It has been so very interesting to listen to the mainstream news media commentaries on the horrendous increases which have occurred in the prices Americans are now forced to pay at the pump in order to get to work, run to the doctors, or take a much needed and overdue vacation.
Many of the pundits have offered up such half baked rationalizations it has been incredible, especially in the last few weeks.
A few short months ago, gasoline was at $2.60 a gallon at most stations off the interstate exits.
Less than thirty years ago, it was still at a little over a $1.00 a gallon, having made a 100% increase from ten years before.
There is no logical explanation at this point to why Americans are paying through the nose to power their automobiles.
Except greed.
Both corporate and governmental...
Even Obama's excuses seemed rather flimsy during his recent speech at the Daimler plant.
How much war related gasoline is being consumed by the government keeping all those Humvees, drones, jets, and ships in foreign ports equipped which Americans are paying for both at the pump, and through their other taxes and this mammoth ever-escalating deficit?
The higher the gas prices go, of course, the higher those state and local gasoline taxes also go.
This added tax is not tax deductible at this point even. In other words, those sales and use taxes are not deducted from the amount of discretionary income most Americans get to, say, pay the mortgage.
This is an election year, and all those election coffers need to be stuffed, after all, by most of those oil companies and their lobbyists, too.
No matter that you no longer have any income to pay for that unregulated utility bill, or that house that is now going into foreclosure.
The monster must be fed.
And fed.
Showing posts with label Arizona state government. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Arizona state government. Show all posts
Saturday, March 10, 2012
Monday, June 20, 2011
Why The Boomers Are The Largest Segment of The Unemployed
This past week during the mainstream media coverage of the Weiner Saga and Casey Anthony highly publicized mock trial, there were mixed in reports on the continuing budget political in-fighting and fiasco, and an associated report on the boomers and how retirement for them may be postponed - until most of them are likely dead by 80.
What has been truly laughable about all of this is the fact that the boomers, more than any other generation before, have paid in more to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid than any prior generation, or the ones following.
Medicare, after all, was legislation that was established and included with the Social Security overhaul of 1965 under Lyndon Johnson. So anyone who began working prior to 1965 and who has not retired has contributed more really than those born before during the prior generations.
And the boomers, after all, are the largest generation and then subsequently had the fewest children due to the "discovery" of birth control in the 1960's. And also due to those "Zero Population Growth" wackos and their agendas who focused on U.S. birth rates, (thus also Roe and its ramifications which have even been expanded affording almost unrestricted late term abortions even which were not addressed by those Supremes since that decision was handed down in the early 70's) now instead support unlimited immigration and taking in all those war refugees from all the wars we have been unconstitutionally involved with since the 60's, in addition to then educating the "brightest" and most "promising" young people from other countries at U.S. taxpayer's expense, rather than our own youth in the name of "diversity."
I hope AARP and Betty White get the message, with all those flyers and advertisements that most boomers began receiving at 50. We most likely will not live long enough to enjoy all those cruises or have enough money to buy all those low cost term and whole life policies, or even those much ballyhooed Medicare supplements.
It has been interesting to see how both political parties continue to portray Social Security as a "broke" program, and bad mouth these taxpayer funded "entitlement" programs which involve these also ever expanding tax rates taken out of their pay before they even get what is left.
I mean, in my immediate family and my ex-spouse's, there have been several members that unfortunately passed on prior to reaching age 62, much less 65 or 80. Both my spouse's parents passed away at 36 and 54 respectively. An uncle of mine at 60. A brother-in-law's brother at 48.
All had contributed during their lifetimes to those programs, yet had received not one penny of those benefits for themselves.
Few qualify for Medicaid, since you do have to be under the poverty level in order to qualify with no real assets left. In other words, you are homeless and most likely in ill health as a result, but at least part of your prescriptions are paid.
While we then also create more and more sick veterans who will need treatment for those PTSD drugs and counseling, literally tens of thousands in the past ten years alone from both Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard there are now 5 million less men than women in this country now due to this war - I guess a statistic that just thrills the average male noncombatant, in order to also, too, make room for more foreigners and immigrants to repopulate and re-educate in the "new" American history being taught in our schools.
Also missed is the fact that in most unemployment offices throughout the country, the people on those computers searching for jobs (and for one legitimate listing are about six illegitimate ones used for the ad revenues those job postings generate) are those over 40.
Perhaps the reason so many boomers are having trouble finding work has nothing to do with all those articles written by those job center employees or their paid writers, portraying most boomers as "not tech savvy" enough for the new job market, or not flexible enough to work under people less than half their ages, in many cases, and unable to resist parenting all those up and coming CEOs and higher level management personnel or giving them in politically incorrect terms the benefit of their literally years and years of experience and training many times filling the positions which are now denied them.
Perhaps it is the fault of many of those "post application" questions which you are advised during the online application process are "voluntary?"
Like those tax credit questions.
Are you Hispanic? (A "no" on this one will get you another drop down box where you can fill in what ethnic group or race you are other than Hispanic).
Are you under 40? (Used to be "50 or over" for those tax credits - maybe this is why there are so many blond 20 somethings on FOX as political analysts, "lawyers" and commentators?)
Are you a veteran?
Are you on Social Security, Aid to Dependent Children, or any other form of state or federal low income subsidy?
If not, even with those all important key words and enhanced resumes, your application will go to the bottom of the pile, never to be seen by those Human Resources personnel who basically read applications sort of like the average citizen searches the Internet, using only the first page of the Goggle results in order to make their purchase, or get their information. And then soon, you too will qualify when you can answer "yes" to at least that government subsidy question, but the jobs you envision will not at all be one in which you have any prior experience, or training most likely but those created under those "jobs" bills in order to work for your lower welfare "work" subsidy.
Obama and the Democratic Party are now stating that perhaps the reason so many are not working is due to "technology," and the fact that so many jobs have gone the way of the dinosaur due to the tech sector's time saving gadgets. Time savings that are not "passed on" to the public, instead the expensive costs of those gadgets upping the costs for most goods and services.
Of course, this position has been mentioned while the 2012 elections are in full swing, in order to garner the votes of those unemployed and underemployed, and after signing all those appropriations bills for those grants that have fed this sector lo these many years, and their outsourcing and jobs killing agendas. Not to mention also the security risks with Americans personal and financial information in their databases waiting for the next huge "hacker" story, in order to feed the identity theft "new jobs" sector using crime itself as a job stimulus.
Gee, the boomers came to that conclusion over thirty years ago when all those monies started getting earmarked for the technology sector at the cost of almost every other sector (other than medicine, another heavily dependent on those devices and computers to streamline the delivery of healthcare, of course, at higher and higher costs).
Maybe it is due to the fact that even most of those technology jobs that even are left, have gone to India then progressively.
While most of the construction jobs, those there are on these shores and not in Afghanistan or Iraq, have gone to the Mexican illegals.
And manufacturing jobs to China.
I heard several members of Congress from Arizona, my former home state, also were sponsors of a bill to provide unemployment benefits to Americans whose jobs were lost due to "globalization."
Is this insanity, or what?
What has been truly laughable about all of this is the fact that the boomers, more than any other generation before, have paid in more to Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid than any prior generation, or the ones following.
Medicare, after all, was legislation that was established and included with the Social Security overhaul of 1965 under Lyndon Johnson. So anyone who began working prior to 1965 and who has not retired has contributed more really than those born before during the prior generations.
And the boomers, after all, are the largest generation and then subsequently had the fewest children due to the "discovery" of birth control in the 1960's. And also due to those "Zero Population Growth" wackos and their agendas who focused on U.S. birth rates, (thus also Roe and its ramifications which have even been expanded affording almost unrestricted late term abortions even which were not addressed by those Supremes since that decision was handed down in the early 70's) now instead support unlimited immigration and taking in all those war refugees from all the wars we have been unconstitutionally involved with since the 60's, in addition to then educating the "brightest" and most "promising" young people from other countries at U.S. taxpayer's expense, rather than our own youth in the name of "diversity."
I hope AARP and Betty White get the message, with all those flyers and advertisements that most boomers began receiving at 50. We most likely will not live long enough to enjoy all those cruises or have enough money to buy all those low cost term and whole life policies, or even those much ballyhooed Medicare supplements.
It has been interesting to see how both political parties continue to portray Social Security as a "broke" program, and bad mouth these taxpayer funded "entitlement" programs which involve these also ever expanding tax rates taken out of their pay before they even get what is left.
I mean, in my immediate family and my ex-spouse's, there have been several members that unfortunately passed on prior to reaching age 62, much less 65 or 80. Both my spouse's parents passed away at 36 and 54 respectively. An uncle of mine at 60. A brother-in-law's brother at 48.
All had contributed during their lifetimes to those programs, yet had received not one penny of those benefits for themselves.
Few qualify for Medicaid, since you do have to be under the poverty level in order to qualify with no real assets left. In other words, you are homeless and most likely in ill health as a result, but at least part of your prescriptions are paid.
While we then also create more and more sick veterans who will need treatment for those PTSD drugs and counseling, literally tens of thousands in the past ten years alone from both Iraq and Afghanistan. I heard there are now 5 million less men than women in this country now due to this war - I guess a statistic that just thrills the average male noncombatant, in order to also, too, make room for more foreigners and immigrants to repopulate and re-educate in the "new" American history being taught in our schools.
Also missed is the fact that in most unemployment offices throughout the country, the people on those computers searching for jobs (and for one legitimate listing are about six illegitimate ones used for the ad revenues those job postings generate) are those over 40.
Perhaps the reason so many boomers are having trouble finding work has nothing to do with all those articles written by those job center employees or their paid writers, portraying most boomers as "not tech savvy" enough for the new job market, or not flexible enough to work under people less than half their ages, in many cases, and unable to resist parenting all those up and coming CEOs and higher level management personnel or giving them in politically incorrect terms the benefit of their literally years and years of experience and training many times filling the positions which are now denied them.
Perhaps it is the fault of many of those "post application" questions which you are advised during the online application process are "voluntary?"
Like those tax credit questions.
Are you Hispanic? (A "no" on this one will get you another drop down box where you can fill in what ethnic group or race you are other than Hispanic).
Are you under 40? (Used to be "50 or over" for those tax credits - maybe this is why there are so many blond 20 somethings on FOX as political analysts, "lawyers" and commentators?)
Are you a veteran?
Are you on Social Security, Aid to Dependent Children, or any other form of state or federal low income subsidy?
If not, even with those all important key words and enhanced resumes, your application will go to the bottom of the pile, never to be seen by those Human Resources personnel who basically read applications sort of like the average citizen searches the Internet, using only the first page of the Goggle results in order to make their purchase, or get their information. And then soon, you too will qualify when you can answer "yes" to at least that government subsidy question, but the jobs you envision will not at all be one in which you have any prior experience, or training most likely but those created under those "jobs" bills in order to work for your lower welfare "work" subsidy.
Obama and the Democratic Party are now stating that perhaps the reason so many are not working is due to "technology," and the fact that so many jobs have gone the way of the dinosaur due to the tech sector's time saving gadgets. Time savings that are not "passed on" to the public, instead the expensive costs of those gadgets upping the costs for most goods and services.
Of course, this position has been mentioned while the 2012 elections are in full swing, in order to garner the votes of those unemployed and underemployed, and after signing all those appropriations bills for those grants that have fed this sector lo these many years, and their outsourcing and jobs killing agendas. Not to mention also the security risks with Americans personal and financial information in their databases waiting for the next huge "hacker" story, in order to feed the identity theft "new jobs" sector using crime itself as a job stimulus.
Gee, the boomers came to that conclusion over thirty years ago when all those monies started getting earmarked for the technology sector at the cost of almost every other sector (other than medicine, another heavily dependent on those devices and computers to streamline the delivery of healthcare, of course, at higher and higher costs).
Maybe it is due to the fact that even most of those technology jobs that even are left, have gone to India then progressively.
While most of the construction jobs, those there are on these shores and not in Afghanistan or Iraq, have gone to the Mexican illegals.
And manufacturing jobs to China.
I heard several members of Congress from Arizona, my former home state, also were sponsors of a bill to provide unemployment benefits to Americans whose jobs were lost due to "globalization."
Is this insanity, or what?
Friday, June 3, 2011
U.S. Jobs Report Is In: Bleak Prospects for Many
Well, the latest jobs report is in and the picture for the average American still seeking work in this depressive U.S. economy isn't pretty.
It was announced through the mainstream media that jobs are down over 9% since the last report.
Of course, you do need to double that figure since it is reported artificially lower than the true statistics, since those which are now unable to continue to collect unemployment, or have been denied benefits for whatever reason, or who owned their own businesses which have since gone under are not included in those statistics.
Recently, I had another of those "aha" moments those insurance companies (affiliated with the financial and banking sectors) advertise on most prime time and cable news stations.
As one who has a travel and hospitality certification from a now defunct travel school which was operated by American Express back in the 90's (who, I am sure, received government taxpayer grants for its operation, and in which my tuition was over $2,500 for my study), I recently stopped by a cruise line company affiliated with a Canadian website based travel company.
The franchisers of this retail operation had just recently opened, and were seeking sales and marketing representatives both at their retail location, and also mobile agents who worked from their home.
We discussed my background, having worked for over five years for a foreign domiciled vacation package retailer, in which eventually I moved from being one of their top sales agents to working in their yield management division and actually programming and developing packages for this company's U.S. market. I eventually left when this foreign domiciled company decided to move from its offices in Scottsdale, Arizona to Coral Gables, Florida for all non-reservation agent personnel for budgetary reasons.
Apparently, the rent in Scottsdale was too high although to many of us it was difficult to see where the rent in that particular part of Florida would not have been similar. Certainly, renegotiating their lease space or seeking cheaper digs would have been much more cost efficient, but then who was I to say?
The retail position this cruise company envisioned consisted of selling cruise packages under their banner with all the sales agents independent contractors, owning their own client base, as it were. Working at the franchise location merely consisted of paying a $500 up front "licensing" fee to this foreign based business and its U.S. franchisee. In addition, their share of any and all eventual bookings would be 60%, with the sales agent getting the remaining 40% (or 20% less U.S. taxes on that commission). These outrageous fees and costs, and low commission ratio was offset by all the access to the database and walk-in clients the retail agents would be receiving, and access to all the internet webinars which would be required to keep up to date on packages and promotions.
Although while I was there for over an hour not one individual came by or inquired about a future vacation.
The mobile agents (or those working from home) had it a little better.
Lower upfront costs (since the franchisee could not charge for desk space, apparently) of $200, and they then got to keep 70% of their commissions, with 30% going to the global parent company and franchisee. Although those not based at the company provided desks and computers would have to pay for their own marketing materials and such. Although, of course, could then write them off on their tax returns as independent contractors.
This is the new job scene.
Doesn't appear much research is also going into just what "new" jobs are actually out there, or just who is profiting off the backs of the unemployed. Including those selling their expertise in writing Facebook ads for the unemployed at $50 bucks and more a pop, who hang out at all those job center offices being funded by the many jobless too in the boomer and Gen X generation.
Since not a single individual in the job center office I visited recently searching on the 100 computers available was under 40.
Hope those statiticians and analysts start digging a little deeper into some of those "new jobs" created figures.
Fox recently had another propaganda piece on its pay station about some young man that held 50 jobs in 50 days.
One as a dietician.
Of course, with no education or certification as a dietician just wonder how he got THAT job?
Perhaps as a FOX employee researcher or "educator" whose real salary is provided by more public grants or stimulus monies?
It was announced through the mainstream media that jobs are down over 9% since the last report.
Of course, you do need to double that figure since it is reported artificially lower than the true statistics, since those which are now unable to continue to collect unemployment, or have been denied benefits for whatever reason, or who owned their own businesses which have since gone under are not included in those statistics.
Recently, I had another of those "aha" moments those insurance companies (affiliated with the financial and banking sectors) advertise on most prime time and cable news stations.
As one who has a travel and hospitality certification from a now defunct travel school which was operated by American Express back in the 90's (who, I am sure, received government taxpayer grants for its operation, and in which my tuition was over $2,500 for my study), I recently stopped by a cruise line company affiliated with a Canadian website based travel company.
The franchisers of this retail operation had just recently opened, and were seeking sales and marketing representatives both at their retail location, and also mobile agents who worked from their home.
We discussed my background, having worked for over five years for a foreign domiciled vacation package retailer, in which eventually I moved from being one of their top sales agents to working in their yield management division and actually programming and developing packages for this company's U.S. market. I eventually left when this foreign domiciled company decided to move from its offices in Scottsdale, Arizona to Coral Gables, Florida for all non-reservation agent personnel for budgetary reasons.
Apparently, the rent in Scottsdale was too high although to many of us it was difficult to see where the rent in that particular part of Florida would not have been similar. Certainly, renegotiating their lease space or seeking cheaper digs would have been much more cost efficient, but then who was I to say?
The retail position this cruise company envisioned consisted of selling cruise packages under their banner with all the sales agents independent contractors, owning their own client base, as it were. Working at the franchise location merely consisted of paying a $500 up front "licensing" fee to this foreign based business and its U.S. franchisee. In addition, their share of any and all eventual bookings would be 60%, with the sales agent getting the remaining 40% (or 20% less U.S. taxes on that commission). These outrageous fees and costs, and low commission ratio was offset by all the access to the database and walk-in clients the retail agents would be receiving, and access to all the internet webinars which would be required to keep up to date on packages and promotions.
Although while I was there for over an hour not one individual came by or inquired about a future vacation.
The mobile agents (or those working from home) had it a little better.
Lower upfront costs (since the franchisee could not charge for desk space, apparently) of $200, and they then got to keep 70% of their commissions, with 30% going to the global parent company and franchisee. Although those not based at the company provided desks and computers would have to pay for their own marketing materials and such. Although, of course, could then write them off on their tax returns as independent contractors.
This is the new job scene.
Doesn't appear much research is also going into just what "new" jobs are actually out there, or just who is profiting off the backs of the unemployed. Including those selling their expertise in writing Facebook ads for the unemployed at $50 bucks and more a pop, who hang out at all those job center offices being funded by the many jobless too in the boomer and Gen X generation.
Since not a single individual in the job center office I visited recently searching on the 100 computers available was under 40.
Hope those statiticians and analysts start digging a little deeper into some of those "new jobs" created figures.
Fox recently had another propaganda piece on its pay station about some young man that held 50 jobs in 50 days.
One as a dietician.
Of course, with no education or certification as a dietician just wonder how he got THAT job?
Perhaps as a FOX employee researcher or "educator" whose real salary is provided by more public grants or stimulus monies?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Washington Drama: Government Shutdown?
It has been widely reported in the mainstream media that both political parties are at an impasse in their attempts to "balance" the U.S. budget and our out of control deficits.
The question is, why is this so?
Left out of all those budget talks and negotiations are the real issues and reasons why there even is this claimed budget crisis, and with the creation of the Federal Reserve illegally after the crash on Wall Street and run on the banks in this country during the "Greater Depression" even how it would be possible given that fiat currency was created in order to avoid such a crisis in the first place.
Interesting facts also have been left out of these "talks," and the political posturing.
Such as the fact that our budget could be easily balanced by simply returning to a more accurate method of reporting.
Here are some facts that just might open the public's eyes to what has really been left out:
1. Offsetting our deficits to China, India and Mexico with the number of jobs which have been created for their citizens, and the amount of goods and services which have been outsourced to them progressively throughout the past several decades.
2. Offsetting our deficits with the wealth that foreigners now possess in U.S. industry, our gold and oil reserves, prime residential and commercial real estate, and even our ports.
3. Offsetting our deficits with the dollars now spent in order to continue progressively to defend and protect the "global good" rather than our country's true defense and self-interests and our out of control military budgets while our own country's back doors and shores are becoming less and less secure also by the day, week and month.
4. Offsetting our deficits with the amount of dollars poured into foreign aid to countries now in better financial position than our own, such as Israel, Great Britain (currency is still over ours), Canada - in fact, the entire European Union and most countries for which we have poured literally trillions over the course of years in foreign aid due to their "lobbyists."
5. Offsetting the amount of monies which are poured into global and foreign based pharmaceutical companies and their products and services, whose wealth is gained by now bypassing cures for various diseases of Americans in favor of instead treating the symptoms in order to support the global economy, while then also pouring more and more dollars into research without using some of the cures which have already been discovered.
So while tuning in and listening to the talking heads who also make their livings by reporting on the latest Washington theatrics and crisis, it does seems more and more Americans are asking one simple question...
Why?
The question is, why is this so?
Left out of all those budget talks and negotiations are the real issues and reasons why there even is this claimed budget crisis, and with the creation of the Federal Reserve illegally after the crash on Wall Street and run on the banks in this country during the "Greater Depression" even how it would be possible given that fiat currency was created in order to avoid such a crisis in the first place.
Interesting facts also have been left out of these "talks," and the political posturing.
Such as the fact that our budget could be easily balanced by simply returning to a more accurate method of reporting.
Here are some facts that just might open the public's eyes to what has really been left out:
1. Offsetting our deficits to China, India and Mexico with the number of jobs which have been created for their citizens, and the amount of goods and services which have been outsourced to them progressively throughout the past several decades.
2. Offsetting our deficits with the wealth that foreigners now possess in U.S. industry, our gold and oil reserves, prime residential and commercial real estate, and even our ports.
3. Offsetting our deficits with the dollars now spent in order to continue progressively to defend and protect the "global good" rather than our country's true defense and self-interests and our out of control military budgets while our own country's back doors and shores are becoming less and less secure also by the day, week and month.
4. Offsetting our deficits with the amount of dollars poured into foreign aid to countries now in better financial position than our own, such as Israel, Great Britain (currency is still over ours), Canada - in fact, the entire European Union and most countries for which we have poured literally trillions over the course of years in foreign aid due to their "lobbyists."
5. Offsetting the amount of monies which are poured into global and foreign based pharmaceutical companies and their products and services, whose wealth is gained by now bypassing cures for various diseases of Americans in favor of instead treating the symptoms in order to support the global economy, while then also pouring more and more dollars into research without using some of the cures which have already been discovered.
So while tuning in and listening to the talking heads who also make their livings by reporting on the latest Washington theatrics and crisis, it does seems more and more Americans are asking one simple question...
Why?
Friday, April 1, 2011
AP Reports Traffic Deaths At Lowest Levels Since 1949
It was announced by the AP and National Transportation and Safety Administration that traffic deaths last year were at the lowest levels since 1949.
Many factors were attributed to this statistic heralded by the NTSA Director, such as seat belt use and raising drinking ages, safer cars and so forth.
But to this writer none of those statistics I feel are primarily responsible in the decreasing levels since '49.
The largest factor would appear to be that there are fewer drivers really on the highways progressively also traveling since air travel has become the preferred method since that time for most business travel and families, due to less time to get from here to there as also a consequence of our increasingly higher stress lifestyles, and also the fact that the boomers, the largest segment of the population, are aging and thus don't appear to be drag racing anymore on the streets and highways.
They are the ones most often getting the finger from the more aggressive drivers still left on the roadways.
Primarily, of course, our youth or even the police who seem to exceed the speed limit in most metro cities far more than those boomers driving their grandkids or themselves to the nearest work force center, many of whom after vast years of experience are still seeking work for which they are more than qualified even given the excessively tech focused job scene and market and all those jobs they formerly held lost due to the advent of the computer age.
While, of course, they are being interviewed by their children or those even younger than their children for many of those few jobs.
It was announced once again that there was a gain in the available jobs, and the unemployment rate had decreased.
Not surprising given that most of those benefits have run out for many, and the jobs which have been created most likely are those now tied into expanding our even increasing military due to the recent headlines in our involvement now in Libya and its civil war.
Those statistics also fail to recognize all the monies poured into expanding our highway and freeway systems since '49, so it would not appear that this statistic would be surprising in the slightest since there are better roadways also for those truckers and cars to traverse from state to state.
But ignoring the obvious does appear also to fit the agendas once again of those whose hold those questionably Constitutional jobs and functions, which also does not explain then the higher and higher insurance rates which are now off the charts in most parts of the country.
Maybe the biggest factor is also the progressively higher and higher gasoline rates and those ever increasing taxes, such as the recent 35% plus increase in the cost of gasoline, which has left quite a few Americans with the only remaining transportation left to them.
Walking to their next job interview.
Many factors were attributed to this statistic heralded by the NTSA Director, such as seat belt use and raising drinking ages, safer cars and so forth.
But to this writer none of those statistics I feel are primarily responsible in the decreasing levels since '49.
The largest factor would appear to be that there are fewer drivers really on the highways progressively also traveling since air travel has become the preferred method since that time for most business travel and families, due to less time to get from here to there as also a consequence of our increasingly higher stress lifestyles, and also the fact that the boomers, the largest segment of the population, are aging and thus don't appear to be drag racing anymore on the streets and highways.
They are the ones most often getting the finger from the more aggressive drivers still left on the roadways.
Primarily, of course, our youth or even the police who seem to exceed the speed limit in most metro cities far more than those boomers driving their grandkids or themselves to the nearest work force center, many of whom after vast years of experience are still seeking work for which they are more than qualified even given the excessively tech focused job scene and market and all those jobs they formerly held lost due to the advent of the computer age.
While, of course, they are being interviewed by their children or those even younger than their children for many of those few jobs.
It was announced once again that there was a gain in the available jobs, and the unemployment rate had decreased.
Not surprising given that most of those benefits have run out for many, and the jobs which have been created most likely are those now tied into expanding our even increasing military due to the recent headlines in our involvement now in Libya and its civil war.
Those statistics also fail to recognize all the monies poured into expanding our highway and freeway systems since '49, so it would not appear that this statistic would be surprising in the slightest since there are better roadways also for those truckers and cars to traverse from state to state.
But ignoring the obvious does appear also to fit the agendas once again of those whose hold those questionably Constitutional jobs and functions, which also does not explain then the higher and higher insurance rates which are now off the charts in most parts of the country.
Maybe the biggest factor is also the progressively higher and higher gasoline rates and those ever increasing taxes, such as the recent 35% plus increase in the cost of gasoline, which has left quite a few Americans with the only remaining transportation left to them.
Walking to their next job interview.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Senator McCain: Reagan Aside, Libya Is Not America's War
After the presidential address attempting to "sell" the American people on yet another U.S. involvement in a foreign civil war, of course, there were analyses set forth by members of both political parties, the talking heads on the major cable news networks and others.
One from the Senator from Arizona, John McCain, defending again another foreign war sacrificing U.S. troops in the guise of protecting the civilian rebels for the "greater good" in Libya.
Reagan and his Reaganomics aside, which has literally at this point due to decisions made during that administration has cost a great many Arizonans their lives, property and livelihoods due to his first blanket amnesty move, and widening the interstate highways from Nogales to Flagstaff back in the 80's to facilitate the exchange of goods and people while leaving Arizona's open desert and borders for the most part open and unsecured - what has been left out is that the president of this country has no inherent authority whatsoever to engage American troops in any defense or intervention of any other nation other than our own.
Diplomacy and trade sanctions, yes. Direct troop involvement, no. Whether through NATO or presidential fiat.
At least without the consent of America's elected representatives, who also were to be cognizant of the strict provisions for defensive wars under which this country also was founded. Yet our standing army and its ranks continue to expand due to these serial foreign engagements, while our own borders are opened and for the most part unsecured?
Although, of course, there has been no true representatives in this country by legislative district for literally decades due also to the globalist progressives and their agendas low these many years, and some rather questionable Supreme Court rulings affording voice, funding and votes to global and national corporate entities even in local elections, many for the most part based outside the U.S.
Libya is not our war. And putting another British Parliament and puppet government in Libya or Iraq, for that matter, does not serve the interests of this country but is merely sacrificing our blood and treasure on behalf of global socialism, not even "democracy."
Remember, those founders did not believe in democracy - a form of government in their writings they predicted was doomed to fail and was nothing more than "gang rule."
Thus, those first ten amendments were provided in order to protect the citizenry and their lives and wallets.
And interesting that while incarcerated and many times plea bargained civilian prisoners in America's federal prisons have been progressively denied their "voting" rights and freedom in the piling on of charges many times, some even for lower level felony offenses, and the dissenters in the United States who continue to protest this illegal and unconstitutional foreign policy are being arrested on domestic shores, our leadership once again fails to truly see the forest for the trees and what is truly going on in their own backyard.
One from the Senator from Arizona, John McCain, defending again another foreign war sacrificing U.S. troops in the guise of protecting the civilian rebels for the "greater good" in Libya.
Reagan and his Reaganomics aside, which has literally at this point due to decisions made during that administration has cost a great many Arizonans their lives, property and livelihoods due to his first blanket amnesty move, and widening the interstate highways from Nogales to Flagstaff back in the 80's to facilitate the exchange of goods and people while leaving Arizona's open desert and borders for the most part open and unsecured - what has been left out is that the president of this country has no inherent authority whatsoever to engage American troops in any defense or intervention of any other nation other than our own.
Diplomacy and trade sanctions, yes. Direct troop involvement, no. Whether through NATO or presidential fiat.
At least without the consent of America's elected representatives, who also were to be cognizant of the strict provisions for defensive wars under which this country also was founded. Yet our standing army and its ranks continue to expand due to these serial foreign engagements, while our own borders are opened and for the most part unsecured?
Although, of course, there has been no true representatives in this country by legislative district for literally decades due also to the globalist progressives and their agendas low these many years, and some rather questionable Supreme Court rulings affording voice, funding and votes to global and national corporate entities even in local elections, many for the most part based outside the U.S.
Libya is not our war. And putting another British Parliament and puppet government in Libya or Iraq, for that matter, does not serve the interests of this country but is merely sacrificing our blood and treasure on behalf of global socialism, not even "democracy."
Remember, those founders did not believe in democracy - a form of government in their writings they predicted was doomed to fail and was nothing more than "gang rule."
Thus, those first ten amendments were provided in order to protect the citizenry and their lives and wallets.
And interesting that while incarcerated and many times plea bargained civilian prisoners in America's federal prisons have been progressively denied their "voting" rights and freedom in the piling on of charges many times, some even for lower level felony offenses, and the dissenters in the United States who continue to protest this illegal and unconstitutional foreign policy are being arrested on domestic shores, our leadership once again fails to truly see the forest for the trees and what is truly going on in their own backyard.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Misaligned Priorities: Organizing Campaigns Rather Than Representation
It was announced in the mainstream media recently that while Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is recovering from the events which occurred in Tucson in early January in which six Americans and Arizonans were attacked during a political forum at an area shopping center,
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) have been hard at work organizing fundraisers and creating a PAC organization in order to raise monies for Ms. Gifford's 2012 re-election campaign.
This tragedy notwithstanding nor Ms. Gifford's amazing recovery from all reports, aren't the priorities in Washington a little off base insofar as just what their jobs truly are once again?
I mean it has been reported that it will take months and months of rehabilitation therapy in order for Ms. Giffords to recover whatever brain functions may have been lost in this attack.
Meanwhile, the citizens in her district are without representation, while members of Congress are hard at work insuring their survival and that of their political parties after this heinous attack?
It is quite unbelieveable that procedures would not be in place in order to temporarily elect another citizen to represent the citizens in District 5 while Ms. Gifford's is recovering, if it is even her intention to continue to serve after what she has been through. I wonder, has anyone consulted her insofar as her future intentions? I mean one article even spoke of a Senate race, for heaven's sake.
Politics as usual, and just wonder whose political livelihoods and future best interests these politicians are attempting to secure?
Rather than representation for the benefit of the citizens of District 5?
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) and Reps. Adam Smith (D-Wash.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) have been hard at work organizing fundraisers and creating a PAC organization in order to raise monies for Ms. Gifford's 2012 re-election campaign.
This tragedy notwithstanding nor Ms. Gifford's amazing recovery from all reports, aren't the priorities in Washington a little off base insofar as just what their jobs truly are once again?
I mean it has been reported that it will take months and months of rehabilitation therapy in order for Ms. Giffords to recover whatever brain functions may have been lost in this attack.
Meanwhile, the citizens in her district are without representation, while members of Congress are hard at work insuring their survival and that of their political parties after this heinous attack?
It is quite unbelieveable that procedures would not be in place in order to temporarily elect another citizen to represent the citizens in District 5 while Ms. Gifford's is recovering, if it is even her intention to continue to serve after what she has been through. I wonder, has anyone consulted her insofar as her future intentions? I mean one article even spoke of a Senate race, for heaven's sake.
Politics as usual, and just wonder whose political livelihoods and future best interests these politicians are attempting to secure?
Rather than representation for the benefit of the citizens of District 5?
Friday, February 11, 2011
Sedona and Tucson: Who Decides?
This week other than the Egyptian crisis, there have been two stories which were carried in the mainstream media which also demonstrates how regional news and stories get buried by the big box media in the second or third pages of most American newspapers, even less than a month or year after the events.
One was the pending trial of the Jim Jones of Sedona, James Arthur Ray, who was the leader of a for profit organization of "Spiritual Warriors" and Californian who was conducting a lucrative retreat in Sedona, Arizona in which two women and a man perished after being mentally browbeaten from leaving a plastic tent filled with other devotees a little over a year ago and died of suffocation and heat related illness.
The other, of course, was the accused from the Tucson massacre, Jared Loughner, and his trial in which it was recently also reported that due to the fact that he is charged with both federal and state crimes in the incident in which Mr. Loughner used a 9mm Glock (an automatic police weapon) in order to gun down six people, including a federal judge and U.S. Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, it may take "years" for his case to wind through the criminal justice system.
So much for speedy trials, in which the true evidence may be still fresh.
What is interesting about both these cases is the politics which are occurring with respect to the prosecution of them, and just who has jurisdiction and who will be responsible for determining these two individual's fate.
The Sedona incident occurred in Yavapai County, Arizona in a California style "new age" community, and was allegedly committed by an out state resident in which most of the attendees of this paid event were also not Arizona residents, but from the East Coast, Midwest or California. Apparently, due to the media coverage the defense wishes to move this case out of Yavapai County and into Maricopa County (Phoenix) so that the accused can be assured of a "fair trial," in the hopes that Phoenix or Phoenicians would be more likely to be unbiased with respect to the facts and evidence in the case.
Although would state as a former Arizonan, that the media coverage of what occurred shortly thereafter and the interviews with the victims' families were carried far more in the metro Phoenix papers than those in Yavapai County, and those in Yavapai County most likely would not know personally any of the victims.
Witness costs also would not be impacted, since most of the witnesses also were out state residents from all reports.
Mr. Ray's actions brought shame to the State of Arizona, a state in which such an unregulated commercial enterprise could even occur by one who had no medical training or had any true knowledge of even the spiritual practices behind his highly publicized and profitable venture.
Two women were killed, and one older man. Women have far fewer sweat glands than men and thus do not biologically have the means to cool down their bodies, which is why such practices by the American Indian community were restricted to males as a "rite of male passage" into adulthood, and in which a tribal healer was always present.
Our Constitution does specially provide that in any capital offense, the trial must be held in the jurisdiction in which the crime occurred, if the accused is a U.S. citizen and the victims also U.S. citizens.
Mr. Loughner's crime, of course, was witnessed by a great many, all Arizonans.
Mr. Loughner himself was an Arizonan from Tucson and so were all of his victims, whether governmental or civilian, a life is a life.
And the loss of that life at the hands of another is a matter of state, not the federal government.
Between the border situation, and now Mr. Loughner's crimes, it appears the federal government is perhaps failing to carry out its true functions under our Constitution (such as securing our porous and exposed southern borders), while then prosecuting a case which ocurred within state borders that just may have been the result of the political arena and climate in the community in which it occurred.
After all, it did occur at a political event, and purportedly a politician was one of the targets along with other Arizonans. All of the witnesses are Arizonans from Tucson.
If this crime was in no way political, as so many in the media have stated, but merely committed by a "disturbed" loner, and man-child as has been written and widely publicized, then why is the trial now becoming so very, very political?
Rather than Constitutional?
One was the pending trial of the Jim Jones of Sedona, James Arthur Ray, who was the leader of a for profit organization of "Spiritual Warriors" and Californian who was conducting a lucrative retreat in Sedona, Arizona in which two women and a man perished after being mentally browbeaten from leaving a plastic tent filled with other devotees a little over a year ago and died of suffocation and heat related illness.
The other, of course, was the accused from the Tucson massacre, Jared Loughner, and his trial in which it was recently also reported that due to the fact that he is charged with both federal and state crimes in the incident in which Mr. Loughner used a 9mm Glock (an automatic police weapon) in order to gun down six people, including a federal judge and U.S. Congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords, it may take "years" for his case to wind through the criminal justice system.
So much for speedy trials, in which the true evidence may be still fresh.
What is interesting about both these cases is the politics which are occurring with respect to the prosecution of them, and just who has jurisdiction and who will be responsible for determining these two individual's fate.
The Sedona incident occurred in Yavapai County, Arizona in a California style "new age" community, and was allegedly committed by an out state resident in which most of the attendees of this paid event were also not Arizona residents, but from the East Coast, Midwest or California. Apparently, due to the media coverage the defense wishes to move this case out of Yavapai County and into Maricopa County (Phoenix) so that the accused can be assured of a "fair trial," in the hopes that Phoenix or Phoenicians would be more likely to be unbiased with respect to the facts and evidence in the case.
Although would state as a former Arizonan, that the media coverage of what occurred shortly thereafter and the interviews with the victims' families were carried far more in the metro Phoenix papers than those in Yavapai County, and those in Yavapai County most likely would not know personally any of the victims.
Witness costs also would not be impacted, since most of the witnesses also were out state residents from all reports.
Mr. Ray's actions brought shame to the State of Arizona, a state in which such an unregulated commercial enterprise could even occur by one who had no medical training or had any true knowledge of even the spiritual practices behind his highly publicized and profitable venture.
Two women were killed, and one older man. Women have far fewer sweat glands than men and thus do not biologically have the means to cool down their bodies, which is why such practices by the American Indian community were restricted to males as a "rite of male passage" into adulthood, and in which a tribal healer was always present.
Our Constitution does specially provide that in any capital offense, the trial must be held in the jurisdiction in which the crime occurred, if the accused is a U.S. citizen and the victims also U.S. citizens.
Mr. Loughner's crime, of course, was witnessed by a great many, all Arizonans.
Mr. Loughner himself was an Arizonan from Tucson and so were all of his victims, whether governmental or civilian, a life is a life.
And the loss of that life at the hands of another is a matter of state, not the federal government.
Between the border situation, and now Mr. Loughner's crimes, it appears the federal government is perhaps failing to carry out its true functions under our Constitution (such as securing our porous and exposed southern borders), while then prosecuting a case which ocurred within state borders that just may have been the result of the political arena and climate in the community in which it occurred.
After all, it did occur at a political event, and purportedly a politician was one of the targets along with other Arizonans. All of the witnesses are Arizonans from Tucson.
If this crime was in no way political, as so many in the media have stated, but merely committed by a "disturbed" loner, and man-child as has been written and widely publicized, then why is the trial now becoming so very, very political?
Rather than Constitutional?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
