Thursday, February 05, 2015

This is an excellent time to reflect on the Republican economy and the participatory legislative model.

It is not difficult to understand, unlike that of Democrats.

If a person participates in crafting Republican legislature they can then find opportunity in the economy.

Simple.

Straight forward.

The other name for it is corruption.

The word is empty. Can you spell it? If you can't spell it, you can't vote. In the USA House, I mean.

The more I think about it, the more the outline is SOP for Republicans. Republicans don't write laws, they field ideas and let the electorate write laws. So right now there is a back woodsman in North Carolina saying, "I don't need health insurance, just give me a gallon of pitch and some cobwebs and everything will be fine. What was good enough for my Daddy is good enough for me."

This is fine. Just give the Republicans long enough and they'll hang themselves. We just have to make sure they don't hang the country with them. 

By the time the hangman is finished every American will know what most neurosurgeons already know about Republicans.

An outline. One sixth of the USA economy is in an outline. Really?

February 4, 2015
By Noam N. Levey

A group of leading Republican lawmakers (click here) on Wednesday proposed an outline for replacing the Affordable Care Act in a bid to advance traditional conservative healthcare goals, including deregulating health insurance, curtailing Medicaid spending and changing how health plans are taxed.
The outline, which parallels a blueprint that senior GOP senators proposed in the last Congress, is not a formal bill. That precludes the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office from calculating its cost and its precise effect on the nation's healthcare system....

The health insurance companies are making money. They aren't the profits of the past before the ACA because they actually have to pay claims and maintain profits at 15 percent above costs. But, the insurance companies are receiving profits between one half and one billion per year. I have no sympathy for them.

An outline. The Republicans have no real answers. 

Is this another Clapper thing?

You know the kind of thing the USA treasury empties for to build multi-story buildings to house experts that do work meaning absolutely nothing? Where did Brenda Connors learn her trade craft? Russia? Because I am quite sure they do this as well. I would think hacking into global leaders cell phones would tell a lot more than this mess.

Here we go now. Big Brother wants a computer at every corner and more if necessary while face recognition is used to decide if anyone is a career white collar crime offender on Wall Street.

February 5, 2015
By Alan Yuhas

If Kremlinology (click here) made for a viable career track at the Pentagon during the cold war, Putinology is its pale 21st-century successor, complete with geopolitical guessing games, spycraft and the unknowable machinations of the man inside Red Square. The latest contribution to the field comes courtesy of a Pentagon thinktank: a suggestion that Vladimir Putin has an autistic disorder.
Studies from 2008 and 2011, commissioned by the Pentagon and revealed by USA Today through a freedom of information request, suggest Putin has “an autistic disorder which affects all of his decisions” and may be Asperger syndrome. But the studies, which focused on videos of the Russian president, do not claim to make a diagnosis and are primarily the brainchild of one person, Brenda Connors of the US Naval War College (USNWC) in Newport, Rhode Island.
Connors, a “movement patterns analysis” expert, is a former State Department official and professional dancer who has been described, by a psychologist from the University of Chicago, as a “dancer and diplomat”....

The UAE has always cowed to extremists. This is just more of the same.

The Arab nations have to take control of their own national security. The actions of the UAE only prolongs the conflict while compromising the country's security.

No one is dishonoring this man. The acceptance of violence is setting a very dangerous standard for the Middle East. (click here) It is never easy accepting the deaths within the military. But, the Middle East has to establish their own standing to end the violence. It is the only answer.

Syria is in ruins because of the acceptance of violence. There is no clear understanding of domestic peace in the Middle East. The entire region is defined by violence because of leaders willing to fund it and look the other way as innocent civilians die. It is a human rights violation to allow such level of violence within the borders of a country. 

Does the UAE actually believe the violence in Syria won't visit it if the Islamic State is allowed to thrive? Those men will not stop until the entire region is under their control. Where will the UAE be then? 

I find it extremely odd the Arab nations accepts domestic violence and even funding it to defend Islam, but, it mourns intensely at the idea of the death of a military jet pilot. None of that equates. 

February 5, 2015
Oriana Pawlyk, Military Times

...Officials said Tuesday that the UAE suspended its airstrike efforts in December after Jordanian fighter pilot Lt. Moaz al-Kasasbeh was captured by Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL) militants, according to The New York Times.
Jordan executed two prisoners on Wednesday hours after a video surfaced showing ISIL militants burning Kasabeh alive in a cage.
But before pilots start worrying about allied pilots leaving the fight, the U.S. needs to lay the groundwork for a more direct plan to defeat the threat, said retired Air Force Lt. Col. Scott Lysford.
"We need to have a very dedicated and coherent strategy and worry about our coalition partners after that," said Lysford, who flew F-16s for more than 10 years in the Middle East.
"Certainly our hearts go out to that Jordanian pilot as being a brother in arms, but if you think that any of our fighter pilots who watched what happened to the Jordanian pilot are concerned about ISIS doing that to us, there's a zero chance that that's an issue," he said....
February 5, 2015
By Reuters


...Washington (click here) has begun openly talking of arming Ukraine for the first time. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry also flew to Kiev on Thursday, although he had no plans to go to Moscow. His likely cabinet colleague, defense secretary nominee Ashton Carter, told lawmakers on Wednesday that he favored arming Ukraine's forces.
Peace talks collapsed on Saturday in Belarus, EU leaders are expected to consider punishing new economic sanctions against Moscow next week, and Germany hosts world leaders at a security conference over the weekend at which Ukraine is expected to be the main subject.
"Together with Angela Merkel we have decided to take a new initiative," Hollande told a news conference. "We will make a new proposal to solve the conflict which will be based on Ukraine's territorial integrity."
He and Merkel would meet President Petro Poroshenko in Kiev on Thursday and Russia's Vladimir Putin in Moscow the following day....


The bodies of people killed during a shelling at a residential area lie on a street of Donetsk's Tekstilshik district, on Feb. 4, 2015.

February 5, 2015
Malay Mail Online

Fourteen civilians (click here) and five government soldiers have been killed in fighting in east Ukraine over the past 24 hours, government and rebel officials said today....

The Separatists are not taking responsibility for their own violence. To them there are always a good reason to kill fellow Ukrainians. The current Ukrainian government never wanted this and have made every effort to end the violence. It isn't Ukraine that is the problem. The Separatists have escalated the violence and continues to do so.

Pro-Russian separatists said shelling killed eight residents and wounded 33 more around their stronghold Donetsk. - See more at: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/world/article/five-troops-19-civilians-killed-in-ukraine-in-24-hours-officials-say#sthash.avLAcISg.dpufiolence

Harry, short of helping with a lawyer, I think it is time for brother to suffer his own consequences.

Drunk driving and this time no one else was hurt or worse. Be a good brother and get out of the way of law and court ordered rehab.

Many other Americans have had relatives in this type of circumstance. Me as well. She wasn't involved in assault of a State Trooper, but, she was pulled over by an officer waiting outside a night club. DWI. We were lucky the police officer stopped her right at the onset, the possibilities were all nightmares. 

I was so upset with her I didn't speak to her or visit for nearly a year. It was the last and only time she ever made that poor judgement. Today we have two wonderful boys in the family. She rarely drinks anymore, except, at special occasions in a toast. 

The fact this happened is nothing to be ashamed of, however, if family dysfunctionally minimizes the severity of the problem and enters into inappropriate support of this behavior; it doesn't sincerely love their family members as much as they might think. 

February 5, 2015
The younger brother of Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (click here) was arrested Monday afternoon after allegedly driving under the influence and punching a Nevada state trooper during a traffic stop. 
Larry Reid, 73, was found sitting inside a Lexus SUV that had been driving in the median of Highway 95 near Searchlight, Nev. shortly after noon. According to KVVU, the arrest report for Reid said that the trooper asked him why he was driving in the median. Reid responded with what was described as "incoherent, slurred speech."
Reid then asked the trooper if he could leave. When he was told that he could not, the report said Reid cursed at the trooper and then put the vehicle into gear. The trooper ordered Reid to stop before reaching inside the vehicle to put it back into park.
At that point, the report claims, Reid punched the trooper twice in the face. The trooper was then able to pull the keys from the ignition and eventually arrest Reid after a short struggle....

What are people thinking? She pulled over tracks in her regular travels?

...Brody, 49, (click here) was driving home from her jewelry-store job Tuesday night when a witness said she got out of her vehicle to check after a guardrail came down on top of it. She then got back into the car, driving forward onto the tracks just before she was struck by the train, motorist Rick Hope told The Journal News....

There was an explosion that's why the electrified rail came loose. For as bad as the crash was it could have been a lot worse.

...The crash happened in the dark in an area where the tracks are straight but drivers exiting or entering the adjacent Taconic Parkway had to turn and cross them. Traffic also was backed up because of an accident on the parkway....

She was caught in traffic.

New York State has regulations for the average driver. I know this is largely ignored, but, it is a place where people can reflect on their own behavior. This sounds terrible, but, it is an issue of defensive driving. That said, this intersection needs an elevated rail. Desperately.

Whenever any person driving a vehicle (click here) approaches a railroad grade crossing under any of the following circumstances, the driver of such vehicle shall stop, not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail and shall not proceed until he or she can do so safely. This applies when (1) an audible or clearly visible electronic or mechanical signal device gives warning of the immediate approach of a train; (2) a crossing gate is lowered or a human flagman gives a signal of the approach of a train; (3) a train approaches within 1,500 feet, and by its proximity is a hazard; or (4) a train emits a warning sound, and by its proximity is a hazard.

There are different laws for buses and trucks. Every vehicle on the road carries gasoline. Can they be considered hazardous? It would appear to be the case. If that means enforcement at dangerous crossings, then so be it. People have to start thinking about their own behavior in disregarding their own safety.

The state legislature needs to consider changing the law to create a demand of every driver to only cross railroad tracks when there is a clear path ahead. Drivers should NEVER stop over or near rails. Never. Enforce it. It is the most immediate way of preventing further such incidents, but, ultimately this rail has to be elevated. It is straight track at that point and there is every reason to make that change.

Brody was a mother of three grown daughters and an active, outgoing member of her synagogue. She was "not risky when it came to her safety or others," said family friend Paul Feiner, the town supervisor in Greenburgh.

No one is questioning Mrs. Brody's integrity. People make errors all the time. It was a difficult judgement call for whatever reason it was. She was distracted to her own ability to move that SUV. Whoever would think they would be facing down a train on the commute home? She panicked. Just that simple. I am sure there was nothing deliberate about her actions in order to cause the accident. Her only flaw was being human.

Walker is Priebus wet dream.

His appearance in Washington came as something of a surprise after the founder of the American Renewal Project, David Lane, told the Israeli newspaper Haaretz last week that he would be taking Priebus, Priebus' wife and about 60 other committee members to the Holy Land....
February 5, 2015

Investment guru Warren Buffett, (click here) the billionaire chairman of Berkshire Hathaway, said it would be "very tough" for the Federal Reserve to lift interest rates this year because of the stronger US dollar.
"That would exacerbate the problem," Buffett said in an interview on the Fox Business network. "I don't think it'll be very feasible to do."

US economic growth, outperforming most industrialised counterparts, has helped push the world's largest economy's currency close to the highest level in more than a decade, making it cheaper for Americans to buy imported goods and helping to lower inflation that's already below the Fed's goals.

The US Dollar Index, which the Intercontinental Exchange uses to track the greenback against currencies of six trade partners, climbed 5 per cent last quarter.

The dollar's strength is pushing long-term US Treasury yields to record lows as overseas investors look to profit from the rising currency.

With Fed policy makers weighing when to raise rates which they have kept near zero since December 2008, Buffett said risks still lurk for investors who accept those yields....

A Quotable Quote by Warren Buffet

“There’s class warfare, all right, but it’s my class, the rich class, that’s making war, and we’re winning.”

August 14, 2015
Op-Ed by Warren Buffet

OUR leaders (click here) have asked for “shared sacrifice.” But when they did the asking, they spared me. I checked with my mega-rich friends to learn what pain they were expecting. They, too, were left untouched.
While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks. Some of us are investment managers who earn billions from our daily labors but are allowed to classify our income as “carried interest,” thereby getting a bargain 15 percent tax rate. Others own stock index futures for 10 minutes and have 60 percent of their gain taxed at 15 percent, as if they’d been long-term investors.
These and other blessings are showered upon us by legislators in Washington who feel compelled to protect us, much as if we were spotted owls or some other endangered species. It’s nice to have friends in high places....
Americans tend to think of their middle class as being the richest in the world, but it turns out, in terms of wealth, they rank fairly low among major industrialized countries,” said Edward Wolff, an economics professor at New York University.
Globally, middle-class Americans are only the 19th richest in the world with a median net worth of $44,900 per adult. The U.S. falls below Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and a slew of European nations. Super-affluent Americans skew the average wealth upwards creating the large discrepancy between America’s average and median net worth.

“The U.S. has 42 percent of the world’s millionaires and 49 percent of those with more than $50 million in assets,” CNN Money adds.
If anything, the drastic gap between the two measures point out the big elephant in the room: The growing wealth inequality in Americ
- See more at: http://madamenoire.com/437769/wealthy-think-18-countries-richer-middle-class-u-s/#sthash.kUhWhTE6.dpuf
Americans tend to think of their middle class as being the richest in the world, but it turns out, in terms of wealth, they rank fairly low among major industrialized countries,” said Edward Wolff, an economics professor at New York University.
Globally, middle-class Americans are only the 19th richest in the world with a median net worth of $44,900 per adult. The U.S. falls below Japan, Taiwan, Singapore, Australia, and a slew of European nations. Super-affluent Americans skew the average wealth upwards creating the large discrepancy between America’s average and median net worth.

“The U.S. has 42 percent of the world’s millionaires and 49 percent of those with more than $50 million in assets,” CNN Money adds.
If anything, the drastic gap between the two measures point out the big elephant in the room: The growing wealth inequality in Americ
- See more at: http://madamenoire.com/437769/wealthy-think-18-countries-richer-middle-class-u-s/#sthash.kUhWhTE6.dpuf

Union leaders need to make themselves to the public. There will be praise along with the critics, but, it is good for the country to define one of the best unions in the country.

The UAW needs to talk about the recalls and how they occurred in the first place. The UAW wants the American people buying their products. The union needs to develop an open dialogue with the people that count on them to make safe products by American labor. The American public needs to understand why these safety issues occur.

There is a very good chance, honesty would bring about better relations between unions and their prospective members. We know the Middle Class is dependent on unions to maintain its status. Unions need to speak to that reality and how to maintain it. 

February 5, 2015
By Bill Vlasic

Despite reporting a sharp drop in earnings because of its safety crisis last year, US car giant General Motors plans to give its union workers profit-share payouts of up to $US9000 ($11,582).
GM, America's largest automaker, said it would give each of its 48,000 union workers in the United States the payouts, based on North American earnings last year, without factoring in the big charges it had to take for its more than 80 car recalls.
In reporting its fourth-quarter results, GM said it earned pretax profit of $US6.6 billion in North America last year. But without the cost of the recalls, the pretax earnings were $US9 billion.
The automaker's union contract calls for it to pay about $US1000 in profit-sharing for each $US1 billion earned in pretax profit in North America....

...There was no immediate comment from the UAW, which had been in discussions with GM about not penalising union members for recalls and safety costs, which an in-house investigation last year attributed to failings by management over several years....

Magnificent! The second most dangerous militia can be beaten!

The most beautiful thing about this victory is the fact Chad can hold this land and not have it return to any other influence after the USA leaves. They are incredible. Only when native military is successful will stability endure. Now, this military is able to stabilize their region and sovereignty and the security of their people. The more secure a region is, the sooner their economy can grow.

When President Obama instills the need for native militaries to be strong and successful it is because it lasts. No more Wack-a-Mole. No more Ba'athists waiting their turn to violence. The reasons are real. It isn't because the left political wing of American politics is hiding under their desks to practice "Duck and Cover." 

Chadian troops have claimed victory over Boko Haram after a fierce battle.

 4 February 2015

Chad's army (click here) says it has killed more than 200 militant Islamists and lost nine men during a battle to recapture a key town in north-eastern Nigeria.
Boko Haram militants killed about 30 people after fleeing from the battle to Cameroon, a resident said.
It was the most intense battle known to involve Chadian troops since they entered the conflict in Nigeria.
Chad and Nigeria are also bombing the vast Sambisa forest, where the militants have bases.
Boko Haram fighters were suspected to have taken to the forest more than 200 schoolgirls it abducted in April from the north-eastern Nigerian town of Chibok.
It is not clear whether any of the girls are still there. Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau has since said that the girls have been married off....