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......

This'n'That; 04/16

A Question The Doctor Couldn't Answer. I am a twenty-five year Type-2 diabetic. As such, I religiously read most of the labels of the foods I buy. Each time the protein value was listed there was no RDA value. So, during my routine quarterly visit with the doctor, I asked her what the recommended daily intake of protein was........ She didn't know; it's never come up in professional conversations before. Here's what my research found: RDA Recommended Daily Allowance [RDA] has evolved over time to be "Dietary Reference Intake [DRI]" which is defined as: 1. A US term for Dietary Reference Values. In addition to average requirements and RDA, include tolerable upper levels [UL] of intake from supplements. 2. A set of nutritional guidelines conderning the intake of vitamins and minerals from food rather than supplements. 3. Current Dietary Reference Intake [DRI] recommendations are composed of: Estimated Average Requirements [EAR], expected to satisfy the needs of 50% of the people in that age group. Reference Daily Intake [RDI], the daily dietary intake level of a nutrient considered sufficient to meet the requirements of nearly all [97-98%] healthy individuals in each life-stage and gender group. Adequate Intake [AI], where no RDE has been established, but the amount established is somewhat less firmly believed to be adequate for everyone in the demographic group. Tolerable upper intake levels [UL], to caution against excessive intake of nutrients [like vitamin D] that can be harmful in large amounts Macronutrients [RDI/AI] shown below for males, 19-30 years] Water 3.7L/day Carbohydrates 130g/day Fiver 38g/day Fat 10g/day Linoleic acid [Omega-6] 17g/day Alpha-Linolenic acid [Omega-3] 1.6g/day Protein 58g/day Cholesterol, trans-fatty acids and saturated fatty acids- "as low as possible" [added] Sugar No more than 25% of caloric intake [ http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index ] This information begs some questions: 1. With the Omega-3 RDI levels set at 1.6g/day, can one "od" on Omega-3? What level would be considered an "od"? 2. I had no idea that the protein RDI was at this level. How does one possibly achieve this level on a daily basis ? Housing "Crisis?" THERE IS NONE !!! There's a crisis in the general economy..........WORLDWIDE !!! As for the housing situation, NO federal bail-out sould be forthcoming. The unscrupulous lenders should have been fully aware of the possible negative results. Theirs was a usurious profit ploy. They put home buyers into homes the buyers couldn't possibly afford through methords that included balloon payments, "fudging" income and existing debt levels. The lenders themselves "rolled the dice" and lost-they should be forsed to "eat the loss" and/or go bankrupt. SUCKS TO BE THEM !!! Additionally, Americans have taken the mind-set that it's unacceptable to fail. Without failure, there is no success !!! On a personal note, I've been "wiped out" three times. Not once did I sue an ex-wife to regain the tools of my trade[s], avalued and valuable coin collection or fight exorbitant child support/alimony. Never did I file for bankruptcy or leave creditors "holding the bag." Nor did I bemoan the economic conditions that forced me from lucrative self-employment and into factory work. I just changed my career path for the ump-teenth time and went on to be successful once again. Get over it, home buyers !!! You weren't screwed out of your house !!! You were in a house YOU COULDN'T AFFORD !!! You probably would have lost the house eventually anyway. Pull yourself into the upright [and locked] position and get on with life !!! Stop whining that someone, shomewhere, owes you something !!! I don't owe you; they don't owe you; the government doesn't owe you !!! Here We Go [Again]. Today's the big day !!! I'm finally scheduled to suffer through orientation as a re-hire with the company I left last July. I just hope I don't have to take all those silly tests as before. We shall see............... Til next time................