Don Cleven's Blog

HEALTH

DLC — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 13:18:49 EDT

To the Honorable Pres. Obama, Sen. Feingold, Sen. Herb Kohl and Rep. Tammy Baldwin:

Personally, I would prefer a single payer health care program. It wouldn’t cut out the insurance industry completely, just like the Medicare-Medicaid programs don‘t cut out the insurance companies completely; we need their expertise for processing claims.

However, I don’t believe we can attain that. Sen. Baucus and others are too short-sighted to tell the insurance companies to look at their advantages under a single payer plan. Under a single payer government sponsored plan, the insurance industry gets to perform the health industry services without underwriting any of the risks of insurance. They will be able to calculate what it will cost to process and pay the claims from the health insurance trust funds and know rather precisely what their margin of profit will be.

Since it looks like we won’t get a single payer plan, it is really essential for us to have the government option that Mr. Obama and his administration has asked for. The State of Wisconsin has such a plan in operation for its employees (which includes the University of Wisconsin employees as well). One of the features of this plan is that the Wisconsin legislature has established a standard plan. All insurers (HMOs, PPOs and other insurers) are required to provide coverage essentially and substantially equal to the standard plan. The standard plan is self-funded and the trust fund (financed by premiums), administered by the Group Insurance Board, underwrites the coverage. It works quite well and provides excellent insurance to all of the people covered by the various plans approved by the Group Insurance Board. These plans are made available to employees of the State of Wisconsin and those local governmental bodies that opt to participate in this insurance program. It is essential that Congress establishes a standard plan to which all insurers must provide coverage that is essentially and substantially equal. If not, there will be a myriad of insufficient coverages offered to the public, which will scam the public. This cannot be allowed to happen.

I recommend that Congress adopt such a plan to provide essential health coverage for all residents of the USA.

Respectfully, Donald Cleven, Madison, WI, 53716 dcleven@sbcglobal.net

Health insurance

DLC — Sat, 09 May 2009 19:10:33 EDT

Dear Mr. President Obama,

I’m sitting here looking at the Medicare Summary Notice for my wife’s MRI and something doesn’t look right. The clinic’s bill is for $3,008.00. Medicare approved the sum of $385.47 for this procedure. So, I question, "Why does the clinic charge $3008 and Medicare approves only $385.47. Has the clinic charged way too much or is Medicare cheating the clinic? Or, maybe both questions can be answered in the affirmative?" What is the answer to this question? I suspect that the answer is somewhere in between; that is, the clinic is not, on the average, charging too much for this procedure AND Medicare is paying too little. What is happening? I believe that because Medicare pays too little (for budget reasons?), and the clinic, knowing this, raises its scheduled fee to make up for Medicare’s shortage. On the average, therefore, the clinic gets paid from its non-Medicare patients for the lost revenue from Medicare. It is biased in favor of Medicare and, especially against the non-Medicare patients. This happens on all of the Medicare Summary Notices which both my wife and myself receive for our medical services. The current medical payment system is broken and it needs to be fixed.

Based on this evidence, I believe that a single payer health insurance system that insures everybody and treats both the medical providers and their patients fairly is the only way to fix the broken health insurance and payment system. Please work to make such a system come to fruition.

Respectfully,

Donald L. Cleven

videos

DLC — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 10:23:45 EDT

Some one or ones are filling this space with unrelated videos. That is a waste of good blog space. It gets in the way of meaningful dialogue. Please stop.

I'm back!

DLC — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:21:30 EDT

Dear Mr. President Barack Obama:

Hi, I’m back. After taking a break while I was preparing income tax returns for my clients, I have now decided to get back into the fray.

Item 1: I am happy with your decision to cautiously withdraw from Iraq. That is a major step forward.

Item 2: I am happy with your decision to change direction in Afghanistan. I feel it is necessary to rebuild the infrastructure in Afghanistan and to rebuild our image with the local leaders. The central government in A. is, I think, not very strong, as is true of it historically.

Item 3: Pakistan is the place to watch very carefully. As I have written in regard to Afghanistan, the local population crosses national borders at will. This applies to all borders in the region and especially to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The same strategy that you have approved for Afghanistan will work, I think, in Pakistan. Pakistan’s central government, too, is very weak and we need to rely on the local leaders to rebuild the infrastructure and our image.

Item 3: Thanks for deciding to close Gitmo. Our enemies, as well as our citizens and friends, should expect to experience the fairness of our justice system. Bring those detainees into our court system and deal with them fairly and according to the law of the land.

Item 4: In regard to our financial system, when an organization is too large to fail, then it is time to disassemble them and make each part of their organization "not too large to fail!" It has been done before and should be done now. Under T. Roosevelt, Standard Oil, for the good of the consumer, was broken up. In my time, AT&T was broken up and in the last couple of decades has rebuilt itself. First, Congress should reenact the anti-usury laws. Second, Congress should enact a law that separates commercial banking from investment banking. Third, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has to get some backbone. I realize that trying to decipher the true facts out of prospectuses is difficult. However, if the experts at the SEC have difficulty understanding, how does the ordinary American investor understand them. Congress should enact a law that requires financial auditors to be free of conflicts of interest, in all respects (even from appearance of conflict of interest), when expressing an opinion on financial statements of firms. Also, it is one thing to opine that the financial statements reflect fairly the financial condition of an organization and it is another thing to explain what those financial statements say and /or mean, which CPA opinions don’t do. AIG, JPMorgan, et al are too big to fail and should be disassembled and reassembled so that they aren’t too big to fail. I think TARP has been a problem in that it hasn’t been monitored properly. That isn’t your problem; it harkens back to the Bush administration, because from the beginning no definite oversight was included in the proposal. Throwing money at a problem is not the answer. But, that is what we have done and it is time for it to stop. The financial organizations should be given a time certain to come up with plans to continue business in a responsible manner, just as has been required from the auto industry.

Item 5: Keep up the conversations with Iran, Ecuador, North Korea and other countries that appear to aggrandize themselves and simultaneously threaten the security of the world.

Item 6: The $687 billion economic stimulus package is, in my view, working well. Jobs and our infrastructure is our foremost goal for the economic recovery. Your budget is also a good beginning for economic recovery.

Sincerely, Don Cleven

Geithner

DLC — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 17:34:53 EST

Dear Mister Pres. Obama:

Tell Sec. Geithner to get with the program or get out of the way. I read through his prepared remarks several times and underlined his main points. I see, in addition to what has already been committed, $2 trillion that will go into two funds, which will be used to bail the financial institutions, not the tax payers. This is unacceptable! Just take over all the bad mortgage notes and negotiate new terms and principal amounts, depending upon the value of the underlying assets, and pay the banks and Wall Street the real value of these mortgage notes. Let those GAMBLERS feel the PAIN of their foolish machinations in the financial markets.

Don Cleven

Afghanistan again

DLC — Sat, 31 Jan 2009 01:23:04 EST

The Honorable President Barack Obama:

Dear Mr. President,

On Afghanistan again, I think it is time for you to declare a moratorium on drones dropping bombs on targets in Afghanistan and Pakistan, whether or not your intelligence people believe there is a high level Al Queda operative being harbored therein. A moratorium is needed so that your military advisors have the time necessary to assess the actualities on the ground in Afghanistan. Here are some of the actualities that I see:

1. There are 40 million Pashtun residents in Afghanistan and surrounding areas.

2. Historically Pashtuns have not been constrained by political borders or boundaries. They have moved throughout the larger area at will and probably still do.

3. The culture which governs the Pashtun population traditionally is based on respect and honor. When either of these traits are/were dissed, there must be retribution, and depending on the severity of the offense, the retribution may require blood letting. In the last eight years, the offenses are such that, I believe, the retribution required is blood, witness the drone bombers!.

4. Secretary of Defense Gates and his military advisors, I believe, should be instructed to take into consideration what the Pashtun culture requires so that we Americans can be respected by the Pashtuns and what is necessary for America to do to restore our honor among the Pashtuns. We need their respect if we hope to accomplish anything in Afghanistan. Russia tried to conquer them with much larger forces than we can afford, and yet they had to pull out. Needless to say, Russia never gave much respect nor honored their heritage.

5. Their culture is such that it can’t be conquered! It can only be accommodated. The same goes for almost all Muslim cultures, even as it goes for Christian, Jewish, Hindu and many other cultures. Live with it, don’t fight against it.

6. It is impossible to bomb a people into submission. It didn’t work in Vietnam, Germany, France, Iraq, Korea and any other place where bombing has occurred. The closest exception is Nagasaki and Hiroshima during WW II and even then it was a closing shot at the end of an obviously losing situation for Japan.

7. The West defeated the USSR by acting better than the Warsaw Pact nations. America won the hearts of Western Europe with lend lease and the Marshall Plan. After WW II we helped Japan rebuild and they became our best friends. And after the Vietnam fiasco, we became friends of Vietnam by keeping our hands off. The same goes for China. It will work also in Afghanistan and neighboring nations.

8. The American public will back up similar actions in both Iraq and Afghanistan if it is explained to them in effective communiques. I don’t have the words to persuade the public, but you and your people do. What is primary in my mind is that we are all weary of war. It is time to wrap up the ‘war’ in Iraq and to change the emphasis in Afghanistan from one of ‘war’ to honoring and respecting the local population. That has always gained America its place in the hearts of the citizens of other countries. Lets us try this position in the Near East.

Peace and God bless and God bless America,

Don Cleven, just another American who is weary of war

Afghanistan

DLC — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 22:22:04 EST

Dear President Obama,

I read that your new approach to the war in Afghanistan is to deal with the local leaders, not to bypass President Karzai, but to follow the most productive way to conduct the effort to eliminate Al Queda and Bin Laden. I think that is a very intelligent move for this part of the world. Without the support of the local leaders in A., I believe there will never be any significant progress in attaining peace in this country. The people in this part of the world have not had the advantage of a majority of literate people, satisfactory health care and prevention, and least of all a fully operative democratic government. Given the current circumstances, it is unlikely that any semblance of a democratic way of life is attainable there in the next two or three decades at the very least. This culture is not far removed from the tribal culture that has existed in A. for centuries. Until recently, and perhaps still, the people have not paid much attention to political borders. Historically, these peoples have moved between Afghanistan, India, Pakistan, China, Nepal, Iran and even Russia and all the other countries in this part of Asia. I suspect that certain elements of this culture still migrate throughout the region at will. So, working with the local leaders, who know what really is going on in Afghanistan, is I believe the best way to interact with the population of A.

Congratulation on arriving at a reasonalbe understanding of this culture.

Peace and God bless and God bless America.

Don Cleven, CPA

Conservative commentator Ben Stein

DLC — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:48:50 EST

Dear Mr. President,

I heard Ben Stein last evening on AC360 on the CNN channel saying that we have to give tax breaks and open the lending to small businesses so that they can produce goods and services and make jobs available to John Q. Public. He says that will stimulate the economy.

It is my experience that what will stimulate the economy is the demand for goods and services. This will generate secure well-paying jobs. (The demand for goods and services has fallen off because the workers of America don't know what the financial future holds for them.) When workers have secure, well-paying jobs, they will buy the products (inventories) which they can afford. Then businesses of all sizes will buy supplies and hire workers to produce goods and services to replace their depleted inventories. As long as the products, which are currently in their inventories, don't sell, businesses have no incentive to produce more inventory even though credit is available. GM is in such dire straights because their products are in inventory. Their huge inventory of unsold cars and trucks is the reason that GM has to close plants and cut back production. When GM's inventories are reduced to levels that demand is again present, GM will reopen their plants, if they live through this trying time, and begin again to buy raw materials and hire workers.

As to lending, borrowed money is available to those people who have good credit, continued good prospects of well-paying jobs and are willing to buy the products that industry is poroducing. The problem, especially with GM, is that the products that are available to the buying public aren't what the public wants to buy now. So, GM and any other business that produced what the public isn 't willing to buy, are in big trouble. The bail-out to the automotive industry needs to emphasize to that industry, "It is time to produce what the public wants to buy. You can't dictate to the public. Your job is to respond to the public's needs, wants and desires. Get with it!"

The problem also is that a great portion of the working public either has been laid off or expects to be laid off or are otherwise unsure of the prospects of continued employment. This is mostly because the CEOs, CFOs and COOs of our great national companies have been greedy and hogged the major portion of the bounty generated on the backs of the laboring public. Also, the Wall Street gamblers have so inflated the value of the shares of stocks and other financial instruments that the true value behind these documents are considerably less than what they have been trading at since about a year ago.

Mr. Ben Stein, do you really believe that businesses will hire workers and produce goods and services simply because they can borrow the money to do that? It is my experience, for more that 30 years working in busines, that business produces only what they believe will sell. Sometimes, of course, (witness GM) busines makes errors regarding what they believe will sell.

Don Cleven, CPA

The House Republicans

DLC — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:02:17 EST

Dear Mr. President:

You went more than halfway. You went up to the Hill and met their demands and then you threw them a cocktail party at the White House. They drank your spirits and spat in your face. Please don't stoop to their level. Please continue to try to work with those ingrates. Okay? Peace and God bless you and God bless the Republicans and the eleven Democrats who didn't support your program, too.

Don Cleven

stimulus

DLC — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 19:50:43 EST

To the Honorable: President Barack Obama, Wisconsin Senators Russell Feingold and Herb Kohl, and Wisconsin Third District Representative Tammy Baldwin:

The news reports state that some Republican members of Congress want to increase income tax cuts rather than investing in projects that create jobs. I am opposed to any increase in the tax cuts that the Obama administration has proposed. I believe that income tax cuts work when it is necessary to nudge the economy into a higher gear and that some income tax cuts may be desirable as part of the stimulus package that Congress is now considering. However, I would like to take a quick look at the 2008 tax rebate and make some comments thereon.

1. Yes, my wife and I each received $600.00 from that attempt to revive the economy. But!–we used that money to pay down debt that we had accumulated during rosier times. The rebate didn’t go to increasing demand for goods in the economy; it gave the financial institutions money to lend to other folks, which those same institutions did not lend out. They used the funds to strengthen their balance sheets. Shame on them!

2. Neither my wife nor I will benefit from an income tax cut! Our income (from social security, state pension, IRAs and deferred compensation) is in lowest marginal income tax bracket there is, 0.0%. There are many other people throughout this nation in this tax bracket, also. None of the low income people will benefit from an income tax cut. It isn’t possible to cut income taxes for those whose income falls into the lowest marginal income tax bracket! Therefore, there is no economic stimulus for those of us who need it most.

3. What is needed is more good paying jobs! When we have good paying, productive jobs, there is economic stimulus all up and down the economic ladder. Producers buy goods from other producers. Producers hire and pay workers to produce goods and/or services. Workers then spend their wages for goods and services, which stimulates the production of more goods and services. It is a continuing circle, all of which stimulates the economy. Herbert Hoover should have used that approach in 1929, but it didn’t happen until FDR used it in 1933. DDE used it after WW II to put all the returning service men and women back to work in the private sector, produce the products to fill the unfilled wartime demand for goods, and to avoid a post-war depression like often happens post-war.

4. To stimulate a demand for good paying jobs, it is necessary to invest, for the common good, in renewing and improving our infrastructure and developing technology for the production of alternative sources of energy and protecting our environment.

5. Even though I and my wife will not benefit from an income tax cut, I still feel it is important to provide jobs so that all those unfortunate people who have lost their jobs will find it easier to find jobs that can keep them in their homes so that they will not be counted among the homeless. I don’t want to see my children and their families counted among the jobless, which could happen if the unemployment rate climbs above the 10% figure. It frightens me that my children could find themselves jobless. We need the jobs; it is necessary that the Republicans come to this understanding as well.

We need to have this stimulus package enacted into NOW!

Respectfully,

Donald L. Cleven, CPA

1706 Wendy Lane

Madison, WI 53719-1950

608-222-5009

dcleven@sbcglobal.net

Gaza

DLC — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 12:38:36 EST

Honorable President-Elect Obama:

So now Hamas and Israel have chosen to change their physical landscapes! That also changes international relationships. I believe The United States should not get involved in Hamas' and Israel's mutual attacks. However, I also believe that Americans should express our sympathy to all people who are suffering, whether Israelis or Palestinians, because of these unfortunate conditions. Also, I beleive that Israel has to cease and desist from blockading humanitarian aid, which only creates intolerable suffering for the people living in the Gaza strip. What also has to be expressed, I believe, is that Hamas, regardless of what Hamas believes or thinks, has to understand that Israel is not going to disappear. Hamas cannot make Israel go away. Israel has been in existence now for 60 plus or minus years and the international community is committed to Israel's continuned existence. So it is futile for Hamas to continue to harrass and terrorize Israel. Hamas has to understand this! The United States and the international community are not going to succumb to terrorist strategies. If Hamas thinks that terrorism will work, they are headed for the same fate as Bin Lada and his terrorist group, Al Queda. Hamas, by changing its political philosophy and accepting the fact that Israel is, now has the opportunity to become an accepted member of the international community. Until it does so, it will continue to be pariah in the world.

Also, when it comes to condemnations made by the United Nations, it is time for a country other than The United States to take the lead, both in field strategy and tactics as well as personnel and materials, in enforcing those condemnations. The United States can no longer be the world police force! Let Russia, Germany, France, Britain, China and others take turns at leadership and experience the frustration of not knowing when or how long or how soon support from the world community will be supplied or withdrawn. It is time for countries of the world to pay the price of respect from their fellow sovereignties and from the United States of America.

All of the countries of the world will need to have earned respect from all the other sovereignties because, unless the world circumstances change considerably in the near future, China with its huge human population and extensive manufacturing resources will become the dominate giant of the world controlling markets and financial conditions. I believe China is already well on its way to becoming that giant. Thus, we should begin making accommodations for that eventuality. If it happens, we won't be caught unawares. If it doesn't happen, to have been ready to accommodate such a possibility wouldn't make the United States any less desireable as a player on the international scene.

These are my thoughts. Use them or not as you see fit.

Peace and God bless and God bless America!

Don Cleven

I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore!

DLC — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:53:06 EST

The honorable President Elect Obama,

Here we are more than 2 months into that $700 billion Wall Street fiasco and $300 billion has been distributed to those street-smart financial wizards and nothing has changed in the banking industry! I know that it isn't your fault, but someone has to be held responsible for this financial boondoggle. I can't wait for Treasurer Henry Paulson to be relieved of his office! And when that happens I expect the federal officials to arrest him and all those great street-smart financial wizards for fraud and embezzlement of $300 billion. Congress and President Bush enacted a law saying that these funds should be used for easing the credit markets. Those funds didn't do that; instead they were used to underwrite the acquisition of other financial firms and to strengthen their balance sheets. Obviously, we have all the evidence in the public record, but the Bush Administration has done nothing; Treasurer Paulson is still at the public feeding trough and funneling money to his buddies on Wall Street and still no one has done anything to bring him and his buddies to justice. When will it all stop? I want it to stop now! Congress should not release any more of the TARP funds until the Obama Administration takes over on January 20, 2009. And then if Pres. Bush pardons any of his buddies, I expect the Justice Department to indict Pres. Bush for allowing and abetting these Wall Street wizards.

Peace and God bless you and God bless America!

Donald Cleven, CPA

Looking forward

DLC — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 20:51:12 EST

Dear President-Elect Obama,

Now that we are on the road to loaning the US automakers what they need to survive in the short term and barring any more unforeseen economic meltdowns, I believe it is time to look to what has troubled the American public for the last 5 plus years, the Asian wars, both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. While it appears that Iraq, during the generalship of Gen. Petraeus and with the Iraqi parliament’s approval of the presence of our troops to the end of 2011, has come closer to being settled relatively amicably, I suggest that it would be a good time to take a closer look, in consultation with Gen. Petraeus, at the war in Afghanistan.

There are many cultural differences from Iraq that exist in Afghanistan. In Iraq there are three major factions based on, of all things, religion: Islamic Sunnis & Shias and mostly Christian Kurds. In mostly Islamic Afghanistan, a country with a very low illiteracy rate, there are uncounted local territorial leaders (perhaps someone has counted them), sometimes referred to as warlords, which, for me, translates to something like medieval fiefdoms. This country is not far removed from being a tribal society. Centralized government has never effectively existed here. So, I believe the local leaders need to be treated as though they must protect their people and territories. After all, these so-called ‘warlords’ believe that the welfare of their people depends on the warlord’s beneficence, that is, if the warlords truly are beneficent. In the long run they have to be beneficent or someone will rise up with more power and unseat them. They have no standing army; they rely on the loyalty of their personal friends and guards.

From the standpoint of practicality, these local leaders will follow the path that provides the most rewards with the least negative consequences. From studies of human nature, we know that sex, honor, money, and power motivate people, including warlords. The possession of these items translates into food, companionship, clothing and homes. Under the Islamic customs the US can’t provide sex, but it can provide money and respect, which translates into prestige and honor, which then translate into power, power over their subordinates and respect among their peers. The same will go, I believe, for the uncontrolled Afghanistan/Pakistan border area within Pakistan. Money without respect will not work. Honorable actions and respect on our part will lay the groundwork for providing money for effectively dealing with the insurgent forces in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. It is very similar to dealing with the local fiefdoms of medieval Europe.

Needless to say, no one dealt effectively with the European fiefdoms. Witness the multitude of wars, the carnage of the protestant reformation (peasants revolt and 30 years and 100 years wars) the brutality of the French revolution, establishment of Germany and World War I, the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, the fall of the Weimar Republic and rise of the Nazi regime in Germany and World War II, etc. None of these wars righted the wrongs experienced by the world. War is not the answer. Respect, honor and cooperation is the answer.

Hopefully, we have learned how to better get along in the world community. Let’s talk!

Peace and God bless and God bless America! Don Cleven

New Agenda

DLC — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 01:17:01 EST

Dear President-Elect Obama:

Speaker Pelosi has now proposed using the fuel efficiency money. Great! Okay, I agree that approving the loans totaling the $25 billion previously designated for fuel efficiency. However, please make sure that a panel or board of five or so auto industry knowledgeable people are in place to watch over and make sure that these executives (who claim they are not dumb; but maybe they are too street smart about the use of money) use the money according to the plan which Congress will approve and that they make changes to the plans only as conditions and technology advances make it advantageous to do so.

Peace and God bless and God bless America!

Don Cleven, Madison, WI

Three very dumb execs

DLC — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 02:50:24 EST

Dear Pres.-Elect Barack Obama,

I find it hard to believe what those three Detroit auto industry execs are trying to pull. And I find it hard to believe how dumb our elected representatives, both Senators and Representatives, are to swallow what being told them without asking some very searching questions. Here is a probable scenario that I would expect to have taken place. Please read it and then please read what I have to say after the printed scenario.

Question 1. Do you have any other sources of loans or other forms of economic support to tide you over while you recover from this unfortunate financial downturn?

Answer: Oh, we have tried to obtain some funding from the Department of Energy for the development of fuel efficient automobiles, just a small sum, only about $25 billion, plus or minus.

2. And you want to borrow up to $34 billion from the taxpayers?

Answer: Yes, we need that amount to tide us over while we are developing the fuel efficient automobiles. Without these funds, we won't be able to both develop the fuel efficient autos and meanwhile expend the money needed to downsize and revitalize our operations in order to guarantee our survival.

3. So, you are asking for $60 billion, more or less, from two different branches of the same bank. Doesn't this embarrass you just a little? And if not, why not? Also, why didn't you offer this information up front?

Answer: (I can't imagine how Detroit would respond to these questions.)

MY COMMENTS: NO LENDER WOULD LEND ME A LARGE SUM OF MONEY (SAY NOTHING ABOUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS) WITHOUT COLLATERAL. WHAT I SEE IS THAT THE COLLATERAL THE DETROIT EXECS ARE OFFERING IS THE QUESTIONABLE (POSSIBLE?) SALVATION OF OUR ECONOMY. AND THE UAW IS IN BED WITH THESE DUMB DETROIT EXECS. MEANWHILE, THE TAXPAYERS HAVE NO GUARANTEE THAT THE DUMB DETROIT EXECS TOGETHER WITH THE UAW CAN SAVE OUR ECONOMY. HOWEVER, THEY HAVE MADE US BELIEVE THAT WITHOUT THEM THE ECONOMY WILL TANK. HEY! IT HAS ALREADY TANKED. MY RETIREMENT ACCOUNTS HAVE LOST ABOUT 35% OF THEIR VALUE SINCE JANUARY 1, 2008. WHAT THIS MEANS IS THAT THE VALUE WASN'T THERE ON JANUARY 1, 2008. THE MARKETS WERE OVER PRICED BECAUSE OF THE SCAMS PLAYED IN THE UNREGULATED MARKETS, BOTH KNOWN AND UNKNOWN TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC, BY THE WALL STREET HOT DOGS. WE HAVE BEEN KEPT IN THE DARK BY THE WALL STREET FAT CATS. (HOT DOGS -- FAT CATS -- WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE?) WE BAILED THEM OUT BECAUSE THEY WERE TOO BIG TO FAIL. NOW THE AUTO INDUSTRY COMES WITH THE SAME ARGUMENT. "WE ARE TOO BIG TO FAIL. TOO MANY ORDINARY AMERICAN WORKERS WILL BE HURT,' THEY SAY.

I SAY, "HOGWASH!" NO ESTABLISHMENT IS TOO BIG TO FAIL. THE ONLY THING THAT IS CURRENTLY HOLDING OUR ECONOMY TOGETHER IS THE CONFIDENCE AND FAITH THE AMERICAN PUBLIC HAS IN OUR ECONOMY. GRANTED, IF THE DETROIT AUTO INDUSTRY GOES BELLY-UP, IT WILL SHOCK OUR ECONOMY. HOWEVER, THE OTHER, MOSTLY FOREIGN, AUTO MAKERS WHO ASSEMBLE CARS IN AMERICA WILL PICK UP THE SLACK LEFT BY THE DETROIT AUTO INDUSTRY'S DEMISE. AFTER ALL, BY THEIR OWN ADMISSION, SOME WHERE BETWEEN 25 TO 40% OF THE COMPONENT PARTS IN DETROITS CARS ARE MADE OUTSIDE THE USA.

DETROIT SAYS THEY WANT TO PHASE OUT SOME BRANDS, SPECIFICALLY GM. WELL, GM PHASED OUT THE OLDSMOBILE BRAND A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO AND IT COST GM BILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO BUY OUT THE DEALERSHIPS. WHAT THEY NEED TO DO IS BUILD CARS THAT AMERICA WILL BUY, NOT THE CARS THAT DETROIT STICKS THE LARGEST MARK-UP ON. DETROIT NEEDS TO RETOOL THEIR FACTORIES SO THEIR FACTORIES CAN BE QUICKLY, EFFICIENTLY AND EFFECTIVELY REWORKED TO PRODUCE THE CARS THAT SELL. THEN MAYBE DETROIT CAN COMPETE ON AN EQUAL FOOTING WITH THE FOREIGN MAKERS. IS DETROIT WILLING TO DO THIS?

I BELIEVE THAT REORGANIZATION UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF THE BANKRUPTCY COURT IS THE BEST WAY TO GO. THE ARGUMENT IS THAT UNDER BANKRUPTCY, NO ONE WILL WANT TO PURCHASE DETROIT'S PRODUCTS. CRAP! IF EVERYONE UNDERSTANDS THAT IT IS REORGANIZATION, NOT DISSOLUTION, IT WON'T MAKE A BIT OF DIFFERENCE.

IT IS TIME FOR OUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES TO GET SOME SMARTS AND BACKBONE. YES, THIS IS TOUGH MEDICINE, BUT THEN, WITHOUT THE MEDICINE, MOST OF THE TIME WE DON'T GET WELL.

PEACE AND GOD BLESS AND GOD BLESS AMERICA. DON

Auto industry

DLC — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 23:44:35 EST

It's been a couple of weeks, but I have a few comments on those CEOs of the Big Three.

They are coming back to Congress on 12/2 with their plans for the future. What does that mean? They really need to do some long-term planning. This business of 1 to 3 years doesn't cut the mustard. If they can't look at least 5 years out, something is wrong. They should be coming to Congress with plans for 10-15 years. And they have to indicate that they will be flexible and regularly and frequently review those plans to take advantage of advances in technology.

Further, I expect that they will be coming back for more billions of dollars in three to six months. Be sure to check to see what their plans are for the next year as well as for the long-term future. They tried to snow Congress a couple of weeks ago and they will try again.

Also, remember that when we buy American made cars, maybe only the assembly is here in America. Many of the component parts of cars are made in foreign countries. Contrary to the popular perception, there is no longer anything like a completely 'MADE IN AMERICA AUTOMOBILE." At least some, if not most of the parts are made in foreign countries. What do Ford, GM and Chrysler intend to do in order to reverse this trend. They need to address this issue, too. But, they won't unless someone asks them about it. Remember that cars produced in Canada are not 'made in the USA.'

Peace and God bless and God bless America!

Don

I'm back!

DLC — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:15:57 EST

Hi Barack,

I thought I could do a blog on <change.gov>! Big mistake. All I can do is communicate one-way and then the site asks me to post my comments to my friends. I don't want to do that. I want to get a message out to all the other bloggers and to see what they have to say. So, I''m back. Let's keep it going, please.

I wrote on <change.gov> that, if we are going to bail-out the auto industry, then they have to come up with a business plan for the future, not just for today; it has to include all the latest technology, especially for alternative energy. And there must be oversight to see that GM, Ford and Chrysler follow their plans and that they adjust them to reflect developing technology as it arises. Otherwise, we are just throwing good money after bad. That wouldn't be acceptable. Fortunately, President Elect Obama, you have seen the light and are asking for a "Car Tsar". Way to go, but that tsar has to have his head screwed on rightly, no monkey-shines.

Peace and God bless and God bless America!

Don Cleven

Goodbye

DLC — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:49:32 EST

I'll say 'GOODBYE' to you on this site and talk from now on on www.change.gov. Peace and God bless America.

to air the response and my response thereto to my conservative blog

DLC — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 16:44:32 EST

CONSERVATIVESBy DLC - Nov 7th, 2008 at 12:45 pm EST Comments | Mail to a Friend | Report Objectionable Content

HI BARACK, IS IT OKAY FOR ME TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS YOU AS 'BARACK?' SINCE I WANT TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU, I DON'T WANT TO WRITE FORMALLY.

I HOPE THAT YOU WILL SOON APPOINT A CONSERVATIVE TO YOUR TEAM. THE CONSERVATIVE PUNDITS ARE ALREADY CRYING FOUL BECAUSE YOU HAVE APPOINTED ONE OF YOUR LOYAL ADVISERS TO YOUR WHITE HOUSE STAFF. WHAT DID THEY EXPECT? PERHAPS YOU COULD CONSIDER KEEPING SEC'Y GATES AS HEAD OF DEFENSE. HE APPEARS TO BE SOMEONE WHO WOULD BE A VOICE OF REASON IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION AND SEEMS TO BE ON GOOD TERMS WITH GEN. PETRAEUS, WHOM I RESPECT. IF NOT, PLEASE ANNOUNCE HOW, WHEN AND WHY YOU WILL CONSULT WITH FORMER SEC'Y OF DEFENSE POWELL. ALL AMERICANS RESPECT HIM AND MANY BELIEVE HE WAS USED BADLY BY THE BUSH ADMINISTRATION.

I BELIEVE IT IS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE TO EARLY-ON APPOINT A COUPLE OF MODERATES IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION IN ORDER TO AVOID SO MUCH CRITICISM FROM THE HARD RIGHT.

PEACE AND GOD BLESS YOU.

DON CLEVEN

Reader Comments

if we wanted... | Report to Admin Reply By Rosanne in Tennessee Nov 7th 2008 at 1:06 pm EST (Updated Nov 7th 2008 at 1:06 pm EST)
Delete Comment If we'd wanted to elect a conservative, we would have done so. there is no need to "appease" anyone; this is going to be a new administration that sees the past as a long series of errors and has much to rectify. If the GOP is upset, let them wail. They refused to listen to those in the middle class (and lower class) for eight years; they should have expected a backlash against the "haves" from the "have nots." As well as the backlash against evangelical terroism that invaded the privacy of women from birth to death (Terry Schiavo case). I Barack cleans out the temple! As for Colin Powell, he thought we had weapons of mass destruction; I am underwhelmed by those of the previous administration who knew things but did not speak up.

I and many others could care less what the conservative pundits have to say; they never should have tried to "sell" Palin and started down the "socialism" path. Let them lick their wounds. Re: if we wanted... | Report to Admin Reply By DLC Yesterday at 4:27 pm EST (Updated Yesterday at 4:27 pm EST)
Delete Comment Ah, yes! Obama and Emmanuel really could stick it to the Republicans. And it is tempting to go for shutting out them. But, what would it accomplish? It wasn't advantageous for the Republicans when they shut out the Dems in governing. They ended up lining the pockets of their wealthy Wall Street and big corporate and oil company executives to the detriment of their own governing advantage. Perhaps they lined their own pockets in the process, but they lost the confidence of the American people. As for me, I believe it would be better to share the governing decisions for the benefit of the whole population of the USA than to make the electorate angry as the Republicans have done for the last 8 years, if not for the last three or four decades.
Please rethink your position. There are instances in history that demonstrate the advantages of sharing the decision making processes for the common good, that which works best for all the people of the USA.
Peace and God bless you and God bless America.

CONSERVATIVES

DLC — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 12:45:10 EST

HI BARACK, IS IT OKAY FOR ME TO CONTINUE TO ADDRESS YOU AS 'BARACK?' SINCE I WANT TO BE STRAIGHT WITH YOU, I DON'T WANT TO WRITE FORMALLY.

I BELIEVE IT IS TO YOUR ADVANTAGE TO EARLY-ON APPOINT A COUPLE OF MODERATES IN YOUR ADMINISTRATION IN ORDER TO AVOID SO MUCH CRITICISM FROM THE HARD RIGHT.

PEACE AND GOD BLESS YOU.

DON CLEVEN

Congratulations!, Ich gratuliere Ihnen!

DLC — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 15:08:21 EST

Dear Honorable Barack Obama, President-elect of the United States of America,

Congratulations! I am so happy especially for the nation, but also equally for you. At the same time, I have the utmost concern about the work that lies ahead of you. I pray that God will give you the strength to meet the demands of the highest office in the land, perhaps the highest in the world. I know that Michelle will always be by your side and that your two girls will also be supportive of you. I also pray that the whole population of the nation and of the world will work cooperatively with you and your team.

Be assured that I will blog you from time to time, especially when I think you have done something strikingly good, but even more so when I disagree with what you propose and/or endorse for the nation.

Now it is time to re-direct some of that $350 billion away from Wall Street and toward the hardworking and needy in the mainstream of America. I have for years been appalled by the huge size of compensation packages that large corporation CEOs have managed to convince their boards of directors to pay them. This has to change. Golden parachutes for CEOs that have failed should be eliminated. And when are the boards of directors going to get some backbone and prosecute those CEOs that have run their corporations into the ground? Soon I hope.

Peace and God bless! And God bless you!

Don Cleven

Illegal immigration

DLC — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:18:07 EST

Hi Barack,

Now John McCain is talking about securing our borders. Now I understand that we have a problem identifying who is here illegally. But we need to look at our history. Before 1929, there were no federal laws regulating immigration. All four of my grandparents came to the United States without any federal regulation. Under that scenario, there were no illegal immigrants. Before 1929 the states, which had ports or other means of entry, had the responsibility of controlling the entry of immigrants. Mostly those states monitored for criminals, undesireables and states of health only, witness Ellis Island. Needles to say, the regulations were varied indeed.

Consider: MANY OF THE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE FILLING JOBS THAT WE MORE AFFLUENT AMERICANS DON'T OR WON'T PERFORM, JOBS SUCH AS BATHROOM CLEANERS, LAUNDRY WORKERS, BED PAN PORTERS, ETC. IT IS TIME TO BE RESPECTFUL OF THESE PEOPLE AND MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THESE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS TO BECOME NATURALIZED CITIZENS OF THE USA!

Peace and God bless! and God bless America.

Don Cleven

McCain's foolishness

DLC — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 19:04:13 EST

Hi Barack,

I just heard Sen. McCain say that the key to fixing this economy is for people to keep their homes, that is, avoid foreclosures on those homes. That sounds like a good key, but that is the final step to the solution, not the beginning of the solution. The first step is to put a moratorium on foreclosures and the next step is to create the jobs (by investing in and rebuilding our infrastructure) so that people can earn the money to pay off the mortgage notes on their homes. It is time to point out to the narrow minded people, those who think we can just talk about keeping people in their homes, that we have to do something that enables people to keep their homes. That something is creating JOBS, JOBS, JOBS etc., etc., etc.

Don Cleven

JOBS, JOBS, JOBS

DLC — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 22:05:31 EDT

Hi Barack,

Yes, it's all about jobs. Jobs are what Ohio, Pennsylvania, Indiana, W. Virginia, Colorado, N. Carolina, S. Carolina, Montana, Colorado, Missouri and all the other states need. It was your proposing to invest in the infrastructure that really turned the tide your way in this election. But it will take a year or so to let the contracts that create these jobs.

I was listening this evening to Bill Moyers Journal on PBS and he was discussing the economy with Michael Zweig of SUNY Stony Brook. I think it would be to your advantage, for the short run, to read the study report that Mr. Zweig and his cohorts issued. This report has some suggestions to tide the economy over until the jobs program takes ahold. We should be doing something now for the workers who are stressed economically.

In the meantime, ignore both Senator McCain and Gov. Palin. Both of them are irrelevant to what is needed to move this country forward.

Peace and God bless!

Don

JOBS 2

DLC — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:25:16 EDT

Hi Barack,

To create more jobs, fix our schools, finance the development of WIND FARMS and nuclear power plants for the production of electricity, and put some money into higher education for the preparation of our work force as well as reapiring our bridges and roads.

Don

JOBS

DLC — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:03:51 EDT

Hi Barack,

I saw you on TV yesterday and Monday talking about jobs. As you see now, JOBS is the answer. Have you seen the polls widen considerably in your favor since you introduced JOBS into your campaign. And I am glad you got the jump on Sen. McCain! THAT ONE has never known a day of want. All his life he has had a very secure position. Both his father and grandfather had secure positions in the U. S. Navy and, in comparison to ordinary workers, they lived high on the hog with their pay from the government.. And when he as ready to go to university, he had the capability to matriculate in the U. S. Naval Academy at Anapolis, a very exclusive school that few students can ever hope to attend, at the expense of the U. S. government with a guarantee of a job and good pay after graduating. Now, after twenty years in service, he retires with a nice pension, thanks to the generosity of Uncle Sam! And he thinks he knows how to solve the problems of the American working class. He doesn't have a clue!

After McC. hears your proposal to generate JOBS, he jumps on the JOBS band wagon, too! He doesn't have an original idea in his head. He can only be negative. Take for example all of his boasting about his accomplishments in Congress. Those accomplishments are about what he has thwarted. His most notable accomplishment is the deregulation of the financial markets, the most negative and destructive action ever to come out of Washington.

I was born in 1931 at the height of the great depression, or should I say the depth of the great depression, the fifth of seven children. My older siblings remember the good times of the late twenties; I have no such memories. Until November 1942 my parents were 50/50 tenant dairy farmers in west-central Wisconsin. They shared the farm income half and half with the farm owner. Fortunately, we lived on a dairy farm and there was always food. But, clothing was hand-me-downs, even when the clothes and shoes didn't fit just right. We knew we were poor, but we were happy. We had no electricity, telephone or indoor plumbing. We did have an outhouse and a pump for water in the milk house. My mother did her laundry by hand with a washboard and scrub brush. When I was a kid, there was a square spot on the wall in the kitchen, about 10 inches wide and 2 feet long at about face high, that was painted brown, but the rest of the kitchen walls were painted a lovely green. That spot is where, during the twenties, the hand-cranked telephone had hung. Does that Kid McCain have any memories like mine? I highly doubt it. Would he like to trade placeS with me? Nah! He is too happy in his sheltered little cocoon, where Daddy and Grandpa and the government provided the best for him. Sure, he suffered five plus years in a Vietnamese POW camp, and I respect him for that. Therefore, I expect him to respect me for what I have suffered for the first thirty or forty years of my life, trying to accummulate enough savings to live comfortably in my old age.

Then with the onset of WW II, there was rationing; of gasoline, rubber, meat, sugar, butter, food of all kinds. Many things simply were not available, automobiles and clothing especially. The production of goods went into the war effort. And there was the OPA, the Office of Price Administration, which regulated prices and rationing until after the war was over. Did Sen. McC. and his family know want? Nah, he and his were in service, where there was everything that was needed and probably more. But, I knew want until I was well into my twenties. Am I sorry for that? No, because that is how and when I learned to cope with arrogant people like Senator John Sidney McCain!

Figure it out, I am 77 plus years old and I find the value of my IRA and other savings disappearing, not by my profligate usage of them, but by Sen. McC.'s profligate deregulation of the financial markets.

WHAT BURNS MY CORK, IS THAT WHILE GOVERNMENT HAS TAKEN CARE OF HIM AND HIS ALL OF HIS LIFE, HE WANTS TO REMOVE THE FEW PROTECTIONS THAT THE GOVERNMENT PROVIDES FOR THE ORDINARY CITIZENS OF AMERICA! What a crocck of borscht he asks the people of American to swallow!