generic drugs.



4. Require health insurance companies to reduce premiums by25% through eliminating unnecessary testing and treatment and adopting tort reform.

5. Create a National Trust for National Parks as a private, profit making enterprise and require the selling of stock to purchase these national treasurers and make them more profitable. Make stock available to all citizens allowing the purchase of trust stock with tax refunds and other incentives. All National Parks should be highly profitable and services could be expanded with private capital available for expansion. This could save raise several billions in the purchase of the Park property by the private trust and the profits from the operation could earn stock holders significant annual dividends. Right now there is no way for the average citizen to earn a fair return on their money.



6. Reduce foreign aid by 50%.

7. Establish small business development initiative to encourage rapid expansion in small business and innovation. Among components would be free patent service for small business, free trademark service for small business, free laboratory testing of small business products and a senior corps of retired business executives to consult with small business owners. This would eliminate some of the prohibitive start up costs of small business encouraging more hiring and expansion. The cost to the government would be more than offset by the increase in taxes paid by the businesses.

7. Offer free medical insurance to anyone agreeing to work beyond the Social Security retirement age of 62 or 67. Raise the retirement age to 65.



8. Undertake a one year review of all government expenditures, waste, duplication and lack of legal authority for the existence of programs with a goal of reducing agency costs by 15%. This review would give the agencies a chance to offset losses with cost efficiencies and elimination of waste.

9. Expand charter schools to 50% of all public education students within three years establishing performance standards on the charter schools and requiring them to give first preference for teacher hiring on displaced public school teachers.



10. Require an economic impact statement on all new expenditures which documents the legislative right to fund the program, identifies a five year budget for the new initiative, identifies the permanent funding source for the program, and determines the cost analysis of hiring employees versus contracting out for the service.

This is part one of my program to balance the federal budget and begin to eliminate the national debt. I welcome all other ideas from readers to help our congress do the job we elected them to do.

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How long can Obama chase Don Quixote's Windmill? A Fool can only fool himself!

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The more pressure on the president the more he reacts like a trapped rat than the leader of the greatest free nation on Earth. As his sagging personal popularity polls continue to drop down to the level of the polls showing a public dislike for his policies, Obama continues to act like a spoiled aristocrat from the Ivy League blaming everyone but himself for his misfortunes.



It seems no one in the Chicago White House ever got the message that when he was elected it was to serve all the people all the time, not just friends, cronies, campaign contributors and celebrities. Obama lost the hope he supposedly brought to the presidency when he forgot the campaign was over a year and a half ago.

Ever since whenever things have got tough, and he should have known being president was no cakewalk, his modus operandi is to attack the critics, attack the Republicans, attack George Bush, attack the media, and one of these days the Harvard boy Obama will start attacking Yale for giving us 20 years of presidents before Obama came along.



In spite of his ruthless attacks against Sarah Palin for being inexperienced during the campaign, Obama has proven over and over that the greatest myth of his campaign claims was having any experience of his own whatsoever that might help prepare him to be president.

Last night he again attacked the Republicans, then attacked George Bush at length, for all the woes he faces as president. Didn't Obama do his homework when he was a candidate and know what was going on with the government?



If he really was experienced he would have known about our problems because he would have been on the Senate floor voting on the very problems he bemoans today instead of missing Senate votes because he was too busy campaigning.

By the way Mr. President, the last two years Bush was president your very own Democrats controlled the House, which controls the budget, which approved the deficits in the first place.

Last night he also viciously lashed out at those who say government is too big, as if everyone opposed to big government is a right wing Republican. Here his pollsters led him astray. The vast majority of Independents are opposed to big government and deficit spending and even a substantial number of Democrats know we are on a runaway train to oblivion.



Obama seems to be declaring everyone who doesn't want big government should not benefit from the government, a typical Chicago attitude to punish the disloyal while rewarding the insiders. Well Mr. President, it is not your government and not your tax money you are spending like some stoned punk at a frat party.

You have entered the real world and your time is running out to get real. This fall the people of America will give you a good education on politics. The people will bring your endless partisan and divisive political campaigning to a conclusion by stripping what little political strength you have left and taking back control of the Congress. You deserve no less.



At that point you will be a toothless tiger. However, if you continue to act as a picked on member of the elite frat pack and continue to try and manipulate the government to serve your own selfish purposes and agenda you will become the biggest liability of our future.

The majority of Americans who oppose big government and deficit spending have already tired of your politics of excuses and blame, finger pointing and character assassination, and it better end. If not, your performance will become the subject of debate on the national agenda and the new Independent controlled Congress will turn attention on how to limit the powers of a disconnected president to keep him from permanently damaging our Republic.

The future of America is in danger. Not because we face insurmountable problems. Not because we cannot fix our regulatory process. Not because corruption runs too deep. Not because any other nation is a viable national security threat. No, our danger comes from within.

Our government of the people and by the people has been hijacked by your gang of thugs who are trying to bring about radical change in spite of the will of the people. We had a pretty good country before you took over. Now we are becoming the laughing stock of the international community. At home there are no true Americans in your world, only those for and against your radical agenda.

Patriots in America are defenders of freedom and the greatest freedom we have you are trying to steal from us. Big government and deficit spending are the enemies of freedom and the antitheses of the freedoms inherent in the American Republic. You are supposed to be on our side Mr. President. We gave you the chance to serve us.



You want to help you can start with this. Campaign reform, the greatest need and only major issue totally ignored by you since you spent almost a billion dollars to buy the presidency. Public financing with no media ads is the only solution. Anything less is a sea of corruption.

We all want alternative energy but we are not fools. Today conventional energy is our life source. A prudent energy policy will seek out all forms of conventional energy in America to break the dependence on foreign oil. It will also set in motion a long term conversion to alternative energy because to do anything less is economically suicidal.



Real health care reform. So far you have paved the pockets of special interests and health care lobbyists with gold, protected the pharmaceutical and insurance industries ability to steal from the public, assured that health care costs can never go down, and generally made a mess of the health care delivery system.

Now fix it so we are encouraged to get well, not stay sick. If someone is healthy and does not need a doctor give them back the money they paid for health insurance. Stop FDA from accepting bribes from the pharmaceutical companies for the massive cost for New Drug Approval. It is the same conflict of interest that got the SEC in trouble with the banks and Interior Department in trouble with the oil companies.



We have over 2.5 million defense soldiers and civilian employees but only 1.1 million are in the USA. Since about 100,000 are in both Iraq and Afghanistan that leaves 1.2 million DOD employees all over the rest of the world. There are over 735 American military bases outside the USA including 38 large and medium size facilities. At the height of the British Empire in 1898 they had 36 bases spread out around the world and at the height of the Roman Empire in 117 AD they had 37 major bases. Of course they were both trying to conquer the world. We aren't supposed to be conquering the world so get rid of the excess bases.

In financial reform we have fixed everything but the problem, even with the new reform bill. If congress and the president continue to insist housing and derivatives should not be part of the bill then it is a joke. Eliminate unregulated derivatives and stop short selling which contributes nothing to managing the economy but is just a lame excuse for investment houses to steal from the market.

The object of the capitalist markets was to bring about orderly economic development while allowing investors to share in the profits. The result was to make money available to small business to build the economy. If a practice on Wall Street does not serve that purpose then stop it. Right now there is no capital available to small business, no credit from banks, yet all the banks are drawing discounted money from the Federal Reserve. Obama has done nothing but encourage the crooks on Wall Street and we are just as vulnerable as ever.

Our president has more than enough things to do to help and most of those things continue to eat away at the America spirit and budget. After all this time as president, it is clear Obama is not going to get it. We must start preparing to get control of the government back from the political hacks in our nation's capital who are in the pockets of the special interests. Obama is now a part of the problem.

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No Inflation? Do You Really Believe the Government or FED?

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I hope not. Thanks to the politicians heading our government the spin doctors have gotten so good at twisting information and stretching the story, that it is almost impossible to tell the truth from the lies. Then there is the ideology influence meaning both sides of an issue give absolutely opposite analysis and supposed truth about every issue.



For every subject there are both sides. Democrats and Republicans, the House versus the Senate, liberals versus conservatives. president versus congress, working class versus the elite, intellectuals versus Tea Party members, well you see what I'm saying.

But that is not the end of the confusion. For on top of all that, there are so many special interests, again on both sides, that we are also bombarded by them. All this is a rather long segue into the story I am writing which concerns government credibility.



Take inflation. For the last several years we have been repeatedly told by the government and the media, surrogate mouthpiece for the government, that our inflation rate is practically non-existent. But these past few years of extremely low interest rates resulting from very low inflation rates don't seem to have reduced credit card interest, bank fees, the price of gasoline or even the cost of everything else.

Maybe I just don't understand. I mean how could inflation be insignificant if health care costs are rising by anywhere from 16-33% a year depending on who you listened to. Even Obama says the cost of health insurance premiums were up by 40% this year? Those claims were why we now have health care reform.



Actually Obama and the Democrats in Congress said there would be no increase in insurance premiums, no increase in medical costs, no increase in taxes yet they said it would cost about a trillion dollars to implement. If we are saving a trillion dollars by cutting Medicare and Medicaid and eliminating all that fraud, then why does it still cost a trillion dollars? Shouldn't the cost be paid from the savings? Of course the increases in fees and taxes start right away, while major changes don't take effect until 2013, the first year after Obama is re-elected if he is re-elected.

Another thing about our lack of inflation. Why is it the same banks charging us 20% interest on credit cards get the money for free from our Federal Reserve? Right now banks can borrow from the Fed at 0% to one-quarter of one percent. We pay 20%, they pay nothing and they get their money from us?



As near as I can figure, a bank can borrow money at no interest from our government, then charge the people who pay for the government, namely us, 20% on the money we spend, meaning the bank can make a 20% gross profit on money they borrow from the government if they do nothing but process credit card transactions. No wonder no one's making loans, that car and home sales are miserable.

But that is still not my only beef with inflation reported by the government. Gasoline is way up the past few years yet consumption is down and per capita use is way down. Still makes no sense unless it is a scam to keep the big banks in business.



I do a lot of shopping, and prices keep going up. The alternative to prices going up is to shrink the size of packaging which everyone seems to have done. Keep the price the same, reduce the amount of food they get. Now that sure sounds inflationary to me but not to the government bean counters.

Finally there is the Wal-Mart approach to being successful when the economy sucks. Just force a reduction in the cost of goods, this is a big advantage for Wal-Mart with the buying power of about 8,400 stores. Wal-Mart demands such low prices from suppliers because they sell more stuff than anyone else. Of course this sends the jobs overseas because American companies cannot cut prices anymore. And it reduces the quality of products because "Made in America" labeling is no longer true.



The quality of the products gets reduced in order for even foreign suppliers to get a Wal-Mart contract. I noticed how cheap materials have become commonplace, or how thin packaging is getting. What I buy breaks down faster, like scouring pads that are shot after one or two good pot scrubs. Ten or twenty years ago they cleaned many pots and pans. My laundry detergent says it does x2 or x3 the loads yet I get half the loads from what I got ten years ago.

So Wal-Mart can save me money but only if I give up American jobs and American quality control and accept inferior materials and much shorter product life. Now selling that should have required a great spin job but it didn't. Americans flock to Wal-Mart, jobs flock overseas and quality sinks even lower. This is the bill of goods we are being sold by the spin doctors.

I think inflation is going up a lot faster than reported by the government and media. As I just explained, there are a lot of ways to hide the cost of inflation and none of them do much to help the consumer. What pennies the Wal-Mart way saves us in groceries and goods, we pay in increased interest and fees on our bank and credit cards.



So why write this article? Because if the economy is still being built on a house of cards then more of the house of cards may still collapse. Oh yes, and about that Wall Street manipulation that nearly destroyed the world economy two years ago, the one Obama promised to fix, not even the new and highly spun Financial Reform program Obama wants will fix those problems.

The crucial rules will remain the same and the same crooks are handling the money. Maybe one day our president and congress will take care of us instead of all their more special interests. That is as good as I can spin this story right now.

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It is Time for Responsible Republicans to Be Heard

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While Obama and Pelosi have captured center stage in the media with the health care reform and they have already declared a host of other social issues will be pursued next, I wonder what the Republican alternative to the Obama agenda might be?

The Democrat White House and Congress are clear in their intentions to overthrow, I mean overhaul the federal agenda and continue building their single payer, single employer and single owner social empire, meaning a very fat federal government.

Now we know that the Republicans by nature are opposed to Uncle Sugar and having the government hire and own everything. We also know that up until the beginning of the 21st century the Republicans were also the protectors of our economy and opposed to increasing the national debt. During the first decade of this century they seemed to have gone brain dead regarding the debt but there was hope they would come to their senses eventually.



Now that they are the minority party, meaning they blew it the last decade, one would think they might be offering an alternative to the Obama social juggernaut and demand the attention of our government be focused on what is being ignored in Washington. I mean there are a few issues still being ignored by everyone like the economy, jobs, unemployment and credit markets. How quickly we forget Main Street.

Then there are the massive number of fixes that are needed within the federal government covering everything from Financial reform to Housing Mortgage reform, Campaign reform to Energy independence, stronger ethics and conflict of interest laws to limits on lobbying and special interests. Fact is we are still waiting for Obama to start prosecuting all those crooks who manipulated federal laws and nearly destroyed the world economy. Those crooks remain in their offices on Wall Street.

So my question is this? If the public seems to dislike Obama's agenda though they like him okay, and if nothing has happened in Congress for over a year except the nasty old health care reform, where are the GOP ideas, initiatives and reforms to lead us out of the quagmire in Washington? Why are they not screaming about the trillion dollar debt the Obama agenda has created and why are they not offering alternatives?



Most days it seems as if the Republicans just trash Obama and the Democrats but offer nothing in terms of new ideas. If either party was really interested in Main Street they would be pushing for investigations and prosecutions of all the people who caused the economic meltdown, paid the outrageous bonuses, and profited from all the market manipulations.

The Democrats complain about the crooks on Wall Street but can't even pass a financial reform bill with enough teeth to prevent corruption, let alone prosecute the corrupters. Don't suppose it has anything to do with the fact these same crooks are filling the campaign coffers of the Democrats?

Yet the Democrats blame the Republicans for being the protector of Wall Street and stalling the financial reform laws. If I were a Republican I would be offering a comprehensive financial reform bill that does stop the corruption and prosecutes the corrupters because neither has any place in a free market economy. Then I would go after the Democrats for protecting the fat cats. Of course that assumes the GOP is not trying to protect the old ways of Wall Street.



I have trouble finding any Republican position on financial reform or anything else for that matter. It seems their agenda is stopping Democrats, not fixing America. If they want to get all worked up over the health care that's okay, but fix the bill, don't destroy the progress that has been made.

No benefit will come to the GOP if they simply oppose everything Obama and Pelosi want and then there is no alternative being offered. If I were a Republican every time I spoke I would preface it with a stand against increasing the national debt further and then offer alternatives to bigger government.

I think the GOP might have a false sense of security about the mood of the public. If they read the polls and think everyone hates the Democrats they better read again. If they think they are the natural alliance for the Tea Party movement they are also mistaken.



The independent movement in America belongs to no one and no party. As the Democrats continue to pursue more and more liberal goals and the Republicans continue to blabber more and more conservative opposition to everything both parties are at risk of being booted into oblivion by a public that is fed up with all politicians.

The social agenda of the president is certain to get the liberal and moderate Democrats in trouble in the fall elections and will increase the Republican resolve to win back seats. But without an agenda, without a plan and without concrete proposals the Republicans will just be blowing the same hot air as the Democrats and may find themselves on the endangered species list along with the Democrats.

We do not need politicians whose purpose in life is to tear down and destroy. We do not need politicians who believe there is a single political philosophy everyone must embrace. This is a big country. There is room for a lot of diverse ideas. Political leadership requires acknowledging the diversity of Americans and the diverse needs that result.



A good conservative can still have a social conscious and a free spending liberal can still show restraint for the good of the people. But they don't. The GOP leadership needs to stand for something. Spouting you are the party of fundamental conservative principles is nice, but will it assure food and housing for the poor? Being fiscally conservative and opposed to big government carries a responsibility to make certain those who benefit from such a system do not abuse it like Wall Street.

I figure anyone who offers real meaningful campaign reform and abolishes legal loopholes preventing prosecution of crooks on Wall Street and in Washington, and anyone who first considers the impact on the national debt before spending more billions we don't have, can't be all bad. Now I find myself still waiting for someone to come through with the ideas we need to fix America.

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Obama - New Social Architect or Special Interest Stooge?

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Now that President Obama has his coveted health care reform in hand, albeit there is a ways to go before it can become a reality, and we have seen what he did with the banks, insurance companies, auto companies and mortgage companies, it is time to ask if he is truly a social architect intent on forming a new American social structure based on government ownership and/or control, or if he is simply a stooge for the powerful special interests who helped finance his campaigns.



With his detached attitude and unwillingness to get immersed in the mechanics of fighting for his own legislative agenda, it seems he may be the consummate compromiser yet his actions are leading us in a very specific direction. Since he first took office there has been an obvious pattern of first taking care of his special interest contributors which leaves his true intent in question.



Look at the record. Several of the first Executive Orders he issued as president greatly strengthened the unions and even gave them a degree of control and influence over construction projects and other activities that were contained in his economic stimulus program. No Democrat or Republican president before ever made such blatant concessions to the unions.



The auto bailout he engineered guaranteed the unions major control of General Motors and protected them from losing billions of dollars in unsecured losses from GM stock they owned while the bond holders from General Motors were left out in the cold.



He even delayed the provision in the health care reform bill to tax the most luxurious health insurance policies until 2018, long after he would be president. Under the contracts negotiated by the unions with auto makers these luxury policies were a major contributor to the very bankruptcy of the auto industry.



The most frequent visitor to the White House is Andy Stern, President of the SEIU, the service workers union who Stern claims spent more than $60 million to get Obama elected. So who is to benefit most from expanded health care, the service workers union of Stern who is trying to unionize the health care industry.



Then when Congress did not approve his Deficit Reduction Task Force he created it by Executive Order and then promptly appointed the same Andy Stern to the group. I find it rather odd that a union organizer qualifies as an expert in economics and knows how to reduce our federal debt when he has been benefitting from the very Obama initiatives that have resulted in an avalanche of new debt.



Of course Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the housing mortgage companies, were taken over by the Obama government although the media does not seem interested in talking about it. In this case Obama took care of Wall Street poster boy Goldman Sachs, another major Obama contributor and supporter, whose actions in selling the sub-prime mortgages helped destroy the housing market.

Did you know $217 billion have already been given by Obama to these two housing agencies to bail them out of their last mess?. Did you know Rahm Emanuel was on the Board of one of them and when he was with the Clinton administration they passed the federal commodity loopholes that allowed the deceptive investment practices that caused oil price spikes and brought down the world economy?



In fact his ties to Goldman Sachs are best illustrated by the fact he approved the AIG insurance bailout to protect a too big to fail company and $64 billion in government money went to Goldman and other banks who recouped 100% of their toxic holdings in the bankrupt company while the stock and bond holders got a fraction of their value.



Finally, though Obama promised he was considering taking on the powerful Trial Lawyers Association and was going to incorporate tort reform to reduce the multi-billion dollar cost of medical malpractice, it was left out of his final bill. It's not surprising since they were at the top of the list of special interest contributors to his campaign.



Social architect or special interest stooge, the jury is out but the actions seem to have taken a sharp left turn. Big government and multi-trillion dollar debt are the products of his efforts, a very left leaning legacy to date. Yet he may be the godfather of his own special interests and at the top of the list come Goldman Sachs (Wall Street), the Trial Lawyers and the unions, particularly SEIU. All stand to benefit greatly from his health care reform.



His unfinished agenda includes more social redirection as he says Immigration reform is next followed by Cap and Trade and other initiatives. Ironically, he and the Democrats controlling congress still are not even talking about the economy, unemployment, jobs and credit issues affecting Main Street, the very issues Main Street wants addressed.

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