Oh What A Tangled Web Of Predictions.

       Let me tell you what I've learned, just today, about Barak Obama from just three publications. First, did you know that our president is involved with federal land grabs, savings and retirement investments grabs, then he's allowed the Mexican army to come in and kill American citizens. Next he's allowed the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate his entire administration and now he's on the side of the terrorists, not to mention his federal takeover of the internet. I learned all this by reading just three right wing extremist publications in one day.
       I'm not gonna mention the three I've been keeping tabs on because I know your reading list is way to busy already. If you really need to know, leave a message and I'll get back to you. Of course these are not the only items these reports and publications mention. They tell you how to get a heart tune-up, how to prepare for the coming world monetary crash, how to register for the semi-annual cruise with high profile politicians like Louie Gomert, and how to survive and defend yourself during all these predicted emergencies they are offering like a menu at a fast food drive through.
       Here's one you should watch out for. FEMA has been instructed to open "liberal Auschwitz" camps pretty soon for everyone to be re-indoctrinated. So you may want to pack a suitcase or backpack just in case, you'll be ready. Please don't think I've changed my stance on Washington. I still think our Congress, the Supreme Court and ,yes, even the President have all lost their collective minds. They seem to have no interest in doing what We The People actually need and want them to do. I still think there must be some sort of problem with the water supply. Then again they mostly act the same way when they hit the campaign trail.
       Just imagine if all these dire predictions actually came to pass. You'd be in a camp guarded by Mexican military personnel, being taught by Muslim Brotherhood terrorists who would be teaching you how to get by on no retirement or savings. The land your camping on will be government land so you'll be required to pay grazing fees. And you wouldn't even be allowed to email your cousin in Las Vegas. Of course he's probably not living there anymore anyway.

Guns And Burgers. Are You Kidding?

       On Monday, August 25, a 9 year old girl was allowed to fire an UZI automatic machinegun. Her instructor made the mistake of allowing her to fire the gun on full automatic without keeping his hand on the gun. No, that's not the point, the point is this 9 year old was allowed to shoot the gun at all. The result was that the instructor was shot dead.
       It's not so much that a 9 year old girl shouldn't shoot a gun, there are guns that 9 year olds can usually handle without problems. A .22 caliber rifle comes to mind. Now if the idea is to scare the kid out of her wits, then an UZI set on automatic might be just the ticket. But as this sad tale shows, it's far more gun than such a person can handle safely.
       For all their previous screaming and blustering, have you noticed the NRA has kept their mouths completely silent. Wouldn't you think the NRA would finally say that some basic safety legislation is now, finally, in order? That now after this horrible accident, we need to address sensible regulation on how old and how big a person should be when it comes to using automatic and high caliber weapons? But from the NRA, not a word. Doesn't that tell you something about the leadership of the NRA?
       As we know, there is more than one victim in this incident.  This young girl will forever be linked to this accident. She's always going to remember she caused the death of someone who was trying to help her have fun. The fact that he misjudged her preparedness will be lost on the fact that she pulled the trigger. Both families will be scarred for life. Guns and Burgers. Really? I was taught and I taught my children that guns were serious business, not a game with food. You can enjoy using guns, but it's never a game and anyone who tries to make it a game with their children should remember a nice Monday in August when a youngster killed a man by mistake.

It's Time To Invert Inversions.

       I'm sure you've heard of INVERSIONS. They're those companies who merge with a foreign company from a low tax country, for the purpose of lowering their taxes. They buy or merge with or are bought by a foreign company, then relocate their headquarters to that low tax country. It's a cheap trick tax dodge that's robbing America of hundreds of millions of dollars. Of course the company doesn't change it's operation at all. It is only interested in paying lower taxes and they don't care what it means to America or American taxpayers.
       Well, now there's a new opportunity for investors who also don't care about America or American taxpayers. An online investment broker is offering a package of Inversion targets to invest in. And in case you wanted to know, this online brokerage, Motif Investing, is backed by J.P. Morgan. What they do is pick companies who are likely to be targets of this inversion business. Then they lump these stock offerings into groups and offer them as a "basket" presumably a basket full of opportunity, according to the N.Y. Times this morning.
       Now, I guess there's nothing wrong with making a profit off other people, in fact it's just good business you might say. What I find so unpleasant is that in a way it's encouraging these companies to take part. After all, by investing in these potential inversion targets you increase their value. You are, in effect, legitimizing the idea of skipping out on America.
       So if you don't care too much about your own country, then these options are a backdoor way to potentially make a killing. And after all, these investors will have to pay taxes on any profits they might make, at capital gains tax rates. So ya see, there's nothing illegal here, either by the inversion companies or the investors, but maybe it should be. Maybe it should be illegal to take part in any inversion by any American company unless they pay a 50% tax on any funds held anywhere in the world and a 50% one time tax on the value of all holdings anywhere in the world before they can invert. And as for investors, a special tax rate on any inversion related company on any income from any such investments of 50%. That would put a screeching halt to all inversions without having to make them illegal.
       Ya see? There's always a silver lining if you look hard enough and if you're willing to give them an old fashioned one two punch.

What's wrong with the ACA?

       Let's see if we can clear up some confusion. With the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), if a poor person gets sick, he or she can go to the Doctors office. Of course, since the poor person can't afford to pay, who do you think gets stuck with the bill? Actually, it's other folks who are paying for their insurance and the taxpayers. So now lets look at the same case without Obamacare. The poor sick person has no choice but to go to the hospital emergency room when they get sick. So who pays for that visit? The people who do have insurance and the taxpayers. The difference is that a doctor visit is cheaper than the hospital visit.
       So if that's the case, why do people still want to see the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) terminated? Oh, I suppose many people who are covered on the ACA will not get sick any time soon, but everybody gets sick at one point or another. So unless you think that people who can't afford medical care should just do without and die, it doesn't make sense not to have the ACA in place.
       Now it's true, some good folks will have to pay a little more for insurance than they have been paying, but my guess is that once it's fully in operation, taxes will go down just about enough to cover the increased cost of insurance. Look at it this way, if you still think America has the best medical system in the world, and that's a really far stretch, then why wouldn't you want every American to benefit from it? Who could be so selfish as to not want to share it?
       And for people who are accustomed to so called Cadillac insurance policies and can afford them, you can still have one. You're just being asked to help pay for someone who can't afford any insurance. I'm convinced it'll be cheaper in the long run. Plus things like no pre-existing condition clauses and kids being able to stay on parent's policies until 26 are real advantages.
       So why are you allowing your representatives in Congress to continue the fight to eliminate the ACA? Seems to me you should tell them to give it a chance and fight to improve it, not kill it. I know, I know, they keep claiming it can't be fixed or improved. It's a terrible law, but it isn't and they don't have anything to offer in place of it except to go back to the old way. Here's the thing though, our old system was among the worst in the industrialized world. And that's a fact.
  

The Trouble with a Circus.

       Ya know, there are quite a few people out there who are tickled pink that our government is in gridlock. We're nearly shut down, in fact right now the United States Circus is closed for business because it's the August Recess for the Senate and the House of Representatives. But it's not that much more open when they're in session.
       You hear people complain because Circus hasn't been able to address the crisis on the Mexican border with illegal aliens, or the whole immigration process which people feel is a near catastrophe. The House won't consider anything the Senate approves and the Senate won't approve anything the House approves. Now don't you think that sounds exactly like a couple of spoiled brats? Yes, the United States Circus is exactly like a circus, except it only has two rings. Well actually, it has three if you count the president. He should be the ringmaster, but he doesn't seem to want the job.
       So you have the POTUS and the COTUS unable to agree and the SCOTUS seems to want to take over forging new law. The reason some folks are happy over the gridlock is that they really want the whole government to shut down completely. Well, except for the parts that help them. These folks have a problem however, in that they don't really know what parts help them. Like screaming they  want the government to stay out of their Social Security and Medicare. These good folks don't seem to realize the Government has always been in charge of both. I suppose if they knew that they'd demand either government get out or stay in, and that's final.
       Meanwhile other folks only want the government to fail so their particular brand of politics can take charge. These folks don't want to agree with anything the other side suggests, even if they thought of it first. And they'll do whatever it takes to make sure the  other side has no successful actions to point to. Meanwhile, you and I have to sit here and wonder if they've all lost their minds.
      

Natural Gas Ain't all It's Fracked Up To Be.

       Natural gas is far less of a pollutant than coal. Nobody can dispute that claim. It's less than half compared to coal. That's good for the environment. Fewer greenhouse gases in the air that are causing global warming. So when electric is generated by coal, the pollution is greater than when it's generated by gas. Solar and wind are much better, but gas is still a preferred fuel compared to coal.
       In order to get sufficient quantities of gas extracted from it's resting place a mile or so beneath the surface to meet the demands, extraordinary efforts and technology must be taken. What that means, in todays technological capabilities, is that Hydraulic Fracturing must be used. By doing so, we can release most of the gas trapped there.
       But here's the problem we're facing with this process. When these fluids, mostly water, are forced down into these formations holding the gas, under extreme high pressure, it is somehow causing methane, a gas which is a very powerful greenhouse gas of severe consequence, to rise to the surface along or near the drill pipe. The attempts to eliminate this risk by sealing the pipe with special concrete have so far been spotty at best.
       Now, to be fair, methane appears naturally above the surface from a variety of causes. But it's not the naturally appearing methane that's causing the big stir, it's the added methane that seems to be upsetting the balance. And when this is factored into the measurements of harm to the environment, then this natural gas is about on a par with coal. And that's the disheartening part of the situation.
       Also in fairness, the natural gas industry has improved the procedures, cements, concretes and pipes over time. But they haven't eliminated the problems, and until they do, there's little reason to continue to allow them to "drill baby drill." So long as they're allowed to drill as fast as they want, there's no real pressure to solve the problem. Obviously the gas industry is working to solve this problem and eliminate the concern, however they'd work a lot faster and harder if they were on hold. A carrot and stick works better than a permission to proceed order when it comes to finding a means to control this escaping methane.

Teaching! Who Wants It?

       I just read an article in Mother Jones publication online. It mentioned that one half of our teachers will be eligible to retire within the next decade. And yet, state legislatures and governors across the country continue to defund education. Teachers are denigrated, the reputation of the profession is sullied, all in the name of lowering taxes.
       What we need to understand is that teachers are among the most necessary, most important people in the lives of future generations of young people. We seem to treat them more like a useless extra that can be somehow discarded without changing the outcome our country would face.
       Why is it that a bright kid can go on to college and go to work on Wall Street and earn respect and really fat paychecks or go on to that same college and get disrespect and much, much lower wages? Many people seem to think teaching is something that any dummy can do, that it's easy work for people who can't make it in the "real world." These folks don't have any idea what the real world is all about and what's needed to be successful in it.
       Of course most, if not all, of these folks that think that way, can't teach their old children how to respect others. These same folks can't understand why their kids aren't getting a great education, but don't have the time or the interest to get involved. There is one group that is concerned about their kids education, but still want public education to be defunded. These folks most often send their kids to private school where they get a very good education. These folks simply don't care what happens to the rest of society.
       In other countries, teachers are among the most respected in the country, are highly paid and don't quit teaching within the first five years which happens in America. And no wonder our best and brightest students don't want to be teachers, who wants disrespect, poor wages and a life of never knowing when the government will decide they're not wanted.
   

Keystone XL Pipeline. Friend Or Foe?

       Why is it that we still keep hearing about the Keystone XL Pipeline? Big money keeps pushing to get this big money maker built so they can make even more big money. But what's in it for the average citizen of America? Well, there's a lot in it for Americans. For starters there's some new jobs. Not very many, but some. Then there's all that oil.
       But there are some disadvantages as well. So the question is whether there are more or fewer advantages with the pipeline as opposed to no pipeline. Some of the disadvantages start with the oil itself. Actually it's something of a misnomer to call it oil. It's actually tar, with a lot of sand in it. To refine it, you have to remove the sand and all the rest that isn't actually oil.
       After it's refined you have two products. You have oil. But the oil is still not comparable to what they call "light sweet." It's still a lot dirtier. The other product is the"coke" left over. You can build mountains of this toxic waste. Coke can no longer be burned to make steel or any other product because of it's polluting nature. It's toxic, toxic, toxic. So what would we do with this poison? Bury it? Where?' Perhaps you'd be willing to dig a big hole in your backyard for some? I know the Koch brothers don't want any of it.
       Then there's that, so called, finished, refined oil. What happens to that? Word has it that it will all or nearly all be shipped outside of America. Of course we could demand it be saved for only Americans. It could, but it hasn't been set aside for us. That would be against the best interests of the wealthy benefactors of Congress.
       So let's fast forward to a possible future, some ten years from now with an XL pipeline in full production. Today's news tells of a leak in the pipeline, but it's a slow leak because the tar is so thick. Meanwhile,  near a small Texas town, Mount Coke continues to rise and is now the second highest mountain in North America. Every time it rains in that area, the runoff from Mt. Coke turns all the local streams black and the drinking water is determined to be toxic. So everybody has to import bottled water from Canada. And there are more two headed critters running around Southeast Texas then anywhere in the world.

To Sue Or Not To Sue, Too.

       I don't know about you, but I've been hearing suggestions to sue Congress for dereliction of duty ever since the House GOP voted to sue the President. The thing is, what good would that do? Suppose you did sue them and suppose you won? What would you win? They'd love to put Congress out of business, especially if they could keep the President tied up with lawsuits against him at the same time. The thing is, they don't think government is a good thing anyway.
       For a Tea-drinker from the GOP, the best thing would be for no business to be conducted at all by the government. And even without the Tea Party, the only reason to be in Congress these days is as an entry level position for the lobbying or PAC industries. No, the only way to end this business is to flood the lobbying market with way more ex-Congressmen and ex-Senators than the industry can use by requiring term limits of just under two years for Representatives and just under six years for Senators.
       That way there would never be a reason to do any fund raising, especially if they were not allowed to switch back and forth between the two houses either. By doing this, our elected officials would be forced to spend their time looking for other sources of gainfull employment during their tenure. There might then be time for them to spend on doing for Americans what is needed by Americans.
       It's not that I don't appreciate all the silliness these childish adults offer in the way of humor for those of us who get a kick out of these grown people causing us to groan, but most, if not all, of these kiddies have gone through their repertoires too many times to keep track and we do need some fresh routines. That way, fresh new faces and even more silly ideologies present themselves for us to make fun of.

How Dare You Disagree.

       Have you ever read any of the publications such as newspapers on-line? You don't have to wait for the opinion page a week later to see the comments on almost any article or editorial. The comments are listed right there from the moment it hits the net. Actually, the comments section of those articles are both the most informative/ humorous and then some of the most vile statements you can imagine.
       These comment sections resemble barroom brawls, absent the physical bumps and bruises. In fairness, I must admit I too enjoy joining in the fun from time to time, although I can and do, in the calmness of my computer space, remain civil.
       But to read the level of violent disagreement and downright hatred in some of these messages, it's hard to believe this country can long endure this troubling partisanship. But then a visit to any coffee shop or store will show me that it all seems to be the talk of a relative few ignorant bozos. Most people seem to get along fine with their neighbors. There are exceptions of course, such as the moment you get behind the wheel of your car and find someone has cut you off, or in that store when there's a sale on with a limited quantity of the sale items. Then look out, your life is in your hands and your temper takes hold of your actions.
       For some reason, sitting at your computer, the anonymity of the moment provides the courage to speak out like you might not do otherwise, even venomously so. The telephone allows for some of this courage, but not nearly as clearly or with such bitter resolve. There are times when that first amendment to the Constitution goes too far in providing a speaking platform. The computer is one example of that over-indulgence.

This Is What They Signed Up To do.

       Okay, now let me see if I have this correct. Speaker John Boehner, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States Circus asks the house to give him authority to sue President Obama for exceeding his authority in issuing Presidential Executive Actions. So the House said yes, if he sued for just one of the many Executive Actions taken. So Boehner choses one in which Obama delayed the Affordable Care Act, a law the House has been trying to get eliminated.
       Next the House fails to pass a bill to address the crisis on the Mexican border. So Boehner suggests that Obama use his Executive authority to take action to handle the crisis. A step the House is going to sue Obama for doing. The next day, which was to be it's first day of the August vacation, the house uses to pass a bill for about 20% of what Obama asked for to finance the handling of the crisis on the Mexican border.
       In it's next step, the House votes, again strictly along party lines, to basically deport every illegal alien child in America and send them all back to their Country of origin, without so much as a hearing to determine if they have a right to stay here based on refugee status. Then, after the usual spate of name-calling, the House recesses for it's August vacation.
       So if they win their suit against the President, the law they hate will take effect sooner than later. Then they ask the president to do a few more of the acts they want to sue him for. Then they underfund the handling of the crisis by 80%. Then they heap more work on those required to handle the crisis by requiring them to deport all the kids they can find and all those they can't find as well. Then the House goes on vacation for a month.
       Well I don't see any problem here. It sounds like a wise group of leaders shirking their duty, just like they were elected to do. It's what we've come to expect of the U.S. Circus.