BLOG December 8, 2008
Just opened a communiqué from Keri Anne, an acquaintance in Canada, which says that in her part of the world they are reviewing international Social Watch reports published by the United Nations and a pattern is increasing exponentially, they are finding:
“The Government of Canada must ensure that the poorest and most vulnerable citizens don’t lose their right to shelter, food, health and education in order to balance the books,” said Nancy Baroni, Gender Budget Coordinator with the Feminist Alliance for International Affairs.
Consequently, the US citizens aren’t the only people on the planet highly concerned over the global financial situation effecting their daily existence. Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The North South Institute, and the Feminist Alliance for International Affairs are reporting similar points of view when they speak to heads of state. “The poorest are the most vulnerable” during such recessionary economic times and this goes even beyond Canadian borders and is a great concern in 59 nations. When the economy drops “shelter, food, health and education” needs which are needed considerably in all nations diminish. Those individuals and programs that were sharing and donating become more protectorate of their own home front hence, the charity slows down and those programs dependent on assistance start scrambling for other means of sustenance or disappear. And though the services may disappear the people in need aren’t. Isn’t it interesting that the 60th Anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights will occur on December 10th., that international budgets are being cut for social services so do we really have much to celebrate? As we wait on January 20th getting here, which isn’t getting here fast enough for some of us, President elect Barack Obama will undoubtedly come into office with the highest need of mounting human services responsibilities in the world, and we don’t see human social needs decreasing anytime soon.
Todd and Minerva Hoover, Santa Clarita Valley
BLOG November 28, 2008. I don’t like being petty, but I realize that some television programs have a great effect on their audience. I couldn’t help but notice the innuendo on “The View”, Hasselback is not crazy about Obama being a product. Franklin Mint even has a special 24kt gold coin with JFK on one side and Obama on the other side, I haven’t seen one yet, valued at $9.99/ plus shipping and handling costs. She sees the campaign signing on the podiums as over the top and making it appear as though Obama is a “new brand”. She is complaining that the signs on the podium, US flag perched to the left, opened window with the Capitol building behind his head all indicating that Obama is saying “I’m not the president yet” but I am the “President-Elect”. And this bothers her. Doesn’t seem to bother her that Bush is the President and the country is going down in economic flames. I believe consciously she is still not happy with McCain/Palin’s loss. She admits she is a staunch Republican and even campaigned with Palin when Palin was being attacked by the media regarding her $150,000 wardrobe from Neiman Marcus and Saks; $300 outfit from CBS. Many political pundits, including Republican pundits believe Palin wasn’t ready to be Vice President, due to the answers she was giving; Palin’s inability to accept media invitations without being “schooled” and no history of solving problems or causing legislation to the level of a Vice President. Bottomline, Palin was an unknown to most of America, I still ask why did McCain choose her. Did you see the video of Palin’s news conference when she was “pardoning the turkey”? I thought it was more amateurish that the reporter didn’t allow her to elect the proper background to not distract with the turkey killing in the background. Where was this reporters’ editor or producer of the news program? How was it that the camera operator didn’t realize what was in the background, didn’t they review the footage? I thought strange and of course national reporters made sport of the debacle. This I don’t blame Palin for, but there were several times when she did look over her shoulder and should have seen what was happening behind her. Why didn’t she walk to put this butchery in front of her to at least direct the attention away? I believe a professional politician would have either asked to stop the filming completely or at least immediately “walked through shot” to a different camera angle.
Hasselback felt the media wasn’t giving her a “fair shake” and treated Obama as a “darling” or find Palin as interesting. Well I disagree, because the media and America did find Palin not only interesting, likeable, but emitting an airhead quality, that became fascinating to watch.
Watching the turn of economic, military, and real estate events, Obama is in limbo and time will tell soon enough can Obama meet the road when January 20th gets here. I just wish people would quit implying that he is the messiah and he walks on water. Main Street Americans not satisfied with our government are a huge priority to him and they were his largest supporters during the campaign. But so far we haven’t seen a glimmer of hope our way yet. Only reminders of what he told us. I say, let him get in office first.
BILL RICHARDSON is the new member of the Obama Cabinet! I won’t try to be objective here, I like Richardson. He is Latino. He was Energy Secretary in Clinton’s Administration, Governor of New Mexico, and an ambassador for the United Nations. He also spoke up when Hillary was attacking Obama regarding his heritage in the 2008 election campaign. I liked him even more for that.
I remember when he sent to talk to North Korea regarding their weapons program, I remember Bush negating those compromises Richardson offered less than one month later. I watched nervously North Korea say that they didn’t care if the United States won’t assist them with oil, food and agricultural pursuits. Apparently they have little off all three there. This was suppose to be the reason that the sobering was going on. Sounded too simple to me but I also remember an ambassador and a policy wonk coming to our Political Science class explaining how many treaties we had with North Korea and how we had pitted the North and South Koreas against one another. We assist the south, have been asked to leave the region, several times but we insist we are a friendly safety valve for the area and South Korea says for ourselves mainly.
Now Hillary being part of the team! I just hope she remembers team does not mean me, does not mean Bill and me, it means TEAM, all of us! Maybe it was strategical to keep Hillary on Obama’s side. That concept of keeping friends close and enemies even closer seem to come to mind. But I must say again, the attacks Hillary put on Obama as elbowing and calculating as they were, I believe also shored up the attempts that would have come his way if the opposition had attacked first.
Depending on which media source you listen or read, some of these attacks were not new to those close to Obama. They had been perculated, slapped on and executed during his meteroric rise in Chicago’s politics which I understand are serious “rough and tumble”, with that street-city slickness. OKAY so Obama has risen above this and added his main public adversary to the “big political dream team”. From my vantage point, that dream team seems very bloated with experience, expertise, ego and ambition. Obama I’ll be lighting candles on your behalf. Now where did I put that incense burner?
BOOKS TO GET:
The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War.
Boy in the Stripped Pajamas by John Boyne
Run Like Jager by Karen Bass
Four Steps to Death by John Wilson
Children’s Story by James Clavell
Friday December 5, 2009.
Is the South openly participating in an economic and political cessation at the expense of the North? Let’s observe the response of those Republican representatives, lead by an Alabama Senator, who sat in judgment of the Ford, General Motors and Chrysler automotive industry leader’s hearing yesterday and today? They don’t want to help the BIG THREE. The Big Three automakers are established in the North and predominately in only the Northern States. They are asking the question: “Do we need the BIG THREE?” The republicans are suggesting the need for them to go bankrupt, divest and redesign their business plans and return with another name. It is believed doing this will also nullify the union contracts and require renegotiation. And the underlining of this is to bust the unions hourly wage down so that the automakers make more money? And the auto makers paid $54 million dollars to wrestle one executive away from his previous company and this doesn’t include the bonuses and other perks in the hiring? This doesn’t even count the fact that “the electric car was killed by the big three” and Toyota. But there is mumblings that the BIG THREE are interested in going “green” now to get their hands on that $25 which is now $34 billion.
So why weren’t they studying what the Japanese have been doing for over twenty five years? Arrogance couldn’t possibly be the excuse when you have an opportunity to study your competition or maybe they never saw the Japanese and other European smaller economical cars as a threat. Maybe if they had peaked at the models of the Japanese or Korean automakers, they wouldn’t be wringing their hands for assistance. I understand that the Japanese car makers were offered lowered property and tax levels in exchange for hiring the much needed Southerns who have been working for much lower wage jobs than their Northern counterparts. Adding another wrinkle to this discovery, there has been discussion that employees have also been paid to sit while the company executives decided how the company was going to proceed. But this is still 2008, maybe there will be a change of heart when this fiasco is dumped into Obama’s lap because I don’t see BUSH taking a hands on approach to this at all. But you wait and see January 22, they’ll blame the autoworkers who will be jobless, by then, the fault of Obama for not insisting that the government change the date of his inauguration and move it up to December 22, so the automakers could have had a better Christmas.
CHAMBLISS BLOG. Depending on what you read, The National Republican Trust PAC seem to present Republican Saxby Chambliss is the “great Republican firewall of hope”, . . . keeping Obama at bay with the US Senate votes”. Maybe they don’t know that in the heavy Republican area that I live in, that Republican voters were hands-on in putting President Elect Barack Obama into office.
Then, I can’t tell if they are baiting Obama to come to Georgia because Sarah Palin is expected to attend several rallies for Chambliss or are they are in need of some stimulus to make Chambliss appear to be at least interesting as the run off between he and Jim Martin’s revved up feverous pitch contentious election. How much you want to bet the media will be analyzing her clothes to see whether or not she still owns the $150,000 RNP wardrobe.
Some people are even delusional that between Palin and Obama that people would pick Palin? Is this Republican claim nothing more than an act of building Palin up to something that she is not and parading her around as the pretty, false hope and leader of the Republican Party, while the real decision makers of the Republican Party wrestle back the reigns of intelligence and common sense?
Maybe Chambliss’s Republican friends have forgotten that Obama is readying himself to lead the nation out of a delicate and cataclysmic political, economic and spiritual state we are feeling. Something our current Republican leader appears to be having difficulty figuring out. One minute Paulsen is saying “bailout”, the next day he is exposing the possibility of “revisiting the funds available”, then a couple days he starts up again with “bailout”. Meantime, we hear the mumbling confusion of the glazed over look, baggy eyed, lame duck Bush exclaiming that he is doing the best that he can. He looks like he needs some serious bed rest. Did however see pictures of him drinking in Peru? I thought he was off of the sauce since he was 40 years old?
If Palin wants to go “save the day” hopefully unlike the manner she practically destroyed McCain’s bid for 2008 Presidency, with the winking, blinking and nodding, so let her go. This should increase Martin’s chances of winning, we can only hope. This should raise the circulation and subscriptions of the local papers, tourism and Republican swag. A good fight often brings the sincerity, focus, and activism out of the voters. . .
As an observer many of the attacks on Palin seem, to be coming from those that know her well and are willing to share those experiences with the media. This doesn’t count for the numerous times that Palin wasn’t able to complete a full sentence and change topics to appeal to her intellectual strengths which Republican commentators have repetitively attacked for incoherence.
It was McCain’s people reporting the money being spent on “my lady Palin” and the behind the scenes emotional upheaval you usually don’t know about until it comes book form after the inaugural activities, but apparently the A-team was so bamboozled by Palin’s behavior, the magazines and newspapers received the leaks before the books could be published. Whether or not these incidents are true, well again, it depends on what you read. I believe the Republicans can do better than Palin and maybe this was McCain’s final swipe at the Republican power brokers but who knows, looking forward to reading that book.
This doesn’t exonerate the Democrats however, I believe the Democrats too have a lot of baggage they need to release to clean their mental palates of the past disgusting eight years of snide diplomacy, an out trillions budget and to realize that change will require Democrats too to stop doing business the “ole fashion way” while partisan tit for tat drags the American people further into global economic chaos and contention.
The American people, have spoken, enough already, let’s get serious, roll up our sleeves, tighten our belts and egos, get those sugar plums dancing out of our heads, be ready to negotiate to the highest denominator, use the wisdom, education, experiences of all parties invited to the governing table and set our goals for a more peaceful coexistence with the rest of the world because damn it, there is only one planet to reside on. Amen.
thought that Obama should apply all aspects of OCCAM’s RAZOR to get to the bottom of how we got in the situation that we are in. I thought I might share what an Occam’s Razor is to the readers of this blog: Main Entry: Oc•cam's razor Variant(s): also Ock•ham's razor ˈä-kəmz- Function: noun Etymology: William of Occam Date: circa 1837 : a scientific and philosophic rule that entities should not be multiplied unnecessarily which is interpreted as requiring that the simplest of competing theories be preferred to the more complex or that explanations of unknown phenomena be sought first in terms of known quantities also Oc•cam's razor n. A rule in science and philosophy stating that entities should not be multiplied needlessly. This rule is interpreted to mean that the simplest of two or more competing theories is preferable and that an explanation for unknown phenomena should first be attempted in terms of what is already known. Also called law of parsimony. [After William of OCKHAM.]
Now I am on a mission to find out where this concept originated from. Do any of you know the answer to this, please write: minwil2001@yahoo.com Thanks and Happy Thanksgiving y'all. From our house to yours, Minerva and Todd, vegging in Santa Clarita Valley
Here is an open letter and 10 cents worth to Timothy Geithner, President of the New York Federal Reserve. Just don’t tell me we are not a corrupt financial bunch.
The amount of money our banks are required to keep in reserve, relative to the amount they are able to loan out, have increased dramatically from 1:15 per actual monetary value to 1:30, and in some cases, even more. Who makes up these rules?
The day before the 9/11/2001 Donald Rumsfeld declared a war on the money waste at the Pentagon and proclaimed it “War on Waste”, armed with stacks of paper work questioning $2.3 trillion, according to Vince Gonzales on a CBS’s “Eye on America” expose. Gonzales said that 2.3 trillion was equivalent to $8,000 for every man, woman and child in America.
Visit this site: http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4GdHLUHwU
The video will tell you that Jim Minnery of the Defense Department was reassigned when he tried to expose the path of financial allegations at the Pentagon; Franklin C. Spinney, a Dept of Defense analyst, claimed that the numbers for various budgets were “pie in the sky” and never added up. Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan (ret) U.S. Navy asked for oversight in the Pentagon Budget while question $48 billion spent by Pentagon officials. Rumsfeld’s War was interrupted and we have never heard anything more about the escaping billions in the Pentagon’s war chest. Could these same individuals or tactics be what we are witnessing on Wall Street and now affecting Main Street USA?
We have been masking financial chicanery by calling it “derivates”, “subprimes” and “swaps”. In the late 1989’s we called them “junk bonds”. Bush’s new Christian politicians had a baptismal and are calling it them in 2008 “derivatives and swaps”. Neal Bush, his brother, was involved in the savings and loans debacle and so was Jeb of Florida, but the media doesn’t seem to mention this and did Bush before he starts pointing fingers forget the family connection. Dress it up and you call it “Platinum Plungers”, look at the DOW members who are affected by these “pieces of paper”, “High yields” or “risk instruments”,
Bush said unequivocally, the lower middle and poor income Americans are the blame for the catastrophic financial situation affecting the world. Homeowners who exaggerated their incomes, bank accounts, job and credit history purchased brand new homes with escalating interest rates but no money down for the first three to five years (depending on the offering). Mortgage brokers wrote the loans that exaggerated the income, job, bank accounts and credit history of the homeowners. Banks officials accepted the loans that the mortgage brokers wrote that exaggerated the income, job, bank accounts and credit history of the homeowners. Loan bankers took the paper and sold to larger American and foreign banks. These banks in turn bundled these papers as derivatives that the bank officers bundled that were the mortgages of the homeowners. Didn’t anyone notice the sudden rush of individuals and families moving into these brand new developments at unheard of numbers, suspect that something was either “on fire” or “slightly unsual activity” during an economic time that was otherwise relatively flat? Don’t tell me we are not a corrupt financial bunch.
So if these homeowners didn’t have the opportunity to purchase these brand new homes at these extra ordinary rates then, who would have purchased them? Why did the developers build so many units during the time in question and not question how they were going to be able to sell the units? Is there something that the developers knew that the homeowners didn’t know? And didn’t the developers have to find the line of credit to build these huge developments unless they knew that the market was prime for such buyers? So everyone always points their fingers to “the other guy”?
The rest of the world is weaning away from us. We say look north, and the rest of the world knows to look south. We scorched South America and Russia this way which is why they pay attention to our game playing and these people know because we have demoralized their economies and have harmed their financial outlooks. We are not to be trusted.
Using the example of the Philippines, under the guises of spiritually we robbed them materially. We go over to the Islands with the missionaries and ministers and give the natives a few pieces of silver. With the intelligence and knowledge gathered of the area we then send in the business negotiators. We went in demonizing their people, demanding their land and capital resources, militarizing some of their people by providing clothing, shelter, transportation and ensuring that those that we had embraced did in fact deserve more, although the morality and control we held on these chosen few did our bidding and were compensated. This division caused many Filipinos to become jealous, greedy and to fight over market shares.
Don’t tell me we are not a corrupt financial bunch.
Our economic future seems to be unraveling a Ponzi scheme and we may never know the pathetic individuals who started it, because they have liquidated their assets, taken their money out of the situation, and run out of the deal. Meantime, we obviously must know they are the ones who can also afford to buy the economic assets at 10 cents on the dollar, receive tax credits to boot under the guises of “helping to stimulate the economy that they originally destroyed”.
The Byzantine Chronicle leads us to an Asian village where this mad woman is walking the streets. She has in one hand a brassier of burning flaming coals, and on the other hand she has a pale of water. So obviously people are asking her, “What are you doing?” She says that she is burning down heaven and extinguishing hell.
Those that sold the mortgages started toe dancing in 2003 and kept expanding and pretty soon they got to the point that the bankers took the limits off. Now those limits have exponentially raised the bottom line beyond corruption. How do you do this and not arrange security on what you are doing? This is no longer merely just an incident of corruption but has become a deliberate effort to destroy the banking system as we know it. This is a rationalization for privatizing the banking system.
I was reading that in 2004 or right about then, that Obama made a presentation to the owners of the automobile industry. He indicated to them that they should alter their auto planning and reorganize for “green industry”. Industry leaders didn’t listen to the skinny young kid with the dumb name from Chicago Illinois or appreciate him telling them what he recommended that they do. Then 4 years later that same skinny young kid with the funny name is now running the country and they have to come with hat in hand asking for his assistance to keep their companies running. Pride comes before a fall, but they arrived in private Lear jets. So to think that they weren’t paying attention to this guy, they must be putting their heads together now saying,
“It wouldn’t have cost us much to be nice to the kid, who now holds our industry’s future in his hands and the 3.5 million people we represent.” Don’t you believe it was only fair that they should have come with their own plans in their hands instead of expecting to receive a $25 billion dollar check? Yes, you walk into a room with millionaires and billionaires, who hold clout with the industry. They believed they had all the aces and to some extent they do, but they didn’t expect “the no”. They had buffaloed him before and now they have been taken aback. Four years ago he didn’t have the power and permission, but now he is President of the United States. Could Obama, with Pelosi’s help, just be allowing them to stew in their own mess? Well, the odds of Obama at that time having any significant influence were very small and the likelihood of his rising any faster was also unknown. But didn’t anyone tell the industry leaders to pay attention and to set aside their arrogance and down right rudeness. Don’t tell me we are not a corrupt financial bunch.
So, I’d rather see Obama take that $8,000 per every man woman and child and send us a bonus check at tax time and let’s see how fast that kick starts the American economy since no one questioned it in 2001 and then call Rumsfeld back to follow the Pentagon trail and find out who started this financial mess.
Rhetoric or real?
Rumor has it that Arizona Governor Napolitano is being tapped to become the head of Homeland Security and the new American Immigration and Custom’s Enforcement (ICE) officer. Senator John McCain has even turned in his endorsement letter to this effect. In the meantime we are hearing Amy Goodman interviewing Aarti Shahani, on DemocracyNow! Shahani works for Justice Strategies out of New York University and is warning that she doesn’t believe that Obama has the full vitae of Napolitano. . .
Yes, “Annie Oakley” Napolitano was the Attorney General for the Clinton Administration but Napolitano has also been known to play both sides against the middle by slamming White Supremacists who were willing to police the Arizona border, negating the rise of Proposition 200 in November 4, 2004 to gain political stature by calling it “hateful and wrong”. In a seeming contradiction to this stance she asked for the assistance of Joe Arpaioto, the toughest sheriff in America, who was showcased on MSNBC for feeding prisoners “green baloney” and requiring men (as a form of emasculation) to wear pink underwear. She asked Sheriff Arpaioto to open up his jails to accommodate illegal aliens caught crossing the border. Some civil rights activists believed this to be too harsh. If he was treating American citizens badly, what in the blazes would he do to illegal aliens? Civil right activists didn’t want to allow Arpaioto’s methodology to prevail. Even though the sheriff has incurred more than $11 million dollars in civil rights law suits, Napolitano says she is simply responding to frustrated American citizens who don’t want to see illegal aliens benefitting from their tax dollars. Visit the following site for more background: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24314764/
In addition to this, Border protection laws have been openly discussed by the CNN media giant, Lou Dobbs, in his “Broken Borders” series: http://loudobbs.tv.cnn.com/category/broken-borders/ and also by Governor Tom Tancredo (R-Colorado) http://tancredo.house.gov/issue_details.aspx?IID=7
They both asked what happened to the illegal immigration issue in the 2008 election campaign. Some of us are still waiting to see what becomes of Obama’s special drivers’ license for illegal aliens, investigation of mass detention centers where aliens have died in gang fights, review resources allocated to immigration services paid for by American tax dollars, and the questionable constitutional rights being applied to immigration enforcement. Also discussed is the apparent increase of human trafficking, drug smuggling and gang warfare at the borders with law enforcement. I believe we have a right to keep illegal drugs out of our country also.
I agree that crimes perpetrated against any victim in the United States need to be reported to law enforcement. Whether the victim is legal or illegal should not be in question. Do we deport the victim who is an illegal alien after they have reported a crime? Well this is where the policies and mandates of the Homeland Security come in. All efforts should lead to a serious policy that state and federal law officials need to provide Obama. Guest workers’ rights definitely need to be reviewed and policies need to reflect the real factors that bring “guests” to the United States in the first place.
The Bush administration has always turned a blind eye towards these immigration issues, so hopefully Obama’s administration will be able to turn this around to arrive at a more humane and just policy.
I do not believe the president is capable of single-handedly turning the entire economy around. Even though the office of the presidency has a considerable amount of influence, it is not enough to completely determine the result of world-wide events. There are currently forces acting on the economy will not be easily reversed and it is my belief that although Obama may be able to markedly improve policy and to a certain extent will be able to mitigate the impact of the current economic downturn, he is not going to be able to reverse the damage that has already been done. The damage has been done by actions taken during both the Clinton and Bush administrations and the leeway they gave to the banking institutions. Near the close of the Clinton administration the Financial Services Reform Act was passed, which effectively nullified most of the provisions of the Glass-Steagall Act which was passed in during the Great Depression to ensure that the financial irresponsibility of the financial institutions during the 20s which lead to the Great Depression we can only hope that Obama can put a stopper on some of the fallout we are seeing now . . .
If you haven't seen this yet, take 4 minutes and BE STILL . . .
http://www.1800gospel.com/2008/11/bebe-cece-winans-right-now-we-need-one-another/
Peace out, Minerva
Lyrics from “I WILL SURVIVE” by Gloria Gaynor
1976 Version by Gloria Gaynor
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xv6lHwWwO3w
Chantay Savage 1996 version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8PUSg5SL7s&feature=related
or try this version by Diana Ross
To classical friends may appreciate Igudesman & Joo rendition:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xui7x_KF7bY&feature=related
To all my anime buddies at CSUC
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33uYYfQG2_Y&feature=related
At first I was afraid I was petrified I kept thinking I could never live without you by my side But then I spent so many nights Just thinking how you'd done me wrong And I grew strong I learned how to get along So now you're back From outer space I just walked in to find you here Without the look upon your face I should have changed my f-ing lock I would have made you leave your key If I'd have known for just one second You'd be back to bother me Oh now go, Walk out the door Just turn around now You're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to break me with desire Did you think I'd crumble Did you think I'd lay down and die Oh no, not I I will survive As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive I've got all my life to live I've got all my love to give I will survive I will survive Yeah, yeah It took all the strength I had Just not to fall apart I'm trying hard to mend the pieces Of my broken heart And I spent oh so many nights Just feeling sorry for myself I used to cry But now I hold my head up high And you see me With somebody new I'm not that stupid little person still in love with you And so you thought you'd just drop by And you expect me to be free But now I'm saving all my loving For someone who's loving me Oh now go, Walk out the door Just turn around now You're not welcome anymore Weren't you the one who tried to break me with desire Did you think I'd crumble Did you think I'd lay down and die Oh no, not I I will survive As long as I know how to love I know I'll be alive I've got all my live to live I've got all my love to give I will survive I will survive Yeah, yeah
Improving the fuel economy and upgrading the practicality of efficient cars was a heavy discussion in the media today.
Japan formerly announced that it is in a recession. Greenland announced Saturday that it too is in a recession. This is the “R” word ladies and gentlemen. So in the meantime, many people are skeptical about the Big Three: Ford, GM and Chrysler.
Questioning the figures? Depending on whom you listen to more than 3,000,000 jobs will be lost which doesn’t include manufacturers and distributors of auto parts. These seems to be a great presentation by GM on YouTube.com Channel earnestly advocating for legislatures and voters to allow them the bailout loan.
Some economists exclaim that the financial and management model the Big Three were using isn’t going to work in today’s economic landscape. Automakers are hoping to borrow and to convince the American tax payer that their auto management and contractors will trickle down their financial success however economists are pointing out that automakers haven’t trickled down any success in the past decade. The big question is the billions and billions in the past haven’t turned the industry around, so why would anyone assume that they’ll do it this time?
Yes workers must be protected, but the tax payer needs to have a say as to whether or not a losing industry maximizes the delicate future by taking more chances that haven’t been paying off in more than a decade?
Personally, I would rather see the banking industry rewrite the mortgages to keep families in their homes. But this seems to be ignored.
Immediate after his election, Obama promised that he was going to review the economy and put the best minds in finance around him. November 6th, according to Sofia News Agency, Emanual Rahm, is the new Chief of Staff and will be joining Obama’s presidential staff in 2009. A little background on Rahm, he went on to serve as a senior adviser to the president from 1993 to 1998 - first as an assistant to the President for Political Affairs and then as Senior Adviser to the President for Policy and Strategy.” As a managing director of a large global investment corporation based out of Chicago, Rahm brings years of congressional experience and adds to the transition team members speaking directly to Paulsen. However Rahm is also known for a “no nonsense approach and tough negotiator”. Hopefully Paulsen and Bush Administration won’t make additional promises that put Obama can’t fulfill. Bush has us in a larger financial bind and is destroying American taxpayers’ strong hope and questioning Obama’s ability to “change” and create situations that can accelerate our investment in the future.
Carlos Gutierrez, the 35th Secretary of Commerce (of the Bush Administration) suggested that the $25 billion dollar energy program already passed could help the green vehicle manufacturers. There is only one glitch, he says, they would have to reword the contractual agreement of the programs” to apply to the BIG THREE, but if I remember correctly, that program was to help automakers retool and die.
It is only practical to question that there is a provision in the loan that the current management will be changed completely and not reshuffled around. One could only wish that true transparency is also required. The sustained borrowing to prompt up failed, non innovational companies, no matter who is running it, must be seriously reviewed and given to an arbitrator who will insist that a full range of plans is implemented before the money is loaned. Is it even possible to find someone who has a continual higher level of ethics and not the ones that some of the corporations utilize? I.e. playing games with the definition of “legal ethics” vs “technical ethics”. Unless it is more of Bush propaganda, go visit: http://www.commerce.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@os/@opa/documents/content/prod01_007514.pdf
I believe that there may be a lot of fault to throw around, but this won’t help those employees who have families, mortgages, car notes, medical prescriptions, college tuition loans, utilities and daily expenses: They need answers now. I can only hope this is the priority in whatever decisions is being made and part of the hope. I have friends you believe the big three is a distraction for the $3 trillion that has been transferred by the Federal Reserve and no one seems to know where that money is going. Is it a symptom? I don’t know if you have been reading everything you can get your hands on, but what seemed even more conversational is the fact that the BIG THREE came to Washington in their separate private Lear jets with tin cups in their hands. How ironic you say … we’re in America where anything can happen. And their public relations directors? Maybe they were on vacation because this definitely isn’t good form.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m concerned about 3 to 4 million people loosing their jobs. I am also concerned about all the subsequent industries who depend on car making, distribution, selling and repairing. The industry won’t be viable as long as people can’t afford cars. The automakers CEO are paying themselves several bonuses and running for the hills before the year is out. Hopefully the Congress can convince the rest of us, before the Christmas season, that $25 billion is just a small focus and a drop in the bucket, and the real concern is who received the $3 trillion? A girl can only dream . . .
JULY 16, 2008
THE WORLD WANTS TO KNOW …GOT HOPE?
By Minerva L. Williams
The world wants to know. . . how many American women will show up to vote in the 2008 Presidential election? It amounts to, will women vote hope as strongly as they are responding in national polls, state rallies and town hall meetings?
Those that supported Hillary are vowing to not even go to the poll or expressing overwhelmingly McCain. Young women are most interested and support Barack Obama. What the pundits see is how largely young women showed up for Obama in Iowa and the same group didn’t show up at all in New Hampshire. So what happened that made the same group of women vote largely the first state and not at all in the second state? Where is the pattern?
The world trade balance is off, economies are low, job rates are inching higher, and the policies of the Bush Administration are still not reflective of the American people’s wants. Bush’s popularity poll numbers are the lowest of any president ever!
Mortgage rates are so over the top that millions are loosing their homes daily. Gas prices are out of site. The cost of food, transportation, and supplies are rising. Media exclaims that McCain is 4 more years of Bush policies. Does anyone want to see more attempts of bankrupting the country? Although the captains of industries appear to be doing a great job. Check out your stock portfolio if you dare.
Am I witnessing the insurgence of the Naomi Klein’s warning of the national “shock and awe syndrome” because the students of University of Chicago’s professor Milton Friedman’s philosophy are coming of professional age hence, it will require another University of Chicago’s professor Barack Obama who believes in community organizing to organize the United States to try to save us from Friedman pirates?
I agree that Obama more forceably needs to address Social security, poverty and minimum wage but he also needs to address the millions of jobs going overseas.
Do check out the interview with Chris Matthews: June 16, 2008 http://www.democracynow.org/blog/2008/6/16/amy_goodman_on_msnbcs_hardball_with_chris_matthews_at_5_30pm_est_repeated_at_7_30pm_est
Women are opposed to war and overwhelmingly so. McCain says he sees Iraqi withdrawal tables non negotiable and dangerous to publically discuss but he says we will be in Iraqi for 100 years, if necessary. Isn’t this a public answer?
How many more women are willing to send their children to a war that obviously was based on a huge lie ala Scott McClellan ,the present bearer of Bush first hand bad news, to satisfy our addiction to oil, at the expense of millions of Iraqi women and children who have had to flee their country due to our bombing and blasting them out of their homes or to increase the Bush family financial legacy?
Isn’t this the same family that benefitted from the economic increases during the German war? Why isn’t the media talking and reminding us of this?
Women under 50 may not know that at one time abortions were illegal and women rights advocacy in the 60’s and 70’s made Roe vs. Wade (1973) overturned. Women under 50 have seen women in powerful positions, heads of corporations, political leaders and may take it for granted that McCain wants to over turn Roe vs. Wade, where back alley abortions were unsafe and the norm. These same young women don’t know when women had to fight for equality in wages although in some industries women still aren’t in parity to their men counterparts.
Check out “Standing up to the Madness” by Amy Goodman, reknowned “DemocracyNow! Radio and television commentator, if you wish to know more details on why so many voters should pay close attention to what is politically going on.
Hillary is out on the trail to shore up her 18 million supporters to encourage them to support Barack Obama the first trip being Unity, New Hampshire this week but the follow through of the ladies and gentlemen of Obama supporters is supreme to the election numbers being not only a big deal but the next four years with a Democrat in office. Some republicans say “let them have it”, while they blame the aftermath of Bush’s policies on the Democrats. You hear this now, with Republican leaders blaming Pelosi and Harry Reid for “the nation falling apart”. And what planet are these Republican leaders on? Are they getting their footage from Mars?
Republicans did their dirty here in California under Pete Wilson’s utilities scandal, Davis never was able to figure it out. Even with the Governator play to the partisan legislators, Californians are still in a tales spin; drought imminent, billions in educational cuts, families loosing their homes to mortgage rate manipulation, jobs being packaged to India and China, and oil prices affecting everything from food supplies, cost of food and traveling expenses. But hopefully with a lot of educational forums, classroom sessions, and family dinner discussions the voting age American women will not only wake up but smell the coffee and take charge to the ballot boxes this November. What does it take to get these women’s attention that their voices must be heard at the ballot box or we are going to be seeing more of the past seven years? The world wants to know. . .Got Hope?
Minerva L. Williams is a freelance writer, residing in Santa Clarita Valley who is a strong advocate of Barack Obama and says change is something you can believe in, because it is inevitable.
BLOG:
February 8, 2008
‘‘Think for yourself and “your own truth” to decide for yourself why enthusiastic, upscale, intelligent, young, bold, and optimistic voters choose the brilliance of Obama”
--- Ophra Winfrey
History does repeat itself. In the 70's there was a spiritual discussion with guest Dr. Florence Kennedy (NY), in the U.C. Riverside student lounge over whether or not African American women needed to align themselves with their men or to align with white women. The brainstorm was whether the advancement of Black women was more important than the advancement of Black men. Emphasis was placed on women having children in and out of wedlock when they chose men who were not breadwinners, not motivated to build strong families, not mentors and teachers, and without strong spiritual centers. In those days, the result of the Moynihan Report was the huge elephant in the room. She cautioned us that Milton Friedman’s economic concept of "the powers that be" would use divide and conquer within the African American community to keep it down as they had done in Hawaii, Guatemala, Panama, the Philippine Islands and other Central and South American countries, now called the “Shock Doctrine” aka Naomi Klein. I have to admit in those days, that I had no idea who economist Milton Friedman was and his working at the University of Chicago but it made sense.
The epidemic of Black women being employed over Black men in the area, caused women to feel like caregivers, pimped for economic resources in exchange for companionship dating back to “slavery time”, and the birth of cognitive dissonance.
Kennedy encouraged us that no matter how much we were sexual drawn to certain men, to resist the urge to go to bed with men just because they flattered us and made us feel good. Men weren't being hired in proportion to their white counterparts but Kennedy assured us this wasn't an excuse for men to use women. We were challenged to think before we acted, to encourage our men to delay sexual gratification, have dreams, make educational strides to improve ourselves, stop the cycle of destruction, trust ourselves, be passionate about their life pursuits, find God or spiritual center.
We were reminded that someone had opened the door for us so we needed to remember this when we entered the labor force, shared information, and supported one another through struggles instead of feeling superior to those less fortunate than ourselves because tomorrow wasn’t promised. We were encouraged to listen to our higher power when making decisions.
We were cautioned to not forget that some people didn't recognize, know or understand opportunity. At times, Kennedy said, we all needed assistance finding the door and walking through with our experience and she offered suggestions, however, we were suppose to be there for those individuals having difficulty but remember we served people best by “walking our talk” or being the example we wanted others to be. We were young in those days and maybe thought this requiring higher responsibility and continuity. And it does. We knew we were standing on the shoulder of those before us, hence we had a responsibility being of the W. E .B. DuBois’s Talented Tenth.
I can't believe I have lived to see this being played out publicly in the questioning of the loyalty of Ophra and Obama. Ophra's years of life contributions (being centered, positive attitude, recognizing our own foolishness and the cycles of self destruction, Angel Foundation, raising children, wearing the appropriate bra, accessing the right pair of jeans, getting off of welfare, voter rights, mental health days, the cost of convictions--the beef debacle—the KKK confrontation, weight loss, being on a budget, book recommendations, accentuating great careers, role models, excellent teachers, life coaches etc. are now being questioned and framed as "loyalty".
I saw the divisiveness of the Clinton campaign. “Those who don't like me are my enemy” is narrow minded thinking. Is this an indication of the Hillary "diplomacy" to come? Many of us knew before this election began that Clinton wasn’t well liked and many Democrats didn’t like her. But those that did were ardent supporters of Hillary, sympathetic to her reaction to Bill’s carelessness and felt she was a “stand up woman” for standing by her man. Personally, I haven’t met her but what I read about her, I am not impressed. I respect that she is a candidate for President and she just might win. But I believe because someone of the same gender, race, religion, sexual preference, etc is running for office doesn’t mean I can't see beyond similarities and dissimilarities.
Hillary’s hidden agenda to thumb her nose at Republicans she admits have been fighting her for sixteen years doesn’t appeal to me but is admirable. I feel that that is her personal pursuit. Notice after the debate she finally started using the word “us” and “we”. Prior she was using the “I” and “me” words. Now she is using “change” and spinning off of Obama’s “yes we can” message with farm worker’s “Si Se Puede” which Hillary has a difficult time pronouncing. Why didn’t her operatives make her practice before making a public embarrassment of the usage?
Obama’s ability to see that our political cause should be larger than ourselves does appeal to me. My position was solidified when Hillary chided Bill was just “out of control” and overly exuberant when he slapped Obama’s record as a “fairy tale”. Her demonstrative zeal to discredit Obama made me rethink Hillary. Bill apologized today that he didn’t know that his hammering Obama to defend Hillary wasn’t the correct response of a spouse, is a little to late too even be believable. The Clintons lost their face and credibility in South Carolina and many voters haven’t forgotten it. Let’s face it the Clintons are professional politicians they know what “push polling” is and know how to plant a negative seed “to meet their goals”. I am voting and responding against that “old school way of doing politics”: demonizing, lying on, and pretending you aren’t aware of your “team members” blatant behavior or pulling out of a situation to show clean hands when everyone in the room knows these are patterns of your behavior.
I believe with Ophra’s resources she sees this and puts her reputation and following on the line. Obama like Ophra brings out the best in folks.
Last Sunday with Caroline Kennedy, Michelle Obama, and Maria Shriver on stage, Ophra (UCLA assembly for Obama 2/3/8) warned us “don’t be played small” because brilliance is what you stand for.
Yes, I believe some people relish pain, fear, denial, at all cost for family dysfunction, competing with the Jones, and hopelessness. I know now to allow them to own it.
Florence Kennedy like Ophra encouraged us to choose leadership that is spiritually based, requiring creative imagination, steeped in wisdom which has no color or gender. And again I became re-juvenated to think for myself and “my own truth” to decide for myself why bold, enthusiastic, intelligence, upscale, young, and optimistic voters choose the brilliance of Obama or Fired up and Ready to Go! because our government depends on the spiritual ground roots in order to change.
BLOG October 19, Contrarily Obama phone calls are going out in the Butte County area. The secondary situation is that there is a video that is being passed out (in the millions) and mailed out which maligns Obama with the Arabic and Muslim community. It must be part of the new play book of the Republican party, “play them as terrorists and malign the Muslim faith while you are at it”. Why does the Republican party operate at the lowest levels? Fear, Anguish, Stupidity.
The promoters of this drivel chide that they paid a regular advertising fee and mailing fees to get them inserted. This is obviously part of the Republican October surprise. But no surprise that there are so many innuendos and out and out stories being perpetrated to support their candidate of choice, John McCain. The papers should be more mindful of how they are being used to distribute this erroneous information. We understand the freedom of speech and the fact that elections are often very nasty, but who takes responsibility to that speech when one calls out “FIRE” in a crowd at a critical PSYCHOLOGICAL MOMENT!
My friend asked me the other day, “Are the papers now inciting a bunch of flakies to line up on one side and making the probability of them responding in a drastic way? There is a lot of unbalance out there now with the real estate prices falling, gas out of sight, food costs up, the uncertainty of the elections, and the wars raging on. We are hoping this doesn’t mean an organized swipe at OBAMA is to come. Even though we are pleased to hear the endorsement of General Colin Powell on Meet the Press this morning, along with General Wesley Clark and General James P. Hoar. We wonder whether or not this may also amplify the division between the two parties. The 2008 election cycle will end on November the 4th.
The division of the country can go into more conflict being that our financial situation has ignited foreign markets, real estate holdings causing immediate family to disperse, communities falling apart due to job losses and foreclosed homes, and the ongoing war in Afghanistan and Iraq making us all at more risk and vulnerable. We hope the media takes on more extended responsibility and recognize that we are out of balance and that they have control of causing a stronger momentum and climatic outcome of the election.
