It’s time for a Viet Nam style protest to get us out of Afghanistan May 16, 2011

It’s time for a Viet Nam style protest. A true get out the masses young and old to finally put a stop to the war in Afghanistan. I’ve been without TV for a while, well a couple of weeks at least, so I use the interwebz to get the fix I need.

I like certain programs so I search out any web content of them to view. I enjoy “60 Minutes” so I went looking and watched the last episode. The one that really made me mad at the government and their efforts with the war was the Lara Logan interview with Amrullah Saleh the former intelligence head in that country.

What made me madder was the fact that our government knows now and has known for quite some time that what Mr. Saleh has said over the years and is saying now is not only true but so accurate in the details that without some action more of our young men and women, will die so as not to upset the relationship this country has with Pakistan. Mr. Saleh was asked by Ms. Logan what should we call Pakistan, an ally or a very good ally, Mr. Saleh without blinking an eye said terrorist nation.

Pakistan according to Mr. Saleh not only harbors al-Queda and Taliban principals but supports their efforts against our troops. He also told our intelligence agencies that the now dead Osama Bin Laden was holed up in a town in Pakistan which although was incorrect it was a town a short 12 kilometers from where he was found.

We provide billions of dollars to Pakistan, they take the money, flip us off and continue to aide and abet those who would dance in the streets when Americans die.

If you haven’t seen the interview go Google/Bing the episode of which I speak. If it doesn’t piss you off I pity you.
Unite brother and sister Americans, get the word out, get your Senators and Representatives to put an end to this madness. Write, cajole, scream, organize do whatever you can.

Is This What Makes America Exceptional? April 28, 2011

Is This What Makes America Exceptional?.

Social Security, unfunded? March 1, 2011

With permission of the author the following came in response to a diatribe from one of the infamous Koch brothers. It is one of the best comments on the status of Social Security I have yet to read.

Mr. Koch’s aside comment on unfunded Social Security is distorted and disingenuous. While the retirement fund is underfunded, it is so only with respect to well-into-the-future generations of beneficiary claimants. It always has been this way because the first generation that received benefits paid little or nothing into the system and because subsequent generations of retirees have always received benefits based upon contributions through employment taxes of those who are then working. Despite this, Social Security has been a success for 70 years. To call it unfunded, though, is neither fair nor technically correct. Social Security is not insolvent on either a balance sheet or going concern basis. It is projected to be self-sustaining through 2037. Here is why.

Social Security now has an approximate $2.5 trillion surplus (approx. $2.3 trillion in the OASI (retirement) trust fund and approx. $200 billion in the DI (disability) trust fund), essentially all of which, with the implicit and explicit consent of Congress, has been borrowed and used for other purposes by every Presidential administration from Ronald Reagan through Barack Obama. The borrowed surplus is now owed back to the Social Security trust funds by the federal government.

As of December 31, 2009, the Social Security surplus was $2.5 trillion, $2.337 trillion of which was in the OASI trust fund. According to the 2010 annual report of the trust funds trustees, the $2.337 trillion of OASI assets consists of numerous assets on the OASI trust fund balance sheet, approx. $52 billion in a special issue government certificate of indebtedness at 2.875% interest and approx. $2.285 trillion in special issue government bonds of varying interest rates and varying maturity dates between 2011 and 2022.

It is expected that 2010 will be the first year there has been a Social Security deficit in the last 26 years, and though the deficits are projected to continue, the government’s repaying Social Security (or its retired and/or disabled beneficiaries) for the borrowed surplus, together with projected future employment taxes, is enough to allow Social Security to pay full benefits through sometime during 2037-2039.

Further, it is not unreasonable for those now retired or about to retire to expect future employment taxes to contribute to paying their retirement benefits. Social Security has always been a pay-as-you-go system. During the 1985-2009 25-year time period that the $2.5 trillion surplus was accumulating, the now-retired and about-to-retire were also paying Social Security employment taxes that were providing the Social Security retirement payments to their parents’ generation.

I hardly believe that these facts indicate that the Social Security system is broken or that the Social Security trust funds currently are broke. In any event, there is not an immediate financial crisis, here.

So what do we do about the potential insolvency of the retirement trust fund after 2037? The bipartisan Debt Commission has some cogent recommendations. They don’t involve shutting down Social Security, privatizing Social Security or other radical fixes. We need to consider those recommendations carefully and rationally, not just jump past them as if they weren’t out there or are anathema.

The Koch article can be found on the Wall Street Journal website.

War, what is it good for? December 24, 2010

Profit of course. Many companies with strong ties to our government are making billions in wars that nobody wants. These twenty-five companies are the most egregious when it comes to profiteering.

When will people wake up and put a stop to this, one might wonder. It’s very possible that since all or most of the major media outlets just don’t or won’t cover demonstrations this more recent one didn’t get a nickle’s worth of notice. Imagine if the draft were still around, imagine the riots and demonstrations that would be taking place now just like the 60’s and 70’s. The government wants us all to follow along like fat dumb sheep. Stand up America, do something for a change.

U. S. Chamber of Commerce Promotes Outsourcing of Jobs. October 16, 2010

Ever vigilant! March 28, 2010

If you don’t know by now that I am a staunch environmentalist I’ve done something wrong Not that I am your typical tree hugger chain myself to the fence type I’m the sort that wants to get information out there for all to see. I do and have walked protest lines when it comes to our blue orb, even been thrown in hotel Graybar on occasion.

Today I watched the PBS series Now hosted by David Brancaccio who interviewed filmmaker Josh Fox about a film he directed and produced on drilling for natural gas in communities across the country. The discussion was about a process called ‘Fracking’ (Hydraulic fracturing). The process uses water and an unbelievable amount of chemicals and trace metals to push the natural gas out of the earth.

I will be honest with the fact that I had, prior to viewing and doing more research, been a proponent of using natural gas to reduce our need on foreign oil. No longer will I advocate for its use. There is only one way to reduce/eliminate our dependence on oil purchased from countries that hate us and that is renewable Solar, Wind and Water. Need or want some visual proof that there is a problem then take a look at this little snippet. I recommend strongly that you view the clips, educate yourself, don’t mess with Mother Earth.

Health Care Reform March 23, 2010

It was inevitable that the debate on this subject would not be assuaged just because the President just signed the Health Reform Act into law. Many on blogs across the country continue to critique and disparage the event now taking place.

According to those that keep track of such things the country is split almost 50/50 on whether or not this is a good outcome or not. Yet if you look at the percentage of Americans who actually voted in 2008 (56.8% in case you were wondering) that 50/50 split rings hollow.

If you are one of the 43.2% that didn’t vote just shut up for you have not earned the right to complain.

Undiebomber. February 1, 2010

As you might have surmised by some of my posts here I am a liberal so much so that sometimes I have problems with right turns. There is currently a debate being discussed on my local radio station as to whether or not the Undiebomber should have the right not to talk after being read his Miranda rights.

My take is that he should be provided the same rights he would have in his country therefor if he has little or no rights there why should he have any rights here.

Coming to a school near you! January 25, 2010

I pledge allegiance to the Logo of the Corporate States of America, and to the executives for which it stands, one nation under Human Resources, indivisible, with no liberty and injustice for all.

Supreme Court and Big Business. January 21, 2010

You have had to be living in a cave if you are not now aware of the recent Supreme Court decision allowing Big Business to dump millions of dollars into campaign coffers to get those that they want into government. It is not enough that we already are held sway by large corporations with highly paid lobbyist cajoling Senators and Congressmen to vote the way these big business bullies desire.

This is the most egregious assault on us, the voting public, ever known. We all must immediately contact our Congressmen and Senators and have them bring about an effort to get laws written that preclude corporate bigwigs and their giant coffers to put their puppets into office.

This link will take you to a site that will make it easy for you to express your concern.