I have no idea who wrote this but it sure makes
sense… I would have asked how can he be traveling and giving speeches all
the time and taking vacations and at the same time be doing anything
real!!!
The NoBull Newsletter
Who's Really Running the Show?
I have been having a nagging intuition lately that
something is not quite right about Barack Obama. I am not suggesting there
is something wrong with the man, per se. Nor am I talking about the crazy,
even dangerous, policies coming out of the White House. No, lately, I have
been wondering if Barack Obama is, in fact, the person who is actually
functioning as President of the United States .
I mean, there's no doubt that he fills the position
of POTUS but is he really the one in command? The man actually seems lost
at times. He seems to be reacting to ideas about which he does not really
have a clue. He has left the writing of this health care bill to Nancy
Pelosi's House of Representatives and she, in turn, has farmed the writing
out to several fairly radical community action groups. When questioned
about health care, he seems not to know or understand the details and even
with his silver-tongue seems unable to demonstrate any leadership on the
issue.
With respect to Afghanistan and the rest of our
foreign policy, he seems equally lost. Especially when it comes to dealing
with other world leaders. He makes beautiful speeches but seems to be
unable to cut deals which benefit our nation. He seems to be acting as a
pawn of much more clever world leaders.
The more I watch the man, the more I see a person who
appears to be the "face" of some other entity or group. He seems like a
"front man". And it is becoming clear that his strings are being pulled by
someone else. He does not appear to be the man in command of the ship of
state. At least, he is not in the driver's seat.
You might recall that people said about Bush that he
was a front man for the neo-cons and that it was really Dick Cheney that
was running the show. It turns out that Dick Cheney was not as influential
in Bush's second term as many thought but, perhaps it is true that the
neo-cons, whoever they may be, were pulling some of Bush's strings.
On the other hand, with Obama, it does not appear
that there is anyone who is visible to we the people or the media who is
pulling the strings. If they are there, they are not in elected positions
as Cheney was. They are better hidden than that.
We know that he has been and remains surrounded by
life-long radicals, professed communists and anti-capitalists, some of
whom he has even appointed as czars in his administration. Thirty six
czars, to date. But is it Obama who is picking the czars or is it the
czars who are running the show and propping up Obama as their front man?
I know all this may sound crazy but, really, when
you look at the man without the idolatry and media worship, does he really
look like he knows what he is doing? Does he seem to have a direction?
Firm convictions? Something he deeply believes in? The more he talks
now, the more his words seems empty of content. Platitudes about America
and the American people which, when he says them, simply do not ring true.
They are words being mouthed but not believed by him.
Okay, so maybe he is really clever, is firmly moving
the ship to the left while mouthing the words of a centrist but I don't
think so. What I used to think was that he was a really slick conman who
was making us watch his left hand while he was manipulating us with his
right. But, now I don't think that so much. I think the man is more
plastic than real. Now I begin to see him as the "Great and Powerful Oz":
a fearsome presence who is being manipulated by men behind the curtain.
And while Obama does not have strong convictions, the men behind the
curtain do. And they are moving this country down a dangerous path. All
the while, we are being distracted by Obama and what he says and does.
Okay, maybe I am simply a mildly paranoid conspiracy
theorist. Why, you might ask, have Obama up there? Why not have one of
the actual people behind the curtain run for President. Well, being a
paranoid conspiracy theorist, I can come up with an answer to that
question. Those other people behind the curtain have backgrounds that are
so radical that they would never have made it past the first few days of a
campaign. Additionally, they are life-long community organizers and they
know what kind of face can be effective if you wish to radically change the
nation. First, you need a black man to gain the support of the vast black
minority. Second, you need a pale skinned black man so as not to be too
much of a threat to white Americans. For the same reasons, you need a
mixed race man who allies himself with the poor and down-trodden. And you
need someone who speaks well enough to co-opt the language of the right and
appear to be a uniter, not a divider. Someone who sees, or at least can
articulate, both sides of an issue. This is the kind of man you would
pick to be your front man so that while you move things drastically and
dramatically left, the vast majority of Americans will not believe that was
the intention of the moderate appearing front man.
Yes, Obama was a community organizer. Yes, he could
be clever enough to have all this be his idea. But he really wasn't a
community organizer for that long. And when he was, he didn't do anything
truly radical. It was more a time during which he was being trained than a
time when he was driven by a personal sense of commitment to anything in
particular. There are people who are now in his government who have been
community organizers and radical left wing activists for 20-30 years.
These people have deeply ingrained commitments to changing the system and
have been actively trying to do so for all that time. Obama is not one of
them.
In my view, Obama has been trained and used as a
puppet by others for a long time. His successes seem to have come too
easily, as if they have been orchestrated. His life appears to have been
pre-planned. I mean, Harvard Law Review without publishing a single paper
of note. That is unusual. A community organizer for a short time, a State
legislator for a few years, a freshman US Senator, a convention key-note
speaker, and then POTUS. How does that happen? A person with zero
governmental administrative experience is running the entire government of
the United States .
How do 1100 page documents get developed and put out
in such short order? Who is writing all these proposals? Does it not seem
that something is just not quite right here? Forget about the specifics of
the policies for the moment. Have you seen this level of activity in the
first few months of any other administration in your lifetime? Does Obama
seem like the kind of person that could manage this level of activity in so
short a time? Too much does not make sense here.
So, slowly but surely, I am becoming convinced that
it is not Barack Obama who is running the show. The White House has been
captured by a group of people who are using Barack Obama as their front
man. He is nothing but an articulate but empty suit. We have to start
looking behind the curtains to find out who is really controlling the
"great and powerful Obama".
Something to think about..............
OBITUARY
Born 1776, Died 2008
It does not hurt to read this several times.
Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law,
St. Paul , Minnesota , points out some interesting facts concerning last
November's Presidential election:
a.. Number of States won by: Democrats: 19 Republicans: 29
b.. Square miles of land won by: Democrats: 580,000 Republicans:
2,427,000
Population of counties won by: Democrats: 127 million
Republicans: 143
million
Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by:
Democrats: 13.2 Republicans: 2.1
Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory
Republicans won was mostly the land owned by the taxpaying citizens of the
country.
Democrat territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in low
income tenements and living off various forms of government welfare..."
Olson believes the United States is now somewhere between the
"complacency and apathy" phase of Professor Tyler's definition of
democracy, with some forty percent of the nation's population already
having reached the "governmental dependency" phase.
If Congress grants amnesty and citizenship to twenty million
criminal invaders called illegals and they vote, then we can say goodbye
to the USA in fewer than five years.
If you are in favor of this, then by all means, delete this
message.
If you are not, then pass this along to help everyone realize just
how much is at stake, knowing that apathy is the greatest danger to our
freedom.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Friday, August 21, 2009
HERE IS AN IMPORTANT READ....
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
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 can not 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.
This might be funny if it weren't so darned true.
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
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 can not 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.
This might be funny if it weren't so darned true.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Jim Hill's Letter to Barbara Boxer & Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid
Some of us witnessed the arrogance of Barbara Boxer (CA) as she admonished a brigadier general because he addressed her as "ma'am" and not "Senator" before a Senate hearing. This letter is from a National Guard aviator and Captain for Alaska Airlines. I wonder what he would have said if he were really angry. Long fly Alaska !!!!!
You were so right on when you scolded the general on TV for using the term, "ma'am," instead of "Senator". After all, in the military, "ma'am" is a term of respect when addressing a female of superior rank or position. The general was totally wrong. You are not a person of superior rank or position. You are a member of one of the world's most corrupt organizations, the U.S. Senate, equalled only by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Congress is a cesspool of liars, thieves, inside traders, traitors, drunks (one who killed a staffer, yet is still revered), criminals, and other low level swine who, as individuals (not all, but many), will do anything to enhance their lives, fortunes and power, all at the expense of the People of the United States and its Constitution, in order to be continually re-elected. Many democrats even want American troops killed by releasing photographs. How many of you could honestly say, "We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor"? None? One? Two?
Your reaction to the general shows several things. First is your abysmal ignorance of all things military. Your treatment of the general shows you to be an elitist of the worst kind. When the general entered the military (as most of us who served) he wrote the government a blank check, offering his life to protect your derriere, now safely and comfortably ensconced in a 20 thousand dollar leather chair, paid for by the general's taxes. You repaid him for this by humiliating him in front of millions.
Second is your puerile character, lack of sophistication, and arrogance which borders on the hubristic. This display of brattish behavior shows you to be a virago, termagant, harridan, nag, scold or shrew, unfit for your position, regardless of the support of the unwashed, uneducated masses who have made California into the laughing stock of the nation.
What I am writing, Senator, are the same thoughts countless millions of Americans have toward Congress, but who lack the energy, ability or time to convey them. Under the democrats, some don't even have the 44 cents to buy the stamp. Regardless of their thoughts, most realize that politicians are pretty much the same, and will vote for the one who will bring home the most bacon, even if they do consider how corrupt that person is. Lord Acton (1834 - 1902) so aptly charged, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Unbeknownst to you and your colleagues, "Mr. Power" has had his way with all of you, and we are all the worse for it.
Finally Senator, I, too, have a title. It is "Right Wing Extremist Potential Terrorist Threat." It is not of my choosing, but was given to me by your Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. And you were offended by "ma'am"?
Have a fine day. Cheers!
Jim Hill
16808 - 103rd Avenue Court East
South Hill, WA 98374
Some of us witnessed the arrogance of Barbara Boxer (CA) as she admonished a brigadier general because he addressed her as "ma'am" and not "Senator" before a Senate hearing. This letter is from a National Guard aviator and Captain for Alaska Airlines. I wonder what he would have said if he were really angry. Long fly Alaska !!!!!
You were so right on when you scolded the general on TV for using the term, "ma'am," instead of "Senator". After all, in the military, "ma'am" is a term of respect when addressing a female of superior rank or position. The general was totally wrong. You are not a person of superior rank or position. You are a member of one of the world's most corrupt organizations, the U.S. Senate, equalled only by the U.S. House of Representatives.
Congress is a cesspool of liars, thieves, inside traders, traitors, drunks (one who killed a staffer, yet is still revered), criminals, and other low level swine who, as individuals (not all, but many), will do anything to enhance their lives, fortunes and power, all at the expense of the People of the United States and its Constitution, in order to be continually re-elected. Many democrats even want American troops killed by releasing photographs. How many of you could honestly say, "We pledge our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor"? None? One? Two?
Your reaction to the general shows several things. First is your abysmal ignorance of all things military. Your treatment of the general shows you to be an elitist of the worst kind. When the general entered the military (as most of us who served) he wrote the government a blank check, offering his life to protect your derriere, now safely and comfortably ensconced in a 20 thousand dollar leather chair, paid for by the general's taxes. You repaid him for this by humiliating him in front of millions.
Second is your puerile character, lack of sophistication, and arrogance which borders on the hubristic. This display of brattish behavior shows you to be a virago, termagant, harridan, nag, scold or shrew, unfit for your position, regardless of the support of the unwashed, uneducated masses who have made California into the laughing stock of the nation.
What I am writing, Senator, are the same thoughts countless millions of Americans have toward Congress, but who lack the energy, ability or time to convey them. Under the democrats, some don't even have the 44 cents to buy the stamp. Regardless of their thoughts, most realize that politicians are pretty much the same, and will vote for the one who will bring home the most bacon, even if they do consider how corrupt that person is. Lord Acton (1834 - 1902) so aptly charged, "Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely." Unbeknownst to you and your colleagues, "Mr. Power" has had his way with all of you, and we are all the worse for it.
Finally Senator, I, too, have a title. It is "Right Wing Extremist Potential Terrorist Threat." It is not of my choosing, but was given to me by your Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano. And you were offended by "ma'am"?
Have a fine day. Cheers!
Jim Hill
16808 - 103rd Avenue Court East
South Hill, WA 98374
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Congress for Sale - Cheap
Barney Frank, Chris Dodd and most of the other congressional democrats are hypocritical, blundering, political hacks without an ounce of integrity. They passed the ARRA bill, after inserting an amendment authorizing the payment of bonuses to AIG executives, without reading it, without adequately debating it, and they are now throwing everyone in sight under the bus to cover their own asses because of the miss-informed public outrage. For the first time since the Great Society legislative feeding frenzy of the 60’s under LBJ the democrats can’t stop acting like pigs at the trough. They know that everything they pass will probably be signed by BHO out on one of his junkets, hell, most of it was “demanded” by the White House to begin with.
I know of no congressperson who didn’t say YES I having read the bill, (> 1,000 pages in < 24 hours??) before it was passed, but they are all now expressing shock and surprise about the Bonus payment authorization. Huh? You can’t have it both ways kids. This also applies to Mr. President. His secretary Geithner says he knew about it all along, but he failed to tell his boss? And his boss failed to ask? They are both either lying or completely incompetent.
AIG Bonuses:
1. “Bonus” is a miss-label. Most of us think of a bonus as payment for extra effort or as a reward for some form of excellence. Combine that with the AIG debacle and you get a predictable reaction. The amounts involved were contractual agreements to pay individuals to help eliminate their own jobs. They were asked to help unwind the VERY complicated market derivative financial instruments they had created and managed. Who better to un-build a structure than the engineer who designed and supervised its construction? Basically, these individuals were told, you are fired, but if you stick around long enough to un-build your creation with the least possible loss to AIG, we will pay you a “retention fee” for saving us hundreds of millions. That is exactly what these individuals did, and payment was made as agreed.
2. Timothy Geithner new about them, Barack Obama new about them, Congress knew about them and included and amendment in the bill to allow them. The contracts for these bonuses were even disclosed in an SEC filing in May, 2008.
3. The congressional response of passing an illegal 90% ex-post facto income tax on these bonuses. How can that stand? All of the bonuses paid to date are exempt from this tax since they were paid before it was law, so what’s the point. We are taxing future bonuses? So that means that none of us can ever receive a bonus in the future? This is blatant pandering to public opinion by arrogant idiots in congress who think they are schmoozing us. I am completely disgusted by them. I have resolved to never again vote for an incumbent congress candidate.
4. There are actually people picketing in front of AIG offices and sending death threats to the families of the people who received these bonuses. Talk about stupidity. That explains the people in congress; they come from and are elected by this pool of numbskulls. God help us… oops, never mind, we aren’t allowed to invoke His involvement.
I know of no congressperson who didn’t say YES I having read the bill, (> 1,000 pages in < 24 hours??) before it was passed, but they are all now expressing shock and surprise about the Bonus payment authorization. Huh? You can’t have it both ways kids. This also applies to Mr. President. His secretary Geithner says he knew about it all along, but he failed to tell his boss? And his boss failed to ask? They are both either lying or completely incompetent.
AIG Bonuses:
1. “Bonus” is a miss-label. Most of us think of a bonus as payment for extra effort or as a reward for some form of excellence. Combine that with the AIG debacle and you get a predictable reaction. The amounts involved were contractual agreements to pay individuals to help eliminate their own jobs. They were asked to help unwind the VERY complicated market derivative financial instruments they had created and managed. Who better to un-build a structure than the engineer who designed and supervised its construction? Basically, these individuals were told, you are fired, but if you stick around long enough to un-build your creation with the least possible loss to AIG, we will pay you a “retention fee” for saving us hundreds of millions. That is exactly what these individuals did, and payment was made as agreed.
2. Timothy Geithner new about them, Barack Obama new about them, Congress knew about them and included and amendment in the bill to allow them. The contracts for these bonuses were even disclosed in an SEC filing in May, 2008.
3. The congressional response of passing an illegal 90% ex-post facto income tax on these bonuses. How can that stand? All of the bonuses paid to date are exempt from this tax since they were paid before it was law, so what’s the point. We are taxing future bonuses? So that means that none of us can ever receive a bonus in the future? This is blatant pandering to public opinion by arrogant idiots in congress who think they are schmoozing us. I am completely disgusted by them. I have resolved to never again vote for an incumbent congress candidate.
4. There are actually people picketing in front of AIG offices and sending death threats to the families of the people who received these bonuses. Talk about stupidity. That explains the people in congress; they come from and are elected by this pool of numbskulls. God help us… oops, never mind, we aren’t allowed to invoke His involvement.
Where Have You gone, Milton Friedman?
By: Christopher Ruddy
If Simon & Garfunkel were still recording today, they might pen a hit new song, to the beat of “Mrs. Robinson,” titled “Where Have You Gone, Milton Friedman?”
The Nobel Prize-winning, free-market economist died in 2006. But Friedman was not only a brilliant theoretician, he was an articulate advocate for our free-enterprise system. President
Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988.
I remember as a high school student watching his TV program on PBS, “Free to Choose.” Friedman’s ideas became the underpinnings of the Reagan revolution, not to mention Margaret Thatcher’s privatization movement that helped leapfrog Britain’s economy.
Today capitalism is under attack as never before and Milton Friedman is not here to defend it.
President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are blaming capitalist greed for the current economic crisis, seeking to make scapegoats out of the “rich,” banks, Wall Street — the entire capitalist system.
Their solution is more government, more spending, and higher taxes.
What would Milton Friedman say to that?
Editor's Note: The Obama Stock Market Crash is Here. Adjust Your Portfolio For Profits, Protection!
Well, I can share with you a video of a testy but amusing confrontation between Friedman and liberal TV talk-show host Phil Donahue that took place in 1979.
Acting like Barack Obama, Donahue asks the renowned economist, “When you see the greed and the concentration of power, did you ever have a moment of doubt about capitalism and whether greed is a good idea to run on?"
Friedman shot back: "Is there some society we know that doesn’t run on greed? What is greed? Of course none of us are greedy; it's only the other fellow who's greedy."
Friedman continued: “The world runs on individuals pursuing their separate interests. The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus . . .
“In the only cases in which the masses have escaped from the kind of grinding poverty you're talking about, they have had capitalism and largely free trade . . .
“There is no alternative way so far discovered of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system."
Those words are so appropriate today. [You can watch the video of Friedman’s exchange with Donahue.
Friedman’s point is not that capitalism is perfect, but that it is better than all the other systems. Consider that the United States has just 5 percent of the world’s population, but its free-enterprise system produces 25 percent of the world’s GDP.
If Obama gets what he wants, attacking the rich and “spreading wealth around,” the U.S. will resemble the socialist economies of Europe — and it will also mirror their low rates of growth and economic activity. Obama’s plan will not just hurt the U.S. economy, it will take the steam out of the world economy’s engine.
But Milton Friedman still has more to say about Obama.
Recently, Newsmax’s sister publication, Financial Intelligence Report, included an economic analysis from market expert David Skarica.
Skarica cited Friedman’s 1992 classic work “Money Mischief.” As Skarica notes, everything that is unfolding today, including our government’s response to the current crisis, is all laid out in Friedman’s prophetic book.
“Friedman argues that, during recessions, governments turn on the printing presses,” Skarica wrote. “Interest rates plummet as governments move to inflate the money supply in response to an ensuing economic meltdown,” and the initial effects seem good.
That is, governments use spending to cover up economic ills, but that leads to rampant inflation.
Amazingly, what Friedman described is exactly what is happening today. Obama and the Democrats are unwilling to cut spending and be fiscally responsible, and instead will massively increase the money supply — which inevitably leads to inflation.
Skarica writes, “We are seeing this phenomenon unfold right now before our very eyes.”
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said there is no problem with inflation, declaring on March 10, "We do think inflation will be low over the next couple of years."
And just this week, it was announced the Fed pumped another $1.2 trillion into the economy!
Bernanke surely knows what Friedman explained in “Money Mischief” — that it takes at least a year after the massive expansion of the money supply for inflation to rear its ugly head. And Bernanke is well aware, as Friedman so artfully explains, that inflation causes a brutal economic “hangover,” making things actually worse in the long run.
Sadly, our biggest problem today is not the economic one, but one of leadership and character. We do not have the Milton Friedmans to rise to the challenge.
Without Simon & Garfunkel’s new song, perhaps we can just change the lyrics in “Mrs. Robinson” to “Where have you gone, Milton Friedman? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”
Added Comment:
If you think the interest rates of the 70's were high at +18%, just hang on to your hat. This time it will be even higher. There is a physics "law" that is applicable to this: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Nobody is paying attention or nobody understands, or both. We cannot spend $1.5 TRILLION from the national credit card, without a consequence. That consequense WILL NOT be ecomonic recovery; That consequence will be inflation, increased taxes and increased interest rates. Ask Paul Volker, Friedman may be gone, but Volker is not and he got his advise from Milton Friedman when he tamed our 20% inflation rate > 30 years ago.
If Simon & Garfunkel were still recording today, they might pen a hit new song, to the beat of “Mrs. Robinson,” titled “Where Have You Gone, Milton Friedman?”
The Nobel Prize-winning, free-market economist died in 2006. But Friedman was not only a brilliant theoretician, he was an articulate advocate for our free-enterprise system. President
Reagan awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1988.
I remember as a high school student watching his TV program on PBS, “Free to Choose.” Friedman’s ideas became the underpinnings of the Reagan revolution, not to mention Margaret Thatcher’s privatization movement that helped leapfrog Britain’s economy.
Today capitalism is under attack as never before and Milton Friedman is not here to defend it.
President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats are blaming capitalist greed for the current economic crisis, seeking to make scapegoats out of the “rich,” banks, Wall Street — the entire capitalist system.
Their solution is more government, more spending, and higher taxes.
What would Milton Friedman say to that?
Editor's Note: The Obama Stock Market Crash is Here. Adjust Your Portfolio For Profits, Protection!
Well, I can share with you a video of a testy but amusing confrontation between Friedman and liberal TV talk-show host Phil Donahue that took place in 1979.
Acting like Barack Obama, Donahue asks the renowned economist, “When you see the greed and the concentration of power, did you ever have a moment of doubt about capitalism and whether greed is a good idea to run on?"
Friedman shot back: "Is there some society we know that doesn’t run on greed? What is greed? Of course none of us are greedy; it's only the other fellow who's greedy."
Friedman continued: “The world runs on individuals pursuing their separate interests. The great achievements of civilization have not come from government bureaus . . .
“In the only cases in which the masses have escaped from the kind of grinding poverty you're talking about, they have had capitalism and largely free trade . . .
“There is no alternative way so far discovered of improving the lot of the ordinary people that can hold a candle to the productive activities that are unleashed by a free enterprise system."
Those words are so appropriate today. [You can watch the video of Friedman’s exchange with Donahue.
Friedman’s point is not that capitalism is perfect, but that it is better than all the other systems. Consider that the United States has just 5 percent of the world’s population, but its free-enterprise system produces 25 percent of the world’s GDP.
If Obama gets what he wants, attacking the rich and “spreading wealth around,” the U.S. will resemble the socialist economies of Europe — and it will also mirror their low rates of growth and economic activity. Obama’s plan will not just hurt the U.S. economy, it will take the steam out of the world economy’s engine.
But Milton Friedman still has more to say about Obama.
Recently, Newsmax’s sister publication, Financial Intelligence Report, included an economic analysis from market expert David Skarica.
Skarica cited Friedman’s 1992 classic work “Money Mischief.” As Skarica notes, everything that is unfolding today, including our government’s response to the current crisis, is all laid out in Friedman’s prophetic book.
“Friedman argues that, during recessions, governments turn on the printing presses,” Skarica wrote. “Interest rates plummet as governments move to inflate the money supply in response to an ensuing economic meltdown,” and the initial effects seem good.
That is, governments use spending to cover up economic ills, but that leads to rampant inflation.
Amazingly, what Friedman described is exactly what is happening today. Obama and the Democrats are unwilling to cut spending and be fiscally responsible, and instead will massively increase the money supply — which inevitably leads to inflation.
Skarica writes, “We are seeing this phenomenon unfold right now before our very eyes.”
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke has said there is no problem with inflation, declaring on March 10, "We do think inflation will be low over the next couple of years."
And just this week, it was announced the Fed pumped another $1.2 trillion into the economy!
Bernanke surely knows what Friedman explained in “Money Mischief” — that it takes at least a year after the massive expansion of the money supply for inflation to rear its ugly head. And Bernanke is well aware, as Friedman so artfully explains, that inflation causes a brutal economic “hangover,” making things actually worse in the long run.
Sadly, our biggest problem today is not the economic one, but one of leadership and character. We do not have the Milton Friedmans to rise to the challenge.
Without Simon & Garfunkel’s new song, perhaps we can just change the lyrics in “Mrs. Robinson” to “Where have you gone, Milton Friedman? A nation turns its lonely eyes to you.”
Added Comment:
If you think the interest rates of the 70's were high at +18%, just hang on to your hat. This time it will be even higher. There is a physics "law" that is applicable to this: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Nobody is paying attention or nobody understands, or both. We cannot spend $1.5 TRILLION from the national credit card, without a consequence. That consequense WILL NOT be ecomonic recovery; That consequence will be inflation, increased taxes and increased interest rates. Ask Paul Volker, Friedman may be gone, but Volker is not and he got his advise from Milton Friedman when he tamed our 20% inflation rate > 30 years ago.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Still Campaigning, or fiddling while Rome burns?
“Ice Storms Strike the Heartland: Where's Obama?” [sic] Where’s the Katrina-ish coverage?
“Last week a massive ice storm struck the heartland of America , leaving at least 42 dead and millions without power or water. Days later there are still over a million people in Kentucky who have no power, no water, and no communications. They could have to survive this way for weeks! The conditions are dire and getting worse, with some storm survivors carrying pails of water from creeks. Thousands more are living in shelters with no timetable for returning home. FEMA is nowhere to be found.
“Amid this catastrophe, where is President Barack Obama? While millions are struggling were struggling with the dangerous and deadly icy conditions President Obama had the thermostat in the Oval Office cranked up like a "hothouse" growing orchids. On Thursday — while millions in Tennessee and Kentucky did not have access to shelter or food — Obama hosted a cocktail party at the White House and served up fancy martinis and an appetizer menu that featured mouthwatering wagyu [Kobe and Mishima meats are brand-names of wagyu] steak costing >$100 a pound.
“Saturday night — as the governor of Kentucky called up the entire National Guard in his state to deal with the ongoing crisis — President Obama slipped into his black tie attire to attend the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner, where lavish cocktails and fine dining were the order of the evening. And on Sunday — when millions in Kentucky and Tennessee still lacked the basic necessities of power and water — the Obama family threw an extravagant Super Bowl party!
“The devastating storm has been virtually ignored by the national media. The lack of coverage is a media blackout compared to the media onslaught and 24-7 coverage provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama has been living it up in the White House while people have been suffering and dying. Five days after the storm, he still has not traveled to the area to provide aid and comfort to the victims.
“When President George W. Bush delayed traveling to the areas ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina in order to allow the recovery efforts to take place without distraction, the left denounced him for "not caring." Rapper Kanye West actually claimed that Bush did not do more to help because he "doesn't care about black people." The "Bush hates black people" theme was picked up and promoted by the anti-Bush mainstream media. President Bush was derided as the "bystander-in-chief;" as someone who had ideological hostility to those needing help; and as “‘staggeringly indifferent" to the plight of those in New Orleans because of the race of those who were most affected. Those were the more "moderate" comments from the supposedly "mainstream" columnists and reporters; the left-wing blogosphere definitively claimed that "Bush hates black people." They even had bumper stickers.
“The left-wing extremists suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome even went so far as to claim that President Bush "played golf" rather than help those suffering souls in New Orleans . It was, of course, a lie. But that lie persists to this day.
“The fact that President Obama is "living large" while Americans suffer is no lie. So where is the collective outrage over his callous disregard for the lives of those who reside in a state that does not worship "The One" and which did not deliver any electoral votes last November? Where are the calls for investigations from the Congress? Perhaps the Democratic Party leadership is too busy sharing cocktails with the president at the White House to notice the ongoing tragedy in "flyover country." Or maybe they just share his contempt for the "white people" living in those areas where people cling desperately to their guns and Bibles while their government ignores them.”[i]
----------------------------
I am not into making excuses for GWB. He completely dropped the ball in New Orleans and with Katrina in general, but there are lots of lies and there was a horrendous amount of very slanted news propaganda aimed at him. Do you think maybe there is a lesson here somewhere? Why is congress legislating the spending of almost $1 Trillion passing a bill that NONE of them have even read, while BHO stays on the campaign trail, this time at tax payer expense with AF1? What’s he doing running all over the country on one-night-stands, giving campaign speeches? The election is over dip-stick, and you won. Remember the part about. “I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear, etc, etc, etc?” Hello, it’s time to go to work now. I think he is so hooked on large, cheering crowds, that he can’t get enough, and now we are paying for him to get his daily fix. Hell, the oval office is boooorrrring. It’s much more fun to be out there where thousands of people are fawning over you and drinking your Kool-Aid, while Rham stays home and does the work. Get over yourself Barack – it’s time to go to work now, or at least time to give the impression you are, even if you don’t know how.
By the way, speaking of Rham, what is a hired, west-wing paladin doing at a legislative conference committee meeting conforming two versions of a bill? Is that like Citibank consulting on bail-out legislation a few weeks ago? I don’t remember voting for him to do anything, or having the opportunity to.
[i] Unattributed via email from a friend.
“Last week a massive ice storm struck the heartland of America , leaving at least 42 dead and millions without power or water. Days later there are still over a million people in Kentucky who have no power, no water, and no communications. They could have to survive this way for weeks! The conditions are dire and getting worse, with some storm survivors carrying pails of water from creeks. Thousands more are living in shelters with no timetable for returning home. FEMA is nowhere to be found.
“Amid this catastrophe, where is President Barack Obama? While millions are struggling were struggling with the dangerous and deadly icy conditions President Obama had the thermostat in the Oval Office cranked up like a "hothouse" growing orchids. On Thursday — while millions in Tennessee and Kentucky did not have access to shelter or food — Obama hosted a cocktail party at the White House and served up fancy martinis and an appetizer menu that featured mouthwatering wagyu [Kobe and Mishima meats are brand-names of wagyu] steak costing >$100 a pound.
“Saturday night — as the governor of Kentucky called up the entire National Guard in his state to deal with the ongoing crisis — President Obama slipped into his black tie attire to attend the exclusive Alfalfa Club dinner, where lavish cocktails and fine dining were the order of the evening. And on Sunday — when millions in Kentucky and Tennessee still lacked the basic necessities of power and water — the Obama family threw an extravagant Super Bowl party!
“The devastating storm has been virtually ignored by the national media. The lack of coverage is a media blackout compared to the media onslaught and 24-7 coverage provided in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. President Obama has been living it up in the White House while people have been suffering and dying. Five days after the storm, he still has not traveled to the area to provide aid and comfort to the victims.
“When President George W. Bush delayed traveling to the areas ripped apart by Hurricane Katrina in order to allow the recovery efforts to take place without distraction, the left denounced him for "not caring." Rapper Kanye West actually claimed that Bush did not do more to help because he "doesn't care about black people." The "Bush hates black people" theme was picked up and promoted by the anti-Bush mainstream media. President Bush was derided as the "bystander-in-chief;" as someone who had ideological hostility to those needing help; and as “‘staggeringly indifferent" to the plight of those in New Orleans because of the race of those who were most affected. Those were the more "moderate" comments from the supposedly "mainstream" columnists and reporters; the left-wing blogosphere definitively claimed that "Bush hates black people." They even had bumper stickers.
“The left-wing extremists suffering from Bush Derangement Syndrome even went so far as to claim that President Bush "played golf" rather than help those suffering souls in New Orleans . It was, of course, a lie. But that lie persists to this day.
“The fact that President Obama is "living large" while Americans suffer is no lie. So where is the collective outrage over his callous disregard for the lives of those who reside in a state that does not worship "The One" and which did not deliver any electoral votes last November? Where are the calls for investigations from the Congress? Perhaps the Democratic Party leadership is too busy sharing cocktails with the president at the White House to notice the ongoing tragedy in "flyover country." Or maybe they just share his contempt for the "white people" living in those areas where people cling desperately to their guns and Bibles while their government ignores them.”[i]
----------------------------
I am not into making excuses for GWB. He completely dropped the ball in New Orleans and with Katrina in general, but there are lots of lies and there was a horrendous amount of very slanted news propaganda aimed at him. Do you think maybe there is a lesson here somewhere? Why is congress legislating the spending of almost $1 Trillion passing a bill that NONE of them have even read, while BHO stays on the campaign trail, this time at tax payer expense with AF1? What’s he doing running all over the country on one-night-stands, giving campaign speeches? The election is over dip-stick, and you won. Remember the part about. “I Barack Hussein Obama do solemnly swear, etc, etc, etc?” Hello, it’s time to go to work now. I think he is so hooked on large, cheering crowds, that he can’t get enough, and now we are paying for him to get his daily fix. Hell, the oval office is boooorrrring. It’s much more fun to be out there where thousands of people are fawning over you and drinking your Kool-Aid, while Rham stays home and does the work. Get over yourself Barack – it’s time to go to work now, or at least time to give the impression you are, even if you don’t know how.
By the way, speaking of Rham, what is a hired, west-wing paladin doing at a legislative conference committee meeting conforming two versions of a bill? Is that like Citibank consulting on bail-out legislation a few weeks ago? I don’t remember voting for him to do anything, or having the opportunity to.
[i] Unattributed via email from a friend.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Blocking and Tackling
In 1959 a virtually unknown coach was hired by the Green Bay Packers. This short, hefty Italian American, Vince Lombardi, came to the coldest stadium in the league and turned football up-side-down. By the time he left his record was 98-30-4 (.758) he had won 5 NFL championships and the 1st two Super Bowls. Mr. Lombardi was not into flashy, complicated football. He started his tenure in Green Bay by saying that football was a game of blocking, tackling and execution. He did not have a team of a few superstars. He had a team of good players and convinced them to leave their egos on the bench. Bart Starr, Paul Hornung, JimTaylor, Jerry Kramer, Ray Nitschke, Boyd Dollar, Fuzzy Thurston, Herb Adderly, Forrest Gregg, Max McGee, Willie Wood, Elijah Pitts are all legendary names in Football. The results of Lombardi’s talent are almost mythical and on 2/1/09 yet another team will get a trophy named for him.
The point here is not that Mr. Lombardi was a great coach, we know that, the point here is the “blocking, tackling and execution” concept. Lombardi proved the value of this concept to such and extent that we need to find how to apply these principals to our current economic challenges.
Okay, so what are the blocking and tackling equivalents in our economy, borrowing and spending or saving and consolidating? Should we be encouraging people to spend money? Over the past 5-6 years the spending and greed factors have been proven devastating. We are on the verge of spending $1 Trillion more with no end to further spending in sight. Once again, Einstein comes to mind: “A definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.” With the brain trust available in this nation, is spending more money the best we can do? Is throwing more chum into the feeding frenzy even rational? Clearly, I don’t think so. So, criticism is easy – how about some solutions" I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Make savings and dividend interest income tax free for tax payers under a reasonable income cap, and allow a tax deduction for the 1st 10% of income deposited into a bank savings, CD or MMF account, every year. Encourage people to create and invest wealth instead of squander it (e.g., a tax rebate if you buy a car?)
2. Allow 100% of health insurance premiums to be tax deductable. Assist people with market place health insurance instead of paying it for them and creating yet another monstrously unmanageable government beaurocracy. Then regulate the health insurance industry make them make the system work. AND stay the hell away from my medical records.
3. Subsidize home mortgage interest rates and let the mortgage industry refinance the entire country to payments and rates people can afford. For people who have bailed on their home and mortgage its tough luck Charlie. For people who are hanging in there, but struggling, give them a chance to refinance to a lower fixed rate and cover a reasonable amount of past due payments. This country has an amazing mortgage lending machine, and it can work through this crisis with a little assist. FHA, VA, FNMA,FHLMC, and GNMA together have the tools, programs and knowledge in place to fix this. They just need a little tweaking and some prudent, reasonable limitations thoroughly spelled out. We have plenty of data on past excesses and they can be brutally controlled if there is even a hint of repetition. There are a lot of good lenders with integrity and ethics out there and they can and will step up and do this right, given the opportunity.
4. Make TARP/ARRB funds available to small and medium sized businesses to keep them healthy and productive. Give every congressman the task of finding 4—6 small to medium sized businesses in their district that are on the verge of collapse or job layoffs and help them stay in business and preserve or expand jobs.
This is the most likely place for greed and graft to occur so merciless oversight will be necessary.
Can you suggest a few more?
The point here is not that Mr. Lombardi was a great coach, we know that, the point here is the “blocking, tackling and execution” concept. Lombardi proved the value of this concept to such and extent that we need to find how to apply these principals to our current economic challenges.
Okay, so what are the blocking and tackling equivalents in our economy, borrowing and spending or saving and consolidating? Should we be encouraging people to spend money? Over the past 5-6 years the spending and greed factors have been proven devastating. We are on the verge of spending $1 Trillion more with no end to further spending in sight. Once again, Einstein comes to mind: “A definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over, expecting a different result.” With the brain trust available in this nation, is spending more money the best we can do? Is throwing more chum into the feeding frenzy even rational? Clearly, I don’t think so. So, criticism is easy – how about some solutions" I have a couple of suggestions:
1. Make savings and dividend interest income tax free for tax payers under a reasonable income cap, and allow a tax deduction for the 1st 10% of income deposited into a bank savings, CD or MMF account, every year. Encourage people to create and invest wealth instead of squander it (e.g., a tax rebate if you buy a car?)
2. Allow 100% of health insurance premiums to be tax deductable. Assist people with market place health insurance instead of paying it for them and creating yet another monstrously unmanageable government beaurocracy. Then regulate the health insurance industry make them make the system work. AND stay the hell away from my medical records.
3. Subsidize home mortgage interest rates and let the mortgage industry refinance the entire country to payments and rates people can afford. For people who have bailed on their home and mortgage its tough luck Charlie. For people who are hanging in there, but struggling, give them a chance to refinance to a lower fixed rate and cover a reasonable amount of past due payments. This country has an amazing mortgage lending machine, and it can work through this crisis with a little assist. FHA, VA, FNMA,FHLMC, and GNMA together have the tools, programs and knowledge in place to fix this. They just need a little tweaking and some prudent, reasonable limitations thoroughly spelled out. We have plenty of data on past excesses and they can be brutally controlled if there is even a hint of repetition. There are a lot of good lenders with integrity and ethics out there and they can and will step up and do this right, given the opportunity.
4. Make TARP/ARRB funds available to small and medium sized businesses to keep them healthy and productive. Give every congressman the task of finding 4—6 small to medium sized businesses in their district that are on the verge of collapse or job layoffs and help them stay in business and preserve or expand jobs.
This is the most likely place for greed and graft to occur so merciless oversight will be necessary.
Can you suggest a few more?
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