This is America? I'm beginning to have my doubts

Could you imagine the media uproar if a conservative landlord had done something similar during the Bush years? This happened at Concord Mills in Concord, North Carolina just north of Charlotte.

http://www.freemarketwarrior.com/blog/7-message-of-the-week/24-my-hardest-decision

The hypocrisy is deafening!

Four Reasons the Federal Government CANNOT be Trusted

1. The U.S. Constitution told us not to.

2. Medicare was passed in 1965 and projected a $9B price tag for the year 1990. The cost in 1990 was, in 1965 dollars, $67B.

3. Medicaid was passed in 1987 with an estimated cost of $100M per year. By 1993 the cost for that year was $11B!

4. In 2006 Massachusetts passed its own universal plan that covers 97% of its citizens. Estimated cost per year was $725M. Just three years later in 2009 the cost is $1B.

Be afraid, be very afraid of the putrid incompetence spewed by Washington regardless of which Party holds the White House.

Need more?

5. The income tax in 1916 was supposed to be 1% for the average guy, and for the rich would be 7%. Four years later, it was 77% top bracket on the rich.

6. Social Security was originally supposed to be 1% on all of us, to be collected if you lived to be 65. At that time the life expectancy was 63, so no one was never supposed to collect. It now costs 6 times what it was originally estimated to cost. It is a Ponzi scheme!

Ignoring Science

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=483260

I bet you don't see this news reported in the lamestream media, yet we MUST pass cap-and-trade and Al Gore must continue to receive accolades from liberals.

". . . internal global climate-system variability accounts for at least 80% of the observed global climate variation over the past half-century. It may even be more if the period of influence of major volcanoes can be more clearly identified and the corresponding data excluded from the analysis."

Ask yourself why this global warming agenda continues to be pushed by liberals? When you arrive at the answer, next ask yourself why anyone would support politicians who push deceitful, fraudulent agendas? It's sad!

Don't let the facts get in the way of an agenda!

Mistakes of the 1970's, 1930's and Today

Excerpts from the July 22, 2009 issue of the Technical Trader Report
Author: Jon L. Johnson

I have talked plenty about how the US is repeating its sins of the past at least in terms of hamstringing the economy and American ingenuity and thus insuring a prolonged recession versus a quick recovery based on investment here in the US, spurred by incentives to spend and invest when there is no reason to do so. What has always made the US great, what has always made us the most vibrant and robust economy in the world, is our adherence to free enterprise principals and our steadfast belief in letting the private sector contract and conduct business without excessive government interference or regulation. When we stray from those principals we suffer, e.g. the 1970's and 1930's.

The US has always been the champion of those wanting to succeed and be a part of the country. We have always taken the best from everyone and rewarded them in return. The US went astray when it started turning to government to solve all of the problems or perceived problems in our country. You can trace most of the major governmental encroachments to crises, e.g. the Great Depression, the war on drugs, 9-11, the latest economic meltdown. There is absolutely nothing wrong with foreigners coming to the US, but the problem is that now we try to provide anyone and everyone, even to the exclusion of native citizens, free services gratis federal dollars that of course come from taxpayers.

We have fallen out of balance with the risk/reward equation. You don't have to risk anything to be rewarded. You can collect welfare, social security, Medicare (all of these programs are rife with fraud) without doing anything. When 55% of the people pay no income taxes and yet receive well in excess of half the federal benefits you have a definite problem with incentives. President Bush crowd how his tax plan would take more people off the tax rolls. That is EXACTLY THE WRONG THING TO DO. We ALL need a stake in the game, we all need to put some chips in the pot in order to take some chips. Now we have a large group of voters that pay no income taxes yet can swing elections and vote for more benefits from those that do pay the taxes.

Unfortunately that is going to get even more out of whack now with the new Administration and its policies that continue reducing those that pay taxes and putting more burden on those that produce the innovation and thus our economic expansion. If you want less of something, tax it more. We are giving more away without requiring toil to earn it and failing to reward those that foot the bill. In history that is a recipe for disaster, and we are brewing it.
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Amen bro!

The Wisdom of Thomas Jefferson

John F. Kennedy once said to an assembled group of scholars in the White House, "I think this is the most extraordinary collection of talent, of human knowledge, that has ever been gathered at the White House - with the possible exception of when Thomas Jefferson dined alone."

The quotes below could prove his point.

*** Thomas Jefferson ***

• "When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe"
• "The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not."
• "It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world."
• "I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them."
• "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government."
• "No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms."
• "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government."
• "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

In light of the present financial crisis, it is interesting to read what Thomas Jefferson said in 1802: "Banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. "

Doesn't this sound eerily familiar to what is happening in America today?

Healthcare - The Forthcoming Debacle

Just a few observations:

• If this "universal" coverage is so wonderful, why did Congress exempt themselves from participating in it? That's right! In the legislation, our omnipotent Democrat members of Congress excluded themselves. Instills confidence doesn't it? Where do I sign up?
  
  
• Do you remember how the Democrat Party cried foul when President Bush suggested that we privatize part of the Social Security program so the younger generations would actually get something out of this ponzi-scheme? Think long and hard. How did the Democrat's oppose the legislation? ? ? ? ? LIES AND SCARE TACTICS! They told seniors that their benefits would be cut or taken away.

Fast-forward to today where proof abounds that nationalized healthcare leads to poorer quality and rationing of care and all we hear from the Democrats is "WE MUST PASS THIS LEGISLATION IS TWO WEEKS!"

Need proof? Do some research on the nationalized care in Canada, Europe and Australia. Find out what the waiting period is for basic procedures and preventive care. Find out what drugs and procedures are NOT available in these utopian environments that are available in the United States. Find out how they ration care. Guess where it starts?

It starts with SENIOR CITIZENS! Do you hear the Democrats screaming from the mountain tops how this universal program will kill senior citizens if it is passed? Hell no! The sad part is, while the Republicans have the truth on their side, they can't do anything to stop this freight train now that Stuart Smalley is a United States Senator. WHAT A #$%@#*& JOKE WASHINGTON HAS BECOME!

Need more proof? Do you remember tax-cheat Tom Daschle? He was nominated to be the healthcare czar but, like most Obama nominees, he didn't pay his taxes and withdrew his nomination unlike our esteemed Treasury Secretary. Read Daschle's calm explanation of how care will be doled out by government officials based on a cost benefit analysis. Guess where the cost generally outweighs the benefit??? SENIOR CITIZENS!

Even if you are a staunch Democrat, aren't you the least bit curious why the impotent Republican Party has not cast a single vote for either of Obama's ramrod pieces of legislation? Could there be some validity to the "no" votes? Could it possibly be that these are piece-of-shit, power-grabs that need to be killed?

WAKE UP!

Congress Needs a Read-the-Bill Bill

After reading the above-titled opinion piece in IBD this weekend, I couldn't help but feel my blood pressure go up. Check it out for yourself at: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=481959

Did You Know?

• Lawmakers voted on the stimulus and global warming bills without having read either.
• They will eventually vote on health care legislation in the same manner.
• The Waxman-Markey, the global warming bill, passed the House last month after Democrats added a 309-page amendment at 3 a.m. the morning before the vote, bringing that package of nonsense up to 1,200 or so pages.
• The health care bill contains provisions for funding walking paths, bike paths, streetlights, gym equipment and farmers' markets.
• The health care bill exempts members of Congress from participating in the universal plan.

The op-ed's call to action is a simple, a "humble bill" that would "simply require each member of Congress to sign a document saying he or she had read the legislation in full before they could vote for it."

CAN YOU BELIEVE SUCH A THING IS NECESSARY? Washington, D.C. and many of the state capitals around our once great nation are full of people who are perpetually running for reelection by giving handouts to the undeserving. And while that is obvious to all that care to pay attention, they are never held accountable.

If you really want to fix this country in a hurry, you do three things:

#1 - Income Tax Holiday

#2 - Term Limits

#3 - Balanced Budget Amendment

That's it!

#1 should help us recover from the recession. #2 gets these buffoons out of our nation's and state capitals after a few terms so they can focus their attention on doing good rather than running for re-election and #3 will get rid of all the bullshit shenanigans that the Democrat Congress is currently perpetuating by pushing through gut-retching budget deficits, taking over entire industries and placating to their narrow constituents.

WAKE UP!

Where's the Stimulus?

First of all, can we all agree that the $780B boondoggle bill is NOT stimulus? Even the most ardent Democrat supporter must see it for what it is, a power-grab by a socialist to centralize everything in Washington. After all, they are omnipotent and smarter-than-the-rest-of-us.

When you add it all up - non-stimulus spending PLUS a new proposed non-stimulus spending bill PLUS taking over the banks PLUS taking over the car companies PLUS taking over healthcare what other conclusion can you arrive at? Seriously, this is not a rhetorical question!!!!!

When you promise to allow all bills to be posted online for five days "so the public has a chance to read it" and then blow it through the legislative process with ZERO VOTES from the opposition Party, you've got to acknowledge it for what it is. Right?

With that said, I want to point out a solution to the current economic crisis as floated by Art Laffer yesterday. Mr. Laffer made the following point: instead of spending $780B on projects and funding state deficits, why not just give every person and business a year long tax-free holiday? The money would hit the economy immediately. Investment would surge. The economy would boom. Tax revenues the following year would explode. We avoid the protracted recoveries of the 1930's and 1970's that the government is pursuing now. Sure we miss out on a year's worth of tax revenue (e.g. $1.4T in 2007) but who cares? D.C. can tighten the belt as well, cut spending, let the economy boom, then the entire difference would be more than made up by the subsequent boom. And let's face it, revenues will be NOWHERE NEAR the 2007 levels; the CBO is telling the feds that revenues are down over 30% already. That puts it in the ballpark of the spending package cost.

Why not cancel the non-stimulus spending, shift it to a tax-holiday for a year, and let the economic growth explode - we lose NOTHING and can gain everything????

THE REASON this will never happen with the current regime is POWER and SOCIALISM. If our so-called leaders were working in our best interest, they would employ some kind of outside-the-box solution like a tax-free holiday. Instead we get higher spending, higher taxes and printing money. It has FAILED every single time it has been tried.

WHY THE HELL DO WE PUT UP WITH THIS?

This Recession is NOT Different! It is Depressingly Familiar.

Excerpts from the July 3, 2009 issue of the Technical Trader Report
Author: Jon L. Johnson

Over the past week people are stating "This is not your father's recession." Today one fellow said that this is a different recession, of a kind we are not used to. I would posit that that is EXACTLY our father's recession. The reason I say that is because I was a kid in the 70's and I lived through that recession but my father was a worker during that time. This recession that we are having is very much the same kind that we had in the 1970's. We had the oil shock, regulation, money printing that debased our currency and ignited inflation pressures. This recession has the same catalysts and responses. There was the oil shock at $140 a barrel last year. The same monetization of the oil shock and response to economic slowing has sewn the seeds of inflation. Regulation is again exploding and we have adopted a lot of governmental policies that are bent on spending versus actually encouraging economic growth.

Those are the same mistakes that made in the 1970's. From Nixon, to Ford, to Carter, it was one boondoggle after another. During the 70's the blue chip stocks - really all stocks - were losing most of their value, the economy was slack (that is the best you can say for it right now), there was high inflation, and there was high unemployment. That's what we have now and it is getting worse, heading toward the 1970's levels. On top of that, the government in the 1970's did nothing substantive, at least in terms of positive impact, to help the situation. The government was regulating and the government was spending. Regulation and spending do not - I repeat - DO NOT result in economic recovery. The result was that we had 10 hideous years until Reagan took office. Then we had a tough recession - the end of the 10-year recession - as President Reagan and Fed chairman Paul Volcker broke inflation's back. What they did was put forth the right kind of fiscal stimulus, coupled with tough monetary policy that actually raised interest rates. People thought that was crazy with the inflation and high unemployment, but Volcker raised interest rates, and combined with the Reagan stimulus helped quell inflation. It also spurred massive investment in the United States and we rode the resulting boom for the next 20-odd years until we managed to kill it off with this profligate spending once again, under Republican and Democrat administrations.

Sadly, as noted, we are doing the same thing once more. When you look at the stimulus bill, there are a lot of things that they call stimulus, such as the healthcare records and the green initiatives. However, of the $800B+ in stimulus, only a paltry $50B has actually hit the economy at this point. I believe you can go to a place called www.stimulus.gov and see the results of that spending. None of that is stimulating small business or really any business to invest in themselves or in the United States. I have talked to many small businesses, and NONE of them have received any stimulus or are in any way induced to spend or invest regarding their businesses as a result of this stimulus package.

What we are getting from the stimulus are companies such as GE and its CEO Jeff Immelt coming out and buddying up with all of the administration officials about the green initiative. Wal-Mart Wednesday came out and said it really liked the proposed healthcare plan even though details are fuzzy. Why? Because it will benefit WMT. Beware when the government shows up and says "I am here to help," and you should also beware when mega corporations come out in support of massive government spending programs. They are basically governments themselves and they see this as a benefit to their bottom lines. You might think that is fine, but what benefits a few mega-corporations is not usually good for all of America. Immelt and GE see their savior as this green initiative. They feel they can take their light bulbs and other aspects of the company and use the green initiative as a massive profit center, using our tax dollars to pay for it before trying to sell the stuff back to us. Beware. Wal-Mart sees profit potential because it has its in-store clinics and it wants to latch onto the government and use that money to funnel profit into its coffers, again using our tax dollars to make money for itself.

My wife saved me money one day. She went out and bought a bunch of stuff that was 30-40% off. She spent several hundred dollars and came back telling me what a great job she had done saving me money. That is exactly what GE and Wal-Mart are promising when they stump for these massive government spending programs that do not add anything to the economy - all they do is take money from taxpayers, whether they be individuals or businesses, and allow a few big enterprises to retool their businesses.

It is a fact that large corporations are not the job creators in the United States. I have researched the issue on several different occasions, and even the Small Business Administration figures bear out, that small business creates the lion's share of jobs. It is well accepted that small businesses create 70% or more of the jobs in the country. Look where all of the jobs in technology came from in the 80's: companies like Apple, Microsoft, Cisco - those start ups that had the new and better ideas. They are the ones that created the massive job growth - the start ups, the new ideas that catch the next wave of technology or the next wave of invention. Conversely, initiating programs that tax American citizens to for initiatives that only big companies can take advantage of and use as profit centers is not going to create more jobs. It will only rescue these companies that need some form of their own government bailout. That is why they are out there so vigorously promoting these programs. Again, beware. Let your Congressmen know that that is not what you want because it is not good for the country and it is not good for you.

Open Letter to Our Leaders - A Novel Approach to Running the Government

Dear Distinguished Members of the State Legislature and Federal Government,

Instead of raising taxes in the middle of a recession, have you considered cutting your spending? It is a novel, reality-based approach that millions of households across the country must do on a regular basis. How it works for us plebeians is we have to go out and earn the money that flows through our checkbook. You, on the other hand, do not generate anything of value. You add nothing to the economy. You are simply an elected vacuum cleaner (do you hear that sucking sound? that's my wallet!). I would bet my house that over half of the jobs held by "civil servants" (or better categorized as Democrat voters) can be eliminated with no impact on the so called services they provide to us lay-people.

My challenge to all legislators, both federal and state, is to do the right thing. Stop running for re-election and start representing the people and your re-election will be a foregone conclusion. Talk to us in our language. Expose government largess for what it is. Propose cutting bullshit programs and projects. Be bold! Be different! Go against the grain! The amount of waste of taxpayer money in this country is astronomical. STOP IT!

If you think raising taxes is the way out rather than cutting your own drunken spending habits, you clearly slept through Economics 101. I defy any of you to take your average Economics book and read it into the legislative record. Read the chapter on tax cuts. I DARE YOU!

If you think tax increases and further regulations are the way out of this recession, then, in addition to the Economics 101 book, I recommend a copy of a history book detailing the economic policies of the 1970's.

Class dismissed.

P.S. Do the right thing!