I am not convinced the terrorists are going to get a "Fair Trial" When the Attorney General says in advance "I guarantee they will be found guilty", it begs the question: How fair can a trial be if the outcome is already guaranteed? But that's not the problem I have with giving them a civilian federal court trial.
My problem is that terrorists should not be given the same rights as American Citizens. Since they are not Americans, and since their goal is to destroy the American way of life, why should we afford them rights that they are not entitled to? Certainly they gave no thought to the rights of the thousands they killed in cold blood. These were not military combatants, they were everyday people
We all know that the Death Penalty is not really a death penalty in civilian court. In a military court if the terrorists are found guilty there is no appeal. They are basically taken from the court to the firing squad. In a civilian court if they are found guilty there will be appeal after appeal after appeal until 30 years later they are either executed or have their sentence commuted. In the meantime we are going to house them, feed them, let them watch TV, give them books and music and access to things they would never get in their home country.
I can hear the conversations in Afghanistan now. "Khalid, I have a great way to recruit new bombers" "How would do it Abu Khabab?" "We explain to them what will happen if they are lucky enough to be captured". "They will be given a trial where there is a chance they will be found not guilty." "In the meantime they will have a shelter with heat and air conditioning, a real toilet, running water, electricity whenever you need it, three meals a day with all the clean, pure water you can drink, and even juice or soda, cable television, the right to practice their religion, access to a library, and if they can't read these American Pigs will actually teach them how!" "They will have a lifestyle they could never dream of in Nawab City". "Brilliant Abu, don't forget they will not have to work, they get free medical and dental care, an exercise facility, A laundry, access to a shower with soap and shampoo, on a daily basis, and they may spit on, and throw feces and urine on the guards and call them American Dogs, without the fear of being beaten" "Khalid, when they hear the consequences are a better lifestyle than they ever dreamed for at least 30 years before they ever face the death penalty, we will have volunteers banging on our doors to help us kill the American Infidels."
OK maybe I am exaggerating a bit, but don't the consequences here seem trivial compared to what they have to deal with at home? On the other hand military prisons require hard labor, have far fewer amenities and the death penalty is swift.
Do we really want to give Terrorists a greater incentive to come to our Country and Blow Stuff Up?
The Civilian Criminal trial is a huge mistake...of course this is only my opinion. Do you share it?
Friday, November 20, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
The 16 Billion Dollar Question!
First I must apologize. My family has requested I stop putting personal stuff on the web. My explanation that it would never get lost and that after I am gone they can each have a copy without going to Kinko's was not acceptable. Because of that my blogs will be fewer and less personal. (perhaps that is for the best anyway. there are enough subjects I feel strongly enough about to keep me occupied!
So what exactly is the $16 Billion Question? Lets start with the number of zero's in 16 Billion. There are a few people in the world who do not have to look that up. Sadly I am not one of them. That knowledge belongs to the Gates, Buffets, DeVoss's, Davidsons, and Waltons of America. I will not apologize to the billionaires I left out because, lets face it, they are not likely to read this!
For the rest of us (including our Senators and Congressmen which I will make clearer in a few paragraphs), a billion dollars is a one followed by nine zeros (eleven if you count the pennies, but if you have a billion dollars you probably round off to the nearest dollar, or the nearest 100,000 lets face it), or more precisely 1,000,000,000.00. so $16 billion is $16,000,000,000.00
An article by Justin Fox in last weeks Time Magazine made me furious. The Obama Administration was answering the charges about whether or not the stimulus package was working. Their defense was that 30,000 jobs were directly or indirectly produced by "the first $16 billion" (God help us if there is a second $16 billion, bear with me and you will understand). House Minority Leader John Boehner said that such exulting was "beyond the pale" since "3 million private-sector jobs have been lost since it became law". Even he did not get the $16 billion question!
Since I am neither a billionaire or a math whiz I had to resort to a calculator to find the amount we spent per job created. Since my calculator can not handle numbers in the billions (without using scientific notation), I had to drop a few zeros. Take four zeros off of 16 billion and you get 1,600,000 (written out 1600000 0000 cancel the four zeros on 33,000 and you get 3.3). So divide 1.6 Million by 3.3 (luckily that number does make sense to me) and you get 484,848.
Pulling it all together $16 Billion divided by 30,000 jobs created means each job cost the American Taxpayer (that is us folks) Almost HALF a MILLION DOLLARS per job! ( I know I rounded up but if you made $484,848.48 you would tell everyone you made half a million) Feel free to check my math. I had to do it 3X because I could not believe the numbers myself. I assumed that I missed a zero somewhere and it actually only cost $48,884.00 per job created. NOPE!
Those better be some great F in jobs that were created! I am betting the jobs were most likely in the $48,000.00 a year range. Give my friend Doug Savage ( Bearing Service Inc) a fraction of that money and he would create meaningful jobs. Give Lee Iacocca a fraction of that money and we could buy Chrysler back from the French-and rebuild it to an American Icon! Give John Rakolta (Walbridge Aldinger) a fraction of that money and watch how many good paying construction jobs are created. The list of course is endless but the point is made. The private sector creates good jobs for far less money
So we finally get to the $16 Billion Question (I actually have a lot more than one question, but let's start with this one!)
So what exactly is the $16 Billion Question? Lets start with the number of zero's in 16 Billion. There are a few people in the world who do not have to look that up. Sadly I am not one of them. That knowledge belongs to the Gates, Buffets, DeVoss's, Davidsons, and Waltons of America. I will not apologize to the billionaires I left out because, lets face it, they are not likely to read this!
For the rest of us (including our Senators and Congressmen which I will make clearer in a few paragraphs), a billion dollars is a one followed by nine zeros (eleven if you count the pennies, but if you have a billion dollars you probably round off to the nearest dollar, or the nearest 100,000 lets face it), or more precisely 1,000,000,000.00. so $16 billion is $16,000,000,000.00
An article by Justin Fox in last weeks Time Magazine made me furious. The Obama Administration was answering the charges about whether or not the stimulus package was working. Their defense was that 30,000 jobs were directly or indirectly produced by "the first $16 billion" (God help us if there is a second $16 billion, bear with me and you will understand). House Minority Leader John Boehner said that such exulting was "beyond the pale" since "3 million private-sector jobs have been lost since it became law". Even he did not get the $16 billion question!
Since I am neither a billionaire or a math whiz I had to resort to a calculator to find the amount we spent per job created. Since my calculator can not handle numbers in the billions (without using scientific notation), I had to drop a few zeros. Take four zeros off of 16 billion and you get 1,600,000 (written out 1600000 0000 cancel the four zeros on 33,000 and you get 3.3). So divide 1.6 Million by 3.3 (luckily that number does make sense to me) and you get 484,848.
Pulling it all together $16 Billion divided by 30,000 jobs created means each job cost the American Taxpayer (that is us folks) Almost HALF a MILLION DOLLARS per job! ( I know I rounded up but if you made $484,848.48 you would tell everyone you made half a million) Feel free to check my math. I had to do it 3X because I could not believe the numbers myself. I assumed that I missed a zero somewhere and it actually only cost $48,884.00 per job created. NOPE!
Those better be some great F in jobs that were created! I am betting the jobs were most likely in the $48,000.00 a year range. Give my friend Doug Savage ( Bearing Service Inc) a fraction of that money and he would create meaningful jobs. Give Lee Iacocca a fraction of that money and we could buy Chrysler back from the French-and rebuild it to an American Icon! Give John Rakolta (Walbridge Aldinger) a fraction of that money and watch how many good paying construction jobs are created. The list of course is endless but the point is made. The private sector creates good jobs for far less money
So we finally get to the $16 Billion Question (I actually have a lot more than one question, but let's start with this one!)
Where did the Half a Million Dollars Go?
I am not an economist, but wouldn't it have been smarter to find 30,000 unemployed people and give each of them a $150,000.00 to spend? I know the answer our politicians are going to give us is a lot of the 16 Billion went to the stimulus checks they sent out, but again, if it cost us Almost HALF a MILLION DOLLARS per job was that such a smart idea?
My guess is a considerable amount of the "stimulus money" went to stimulate the friends and relatives of the Congress and Senate. I know that sounds cynical, but I am from the Detroit area where hiring idiot relatives (without even a high school diploma) and paying them outrageous sums of money to do do Jack-you- know-what (or to not even show up) was taken to an art form by our previous Mayor the Dishonorable Kwame Kilpatrick.
Lets face it, he must have learned that from his mom Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI) Congresswoman representing Michigan's 13th District and his dad Bernard Kilpatrick . For more info on the dirty dealings of the Kilpatrick Family check out the blog of Skeptical Brotha, but do it when you have time (their criminal misconduct can fill a book just on the surface). http://skepticalbrotha.wordpress.com/category/carolyn-cheeks-kilpatrick/ I am guessing she and a lot of other Senators and Congress persons benefited directly or indirectly from the "stimulus money".
Unfortunately the $16 Billion Question will never be answered, but that does not mean we shouldn't ask them! I am forwarding this page to my elected officials. Whether you choose to do so is, of course, entirely up to you. I am also sending a copy of this to everyone in my address book and asking them to do the same. This is not a Republican or Democratic problem, This is an American Problem! Remember the comment about the "first $16 Billion" implying a "second $16 Billion" can not be far off. We can not let this go on. Our fore fathers started a revolution over much smaller numbers (even adjusted for inflation) than these.
My feelings are a wholesale replacement of all our elected officials is needed. The approval ratings of congress as a whole is less than 20% yet incumbents keep getting elected. The feeling seems to be "Government Sucks but our guy really looks out for us". NO NO NO. They all are guilty of looking after themselves. Tell me another profession where you can put in as little as 6 years and walk away with a pension equaling 100% of your salary, for life! Plus the best medical benefits in the country with zero copay, zero deductible and no premiums for life as well. You can't because there are none! Realize folks, they voted this benefit package for themselves. We did not get to vote on whether this was fair. If a publicly traded company offered their employees such a deal, there would be a shareholder revolt and every executive of the company would be fired for voting for such a ridiculous compensation package. why should we tolerate this from our elected officials.
There will be more on this subject I assure you but for now I will finish with this. If you agree with all or part of this, send a copy (or just the stuff you agree with) to your elected officials. I am including a link where you can find out how to contact them. Encourage as many of your friends to do the same thing. We need a government who looks after us for a change. One which severely limits the lobbying of special interest groups. One which quickly deals with the problems our country is facing. One which allows us, their employers, to decide on their compensation and benefits, or perhaps limits itself to the average of all the salary and benefits packages in the country. The "Compensation Czar" was good enough for the companies who took a tax payer bailout, why should the tax supported government officials be treated better?
As usual just my opinions. I hope you share them, and will share them with as many people as possible.
Elected officials contact information can be found at: http://conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm
and you don't have to be a conservative to use the info on their site!
I am not an economist, but wouldn't it have been smarter to find 30,000 unemployed people and give each of them a $150,000.00 to spend? I know the answer our politicians are going to give us is a lot of the 16 Billion went to the stimulus checks they sent out, but again, if it cost us Almost HALF a MILLION DOLLARS per job was that such a smart idea?
My guess is a considerable amount of the "stimulus money" went to stimulate the friends and relatives of the Congress and Senate. I know that sounds cynical, but I am from the Detroit area where hiring idiot relatives (without even a high school diploma) and paying them outrageous sums of money to do do Jack-you- know-what (or to not even show up) was taken to an art form by our previous Mayor the Dishonorable Kwame Kilpatrick.
Lets face it, he must have learned that from his mom Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick (D-MI) Congresswoman representing Michigan's 13th District and his dad Bernard Kilpatrick . For more info on the dirty dealings of the Kilpatrick Family check out the blog of Skeptical Brotha, but do it when you have time (their criminal misconduct can fill a book just on the surface). http://skepticalbrotha.wordpress.com/category/carolyn-cheeks-kilpatrick/ I am guessing she and a lot of other Senators and Congress persons benefited directly or indirectly from the "stimulus money".
Unfortunately the $16 Billion Question will never be answered, but that does not mean we shouldn't ask them! I am forwarding this page to my elected officials. Whether you choose to do so is, of course, entirely up to you. I am also sending a copy of this to everyone in my address book and asking them to do the same. This is not a Republican or Democratic problem, This is an American Problem! Remember the comment about the "first $16 Billion" implying a "second $16 Billion" can not be far off. We can not let this go on. Our fore fathers started a revolution over much smaller numbers (even adjusted for inflation) than these.
My feelings are a wholesale replacement of all our elected officials is needed. The approval ratings of congress as a whole is less than 20% yet incumbents keep getting elected. The feeling seems to be "Government Sucks but our guy really looks out for us". NO NO NO. They all are guilty of looking after themselves. Tell me another profession where you can put in as little as 6 years and walk away with a pension equaling 100% of your salary, for life! Plus the best medical benefits in the country with zero copay, zero deductible and no premiums for life as well. You can't because there are none! Realize folks, they voted this benefit package for themselves. We did not get to vote on whether this was fair. If a publicly traded company offered their employees such a deal, there would be a shareholder revolt and every executive of the company would be fired for voting for such a ridiculous compensation package. why should we tolerate this from our elected officials.
There will be more on this subject I assure you but for now I will finish with this. If you agree with all or part of this, send a copy (or just the stuff you agree with) to your elected officials. I am including a link where you can find out how to contact them. Encourage as many of your friends to do the same thing. We need a government who looks after us for a change. One which severely limits the lobbying of special interest groups. One which quickly deals with the problems our country is facing. One which allows us, their employers, to decide on their compensation and benefits, or perhaps limits itself to the average of all the salary and benefits packages in the country. The "Compensation Czar" was good enough for the companies who took a tax payer bailout, why should the tax supported government officials be treated better?
As usual just my opinions. I hope you share them, and will share them with as many people as possible.
Elected officials contact information can be found at: http://conservativeusa.org/mega-cong.htm
and you don't have to be a conservative to use the info on their site!
Friday, October 16, 2009
The Native American Tear Commercial
Years ago there was an anti littering commercial where a car throws a bag of garbage out of the car window at the foot of a Native American. He looks at the camera as a single tear rolls down his cheek. The Movie Kingpin recreated the commercial with Randy Quaid as the Native American.
I had my own "Native American Tear" moment on the way home from dialysis. There are 2 GM plants and a supplier building between my house and the dialysis facility. All three of the buildings are HUGE. If you have never seen an automotive assembly plant it is hard to understand how massive they are. They occupy acres of land and are surrounded by huge parking lots to accommodate the 3-5 thousand workers cars. When the plants are running these parking lots are jammed with cars and there is the perceptible hum of activity, like a beehive when you get close. The amount of activity with people coming and going (especially during shift change when as many as 6-10 thousand workers are either coming or going) is awe inspiring. Chevy used to run commercials calling Chevy "the Heartbeat of America". When you see a plant in action, you can tell it is literally the heartbeat of this country
Automotive manufacturing created the middle class in America. Union wages and good high paying manufacturing jobs, both salaried and hourly, were a HUGE part of the development of our country as a world power. Were it not for the "Arsenal of Democracy", converted automotive factories cranking out tanks and planes at a pace Germany could not hope to match, WWII most like goes to the Nazi's. 6.6 million jobs (down from 13 million YIKES) in America are directly auto related. The auto companies purchase aluminum, copper, iron, lead, plastics, rubber, textiles, vinyl, steel, computer chips, and a lot of things you never think of like post it's, software, pens, envelopes, paper clips, staplers, television, radio, and print ad's. Every car also needs insurance, car care products, service and repair, this list could go on for pages. Auto sales account for 20 percent of U.S. retail sales and generate tax revenues of more than $10 billion.
Those 6.6 million U.S. workers represent a total greater than the populations of 38 states according to a new University of Michigan study. Overall, the number of jobs associated with total automotive industry activity (direct, indirect and induced) represent 5 percent of the private-sector jobs in the United States, accounting for $243 billion in employee compensation (5.6 percent of compensation in the U.S. economy).
The plants I passed are idle. The parking lots are overgrown with weeds. It looks like a "Wild West Ghost Town". I think I even saw some Tumbleweeds and sagebrush. As I thought about the impact of these shuttered plants, the single tear almost rolled down cheek. Then I got angry. I understand the "free trade" issue, but I am far more interested in "fair trade". We allow access to our markets to countries who through a multitude of rules and reg's prevent our access. As a result, we have been exporting our jobs to countries around the world. We can not continue to allow this to happen.
What really got me mad was the recent purchase of GM and Chrysler by our government. They should not be buying them, they should be protecting them. The jobs they create are too important to the country to allow them to be outsourced. I'm not talking about creating impenetrable walls around the industry, but how about some incentives to help them out?
The recent "Cash for Clunkers" is a great example, but as I said in an earlier blog, why give the incentive to foreign autos? There are a host of things our government could do to encourage people to buy American. How about making interest on American auto loans tax deductible, or eliminating the sales tax on American autos. Do what other countries do, make it smarter to buy American than Foreign. The resulting job creations will far outweigh the loss in tax revenue. Every out of work American not only does not pay income tax, they draw money from the system. Some small changes would make a huge difference
I wish I had a picture to post. I'm sure it would bring a tear to your eyes as well. Michael Moore did a film about the economic impact on Flint when the auto companies pulled out. The problem with the movie was he got the wrong villain! It was not GM, it was the government with all its free trade rhetoric. Although I am a Reagan fan, he got that part wrong. We don't need free trade, we need fair trade. If you are not willing to do that, then you need incentives to encourage people to buy American. This is true of all American products from cars to computers, from fruits and veggies to software and soda pop. We have all the reason we need to buy American, but people make decisions with their wallets. 2 products of equal or near equal quality one American one Mexican, we are going to buy the best value (usually the cheapest). Lets give Americans an even better reason to buy American.
As I understand the role of our Government, it is primarily to protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic. While it is difficult to justify labeling other countries enemies, some are certainly enemies of our economies. How about a little protection?
Just my opinion
I had my own "Native American Tear" moment on the way home from dialysis. There are 2 GM plants and a supplier building between my house and the dialysis facility. All three of the buildings are HUGE. If you have never seen an automotive assembly plant it is hard to understand how massive they are. They occupy acres of land and are surrounded by huge parking lots to accommodate the 3-5 thousand workers cars. When the plants are running these parking lots are jammed with cars and there is the perceptible hum of activity, like a beehive when you get close. The amount of activity with people coming and going (especially during shift change when as many as 6-10 thousand workers are either coming or going) is awe inspiring. Chevy used to run commercials calling Chevy "the Heartbeat of America". When you see a plant in action, you can tell it is literally the heartbeat of this country
Automotive manufacturing created the middle class in America. Union wages and good high paying manufacturing jobs, both salaried and hourly, were a HUGE part of the development of our country as a world power. Were it not for the "Arsenal of Democracy", converted automotive factories cranking out tanks and planes at a pace Germany could not hope to match, WWII most like goes to the Nazi's. 6.6 million jobs (down from 13 million YIKES) in America are directly auto related. The auto companies purchase aluminum, copper, iron, lead, plastics, rubber, textiles, vinyl, steel, computer chips, and a lot of things you never think of like post it's, software, pens, envelopes, paper clips, staplers, television, radio, and print ad's. Every car also needs insurance, car care products, service and repair, this list could go on for pages. Auto sales account for 20 percent of U.S. retail sales and generate tax revenues of more than $10 billion.
Those 6.6 million U.S. workers represent a total greater than the populations of 38 states according to a new University of Michigan study. Overall, the number of jobs associated with total automotive industry activity (direct, indirect and induced) represent 5 percent of the private-sector jobs in the United States, accounting for $243 billion in employee compensation (5.6 percent of compensation in the U.S. economy).
The plants I passed are idle. The parking lots are overgrown with weeds. It looks like a "Wild West Ghost Town". I think I even saw some Tumbleweeds and sagebrush. As I thought about the impact of these shuttered plants, the single tear almost rolled down cheek. Then I got angry. I understand the "free trade" issue, but I am far more interested in "fair trade". We allow access to our markets to countries who through a multitude of rules and reg's prevent our access. As a result, we have been exporting our jobs to countries around the world. We can not continue to allow this to happen.
What really got me mad was the recent purchase of GM and Chrysler by our government. They should not be buying them, they should be protecting them. The jobs they create are too important to the country to allow them to be outsourced. I'm not talking about creating impenetrable walls around the industry, but how about some incentives to help them out?
The recent "Cash for Clunkers" is a great example, but as I said in an earlier blog, why give the incentive to foreign autos? There are a host of things our government could do to encourage people to buy American. How about making interest on American auto loans tax deductible, or eliminating the sales tax on American autos. Do what other countries do, make it smarter to buy American than Foreign. The resulting job creations will far outweigh the loss in tax revenue. Every out of work American not only does not pay income tax, they draw money from the system. Some small changes would make a huge difference
I wish I had a picture to post. I'm sure it would bring a tear to your eyes as well. Michael Moore did a film about the economic impact on Flint when the auto companies pulled out. The problem with the movie was he got the wrong villain! It was not GM, it was the government with all its free trade rhetoric. Although I am a Reagan fan, he got that part wrong. We don't need free trade, we need fair trade. If you are not willing to do that, then you need incentives to encourage people to buy American. This is true of all American products from cars to computers, from fruits and veggies to software and soda pop. We have all the reason we need to buy American, but people make decisions with their wallets. 2 products of equal or near equal quality one American one Mexican, we are going to buy the best value (usually the cheapest). Lets give Americans an even better reason to buy American.
As I understand the role of our Government, it is primarily to protect us from all enemies foreign and domestic. While it is difficult to justify labeling other countries enemies, some are certainly enemies of our economies. How about a little protection?
Just my opinion
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
I don't want to talk about it
I haven't blogged in a couple weeks. It isn't for lack of material or time. I have had a number of things I wanted to blog about. The reason I haven't is I know there are members of my family that would not want me to put certain things on the web, so some of my best ideas have gone into my private diary.
Lately things have been kinda tense around my house. It is just my wife, my youngest daughter, and me, now that my oldest is away at college. I expected things would be a little easier, but I expected wrong. It seems my youngest has "picked up the slack" when it comes to creating tension.
I tried to find out what is going on, but her response was "I don't want to talk about it Dad". Thinking my wife knew what was going on I asked her. Her answer was "I don't want to talk about it.
I called my oldest who is away at school with some great news (I got her a software program she has been asking for). When i talked to her, she seemed a little down, so I asked her what was wrong. Her answer...(do I have to say it) "I don't want to talk about it Dad"
I don't understand it. It is not just me. My kids "don't want to talk about it" with my wife either. I hope this is just a phase that's going on in my family. To me, the way to resolve problems is to talk about it. But what can you do if no one else wants to talk? I have honestly begun talking to myself (sad isn't it?) I guess in a way that is what this blog is, me talking to myself and trying to capture my thoughts ideas and feelings before I leave this world behind.
But really....I don't get it, and the problem is no one can (or will) explain it to me. When I try to gently prod them, they clam up and repeat (in ever increasing volume) "I don't want to talk about it"
Oh well, all I can do is keep trying and hope someday they trust me enough to open up. Until then I will just keep talking to myself...and to you.
I keep reminding myself that anything worthwhile takes time and persistence. I have the persistence...do I have the time?
Lately things have been kinda tense around my house. It is just my wife, my youngest daughter, and me, now that my oldest is away at college. I expected things would be a little easier, but I expected wrong. It seems my youngest has "picked up the slack" when it comes to creating tension.
I tried to find out what is going on, but her response was "I don't want to talk about it Dad". Thinking my wife knew what was going on I asked her. Her answer was "I don't want to talk about it.
I called my oldest who is away at school with some great news (I got her a software program she has been asking for). When i talked to her, she seemed a little down, so I asked her what was wrong. Her answer...(do I have to say it) "I don't want to talk about it Dad"
I don't understand it. It is not just me. My kids "don't want to talk about it" with my wife either. I hope this is just a phase that's going on in my family. To me, the way to resolve problems is to talk about it. But what can you do if no one else wants to talk? I have honestly begun talking to myself (sad isn't it?) I guess in a way that is what this blog is, me talking to myself and trying to capture my thoughts ideas and feelings before I leave this world behind.
But really....I don't get it, and the problem is no one can (or will) explain it to me. When I try to gently prod them, they clam up and repeat (in ever increasing volume) "I don't want to talk about it"
Oh well, all I can do is keep trying and hope someday they trust me enough to open up. Until then I will just keep talking to myself...and to you.
I keep reminding myself that anything worthwhile takes time and persistence. I have the persistence...do I have the time?
Friday, September 25, 2009
Lets be Frank, no really, lets all be like Frank!
For those of you who aren't lucky enough to get to listen to or read Frank Beckmann, I am publishing his editorial from today's Detroit News, word for word (I hope that is legal). It captures my fears about our how our Government (not just the Obama administration) is changing (and not for the better) beautifully. Anything in red does not belong to Frank, it is my "commentary".
Expanded powers seem to ignore constitutional limits
Americans have been promised that they will, at some point, be repaid for the loans our government gave to the banking and auto industries. If only the same assurances had been made about restoring our Constitution.
Our founding document seems to be ignored during the expansion of federal authority and programs that are not enumerated among the 18 powers granted to Congress under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution.
Former President George W. Bush (to quote the movie Scarface "I never like him, I never trusted him) pushed us further along this slippery path with his No Child Left Behind law that inserted the federal government into the operation of local schools, an individual state responsibility.
And Bush began the Troubled Asset Relief Program bailout for Wall Street, claiming U.S. investment banks were too big to fail as a reason for tapping American tax dollars.(too big to fail "clearly not)
Nowhere does the Constitution authorize federal government actions based on that premise.
The Constitution arguably has been ignored in a succession of Obama administration decisions as well, which is not surprising given the president's stated belief that the document is a "charter of negative liberties." (Is that our Constitution he is talking about? The document that people have fought and died for, the document that allowed a country to land a man on the moon and launch the Hubble telescope, the document that inspired Patrick Henry to utter "give me liberty or give me death", the document that guarantees us freedoms never seen before or since, that document is a "charter of negative liberties"??? That statement is bordering on treason.)
That's what our founders intended in the document's creation, freeing citizens to seek their own happiness by putting checks on what the government can do.
Instead, the White House has fired Rick Wagoner as CEO of General Motors; discarded bankruptcy and state franchise laws in the reorganization of GM and Chrysler, along with their dealer closings; appointed more than three dozen czars to oversee everything from cars to California water to domestic violence, without any clear oversight; sought to regulate the pay of private business executives; set new rules that will determine what cars American automakers will build and sell; and wants a new health care system that would require individual participation under threat of fines.
In addition, the Washington Post recently reported that almost all new mortgages are being processed through the federal government, and the U.S. House passed a bill that would allow the government to take over the entire student loan portfolio. This last move threatens to politicize how citizens get loan capital and reduces the freedom of individuals to find terms most favorable to them.
Supporters of expanding government powers try to justify their policies by citing Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, which states in part that Congress shall provide for "the general welfare" of the United States.(if we are not careful we will all wind up on welfare)
Thomas Jefferson wrote about just such a threat in 1791 when he said, "They are not to do anything they please to provide for the general welfare," according to documents housed at the University of Virginia.
To focus on "general welfare" without considering the rest of the constitution, explained Jefferson, "would reduce the whole instrument to a single phrase, that of instituting a Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States; and, as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please ... Certainly no such universal power was meant to be given them." (smart guy that Thomas Jefferson)
Our constitution was uniquely designed for the ages, as a document which would give every American generation a uniform basis for governance.
If the basis for our country is allowed to be discarded by any residing party in power, then they've become no better than the tyrannical rulers from whom our founders meant to distance themselves more than 230 years ago.
Frank Beckmann is host of "The Frank Beckmann Show" on WJR (760 AM) from 9 a.m. to noon Monday-Friday. His column appears on Friday. E-mail comments to letters@detnews.com.(smart guy that Frank Beckmann) .
I will not try to say it any better. I will add that when we start relying on the Government to insure our children get a proper education (no child left behind), to insure that failing businesses do not go under, to insure that everyone has health insurance whether they want it or not, to regulate what companies can pay their top officers, to determine what cars we have access to, and the biggest boondoggle of them all, to tax our carbon usage, it is no longer a slippery slope!
If we saw such behavior in Russia, we would cry out"they are back to their old Communist ways"! When we see such actions in France we declare them as being the reason for their faltering economy. We abhor such behavior from the Chinese. The only difference I see between Us and Them is that we have the freedom to speak out against such obvious stripping of our constitutional rights. Can the losing of that freedom be far behind? We are already nibbling at the edges of censorship by declaring any opposition to President Obama as being Racist.
How far does the government have to go before we say "enough is enough"? In my opinion we have already gone too far!
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
A Tale of Two Moores
I just finished watching Michael Moore's Larry King interview. Wow, what a hypocrite! as usual Larry tossed him some softballs and fawned over him like he was the next Francis Ford Coppola
One of his first movies was Roger and Me. In that movie he lambasted General Motors for closing plants, now he blasts them for taking corporate welfare. Imagine how much quicker they would have gone bankrupt had they not made some hard choices (in hindsight the choices were not nearly hard enough).
Once again he bashed the rich (odd since he qualifies as being rich). He made a point that after you make a hundred thousand dollars you no longer pay the 7 percent social security tax. No one said he couldn't pay that extra tax himself if he wanted too. Plus, he clearly doesn't understand the social security system is an insurance policy. we pay our premiums while we work and get the money back when we retire. And while the "rich" max out the tax on their earnings, they also get a much smaller social security check as a percentage of what they paid in, than the "non-rich"
A caller asked him what he made and how he "shared his wealth" with the less fortunate. He hemmed and hawed and gave a half assed answer about buying land and not developing it to keep it environmentally clean...in my world that's called real estate speculation.
He made a point that the richest 1% own more than the other 99% of the population (actually I think that number is one of those pull a number out of the air. How could you verify that). I remember when the homeless situation was the cause Du jour. Someone said a homeless person dies every 6 seconds in America. That became an accepted number. I did the math, and in one year there would have been no homeless people left to die! I think the richest 1% number is like that. Someone pulled a number out of their ass, it sounded good (great sound bites), and it became an accepted number
Almost all of the rich people I know worked their butt off to get the money they have (40 hours a week was unheard of, more like 70-80). They took risks, they saved an scrimped in the beginning, they invested in education both formal and informal. They paid off their credit cards each month, they didn't buy a big screen TV until their old TV actually died.. They bought used cars and drove them till the wheels fell off. They did the opposite of what most non-rich people do.
Do we really want to discourage hard work? Opportunity is what America offers to people.
Admittedly I have never liked Michael Moore. I like him less every time he releases a "documentary". Documentary implies you are documenting something. He does not document, he dramatizes, and that's "OK". The problem is that since he has control over what makes it to the screen, we never see when anyone who has a good answer puts him in his place.
Capitalism is not perfect, but it is better than any other system out there. Certainly better than socialism which has failed everywhere it has been tried. China is just becoming an economic force, and it is no coincidence that they have adopted some capitalist ideals. If this country is so bad, why does he stay? he certainly has the means to move to any country.
I want my kids to have the opportunity to achieve things based on hard work and merit. The idea that we should share the wealth with those "less fortunate" is a great idea, the problem is that very few people are truly "less fortunate". "Less fortunate" has become the way of describing less motivated, less educated, and less disciplined. Is that what we want to reward?
One of his first movies was Roger and Me. In that movie he lambasted General Motors for closing plants, now he blasts them for taking corporate welfare. Imagine how much quicker they would have gone bankrupt had they not made some hard choices (in hindsight the choices were not nearly hard enough).
Once again he bashed the rich (odd since he qualifies as being rich). He made a point that after you make a hundred thousand dollars you no longer pay the 7 percent social security tax. No one said he couldn't pay that extra tax himself if he wanted too. Plus, he clearly doesn't understand the social security system is an insurance policy. we pay our premiums while we work and get the money back when we retire. And while the "rich" max out the tax on their earnings, they also get a much smaller social security check as a percentage of what they paid in, than the "non-rich"
A caller asked him what he made and how he "shared his wealth" with the less fortunate. He hemmed and hawed and gave a half assed answer about buying land and not developing it to keep it environmentally clean...in my world that's called real estate speculation.
He made a point that the richest 1% own more than the other 99% of the population (actually I think that number is one of those pull a number out of the air. How could you verify that). I remember when the homeless situation was the cause Du jour. Someone said a homeless person dies every 6 seconds in America. That became an accepted number. I did the math, and in one year there would have been no homeless people left to die! I think the richest 1% number is like that. Someone pulled a number out of their ass, it sounded good (great sound bites), and it became an accepted number
Almost all of the rich people I know worked their butt off to get the money they have (40 hours a week was unheard of, more like 70-80). They took risks, they saved an scrimped in the beginning, they invested in education both formal and informal. They paid off their credit cards each month, they didn't buy a big screen TV until their old TV actually died.. They bought used cars and drove them till the wheels fell off. They did the opposite of what most non-rich people do.
Do we really want to discourage hard work? Opportunity is what America offers to people.
Admittedly I have never liked Michael Moore. I like him less every time he releases a "documentary". Documentary implies you are documenting something. He does not document, he dramatizes, and that's "OK". The problem is that since he has control over what makes it to the screen, we never see when anyone who has a good answer puts him in his place.
Capitalism is not perfect, but it is better than any other system out there. Certainly better than socialism which has failed everywhere it has been tried. China is just becoming an economic force, and it is no coincidence that they have adopted some capitalist ideals. If this country is so bad, why does he stay? he certainly has the means to move to any country.
I want my kids to have the opportunity to achieve things based on hard work and merit. The idea that we should share the wealth with those "less fortunate" is a great idea, the problem is that very few people are truly "less fortunate". "Less fortunate" has become the way of describing less motivated, less educated, and less disciplined. Is that what we want to reward?
There's Something About Mary
No its not about the movie, unfortunately.
I am a dialysis patient, and because of that I get exposed to death more frequently than most people my age. Since I tend to be outgoing and in a positive frame of mind (most of the time), I know almost everyone in my unit by name, and I greet them each morning. Every few months someone I have known for a few years and have greeted three mornings per week, suddenly stops coming to dialysis.
I would love to tell you they just transferred to a different unit, or got a transplant. In a perfect world that would be the case. What really happens is they have passed away. It is a constant reminder to me that my grasp on life is more tenuous than most. Sometimes it inspires me to get the most out of the time I have here, other times it just scares the hell out of me.
Oddly enough the transformation takes place almost overnight. Mary is the latest potential casualty. She was not in the greatest of shape, but she walked in and out of dialysis under her own power and lived in her own place, taking care of herself. About two weeks ago she stopped coming to dialysis. When I asked about her I was told she was in the hospital. She had broken her leg. While she was in the hospital she developed serious bedsores, and now she resides in a rehab facility (nursing home) and is driven back and forth by ambulance. The transformation has been terrible to watch. She arrives at dialysis moaning in pain and doesn't stop for 4 hours. when they transfer her from the ambulance stretcher to the dialysis stretcher, she cries out in pain.
I have seen this process before, and my guess is Mary is going to be the next casualty. Just two weeks ago I gave her some home made meatballs, now she can't even get out of bed.
While I may be exposed to this more than the average person, all of us should realize that no one has a stranglehold on life. No one knows when their day will come, we just know that it will.
It reminds me to do two things:
1.) Never take my life for granted. Life is too short as it is, and we should all enjoy the time we have here. It is too short to hold grudges, and it is too short to be angry. Those things hurt you more than the person it is directed at.
2.) Make sure I tell the most important people in my life how much they mean to me.
I hope I am wrong about Mary. 9 years ago I was right where Mary is. Being transported by ambulance, in great pain, and not given much of a chance to survive. It wasn't my time (I know that because I am writing this now). Maybe it isn't yet hers. When my time does come I want to have no regrets, no grudges, no anger and no incomplete relationships.
Now please excuse me while I go call my Daughter who is away at college, and remind her how much I miss her.
I am a dialysis patient, and because of that I get exposed to death more frequently than most people my age. Since I tend to be outgoing and in a positive frame of mind (most of the time), I know almost everyone in my unit by name, and I greet them each morning. Every few months someone I have known for a few years and have greeted three mornings per week, suddenly stops coming to dialysis.
I would love to tell you they just transferred to a different unit, or got a transplant. In a perfect world that would be the case. What really happens is they have passed away. It is a constant reminder to me that my grasp on life is more tenuous than most. Sometimes it inspires me to get the most out of the time I have here, other times it just scares the hell out of me.
Oddly enough the transformation takes place almost overnight. Mary is the latest potential casualty. She was not in the greatest of shape, but she walked in and out of dialysis under her own power and lived in her own place, taking care of herself. About two weeks ago she stopped coming to dialysis. When I asked about her I was told she was in the hospital. She had broken her leg. While she was in the hospital she developed serious bedsores, and now she resides in a rehab facility (nursing home) and is driven back and forth by ambulance. The transformation has been terrible to watch. She arrives at dialysis moaning in pain and doesn't stop for 4 hours. when they transfer her from the ambulance stretcher to the dialysis stretcher, she cries out in pain.
I have seen this process before, and my guess is Mary is going to be the next casualty. Just two weeks ago I gave her some home made meatballs, now she can't even get out of bed.
While I may be exposed to this more than the average person, all of us should realize that no one has a stranglehold on life. No one knows when their day will come, we just know that it will.
It reminds me to do two things:
1.) Never take my life for granted. Life is too short as it is, and we should all enjoy the time we have here. It is too short to hold grudges, and it is too short to be angry. Those things hurt you more than the person it is directed at.
2.) Make sure I tell the most important people in my life how much they mean to me.
I hope I am wrong about Mary. 9 years ago I was right where Mary is. Being transported by ambulance, in great pain, and not given much of a chance to survive. It wasn't my time (I know that because I am writing this now). Maybe it isn't yet hers. When my time does come I want to have no regrets, no grudges, no anger and no incomplete relationships.
Now please excuse me while I go call my Daughter who is away at college, and remind her how much I miss her.
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