Some Inconvenient Facts Behind Our Most Important Presidential Election Since Lincoln

We are just under a month away from perhaps the single most important presidential election since Abraham Lincoln vs. Stephen Douglas in 1860 with quite possibly a similar outcome. Of course, it's typical of marketing hyperbole to claim one election or another is more important than any other when, in truth, each election puts the future of our constitutional republic at stake (albeit in name only at this point), but in this case, the claim is not being overstated.

Vice President and Democrat nominee, Kamala Harris, has been speaking about the need to "move America forward" and to "restore the American Dream", which, I think, we can all agree, are worthy (albeit unrealistic) goals. Of course, the underlining message is that former President Donald Trump is somehow personally responsible for throwing the switch that put our "democracy" in peril . Lastly, Ms. Harris has promised a "opportunity economy" for all.

The problem, however, that Ms. Harris is overlooking is that her administration along with President Biden are the one's responsible for whatever track America is on, be it good or bad. After all, they've been in charge of the economy as well as domestic and foreign policy for the last four years. Anything Trump did, good or ill, has been of no real consequence since the Biden/Harris ticket won in 2020. 

So, any complaints or compliments is all theirs. For instance, the rate of inflation (which jumped by 3.24% shortly after Biden took office). It was a frightening 8% in 2022 before eventually settling to 2.4% in September falls squarely on their shoulders, not Trump's. Same goes for prices, from gas and groceries to appliances, cars or houses. 

Since February 2020 to now, overall prices have gone up 21.4%. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, that's far above the national average. According to another economic report, thanks to inflation, what you could buy for ten dollars in 2020 would now cost $11.31 in 2022.

That may not sound like much, but when you look at a the cost of a tank of gas, heating oil, or a week's worth groceries for a family of four, that's quite a hunk of change, forcing the average American to pay more with less purchasing power. 

For example, since 2020 the price of margarine, which nearly everyone uses in cooking, has increased 56.8%. Eggs have gone up 40.1%. Sugar and sugar substitutes have seen a 39.1% increase. Meats, depending on type and cut, have seen a increase of between 39.2% and 44.2%. Car insurance raced upward to 47.5% while vehicle repair (already high) went higher to 47.1%. Gasoline prices almost doubled from January 2020 to June 2024; a increase of 89.5%.   

On the other hand, the prices of Smartphones dropped by 53.9%. 22.4% for televisions. Computers and related items went down by 15.9%, while other electronic equipment (like video cameras, microphones, etc.) dropped in price by 14.1%.The costs of non-electronic toys were 7.1% less as of June 2024 compared to January 20202.

Finally, men's clothing (such as suits, coats and jackets, as well as pants and shirts) saw a decline in price of 6.3% (but apparently not where I shop!).  So, while prices on some items cost consumers less, prices on other items cost more, some significantly more. I suppose it's all a matter of perspective. 

What about housing? How much has the cost of keeping a roof over your head changed since 2020? According to a report ResiClub of the Case-Shiller National Home Price Index, since 2020 until present, the cost of homes rose 47.1%, which they said "easily outstripping the gains of recent decades". That apparently includes not just the Trump years, but the Obama and George W. Bush years as well.

Some of the reasons cited for the increase in housing prices are the lack of housing in general (remaining down 34.3% from pre-2020 availability), the upswing in mortgage rates and jump in the price of construction material.  As an aside, a related RedFin report said that house payments are up 11% over 2023 prices. The average house payment is now $2,775.00. I can certainly see what Ms. Harris means by a "opportunity economy". But then, these are numbers based on her and Biden's policies.

While we're speaking about housing, what about the homeless? In 2020, the number of reported homeless was about 580,466. By 2023 that number had jumped to 653,104, up 12%, the highest year-to-year increase and the second highest total since 2007. Of that, 324,854 were white. 243,624 were black.  According to the VA, there was homeless 35,574 veterans as of 2023, representing an increase of 7.4% over 2022. A single homeless veteran is one too many for the nation to tolerate.

The unemployment rate is at 3.7%, which is higher than expected due to the drop in individuals who are no longer self employed. If underemployed and dissatisfied and looking are factored in, that number nearly doubles to 6.7%.  Note too that unemployment rates don't include those who've given up on looking or serving in the military. The Bureau of Labor Statistics said as of August 2024, overall job growth was weaker than anticipated with 818,000 fewer jobs than in March as previously reported.

While much of the job openings were service industry or low income, work hours correspondingly decreased from the traditional 40 hour work week to a current 34.3 hours. Nevertheless, employees are still expected to do the same amount of work as they would in a traditional 40 work week.

In 2022, the most recent year data was available, over 12% of the nation was living at or below the poverty level. 13% were "food insecure", which is a polite way to say they didn't have enough to eat on a regular basis. School provided meals are commonly the only regular nutritional food kids get. Data also indicated that the figures were trending upward, so by 2024 that number is likely to be considerably higher.

Wages have generally done well since 2020, exceeding inflation by roughly 2% overall. In April 2020, wages dropped by 6% but then jumped to a record high of 15.40% by April 2021. In 2014, when Trump took office, wages had been trending upward. Starting in 2014, the average wage was $24.33. In 2016, it was $25.38. By the time Trump left office, the average hourly wage was $28.44. Under Biden, it had increased to $31.63 as of January 2022. By September the average hourly wage was $35.36%. Social Security, disability payments, and other compensation are all tied to the rate of inflation.

It should be noted that the once untouchable Social Security Trust Fund has been repeatedly raided by Congress to the tune of $17.5 billion dollars. The Social Security Administration predicts that the trust fund will be empty by the end of 2034. Starting in 2035, recipients will see a 23% reduction in benefits. 

Although wages have done well in keeping up with inflation, that can't be said of everyone as the percentage of those falling behind has been increasing dramatically. Since 2009, wage inequality become has a serious issue, leaving the U.S. with the dubious distinction of having the worse wage differences of any industrialized country in the world.

 In 2022, despite federal laws to the contrary, women between ages 25 to 34 still earned 92% as much as men of the same age. Between ages 35 and 54, that number drops to 83%.  Finally, those from 55 and over, it's 79%! For minorities it's worse. Is this the "progress" or "change" Kamala Harris is talking about?

How well do employees do compared to management? Not surprisingly, not very well. For several decades, the incomes of senior corporate officers have far outperformed that of their employees. Ironically, the margin of difference has increased when tracked against the decline in union membership.

In 2021, the median employee to CEO wage gap was 235%, meaning that for every dollar a worker earned, a CEO received $235 dollars. A year earlier,  it was slightly better with a 212:1 ration between CEO and employee. In 2023, that ratio was now 268:1 among S&P 500 Index companies. I guess it really is good to be king!

In 2021, the Top 1% saw their percentage of wealth continue to grow by 9.1% while the bottom 90% saw theirs decrease.  During the same period, the Top 0.1% saw an income growth of 18.5%. The bottom 90% had a drop in real (after tax) income of 0.2% in 2020 and 2021. By the way, the Top 0.1% is what comprises the ruling oligarchy with a individual power index of 882.9 compared to the bottom 90% which has a power index of 1%.

The bottom 90% also saw just 58.6% of all wages earned, the lowest on record (in 1979, it was 69.8%), demonstrating that over time, workers have been losing ground compared to the upper 20%. Those in the rarified air of the Top 1% took in 14.6% of all wages generated (by comparison, in 1979 it was 7.3%).

To put it another way, from 1980 through 2021, the bottom 90% of Americans saw an increase in wages of 28.7%. The upper 1% saw their wealth increase by 206.3% over the same period while the upper 0.1% (aka: the ruling oligarchy) saw their wealth grow by 465.1%. Feeling nauseated yet?

It bears mentioning that Vice President Harris allegedly said Hurricane Helene victims would be eligible for a $750 "loan" from FEMA which would have to be paid back with interest or face a seizure of their property. That's false. FEMA is offering victims up to a $750 dollars onetime payment for baby food, diapers and incidentals., but it's part of a larger relief package.

Another rumor is that illegal immigrants can receive over $2000 from the government. That's also not true. The federal government provides immigrants classified as "asylum seekers" (pending determination) with up to $459 monthly to help with the cost of food, transportation, and shelter for up to 12 months. Still, financially, doesn't it appears these "asylum seekers" are making out better than U.S. citizens in trouble?

Lastly, what about foreign aid? Under President Biden, the U.S. has sent $95 billion dollars overseas in the form of foreign aid. The majority of that money went to Africa, the Middle East (mainly Israel), Taiwan, and to Ukraine, which got the most at $60 billion dollars for weapons and other military aid.

Under President Trump, he attempted to get a 21% cut in foreign aid (including eliminating aid for 27 countries) with a requested foreign aid budget of $44.1 billion. However, Trump was overridden by Congress and much of his proposed cuts were restored. It should be noted that the Joint Chiefs of Staff and practically all of the major defense contractors publicly and privately urged Congress to reinstate Trump's military budget cuts, and why not? War is a very profitable business.

Biden has no such qualms. His continued support for arming Ukraine, Taiwan, NATO, and Israel (despite public hand smackings) assures all that the money will keep on rolling in. Besides, war or the appearance of war is a good thing. Besides, it helps to artificially simulates the economy.

The Defense Industry continues to build, spend and hire which in turn helps numerous peripheral businesses and that trickles out to the rest of the interconnected economy. It reduces the appearance of the unemployment numbers despite a reduction of jobs by enlisting individuals (many of whom are under or unemployed and whose numbers aren't included in employment statistics).  

This is the economic picture Kamala Harris and the mainstream media, in its subtle promotion of Ms. Harris, isn't telling you about. Instead, we're being offered generalities and distortions. While this blog is neither Democrat or Republican and strives to simply provide nonpartisan facts as it find them, it would appear that in the real world Biden/Harris, devoid of the script writers, teleprompters, and cheerleading, things aren't so rosy for the country.

Ms. Harris offers a campaign message of "progress", "opportunity", and "change" for a faltering economy and political state of affairs it helped create. It's like the lookout on the Titanic offering to take the wheel after it struck the iceberg.  Our "ship of state" is already bow down, badly listing and taking on water with its engines open full throttle. Not exactly the right strategy if you can't swim.   

This election is one of the rare occasions where we can look at Trump's past term in office and gage how he will perform if reelect. At the same time, we know what Harris has done and what four more years would like accomplish. Can Trump do better? Maybe. He's previously managed to hold his own while fighting the media, Congress, and the political/economic status quo. It certainly wouldn't hurt!  

 

Thank you for reading Another Opinion! We hope you enjoyed this article and will pass it along. Please don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly, please "like" us on whatever platform you use to read anotheropinionblog.com. It helps beat the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Please find below the links we consulted in researching this article. 

 

Eggs, gasoline and car insurance: Where inflation has hitAmericans hardest

US home prices have surged 47% since the start of 2020

Veteran homelessness increased by 7.4% in 2023

The number of homeless people in America grew in 2023 ashigh of living took its toll

Average Hourly Earnings of All Employees, Private

The Enduring Grip of the Gender Pay Gap

Inequality in annual earnings worsens in 2021

AFL-CIO Executive Paywatch

Comparing Biden and Trump's Immigration Policies in 12 Charts

The War On The American Consumer: Rising Gas Prices Are Just The Start

 

When I was growing up in the 1960's, we had something called "gas wars" where service stations, often located across the street from one another, would engage in price war to attract customers, even if it was just by a penny, to see who could go the lowest. That ended with OPEC's oil embargo in 1975.

Today, we're engaged in another "gas war", but  this time it's energy giants who've partnered up with government versus us---the American consumer.  If you've bought gas recently you've no doubt been stunned by the prices. People drive dozens of miles just to try and save a few pennies on the gallon.

 According to a recent survey of gas stations, one in five are now charging a minimum of $5.00 a gallon for regular and could reach $7.00 by the end of Summer in spots. Premium is going for as much as $10.00 a gallon and may reach $12.00 or higher in some places. By the way, gas prices have increased 63% increase thus far over last year (and yes, Donald Trump was still president then).

If we listen to the politicians, especially those like President Biden or Nancy Pelosi, they want to lay the blame at the feet of Russian President Putin or on China's expansionist foreign policy. A few blame the volatile stock market, while others say it's our strained energy grid, Covid, or supply chain. Some want to blame the domestic policies of President Trump or even on consumers! Anybody but them.

But what's the truth? Who's fault is it that we're paying $5.00 dollars or more for a gallon of gas? Who is responsible for the war on the American consumer? After some extensive research, I may have the answer, or rather, the answers.  A lot of other analysts happen to agree as well. Something as complex as energy production, a slumping economy, and rising prices aren't likely to have a single cause. As an aside, while I've numbered the primary causes, they are ranked in no particular order.

1. The war in Ukraine. Some analysts claim the central reason for the dramatic rise of gas prices is the war in Ukraine by Russia. Russia is a huge supplier of oil and gas, especially to Europe which receives around 40% to 60% of its supply from Russia. The countries of Estonia, Finland, Slovakia, Lithuania and Poland get 75%+ of their energy needs from Russia.  

Germany, Europe's economic engine and the world's fourth largest economy, gets as much as 70% of its oil and gas from Russia. China, the second largest economy gets about 20% (China is expected to surpass the U.S. economy within the next ten years, if not sooner). Even the U.S. gets about 8% from Russia. Europe gets 45% of its natural gas from Russian fields in West Siberia.

Ironically, every NATO member, whose job is to defend Europe against Russia are actually dependent on Russian exports. Turkey gets 45% of its oil and gas from Russia---17% of its oil and 40% of its gas.

Much of Russia's petroleum supply comes from Siberia, which has been more accessible thanks to a warming climate and melting permafrost, and increasingly from the Russian Arctic.  Russia is also accessing oil and gas from the Crimea with its vast reserve in the Black and Azov seas.

Nevertheless, Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February of 2022 has caused a disruption of not just oil and gas production, thanks primary to U.S. lead sanctions and not the war itself. Europe has adopted a partial ban on Russian oil and gas as well as shipping insurance on oil imports.  Whereas Russia is Europe's chief supplier, Europe is now more reliant on the United States, Middle East, and West Africa than ever (Turkey previously announced that it would not honor any sanctions and would continue to import Russian oil and gas). That additional demand has triggered an increase in price.

2. Covid and the Quarantine/Breakdown of the Supply System. Covid, which made its appearance in 2019, has had a devastating affect on the world's economy by bringing production to a near standstill. Shipments already in route were left severely backlogged.  However, with the ease of restrictions, ports and warehouses reopened to 30%+ more traffic but with 28% fewer workers. It's chaos.

 In what has become known as "The Great Resignation", millions have refused to go back to work for a variety of reason ranging from refusal to get the mandatory vaccine to low wages and mistreatment by management.  Many prefer the flex-hours and working from home.

In addition, because of uneven policies applied by the U.S. government, small businesses were forced to shutter during the pandemic while large mega-stores were allowed to remain open. The result has been the permanent closure of thousands of "mom and pop" businesses, which have traditionally been the backbone of our economy.

Although most Covid restrictions have been dropped, millions of jobs remain empty. There are currently 11.4 million job openings. Shelves are still empty, and shortages are still commonplace. Many businesses have reduced hours, close early, raised wages and prices (which are picked up by the consumer), and even offered same day pay as an enticement.  

To make matters worse, the supply chain is dependent on over-the-road truck drivers, many of whom are independent. However, the cost of owning one's own rig has skyrocketed; everything from the cost of insurance to the cost of diesel fuel, which has gone from an average of $2.39 a gallon in May 2020 to $5.57 in May 2022 (which increased $2.00 since the first of the year). In addition, shippers try to get by with paying less per diem or less per load and faster turnarounds, making it tougher to make a living.  

AAA has reported that this summer 81% of those surveyed plan to travel this summer. 18% by air and 39.2% by car (this was before the price increases). This would add to the demand for gas, which will again drive up prices, especially around the usual tourist destinations.

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation's Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the cost of jet fuel has jumped in price, marking an eight year high already this year.  This affects everything from the price of a ticket to the cost of shipping a package. That doesn't include a shortage of pilots or mechanics.

3. The Cancellation of the Keystone Pipeline.  You hear politicians make promises all the time about what they're going to do on their first day in office. Well, Joe Biden was one of the very few to live up to his promise, which was to cancel the Keystone Pipeline Project.

Simultaneously, he sent a message to "whomever it concerns"--- there will be no new pipelines anywhere.  Biden has also stopped the sale of leases to permit drilling on federal lands or allowing any new offshore drilling (and yes, that includes Alaska and Texas).

Biden recently quipped on the late night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live" (June 8, 2022), that oil producers are refusing to increase demand. That's a lie, even by political standards. Biden's energy plan is very simple. It's to force American's away from fossil fuels no matter the cost we have to bear. By reducing supply, he is by default triggering a rise in the price of gas and oil.

4. Breaking Our Fossil Fuel Habit. House Democrats have also made it clear that they will prohibit bank loans to any new or expansion of fossil fuels production. Biden's plan is to force American's away from fossil fuels by making it more expensive for Americans to drive unless, of course, they are willing to switch to all electric/battery or hybrid vehicles.  For most Americans, that means taking out a loan and going deeper into debt, which the majority of Americans can't afford to do (or simply unable to do).

Biden's Secretary of the Interior, Debbie Haaland, still insists that gas prices aren't high (perhaps she means by what they're going to be by the end of the year). Electric cars (aka "EV" for electric vehicles) get about 200 miles to the charge and much less during cold weather according to Consumer Reports, who also point out that charging stations are still rather rare (about 10,000 nationwide compared to about 145,000 gas stations), 1/4 aren't working at any given time.

As an aside, this 200 miles per charge is not "city" driving and it's about half the distance of the average gas consuming car, meaning we get half the mileage. While currently many of these recharging stations are free, it's anticipated that most, if not all, will carry some sort of fee as more come online. The FTC has stated that the rising prices are the result of decreasing supply and little else.

Additionally, in order to produce these "electric stations" which electric cars needs, there has to be an increase in coal and other fossil fuel production, which has to be converted into electricity. So, please tell me how that benefits the environment? How does that reduce our consumption of oil, coal, and natural gas? Finally, these same utility companies which are making billions in profits are the ones all set to cash in on this supposed transition of our energy consumption.

5. Good Old Fashion Greed. Despite the war in the Ukraine, inflation, Covid and quarantine, a broken supply system, a reduction in oil and gas production, energy companies are raking in the profits thank you very much. Chevron has seen a $6.3 million profit in the last quarter and is up $1.4 billion dollars over last year. Dutch Shell reaped a $9 billion profit while BP racked up $6.2 billion so far. Exxon Mobil reported a profit of $5.48 billion, which is double over last year.

Oil companies are seeing profits that they haven't seen in over a decade. Various public watchdog groups such as Public Citizen and BailoutWatch, has documented $56 billion in new buyback authorizations since last October as compared to a "mere" $11 billion for the previous nine month period. In fact, the top energy producers made $100 billion dollars just in the first quarter of 2022.

Meanwhile heating oil and gas, along with utilities are expected to skyrocket; all of which driving up inflation (heating oil is expected to double in price over last year) Utilities will increase between 8% and 23% over 2021 (Kentucky is expected to see a 14% increase while Indiana will see a 9% increase for instance). How does that make you feel? Good?

6. The Blind Shuffle. The "blind shuffle" was a old carnie dice game using a single dice which got its start back in the days of Vaudeville. Without going into details, it operated similar to the old shell game but involved a single dice. No matter what dice you picked, you lost. That's what's happening to the American Public. We're being played. No matter who we elect, we lose.

Biden is genuinely unconcerned with the growing inflation and paying more for less. He's equally oblivious to rising gas prices. His aim is forcing Americans into deeper debt by buying electric cars (while the ruling elite go about their business in gas guzzling and polluting  private airplanes, and big limos).

Why should Biden and the ruling Oligarchy be concerned?  He uses Trump, Republicans, climate change, Covid, the quarantine and the ruptured supply chain as excuses that the media sprinkles about like glitter. Meanwhile, the oil and gas companies are making obscene profits, along with the ruling class, which includes Congress and Wall Street, who are rolling in it too.

7. Conclusion (or the "Let Them Eat Cake" Scenario). I'm sure anyone who ever took a European History class knows the story of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France.  For those in need of a quick refresher, the year was 1793. The peasants throughout France were revolting thanks to poverty, rising prices, unfair laws, the lack of decent food, no jobs, and substandard housing.

Marie Antoinette, like the elites of her time (including clergy) were totally oblivious to the plight of the peasants.  When asked what the peasants should do, she said "Let them eat cake" (actually it was "brioche", a expensive sweet roll), which she thought was still available and affordable. It wasn't.

That remark, which led to her beheading along with her hubby, King Louis XVI, and most of the elites, seemed to sum up the revolution. Ever since it has served as indicator of the elite's insolence and haughty distain towards the working class. Sometimes, it's not so good to be king...or queen.

The rising gas and oil prices are by design. It's being engineered. President Biden has all but said as much. The same for inflation. Biden is trying to force the American People off of fossil fuel, and at the same time, further into debt by purchasing electric cars (the average American family is  already in debt to the tune of around $155,500).  Who benefits?

The oil and gas companies, who are already making billions in profits, will make even more since they're responsible for producing the electricity needed to "fuel" the charging stations which they'll supply and/or own, which means more coal and fuel. Auto manufacturers like Elon Musk's "Tesla" benefit. Electric cars are expected to be at least a $350 billion dollar business (of the top 30 EV producers, half are headquartered in California, followed by Massachusetts, Colorado, and New York). The banks benefit thanks to low interest government loans and increased consumer debt. Who loses? You do. So do I.

Those unable to afford an electric car will either have to pay sickeningly high gas prices, curtail travel, or depend on public transportation, which you can bet will be all electric. Meanwhile, utility rates will skyrocket, forcing Americans onto "managed use" plans. "What's that?" you ask. Those are monitoring devices which are attached to your meter. They regulate and control your usage of electricity.

Expect the same thing will happen to water usage (did you know that in some locations, it's illegal to own a rain barrel? Yelp. It affects what they can charge for "runoff fees"). It's also illegal in some places to use a well for drinking purposes or have a septic tank? The water company doesn't make money.

In addition, you'll be responsible for them extending the appropriate lines to your property plus paying a connection fee!  As for solar and wind panels, while they generally work, don't look for earning an "buyback" fees from the utility companies. That's all a thing of the past.  This is how we get permanently trapped in the Corporatocracy's web, whether we like it or not. Welcome to the machine.

If you want to know more, please take a look at the links below. If you enjoyed the article, please consider passing it along to others and don't forget to subscribe. It's free! Lastly please be sure to "like" us on whatever platform you use to read A/O. It helps with the algorithms and keeps our articles in circulation. Thank you!  

 

Why US gas prices are at a record,  and why they'll stay that way for a long time

The Heat Is On: Memorial Day Forecasts Points to SizzlinSummer Travel

The Real Reason Behind Surging Gas Prices

Jimmy Kimmel Live: President Joe Biden

Gas prices too high? It's all part of Biden's plan to eliminate fossil fuels

Oil Companies Posted Huge Profits. Here's Where The Cash Will Go (Hint: Not  Climate)

Oil giants reap record profits as war rages in Ukraine, energy prices soar: Here's how much they made

Get Ready for Another Energy Price Spike: High ElectricBills

Amid rising prices, American families fall deeper in debt

The Super Committee/Death by China: A Review

With its approval rating the lowest in history (around 12% at the time of this writing), Congress has put together a so-called "Super Committee". So, what's so "super" about it? Well, let's first look at why our elected representatives felt the need to create this committee; who's on it; and what it is supposed to accomplish. Finally, we'll examine the long term repercussions of having a "Super Committee", whose actual name is Joint Select Committee for Deficit Reduction.

As I said above, the approval ratings for Congress are dismal, and they've been that way for a some time. Long enough for even the arrogant thick headed politicians in Washington along with their K Street paymasters to realize that it may be an angry mob coming to Washington rather than another idealistic Mr. Smith. The latest, and so far most disastrous example of Washington's failure was the debate over the raising the debt ceiling. With the public's mood becoming darker as each day of economic chicken played out, the leaders in both parties came to the conclusion that the only way to save their worthless hides was to create a political body to deflect future blame.

It's really an interesting idea if you think about it. Under their agreement, party bosses selected three individuals from each party and both the upper and lower chambers of Congress for a total of twelve individuals (a brief biography of each member is included below). Originally called a "Super Congress", the name was quickly abandoned since it gave the "wrong" impression that a new entity was being created outside of Congressional parameters (never mind the fact that both the Executive, Judicial, and Congressional branches have long over stepped their respective boundaries decades ago). Now called a "Super Committee", these twelve individuals would meet behind closed doors to attempt to draft a deficit reduction bill.

This is a tough job, and they will certainly earn hazardous duty pay, especially when you consider their job is to find 1.5 trillion dollars to be cut over the next 10 years ( I strongly suspect that number will increase by at least half long before then). That means dealing with highly protective issues like the military, Medicare, Social Security, Obamacare, illegal immigration, and veterans to name just a few. If seven of the twelve members vote in favor of a specific proposal, it gets "fast tracked" through the House and Senate. The pressure on these 12 individuals will be unbearable.

The Super Committee derives its authority from the Budget Control Act of 2011 (or BCA for short). The committee will act as a select committee, meaning that once its object is meet (in this case, finding 1.5 trillion dollars) and drafting a deficit reduction bill, it will be dissolved. The bill gets the unusual benefit of a up-or-down vote in the House and Senate. No filibusters, and no amendments to the bill can be added (and for the record, I oppose adding non-relevant "pork" amendments to bills. I also support line item vetoes to help curtail this form of political pandering).

Joint and/or select committees are not unusual. Its how things get done in Congress, and while this one does have a few unusual characteristics like no filibustering and an up-or-down vote, it may prove to be the only way the federal government can accomplish its goal of finding and eliminating 1.5 trillion dollars. America is in deep financial trouble, due largely to mismanagement, a lack of leadership, and the creation of a society of special interest entitlements. There can be no failure here. Everything is at stake. If it takes a super committee or a Superman, then so be it.

Suggested Reading:

http://www.christianpost.com/news/what-is-a-super-committee-53423/

http://money.cnn.com/2011/08/11/news/economy/debt_committee_members/index.htm

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/2011/0811/Who-s-who-on-Congress-s-debt-super-committee/Sen.-Max-Baucus-D-of-Montana


Book Review: Death by China
Written by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry

Lenin once famously remarked that Communism would sell Western Capitalism the rope that would be used to hang them with. Well, as it turns out, that rope is made in China. How many of us have sat in dazed anger watching the news about another US plant closing while hundreds or even thousands of jobs...our jobs...were being sent to China? How many of us remember Wal-Mart's slogan about everything they sold being made in America? Nowadays, just try and find something made in America in Wal-Mart. If you're like me, you've often asked yourself how did America, and American jobs end up some 5000 miles away. I found the answer. It's in "Death by China", written by Peter Navarro and Greg Autry.

This totally engrossing book explains in everyday language how America lost its competitive edge to its ideological enemy, China. The authors detail how China has been so successful in exporting shoddy and often dangerous products like poorly made electrical tools, baby cribs, or children's toys painted with toxic lead base paint, not to mention food stuffs grown in contaminated soil and irrigated with polluted water. Exposed too is how China bypasses regulations and product inspections, often with the tacit support of inspectors; how China ignores various free trade agreements; creates a "devil's bargain" with the likes of General Electric, Caterpillar, and Microsoft, which often includes giving away proprietary technology while, at the same time, allowing a Chinese majority stake in any operation set up on Chinese soil. Often these "devil's bargains" promise access to the Chinese consumer market, does in reality the exact opposite.

Globally, China has launched a war of conquest. It's aim is nothing less than acquiring resources, be it in Africa, South America, or the Middle East, for the sole purpose of crippling the economies of the West, Japan, South Korea, India, and Southeast Asia. At the same time, China continues to manipulates its currency, while buying up US debt; in effect, making it the banker that allows this country to continue to function. Can you imagine your biggest competitor or worse enemy controlling your checkbook?

China has openly declared global war, and on America in particular. They are in this for the long haul. Their goal, as trite as it may sound to Post-Cold War ears, is world domination. This war is not one of guerilla insurgencies or vast armies. It's one of economics. It's being fought on every level in every country. It's a war we should be winning, but we've bought the rope instead.

Authors Navarro and Autry have done an exemplary job of explaining the new rules of engagement. The final chapter, "Life with China: How to Survive and Prosper in the Dragon's Century", brings it all together with their suggestions on how to level out the playing field, and start winning while there's still time. To paraphrase former Speaker of the House, Tip O'Neill, in a global economy, everything is local. If you're concerned about your job, you need to read this book.

What's Behind the Price of Gas?/Photos of a Dead Terrorist

For most Americans, Friday brought some welcome news. This was one rememberable week. The murderer Osama bin Laden got what he deserved; hand delivered by the US Navy Seal’s Team Six (thank you gentlemen) from America. The economy showed some times of growing and adding some 244,000 new jobs. Lastly, the price of oil dropped to $97.00 a barrel; down from $113.00. This should translate to a drop of about 20 cents a gallon in the next few days (have you ever noticed how the price can go up a nickel or more during a single day but takes a week to drop?). It’s the price of oil that I’d like to talk about in this column.

Prior to this week, the big five oil companies—Exxon, BP, Shell, Chevron, and Conoco posted record profits…again. Americans are suffering at the pump with near five dollar a gallon prices (in some places like Hawaii, the price was already over $6.00 a gallon). How could this be? Well, the big five made $34 billion dollars in the first quarter of the 2011. Yes, you read that right. Exxon made the most with $11 billion dollars. Up 69% from the same time last year, which was a record at the time. To put it another way, that translates to roughly $82,175.00 per minute. Over the last 10 years, the oil companies have made 1 trillion dollars in profits. In just 2008 alone, they made $100 billion…in profit.

Queasy yet? If not, this should do the trick. As if this obscene profit and the price at the pumps aren’t enough, did you know that the American Taxpayer pays between $4 billion and $9 billion to these same oil companies in the form of federal tax subsidies? That’s about $36.5 billion over the past decade. Now, I don’t begrudge any business making a profit. However, I do have a problem with a $34 billion profit while I struggle with filling up my tank and at the same have to pay to support these same corporations. To me this is a classic example of not just corporate greed, but the corporate domination of the federal government, which, by the way, includes both political parties.

So, just out curiosity, I wondered how much it cost to produce one barrel of oil. Did you know that the cost to research, develop, drill, pay taxes and salaries equals $30.00 per barrel? Yelp, just $30.00. Everything else is profit. And did you know that the big five have stashed away $1 trillion in cash reserves? Apparently they are expecting a very rainy day. The money is allegedly being held for future research, investments, and offset any “down year”, which they haven’t had in about 10 years. Personally, I suspect it’s also being held to keep any “green” technology or alternative energy off the market.

In addition to profits, the oil execs are busy pumping up the prices of their own sources of revenue---stocks. Exxon has taken some of its profits and purchased $5.7 billion dollars of its own stock and anticipates buying another $5 billion dollars, while the “poor” cousin, Conoco, which earned a mere $3 billion during the first 3 months of year, bought back $1.6 billion of its stock. Why would they do that you wonder? Simple. It artificially drives of the price of the stock, which makes it stockholders even more money. These people stay up late at night thinking about these things!

So, the next time you pull in to “fill ‘er up”, just remember that your tax dollars are helping contribute to that queasiness you’re feeling. When election time rolls around wherever you live, be sure to “thank” your Congressperson or Senator at the polls.


Osama bin Laden’s Photos

As everyone on the planet now knows, Osama bin Laden is dead thanks to the brave men and women of the US Armed Forces, and especially to US Navy Seal Team Six---hooyah! There’s a lot of speculation as to whether or nor he was armed; intended to surrender or not and so forth.

First off. Who cares? Bin Laden was a cold blooded murderer who thought nothing of killing innocent men, women, and children. Human life meant nothing to him. America did not need to trauma and expense to bring his likes to trial. Can you imagine the cost of providing security? Where would he be held? Would this be an American trial? After all, he masterminded murder in several countries, and let’s not forget that some of these countries don’t have the death penalty so someone like Osama would sit in prison at taxpayer expense. Personally, I can’t see holding the likes of bin Laden one day at taxpayer expense. I can’t even see paying for the food, medical care, or anything else to keep him alive in prison.

Not only would this be a security nightmare, but he would become the focal point of terrorist groups around the world. Who knows how many hundreds or thousands of hostages would be taken (and murdered) to free him. How many buildings and other structures would be bombed while he was being held? Some of our European “allies” have shown time and again their willingness to deal with terrorists. I don’t think it would be a matter of which one would cave, but which one would cave first.

As for the alleged outrage of killing an “unarmed” man, are they serious? Men like bin Liden wouldn’t hesitate to kill. Remember, Bonnie and Clyde and John Dillinger were “unarmed” too. This was simply a matter of who shot first. Besides, what do you expect? Should our sailors have said “please”? Should they have waited until he pulled his gun or grenade? In a combat situation, you act first. Period. As for calls of “revenge”, let’s not forget that he started the fight. We ended it. What are we supposed to do? Let people like him keep on hitting us and do nothing out of concern about possible “revenge”? I don’t think any reasonable person would accept that kind of logic.

Should we have informed the Pakistani intelligence, the ISI, or the Pakistani government? In normal circumstances, I would say yes. However, we needed to act on very time sensitive information pertaining to a very elusive target which required absolute perfect timing. Second, Pakistan’s military has let Osama slip through their fingers at least twice before. Third, Osama was living a very comfortable life in a military town that’s home to Pakistan’s version of West Point. Abbottabad is full of military personnel, as well as retired generals, intelligence officers, police officers, and government officials. He was living in the largest house in the area (which was also heavily fortified). Wouldn’t you have thought someone would have checked this out? The Pakistani government and/or military may not have known he was there, but it is a damning critique of their abilities.

Finally, the death photos. Should they be released? Obama says no because he’s more worried about the sensibilities of the Moslem extremists who already hate us than the widows and children of 9/11 or the American People. The liberal media is characteristically defending his decision and, naturally, the American People are opposing it. Listen, we as a people need closure. We need that visual confirmation. It’s part of human nature. The Arab people have seen worse on their local news. Arab media didn’t hesitate to show the three burned and mutilated US solders hanging from a bridge during the invasion of Iraq. They think nothing of showing innocent men and women having their heads sawed off. The photos of Saddam Hussein’s two sons were published, and video of his hanging were shown.

Obama did release the pictures of the Osama’s dead son and some of the others killed on May 2nd. So, why not allow us the closure of seeing the corpse of the man who caused so much bloodshed and sorrow?

Illegal Immigration and Kentucky: HB 321 and SB 6

I know this is going to be hard to believe, but the Kentucky House of Representatives actually thought out of the box for a change. On February 3rd, the House Committee on Labor and Industry passed HB 321, otherwise known as the E-Verify Bill, by a margin of 93 to 3 (the three nays were John Bell (D-23), Kelly Flood (D-75), and Mary Lou Marzian (D-34). The bill will now move to the Senate for approval (http://www.lrc.ky.gov/record/10RS/HB321.htm).

The bill’s aim is to curtail illegal immigration by eliminating its principal cause, employment. If the bill becomes law, contractors would face a five year ban from government contracts, and includes contractors who deal with local school districts. The bill’s lead sponsor is Bob Damron, a Democrat representing House District 39.

There are 14 other states that have similar legislation designed to eliminate employment of illegal immigrants while another 17 are either considering E-Verify or strengthening existing legislation. However, in rural states such as Kentucky, the main source of employment is in agriculture. Outlying counties such as Anderson, Warren, Barren, Fayette, Garrad, and Scott are the hardest hit by the costs of illegal immigration. Democrat Greg Stumbo (D-95) is considering introducing a bill that applies E-Verify to all employers in Kentucky, which would obviously make more sense (http://www.numbersusa.com/content/learn/illegal-immigration/map-states-mandatory-e-verify-laws.html). Stumbo is also the Speaker of the House.

As for the Arizona like SB1070, Kentucky Senate Bill 6, which would give police and other law enforcement authorities the power to question and detain individuals suspected of being the country illegally, is going nowhere. Senate Bill 6, which was introduced by State Senator John Schickel (R-11), came under a barrage of protests lead by the liberal leaning Jobs for Justice, as well as numerous churches, Labor unions and pro-amnesty groups. While supporters of the bill were present, the media, as expected, gave primary coverage to the bill’s opponents. However, from what I was able to find out, the Anti forces, anticipating Senate Bill 6, were out in front with their organizational efforts while the supporters of the bill were lagging far behind as if they expected to be given a fair hearing. I wonder what they were thinking?

According to a poll published by Pure Politics on March 2, 2011, support for the House Bill (the E-Verify bill) was 64% while support for Senate Bill 6 was only 25% with 12% giving no response or didn’t care (http://mycn2.com/politics/immigration-cn2-poll).

Meanwhile, other states such as New Mexico are moving ahead with their own versions of the Arizona’s SB 1070 to head off the problem before it becomes more a serious issue like it has in Arizona. With a poll approval of the bill of 85%, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez signed into law SB 152 which would allow law enforcement to question and detain individuals here illegally. It would not allow law enforcement officials to stop someone solely on immigration status (http://www.dailylobo.com/index.php/article/2011/02/legislator_immigration_law_reeks_of_arizona).

In Colorado, a bill allowing law enforcement officials to report suspected illegals to prosecutors has passed its first hurtle in the Colorado State House. The bill, HB 1088, was introduced by Republican Mark Barker. The bill would also force bail bondsmen to forfeit the bond if the individual is deported. According to Barker, who originally withdrew and then reintroduced the bill, he wanted to change the language of the bill from “probable cause” to “reasonable grounds” in order to avoid possible legal challenges when determining legal status. The bill will face another vote in the House before moving on to the Senate (http://denver.cbslocal.com/2011/02/24/colorado-house-oks-bill-to-report-illegal-immigrants/).

So, while other states move ahead with pro-active legislation, Kentucky continues to muddle along. Nevertheless, HB 321 is a good start. Hopefully Stumbo or someone else will step up to plate and put forward some more expansive legislation to do the job that SB 6 could have done.


From the Middle East to the Midwest

In case you haven’t noticed, gas prices are skyrocketing (and welcome back to earth by the way). Oil prices on the open market are setting near record highs at $104.00 a barrel. Truly black gold. To compound matters is the most of the oil producing countries are facing internal instability, which is a politically correct way of saying the people are tired of being on the short end of the oil stick. Most of these nations are ruled by autocratic royalty, principally installed there by their former colonialist masters like Great Britain and France. Others are ruled by maniacal tyrants under such misleading names as “People’s Republic” with titles like “President” or “Great Leader” living in worlds apart from their struggling citizens.

Remember the “liberation” of Kuwait? It was better known as the First Persian Gulf War or Operation Desert Storm, though Operation Desert Shield was aimed at removing Iraqi forces from Kuwait. Saddam Hussein invaded oil rich Kuwait under the pretext that it was in actuality a “disputed” province which properly belonged to the “people of Iraq”. In truth, Hussein wanted control of the oil fields and direct access of the Persian Gulf and shipping lanes. The Hitler-wannabe thought the West would do nothing due to the costs and time factor of mounting an invasion. He wasn’t concerned about his Arab neighbors. He had already cowered them (the Arab mindset seems to appreciate and respect force or at least its threat of it).

Anticipating Western (especially American) sensibilities, the royal Al-Sabah family of Kuwait promised political reform (especially for women and Christians, who would actually be allowed to practice their religion with a minimum of interference from the state authorities. Hussein, in what has to be one of the top three military blunders of all time (the other two being Napoleon’s and Hitler’s invasions of Russia), allowed Western troops almost six months of military buildup. Secondly, his generals planned a stagnated front war similar to the earlier war between Iraq and Iran.

Had Hussein agreed to maintain (or increase) oil production at current or lower prices, it’s doubtful there would have been any serious resistance to his occupation of Kuwait other than the usual empty rhetoric of the impotent United Nations. Given the proximity of his military forces to Saudi Arabia and the other regional oil producers, a little implied threat would have ensured their cooperation. The Kuwaiti royals would have found a comfortable exile in one of the neighboring capitals. Of course, that’s now a matter for War Colleges and historians to examine.

In the end, Hussein was militarily neutered and Kuwait was liberated. Of the new freedoms promised by the royal family, few have been implemented. Women were given the right to vote and participate in politics in 2005 by a narrow vote of 35 to 23. Freedom of religion for non-Moslems and freedom of speech are still sketchy. Such then was the first global resource war. There will be many to come, except these may pit Western nations against each other while facing another, mightier threat in the form of China and India.

Tunisia was the first to accomplish its revolution, followed by Egypt. Both countries had a minimum body count. The media seems to make big copy over 10 or 20 dead. Revolutions are bloody affairs. Those in power never willingly relinquish it. In revolutions and coups past, thousands dead were not unheard of. In a regional known for its brutal strongmen, individuals like Hosni Mubarak deserve some praise. He could have made things much worse. However, men like Libya’s Moammar Gadhafi are more typical.

Gadhafi came to power in the usual fashion, by military coup. Another Hitler admirer, he quickly allied himself to the more militant Mideastern factions. He was hosted (and protected) on numerous occasions various terrorists and terrorist organizations like Carlos “The Jackal” Ramirez who masterminded numerous terrorists operations during the 1970’s; Black September which was responsible for the Munich Massacres (which Carlos also had a hand in); Abdul Abbas, the hijacker of the Achilles Lauro; and of course, Yasser Arafat, who was head of the PLO. Gadhafi, anxious to try his hand at state supported murder, sponsored the downing of Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, resulting in the deaths of 270 individuals in 1988 and the earlier bombing of a discotheque in Berlin in 1986. Of course, all the while, he continued to drift further and further from reality and the brutality of regime only increase until it reached its present boiling point.

The Libyan dictator now faces uncertain domestic military support (he’s allegedly ordered the murder of some bomber pilots who refused to attack civilian populations). As a result, he has hired Algerian mercenary pilots and gunmen to kill his own people and destroy oil production. If he can’t have it, no one will I suppose.

So, what will be the outcome? Well, first, there’s no doubt that this psychopath’s days in power are limited. Pressure is on for the US or other nation to provide military support in the form of equipment and/or tactical intelligence. At present, the situation is at a stalemate with rebel forces controlling the Eastern part of the country where most of the oil wells are located. Even if Gadhafi survives, his reign will remain highly unstable. It will only be a matter of time before there is either another better organized attempt or Gadhafi is assassinated. Meanwhile, the pro-democracy revolution continues to spread across the Middle East into Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Oman, and Bahrain. It’s only a matter of time before it makes its way to Saudi Arabia and Iran. The more unstable the region becomes, the more you can expect to pay at the pump. Oil executives don’t need much of an excuse to bump up prices (and profits).

With the increased instability in the Middle East, as well as the dwindling supplies (most oil producing nations have either reached or passed oil producing peak capacity. The US passed theirs in the 1970’s), coupled with the developing super-nations like China and India, as well as lesser third world countries, we can only expect demand to dramatically increase as we also must cope with climate change. We, and I mean America, has to get serious about finding alternatives to oil and gas. We will never totally replace either, but we can, and must, lessen our dependence on petroleum derived energy through solar, wind, hybrid, water, and nuclear power. Until that day comes, you better get used to the idea of $5.00 and higher prices at the pump.

Reflections of Revolution

Like many around the world, I’ve been watching with morbid fascinating (a lot like watching a car wreck in slow motion) the unfolding events in Tunisia and Egypt. Smaller, mostly unreported sympathetic protests have erupted in Jordan and Yemen. Attempts in Syria were unsuccessful to do the omnipresent security forces, including undercover security personnel who photographic and otherwise identify organizers and ringleaders for arrest (which often accompanies beating or worse).

A minority of the protestors in Egypt have supposedly “threaten” or harass mainstream media reporters like ABC’s Brian Hartman and CNN’s Anderson Cooper with physical violence, and even beheading while Fox’s Greg Palkot and his producer, Olaf Wiig were severely beaten and hospitalized. This is a violent and volatile situation and a press badge isn’t a free pass. Revolutions aren’t delicate affairs. But hot heads aside, do the majority of protestor really “hate” Americans and America? Why do they try to desperately to emulate American, or at least Western, pop culture? In my opinion, few Egyptian protestors “hate” America or Americans, but they are offended by both how their movement toward democracy may be portrayed to the world by a media as just another ratings “event” brought to you by some commerical sponsor as well as efforts by the US government to control or otherwise manipulate their democracy movement in order to create a government favorable to US foreign policy (read pro-corporate) and away from a new government favorable to the Egyptian people.

Historically, the US government has assisted in the manipulation and sometimes overthrow of a popularly elected government simply because it didn’t jive with US interests, often at the behest of corporate interests. As any student of history should know, this has occurred in Iran, Iraq, Mexico, Cuba, and through South and Central America, not to mention Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Not that the US is unique in this. Most nations have at one time or another engaged in the destabilization of other counties, most notably for economic gain (take Great Britain and France for example).

At the time of this writing, Obama, as well as other Western leaders, are encouraging Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to end his 30 year rule and step down. Mubarak is the latest in a long line of strongmen to rule Egypt, starting with Gamel Nasser and Anwar El Sadat. But step down to what? To surrender power to whom? For the first time in his rule, Mubarak has appointed a “Vice President”, and not just any politician. He’s Omar Suleiman, and is the considered one of the most powerful non-figurehead man in world. He is the head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate with strong connections to the military and security forces, which of course, includes the police. The other choice is Mohamed El-Baradei, an election reform advocate and Nobel Prize winner, who has been absent from Egypt and more importantly, from the daily affairs of Egyptians. That, of course, leaves the radical Moslem cadre, Islamic Brotherhood who would plunge Egypt backwards to an Iranian style of government, and that’s not good for anyone. Naturally, someone else could appear on the scene.

I can’t help wondering what would have happened during; let’s say, the socially turbulent late 1960’s under the Presidencies of either LBJ or Richard Nixon, had other Western leaders encouraged stepping down and the creation of a new government? It’s just something about how American and other Western leaders think nothing about telling other governments what to do, but would be wholly indigent if they did the same. So, I guess, in a way, I can understand the protestors who are upset at being treated like a “junior” nation and not being respected for the country it is.

I also can’t help wondering how our next American Revolution will play out. I’ve written several times about my opinion of America’s future (which obviously would affect countries on both sides of the coasts given the global interconnectedness of the world’s economies). We watched with amazement the cyber-revolution in both Tunisia and Egyptian organize, mobilize, and dissimulate events in real time through blogs, Twitter, Ipods, cell phones, and a host of other electronic media. Egypt attempted to do the unthinkable by disconnecting from the World Wide Web during the early weeks of the revolution. Media monitors around the world watched in disbelief as Egypt “vanished” from the electronic landscape in a desperate, but failed, attempt to control protestor communications and the world’s access to events. Egypt has numerous internet providers; however, all are ultimately centrally controlled. Therefore it was relatively simple for the government to literally “pull the plug”; something which would be nearly impossible to do in the US and most other developed nations (I suspect that if the pro-democracy movement prevails, we will see Egypt decentralize its Internet grid.

Both revolts were sparked by rising food, fuel, housing, and clothing costs. Although both governments subsidize these products through high taxes, it’s simply wasn’t enough. There’s a huge disconnect between the relatively small segment of wealthy and the tens of millions poor. Both nations faced a declining middle class, and with it, fewer family oriented sustainable jobs. You can’t survive for long on with full time debt brought on by higher costs, higher taxes and part time wages. Other Middle Eastern nations are creaking under the strain, such as Jordan, the Sudan, Algeria, Libya, and Morocco. Now, there are shortages of oil, and medical supplies, which will, naturally, translate to higher prices.

Unfortunately their reality is very similar to ours. We are facing rapidly rising costs for basics, coupled with outrageous (and largely unjustified) gas prices. Our real estate markets, and indeed, financial sector has been shown to be largely a built on a house of cards; debt backed by unsupportable economic IOUs. We have a national debt that alone can have no other outcome but economic collapse. Our single largest debt holder, China, is also our chief economic competitor and philosophical enemy. With not just the addition of Obamacare, but the crippling increase in cost brought on supporting the 13 million or so illegal immigrants and their dependents added on top of the pending massive baby boomer retirements, even the most conservative analyst predicts the ultimate collapse of our health care system and other national safety nets measures such as Social Security, and unemployment. And this is just at the federal level!

Americans are already taxed at, and in many cases, passed the breaking point. They are feed up with the petty bickering and ineptness of both major political parties who are either unwilling or unable to deal with serious issues without their narrow minded ideology getting in the way. We are seeing the rise of third parties such as the Tea Party, which seem to baffle the party oriented mainstream media, as well a record levels of voters registering as independents (which, if classified as a “party”, but be the largest in America). Americans are tired of playing “rich uncle” to world; of propping up corrupt and incompetent governments; of bailing out every despot who comes along (and for the matter, every greedy mismanaged corporation); of being with world’s policeman. It’s time for Americans to look inward and deal with our own problems.

No sooner than the GOP gave the Obama and Democrats a spanking over failed domestic policies, and amid promises of having “learned their lesson” after the failures of Bush II, the Republicans have launched right back into their tired and worn out rhetoric of old. I predict a trip to the national woodshed may be in their near future if they don’t knock it off. “You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind is blowing” as Bob Dylan once sang. I don’t know how our next revolution will play out, but happen it will if serious and deep changes aren’t made soon. Times are a changing…quickly.

After Don't Ask Don't Tell: Gay Marriage?

The Conservative Right may have dug themselves into a very deep hole. As I last reported, “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, which was first enacted by Democrat President Bill Clinton, has been repealed. Although technically “illegal” until the appropriate bureaucratic steps are completed, it’s now essentially legal to be openly gay in the US military (there are already 23 other countries where gays openly serve in the military. So much for that ole “first in freedom” line I suppose).

So, here’s the next quandary for the Republicans and the Conservative Right (especially for the socially Conservative). If it’s now ok to volunteer to fight, and possibly die or become disabled in the defense of this country, why isn’t ok to marry the person they love regardless of their gender? Now I can just see some finger wagging Conservative hyperventilating and accusing me of not being “pure enough” to be a Conservative and that’s ok. It’s a “relatively’ free country at the moment, but it also doesn’t change the argument.

Vice President Biden recently said that he would support a measure to make gay marriage legal, which in my opinion is no big deal. I personally couldn’t care less what Biden thinks, but it does give some indication as to which way the White House will lean on the issue. Of course, “Hollyweird” and “Left Coast” has long been a proponent of gay marriage and all things liberal. Perhaps more important that the Vice President’s opinion is Oprah’s opinion, and she is an ardent supporter of gay marriage.

On a personal level, I’ve always believed that marriage should be between a man and woman. When I ran for State Representative in 2004, the issue of allowing gay marriage was on the ballot, and I, for one, opposed it. My opponent, Denver Butler, a Democrat and perhaps more tellingly, a conservative Catholic, opposed it too. In fact, you were hard pressed to find anyone outside of Jefferson County (Louisville) who supported it (it was hard to even find someone in Jefferson County, which is perhaps the most “liberal” of Kentucky’s 120 counties, who supported it. The issue failed overwhelmingly by the way). My logic was that marriage was something that formed the nucleus of society; the very foundation of civilization itself. People got married for the purpose of creating and raising a family; passing on knowledge; adding to the workforce; it created familial units which in turn, created villages, communities, towns, and cities. All this, of course, increased the exchange of ideas and thus, systems of government and religions were created. Well, I’m sure you get my point.

However, in looking back at history, I found the gay relationships openly existed. In fact, they were generally quite common. The Sumerians had them. So did the Babylonians. The Hittites and Assyrians, both notably militaristic, had them, as did the Persians and Greeks (remember Alexander the Great?). Even the mighty Roman Empire had openly gay relationships. On the other hand, I didn’t find any evidence that the Egyptians did or for the matter, the Chinese. In fact, some ancient civilizations down right forbid it on pain of death, such as the Huns, Vandals, Mongols, Goths, Norse, Celts, and Germanic tribes.

Of particular importance was that I didn’t find mention of acceptance among the certain nomadic Semite tribes, such as the Hebrews. Their reasoning, as was the Egyptians by the way, was that the desired outcome of a sexual encounter was to produce offspring, which was seen as a form of wealth in what was an agricultural or nomadic society. It seems to me that gay relationship seemed to be more openly accepted as the complexity of a given society increased and/or became more settled.

In today’s society, relationships are not always about procreation any more. They are just as often about companionship or financial arrangements. Technology has made knowledge available to everyone equally. As we become more global, we are exposed to more cultural traditions and religions. No longer are we just Judeo-Christian society. As such, does society therefore have a right or obligation to impose what is chiefly Judeo-Christian values system onto others? There’s a tenet in the ancient nature oriented religion of Wicca which says “Do as you will, but do not harm to others”. Should an otherwise upstanding individual be denied what you and I take for granted, that is, the legal right to share our lives with whomever we chose? We’ve agreed they have the right to fight and die for the freedoms this country stands for, and yet we as a society have said that they don’t have the right to legal relationship with someone of the same gender.

Of course, there are many other issues to consider, such as the right of survivorship, insurance coverage, healthcare coverage, joint ownership of property, a tax deduction, right to adopt, etc. By repealing “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, the GOP and its Conservative allies, have opened Pandora’s Box, and perhaps it’s a box which needs to be opened. Certainly, we as a society need to reexamine what constitutes a legal as well as moral relationship and what, if any, are its boundaries.

The Gouge Gage

As just about every holiday traveler will tell you, gas prices across the country are outrageous. The AAA reported on 12/10/10 that the average price for a gallon of unleaded was $2.98. A week before, it was eight cents cheaper? So what happened in one week to see that kind of an increase? Well, oil company officials will tell you some cockamamie story about a price adjustment due to oil production on a rig in BFG being affected by the flight pattern of birds. The truth as you and I know is much simpler. It was an opportunity to gouge consumers while knowing damn good and well that the government won’t do a thing to interfere. In fact, it’s government’s job to clear the way for the oil companies by creating the illusion of “protecting” us.

Former Shell Oil Chief, John Hofmeister predicted that by 2012, the price of a gallon of gas will be $5.00. He’s not far off the mark. Already, the average price where I live is over $3.00 a gallon. People who are making at or just above minimum wage are already talking about it becoming to expensive to go to work. With bus routes being cut, what are lower income people supposed to do? I don’t see this as a Democrat or Republican issue. I see this simply as corporate greed running amuck and being all but sanctioned by the government. Perhaps the time to nationalize the oil industry is about to dawn.


A few months ago I reviewd a book by Dr. Ida Lichter entitled “Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression” which is published by Prometheus Books, New York. If you haven’t read it yet, you seriously need to. This is perhaps one of the most important books ever written about conservative Islam and its treatment of women you’ll ever read. Recently, Dr. Lichter wrote an article for the Huffington Post (12/20/10) about an often overlooked relgious group, the Bahai and the human rights violations they suffer daily in Iran. I thought you would find the article as compelling as I did.

Baha’is in Iran are Easily Forgotten

Wikileaks has revealed government and diplomatic violations of the truth while paradoxically keeping their own sources secret. In the process, editor in chief and whistleblower Julian Assange has become a hero for human rights defenders. Sadly, the intense publicity surrounding Wikileaks diverts attention from serious injustice and continuing human rights violations, some already on the back burner and badly neglected. A good example is the state-sponsored persecution of Baha'is in Iran.

The 300,000-strong Baha'i community, the largest religious minority in Iran, represents less than 1% of the population. Over the past 30 years, they have suffered torture and execution. They have been denied tertiary education and government jobs, their shops and properties are often seized, cemeteries desecrated and children harassed at school. In addition, Bahai's are facing stepped-up persecution and have been falsely blamed for organizing and inciting anti-government protests although they abstain from partisan political activity on religious principles. Charges against them include espionage, "propaganda activities against the Islamic order" and "corruption on earth," the latter a capital offence. Baha'i communities around the world insist these charges are spurious and part of a campaign to scapegoat members of the faith.

During the Shah's era, Baha'is strove for education and became successful and prominent, creating envy and suspicion, and although police sometimes protected them against Islamic extremists, they were victims of periodic outbreaks of violence.

A major source of ideological friction with Islam is the doctrine of a hierarchy of traditions that subsumes previous ones. According to Baha'is, the Prophet Mohammad was not the last prophet but one in a progressive line, and the next one is not due for a thousand years!

Women's rights are central to Baha'i teaching and in stark contrast to the discriminatory sharia laws implemented by the Islamic Republic of Iran. These rights include full support for the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

There are numerous documented stories of violent arrests and incarcerations in the hundreds of prisons situated in basements of houses in Tehran.

Rozita Vasseghi is a Baha'i prisoner. In Kafkaesque fashion, a man claiming to be a 'postman' arrested her three years ago after a knock on the door, and during repeated interrogations while blindfolded, her captors threatened her with death. Throughout her ordeal, she was denied a lawyer. Following release from prison, she found a job but government authorities exerted pressure on her employers to have her fired. A few years later, she was arrested at her home, and for the next six months, found herself in solitary confinement. Her elderly mother, who was allowed visits of only five minutes, was horrified by her wasted appearance. Accused of insulting Islam, acting against national security and teaching the Baha'i religion, she is serving a five-year sentence.

Rozita's sister Rosa, suffered multiple incarcerations before escaping Iran. She was on her way home in a shared public taxi when the driver asked about her religion. Discovering she was a Baha'i, he stopped and made a phone call. A car with several people soon showed up, the women fully covered in chadors. Rosa was blindfolded and forced into the vehicle and when they reached their destination, she was thrown onto the pavement, her hands were tied and she was dragged down stairs to a room and beaten. Her captors repeatedly called her an infidel and declared her blood would be impure until she renounced her faith and converted to Islam. Over several years, she was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned.

As proponents of a religion originating from Islam, stamped by modernity, universal human rights and compatibility with many Western values, Baha'is are vulnerable targets for persecution by the Iranian theocracy. Baha'i women are doubly at risk, being female and Baha'i, and as victims of severe injustice, they deserve more outrage and support than Assange and Wikileaks.

Ida Lichter is the author of Muslim Women Reformers: Inspiring Voices Against Oppression, published by Prometheus Books, New York.

Getting Pumped at the Pump

On the way to work last Wednesday, I stopped to buy gas, at what I thought was an outrageous price of $3.98 a gallon. On the way home, the price here in Louisville had jumped to $4.15 a gallon! What on earth happened between 7:30 AM and 6:00 PM? Had some refinery been blown up? Had there been some cataclysmic rupture of a pipeline, spilling millions of gallons of crude on the frozen tundra of Alaska (again)? Had some oil tanker run aground (again)? Nope, it was none of those. As it turned out, according to the local news, the price of gas was simply “adjusting” to the new barrel price of $131. Whew, and I thought it was something serious like some greedy little oil sheik or profit grubbing oil execs. It was just some harmless “self adjusting”. Kind of like the type we’re all making in our buying habits, like paying for more for cans of peas, corn, bread, steaks, fish, and even butter (I just read where people are starting to give up their pets because they no longer can afford the pet food). It seems that the pump prices where just catching up to near current pricing of oil. The price I had paid that morning was the based on the price of oil from a couple of months ago. The price on the way home was based on the cost of the same barrel a few weeks ago. According to the oil industry analyst being interviewed, the price at the pump was still “adjusting” and should settle down at around $5.00 to $5.50 a gallon. Luckily that will just be in time for summer vacations. We sure don’t want a fluctuating pump price while visiting all those national parks, resorts, and beaches do we? Then again, who can afford to go on vacation?

I guess what got my goat (which I may have to start riding to work) was what had happened the day before. The Republicans already have some serious issues to contend with, like a “to-be-named-later” official recession, devastating natural disasters affecting homes, businesses, a housing market collapse brought on by speculative lending practices, and crop failures, as well as two wars, and ongoing terrorists threats (not to mention illegal immigration, China, North Korea, exporting of jobs, a health care crisis, a collapsing airline industry, and deteriorating national infrastructure). And to make matters worse, George W Bush is still president. So, what is the dumbest thing the National GOP could do? The Senate GOP blocked a bill that would have imposed a tax on the billions of windfall profits the oil companies are raking in.

According to GOP House leaders, the windfall tax would do little to reduce the price of gas at the pump. Well, maybe it wouldn’t, but it sure would make the public feel better to know somebody was at least trying to do something to stop economic rape of the public. The Democrat sponsored bill would have added a 25% tax on “unreasonable” profits made the oil companies, who, for the first three months of this year, racked up $36 billion dollars in pure profit. Republican leaders commented that they thought the tax would “do more harm than good”. Yeah, but to whom? The people they were elected to represent or the folks who pay for their junkets? The Democrats needed 60 votes to get the bill through. The received only 51, including from seven Republicans who voted for the people, while one Democrat and the remaining Republicans voted “no” in support of the oil companies. The bill would have also rescinded tax breaks to the oil companies, which is expected to save them $17 billion dollars over the next 10 years.

In a second act of stupidity the same day, the Senate Republicans voted to block extending tax credits, which were scheduled to expire, for wind, solar, and other alternative energy development, including energy conservation and efficiency research. I don’t care what your party affiliation is, but when the people you represent are suffering emotionally and financially and you are in a position to do something about it (even if only symbolically), then you do it. Failure to do so is arrogance at best, and borders on political suicide. The failure to help voters at the pump now will---not may--- result in the voter helping the GOP out of office in November. Frankly, I hate to see it, but perhaps a little comeuppance will do the GOP leadership some good.


The Future of the Right

I came across a recent article in which presidential historians are predicting that based on past trends, the John McCain led Republicans are headed for a serious thumping this November. Given what I cited in the previous article, I started thinking about the GOP and its future. Certainly, as a national player, the Republican Party won’t fade away, though many political pundits think it could, at least for awhile, devolve into little more than a regional player (mainly in the Bible-belt South). It is also certainly true that many of the traditional Republicans in the Northeast and Central Western States have already walked away.

Historically, the Republicans were a conglomeration of several third parties. Today, there appears to be three principal groups. The prevalent group most people are familiar with are the Christian Right Republicans (sometimes called Social Conservative Republicans). They are less interested in fiscal issues or government size than they are with social ones such as abortion, same sex marriage, prayer in school, posting of the Ten Commandments, etc. They are best illustrated by George W Bush, Jerry Farwell, and Pat Robertson.

The next group is the Goldwater or Libertarian Republicans. As the name implies, they are interested in getting government out of your life as much as possible. They believe in the old adage that “the government which governs the least governs the best”. Keen on small government, low (or no) taxes, they support private initiatives over public programs. Barry Goldwater, the “father” of the modern Conservative Movement, Ronald Reagan, and Ron Paul are the three best examples.

The last group is the Progressive Republicans (sometimes called the Teddy Roosevelt or Moderate Republicans). It is this group which has historically been the most successful. They are quite at home before a corporate Board of Directors as they are in a Union Hall (in fact, they’ve often been some of Labor’s biggest supporters). Progressives believe government should be kept to a minimal if possible, but should always be used to keep and maintain a level playing field. Unlike the Christian Right or Libertarian Republicans, they believe social issues are essentially private issues. Who you love and choose to marry is a personal issue (whether or not they personally agree with it). Abortion, while it should never be used as a form of birth control, is primarily a private issue and should at least remain an option when the life or health of either the mother or child is at risk. They believe in avoiding foreign wars unless national security is at risk. They supported breaking big business rackets or trusts. They support national programs (like the creation of national parks, the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, employee protection such as OSHA and various anti-discrimination legislation, etc.) when private action alone won’t work. However, they are firm believers that there is no room for hyphenated Americans. Once a citizen, you are an American first and last. Your loyalty is to this country alone, and that means not only learning the language, but also civic participation. The group is best represented by Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, and George H. Bush.

The Moderate and Libertarian Republicans having either been leaving the GOP since the Newt Gringrich led “Republican Revolution” and the rise of the Social Conservatives, or forced to sit on the sidelines. The Social Conservatives under the Reagan and Gringrich leadership could do no wrong, and it seemed the Democrats could do no right. Nevertheless, their results were at first astonishing. Following on the heels of the “Revolution” however was Bill Clinton, and despite his inability to keep his pants zipped, lead the country to the best economic growth it had ever seen. Internally, the Socially Conservative Republicans (perhaps because of their stinging loss of the presidency) began “Rino” hunting. The term “Rino” is intended to be a derogatory word meaning “Republican in Name Only” and implied that, in a phrase, “if you ain’t with us, you’re against us” (the Democrats have a similar term for ultra conservatives in their party, whom they call a “Dino”). Their idea was to work against a fellow Republican, even if it meant supporting a Democrat if that Republican wasn’t conservative enough. Such was the widening fissures in the Right’s control of the GOP and weakening of the party.

Lastly was the election of George W. Bush. Starting off as the butt of every late night comedy routine, Bush emerged as the dynamic leader of a stricken nation following the cowardly 9/11 attacks. And for awhile, he was. However, Bush (and many would say Rove, Cheney, and Rumsfeld) led the nation into a military and economic quagmire that we may be decades in extricating ourselves from. Now we are faced with a so-called Republican moderate in Senator John McCain and a unproved Junior Senator from Illinois by the name of Barack Obama for President.

The Chinese philosopher and military strategist, Sun Tzu once said “know your enemy and know yourself and you will find victory”. To which I reply, know your enemy’s philosophy and know your own, and you will find victory. The Republicans want to take America back to a time of Ronald Reagan. The Democrats want to take America forward to a “time of Hope”. Americans have seen the past. We know the promises it held. But we know where those same promises have also led us. I think Americans will choose a future which holds out a promise of hope over a past which has led no where.

As for the Republicans, perhaps it’s time to return to the future and again embrace the values which made it so successful like personal responsibility, an entrepreneurial spirit, and a sense of social moderation.


I alluded earlier to the failure of government to maintain our infrastructure. Regular contributor “Moderate Man” has a few words on the subject himself. See what you think.

America’s Infrastructure Needs an Overhaul

America’s infrastructure needs an overhaul from top to bottom. It desperately needs leadership from the executive office. Someone with vision and determination. It also needs funding and tax reform to make it work for centuries to come. Our country started over two centuries ago with no infrastructure and a smaller population. My, look at what we have grown into! Not only has our land mass expanded, but so has our technology and population. We have 8,420,000 total road miles (2,308,602 are urban and 6,111,987 are rural), of which 87,944 miles are interstate and of those, only 46.5% are listed in good condition, according to the Department of Transportation. The county has 169,346 miles of oil pipelines and 1,437,500 miles of natural gas pipelines. America has 157,000 miles of high voltage transmission power lines with 10,000 power plants. Usually there are disruptions in service in the summer months. There are networks consisting of 120,000 miles of major railroads.

Meanwhile, the country’s publicly funded rail, Amtrak, has only 505 stations in 46 states on 22,000 route miles. It only owns 3% or 730 route miles. America has over 25,000 miles of commercially navigable waterways and over 19,900 airports. This vast system also includes over 500 major urban public transit operators and more than 300 ports on the coasts, Great Lakes, and inland waterways with 26,000 total miles of navigable channels. According to the Department of Transportation, 72,520 of America’s bridges (599,766 total bridges in America) are listed as structurally deficient and 79,804 are listed as functionally obsolete. That will make you feel safe the next time you cross a bridge. America has 79,000 total dams blocking 600,000 miles of rivers (about 17% of all rivers in America). Dams don’t last forever. Experts indicate there are one TRILLION dollars needed in water and sewer projects around the country. Think about that the next time you brush your teeth. Transportation contributes 11 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product, amounting to approximately one trillion. Transportation accounts for 19 percent of spending by the average household in America-as much as food and health care combined-and second only to spending on housing. Although it might be more due to the recent fuel increase costs.

The U.S. transportation system carries over 4.7 trillion passenger miles of travel and 3.7 trillion ton miles of domestic freight generated by about 270 million people, 6.7 million business establishments, and 88,000 units of government. Rail and maritime transportation each account for over 11 percent of the tonnage carried. America’s transportation system each year carried 2.7 trillion miles of travel by cars and trucks, more than 9 billion trips on public transit, more than 640 million passengers boarding’s on airplanes, 21 million trips on Amtrak, and nearly 700 million rail freight train miles. Our country in short, uses the infrastructure very heavily. It needs maintenance and replacement in sections. We don’t need to be rebuilding other country’s infrastructure. Fix our own first! The solution is simple, but not easy. Infrastructure should be revenue dedicated and untouchable for other federal agency expenditures. The same for national defense and social security. There should be a tax at the point of profit for these 3 items and a fourth for the rest of the federal government expenses. This doesn’t include any state or city taxes that could be added. Take care of America first!


Moderate Man


Poll Results

With gas prices rising, I asked if oil companies should be nationalized. 40% of you said “no” and the free market should dictate prices. 35% of you thought oil companies needed stronger governmental regulation, while 15% thought oil companies should be nationalized.