The author is not responsible for emotional distress caused by these words. Political correctness is not one of his favorite things.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

Feudalism Rears its Ugly Head

by Howard Johnson

Straight out of the medieval period, feudalism is about to turn all American common people into serfs—virtually the property of their wealthy and powerful masters, the politicians. We are now facing the comprehensive controlling power of governmental officials—the kings, queens, lords and ladies now in control of our growing feudal political system.

Socialism, Communism, Fascism, Liberalism—no matter what it is named, it is the current version of the cruel, totalitarian feudal system of the middle ages. The Sheriff of Nottingham would be right at home in our new government of “change.” For those educated in our failing government schools, I suggest you read “The Legend of Robinhood” to learn about the Sheriff of Nottingham. If you can’t read, go to your video store and ask for the movie, “Robinhood of Sherwood Forrest.”

Names and dates of movies about Robinhood

The Robin Hood legend has long been popular with movie makers, inspiring the silent version starring Douglas Fairbanks, the Errol Flynn classic of 1938, Sean Connery and Audrey Hepburn's "Robin and Marian" in 1976, Disney's own live-action version "The Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie Men" in 1952, and Kevin Costner's latest version in 1991.

* * *

"We cannot continue to rely on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set. We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

President Barack Obama, July 2, 2009

He may already have this force in place. It’s now called ACORN.

Sounds like Hitler’s Brown Shirts in 1929 to me. See later at the end of this blog

* * *

I have had it! I have listened to hatred spewed from the mouths of idiots, fools, and buffoons for years. Hatred and animosity is constantly aimed at anyone who disagrees with the “HOLY” positions, actions, pronouncements, and agendas of the left. This vilification comes with curses and damnation from so-called “objective” and “compassionate” liberals. I myself have been cursed, called all manner of names like stupid, ignorant, and received many other abusive and demeaning labels and actions. All from the colossal frauds, the minions of the liberal left, that pass themselves off as humanitarians saviors of “the people.” Over many years you leeches on the left have succeeded in using ignorant mobs of blind followers to put in public office all manner of self-serving low lives: liars, thieves, cheats, and worse—men and women without honor or human decency.

All your politicians of the left seem to want is more power, more money, and more control. Just listen to what your President said today, March 27, 2009. He actually said, “The government will tell you when to turn the lights in your homes on and off.” He obviously intends to do just that. This is pathetic!

Powered by a voting public of celebrity worshiping, historically ignorant people, the power hungry tyrants that have driven the corrupt Cook county Democrat machine for decades have invaded and taken over our national government. There is an old phrase reserved for people of high and mighty reputation—those that rise to the top. That phrase is “la creme de la creme,” literally, the cream of the cream. Well let me tell you, there is another material that “rises to the top.” If you have ever seen the disgusting slurry that fills a cesspool or septic tank you will remember the foamy scum that floats on the top. That could be described as “la scum de la scum.” This is a deceptively accurate description of those who have “risen to the top” in the federal government, both elected, appointed, and hired into the bureaucracy. These are la scum de la scum of America. The few exceptions in the federal government merely make the evil majority all the more visible. They have been caught in so many lies and other deceptions in recent years as to have lost credibility with all but the blindest of their slavish followers. As this is being written many protesters are at “TEA” parties shouting, “No more bailouts!” Is it possible the public are finally catching on to what is going on?

Actually, I don’t blame you on the left for your emotional diatribes. To borrow one of your mantras, “It’s not my fault. I can’t help myself.” Maybe it just like one comedian of years ago often said, “The Devil made me do it.” You are merely exhibiting those very human animal instincts, those emotionally driven processes, the instincts that provided homo sapiens the reproductive success that is now overrunning the planet. Humanitarian concerns and reason are completely overwhelmed by angry emotions incited into hatred by the mob leaders you have selected. The bus of state is being driven by a committee of permanent adolescents with little real experience, and questionable backgrounds. These include tax cheats controlling the financial powers of our government. They are so disorganized they frequently counter each other’s arguments. Democrat legislators are passing major legislation virtually none of them have read. I wonder who it was that actually wrote the $800 billion “porkulous” bill? And how about that huge Democrat boondogle, “The Federal Budget?” Who wrote that? Those who would destroy our nation could hardly have dreamed in their wildest imagination that such an instrument of our devastation could been proposed by our own government.

This condition has been brought about by a selection process designed two and a quarter centuries ago for people who mostly walked from place to place, sent mail by horse or boat, traveled on the water by canoe or sail, and couldn’t read. There were exceptions, mostly among the “wealthy,” people who could read and had horses for transport. To use this ponderous, antiquated, and unwieldy process in the age of instant access to the Internet, world wide transport in hours rather than months, and the vast technology available to rapidly expanding numbers of people in most of the world. Because of this, I propose we make a huge change in the selection of all elected officials, federal and state. We will need a major revision of our Constitutionally defined process of selecting all political offices and positions. This proposal is described as a simplified method and easily instituted system for selection of legislators and executives as well as other offices.

I propose we do away with elections which have enabled self-serving, power hungry individuals and groups to bully and buy their way into control of the election process for the legislature. This new process would remove completely the power money and influence have over our current election process. A lottery system for selection of legislators would accomplish the replacement of all financial influence with chance, removing virtually any undue influence by anyone. Any legislature chosen at random from the public would be relatively free of the influence now so powerful a force in government. It couldn’t possibly be any worse than what we have now.
Here’s a first effort at how it would work: Using the social security system, all those with social security numbers would be able to enter the “pool” of citizens for the lottery. Entry into the pool would be optional. Those who did not want to participate could merely not register. Registration would be conducted by the current systems being used to register voters. Current Congressional districts could be used to determine the numbers of representatives and the constituency from whom they would be chosen. All those registered in any district would be in that district’s pool. Each district would draw numbers of nine individuals from the pool. This would provide the members of the second level pool.

The second level pool: The entire group for each state would meet and elect one member as their Senator along with an alternate for each Senate seat. Once the Senators and alternates are chosen, the groups of nine would meet and select two of each group to be their representatives in Congress. Two alternates would also be chosen in each group. Representatives would be selected every two years while Senators would serve four years. By using nine members in each group, the possibility of a tie would be avoided. The purpose of the two alternates would be to replace the one originally chosen should that person be unable to perform their duties for any reason. Any felony conviction would be cause for immediate expulsion.

Reselection: Once their terms in office are over, sitting members of both houses would automatically be included in the next selection group from their district or state. This would make selection groups of eleven and add one more Senate candidate in each state group. These “Incumbents” would face the same election process as other members of each group. Terms would be limited to three for any one office. That is six years for Representatives and twelve years for Senators.

States could set up similar systems for selection of their legislatures. This new lottery system would apply only to legislators. Other offices could still be elected by the existing system.

“Seek not the favor of the multitude; it is seldom got by honest and lawful means. But seek the testimony of few; and number not voices, but weigh them.”

“All our knowledge begins with the senses, proceeds then to the understanding, and ends with reason. There is nothing higher than reason.”
Emmanuel Kant

“All our passions begin with emotions—instinctive reactions driven by millennia of evolution. There is no reason, rationality, or knowledge in passion, only the animal actions of flight, consummation, procreation, self-preservation, or combat.”
Howard Johnson

* * *
Subject: Something of Historic Proportion is Happening
Date: Friday, March 13, 2009, 3:10 PM
by Pamela Geller

Pamela "Atlas" Geller began her publishing career at The New York Daily News and subsequently took over operation of The New York Observer as Associate Publisher.
She left The Observer after the birth of her fourth child but remained involved in various projects including American Associates, Ben Gurion University and being Senior Vice-President Strategic Planning and Performance Evaluation at The Brandeis School.

After 9/11, Atlas had the veil of oblivion violently lifted from her consciousness and immersed herself in the education and understanding of geopolitics, Islam, terror, foreign affairs and imminent threats the mainstream media and the government wouldn't cover or discuss.

Her website, www.AtlasShrugged.com, winner of the "Best New Blog" 2005 Jewish and Israeli Blog Award and finalist in the 2005 Weblog Awards, is a counter terrorism site fighting the great fight, changing the world one word at a time. Leading authorities are regularly interviewed. She routinely confers with leading scholars on the Middle East, Islam, Eurabia , China and Russia ..

The objective of her website is to cover related but little reported events of great import. She provides an unblinking, glaring examination of global affairs and is a member of Pajamas Media.

href="http://atlasshrugs2000.typepad.com/a...ing-of-hi.html

Subject: "Something of Historic Proportion is Happening" by Pam Geller

I am a student of history. Professionally. I have written 15 books in six languages, and have studied it all my life.. I think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is just a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes, these exist but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.
Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it.

Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about 10 - 15 years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.
We demand and then codify into law the requirement that our banks make massive loans to people whom we know can never pay back. Why? We learn just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700B we all argued about so strenuously just this past September.

Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "We the People," who lent our powers to our elected leaders..Apparently not.

We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy. Why? We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, and school boards continue to back mediocrity. Why?

We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (now violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it wants marriage to remain between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?). We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?

Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, Social Security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and know precisely what I am talking about.) The list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x 10. And we are at war with an enemy we cannot name for fear of offending people of the same religion who cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.

And now we have elected a man no one knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe is more important.)

Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?
I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now. This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again.

And that is only the beginning.

I thought I would never be able to experience what the ordinary, moral German felt in the mid-1930's. In those times, the savior was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they did know was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory and promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully them into submission.

And then he was duly elected to office, with a full-throttled economic crisis at hand [the Great Depression]. Slowly but surely he seized the controls of government power, department by department, person by person, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The kids joined a Youth Movement in his name, where they were taught what to think.

How did he get the people on his side? He did it promising jobs to the jobless, money to the moneyless, and goodies for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world.

He did it with a compliant media - Did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .. . . change. And the people surely got what they voted for. (Look it up if you think I am exaggerating.) Read your history books. Many people objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and made fun of. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930's while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though ..

Don't forget that Germany was the most educated, cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And in less than six years - a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency - it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.
As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong, close my eyes, have another latte and ignore what is transpiring around me.
Some people scoff at me; others laugh or think I am foolish, naive, or both. Perhaps I am.. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe—and why I believe it. I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am.

"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb deciding what to have for dinner. Liberty is a well-armed lamb."
Benjamin Franklin

See if you see any similarity to the present U.S.

The National Socialist German Workers' Party, (German: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei, abbreviated NSDAP), commonly known in English as the Nazi Party (Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei), was a political party in Germany between 1919 and 1945. It was known as the German Workers' Party (DAP) before the name was changed in 1920.

The party's last leader, Adolf Hitler, was appointed Chancellor of Germany by president Paul von Hindenburg in 1933. Hitler rapidly established a totalitarian regime known as the Third Reich.

Nazi ideology stressed the failure of the economy, the failure of democracy, and the failure of laissez-faire capitalism.

During the 1920s Hitler organized the De-Sturmabteilung.ogg Sturmabteilung, abbreviated SA, (German for "Assault detachment" or "Assault section", usually translated as "stormtroop(er)s"). Originally a “civilian security force” (sound familiar?) that functioned as a paramilitary organization of the NSDAP – the German Nazi party. It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s.

SA men were often called "brownshirts", for the color of their uniforms; this distinguished them from the Schutzstaffel (SS), who wore black and brown uniforms. I wonder what color shirts members of ACORN wear?

"History is the witness of the times, the light of truth."
--Cicero

"Those who ignore history are doomed to repeat it."
--George Santayana

Saturday, March 21, 2009

NASA's Global CO2 Surveyor

My son recently sent me an article about NASA’s global CO2 surveyor satellite that unfortunately didn’t achieve orbit and was destroyed. I could not find any links to the article, so I attached it to this email. In it I found some interesting statements that prompted the following response:

Dear Mike:

I often become suspicious of the veracity and the political motives of articles published by some “scientists” when those articles contain statements that are patently false or at least misleading. I also view as suspect the common assumption made that CO2 generated by human activity is a major factor in and causes catastrophic global warming. This one assumption runs counter to conclusions from many long studied and well known factors that affect climate. The following paragraph is from that article. It caught my eye because one little sentence in italics, the basis for the accuracy of the entire project, is untrue.

“Carbon dioxide molecules aren’t measured directly; the instrument tabulates the absorption of sunlight by CO2 and molecular oxygen molecules before and after sunlight is reflected off the Earth’s surface. Since each molecule has a unique infrared signature, they can be singled out and counted. There are two detectors for CO2 because it is easier to spot near the Earth’s surface at 1/61 microns and in the atmosphere at 2.06 microns. The molecular oxygen A-band channel acts as a survey control because its presence in the atmosphere is constant.”

In rebuttal I offer a substantiated quote from my book, A Convenient Solution, and an article I published in 2007. The full article on global warming can be found at http://hjgulfstream.blogspot.com. Should you want to read the section in my book it is available on the web at http://acsexcerpts.blogspot.com.

From page 47 of the book: With the exception of hydrogen, all gaseous, liquid, and solid fuels produce carbon dioxide when burned in any energy process. In addition, the production of hydrogen by any means other than by electrolysis, using energy from nuclear, wind, water or tidal power plants will add carbon dioxide to the atmosphere from both the energy and the raw materials used to create the hydrogen (coal-fired power plants for instance). It is interesting to note that for each pound of carbon oxidized to carbon dioxide, four pounds of oxygen are removed from the atmosphere. For every thousand tons of CO2 added to the atmosphere, eight hundred tons of oxygen are removed. In all the concern about CO2 there has never been a single mention of that fact.

The obvious conclusion is that the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere is not a constant as stated in the article in Aviation Week.

It should be interesting to note that I do not agree with those who say atmospheric CO2 has a catastrophic effect on climate or with those who argue it has absolutely no effect. It is just that the amount of that effect, though real, is so small as to be insignificant compared to other, well known factors. In just the same way, pouring a bucket of water into Lake Erie raises the lake level. I do not think shore dwellers need to fear that will flood their homes. This puts me solidly against global warming proponents in government who use it to gain power and as a huge cash cow of tax revenue. In addition there are literally thousands of groups using proven tactics to frighten the public into compliance donations, and mindless support.

From my article on global warming: Any global warming from the effects of CO2, if indeed it exists or poses any danger at all, is grossly distorted relative to the facts at hand. Most of the data used to show global warming are at best statistical and at worst, anecdotal. Both of which provide great opportunities for opinions (and agendas) to mitigate the data we can obtain. We know for certain that addition to the atmosphere of any gas will contribute that gas’s infrared absorption properties with all its complexities. Actually, all gases in the atmosphere have some “greenhouse” effect. This includes, nitrogen (75.0% - 78.08%), oxygen (20.11% - 20.95%), argon (0.89$ - 0.93%), and carbon dioxide (0.035% - 0.038%). The percentages in parentheses are of air at sea level. Ranges are shown because air also contains a variable amount of water vapor (from 1- 4% ±0.25%) and trace amounts of other gases. Each gas has a complex rate of infrared absorption and emission at various infrared frequencies. Water vapor has from 30 to 90 times the temperature effect of CO2 depending on various conditions.

The warmer air becomes, the more water vapor it can hold. Remember the weatherman’s favorite “dew point” predictions? When the temperature lowers to that point, the air can hold no more water vapor so it condenses out as “dew” or rain in the big picture. Using the same rationale as the global warming folks use for CO2, increasing amounts of water vapor would cause a much larger increase in atmospheric temperatures than CO2 resulting in still warmer air and still more water vapor. Shouldn’t this lead to a runaway greenhouse effect? Wouldn’t this drive atmospheric temperatures higher and higher until the oceans boil and all life is extinguished? Obviously this has not happened so something about these assumptions must be wrong for water vapor and CO2 as well.

Water vapor adds still another factor to the mix. That is the heat of vaporization or condensation of water. Tremendous amounts of the sun’s radiant energy evaporates water all over the earth. All of that energy enters the atmosphere in water vapor. The warmer the ocean or wet land, the more energy goes into the air. When all this water vapor condenses out as rain, that energy is released and the air warms. This is the driving energy that causes the air to move and creates windstorms, tornados and hurricanes. For all practical purposes, the CO2 content of the air has zero effect on the amount of energy that goes into the atmosphere or heats the air when water condenses.

One huge factor that man has affected greatly is the water vapor that green plants give off and particularly dense rain forests. Our continuing decimation of all types of rain forests is removing a huge source of water vapor that formerly entered the air. One example of this effect was used incorrectly as an example of global warming, which it was not. The disappearing snows of Mount Kilimanjaro are not an effect of global warming. Studies have shown that the cutting of the forest around the base of the mountain so reduced the amount of water vapor in the air flowing up the mountain that both the rainfall and snowfall on the higher slopes has been reduced dramatically. This is one correct example of where human activity has interfered with nature. Deforestation worldwide has done far more damage to our environment and effected climate far more than even tripling the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere could do. It alone could arguably be responsible for any temperature increase over the last hundred years as a reduction in the amount of water vapor would reduce cloud cover resulting in less of the sun’s energy reflected away. Why don’t we do something about that?

Whatever the effect of carbon dioxide, it is so small in comparison as to raise questions about the real amount of the danger it poses. Certainly it is not the degree of danger claimed by the high priests of global warming. I seriously question the validity of the often quoted phrase, “Overwhelming numbers of scientists support the theory that man’s use of fossil fuels is bringing about catastrophic global warming.” In the first place, the worldwide destructive clearing and burning of rain forest results in putting far more net carbon dioxide into the air than all the vehicles in the entire world. Second, shrinking rain forests mean less water vapor is released into the air. This could in turn mean less rain and snow where the air over land is drier. The questions remain, does the evaporation from the oceans increase and make up for this loss, and what effect does the drier air have on cloud cover and the resulting reflection of the sun’s energy away from the earth? All of these interacting variables have much larger net effects on global temperatures than CO2.. Because of this, “Overwhelming numbers of scientists” may have no real clue about the degree of effect that CO2 might have on atmospheric temperatures leading to global warming. Obviously it is much smaller than that of water vapor.

Thursday, March 12, 2009

The Card Check bill in Congress

I know a lot of you are extreme liberals, but even you should be up in arms about what labor bosses are trying to ram through Congress.

Wake up Americans! Democrat politicians are about to reward labor unions for their help in the last election by doing away with a basic right of all Americans, the right to a secret ballot for elections. First they said they were bailing out the American auto industry with your billions of dollars. That is pure BS. All they were doing was padding the pay checks of lazy and conniving UAW workers with money from the public treasury. No wonder Toyota, Honda and the other off-shore auto companies are beating the pants off of UAW auto companies with their autos, even those built by American workers in American factories. Their labor costs are about half of what the UAW members get paid for the same work. They have crippled our once great auto industry that will certainly go down the tubes anyway, just like our electronics industry and many others that were highly unionized.

Now the Democrat controlled government is about to demolish the foundation of our Democratic Republic, the secret ballot. The American public should be screaming against this destruction of a basic right. Where is the massive outcry from the third estate? Are the masses just so stupid they can’t see what’s happening? Maybe they just don’t give a damn. It’s beyond my comprehension.

And how about those so called protectors of human rights in the media? They should be haranguing everyone to urge their representatives to throw this evil proposal out. Where are all their calls of “foul?” Perhaps they are over enamored with the “Royals,” now controlling our government. Maybe they’re getting a payoff of some sort to ignore what’s happening. Something is very rotten there and it ain’t in Denmark.

Next the Democrats will be rewriting our election laws and doing away with the secret ballot in public elections. How will you like it when politicians know exactly how you vote? There wouldn’t be any goons using coercion and beatings on those who didn’t vote their way, would there. Of course not! This is America. Americans don’t do those kinds of things. Ha!

The Cook County Democrat machine is, in fact, already doing that in a round about way. They know quite well who votes how in the local precincts and their goons are not shy about punishing those who don’t toe the line. Now we have a product of that corrupt machine as our President. Democrat machine politics with all its intimidation, corruption, payoffs, ballot box stuffing, votes by dead and non existent voters, and associated criminal activities—those machine politics have completed their take over of Washington. I wonder how long it will be before we see Democrats elected by 100% of the vote just like Kim Il Sung was in North Korea.

Newt Gingerich explains what is happening in a much less pointed manner than I do. Here’s what he has to say:
_______________________________

March 11, 2009 | Vol. 4, No. 10

Dancing to Big Labor's Tune
by Newt Gingrich

After spending an astounding $61 million to elect Democrats in the 2008 elections, union bosses are getting their payback this week.

Yesterday, so-called "Card Check" legislation was introduced in both the House and the Senate.

Card Check strips American workers of the right to a secret ballot and gives the federal government the right to impose labor contracts on workers.

The timing of this assault on the freedom of the American workplace could not be worse. A new study shows that for every three workers coerced into joining a union under Card Check, one job will be eliminated by besieged American businesses.

Card Check Could Eliminate 600,000 Jobs In Its First Year

Card Check is a job killer. Even Obama supporter Warren Buffet opposes it, saying "I think the secret ballot is pretty important in the country. I'm against card check." Watch him here.

But as far as Big Labor is concerned, a deal's a deal. Their goal is to get their allies in Washington to ram Card Check through Congress this week, before anyone notices that American workers and businesses are losing fundamental rights.

What's happening in Washington this week is old style, quid-pro-quo politics - the kind President Obama pledged as a candidate to end. Supporters of the so-called Employee Free Choice Act (that's their Orwellian name for Card Check - it would more correctly be called the Union-goon authorization-to-bash-your-head-in-if-you-don’t-vote-us-in act.) claim to be all about protecting American workers.

But leave it to Vice President Joe Biden to inadvertently tell the truth.

In a meeting with the AFL-CIO last week, Biden made it clear who's calling the shots when it comes to American workers, businesses and jobs. He told the gathering of union big-wigs:

"You all brought me to the dance a long time ago, and it's time we start dancing."

82% of Democrats Oppose Eliminating the Secret Ballot
For big labor and their allies in Washington, it's time to start dancing - and dancing fast.

Vice President Biden and the union bosses hope to duplicate with Card Check the Obama Administration's success in rushing the mammoth $787 billion stimulus bill through Congress so quickly most members never had time to read it.

The reason they have to act quickly is simply this: The vast majority of Americans - 77 percent of Republicans, 82 percent of Democrats and 79 percent of independents - oppose what they're trying to do.

Not only that, but the latest surveys show that a full 82 percent of Americans say they don't want to belong to a union.

The Stakes Are High This Week

But it's precisely this kind of pro-secret ballot, pro-freedom sentiment among the American people that makes union bosses so eager to pass Card Check.

Under Card Check, union organizers and their enforcers will be able to go into any small business, hospital or construction site and coerce workers into signing cards. If they get 50 percent plus one, the deal's done, and the workers are forced into a union. And if management and the new union fail to reach a negotiated contract, the federal government will just impose one. Coerced unionization allows for what is effectively a new, unaccountable form of forced taxation. Workers will have a portion of their paycheck going to the union to be spent as the bosses (many are convicted extortionists) see fit, including political donations to parties and candidates that the workers may not even support.

Talk about an "offer you can't refuse." There's no vote. No secret ballot. No right to freely negotiate the contract. The workers, the workplace, and a portion of the worker's paychecks are controlled by the union bosses.

For Americans like you and me, the stakes are high this week. Hanging in the balance are literally hundreds of thousands of jobs, not to mention fundamental freedoms like the ability of small businesses to create and sustain jobs, the freedom of American workers to have a say in how their workplace is organized, and the freedom of American workers to freely choose whether they want to give money to politicians and political parties.

Congress Is Holding Hearings This Week
Make Your Voice Heard at AmericanSolutions.com/FreedomNotFear

The time to act is now - this week, while Congress holds hearings on Card Check.

You can make your voice heard by the people who matter most by joining in American Solutions' "Freedom Not Fear" campaign.

Freedom Not Fear is grassroots petition drive to preserve American jobs and preserve the right of the secret ballot for American workers. Over 80,000 Americans have already gone to AmericanSolutions.com/FreedomNotFear and signed the petition, but we need more help.

Remember the "Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less" campaign from last summer? With your help we were able to change hearts and minds on Capitol Hill about the necessity of using more safe, clean American energy.

We can do the same with Freedom Not Fear. Congress needs to hear from the sweeping majorities of Americans of all political parties who oppose this massive power grab by Big Labor.

The union bosses want to silence the voices of American workers and businesses. Go to Americansolutions.com/FreedomNotFear today and let them know that we won't go down without a fight.
_____________________________________

A response:
This is a balled faced lie! Get your facts straight! Card check does not do away with the secret ballot, it simply offers an alternative. As your Quoted hero Newt proclaims,"the secret of Politics is to Lie, Lie, Lie, and then Lie some more." Have a good misinformed day .
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Another response:
You and Newt sure got it right. I was working in a small automotive supplier in Ft. Wayne for many years, right from the git go. Once the company got big enough to be noticed, the UAW moved in. It didn’t take most employees long to realize that if you didn’t support the union, you were in for a bad time. I only lasted about a year until I found a job with Volkswagen in Ohio. It was for a little less money, but the atmosphere was very much better. Everyone worked. We were all part of “the team.” The goon squads and intimidators will love the power the new law will give them. Once the unions come around, extreme coercion will be the norm. Look what they’ve done to the big three as it is.
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By way of correcting any misunderstanding, here are some facts and some opinions. Of course, the emotionally intense hatred most liberals express for anyone with whom they disagree causes great confusion on their part as to just which are facts and which are opinions. This makes sensible communication damn near impossible, but I try anyway. Incidentally the first responder did what so many liberals do constantly, quoted Newt out of context. I have searched high and low, but can’t come up with the exact line quoted. The closest is a line given in a speech to a Republican organization in Atlanta, date unknown. In that speech he said, “The secret of liberal politics is to lie and lie, cheat and cheat, and tell the victims of your efforts you are working for them.” But Newt was correctly dubbed as one of my political heroes along with so many who have stood up for independence, freedom and personal responsibility. Men like Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and most of our founding fathers as well as Reagan and a few other so often vilified by the left. At least Newt is not trying to destroy what they so masterfully built.

Reality trumps intentions every time. This new law would remove the right of the company to request a secret election, a right they now enjoy. This offers protection to workers who really don’t want a union, but are intimidated to sign the cards. In its place the new law gives that option over to the employees. The law states clearly that only the employees can request a secret ballot election. This gives union goons an open invitation to intimidate employees to sign cards requesting a union and not ask for a secret ballot. They use the same kind of intimidation organized criminals use to intimidate witnesses. I wonder where they learned that? Once more than 50% signed, the union is in, even without an election. I’m sure those disgruntled union members would request a secret ballot election, wouldn’t they. Ha!

I’ve seen the UAW in action unionizing one company started in 1920 in a small town in Indiana. The company and town shall remain nameless to protect the author. It was a small family owned business with about 100 employees that built bodies on Ford and GM truck chassis. Their wage and benefit scale was actually above union standards at the time. The UAW wanted to collect dues and impose their own work rules. During 1948 we were in the plant as part of our engineering studies at Purdue during the time the union began trying to “organize” its employees. None of the employees I spoke with were favorable to the union. Most said the “The old man (the owner) and his boys take good care of us. We don’t need a union.”

We were at the plant several times a week for three weeks. By the time we left things changed and there were some nasty incidents. Employees who spoke out against the union often had an “accident.” Several ended up in the hospital and one died. No one was ever charged. There were three elections several months apart. The union lost in the first two, but won on the third. Within the year the owners decided it was no longer in their best interest to continue operating the plant. Pickets marched in front of the plant as it was shut down and dismantled. The owners shut down their assembly line after finishing the bus contract already underway. They sold their remaining contracts, inventory and machinery to a manufacturer in Tennessee, and all moved to Florida. (There was a rumor that the company in Tennessee belonged to a member of the family, but I have no confirmation of that rumor.)

The small town was devastated as this was one of their largest employers and a sizable portion of the town’s economy. During the year, we studied the effects on the town and determined that there were more than a dozen dependent businesses that soon closed their doors and about 300 people lost there jobs. The fallout undoubtedly left the city’s economy in ruin for a long time. The plant stood empty for many years. I happened by the plant many years later and found a paved parking lot full of weeds, a battered fence and a few empty buildings. I have no idea what became of the owners or their family, but I’m sure they had a good and successful life wherever they went. Maybe they took over that plant in Tennessee. I do know that they remained substantial financial supporters of Purdue University for many years after they closed their Indiana plant. Great job, UAW.

Some of my liberal family and friends constantly vilify me as a Rush Limbaugh worshiping, George Bush loving, far right Republican member of the extreme far right, a Christian fundamentalist homophobe, racial bigot and all that other crap on their long hate list. The truth is they all simply hate anyone who doesn’t go along with their “holy” far left agenda handed down to them from the George Soros crowd and the New York Times. (I wonder why he doesn’t just buy the Times? It’s going broke, you know.) Talking to them is like negotiating with Al Queda or the Taliban. It’s their “holy” way or off with your head. Well, it’s hasn’t come to that quite yet, but one never knows when.

No amount of reason or logic will ever sway their emotional attachment to what they are “supposed” to believe or to “political correctness.” Talk about mind-numbed robots, I realized long ago how fruitless it is to have a rational conversation with any of them about virtually anything with the remotest hint of political content. To me, liberalism is one of the most fundamentalist religions on the planet. It is totally devoid of any rational content, often exuding pure hatred.

One of my very liberal friends was visiting a few years ago and ran across a pamphlet titled, A Real Answer to the Drug Problem laying on our coffee table. He read through it while I was doing something else and asked if I had read it.

When I allowed I had he immediately said, “I think it’s a great idea. I suppose you are very much against it, aren’t you?”

I replied, “Take a look at the back of the pamphlet.” The back of the pamphlet listed seven “solutions” I had developed and written down. It offered pamphlets like the one he held on all of the ideas—my ideas.

“You . . . wrote this?” he asked with great incredulity.

“And all of the others as well.”

“That’s amazing!” he exclaimed. “That sounds more like a liberal idea, than one you would come up with.”

I smiled. “It only goes to show how little you really know about me, doesn’t it? And how little you know about anyone you consider a conservative, or for that matter, anyone who isn’t in side that tight little exclusive box of ideas you virtually worship.”

“Now, don’t get nasty.” he warned.

“By getting nasty I suppose you mean saying anything that doesn’t fit inside your tight little box of ‘liberal’ ideas. It has been my observation that most liberals consider anything proposed or even uttered by a non-liberal that doesn’t fit in that box is considered hate speech.”

“Not really.”

“No? Tell me please, what political proposal that violates any of the holy tenets of liberalism by what Republican politician has not been labeled as hate speech.”

He couldn’t think of any. Incidentally, I wrote the original in 1999 and posted it to my blog in September 2005/ It was updated once in 2008, but still remains essentially as first written down. It’s at http://hjdrugprb.blogspot.com. Click on it if you’d like to see it.

In light of what is happening near our border with Mexico as I write this, my solution could put an immediate stop to all those murders. I am working on revising my proposal in this light very soon.

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

The financial crisis explained in simple terms.

NOTE: This is a version of a story I heard on talk radio and embellished and added, “The crisis was created deliberately by Liberals aided by greedy bankers and politicians buying votes.”
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Heidi is the proprietor of a bar in Berlin . In order to increase sales, she decides to allow her loyal customers - most of whom are unemployed alcoholics - to drink now but pay later. She keeps track of the drinks consumed on a ledger (thereby granting the customers loans).

Word gets around, promoted by liberal politicians and their adoring media and as a result increasing numbers of customers flood into Heidi's bar.

Taking advantage of her customers' freedom from immediate payment constraints, Heidi gradually but steadily increases her prices for wine and beer, the most-consumed beverages gradually. Her sales volume increases massively as do her profits (and tax payments)

A young and dynamic customer service consultant at the local bank recognizes these customer debts as valuable future assets and increases Heidi's borrowing limit. Deciding to expand she opens several new bars on her greatly expanded credit.

He sees no reason for undue concern since he has the debts of the alcoholics as collateral.

At the bank's corporate headquarters, expert bankers transform these customer assets into DRINKBONDS, ALKBONDS and PUKEBONDS. These securities are then traded on markets worldwide. No one really understands what these abbreviations mean and how the securities are guaranteed. Nevertheless, as their prices continuously climb, the securities become top-selling items.

One day, although the prices are still climbing, a risk manager (subsequently of course fired due his negativity) of the bank decides that the time has come to demand payment of the debts incurred by the drinkers at Heidi's bar and by Heidi for her greatly expanded business.

However they cannot pay back the debts.

Heidi cannot fulfill her loan obligations and claims bankruptcy.

DRINKBOND and ALKBOND drop in price by 95 %. PUKEBOND performs better, stabilizing in price after dropping by 80 %.

The suppliers of Heidi's bar, having granted her generous payment due dates and having invested in the securities are faced with a new situation. Her wine supplier claims bankruptcy, her beer supplier is taken over by a competitor.

The bank is saved by “the Government” following dramatic round-the-clock consultations by leaders from the governing political parties.

The funds required for this purpose are obtained by a tax levied on the non-drinkers.

Finally an explanation I understand...
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In addition, the non-drinkers are mostly business people, some very wealthy, who hire 90% of the people employed and generate most of the new jobs. Seeing their profits deeply cut by the expanded taxes, they reduce their one-year and five-year financial budgets, cut their plans for expansion, reduce their payroll (that’s lay off many of their employees), and cancel orders for new equipment.

The stock market drops by 50% as investors move their holdings to safer places (like gold and Ireland).The media morosely reports the layoffs and order cancellations announcing, “We are now in a terrible recession brought about by greedy businessmen.” Consumer confidence (a very nebulous quality) drops precipitously, profits (and taxes) take a huge drop, and more and more businesses fail.

The government (who can’t manage anything and would seriously “screw up a one car parade”) takes over those failing “business that are too big to fail.” Between feuding and self-serving politicians and anal retentive government bureaucrats the economy collapses in line with a quote often attributed to a Scottish Historian, Alexander Tytler or Tyler. The true origin of the quote is obscure and might have originated in the early 20th century from an unknown politician or writer. Nevertheless, this does not detract from its accuracy.

One version of the quote on why democracies always fail is:

"A Democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only last until the citizens discover they can vote themselves largesse out of the public treasury. After that, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that the Democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, to be followed by a dictatorship, and then a monarchy."

A version of the second part of the misquote, attributed in 1983 to Arnold Toynbee is:

"The release of initiative and enterprise made possible by self-government ultimately generates disintegrating forces from within. Again and again, after freedom brings opportunity and some degree of plenty, the competent become selfish, luxury-loving and complacent; the incompetent and unfortunate grow envious and covetous; and all three groups turn aside from the hard road of freedom to worship the golden calf of economic security. The historical cycle seems to be: from bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more."

But the person who appears to be the actual author ot the second part is Henning Webb Prentis, Jr., President of the Armstrong Cork Company. In a speech entitled "Industrial Management in a Republic," delivered in the grand ballroom of the Waldorf Astoria at New York during the 250th meeting of the National Conference Board on March 18, 1943, and recorded on p. 22 of Industrial Management in a Republic, Prentis had this to say:

“Paradoxically enough, the release of initiative and enterprise made possible by popular self-government ultimately generates disintegrating forces from within. Again and again after freedom has brought opportunity and some degree of plenty, the competent become selfish, luxury-loving and complacent, the incompetent and the unfortunate grow envious and covetous, and all three groups turn aside from the hard road of freedom to worship the Golden Calf of economic security. The historical cycle seems to be: From bondage to spiritual faith; from spiritual faith to courage; from courage to liberty; from liberty to abundance; from abundance to selfishness; from selfishness to apathy; from apathy to dependency; and from dependency back to bondage once more.

“At the stage between apathy and dependency, men always turn in fear to economic and political panaceas. New conditions, it is claimed, require new remedies. Under such circumstances, the competent citizen is certainly not a fool if he insists upon using the compass of history when forced to sail uncharted seas. Usually so-called new remedies are not new at all. Compulsory planned economy, for example, was tried by the Chinese some three milleniums ago, and by the Romans in the early centuries of the Christian era. It was applied in Germany, Italy and Russia long before the present war broke out. Yet it is being seriously advocated today as a solution of our economic problems in the United States. Its proponents confidently assert that government can successfully plan and control all major business activity in the nation, and still not interfere with our political freedom and our hard-won civil and religious liberties. The lessons of history all point in exactly the reverse direction.”

For more information about these quotes and their sources go to:
. . . http://www.lorencollins.net/tytler.html