may be in run on mode.. but w/e
From: Kristian Hemker
Longmont, Co.
To: Barack Obama
From: A concerned youth in America
Dear Mr. Obama,
I have recently heard of your Nobel peace prize and I have one thing to say. The humble thing to do regarding the prize would be to turn it down and not be the publicity whore you have been all through your campaign. What we need from you isn’t uselessly accepting baseless award and accolades, but rather a Man, people will be able to look back on and say “he said he was going to change America, and he did.” As a 21 year old American I have seen all of the games and ploys of the political politicians and the rise and dashing of many hopes. I’m for the war in Iraq and I wish the people knew what good we were actually bringing those people. I have asked many “Democrats” “what is a democrat?” to which no one could answer. I have also asked people if they think Iraq is in better or worse shape since we have been there… and I have e yet to find a satisfactory answer from your party. I currently think we live in a one party system where private interests run the show behind the scenes and the political “debates” (if you can even call them that) are just a giant farce. I am a Libertarian and I know that capitalism isn’t all good and socialism isn’t all bad. Capitalism is the only form of economy that provides actual opportunity to gain wealth on your own merit, and individualism like that isn’t possible in a society that gives everyone everything they need. Americans are far too comfortable and stupid to understand the complex systems which control our economy. and schooling is almost impossible to afford in such hard economic times when you barely make middle class wages. The invisible inflation of costs in the housing markets is over rampant. I live in Colorado where those who have no skills lose jobs and those without jobs can’t afford the education for themselves let alone their families. I would like to also note the famous phrase “a government that can give you everything you need can take it all away.” So I think we need a drastic overhaul of Education and Welfare services. As far as the immigration issue is concerned I don’t think we need a second language but if they are willing to enter the “cultural melting pot” then I think amnesty isn’t a horrible idea. I think that Americans are far too comfortable and the low class can make more off of welfare then they can working at a local business. I would urge you to take these things into consideration because its my future and your children’s future not the ruling elite. I didn’t vote for you because I wanted to vote for Ron Paul but he didn’t get the nomination so I voted for Bob Barr, Because I believe that having too much control in both the house and senate doesn’t lead to rational discussion, but rather a comfortable arena to cater to private interests.. And I would also say that the billions of dollars of tax revenue you printed are going to destroy the middle class. I think we need a national minimum wage with a maximum housing limit. I don’t think that the government can solve all my problems so i am going to apply for government aid to start college in January for a “structural engineering and technology of applied science”, and try to get as many certifications as possible. What the country needs is not hand outs or government aid but Oportunity. And I think what they need you of you now is not the politician but the Man, Father, Husband, and intellectually honest person, I know you can be. This whole letter might fall on deaf ears but at least I had my say. I really hope you actually read this all the way through and took it into consideration despite my age. I am off to get my brother from a correctional facility because some of your “peace officers” arrested him while he was helping my grandmother out the front door with some dirty water because our sink is clogged and we cant afford to fix it. I would hope you take each of my statements as if your daughters were asking you. Why the police arrest more blacks and convict them than of any other color? And I hope you don’t disgrace the memory of Dr. Martin King who said “do not judge a man by the color of his skin but the content of his character.” One last thing I have to ask. Why it is in a country that obviously has a drug problem are we arresting these criminals the government, Has made for itself and using my tax dollars, (Which I haven’t earned much of) to house these criminals for upwards of 20,000 dollars a year, Per person. Not that we should let people out of prison because of the high recidivism rate. One final thing that I have learned from my Hispanic forbearers is “I would rather die on my feet than live on my knees”
Sincerely,
Kristian Hemker (concerned 21 years old)
By Padmini Arhant
The passing away of Senator Edward Kennedy, one of the longest serving public officials in the United States Senate has created a vacuum in the battlefield for humanitarian cause. Senator Kennedy’s representation on many issues remembered nationwide. Among them, the Senator’s relentless effort to bring equality and justice to the poor and underprivileged in the hallmark healthcare, education and immigration was commendable. There is more reason to pass the public option health care reform as a tribute to the deceased Senator.
Senator Kennedy fought for millions in not only his constituency but also the entire nation with passion and power. The Senator extended his service beyond shorelines in ways to resolve the international conflict such as the Northern Ireland peace process. Senator Kennedy was committed and dedicated in helping citizens of stars and stripes achieve their American dream.
The national recognition of Senator Kennedy as ‘The Lion of the Senate’ personified in the Senator’s role in every legislative matter of great value and importance to all people regardless of socio-economic status.
Senator Ted Kennedy lived up to the reputation of the Kennedy legacy in national service. As a true patriot, the Senator deeply cared and carried out the legislative duties and responsibilities diligently and frequently in a bipartisan manner, a monumental achievement in contemporary politics.
Senator Edward M. Kennedy will be truly missed by the nation, while his service commemorated now and in the future as the member of the iconic Kennedy family and the esteemed United States Senate.
No words can possibly heal the moment of sorrow except time.
Time is the best healer and trusting in the brighter tomorrow ease the pain experienced during the natural events in life.
I convey my heartfelt condolences to the Kennedy family, friends and the entire nation.
Padmini Arhant
P.S. Due to technical difficulty at the personal end, the delay occurred in posting the message earlier on. Please accept my apologies for the time lapse.
Hi,
The age-old pesky U.S.-Mexico border problem will never be solved. Why? Because the border is the problem! Yet a satisfying permanent solution has always been in sight, namely, dissolve the border and megamerge the two countries, with mass 2-way migration equalizing development and opportunities, and making the bigger better U.S. more able to cope with global economic competition, terrorism, possible world wars, etc.
Yes, I have thought it all out, and published a report on my Web page
http://tlwinslow.weebly.com/megamerge-the-dissolution-solution.html
So, am I nuts? Whadya all think?
Ciao,
T.L. Winslow
Denver, Colo.
From : Elisabeth SILVA Date : February, 2007
Subject :
“Demand of translation into English and publishing of the Book “LES PILIERS DE LA TRAITRISE” published on March, 2005 in FRANCE.
TRUE STORY Autobiography : Les Piliers de la TraîtriseFrench Author : Elisabeth SILVA320 P., 20 €Date of publishing : 04th march 2005 ISBN 295220941-3 Editions La Lanterne28, rue de la Seine 95100 ARGENTEUILFRANCE Tel.: 01.30.76.06.22 È06.11.10.35.00 Fax : 01.30.76.90.28info@la-lanterne.net THE WORD OF THE AUTHOR Dear Sir, I am pleased to send you hereby, a copy of my book titled “Les Piliers de la Traîtrise” published in France by Les Editions La Lanterne Paris. Part of this TRUE STORY told in this book took place in England.This autobiographical work is a poignant testimony given birth in the pain, which describes the tragic story of a French family forced to go into exile on August 31st, 2003.This true story depicts above all the inmost depths of the soul of the French author, who, will learn in this chaotic road, with her companions of galley to surpass trials, affronts, sufferings and traumas.Behind this paradoxical title, with a whiff of scandal, which enlightens upon the illusion of justice and the spirit of laws, the writer brings out some humanist connotations, the apology of self-sacrifice, the defence of a noble cause, that of the missing children.This book, which crossed the borders was approved by a large majority of French and foreign political personalities as well as sovereigns.Nevertheless, the French government still puts the veto over this shameful political and judicial scandal.Three years later, back from exile, we still fight alone injustice in France, our country of residence and danger is still topical. That’s an understatement.Therefore, I would be very happy to discuss with you the possibility of having my real terrifying story translated into English and would be grateful if you published it in your country, where I will remain, until we might meet. For a better understanding, please find herewith a synopsis of the story entitled “Forced exile within the XXI century”.I would really appreciate your opinion upon this real story.Please find enclosed my Press book, which includes various files certifying our story. All these information, as well as the reporting relevant declaration corroborating evidence about both, French State crime, as well as the denunciation of violation of our Human rights committed by the I.N.S. (Immigration and Naturalization Service) and the executioners of the prison of York in the U.S.A., against a whole honest French family, innocent of any offence or crime, nevertheless, illegally and arbitrarily imprisoned in January 2004, while applying for political asylum, should interest a publisher willing to raise public consciousness, and enlighten him upon stages of our endless fight for survival in dignity from 2003 till now.Please find herewith the up-to-date letter of HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN, who takes a stand in favour of our French family following my request entitled “ News Bulletin upon The necessity of the duty of interference against the state of exception ” imposed by French high officials affected by political smallness. This courageous and hopeful reply from Her Majesty The Queen, that sounds like a shining light in darkness, fortunately help us to stand fast. Besides, the enclosed reply from Prime Minister, Tony BLAIR should also be of great interest for you.I hope you will pay attention, at your turn, to this shameful and terrible scandal so that the truth should finally bursts in broad daylight. If you still require information we could easily arrange for an appointment at your headquarters if this would help. Waiting forward to hearing from you in the near future, Yours faithfully, The Author, Elisabeth SILVA SYNOPSIS OF THE TRUE STORY “Forced exile within the XXI century” Extracts from the book “Les Piliers de la Traîtrise” page 7- 9.(Translated into English by the Author.) THE WORD OF THE AUTHOR Does a contract matched by a licence to kill innocent targets introduced into the vicious circle of a secret defence exist except literature? “By handling the strange disappearance of the child Leo Balley, which occurred on July 19th, 1996 in Grenoble, I deciphered a Secret Defence. Involuntarily, I put in broad daylight a mystery of the French political scene and Marc, the only official of the family became at this beginning of the summer, 2003, a pursued policeman … in August, 2003, a convoy of five persons was going to get organized in the urgency to thwart a devilish machination. Three women and a man will leave to the forehead and will learn the rules of survival, under the leadership of an elite policeman steering with address operations of paramilitary camouflage, hidden in the scrub of London, carrying the torch of bravery, honour and loyalty. His mother, his sister and my boyfriend came good will, bad will with his mother will be immerse into this merciless universe of the State plot, confronted with incredible but real events, hostile pursuits and tracking, which will lead them in a crazy escalation. Besides the rescue of his family, in perilous conditions exceeding understanding, the Sergeant of Criminal Investigation Department, (O.C.R.B) Marc SILVA, will hold up to date a Logbook. These alive and handwritten memories redraw in a linear chronology the thread of the tragic events, which led our family to the borders of extreme, from August 04th, 2003 till February 11th, 2004, since France, in passing in transit by England to the hell, in the United States. Entered into this logical war, plethora of reports and correspondences were sent to the politico-judicial Authorities and world organizations, to the global scale. For these six months of exile abroad, this highly skilled policeman was going to deliver battle, without rifle, to a troop of destroying commando groups. A colossal reporter’s work without borders and without flag, patriotic soldier attached to the values of a citizen democracy … They will set the numerical superiority of their armed troops in our defenseless, numerus clausus supposed to make us sound the retreat. This picture sounding like Guernica’s war tarnishes their reputation and makes them unpopular. They are not soldiers, should have doubtless thought the General de Gaulle, because those who do not fulfil their duty dishonour the homeland.Without respite and mercilessly, they will lead us to exile, throw us to the lions, the mediocre journalists, exposing us to misery and ruin.The shell of indifference will protect us forever of the cowardice shown by a majority of people. A scene, which will remind me how much, THE RACE OF JUDAS IS FERTILE.We lost a battle but not the war, My General. My deepest respect, for great men, the grateful Nation. Marc will defend the side of our troop up to the cessation of hostilities. We shall have victory, it is inscribed into tables of stone of the divine law, triumph waits for us, but it will be necessary to go up on the cross to Calvary, to break the neck to the enemy.The remembrance of our noble fight will be engraved forever in the public consciousness, the fatal weapon of Internet will shoot the polymorphic perverses, on their own ground. In front of their long time maintained opaqueness, we would set the transparency. But the road, which will lead to the freedom and to the justice will be long and we shall carry the cross up to the mountain of Golgotha, in the prison of Pennsylvania in U.S.A., to obtain immunity and protection across the Atlantic.Vain illusion, the saviour of Humanity is no more than a mirage. This barbaric America of George W. Bush, without, faith, nor law inhabited by uneducated cowboys of the Immigration and naturalization Service, executioners of Humanity, and losers, sinks into a dying civilization. American hegemony will not reborn for a long time, from its ashes. Humanists could not tolerate acts of torture imposed on prisoners of ABOU-GHRAÏB, GUANTANAMO or still of YORKThis apocalyptic vision of the American executioners was useful, while I was prisoner in their cell, I read again the bible predictions, which calmed my moral sufferings and pointed me that God had not abandoned us, that He was a lamp in our feet and a light on our path. His omniscience, omnipresence and omnipotence would release us from their chains coming from another age and soon, I knew that God, the Almighty would open us the door of the penitentiary. " I hope now that the nib of a skilful journalist will break the “omerta”, the guilty silence, and the voice of a subtle speaker will thunder here and there the chronic of an announced psychic murder, the denial of justice, the sacrifice of a family and her rights always and still abused, in the name of the not very glorious State Reason. I wish that the truth burst upon Marion WAGON, Leo BALLEY and Estelle MOUZIN, the missing angels.To willing people, I call out for a general mobilization, and shout a solemn message, a cry from the heart, at this time from London, to Mr President Jacques Chirac inspired by his own words," It's high time to find the road of Humanism ". Yours faithfully, The Author,Elisabeth SILVA
Biography of the Author(English version)
Author of French nationality, Elisabeth SILVA was born on April 30th, 1968 in Casablanca.
Already, at the age to play with dolls, she has her first premonitory dreams. Later, she discovers that she has " a sixth developed sense ". This oddity will become in the course of time a hobby. The paradise of her cherished childhood darkens, at the age of adolescence, when her parents divorce. After this painful experience, she writes her first collection of poems titled "Migrations Intérieures". Later, at the secondary school, she shows a passion for philosophy. She gets her high school degree, in literary section, and obtains the most praiseworthy note for her philosophy test, which one is published in the annals of the " Bonnes copies du Baccalauréat " by HATIER Editions. This stylistic composition will give her later some zeal and wings for writing. She persues, postgraduate studies, in foreign languages. Afterwards, she obtains engineer's diploma in a Business School, specialized in International Marketing, and enters directly the world of work. In the course of the years, she weaves a deep relationship with Marc, her elder brother and her tender and pious mother near whom, she will spent her " thirty glorious " years mainly in the Southwest of France. In 2001, she successfully passes the nursing examination, but unfortunately she renounces to her late vocation after a delicate surgical operation of slipped disc. Fate does not exist, she discovers the benefits of hypnosis, achieves the creation of a CD Rom titled "Les Pouvoirs de l’Hypnose " before becoming hypnotherapist. Elisabeth has above all a sensitive soul. She defends a noble cause, that of the childhood in danger. Since 2000, encouraged by her brother, Marc, who is a Police officer, Elisabeth gracefully proposes her faculties, namely, Extra Sensorial Perceptions (E.S.P.) to the missing children cells. So, they unify their efforts and respective skill and try to lead informal inquiries upon missing children cases, yet unresolved, such as the tragic disappearance of the girl, Marion WAGON, occured on November 14th, 1996. Afterwards, in 2002, they undertake to investigate upon the Leo Balley missing child case occurred in July 19th, 1996 in Grenoble. After a detailed examination of the E.S.P.’s folder, beforehand sent to the Brigade of Local Research located in Grenoble, the Warrant officer OMER, convinced of the relevance of her revelations, hurries to reopen the Léo Balley’s file, namely, six years after his disappearance. On February 26th 2002, the aforesaid warrant officer hears officially Elisabeth and her brother upon rogatory commission. Curiously, the investigator seems to mainly focus on Elisabeth's fragmentary discoveries upon the existence of a military base, a nuclear rocket, and on Mister Lionel Jospin's ministerial coming within a given date, revealed in her E.S.P folder, rather than by details concerning the tragic disappearance of the child. The audition takes a new form, the affair gets more complicated and slides on another ground …Nuclear. Hence, the case is classified TOP SECRET DEFENCE. At the request of this last one, Elisabeth commits herself not to reveal anything to the media, otherwise she would expose her life to danger. The warning is without ambiguity. Time passes slowly, the enigma Léo BALLEY remains complete and the undertaking of new excavations, on the site is postponed. In the course of the month of June 2003, they try again to clear up the mystery of Estelle Mouzin, a tragical case of missing child, which has stayed at a standstill, since six months. At that moment, they are far from to imagine, that they entered into an infernal gear, till August 4th 2003, fateful day, if it is there, in the tragic story that is going to live this family. Doubtless, the simple reference to the Léo Balley’s file classified Secret Defence, supposed to accredit their steps with competent authorities, in the statement of this new affair, opens Pandora’s box and all the troubles of the earth spread on them. At this turning point, their life is turning into an endless nightmare. Elisabeth becomes a target and Marc, the only official of the family is becoming, at this beginning of the summer 2003, a pursued policeman. To escape from hostile pursuits and tracking, Elisabeth accompanied by her mother and her brother, Marc SILVA, Police Sergeant appointed to the Central Bureau for Repression of Banditism, go into a forced exile and live hidden in England, during nearly five months. Snubbed by the French chancellery and as a last resort, the SILVA-MARQUEZ family apply for political asylum in the U.S.A, on January16th, 2004. There, they are illegally detained by the I.N.S (Immigration and Naturalization Service) at New-York JFK Airport, as well as, illegally and arbitrarily imprisoned, at York, in Pennsylvania. Such barbaric images have dominated her life over the last three years and those painful memories of torture will never leave her. On 11th February, 2004, when she gets back from exile, she writes of a sharpened nib, her life story, titled “LES PILIERS DE LA TRAITRISE” namely “Pillars of treason” a poignant testimony, which mainly tells this descent into the Hells, published on march 2005, by Les Editions La Lanterne Paris, in France. In 2007, as injustice is still topical in France, future uncertain, the rehabilitation of the rights of her family, which are still abused, is and will remain her main fight, until the truth on this STATE CRIME will burst finally in broad daylight.
Addressees : French and foreign Authorities
Subject : Follow-up of the management of the SILVA-MARQUEZ family file heard on rogatory commission in the Léo BALLEY Affair classified SECRET DEFENCE by the French Authorities. REF.: " Les Piliers de la Traîtrise" from Miss Elisabeth SILVA, published by Les Editions La Lanterne- Paris in March, 2005. " Open letter to the French and foreign Authorities " from Mr. Marc SILVA of April 15th, 2006 (174 pages)
P.J. :
EDITORIAL - THE NECESSITY OF THE DUTY OF INTERFERENCE AGAINST THE STATE OF EXCEPTION-
Dear Sir, Dear Madam,
Instar of the Dreyfus affair, we became victims of an unprecedented situation within the History of the French Vth Republic. Wall of Omerta set up by the builders of the current French Government against the SILVA-MARQUEZ family should collapse at the end of three long years of Resistance. The spirit of Emile ZOLA, author of the famous open letter to the President of the Republic “I ACCUSE” published in the “Aurore” Newspaper, at the end of the XIXth century, unfortunately died and buried. Consequently, to reach this noble objective and to howl our pain, we need the support of the national and international community. If only a large number of voices rose to scream their indignation then and then only, our family would regain her rights, her freedom and peace of mind. The current events, of French politics, as everyone, knows, emphasizes a quite particular conception of the functioning of the Institutions of the Vth Republic. Regrettably, we obviously notice, that French Institutions are taken hostage by the shock of the personal ambitions of individuals' nucleus, which prevail over quite other consideration, including over application of law. These Manichean methods are at least disturbing. Obviously, an oligarchical regime has been established. This one seems to hold the rudder of a Republic, entangled in the Affairs, if we refer to the successive crises of the unprecedented riots of districts of 2005 in the History of France, to the intestine quarrels of the Clearstream affair or better still the sulphurous SILVA-MARQUEZ affair of State, for a long time hush up by lax ruling classes. On both sides, a monolithic right is being outlined whereas the diffuse outlines of an alliance of the left beats the reminder, ready to defend all lost causes, exception made by a dramatic affair of State into which, we had been plundged, in spite of us. Let us not lose sight that, the brain and the decision-making organs of this Machiavellian machine undertook to crush our existence. But nobody seems to be moved or to take adapted protective measures. In front of this scandalous affair, the politics any merged cleavages, and the press so-called free, keep silent, instead of acting, preferring evasion and blindness to the demonstration of the truth. In this horrifying affair, where obscurantism always of current events reigns in boss, please allow me to use the questioning, to make the light on darkness into which, our family is still plunged. What does the dumbness of the public Authorities hide? Doesn’t courage consist in fighting on all the fronts, to look for the truth, to say it loud and clear and to close this Pandora’s box, before all the troubles threaten to spread? Does it means the cowardice have become a contemporary virtue? Is it normal to hush up deliberately a politico-judicial scandal brooding a State Crime? Is it conceivable in a democratic country, to prefer the dictatorship of silence to the transparency among miscellaneous politico-judicial-military-police and media interpenetrations? Is it acceptable to put obstacle to the Justice upon the SILVA-MARQUEZ’ affair, by reducing three isolated humans beings in the state of exception, hostages in their own country, because of an unavowable REASON OF STATE? May both models of Democracy as well France as the United States of America longer order the world, and especially mine, the choice of silence, by taking refuge behind their inviolable sovereignty while these two States already dig our grave, with complete impunity and in the most perfect indifference? The necessity of the duty of interference has to apply urgently, in response to the decreed state of exception. Extraordinarily, as far as we are concerned, no voice rises to denounce the inadmissible. I do not hear and neither do you, you do not hear, the expression of the indignation of the Prime Minister, Mister Dominique De Villepin, so usually grandiloquent or even the howls pushed by The Home secretary, Nicolas SARKOZY, nevertheless so quick to catch a microphone, in any occasion. So thus, as you are powerful or miserable, in Justice, two weights and two measures make tilt the balance either on one side or on the other one to serve the interests of a cause, which we ignore. I bring the following proof: For instance, the journalist Xavier TERNISIEN of “Le Monde” titled, to my big bewilderment, in his article of September 29th, 2006, without even using the conditional " A professor of philosophy threatened with death for a column".In introduction, the reader learns that: " Robert REDEKER, professor of philosophy and essayist is the target of threats of death since the publishing of a column in the Figaro of September 19th, in which he criticized Islam and the seer MAHOMET … He receives daily hostile messages on his e-mail box. The Direction of the surveillance of the territory (DST) tracked down pages of Islamist jihadists forums, in English, on which are his photo, address and a street plan to go to his place of residence. He is there qualified as pig. " Immediately, Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin rises to the crenel and judges, I quote "unacceptable" this "fatwa" whereas the Minister of National Education, Gilles de Robien declares himself "to stand by" the professor of philosophy. In fine: " Mr Redeker, who teaches philosophy at the secondary school of Saint-Orens-de-Gameville ( Haute-Garonne), was placed under police protection. He had to leave his place of residence and does not teach any more, since September 20th. Paradoxically, if we hold the main part of the papers of Piotr SMOLAR in the newspaper “Le Monde” of November 04th, 2003, which at the appropriate time raised a real indictment against a policeman by titling " A policeman and his sister medium shout in the plot and run away in London ", it emerges from this sensational article an evident will to damage the honour and the reputation of a Servant of the State, a police officer in exercise, within an operational group of a specialized service of Criminal Investigation Department, the Central Bureau for Repression of Banditism, not to quote it. But let us return upon arrows poisoned, shot by this mediocre journalist, of whom my brother, Marc SILVA had been the quite appointed target, to better restore the climate of this State affair classified SECRET DEFENCE. I quote: " … It has been nine months since the girl Estelle Mouzin disappeared … This summer, just before the scorching heat, he finds himself a mission, a cause: identify the kidnapper of Estelle. How? Thanks to his sister, Elisabeth … The sister of the Sergeant is proud of possessing extra-sensory perceptions. They are threatened. Marc S. had to return to work at the beginning of September; nobody saw him again at the OCRB. " The hostile and threatening pursuits obliged us to leave the French territory to gain England in perilous conditions ", as he explains it on the web site that he specially created to deal with the "scandal" of the missing child Estelle Mouzin … On August 7th, Hervé Lafranque, boss of the OCRB, is informed about the behavior of his civil servant. He had never had to complain about the work of Marc S., which even participated in two big successes of the Office in 2003: the arrests of the escapees Joseph Menconi and Antonio Ferrara. On August 9th, Elisabeth S. sends a mail to Nicolas Sarkozy and to Dominique Perben to transmit them the result of her investigations, either 71 pages … Marc S., for his part, believes that he is trailed. He imagines policemen behind every passer-by … Repeatedly, he asks for a protection moved closer to his hierarchy which worries about his mental balance and removes him his weapon … In the last resort, he sends a long narrative of his investigations to Roger Marion, the prefect delegated to the Security in Marseille, former leader mayor of the Criminal Investigation Department. He develops the thesis of a plot implying senior officials executives of the State and the outside intervenes, who by means of physical and technical surveillances, try to harm–them-.” Piotr Smolar Also, please note that the clairvoyance and so-called depression or paranoia of a policeman served as smoke screen, in others lenient newspaper articles (Le Parisien of 17/10/2003 "A runaway policeman"; Le Nouveau Détective of 22/10/2003 "The Strange disappearance of a policeman"). Every reader can learn, among other things, that a policeman of the Central Bureau for Repression of Banditism, under the cover of anonymity, quoted name, first name, rank of the police officer, Marc SILVA to make reference to the very famous arrests of two also named criminals, Antonio Ferrara and Joseph Menconi, violating, by this mean, the texts of law by revealing the identity of a police officer, - without any necessity. - Extracted from N °1101 of the sensational Magazine – Le Nouveau détective - " The Strange disappearance of a policeman " signed by the big reporter, Michel Mary, and analyzed in my book " Les Piliers de la Traîtrise " pages 202 - 203: " he is the object of mysterious threats of death, we are in the heart of the summer, what doubtless explains the slowness of both concerned Ministers. But next Monday, August 18th, the Police Sergeant, Silva spends borders. Stating of these repeated " threats of death " against his person, he asks downright " a moved closer protection " to his superior of the OCRB. But the conclusion is imperative: the Police Sergeant Marc Silva became crazy. Nevertheless, the young policeman had until now good service records. And recently even, he had distinguished himself by participating to the arrest of Joseph Menconi and Antonio Ferrara, two dangerous hooligans, who had escaped from prison. He cracked lead, summarizes one of his colleagues of the OCRB which prefers to remain anonymous … Embarrassed, the central Direction of the Criminal Investigation Department (DCPJ) eventually spread a research index card in the name of " Marc Silva, police officer, roll 343180 ". All the border posts and the airports are on the alert … ". Keep back mostly, that these silent weapons used, as a last resort, were only a supplementary stratagem to mask better the true reason of a real killing, with for motive a hazy SECRET DEFENCE linked to the Léo Balley’ Affair conducted in Grenoble. Nevertheless Piotr SMOLAR and others will not breathe a word on the child Léo BALLEY, eternal forgotten, nor a word on the Secret Defence, to kill better in the egg any embryo of reflection. On the other hand, the evocation of the participation of my brother Mr. Marc SILVA, in the arrest of two figures of the organized crime duly named, appears at the right place in the columns of press. In this affair, the non-compliance with the anonymity of a police officer seems to be the order to be followed by editorial staffs. The puppeteer of this cabal remains to be unmasked. If I refer to the comparative study of the cases REDEKER and SILVA, I can only yell my indignation in front of the execrable treatment of the SILVA-MARQUEZ Affair and wonder about the moral and political justification of such a disparity of the rights in front of the law. Why Mister Marc SILVA, and the members of his family were not fulfilled in the official demand of police protection in spite of all elements of proofs brought to the knowledge of the French police and political authorities? From August 20th, 2003 till this day, we are always exposed to a denial of justice and to a continuous moral harassment, (cf Page 65 of the " Open letter to the French and foreign Authorities “ of Marc SILVA of April 15th, 2006.). The denial of justice is proved in the SILVA-MARQUEZ affair and the legal system persists with stubbornness in blocking it, even intend to bury it. If Emile Zola could hear us, no doubt that this high man would turn around in its grave and would vituperate, as he made it, so splendidly in 1898, in the same terms, which have taken really, no wrinkle: " I denounce to the consciousness of fair people this pressure of authorities on the justice of the country. There are abominable political customs which dishonour a free Nation ". Peace to his greatness of soul. This STATE OF EXCEPTION not only has to hold attention of French and foreign Authorities called to the rescue but also to incite them to intervene because, obviously we were the epicenter of a real earthquake. Although, I am careful not to make any judgment upon the affair of the professor of philosophy, above mentioned, I rebel against the so cruel fate, that black sheep of the police Institution imposed on us, despite legal rules and in defiance of our lives. A fringe of the Home Office, made up the truth to deceive Justice by pushing aside a rigorous and honourable policeman, who put himself across the reason of State, to protect the life of his family. Is not it the essence of policeman's profession to protect the persons against dangers of all kinds? The police hierarchy had rather sacrifice a healthy member instead of attacking the gangrene, which eats away at the Institution. Here is the reward of the sacrificial consecration of a Man of honour, dedicated body and soul to his Homeland, insuring, during 17 years the protection of his fellow countrymen, 17 years of good and loyal services swept by a lapel of sleeve, only because he has thought, one day, to defend a noble cause, that of miscellaneous affairs of unresolved missing chidren cases, among which, one remains classified Secret Defence: Léo Balley affair in Grenoble. Thus, I deduct a lesson of life, from this unspeakable event, this affair will remain a hammered splinter for ever into the depths of my flesh. Ungratefulness is so striking in the questions of interest. That is why, the cowardly policy of three monkeys " NOT TO SEE ANYTHING, NOT TO SAY ANYTHING, NOT TO HEAR ANYTHING " unworthy of the human race has to stop immediately. I shall never enough emphasize it. As far as we are concerned, we, SILVA-MARQUEZ family, French citizens, have for our part, chosen the participative consultation, by placing in the heart of our fight for the survival, the Sovereign States, solemnly called to exercise their duty of interference. The cheaters of any edges will be put defeat and checkmate, my family commits to it. It is still time to act, and we count upon the reach of the universal voice, guarantor for the respect of the human rights as well as those of the Citizen to press on arbitrary power and raise the veto on this classified Secret Defence Affair.
NEWS It is so in a constant concern of transparency and stimulated by the same spirit of Resistance, strengths of the fight of the SILVA-MARQUEZ family for the protection of her life in the dignity, that the undersigned applies to inform the French and foreign Authorities, of the follow-up of this file transmitted, as a last resort for the second time, to the President of the French Republic, Mr Jacques Chirac. Because the communication remains our only antidote against the oversight, and the French and foreign Powers, our best rampart to resist against havoc, we send to you enclosed, in addition to documents put on-line on our website www.scandale-france.org, on one hand, ® The mail of Home secretary, represented by Nicolas SARKOZY, dated June 22nd, 2006, in answer to my personal letter of last May 18th, sent to the President of the French Republic, Mr Jacques Chirac. And on the other hand, the answer of last September 06th from the order of the Lawyers of Paris (Mr Bernard BOUSSAGEON, in his quality of Former member of council of the Order), following Mr. Marc SILVA's appeal against the professional misconduct of the lawyer automatically appointed, Mr Guy PECHEU. (Marc SILVA affair, against the Home Office in front of the Administrative Court of Paris). Thus, we want to make sure of the loyal execution of the commitments taken by the required authorities. After reading the mail sent by the Home Office, we were delighted of the wholesome ability to react of the Head of State, aware of his kingly responsibilities, towards three of his irreproachable fellow countrymen, and nevertheless victims of the diversion of the French state Government (as well as American), as widely testified in my book "Les Piliers de la Traîtrise " completed by the " Open letter to the French and foreign Authorities " written by my brother, Mr. Marc SILVA on April 15th, 2006, and sent to your attention. We hope that the detailed examination of this official referral by the aforementioned services, concerning a denunciation of a STATE CRIME against the SILVA-MARQUEZ family, will mean the end of a merciless hunting and will put a definitive term in the obvious denial of Justice, which continues now for three long years. I renew my trust to the President of the Republic and expect that " the appropriate examination of the concerned service " will be diligently executed by the Home Office managed by Nicolas SARKOZY, according to the requirements of the first Magistrate of France, Mister Jacques Chirac and his attachment to the constitutional principles of the strict observation of the separation of powers. In the near future, I shall not miss to inform all the French and foreign Authorities of suites reserved to this complex criminal affair. At the conclusion, each one will be able to judge, according to his inmost conviction, if the orders ordered by the services of the Presidency of the French Republic will have been executed, within the strict respect of the laws and settlements. In any logic, the common sense should want that Truth and Efficiency remain the essential concerns of the seized services of inquiry. Besides, it is not a luxury to remind, that by virtue of the principles expressed in the Charter of the United Nations, States linked to the international Pact concerning the civil and political rights, have bond to contribute to the universal and actual respect of the equals and inalienable rights to all of the members of the human family, which constitute the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world. The international protection of the rights of the Man must mobilize the attention of every member of the human family, every nation and in particular the supranational Authority of the Security Council of the United Nations, so as to prevent the execution of a State crime, insidiously prepared, since three years. If, despite my exhortations, the French and foreign Authorities chose to keep silent, because of principles, how much odd, such as the neutrality or still the duty of non-interference, it would, ipso facto, mean signing the death sentence of three defenseless French citizens. So, I call of my wishes the sovereign States to follow, not only the good progress of this classified SECRET DEFENCE affair, but also and especially to weigh of all their weight, which is far from being unimportant, with the same attentiveness as the President of the French Republic, Mister Jacques Chirac. We invite you to note the official referral of Mister Jacques Chirac, ordering to the Home secretary, Nicolas SARKOZY the opening of inquiries sought by Mister Marc SILVA, crossed off, as everyone knows, wrongly, from the National police force executives, by decision of the same administration, because of post desertion. This decision is always unacceptable, in the sense of a fair justice given that the public Authorities had duly been informed, in due course, about the case of major force, which manifestly blocked the road to a normal resumption of his professional activities. Very fortunately, the post desertion of the professor of philosophy, Mr REDEKER was not taken into account, by the Ministry of Education, the honour is saved. The Ministry of Education has not fallen into the trap of turpitude, contrary to the Home Office which one rejected, arbitrarily the case of major force. The lowness sublimates and marries all the forms even the most insidious. Thus, you will agree and I weigh my words on the fact that the zero degree of Democracy is reached. Finally, I shall remind the dominating role of the chancellery which owes to fill its kingly functions with strength, plenitude and independence. An absence of condemnation would be dangerous in a Democracy, in so far as, it would let think that criminals are not answerable, nor even to the President of the French Republic, in person. The flame of the Resistance must not and shall not die. That is why, I am counting on your mediation and cooperation, within the strict respect of the national and international law, to knock down the state of exception, imposed on us, with conceitedly and contempt, by High political representatives, apparently affected by political smallness. Yours faithfully,
Mrs Marie-José MARQUEZ "Read and approved" M Marc SILVA "Read and approved" Mle Elisabeth SILVA Editor
www.scandale-france.org e-mail : elisa_silva@hotmail.fr
Contact : Mle Elisabeth SILVA Maison Oyhanburu - 700 chemin oihanbehere 64122 URRUGNE
FRANCE
I have a question: Would it not be better to let illegals work and provide for them selves than to keep them locked up in personal hell at our tax expense for wanting a better life? They are locked up at our expense for months or even years at our expense. If they are working they are buying. There needs to be a better alternative. Our deportation system is jammed at our tax expense. Maybe if they can pass a test they could be elligitable for Amnesty.
Libertarian Party motto: "Smaller Government, Less Taxes, More Freedom"
"Lower Taxes" ..."working families struggle to pay their taxes" www.lp.org/issues/taxes
Libertarian Party: How Can We Cut Taxes?
... politicians spend millions to subsidize tobacco farmers...
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Goes After Farm Subsidies President-elect Obama gave an example of one piece of wasteful government spending: farm subsidies.Obama cited a GAO report that said from 2003 to 2006, "millionaire farmers" got $49 million in farm subsidies despite earning more than the $2.5 million cutoff in annual income. "If it's true," Obama said, "it's a prime example of waste."
"More Freedom"
Libertarian Party: Freedom of Speech, Against Censorship"We defend the rights of individuals to unrestricted freedom of speech, freedom of the press and the right of individuals to dissent from government itself....We oppose any abridgment of the freedom of speech through government censorship, regulation or control of communications media."
http://www.lp.org/issues/freedom-of-speech
PRESIDENT OBAMA: Freedom of Speech, Against Censorship
President Obama is committed to creating the most open and accessible administration in American history. To send questions, comments, concerns, or well-wishes to the President or his staff, please go to website: http://www.WhiteHouse.gov/Contact/
"Removing the troops from Iraq"
"Immigration" http://www.lp.org/issues/immigration
Libertarian Party: "For those workers already in the United States illegally, we can avoid "amnesty" and still offer a pathway out of the underground economy. Newly legalized workers can be assessed fines and back taxes and serve probation befitting the misdemeanor they've committed. They can be required to take their place at the back of the line should they eventually apply for permanent residency."
President Obama: http://www.whitehouse.gov/agenda/immigration/
Astronomics$!
"No term exists to describe the current spiraling fiscal situation..."
The phenomenon of a 789 billion dollar stimulus package has quite simply exceeded the necessary vocabulary to be in any way adequately understood and encompassed.
So I hope you'll forgive this writer coining the term "Astronomics$."
No, it hadn't yet existed in modern parlance, but I, like most Americans, am dwarfed by the idea of it all, with its unparalleled price tag.
It's way out there, out in the Milky Way somewhere. And were it not from a great distance mentally, we couldn't possibly conceive of it at all.
I sat, stunned, with my mother watching the news, as CEO Vikram Pandit of Citigroup - which in the form of CitiMortgage owns the lien on my home - testified before testy Senators. They gnawed at him as if they were the old lady in the familiar Wendy's hamburger commercial in search of the patty of beef on the proverbial bun. So, "Where's the beef?"
And there's a beef all right, carnivorous in its intensity, angrily pervasive in this country of ours. Folks are hungry for help, but, politically and psychologically, and where their wallet is concerned, they're looking at accumulating lint. If they are nourished at all, it is with sarcasm, because they're all fed up!
And this sandwich, however, comes in the huge form of a sum hitherto unheard and even not thought of.
A stimulus package. It boggles the mind of any who try to wrap themselves around it.
It actually approaches a zillion dollars! Frankly, I'm surprised the spell-check let that one by me. But, apparently the word does legitimately exist.
If you, like I, am used to rounding cents upward to dollars in your checkbook in the best of times when the budget allows, then you cannot fathom this ridiculously high amount of money.
My research took me to multiple sites, all with the information below a matter of public record.
Just take a look of the summation below to see how the Treasury has thus far disseminated our tax, and as yet unearned, dollars:
How Treasury has spend/committed the $350 Billion so far. 1)$168 billion in varying amounts to 116 banks 2)Committed another $82 billion to capitalize more banks 3)Bought $40 billion in preferred shares of American International Group (AIG, Fortune 500) so the troubled insurer could pay off an earlier loan from the Federal Reserve 4)Committed $20 billion to back any losses that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York might incur in a new program to lend money to owners of securities backed by credit card debt, student loans, auto loans and small business loans 5)Committed to invest $20 billion in Citigroup on top of $25 billion the bank had already received 6)Committed $5 billion as a loan loss backstop to Citigroup 7)Agreed to loan $13.4 billion to GM and Chrysler to get them through the next few months. 8)Invested $5 billion in GMAC 9)BofA to Get $20B More From TARP, Plus Backstop on $118B
Below, see a list of participating companies. Last updated: 1/16/2009 using Treasury announcements. Click the headers of the columns to sort by company, state and amount.
Date Announced*
Company
Headquarters
Capital, in millions
Status**
10/28/2008
Citigroup Inc***
New York
$25,000
Completed
J.P. Morgan Chase & Co
Wells Fargo & Co
California
Bank of America Corp
North Carolina
$15,000
1/9/2009
Bank of America Corporation**
$10,000
Goldman Sachs Group Inc
Morgan Stanley
That boils down to just six mega-banks when the vrous names are combined: Citigroup, Morgan Chase, Wells Fargo, Bank of America, Goldman Sachs Group, and Morgan Stanley.
They've already gotten our money once, and are looking for more. Bucks we haven't yet earned, and yet have still invested in them.
In the first round of payouts, executives blatantly thumbed their noses at the American public, taking ridiculously high bonuses - many millions of dollars apiece. But none of this so far has caused them to loosen their grip on loan resources for John and Sally Q. Public.
Now it remains to be seen if the current astronomically high amount of investment infusion will produce the desired results: more jobs, a revived economy, and the salvation of American home owners in danger of foreclosure.
One Corporate bank CEO told Barney Frank's congressional committee that his bank had so far saved 60,000 debtors from foreclosure.
But thousands of homes have already been lost.
My dear old bungalow house is among those remaining, badly in need of repairs and a lower interest rate should I wish to survive.
My credit? I recently sent for a "free" credit report, but it didn't include sufficient detail to completely review my status and rating, so I ended up purchasing the reports in their entirety from Experian, Transunion, and Equifax.
Turns out I haven't incurred any registered reports of late payments, because my bills have always been paid within 90 days.
But as to the status of my credit, I have watched as my open to buy was downgraded by the ever cautious and conservative American Express, and then upgraded by Discover and Chase. It has been a teeter-tottering experience, if not a mad merry-go-round,
Still, from day to day and week to week, the figures of my credit worthiness on charge cards have varied wildly between $10,000 to $30,000.
In a conversation with a Wells Fargo customer service representative, I was told that I should refinance my bill payer mortgage loan with them, and that they were "the most solvent bank in the country."
I responded to this pomposity by saying, "fine, send me the application in the mail, and I'll take a look at it." But the information has yet to appear.
It's the same old story. Major banks have yet to put their money where their mouths are.
I've grown all too weary of just scraping along. The irony of it all was brought home, as I was completing this article, by comedian Bill Maher this evening on the Larry King show. He offered the same analogy as I have in my past writings: "The foxes," in effect the Republicans, "have been in charge of the chicken coop too long!" He went on to observe that the disparity between the very few wealthy two percent of Americans and the increasing debt of the middle and lower classes has worsened the situation. He spoke of stagflation, but also observed that the living wages of American workers have hardly changed at all in the past thirty years. But the continued to charge on their cards, and buy homes with ever more inflated property values.
Now the boom, or balloon seems to have burst.
Today, adding the most historical of ironies to our national and world situation, is the two hundredth anniversary of the births of both Abraham Lincoln and Charles Darwin. When one considers the politically divided United States and the status of a world torn by war, famine, and disease, it isn't at all a very secure situation. Survival sis not something for which mankind has ever been able to purchase a guarantee.
One wonders in this crisis what such a president as Abraham Lincoln would do. President Obama has been stumping the country for his policies, speaking to the common people, just as Lincoln once was the first to do - drawing crowds numbering in the tens of thousands, city by city traveling by train..
Lincoln has come to be seen in refreshed, detailed, and more balanced terms these days, with the observations of historians on two National Public Broadcasting shows which on February 11, 2009 cast new light on the great emancipator.
It turns out that he was a white supremacist, and that he had, according to latest research, mostly had economic factors in mind in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation.
Lincoln's personality is now in retrospect thought to have been flawed by deep depression and the common white prejudices of his day. But he was a person who struggled against poverty early in life. He remarked that his early years could be summed up in one phrase: "The short and simple annals of the poor."
Could today's CEOs survive on even a hundred times the per diem expense of 75 cents, as did Lincoln and his 300 pound, lawyer partner when making the rounds of Illinois circuit courts?
I doubt it.
Atop his horse, Old Tom, Lincoln rode through prairie grasses that grew as high as his head all about him.
A brilliant litigator, he urged townspeople to, if at all possible, avoid the expenses of the legal system.
Still, he had to earn a living, and took cases both for an escaped slave and later for a Kentucky slave owner in the affirmative.
He never truly new financial prosperity, despite rising to the highest executive office in the land. He felt fortunate enough just to manage, and had difficulty keeping his wife, southern belle Mary Todd, happy.
But he successfully traversed troubled times, determined to keep the American Union intact. That also reminds me of the sea of growing debt we are now attempting to navigate.
Having a temper just like you and I, he even became involved in a sword duel which was narrowly averted by the two people who acted as seconds negotiating a settlement. Well, if he were around now, I firmly feel he'd be angry as hell, and cursing. Yes, Lincoln did curse, and also visited a prostitute, as well as indulging in "blacky" jokes.
Struggling as a young lawyer, when he finally won a big Illinois Supreme Court case, he had to sue merely to recover his fee.
Would he be chasing an economic ambulance these days? Perhaps. Or maybe he would be among the senators or their aids who are peppering Bankers and corporations with questions as to how they are using and misusing public stimulus and TARP funds.
He agonized over the Civil War and its consequent cost in human lives.
We are now at war upon fronts in both Iraq and Afghanistan. And surely the most major cause of our national debt has been the horrendous military expenditures, as well as corporate greed by civil contracts acquired support without benefit of bidding and oversight. That has left former Vice President Cheney and his Halliburton far more wealthy than before.
Nothing is free. Everything innately in this life has its cost, whether in money, in patience, in labor, or in stress.
Which brings us back to the present day stress of bail outs and their price tags.
In our times adults responsible in the economic crisis have come to resemble children in a war of words.
Recall how, as kids we would try to outdo our playmates?
"You have a million of them? Well, I've got a billion!: Then the retort would be "a trillon" and following that a ba-zillion" and a "ga-zillion!" So went all the lofty taunts.
If money were humor, one could do a Jimmy Durante impersonation: "I've got a million of 'em, folks - a million of 'em!"
But it's greenbacks were talking about here.
Not jokes. Not astronomy either.
Yet we've had to put the subject of fiscal peril in terms that can only be viewed at such a great distance as to be cosmic in astrological euphemisms. And financial slavery has taken on the face of debt, rather than color.
Even the traditional national pass-time, baseball has been tainted. The Yankees will soon be playing in a stadium which replaces the "house that Ruth built," and its new name: Citibank! This sponsorship will benefit the team annually with its top heavy all-star payroll, to the tune of twenty billion dollars a year.
So one cannot help but draw the inevitable conclusion that poverty, with its attendant long term debt, is an equal opportunity mortgage banker - a present day Shylock - fixing the books, and embezzling the tax dollar. It's now a racetrack full of economically careless drivers. Just an accident, looking for a place to happen, it may soon resemble a veritable multi-vehicle auto accident resulting from veering around, and finally disastrously crashing. Or perhaps this has already occurred in terms beyond our wildest nightmares - and we are only just starting to realize it!
We've substituted dollar signs for stars in the process. Or are they planets - all of them red as Mars like the ink with which accounts note, penny by penny, our burgeoning budget?!
So, to quote the song from "My Fair Lady," "Are the stars out tonight? I don't care if it's cloudy or bright, 'cause I've only got eyes for you."
Unfortunately, it's not a love affair at all - if it ever was one - and it seems as though in point of fact our bankers only have unashamed lies for you.
They're at the top of the world, or out in the firmament, and they're looking down on us now.
But we've reached an impasse, and can no longer hold them in such high, starry eyed respect.
Maybe educators will one day thank them for introducing a new area of study. After all, they've introduced us to a possible whole area of research to be taught soon in our schools and colleges: "Astronomics$!."
My girlfriend lives in the US and I live in the Netherlands. Now you might think, get together. Except that there are a number of problems, that I want to explain below.
See, my girlfriend is not an US citizen but an US resident, a Green Card holder. This means that she is not even allowed to file a so called K-1 petition. In short, a petition that allows your future partner to get into the US.
So you would think, do it the other way around. Unfortunately, after an experiment of 4 weeks, our fears became true. My girlfriend suffered from depression attacks. First, noone knew what it was about, but because of us trying to find out what was going wrong, she now realizes that she needs professional help. Since I could not give that to here in The Netherlands, where she was trying to start a bachelor's degree, she had to go back to the US.
As you can see, she now has to go through therapy and do a bachelor's degree in the US. All by all, this means that we need to wait for 3-4 years and that could, if things go wrong one way or the other, be 5 or even more years. As you can understand, such a reality is harsh and to most, would be unbearable.
My question to the President, to the Senate and the Congress would be to review this situation. I'm not the only one struggling. I've got ideas about how to make things easier. I'm a computer scientist and can help. That is what I can offer.
I believe things can be changed for the good. Not only for the US but also for Europe and a good number of other countries that are allies of the US. Remember, many people make light work. That is, with many allies, life gets easier.
Please think of this situation
When Barack Obama was elected President a group of expat friends living in Thailand thought it would be a good idea to try and find away to raise issues and suggest solutions that affect expats. Since there are over 7 million expats living abroad we feel we are a large enough group to have some impact if we organize.
We realize that there are other really good organizations such as Americans Abroad and Democrats Abroad. It seems to us that these groups are only active during election cycles. Since President Obama wants to hear from all Americans, we thought this blog maybe away to let our voices be heard.
At our first meeting we discussed some issues that we thought were important to us:
Supporting Medicare, Medicade extension to expats. Requesting the "Fairness Doctrine" by initated to cover all news media. Suggesting that Washington DC have elected senators and House representatives. Asking how expats and their foreign partners could be better served by changes to the visa and immigration laws: are some of the things we thought we could persue.
In the next few days we will post these suggestions. We will be interested to hear what others think of the posted ideas and other ideas they have to help President Obama's administration solve problems of the expat community.
Everyone has developed there own sure-fired economic stimulus package, even the ordinary man on the street, all with some degree of merit, with only a few good enough to be considered of ever beginning to work. We have some countrymen say, “No stimulus package at all” basically let the banks, home owners, auto workers (plus the auto companies) along with the state and city governments – “go broke”; meaning America starts over with a new economic system.
Others support the GOP package of reduced taxes and/or federal check in the mail, while the Administration and DNC support a “job stimulus package” with “checks” in the mail; from there every politician and hopeful presidential candidate for 1212 has their conceived answer to our economic burden.
I’ve heard a lot from my own friends and family, again, some sound good, and others come from people who would have a difficult time balancing a “check book.” Of course, I’m no exception; I have my own, which of course I feel has merit!
Here’s the Stimulus Package we should consider!
My package would require about the same amount of money (900 billion) as President Obama’s, since I feel a job creation package is needed for our highways, schools, linking of the health care via the Internet and energy independence. The aforementioned job creation would also benefit our returning veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Proponents feel there is no way of knowing if this aforementioned package is going to work or not, which I agree – who dose know? But, every package I‘ve heard of only encompasses our immediate economic concern along by updating past problems that should have been addressed years ago; what about today’s additional concerns that require attention, such as:
Basically stating my stimulus package is simple English, it would be almost identical to President Obama’s with the exception of “Raising the Minimum Wage to $8.00 an Hour.”
Revise Immigration Laws
America’s become fat and Lazy! We allow illegal immigrates across our borders to take jobs we don’t want because the pay is to low and the work to hard; also we provide employment visas to foreign educated individuals in the eastern hemisphere to come and take jobs away from our own recently graduated college graduates. Our Fortune 500 companies must stop this practice of hiring lower priced labor (in both outlined example) to replace the American laborer.
Our Immigration laws need to be revised, of course, but again here’s an issue congress has avoided. In essence let’s make it more difficult for illegal immigrates to work in our country, but let’s make it worthwhile for American wide bottoms to stop living on welfare if that’s how they’re surviving, and get back to work or in many cases start working for the first time in their dismal lives.
The revising of laws pertaining to foreign student work visas would also aid our college students by allowing them the opportunity to pay back their tuition loans, hence a side benefit of aiding the banking community by decreasing the number of student delinquent loans.
Halt Outsourcing American jobs
Again, I have to call upon our Fortune 500 companies to use prudence and suffer somewhat higher taxes for shipping our jobs overseas where, as I see it, the American citizens and government receives very little as far as a reduced price of goods exported back into the US. These corporations, I believe, who subscribe to the notion of shipping our jobs abroad receive a very profitable bottom line in their profit and lose balance sheets while we receive increased taxes to pay for State Unemployment Compensation for those whose livelihood is overseas.
One aspect of the outsourcing issue, which remains unclear and introduced during the Clinton Administration is the “North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA).” What remains unclear is most of the top ten Fortune 500 companies have smaller sized facilities in both Mexico and Canada than they do in Asia – why? For me, I feel NAFTA was a smoke screen so the GM’s, Fords, Motorolas and the like could obtain certain loopholes in our government’s taxing structure knowing all along they were going to Asia.
Enough, I’ve made my point, bring our jobs home!
Limit exporting our technology
In many ways this goes hand-in-hand with outsourcing with the difference being, by selling foreign countries or allowing foreign countries to develop and manufacture products sold back into the United States, which in mostly all cases generates a sizable profit for the in the US company while giving the foreign country the ability to use the sold technology for other purposes that usually turn out to hurt our economy (trade imbalance).
In a self authored posting earlier, entitled: “We’re Going to be Trading Microchips for Toasters”, describing how our American steel industry, TV manufacturing and Intergraded microchip foundries have been exported and how we have came to suffer from our exporting these specialized technologies, please consider giving this rendered posting a read.
In other words let’s get back to “Made in America by Americans.”
Increasing the dollar acceleration into the economy
As you can certainly ascertain by now I’m not an economist, but I try to follow what stimulus packages are being presented and attempt to play the devil’s advocate on each of them. They all have one item in common, which is; “get the American public spending again”, which I agree with, but disagree with how this should be accomplished.
President Obama wants to place $1,000 into the hands of the lower middle class, as I understand it, which is, to my way of thinking is to short sighted. I feel most Americans will take the one thousand and use it to pay off credit cards or back mortgage payments. This means the money goes directly back to the banks that created the economic problem in the first place.
If the minimum wage was increased to $8.00 an hour, more people would benefit from the increased salary and it would go directly to the people who probably need it most. This would also be an incentive for people start back to work and remove themselves from the welfare list(s).
The big benefit, the low wage earners would spend their increased salary quicker while spreading it out over a number places, instead of giving it all back to our failed banking system.
Decreasing our foreign trade imbalance
We as a nation have to get back to exporting more than we import, since I feel this has caused us, both as a country and has citizens to spend more than we make, thus generating and adding to the massive trade imbalance we have.
With all the economic problems we have accumulated this could be the most serious and most difficult to solve, since we have to completely retool the way we think and manufacture goods and perform services. We can’t be beaten when it comes to innovation, but bad when it comes to implementing it; meaning making our products affordable, reproducible and our biggest problem with a higher degree of quality.
What ever country, America’s products are exported to, we end up paying an extremely high tariff tax, while we allow foreign products to enter the US with a modest tariff tax – Why? Furthermore, our products are usually copied and bootlegged without hardly any repercussions from us regarding our trading partners. This is true for clothing, software, DVD movies and of course music.
The trade imbalance must be shifted into our favor and then tightly controlled if we are ever to become the nation we once were back in the 50’s to 80’s.
Affordable Health Care
Even if President Obama’s Economic Stimulus package is passed by the Senate; how many Americans would be able to afford it?
Increasing the minimum wage would be the answer for many; this couple with the recent passage of the “Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act” would assure must Americans would be covered with medical insurance protection.
Summary
Should congress pass President Obama’s Stimulus package and the minimum wage be increased to a minimum of $8.00 per hour, the price of doing business in America would increase dramatically, along with the costs of consumer goods and services, but it would put more Americans back to work and off welfare.
This would also increase the standard of living for many, which we have seen America’s middle and lower classes living standard decay over the past twenty years. This can be witnessed by the number of homeless individuals filling our inner cities and our increased prison population (one out a hundred Americans currently serving time in prison).
Just increasing of the minimum wage is not enough and will not work by itself; we must revise and author new laws pertaining to immigration, outsourcing and flow of technology from our shores. Again, I echo we must return to the proverbial “Made in America by Americans.”
It is my very strong feeling; increasing the minimum wage will hurt many in business while helping our most needed citizenry segment within our society of troubled Americans, kick start the economy back on track as a strong economically sound nation.
Dear Mr. President: Greetings to you in your new office of the 44th President of these United States. I welcome you and your cabinet wholeheartedly, and know that you will serve the people well.Mr. President, I am - along with many others like me - much distressed over the current economic situations. I am happy to see and to know that you stand firmly committed to correcting and alleviating these vast problems. As your website offers the chance for a citizen as myself to come forward with ideas in regards to the many problems which beset our great country, I would like, herewith, to offer my own comments:In regards to the economy, which is uppermost in everyone's minds, I feel that the current bail-out package can best be applied in helping everyone get back on track by dispersing some of the funds to the many businesses which are in danger of going under, along with the usual stimulus packages for renters and homeowners. Likewise, new business start-ups will do much to lighten the economic darkness that threatens to envelop us all, as it will give many people the financial support they are direly in need of, as well as help our country to recover its financial strength and viability. Of course, we must be careful not to 'spread the wealth' to those who will only abuse it for their own purposes; corporate heads will be waiting, eager to snatch away monies that others desperately need so that they can continue to finance their high-living lifestyle; I have no doubt you will prevent this from occurring.It is true that 'we' can all claim responsibility in some part for our present situation; however, as someone who is 'out there in the trenches' among the people, seeing and experiencing 'real-life' encounters, I can strongly state that a good deal of this problem is worsened by the explosion of the illegal alien component within our cities. As a female with a mixed African-American heritage (Portugese, Native American x3, Irish, Scottish, Jewish (and perhaps even Chinese - from the name FOY), and African, I am one who does not like to think in terms of 'ethnicity'. However, I have noticed vast problems with the Latino, and other, illegal immigration from everything to the loss of jobs, to the overwhelming taxing of our government programs - put in place as a TEMPORARY assistance for those who need it, but now being rapidly drained by illegals who have descended on these programs with a vengence and are rapidly exhausting available funds and help.
I realize my most may be unpopular - and I do not wish to single out any particuler person or group - and my post may perhaps, likewise, be observed by some as ascerbic; however, I feel I must express my feelings and thoughts on this matter. Which is, that many illegals come here (illegally) and obtain jobs in the private sectors - some by the theft of others' ID/Social Security numbers - and then bring in their other relatives to these same jobs, low-paying or otherwise, which then become housed with latinos and no other ethnic group, excepting Asians or their white employers and supervisors. This is rapidly happening all over California -- the major work force here is Latino. This is not because no other ethnic group wants to work in these jobs, but because job forces, inspired by paying low wages to unqualified workers so that their 'bottom line' can be sustained, or so that they can make 1000% profit, prefer hiring illegals over paying real wages for qualified workers. I, myself, have experienced this problem since 2003, and even lost several temporary assignments which were slated to become permanent jobs when, due to the maliciousness of Latinos - illegals or otherwise - who were working there in the same office I worked at, found myself ousted out of a good job just so that my Latino 'brethern' could bring in their own people. Although I can type up to 95 words per minute and have substantial employment history, I was not able to secure a job for quite some time, even as a File Clerk! Yet, everywhere I looked there were throngs of latino men and women, many placed in jobs that they were not qualified or suited for -- some of whom could barely speak English! This practice is unfair on BOTH sides of the coin, to illegals and natives, but still continues to this day.
Another rank problem that is sinking our economy and country faster then the Titanic is the practice of private industry outsourcing good jobs overseas and out of the country. Once upon a time, Mr. President, all U.S. products proudly bore the tag MADE IN AMERICA; now, due to private sector interests and politics, that can rarely be said. We must put our wonderful country back on track, Mr. President, and quicklyl halt the practice of outsourcing jobs out of our country; thereafter we must refinance our country in the manner of support for business, which has built this country into a once-great state. I firmly believe that it can begin its return to greatness, but immediate actions must be taken.
i believe that it is unfair to just lump all illegal immigrants into one group. lets not forget that when illegal immigrants cross the border they somtimes bring with them their children. is it right to punish these children who had no choice, and is it really fair to simply say theyre breaking the law because once they turned 18 they didnt go back to mexico? a place that really they have never been.
By TOM BARRY @ counterpunch.org
Mining, railroads, agribusiness, and, recently, construction have been among the many U.S. industries that historically been driven by an abundant supply of immigrants. But now, when the economy is imploding, most industries are shedding immigrants. The private prison industry, however, is booming, largely because of the ever-increasing supply of immigrants supplied by the federal government.
In the past, when the government detained immigrants—legal or illegal—they were placed in one of a handful of official processing centers where they awaited a hearing or deportation. The Department of Homeland Security still runs seven immigrant detention centers.
Since the early 1980s, sparked by the Reagan administration's new enthusiasm for privatization and the free market, the Justice Department and now also DHS have been outsourcing most of the immigrant detainees to private firms that own or manage scores of prisons that annually hold hundreds of thousands of immigrants.
At a time when most other industries are reporting slackening consumer demand and plunging revenues, the executives of the major private companies providing prison services attribute their fortunes to the sorry fate of America's immigrant population. They routinely tell investors that their major "customers"—Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshals Service, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)—keep "bed occupancy" near capacity............
ENTIRE ARTICLE - http://www.counterpunch.org/barry12122008.html
Cleaning Firm Used Illegal Workers at Chertoff Home
By Spencer S. Hsu
Every few weeks for nearly four years, the Secret Service screened the IDs of employees for a Maryland cleaning company before they entered the house of Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, the nation's top immigration official.
The company's owner says the workers sailed through the checks -- although some of them turned out to be illegal immigrants.
Now, owner James D. Reid finds himself in a predicament that he considers especially confounding. In October, he was fined $22,880 after U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigators said he failed to check identification and work documents and fill out required I-9 verification forms for employees, five of whom he said were part of crews sent to Chertoff's home and whom ICE told him to fire because they were undocumented.......
ENTIRE ARTICLE-http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/12/10/AR2008121003524.html?hpid=topnews
Usually, there are many road blocks in our life to reach our goals. Lets imagine that you are the best qualified person for the next job or promotion and you have been denied the opportunity, because of your color, religion, race, or an affiliation. It is not only disappointing but fundamentally wrong under any standard.
Immigration means change in some one’s life, a new opportunity, new dawn, and a chance to live their dreams. I understand that the immigration is sensitive issue and ignoring it all together is not an answer. Opportunity for change and hope shall not be denied for any human. Humans have the fundamental right to live and grow any part of the world and should not be denied, as long they are willing to be part of the solutions.
To make change work, we must respect all human rights and make future immigration policies with free & clear minds and without any prejudice & hate.
