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By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jul 2nd, 2009 at 6:03 pm EDT

The stimulus bill was never designed to produce jobs in 09, it was written with a strong political flavor producing most of the jobs in 2010 in time for midterm elections. When I see the Goldman Sachs profits and former employees calling the economic shots for Obama, you know his people won't crack down on their abuses. Selling mortgage bonds with 3 times the subprime and sub A values with the rating given to normal 8% subprime share is fraud. The fact they shorted their own bonds and made 11 billion tells a story. So does cashing out on oil future contracts when that price was bid illegally to $140/bbl. If you can get the Hunt brothers for doing that with silver, you can get Goldman for doing that with oil. Putting a bank in charge of financial regulation (Federal Reserve) is absurd. Letting banks raise mortgage rates when prime and interbank rates have not increased has stopped the increase needed in housing starts. Squeezing the middle class further with nuisance fee increases (even charging for extra FDIC coverage) should not be allowed. 14 trillion came out of global stock markets and auditing the withdrawals for tax liability will generate billions in additional taxes. Income taxes from earned income is down substantially, but I question the capital gains reporting. Sheila Bair has done a great job without the investment bank bias shown by others. She should have won the war for the top economic advisior spot.

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Neda Martyr Scarves

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 25th, 2009 at 10:54 am EDT

The Women of Iran should wear black scarves with a picture of Neda ascending to heaven above the Dome of the Rock. The strong message will draw the moderate clergy to the demonstrators side. Honoring the dead is something Shiism respects beyond Khomenei's ability to stop.

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Stop Oil and Gas Price Fixing

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 17th, 2009 at 11:51 am EDT

$140/bbl oil and $5/gal gas was the arrow that burst the financial/housing bubble in our sales and service economy. With limited refinery capacity any slowdown reducing stocks forces a price rise and more profit for them, since they virtually control the market from the drill rig to the corner gas station and oil supplier. The Hunt brothers went down in the 80's for manipulating silver prices, we should do the same today with the bidders that cashed out future contracts, the main cause of the $140/bbl price. Gas at $4 and oil above $70 will cause inflation, hamper disposable income and slow if not stop what appears to be economic recovery. Refineries that make artificial shortages to increase prices should be fined as price fixers.

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Give Pakistan Help To Get Mehsud

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 16th, 2009 at 12:29 am EDT

The Taliban freedom fighters are flocking to help Baitullah, the roads are mined, IEDs are in pace and the number of available helicopters is small against dug in mountain positions. Ask Pakistan to send over a tactical general to give our drone crews firing orders and use them in conjunction with Pakistan forces. Send back to Pakistan the engineers mine clearing pods and some body armor. Pakistan has asked us for drones which we can't be sure won't be used against India. Giving their general control and still have our men operate will help this war greatly since most of virulent idealogues are trying to protect Mehsud.

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Step One In Making Palestine

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 14th, 2009 at 2:26 pm EDT

The call for the two state solution required the recognition of the Jewish state and disarmament. The first step and demand from Israel has been taken. Palestine now should ask for control of the Dome of the Rock grounds and be recognized as the keepers of the Dome. Not Jerusalem since Israel will never give up the Western Wall. Sending more food and development aid to Palestine through Israel paid for rich neighbors will probably be asked for at the Israeli called for summit. I don't know if Rahm or Hillary pulled strings to get this change of heart, but it is welcome.

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The Persian Voice Of Reason

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 14th, 2009 at 1:37 pm EDT

There has been an open criticism of the country's policy concerning relations with the West and U.S. and the push for the bomb. By declaring a 63% vote they have shown themselves out of line with most of the 30 million connected to the internet that know better. The peaceful banter in the streets between opposing supporters at least shows respect for life by them. The few incidents of overzealous police may have been recorded on modern cellphones. The religious police has censored social/business interaction of females with less girls attending their schools. It has hurt their economy with men now marrying 3 years older than under the Shah. All the oil wealth has been spent building a missile/nuclear capability with a few crumbs sent to the poor in rural areas. Lying about the elections results was a poor choice by a supposedly truthful Islamic Republic. Obama was correct in chiding Islam for not treating women as equals by not educating them. Islam gives believers a duty to pass on knowledge to benefit man and whom can pass knowledge on to children better than a mother. Women while not having a duty to support their family financially, do so in moderate settings like India, Turkey and soon Indonesia to the benefit of their families and society. Their women are not harlots and keep modesty and faith while also being part of the economy. Many older Iranians that lived better under the Shah, the educated and the young voted against Ahmadinejad, while the rural poor and connected voted for him.

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Panetta's Right Call

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 9th, 2009 at 8:39 pm EDT

Can't prove a crime without evidence, and the CIA destroyed most of the interrogation tapes. Bush documents are a link, along with Freedom of Information acts court required documents to our use of torture. They should be destroyed as were the interrogation tapes. Obama has more than once accepted blame for Iraq and torture, he should throw the wolves at the door a bone and prosecute someone that went beyond the loose Dubya torture guidelines. The CIA was ordered to torture with Dubya's justice dept. giving cover for illegal objections. The whole interrogation division of the CIA will be compromised by releasing this information as well as more fuel for jihadist recruitment. Obama wisely does not go against the expert opinions in the military nor NSAs. When the courts say release, the military says not, we all know whom wins.

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New Jerusalem

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Jun 3rd, 2009 at 5:40 pm EDT

You have the holiest sight in Judaism the Western Wall built at the base of the Dome of the Rock grounds above. The Dome of the Rock is second the the Grand Mosque in Mecca in importance in Islam. I believe peace can be made by building a New Jerusalem north of old, have a connecting tunnel monitored jointly through old Jerusalem to the grounds of the Dome of the Rock. A mile wide corridor from New Jerusalem to the West Bank and another to Gaza would make Palestine somewhat contiguous. Giving up hating Jewry and the destruction of Israel must be part of the agreement. The Saudi's and gulf oil states can finance the building of New Jerusalem which would benefit both Israel and Palestine. I think giving the Dome to Paletine and Jerusalem brand new and modern would be quite a carrot for peace. Putting the Dome again under the control of Islam can only be seen kindly by the bulk of Islam which would then help in the war on terror.

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Is Fusion Power A Reality?

By James from Brooklyn, NY - May 30th, 2009 at 2:27 pm EDT

The breakthrough at the National Ignition Facilty at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory has shown 192 lasers all hitting the same point can reach sun core temperatures needed for fusion. They said the amount of energy used by the lasers is less than that produced by fusion in hypothethical computer models. The first fusion reactor should be studied, duplicated, enhanced and become the main source of power, not only for us, but the world. Funding for this should be a priority in the budget and discretionary spending. Electric/hydrogen vehicles will become the norm with unlimited ability to produce hydrogen from distilled water at fusion plants. Our fossil fuel using days are over and it is wonderful America came up with the breakthrough.

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More Refugee Relief For Pakistan

By James from Brooklyn, NY - May 9th, 2009 at 7:43 am EDT

The president should authorize the State Dept. to ship emergency supplies to Pakistan for the flood of refugees fleeing the army/Taliban fight. Tons of food, tents, water, generators, port-o-sans etc. should be provided. Helping these people is wining their trust in defeating the Taliban. If the effort is real and gains are made, Obama should use proclamation power to make Pakistan textiles free of duty here. Their request for drones should be met with drone teams sent in as adjuncts to the Pakistan military, so they can't be used against India. We should end all government corn ethanol subsides, buying sugar ethanol on the market and replace ethanol with food/feed corn subsidies. The worldwide food shortage along with the Afghan/Pakistan theater can be helped greatly when food and feed corn sent to increase livestock holdings wins tribal loyalties.

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Roxana Saberi Statement From Hillary

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Apr 18th, 2009 at 10:27 am EDT

The sentencing of American journalist Roxana Saberi to 8 years for doing her job is an affront to all women in Islam. There is a duty in Islam to spead knowledge to help mankind, yet the fundamentalists don't want to educate the very people mothers most responsible for passing knowledge onto their children. Iranian women out of public life has strained the economy where it now takes 3 more years to build enough wealth to support a wife having an older age to marry and start families. Shia religion is not keeping women down, Karachi Shia don't do this, but enhancing life and pilgrimage to Najav and Karbala. We should ask for her release, an end to their nuclear program and we will help them build a light passenger pilgrimage railway to Iraq. We should insist on an end to the missile prgram too, with the threat of deploying the missile defense in Israel. Putin should also not interfere with NATO's exercise in Georgia with the understanding of not deploying the missile defense. Any move by Russia should be met with a movement of armor from Germany to Poland. Russian pressure on Iran would greatly leverage our position and should be our first goal together with reduced nuclear arsenals.

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Afghan Reality

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Apr 10th, 2009 at 2:30 pm EDT

Trying to make Afghanistan a Democratic country is not the right strategy. We should form a new government based on a legistlature made by population number and a local ruling Jirga Governor representing each tribe and sect. The president is selected from the ruling governors that would have local control but not export their form of Sharia to others. We must insist Afghan girls be educated since they will pass their knowledge onto their children. Tribe by Pashtun tribe we must replace poppy with Caterpillar tractors and Deere farm equipment. Building the roads needed to get produce to market is a job for NATO. Funding a railway to Pakistan would create local jobs and get the agrarian economy of Afghanistan into the large market next door. Getting the schools, clinics, reservoirs, and waste treatment plants will spur local economic growth with the addition of roads. Electrical generation can be done with generators from G.E. Win the people tribe by tribe, make them self sufficient and they will come to our side. One way to change how we conserve would be to take the ethanol subsides for corn turn them into feed/food to export to Afghan farmers (chickens, goats etc.) to increase their livestock holdings, feed the starving elsewhere and use our Navy to get aid where needed. Feed corn is a nice subsidy for an agrarian economy whose GNP should increase greatly with the market next door in Pakistan. Getting the Afghan security forces to be honest is a priority to winning over the people. NATO again should be strong in these efforts. The faster poppy is eradicated and replaced, the quicker this war will be won. Getting the Karzai government to be stronger and more honest should also be addressed in private.

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Somethings got to change

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Apr 5th, 2009 at 7:43 am EDT

The only one with a handle on anything is Sheila Bair at FDIC. The Deputy treasurers were not there to be ready at G-20. Why bail out AIG's European exposure without their help? Why pay AIG's execs when there are thousands of qualified execs on the street and compliance people underneath do all the legwork? Why has Ms. Lay gotten ill gotten gains? Why have bankers and AIG kept their old commissions on falsely stated profits? If there is a free market why do let them sell CDS and guaranteed return guaranteeing economies? Why haven't the oil price future manipulators gone down like the Hunt brothers with silver? Why hasn't middle class and small business lending been guaranteed instead of the bank bailout? Why limit commissions to $200,000 when only unprofitable areas should be punished to federal fund receivers? Why hasn't the banks calls been covered by 30 year T-bills with a 5% bump-up to cover 1/2 of cashing in? Why hasn't the housing/mall backed securities been broken away from worthless paper to be sold for 6% on the amount undertaken with a guarantee on original amount? Printing money and giving it people to spend is not productive, job creation and American market support is the answer. Retooling Detroit will take 3-5 years with 200,000 more job losses in that industry. We should force our elected officials to buy only American cars with the fed. picking up 10% of the tab for state and local governments buying last years unsold models. Tax credits for better mechanical, insulation, solar water heaters, thermal doors/windows, geothermal transfer in new structures would spur further job creation. Republicans were awful and have most responsibility for the crisis (Clinton, Franks, Dodd too), but Pelosi, Reid and Dodd on banking have proved not up to the task with only Obama's directed stimulus bill with not enough up front job creation. Geithner and Bernanke both should go, but Obama does not have anybody wanting the jobs anyway.

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Afghanistan The Real War On Terror

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 28th, 2009 at 8:43 am EDT

Karzai and the security forces have hands like catchers mitts in taking their forced end. The 4000 new additions are to train more Afghan recruits into the force. The government does not work for the people which must change. Giving a national order all girls must be educated as they pass their knowledge to their children, should be the only restriction on strict Sharia practiced by various Pashtun tribes. The agrarian jobs of most Afghans should try to replace poppy, tribe by tribe and arming them to defend themselves from mideast intruders. Building roads, reservoirs, clinics, power generation should be left to NATO troops except Canada, a part of British and Austalians alongside Americans doing the fighting/patroling. Aid in the form of tractors, farm equipment, generators, roadbuilding equipment should be in the mix. A railway from Afghanistan to Karachi would allow the vast agrarian potential of Afghanistan to reach the large market next door. Roads connecting to railway load cars gets the produce to market. The completion of the Afghan/Pakistan oil pipeline to Tajikistan brings reserves larger than Saudi Arabia to market with Afghanistan and Pakistan making pipeline/shipping royalties. The choice between 8th century Taliban lifestyle and a Turkish style Islam can be enhanced by bringing Turkish Imans to teach in Afghan madrassahs. Roads will soon have trading posts then health clinics set up, then schools. A better life for the Afghan tribes wins the people and the war. We should tailor our policies to reach that goal.

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4,000 More Brave Warriors Going To Afghanistan

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 26th, 2009 at 8:35 pm EDT

More troops mean more flexibility in fighting the Taliban and then the drug traffic. Karzai must clean up his house and the military or be changed. Breaking Afghanistan into different tribal areas of influence as part of their government would be a step forward. Drug trade is a blight on the region and the world making it a priority. Replacing poppy with cash crops need roads built, reservoirs built, and a rail connection to Pakistan the enormous market next door. NATO should be handed this mission and leave the fighting to us, Canada, Australia and Brits in a dual role matching the Canadian force in fighting men with the rest for reconstruction. We can give Caterpillar and Deere contracts to supply farming equipment, and G.E. for generators and electricity generation. Build clinics near newly opened trading posts on roads. Make the life of the Afghan better by teaching both boys and girls since mothers pass their knowledge onto their children. This is one area where Islamic Fundamentalism should not be accepted. Bring the Grand Muftee from Egypt to push the point. The Shia of Pakistan can be our ally where we can push for less strict Sharia regarding beards, women's rights and punishments. The Pashtun tribes range from Afghanistan to the Swat valley in Pakistan being Sunni and some with strict Sharia. Our foreign policy toward Pakistan requires refinement as the situation there is fragile with the Taliban getting stronger every day. The proliferation of Wahabi style madrassahs gives the Taliban a stream of fresh recruits because the graduates have no job skills.

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No Bailout For Tax Cheat Helpers

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 14th, 2009 at 6:49 am EDT

Tax hiding banks should not be allowed to exist. Time has come to take the hard line against the Swiss/Cayman type tax avoidance banks accounts. Any bank that transfers money to these banks are guilty of conspiracy to commit tax fraud. Ban transfers both ways from western banks until the names of the cheaters are given. Unnamed accounts should be seized/frozen until they identify themselves. More than a trillion in unpaid taxes will be recouped as well as old money taken under RICO. No bailout money for UBS types until the books are open. When they still don't comply, use our and European military to enforce a Kennedy type Cuban missile crisis embargo on anything getting in or out. They will then concede defeat and open up. Change the tax law so 2010 will have penalties for taxes owed over a million receive at 5 times the tax liability. There is little doubt in my mind this will pay for the current additional stimulus money in the budget and will fund the healthcare initiative.

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Worldwide IMF Bailout

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 13th, 2009 at 5:14 am EDT

The economic summit should get the world to set parameters on global financial sectors that end credit default swaps, derivatives, credit given beyond payment ability, maximum 12-1 leveraging and having reserves to pay your obligations. To shore up the banks, IMF should allow the printing of M3 money based on the amount of currency in circulation. Banks shore up their balance sheets with 30 year T-bills. All calls are paid with these notes with an additional 5% added to their current value. Receivers need cash, they take the 10% hit for early cashout. International banks have 30 years to pay back these obligations and without putting this money into circulation interest rates can remain at their low rate giving banks more profit. Inflation due to oil price rises will be contained as the West moves more toward alternative energy.

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Break Up Grants.gov

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 11th, 2009 at 7:01 pm EDT

The government grants have increased by over 60% still using the same servers getting overwhelmed with voulme. Buy 2 identical server systems having 1 for small business, 1 for education and 1 for everything else. The more time lost by the people, the greater the suffering. The cost would nominal to do this and future servers should look into the HTTP type of server that does not slow down as you expand across.

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What Is Geithner Hiding?

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 9th, 2009 at 5:04 pm EDT

I question why Geithner is withholding the extent of the financial damage and cost of ridding the balance sheets of toxic assets. My guess is the amount is around 15 trillion. After 8 years of lies and class warfare against the middle class, tell the truth, even with the confidence hit and deal with the problem openly.

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Carrot Or Stick For Iran

By James from Brooklyn, NY - Mar 9th, 2009 at 5:00 pm EDT

Obama should give Iran an offer it can't refuse to get on the road to peace. We should together build a pilgrimage railway from Karachi to Najav and Karbala. We could even use their army to guard it in Afghanistan and use pro American Pakistan Shia there. A no answer will be met with a bombing of the Arak reactor which would end their bomb aspirations. No plutonium trigger and you can't build a missile carried bomb.

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