This'n'That; October 31st[Halloween;Welfare "Rats"]

Do You Trick-Or-Treat? When I had young children, we trick-or-treated, both giving and receiving. Even after the kids grew up and left home, we provided treats for all the little goblins that came to the door. Fast forward to this evening. One of my shortcuts coming home from work passes through a fairly densely populated suburb of the city. I travel about 10 blocks before getting to the major cross-street that separates the 'burb from the city. Some of the oddities I observed: The ghouls and goblins have advanced in age. There were several "twenty-somethings" out trick-or-treating. Those fine folks who volunteer to help me spend my money [read: Welfare Rats!] had about a dozen kids loaded into their Escalade and were driving from neighborhood to neighborhood. At practically each corner they stopped, all the doors opened, the kids flocked out and went "up one side and down the other!!" This WAS NOT just one vehicle, but at least a half-dozen!! This goes on all over the city!! I'll bet the kids get fifty-pounds of candy, each!! Mister Tooth Decay and the area dentists will be busy.... and we get to pay for it!! The government says I HAVE TO pay for these slugs to live "high, wide and handsome".... but it don't say I gotta give 'em anything, voluntarily!!! Til nex'time.....

This'n'That; October 30th[Wlth Re-dist;Hillsdale;

Spread The Wealth Around O-bomb-a's mantra seems to be having the desired affect!! The DandC reported in this morning's paper that a coupla local dentists [Dr Sandra Elczko, Livonia and Dr Steve Thompson, Holley] are going to redistribute the "Halloween Wealth!!" I don't have a clue..... What's Halloween candy going for these days ?? $4/lb-$5/lb?? These dentists are intending to "buy back" the candy collections of local children for a buck-a-pound and send it to the troops in Iraq and Afganistan. There's a coupla things amiss here...... The kids are gettin' scammed and the troups are gettin' a visit from Mr Tooth Decay!!!! I hope there'll be lotsa tooth brushes in the "CARE" packages!! A Conservative College.....No, Really!!! From time to time, I make reference to Hillsdale College's monthly publication-Imprimis. Hillsdale was established in Hillsdale, Michigan, in 1844 as an indepenedent, co-educational, non-sectarian, liberal arts college. The college refuses federal and state aid in any form and as such, must finance it's entire $46 million through private donations. Imprimis is a free-subscription monthly speech digest that reaches over 1.6 million households. Imprimis contributors include the late Tony Snow, the late Senator Jesse Helms and many others equally as intelligent, conservative and famous. Check out both the college and the publication at: http://www.hillsdale.edu/ Til Nex'time..........

This'n'That; October 29th[obama;biden;Social Sec]

A Dunce Leading A Dolt Where do "the powers that be" find these people?? The Democrats have a Dolt, who in his entire Senate career, has been wrong on 95% of his decisions concerning foreign policy. The o-bomb-a campaign crowd is probably beginning to rue the day o-bomb-a selected the Dolt as a running mate!! Each time I hear a speech about the Democrat wealth redestribution plan, the threshhold to be considered rich drops. It started out with annual earnings of $250,000 Then the next speech I heard, o-bomb-a changed the lower limit to $200,000. Today, one of the commentators referred to a Dolt speech where the limit was AGAIN LOWERED, this time down to $150,000. At what level will it stop?? I'm bettin' that it'll be around the $50-60k range. I don't know about you, but I don't consider $50k, rich!! New Yorkers To Get Screwed AGAIN An article in today's paper says that state workers' pension fund has suffered a $30 BILLION [-20%] decline in value. This is due to the Wall Street meltdown. By state constitution, the state's taxpayers are obligated to make up the shortfall!!! Social Security Stuff Social Security is and should be, considered only one portion of one's retirement financial security. The other two are a self-funded retirement account, i.e., a 401k or individual IRA and current cash and othe liquid assets. As Mister Roosevelt said when signing the Social Security Act into law in 1935; "The civilization of the past 100 years, with its startling indutrial changes, has tended more and more to make life inecure. Young people have come to wonder what would be their lot when they came to old age. The man with a job has wondered how long the job would last." Social Security, stable but failing, is projected to run out of funds in 2041. Now is the time for the "powers-that-be" to allow the individual to invest a small portion of their SS tax into the stock market. With the market down by about 35-40% now is the time to have funds to invest!! With the stock market having lost [on paper] about $3 TRILLION, many retirement accounts have taken massive, devastating hits!! I know mine is down about 40%. Most financial advisors suggest that an individual/family have AT LEAST six months of expenses in savings accounts or other LIQUID investments. The American public has not been keeping up with their savings. The national rate is now in negative numbers, spending more than they earn. This is a tough time for anyone. My suggestion, as my father made to me; Save at least 25% of EVERYTHING you earn!! This will pay massive dividends if invested wisely. I'm currently saving to amass funds for investment in both retirement and regular stock accounts. Til Nex'time..........

This'n'That; October 28th[Lcl History;obama;Definitions]

History At The L0cal Level A gentleman, Bob Marcotte writes a column a few times a week in the Rochester [N.Y.] Democrat and Chronicle. His columns deal history as it happened in the Rochester area and/or as it affected this area. Creativity helped Rochester promote WWII bonds "Eight miniature 'Pacific Islands' dotted the smooth Main Street 'sea' last night as the stage was set for the ceremonial opening of the Sixth War Loan campaign this evening. The string of Pacific lands, dotted with palm trees, begins with the Philippines just east of the Four Corners and ends with Tokyo, east of Main Street East and Clinton Avenue. Volunteer workers anchored the islands, which straddle the center traffic line, and surrounded them with sand bags and red lights to forestall any premature invasion by streams of cars in traffic." --Democrat and Chronicle, Nov 20, 1944. The things Rochester came up with to promote war bonds during World War II! Centerpiece of the Sixth War Loan Campaign was a replica of a U.S. aircraft carrier, nicknamed "Tokyo-bound." The idea was this: For every $33,644 in war bond sales, the Tokyobound would be moved one foot farther east up Main Street, gradually passing those islands one-by-one. And if all went well--if Monroe County reached its $64.4 million goal-- the carrier would "capture" Tokyo on the last island. War bonds were a big deal during World War II. Why? ***They helped finance the war effort, raising some $135 billion toward the $330 billion overall cost of the war. They were bought by big businesses and average citizens. ***They helped forestall ruinous inflation "by sopping up excess wages at a time when there were acute shortages of many consumer goods," adds Ronald H. Bailey in The Home Front: U.S.A., part of the Time-Life series on the war. Indeed, by mid-1943 the home front "was awash in so much money-some $70 billion in cash, checking accounts and savings, compared with $50 billion in 1941-that one U.S. Treasury official referred to it as 'liquid dynamite,' " Bailey explains. To diffuse the situation, the federal government took several steps, including a requirement that employers begin deducting from each paycheck an apropriate percentage of income ta, which up to then had simply been paid as a lump sum at the end of the year. Thus began the withholding tax that continues to this day. The Treasury also began selling war bonds, in denominations ranging from $25 to $10,000. A war bond was, in effect, a loan made by a citizen to the government. A $25 bond, for example, sold for $18.75, and could be redeemed for its full value after 10 years. No expense was spared to promote the sale of bonds. Huge rallies were held, at which movie and radio stars and war heroes back from the front exhorted patriotic Americans to chip in. Ads flooded the airways and filled newspaper columns. Posters proliferated in public and work places. And Rochester found some truly novel ways to drum up support. Getting creative For example, on June 8, 1943, thousands of Rochesterians stood in line to look at a Japanese midget submarine athat had been captured after the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was parked on Main Street between Clinton and South avenues. More than 25,000 residents, in fact, bought war bonds or stamps for the privilege of peeking through a series of portholes cut into the sides of the submarine. The goal was to cover the $500,000 price tag of a new Navy sub chaser. More than $700,000 was collected. "Spectators got a big kick out of seeing the 81-foot pigboat," the Democrat and Chronicle reported. "It's bigger than I thought it would be" was a common reaction. Also: "It looks like a fish." The followig June, while the world waited expectantly for the Allies to invade western Europe, Rochester braced for an equally important struggle at home. The six-county quota for the fifth national war bond drive was a staggering $83.4 million, far surpassing previous drives. To help drum up support, a temporary pedestrian bridge, featuring four flags and a replica of the Liberty Bell, was erected across Main Street at Stone Street [A similar tactic was used during a War Bond campaign in Rochester during World War I.] The Democrat and Chronicle explained the symbolism: War bonds would help build a bridge from the "threat of totalitarian domination" to the "more promising opportunities [that] the victory of decent ideals will bring." A variety of events were scheduled at the bridge to publicize the campaign. War heroes gave speeches. Free tickets were given away for the movie Going My Way starring Bing Crosby. A Stromberg-Carlson Co. dance orchestra call the "Modulators" performed; so did the 80-voice Bausch&Lomb chorus and the 60-member Teutonia Male Chorus. Huge success It worked. No sooner had Sgt. and Mrs. Samuel Volo exchanged vows than they hurried down to the bridge to buy six war bonds: One for each of the bride's three brothers in the service, and one each for Volo and his two brothers, also in uniform. Salvatore Lambardo, a 44-year-old florist, bought $5,000 in bonds. It was "the only weapon I can use against the Germans," he explained. Two months earlier he had learned that his brother, his brother's wife and their 2-month-old baby were killed during a German bombin raid in Sicily. Two of his other brothers were missing in action with the Italian army, and this, too, he bleamed on the Germans. Seven-year-old Carol Mileo, alas, wanted to buy a war bond and ring the Liberty Bell, but was bed-ridden with the measles. Finally, with time running out, Carol's mother called the newspaper and a reporter obligingly bought a bond, rang the bell and brought the certificate to the grateful girl. By the end of the drive, the Rochester district had raised a "smashing total" of 100.1 million. The bridge came down. Rough Voyage And then, that November into December, the Tokyobound began inching its way along that symbolic chain of Pacific Islands stretching up Main Street. The miracle is that it reached its goal in one piece. Apparently the originators of this nifty idea had not taken into account Rochester's motorists-or the weather. The first night the islands were in place, a young motorist crashed into Tokyo. After a late November snowfall, another motorist flattened the island of Oshima Shoto and sped off, leaving a bumper behind. The replica carrier became progressively harder and harder to move as its hulk became encased in ice. And yet, even though the bad weather cut down on promotional events, the Rochester district again easily surpassed its quota, raising some $103 million. Famous visitors As mentione in a previous column, the camer that captured the lag-raising on Iwo Jima was taken with a Folmer-Graflex Speed Graphic camera made in Rochester. The three surviving flag-raisers-Pfc. Ira Hayes, Pfc. Rene agnon and Navy Pharmicist's Mage John Bailey-came to Rochester on May 16, 1945. as part of their nationwide tour to promote war bonds during the seventh war loan drive. Their misgivings about being sent stateside to do this while their buddies remained at the front was portrayed in the movie Flags of Our Fathers. They made no secret of it during their tour. "They give you the impression that they feel a bit guilty about their jobs as bond salesmen....sleeping in soft beds, eating the best offoods.....and telling people why they should buy War Bonds" while their comrade continue to fight in the Pacific, the Rochester Times-Union noted. They arrived on one of those cruel May days when the temperature never got above 46 and a cold rain fell. Long stretches of the parade route were utterly deserted. But not even the elements could deter one woman, wearing a babushka on her head, who was seen rushing up the platform after master of ceremonies Al Sisson had finished, waving a receipt for $3,000 and shouthing "I buy the bond, I buy." Mrs. Hosephine Di Maggio explaine4d that her son, a G.I. serving in Europe, had urged her to buy lots of bonds. "Her eyes beamed complete satisfaction as the chairman [Raymond Ball] took her hand and gave it an enthusiastic shake and congratulated her on her patriotism and loyalty to her adopted country." [Contact Mr Marcotte on-line: bmarcott@DemocratandChronicle.com ] Little Secret Exposed o-bomb-a has a dirty little secret that the mainstream media won't discuss: His radical plan to give illegal aliens Social Security benefits, Medicaid, amnesty and citizenship. By his own count there are twelve million illegal aliens in th U.S. and he wants them all getting government benefits. o-bomb-a's plan to give illegals driver's licenses-even though everyone knows the 9/11 plot began with 13 of the 19 perpetrators getting driver's licenses.

Definitions Necessary In The Current Political Climate

Socialism:

1. Any of various theories or systems of social organizaton in which the means of producing and distributing goods owned collectively or by a centralized government that often plans and controls the economy.

2. The stage in Marxist-Leninist theory intermediate between capitalism and communism, in which collective ownership of the economy under the dictatorship of the proletariat has not yet been successfully achieved.

3. A political and economic theory or system of social organization based on collective or state ownership of the means of production, distribution and exchange. Like capitalism, it takes many and diverse forms.

Facism

1. An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.

2. Extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practice. The term fascism was first used describing the totalitarian right-wing nationalist regime of Benito Mussolini in Italy [1922-1943]. The Nazi Regime in Germany was also Fascist. Fascism tends to include a belief in the supremacy of one national or ethnic group, a contempt for democracy, an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader and a strong demogogic approach.

3. The five main components of the facist ideology:

a] Extreme [superior] nationalism.

b] An assertation of national decline.

c] National decline is often linked to a diminution of racial purity of the nation.

d] The blame for national decline is based on a conspiracy of other nations/races seen as competing for dominance.

e] In the struggle for dominance, both capitalism and liberal democracy are seen as divisive devices to ragment the nation and subordinate it in the world order.

4. The philosophy of government that stresses the primacy and glory of the state, unquestioning obedience to its leader, subordination of the individual will to the state's authority and harsh suppression of dissent.

Communism

1. A theorectical economic system characterized by the collective ownership of property and by the organization of labor for the common advantage of all members.

2. A system of government in which the state plans and controls the economy and a single, often authoritarian party holds power, claiming to make progress toward a higher social order in which all goods are equally shared by the people.

3. The Marxist-Leninist version of Communist doctrine that advocates the overthrow of capitalism by the revolution of the proletariat.

Til Nex'time.....

This'n'That; October 24th[Health;Nutrition;Obesity]

Eight Fixes Nutritionists Want On Food Labels MAKE SERVING SIZES REALISTIC. Most current "serving sizes" do not reflect realistic dining habits. The serving size should reflect what an average individual actually eats; use ounces and cups rather than grams. BETTER EXPLAIN THE PERCENTAGE DAILY VALUE [DV] Clarify whether the recommended percentage for a nutrient is a "ceiling or a floor." As an example: A particular label indicates 30% of the recommended DV of saturated fat. It would be ludicrous to eat more fat than necessary just to reach the 100% level; the thirty percent would be considered a maximum. For vitamins, minerals and fiber, the values should be considered minimums; you'll have to get the remainder from other sources. Most values on the labels are for someone consuming a 2,000 calorie diet. This may be too much for those trying to lose weight or for children's diets. Two columns of values could indicate percentages for another diet, like 1,200 or 1,500 calorie diets. CREATE A MAXIMUM DAILY VALUE FOR SUGAR Currently, there's no ceiling value for sugar consumption. After a maximum is created, it should be further sub-divided into sources of added sugars, i.e., cane juice, high-fructose corn syrup and naturally occurring sugars from whole foods like fruits and milk. REQUIRE A LISTING FOR CAFFEINE CONTENT Caffeine is in many products the consumer might not suspect, like coffee flavored ice cream. During my research, I couldn't find any listing for all [or even most] foods inwhich caffeine has been added. The best I could find is a listing for bottled beverages.... from a high of 1,200 mg in a 12 oz Powershot to a low of 1.2 mg in Canada Dry Diet Cola. The research path is: http://www.erowid.org/splash.php >>>Plant and Drugs >>>>Caffeine HAVE MORE INFORMATION ON WHOLE GRAINS The total amount of whole grains in a product can be difficult to determine. Update container labels to indicate the amount in grams and percentage of the food [or container]. This should apply to fruit products as well. The label should disclose [by percentage of the container] how much is actually fruit. INCLUDE A LISTING OF HEALTHY PAIRINGS WITH THE PRODUCT Using a dry cereal like Wheaties as an example, the label could read... "healthy pairings: skim or 1% milk, fresh berries, fresh bananas, flax seeds [or meal], [etc.]" EXPLAIN FOOD ORIGINS Using cartoon characters/drawings to enhance the text explaining the country of origin of major ingredients, country of production, USA entry point, etc. USE COLOR-CODING AND/OR SYMBOLS PLUS NUMERICAL SCORES TO INDICATE HEALTH VALUES Some larger grocery chains [in the Northeast, Wegman's] are already doing this to some of their products. Establish a color/symbol system that corresponds to a point score indicating the more or lesser health values of like products. Some basics might be fiber content, sugar content, omega-3 and protein content as well as the negative sources like carbohydrates, fat, cholestrol, high sugar levels, etc. With this information readily available, the consumer could compare two cereals, say Wheaties against Cocoa Puffs, to determine which is healthier. CUT CORN CONSUMPTION FOR HEALTH The American food supply is awash in corn. In 2007, U.S. farmers reaped 13 BILLION BUSHELS, the largest corn harvest in American history. Massive federal subsidies to farmers helped keep corn prices-and the resulting food prices-down, but the glut of corn is harming our health. Reducing corn consumption could be a smart health move. That 13 billion bushels has to go somewhere!! Much of the corn is made into high-fructose corn syrup, which is in many processed foods and most consumer beverages. Production of high-fructose corn syrup has increased 4,000 PERCENT since 1973; the average American consumes a whopping 42 pounds of high-fructose corn syrup each year [an extra 75,281 calories-enough to feed the typical American for 37 days!!]. The bulk of these added calories come from soda, energy and juice drinks. Recent studies show that soft drinks have replaced milk as a dietary staple and have become the third most common breakfast food!! "If the average American cut just one soft drink or sugared water drink per day, they would cut their weight 10 pounds per year," says Barry Popkin, agricultural economist and professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina. Chemically, the corn syrup is nearly identical to table sugar and both substances most likely play a part in the nation's obesity problem. The bulk of the nation's crop ends up feeding livestock. Feeder cattle are cleaply fattened on corn before slaughter. Beef from corn fattened cattle tends to have more artery clogging saturated fats than grass-fed beef. Research also suggests that corn-fed beef is lower in the healthful Omega-3 fatty acids. Cattle that are primarily fed corn develop high stomach acidity, which appears to breed E. coli O157:H7, a deadly strain. A new study by Kansas State University found that cattle which are fed distillers grains, a byproduct of ethanol production, have a significantly higher prevalence of E. coli O157:H7 in their digestive system. This could have profound implications in food safety. Corn is NOT inherently unhealthy, nor should it be banished from the food system. Corn is an astounding plant capable of producing an astounding amount of food from an astoundly small space. The problem is the scale at which it's produced!!

Til Nex'time...........

This'n'That; October 23rd

Annual Physical Yesterday, I had my annual physical. Seems I'll be good for "another 12,000 miles." Being a diabetic for most of my past, this physical has me concerned [again] with my diet. My A1C reading was elevated from the last reading. This reading indicates my blood/sugar levels for the past several months. Granted, I haven't taken my illness as seriously as I should have. I enjoy cooking and baking [with emphasis on BAKING] and practically every cook/baker samples his own wares. Other than the A1C level, all else was within normal ranges. Ten Things The Food Industry Doesn't Want You To Know Earlier this year the CDC released a study that indicated that 32% of children were overweight but not obese; 16% were obese and 11% were extremely obese. Makers of junk food have a greater obligation to their stockholders than the country's children!! The company management that doesn't show increased increased stock value and profit levels will soon find itself unemployed. The company has a vested interest in continuing to provide the CRAP that Americans have come to demand, regardless of the health risks to the consumer. Here are some of the things that junk food manufacturers don't want you to know: 1. Junk food makers spend billions on advertising unlealthy foods to kids. Promotions often use cartoon characters or free giveaways to entice kids into the junk food fold. 2. The studies that food producers support tend to minimize health concerns associated with their products. A review led by Dr David Ludwig, pediatrician and author, of hundreds of studies that looked at the health effects of milk, juice and soda, the likelihood of conclusions favorable to the industry was several times higher among industry-sponsored research than studies that received no industry funding. 3. Junk food makers donate large sums of money to professional nutrition associations. As an example, The American Dietetic Association accepts money from companies like Coca-Cola, which get access to decision makers in the food and nutrition marketplace via ADA events and programs. The ADA even distributes nutritional fact sheets that are directly sponsored by specific industry groups. The ADA's reasoning is that "these collaborations take place with the understanding that ADA does not support any program or message that does not correspond with the ADA's science-based healthful-eating messages and positions. ADA President Martin Yadrick stated, "In fact, we think it's importand for us to be at the same table with food companies because of the positive influence that we can have on them." 4. More processing means more profits, but typically makes the food less healthy. Fresh fruits and vegetables aren't where food companies look for profits. The big bucks are in turning government-subsidized commodity crops-mainly corn, wheat and soybeans-into fast foods, snack foods and beverages. High profit products derived from these commodity crops are generally high in calories and low in nutritional value. 5. Less processed foods are generally more satisfying than their highly processed "cousins." Fresh apples have an abundance of fiber and nutrients that are lost when processed into applesauce. The added sugar or other sweeteners increase the number of calories without making the applesauce more filling. The even-more-processed apple juice has almost all of the fiber and nutrients stripped out. Dr Ludwig says this same stripping of nutrients happens with highly refined white bread compared with stone-ground whole wheat bread. 6. Many supposedly healthy replacement foods are hardly healthier than the foods they replace. As an example, in 2006 major beverage makers agreed to remove sugary sodas from school vending machines. The industry mounted an intense obbying effort that persuaded lawmakers to allow sports drinks and vitamin waters that-despite their healthier reputations- still are packed with sugar and calories. 7. A health claim on the label doesn't necessarily make a food healthy. Health claims such as "zero trans fats" and "contains whole wheat" creates the false impression that a product is healthy when it may not be. The claim may be true but the product is not going to be a health benefit if it's also loaded with salt, sugar, saturated fat and lacks fiber or other nutrients. These claims make people forget about the calories. 8. Food industry pressure has made nutritional guidelines confusing. The food industry has a history of preferring scientific jargon to straight talk. Since 1977, public health officials have attempted to include the advice "reduce consumption of meat" in an important report called Dietary Goals for the United States. The authors of the report capitualted to the intense pushback from the cattle industry and used this more ambiguous advice: "Choose meats, poultry and fish which will reduce saturated fat intake." The government has a hard time recommending that people eat less of anything. 9. The food industry funds front-groups that fight antiobesity public health intiatives. Unless you follow politics closely, you wouldn't know that a group named the Center for Consumer Freedom [CCF] has anything to do with the food industry. This group lobbies aggressively against obesity-related public health campaigns such as the one directed at removing junk food from schools. According to the Center for Media and Democracy, the CCF is funded primarily through donations from the likes of Coca-Cola, Cargill, Tyson Foods and Wendy's. 10. The food industry works aggressively to disredit its critics. The Center for Consumer Freedom [CCF] boasts that "our strategy is to shoot the messenger. We've got to attack activists' credibility as spokespersons." The bottom line in all this is that kids need to EAT LESS, include more FRUITS and VEGETABLES and LIMIT THE JUNK FOOD !!! Til nex'time.......

This'n'That, October 22nd

Support The Troops A regular column in Rochester's Democrat and Chronicle is "Northeast Notes." The columnist, Karen Siegelman writes about happenings in the northeast quadrant of the city as well as northern and eastern suburbs. Today's column deals with civilians sending "care packages" to troops overseas, primarily in Iraq and Afganistan. Ms Siegelman cites a local lady, Tracy Small who supports the Adopt-A-Platoon program, which was created at Fort Drum in Watertown, N.Y., in 1992. The sponsor of a platoon can do as much or as little as they want/can afford. The main requirement is that the sponsor support the soldiers with communication and support "from home." Anyone interested can contact one of the original organizers, Mike Plummer. Mike can be contacted at: plummike@aol.com or write to him at AUSA, P.O. Box 3, Watertown, N.Y., 13601. Palin Gets "Anal Exam" Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, Vice Presidential nominee, is getting the expected "anal exam" by the press, namely the Associated Press. Mrs Palin [surprise,surprise!! a Republican] is being scrutinized for taking her children on official state trips and having the State of Alaska pay for the kids' transportation and accomodations. "Palin has charged the state $21,012 for her three daughters' 64 one-way and 12 round-trip commercial flights since she took office in December 2006. In some other cases, she has charged the state for hotel rooms for the girls." The legality and ethical position of the aformentioned state paid travel IS NOT THE POINT!! The point is..... WHERE IS THE SAME SCRUTINY OF O-BOMB-A and THE DOLT?? Rather than spend "tonsa time" listing all the specifics of investigations I'd like to see conducted with respect to both democrat candidates public and private lives since taking their current offices, shouldn't the democrats be accorded the same "courtesy?" Guess we should NOT HOLD OUR BREATH, waiting FOR THAT TO HAPPEN!!!

This'n'That; October 21st

The Powell Endorsement: Here's a couple of quotes on the topic from Time [Magazine] On-line: Said Powell: "I think that Senator Obama brings a fresh set of eyes, a fresh set of ideas to the table. I think that we need a generational change, and I think Senator Obama has captured the feelings of the young people of America and is reaching out in a more diverse, inclusive way across our society." Rather than a "fresh" set of eyes, the country needs a set of "experienced eyes".... eyes that can see the errors in judgement that the o-bomb-a campaign has committed; negotiating with radical foreign powers with no pre-conditions?? ...."a fresh set of ideas....." General Powell, if you're not interested in keeping your current standard of living and your accumulated wealth, then o-bomb-a is your guy. His plan of wealth redistribution will have the same result as the "New Deal" and "The Great Society" which is the destruction of American work ethic; Earn what you get-Get what you earn!!! O-bomb-a's wealth redistribution plan is just another "pretty name" for welfare, for socialism!!! We had a generational change in the 1960 election [Eisenhower to Kennedy] and what happened?? ***The Soviets developed a considerable amount of 'testicular fortitude' and installed operational missile sites just ninety miles away-on the islan of Cuba. ***There was a considerable escalation of the Viet Nam war. Early in 1961, shortly after his inaugaration,President Kennedy secretly sent troops into South Viet Nam. Over 400 Green Berets were sent to teach the South Vietnamese Army to fight a counterinsurgency [guerrilla] wat against the Communist forces of the north. By the time Kennedy was assassinated [JUST two-and-a-half years later!!], there were 16,000 American troops incountry and over 100 had been killed. "Senator Obama has demonstrated the kind of calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach to problem-solving that I think we need in this country." Where has o-bomb-a demonstrated calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach to problem-solving?? ***By teaching the ACORN volunteers to use agitation to further their cause-the cause of fragmenting governing bodies at all levels? ***By showing up for work in the U.S.Senate on 142 days? ***By paying ACORN $800,000 to: --------Register the entire Dallas Cowboys active roster to vote, not once but TWICE? --------Register approximately 200,000 questionable voters in Ohio [plus several other states]? ***By enlisted the radicals William Ayers and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright as quasi-advisors? The general has made this campaign about race, intentionally. Without allegience to o-bomb-a, he faced vilification by Donna Brazil and her ilk. To maintain his position with the Washington "Power-Elite" he had to forsake his previous commitment to the Republican Party. First and foremost.....General Powell's allegience is to General Powell!!! He seems to be forgetting who approved his fourth star [Reagan], made him National Security Advisor [Reagan], made him Chairman of The Joint Chiefs of Staff [G.H.W. Bush] and made him Secretary of State [G.W. Bush]. Golisano Buying Power? Three times-1994, 1996 and 2002, B. Thomas Golisano rant for Governor of New York and was soundly defeated each time!!! After these defeats I'm sure Mr Golisano has seen the light-He'll probably never hold elective office at the state level. Plastering his name all over New York State via charitable donations for buildings, doesn't seem to be helping. He's started to amass power from "behind the curtain" by starting and funding RESPONSIBLE NEW YORK. Through this organization he funds hand-picked candidates, even encumbants for election to New York's Senate and Assembly. Are these candidates going to separate "the voter from the donor??" Where is their allegiance going to lie?? With the constituents or the benefactor?? I don't intend to vote for any of the candidates he supports......................... I normally don't vote for encumbants, anyway!! They've already proven they can screw up the state government, let someone else have some of the fun!! The Most Expensive Campaign In History Some of the "talking-heads" in the media are predicting that this presidential campaign will end up costing a combined $1 Billion!! Yup, that's a BIG "B"!! Some of the expenses by the two primary candidates: JOHN McCAIN JetBlue[airfare].................................................................................$2,965,402.25 Ritz-Carlton Hotels[hotel rooms].........................................................$107,904.19 Miss Ida's Tea Room, Inez, Ky.,[event catering]..........................................$574.84 Iowa Prayer Beakfast[registration fees].......................................................$260.00 MH Media[media/ad services].........................................................$49,528,063.66 USPS[postage expenses].......................................................................$630,923.57 {enough to mail 1,538,837 first-class letters} Frog Leg[bumper stickers, buttons, signs]............................................$844,394.98 O-BOMB-A Avis[car rental].....................................................................................$934,777.53 {In Chicago: enough to rent a compat car every day for 37 years} Ritz-Carlton Hotels[hotel rooms].........................................................$30,083.63 Dunkin' Donuts[donuts].........................................................................$2,956.81 {enough to buy 11,826 "Munchkins"} Iowa State Fair[parade fee]..........................................................................$30.00 GMMB[media/ad services]..........................................................$124,391,585.64 Verizon[phone and internet services]..............................................$2,170,049.31 {enough to add 217,222 additional lines to an existing contract} Big Ten Rentals[party tents and chairs]................................................$62,714.20 The commentary on all this waste of hard-earned money [donations] is that for o-bomb-a, it paid BIG BUCKS to renege on his promise to both John McCain and the American people to abide by the Federal Election Commission rules on campaign spending. Not having to follow the campaign spending rules gives o-bomb-a an unlimited budget!! While John McCain is honoring his promises, he's hawg-tied by the FEC rules that limit his spending to $84 million. ...Where Did They Find This "Dolt??" Biden is SUCH A SLUG!! If it weren't for his tenure in the Senate, he'd be unemployed. His constituents seem to ignore all the foolish, stupid things he says and does. The smartest thing o-bomb-a cudda done was..... the instant John McCain selected Bovernor Palin as his running mate, he shudda dumped "The DOLT" and got on his hands-and-knees and BEGGED Mrs Clinton to step in and save his candidacy!! Last Sunday in Seattle, "The DOLT" said he could guarantee that the world will want to find out if o-bomb-a is up to the job. More "DOLT-isms" from the same Seattle appearance: "It will not be six months before the world tests Barack o-bomb-a like they did John Kennedy." "Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, agenerated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. And he's gonna have to make some really tough--I don't know what the decision's gnna be, but I promise you it will occur." Clearly, "The DOLT" has some reservations about o-bomb-a's fittness to be Commander-in-Chief... Why else would he be warning the Amrican peopleto expect some terrorist activity as a test?? ADDENDUM: Yesterday, Tuesday-10/21, the media ONLY BROADCAST the portion of "The DOLT's" speech that indicated that the rest of the world would see that o-bomb-a has steel in his spine. In that light, here's the URL for the entire speech: voices.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/208/10/20/biden_warns_world_will_test_ob.html Til Nex'time...............

This'n'That;October 20th

Have Ya Ever Been on Social Security? I now am on it..... having started it several months ago at the "grand ol' age" of 62. There's a well hidden secret about it. My cash benefit is just under $1k/month. Last month I get this form to fill out. They wanna know-by the month, how much I've been earning at my regular job. That's when I find out that the Social Security Administration restricts my non-SS earnings to less than $14k/yr. I've been paying into the system since I was 15 years old, when I started picking potatoes and hand-setting type at a newspaper.....THAT'S 47 YEARS !!! IS THAT STUPID, OR WHAT??? With the Democrats in power and they-the party that never has found a tax they couldn't increase or a "give-away" program they couldn't fund/start-they should want me to work as much as I can!!!! The more I work, the more tax money they can piss away!!! My increased labor means increased payments to both the IRS and SSA!!! WHADDA BUNCHA IDIOTS!!!!! Wanna Know More About ACORN?? Originally, their philosophy was to promote their cause[s] on a national or global level. They've since changed their focus to the local. The change has proven to be ingenious!! The political culture of cities tends to be further to the left than the nation as a whole, thus less resistant to ACORN's views. City and county legislators as well as local and regional reporters tend to be less sophiisticated than their national counterparts, hence slower to grasp ACORN'S level of radicialism. The local business communities are generally disorganized, the membership focused on world and national affairs rather than the trivial details of local, regional politics. With this local view, ACORN has managed to have laws enacted by local governments that the federal government would only laugh at and "shoo them away." ACORN's strategy seems to be that if they can get enough idiotic laws enacted in enough communities, they essentially will have a "national policy." Mitch Klein, a top ACORN organizer working with the Baltimore chapter, perfected it's in-your-face aggressiveness. He had underlings: ***Pile garbage in front of City Hall to protest the lack of services in poor neighborhoods. ***Bring huge inflated rubber sharks to disrupt a bankers' dinner. ***Stage a profanity-laced protest infront of Mayor Martin O'Malley's home. "They unloaded a busload of people shouting some pretty ugly things and scared the daylights out of my wife and kids" the angry Mayor complained. "I thought it was a pretty cruddy thing to do." ACORN is unapologetic about its tactics. "We're up in their face," an enthusiastic representative said. [Despite-or perhaps because of-the intimidation, ACORN still gets $50,000 a year from the City of Baltimore to provide housing counseling to the poor.] This belligerence increased both membership and donations at the Baltimore chapter. These increases have been instrumental in ACORN's clout at city council meetings. ACORN has successfully changed Baltimore's City Charter-redefining city council districts in ways the activists believe will make it easier to gain more control over the council. Much the same thing has evolved in the City of Sacramento, Ca., and the California state government. This chapter now has a $300,000 annual budget and has become a force in California state politics. ACORN recently pushed through legislation that makes tenent evictions more difficult. The facts are out there......... I could go on and on with references of ACORN's "heavy handed" tactics........... but what's the use?? I doubt that anyone will be able to break through "the fluff" Recent ACORN Abuses It seems that ACORN has registed the ENTIRE DALLAS COWBOYS active roster to vote......not once, but TWICE!!! Once in Nevada Once in Missouri Idn'nat special?!?!?! It seems that ACORN registered so many questionable voters in Ohio that it flooded the system!! Ohio's Secretary of State sued to get out of verifying each of 200,000 questionable voter registrations. One court gave her a date to have it done, she appealed. The next court told her she didn't have to do it!! I guess we'll be thanking O-bomb-a for the eventual fall of this, the longest lasting democracy [actually a representative republic] in history!!! What do O-bomb-a and Osama have in common?? ***They both have friends who bombed The Pentagon !!! Oh......Before I Forget Again.... For those who aren't in the Rochester, N.Y., or Salt Lake City, Ut., radio markets you probably won't know Bob Lonsberry. I listen to practically every broadcast. In Rochester at least, Bob is a celebrated radio talk show host with WHAM [1180AM] radio, where he does three hours a day [11AM-2PM, eastern]. In Salt Lake City, he broadcasts on KNRS [570AM] radio 5AM-9AM, mountain time. He also writes a daily column for his website which usually concern local [both radio markets] or national interests/concerns. At least in Rochester, he does a daily podcast [called the "Bobcast"] which deals with almost anything. Anyone who likes to listen to an intelligent, insightful individual, ya gotta check Bob out!!! www.wham1180.com www.570knrs.com www.lonsberry.com ...And Another Personality.... The Rochester radio and print market is home to several professional, semi-pro and amateur sports teams as well as hotly contested college and high school rivalries. The guy that keeps all these teams sorted out, the public informed is Bob Matthews. Bob has a pretty full workday; He's a sports reporter for the D&C, writes a sports blog for the D&C, hosts a two-hour sports call-in show on WHAM [1180AM], 6PM-8PM. He also is a contributing sports columnist for the Gannett News Service. http://php.democratandchrolicle.com/blog/sportsx/ www.wham1180.com matthews@democratandchronicle.com I'd like to quote a portion of Bob's Sunday column: Brown Set The Stage For Davis To Win Heisman Davis in turn blazed a trail for future black recipients of the prized trophy. Jim Brown helped Syracuse University recruit Ernie Davis. I wonder if Brown helped Davis become the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. Davis is getting some long overdue recognition with the release of The Express, the movie about the life and times of two-time All-American who died at age 23 of leukemia before he could play in the NFL. Brown, who played nine stellar seasons with the Cleveland Browns and arguably was the all-time greatest NFL player, played three seasons at Syracuse. He didn't win the Heisman Trophy and didn't receive nearly as many votes as he should have in his 1956 senior year, possibly because he's black. Brown rushed for 986 yards in only eight regular season games, scored 14 touchdowns, kicked 22 extra points and intercepted 3 passes that season. He led the nation in Yards-per-carry [6.2] and had seven 100-yard rushing games. With a bowl bid on the line in the season finale, he scored an NCAA-record 43 points in a 61-7 victory over Colgate. But Brown finished a distant fifth in Heisman Trophy balloting. He was first in the East [there were five regions] and fifth in the South, but received only 118 first-place votes for winner Paul Hornung of Notre Dame. SU was 7-2 that season, including a 28-27 loss to TCU in the Cotton Bowl. Notre Dame was 2-8 and outscored 289-130. Hornung threw 3 TD passes and 13 interceptions, averaged 4.5 yards per carry and kicked 14 extra points. Some observers said he won the Heisman for career achievement. Hornung had a Pro Football Hall of Fame career with the Green Bay Packers, but he was no Jim Brown. No one was-including the three other players who outpolled him for the Heisman Trophy in 1956 [ Johnny Majors, Tommy McDonald, and Jerry Tubbs]. Davis played for Syracuse from 1959 through 1961. By then Brown had established himself as the best player in the NFL. Davis was the star running back on SU's national championship team in 1959 but didn't finish in the top 10 for the Heisman Trophy. He also failed t o make the top 10 in 1960. His senior year wasn't the best of his collegiate career, but he won the Heisman Trophy in a close vote over Ohio State fullback Bob Ferguson, who had the luxury of sharing the running load with lightnine-and-thunder halfbacks Paul Warfield and Matt Snell. SU coach Ben Schwartzwalder said the award to Davis was "a tribute to his three years really, not just one." If Horning diserved the Heisman in 1956, Davis more than deserved it in 1961. I wonder if Brown's instant success in the NFL had any influence at all on Heisman voters who passed on him in 1956 to give Davis his just due in 1961. Brown and Davis played for the same school and Davis left his footbal idol in the dust in yards per carry. Brown averaged 5.2 yards and rushed for 666 yards for 5-3 SU in 1955 and averaged 6.2 yards and rushed for 986 yards for 7-1 SU in 1956 [not including the Cotton Bowl loss to TCU]. Davis' numbers [regular season]: 1959---98 carries for 686 yards; 7.0 yards per carry; 8 TDs. Syracuse was 10-0 in the regular season and Davis was Cotton Bowl MVP [a 23-14 win over Texas]. 1960---112 carries for 877 yards; 7.8 yards per carry; 8 TDs; SU was 7-2. 1961---150 carries for 823 yards; 5.5 yards per carry; 12 TDs; SU was 7-3 in the regular season and Davis was Liberty Bowl MVP [a 15-14 win over Miami]. Brown blazed the trail for Davis at SU and Davis blazed the trail for tuture black Heisman Trophy winners. Black players have won the Heisman Trophy 27 of the last 47 years. Ernie Davis always will be the first. Imagine the time involved just in doing the research for this portion of his Sunday column!!! Nearly all his columns are this "stastic-loaded!!!" Check 'em out if ya have the chance!!! Til nex'time......

This'n'That; October 17th

William "Bill" Ayers: Bill Ayers was born in 1944 to a childhood of wealth and prvilege. His father, Thomas, was the Chairman and CEO of Commonwealth Edison. The family lived in Glen Ellyn, Il., an upscale suburb of Chicago. Ayers attended Lake Forest Academy, a private boarding and day school for grades 9-12. The school is located on the North Shore in Lake Forest, Il. After his stint at the University of Michigan, Ayers became involved in the New Left and the SDS. This became his indoctrination to radical political activity. Ayers was forced "underground" when a bomb accidently detonated, destroying a Greenwich Village and killing three other members of the Weather Underground. While "underground" he traveled extensively. During these travels, he along with other members of the Weather Underground, bombed the United States Capitol building, The Pentagon and the Harry S. Truman Building [at the time, home of the State Department]. He and longtime lover, Bernardine Dohrn surrendered in 1981, when most charges were dropped due to prosectorial misconduct during the long search for the fugitives. Arguably his most famous [or infamous, depending on your point of view]: "I don't regret setting bombs; I feel we didn't do enough." I can't believe this man teaches!!! With his radical past, it must be an ultra-liberal institution that employs him!! Yup, I was right...... He currently teaches at the University of Illinois, Chicago. His educational accomplishments: 1968-B.A., University of Michigan [American Studies] 1984-M.Ed., Bank Street College [Early Childhood Education] 1987-M.Ed., Teachers College, Columbia University [Early Childhood Education] 1987-Ed.D., Columbia University [Curriculum & Instruction] How did he go so far....?? Particularly in education and employment??? Throughout his adult life, William Ayers has continually poked "a finger in the eye" of the very country that provided the opportunities he so freely took advantage of!!! National Welfare Rights Organization [NWRO]: ACORN's roots are in the National Welfare Rights Organization [NWRO]. NWRO's early leader, George Wiley, believed he could use poor, unwed mothers to foment a revolution. NWRO agitated for unlimited welfare benefits for those mothers and persuaded many urban politicians to loosen welfare eligibility requirements. Mr Wiley's aim was to flood the welfare system with so many clients that it would burst. The bursting he hoped, would create a crisis which would force a radical restructuring of America's unjust capitalist economy. This loosening more than doubled the welfare roles and strapped already tight local budgets. Between 1965 and 1974 the number of single-parent households on welfare soared from 4.3 to 10.8 MILLION people. [In the early 1070s in NYC alone, one person was on welfare for each two workers in the city's private economy.] The primary affects of this explosion of the welfare rolls only served to create a culture of family disintegration and dependency in inner-city neighborhoods with rampant illegitimacy, crime, school failure, drug abuse, non-employment and poverty among a fast growing underclass. When the federal government didn't come to the rescue with massive aid, the NWRO's strategy caused a backlash against "welfare mothers" and politicians in free-spending cities like New York. This welfare strategy eventually collapsed and Mr Wiley moved on. He formed an equally radical new community organization in Little Rock, Arkansas. The "a" in ACORN originally stood for "Arkansas." It was later changed to Association to give the organization a national scope. This was about the same time that congressional Republicans made the regressive decision to fund local community groups with billions in federal funds and state aid. The federal incorrectly reasoned that it was better to fund nonprofits than create giant federal bureaucracies to run burgeoning antipoverty programs. Little did the Republicans realize that these funds would finance a nationwide network of organizations that have mobilized urban residents against the party's candidates and their agenda. Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now [ACORN] ACORN's bedrock assumption remains the ultra-Left's familiar anti-capitalist redistributionism. A portion of ACORN's "People's Platform" **"We are the majority, forged from all the minorites." **"We will continue our fight....until we have shared the wealth, until we have won our freedom....We have nothing to show for the work of our hand, then tax of our labor." [What a load of CRAP: These statements not only falsify the relative comfort of the poor in Ameria but are a classic example of chutzpah....what with ACORN's roots in a movement that undermined the very work ethic of the poor. They also make the self-aggrandizing claim that ACORN "stands virtually alone it it's dedication to organizing the poor and powerless."] ACORN organizes it's subjects to push for more and more government control over the economy, having not learned the oft-repeated lessons of the free-market reality that made American cities unequaled eingines of job creation, opportunity which moved millions out of poverty and misery. Til nex'time.......

This'n'That; October, 14th[obama;Scruffy;Stocks;Midtown]

Intentional Falsehoods: I have as little use for Barack Obama as any naysayer on the planet. I also have no desire to promote or spread intentional false or misleading information about him or any other politician on the current landscape. To that end I must comment on an email I received about Mr Obama which is roughly 95% FALSE!! This email, entitled "Obama Truths" speaks of his Muslim faith; refusing to place his hand over his heart during the Pledge of Allegiance; drug use at Occidental College; funding his education, buying his house through alleged "loans" from Tony Rezko... need I go on.......?? The confirmation of these falshoods/misleading information is available at: http://www.snopes.com/politics/obama/muslim.asp ....and John McCain?: [This is Rush Limbaugh's opinion as expressed on last Friday's or yesterday's show. After considerable thought, I'm inclined to agree.] It's well known that while John McCain was a prisoner at the "Hanoi Hilton," he was subjected to many beatings, interrogations and other forms of mistreatment. Rush believes that during those horrible times, McCain developed a kind of "go-along-to-get-along" attitude... compromising with his captors without divulging any sensitive information or putting his fellow prisoners at further risk. This attitude is evident throughout his presidental campaign. McCain is considered by the Republican Party heavyweights to be a "throw-away" candidate; while Mitt Romney is to be groomed to run against Obama or Mrs Clinton in 2012. I'm still hoping that the voters will see through all the fluff [on both sides] and elect common sense, fiscal sense and experience. Not Poor Timing-Just No Cash: As some may know, I'm not a "value investor" in any sense of the phrase!! Mostly, I buy pennystocks and hope that I made a good choice based on the research I've done. The only "drum I can beat" on this issue is when I bought Siris Satellite Radio for sixty-cents and sold it for $7.75 [+1,291.6667%] after holding it for a couple of years. I live in the Rochester, N.Y., area where PAETEC Holdings Corp [Ticker: PAET] is a big player, locally. They hold the naming rights to PAETEC Park [soccer, I think]. They've cooked a deal with the city of Rochester to knock down Midtown Plaza [America's FIRST indoor shopping mall]. The plan was that PAETEC would build a 30-something floor office building on the Midtown site. The point of all this is that I wasn't able to participate in their stock run-up!! I cudda bought the stock around noon last Friday at it's recent low of $0.72/share. I cudda sold the stock at about 10:30AM today [Tuesday] at it's recent high of $1.65/share!!! That's abouta 229.1667% GAIN!!!! [Shudda, Cudda, Wudda!!!] Meaning that a $720.00 investment [1k shares] would have yielded $1,650.00!!! Oh.............. due to it's recent stock freefall, PAETEC has scaled it's headquarters office building back to a paltry 7 stories. My question is "will it EVER be built??" [The State of New York, which has been deficit spending for years, has committed $65,ooo,000 JUST TO KNOCK DOWN Midtown Plaza!!!] ...On A Sad Note: For several years, "Scruffy" has been a loved and loving member of the family. Scruffy is a black 'n' white long haired male cat. For the last several months he's had kidney, bladder and stomach problems. His recent weight was around nine pounds, down from a norm of 14 pounds. He's been on several oral medications and for the last three weeks, IV hydration at home-every other day. For the last several days, he's eaten little and became very lethargic; losing most of the "spring in his step." Late last week, the decision was made that there was very little hope for his recovery; his condition would only deteriorate further. Today, October 14, 2008, was chosen as his last. At about 8:50AM, Scruffy passed away quietly, comfortably at the Irondequoit Animal Hospital. He came into our world, our hearts as a scrawny, skinny, stray.... having just won one of many "street fights" that day. After a vet check, he kinda moved in and took over!! He was definitely the "Alpha Male" in every sense of the phrase!!! As cats go, I could take'em or leave'em-BUT NOT AFTER knowing, loving and living with Scruffy. Some dog breeds are known to be protective of others in their environment. Scruffy must have been part Shepard.... More than once he kept the other cat [a de-clawed female] from escaping out the front door!!! Scruff' was a most loving individual himself..... a "real ladies man!!" When the ladies would pick him up... he'd put his paws around their necks and nuzzle under their chins..... Good-bye, my friend..... You CANNOT and WILL NOT ever be replaced!!! Til Nex'time.....

This'n'That; Oct 13th

It Ain't A "Tax Cut!!!" All the politicians, both parties, aren't really giving the American people a tax cut!!! All they're doing is re-assigning the source of the government income: For instance if the politician promises a $10 Billion tax cut for a particular segment of the population, they will just increase taxes on another segment/area; increase federal fees, etc. The only way there can be a true tax cut is to have a corresponding and EQUAL cut in federal spending.... i.e., in defense, education, housing, commerce, medical/medicines, etc. All of which are SACRED COWS!!!! and thus "untouchable" by those hoping for re-election. You notice that NONE OF THE CAMPAIGNING POLITICIANS ever mentions any cuts in federal spending. They just want to increase the size of government as a method of "buying" votes via their lofty financial promises, hopefully enough to get elected. Once elected most of their schemes and bullshit will fall by the wayside.... They got what they wanted.... TO HELL with the commoner that fell for all the "fluff" that put them in office!!! The Bail-out Scheme: After the congress wrote the blank check to the Treasury Department, who's watching the purse strings? We know who "HOLDS" the purse strings-Henry Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury..... .....BUT....... Who's "watching" the purse strings?? Who is auditing the expenditures, determining who/what is worthy of all this "free money??" Bail-Out Basics: $810 Billion [the added pork notwithstanding] into the hands of the Treasury Secretary, exclusively!! The Secretary has UNPRECENDENTED powers to draw on public entities with NO GROUND RULES, WHATSOEVER!!! The Secretary can waive "specific provisions" of our contracting laws, the Federal Acquisition Regulation [FAR] if he determines that "urgent and compelling circumstances make compliance with such 'provisions' contrary to the public interest." The Bail-Out Bill does not define "PROVISIONS." The Bail-Out Bill does not stipulate who will be charged with drafting and monitoring the contracts. The Secretary does not have to inform governmental watchdog agencies concerning bail-out activities. These agencies will have access to the information, but will only be able to report on the contracts after they have been issued and paid. So....... We'll know who's screwing us; how badly we're being screwed........... BUT only after WE'VE BEEN SCREWED!!! This is a "history rerun.... We've been here before!!! Anyone remember the S&L bailout of the late 1980s? The Resolution Trust Corporation was founded in 1989 to dispose of loans and other assets from the Savings and Loan debacle. With predictable results, the taxpayer "took it in the shorts" as we did during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In both instances, a multitude of contracts were issued, seemingly to line someone's pockets. Although the participants are different, the end result will probably be the same. No one seems to study and learn from history. Til nextime.....

This'n'That; October 8th

Giving Credit Where Credit's Due: This time I have to "hold my nose" and Give Representative Louise Slaughter her due. Mrs Slaughter, Thanks for your support of HR6630 which called for the cessation of cross-border trucking activities by Mexican national trucking companies. Your "Yea" vote essentially halted the cross-border pilot program which was called for in the ill-conceived NAFTA Agreement. As a LIFETIME Member of "Owner Operator Independent Drivers Ass'n [OOIDA]" I and my nearly 161,000 fellow members thank you for your support of America's trucking industry. In future legislation, please consider that EVERYTHING except newborn babies travels by truck at one time or another!!! [A letter to this affect, will go out in tomorrow's mail to Mrs Slaughter in Washington.] Can He Be "For Real??" Did anyone MISS the presidential debates last evening. I was only able to see a small portion of it... I gotta tellya..... I was not that impressed with Obama [and NEVER HAVE BEEN]!!! Seems to me MOST OF AMERICA's younger set is mesmerized by all the "fluff".... and not considering that it takes more than appearance and a good line of "bullshit" to run the most powerful country on the planet!! The Obama supporters are setting their sights too high !!! ..... and Obama, while basking in all the adulation, is setting himself up to "fall on his face" either after the election or after the inauguration!!! How can he be expected to control the vast US governmental structure with only 142 days of federal experience?? How can he be expected to advise and support an economic engine without at least a basic, working knowledge of Econ101?? How can he be expected to formulate and administer a multi-trillion dollar budget, having never "worked for wages," made a payroll, etc?? How can he be expected to win the confidence of foreign leaders [other than the Taliban, of course!!] when he takes such "liberties with the truth"?? How can he be expected to "follow the rules" when he both ignores them and renigs on his promises? How can he be expected to assemble a formidable cabinet when his current advisors are the likes of Jeremiah Wright and William Ayres?? Hopefully, the voting public will do some research and soul searching...... Anybody Hear About "Doodad Pro??" The Village of Nunda [NoneDAY], N.Y. is a small burg south and a little west of Rochester, N.Y. His listed address is shared with "Lloyd and Lynn's Liquor Store" in the village. His $17,130.oo in campaign contributions flagrantly violated the federal $2,300 per-person limit. "Mr Pro" made several hundred donations in the two amounts of $10 and $25. Would the Obama Campaign have discovered this "error" on their own if it had not been pointed out in the national media??.....by the Federal Election Commission?? Anyone Hear About "Good Will??" The nonprofit Goodwill Industries shares the address-1015 Norwood Park Boulevard, Austin, Tx.-with "Mr Good Will." "Mr Good Will" made more than $11,000.00 in campaign contributions, again far exceeding the federal $2,300 limit. Would the Obama Campaign have discovered this "error" on their own if it had not bee pointed out in the national media??....by the Federal Election Commission?? Your "BIAS" Is Showing: The Democrat and Chronicle, a member of the Gannett Media people, is one of the primary print outlets in western New York. It's home delivery system reaches nearly to the Pennsylvania border!! Nunda, N.Y., is approximately 55 miles from their "front door" at 55 Exchange Blvd., Rochester, N.Y., 14614. Yet ABSOLUTELY NO information about "Doodad Pro" was in their publication despite the fact that the village is well within their delivery range!!! THE PAPER DID REPORT that Obama had received 70% more contributions than McCain in the "local" area. The part that they left out: McCain adhered to his promise to live by the federal donations restrictions to receive federal funds, while Obama renigged on his promise to do the same!!! Looks like the McCain Campaign has had to refuse/return lotsa contributions to stay within the federal limits. Til nex'time.......

This'n'That: October 6th

The current Housing/Financial Crisis: The current fiasco had it's origins in the first and second "Slick-Willie" administrations as well as George H.W. Bush's [#41] presidential term. The Department of Housing and Urban Destruction's [HUD] 1991 financial statement was so inaccurate and lacking in current financial information that the Auditor, PriceWaterhouse, couldn't file an opinion. For the previous 15 years, the "Contracts for Rent" records HAD NOT been reconciled. That period was included in the Carter, both Reagan and the G.H.W. Bush administrations. Precipitated by the "King" riots of 1992, the following year Sec'y Henry Cisneros [HUD] memoed then President Clinton asking for "a multi-faceted urban policy," with tax and housing credits for the working poor, expanded home-ownership programs, and economic empowerment zones to encourage business investment. Clinton put $5 billion into "Empowerment Zones" which was intended to help communities to develop their own recovery plans and become economically viable. Apparently, Clinton isn't/wasn't a really student of history. If he had been he would have realized that the actions of his predecessors hadn't worked or were only marginally successful. The presidents and their attempts: TRUMAN [Urban Renewal], KENNEDY [War on Poverty], JOHNSON and NIXON [Model Cities], FORD [Community Development Block Grants], CARTER [Urban Development Action Grants], REAGAN, BUSH-41 and CLINTON [Enterprise Zones]. Looks to me like there are two schools of thought at work here; The Democrats doing what they do so well-Pissing away hardworking taxpayers' money through poor/no planning and the Republicans who use crap like this to buy votes. [Continuing on......] A New York Times Magazine article by Nicholas Lemann in January, 1994, stated in part: "Economic revitalization efforts pass every test but one, the reality test. They are popular among all the keys players in antipoverty policy; they sound good; they have bipartisan appeal; they are based on tax breaks rather than on spending so are easier to pass. The only problem is that so far they haven't worked-which creates a larger problem." Poor planning was in evidence when Johnson asked and Congress passed legislation in 1965 to create the Department of Housing and Urban Destruction. The legislation failed to enummerate the responsibilities of the lateral organizations as well as regional, state, county and local organizations. HUD deals with approximately 3,100 public housing agencies that disperse 80%[+/-] of all HUD funds and manage 1.3 million housing units. HUD has such arms as Federal Housing Administration [FHA] and the Government National Mortgage Asssociation [GINNIE MAE] The private Federal National Mortgage Association [FANNIE MAE] is the corporate "sister" of Ginnie Mae and is subject to regulation by HUD. Til nex'time.....

This'n'That; October 5th

BLOGGING AGAIN: I intend to continue this restart at least on a weekly basis, but hopefully more frequently!! THAT DAM' BAIL-OUT: I had high hopes for the House Republicans standing their ground and not "rolling over" on Friday's vote....... Shudda known better!!! I wrote a letter to [Geeze] Louise Slaughter, my representative and one of the MOST LIBERAL individuals in recorded history!!! THE LETTER VERBATIM: Rep [Geeze] Louise Slaughter 2469 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C., 20515 Geeze, I gotta tell ya, I DO NOT AGREE with the Congressional majority opinion that the financial bail-out is necessary !!! You are a mental midget if you think your affirmative vote on the "bail-out" bill of last Friday was in MY best interests. Alas, this is the action I expected from New York's "Give-Away Gang": Clinton, Schumer, Yourself and those of your ilk. Did you not read/study American history in high school/college ?? This bail-out fiasco will just become another GIANT LEAP toward the socialization of America. Given the funds involved, it will be the "third [and maybe the most expensive] chapter" after FDR's New Deal and LBJ's Great Society. Hopefully we, your constituents, will have your "political head" when this latest, massive congressional give-away falls on it's face !!! Geeze ?!?!?! How did you muster the "testicular fortitude" to include over $150 BILLION in UNNECESSARY PORK to this bill ?? $2 MILLION for wooden arrows ?? $3.3 BILLION for declining logging income ?? $192 MILLION for Puerto Rican and Virgin Islands rum ?? 1.3 BILLION for black lung debt erasure ?? and many, many other examples !! I gotta idea....... Why don't you and I monitor this and the $85 BILLION loan to AIG closely.... Let's try to find out which of you and your cronies monetarily benefit most by playing the congressional game of quasi-legal diversion of funds to other-unrelated programs [read: POCKETS !!]. Geeze, let's you and I keep in touch, OK ?? ....and I'll write when I get work... My Full Name My Postal Address My Email Address Til Nex'time......