The Decadent Decade

I am writing this post on New Year’s Day 2010 at the end of a turbulent decade that started with the Y2k uncertainty of the previous computer decade and ends with another uncertainty of greater magnitude: The economic viability of the United States.

After realizing that Y2k was an overblown concern, we continued on a spending binge of great proportions as we ran up the largest consumer debt in our history and started a 10-year housing boom that was encouraged by our politicians, relished by lenders, and virtually ignored by our Federal Reserve which kept interest rates at record low levels and fueled the fire.

In the midst of this excess, we were savagely attacked by a cowardly enemy hell bent on killing Americans for religious reasons. We lost over 3,000 innocent civilians in New York, Washington D.C., and Pennsylvania on one day in September of 2001. We became engaged in a war with an invisible enemy that can’t be identified by a uniform, a country, or a government; only a concept called radical Jihad. This is an enemy with no great army or high-tech weapons, but one that uses human suicide bombers, women and children as human shields, and puts no value on life or human rights. No country other than the United States by the shear force of its values, its will, and its extensive wealth, can fight this evil. We will be in this war for many years and we will eventually prevail, but future generations will have to shed their blood again to preserve the American dream.

Then, like a flash, we end the decade with an economic meltdown unlike anything we’ve seen since the Great Depression, a fitting end to a decade of financial excesses and greed.

In my life of 7 1/2 decades, I may not see the end of another decade, but one thing I do know for sure; no matter how politically divided we may seem to be, the freedom to express our opinions without retribution, to welcome all diverse cultures to our shores, and our dedication to human rights and the value of the individual, will permit us to survive and flourish in the decades ahead regardless of the challenges that are put before us.

I want to wish all of you who read this column a Happy and Healthy New Year. I will continue to inform you as best I can on the important issues of the day, and trust you will use your right to be heard, so that you can impact the future destiny of this great country in a positive way.

American Democracy: Is the End in Sight?

I recently had one of my readers e-mail me to request I write an article on how our elected officials in Congress can pass legislation that approximately 2/3 of the population is not in favor of, or believes we need right now. This is not easy to answer when for 200 years we have had a democracy, “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. Obviously, this was the intent of our founding fathers, but it no longer appears to be the practice of our legislators. Our population has become more diverse with many special interest groups and the federal government has taken upon itself to cater to the demands of these groups, invade every aspect of our lives, and than decide the winners and losers.

Now that the “progressive” wing of the Democratic Party has dominant control of Congress, and we just elected a President who is a believer in big government and the re-distribution of wealth, we have a situation where these progressive politicians think they know what’s best for you. Maybe it’s because they believe that we are not an informed public or don’t have the time or interest to become more informed. This has always been the credo of the elite liberal establishment.

The fact that this healthcare package, which affects 1/6 of the economy, is being rushed through Congress to meet some artificial deadline created by Obama because he says we need it now, is a vivid illustration that he knows what’s best for you and your opinion is not important. Also, the method by which this legislation is being debated (or not debated) is what one would expect from a corrupt regime:

The pretense of a debate
Partisan rules and involvement only
Bribery for votes via favors and pressure
Legislation written behind closed doors by a selected few
Media pressured to ignore the process

Does this sound like the United States of America or more like Red China, the old USSR, or maybe the new Venezuela?

I hope this answers my reader’s question. If we still are the democracy we once were, the only way to reverse this is in the ballot box. We will see in the 2010 and 2012 elections whether we are informed or care enough. Since Obama’s election victory came, in large part, from precincts populated by the less educated and those who pay no taxes, the current result is obvious.

An apathetic or impotent public leads to tyrannical government, it happened in Rome, Germany, China, Africa, and many countries in the Mid-East. It is almost unbelievable that it can happen in the United States, the most informed and wealthiest populace in the world. But just remember the words of Ronald Reagan, “Our freedom is only one generation away from extinction”. The next few years will tell us if this is so.

Harry Reid: Majority Nitwit

Who is this fellow Harry Reid and how did he get to be the Senate Democratic Majority Leader? I realize that Nevada has not exactly been a reservoir of great statesmen, but it is a beautiful State with great vistas and I love Las Vegas, spent a fun night in Ely once, and enjoyed a scenic drive to Carson City as well. I guess Mr. Reid had established a record with important people in his party to earn this position, since he was the Minority Leader prior to the last election when the Democrats took control of the Senate.

He looks like a shy but likeable gent until he stands before a camera and opens his mouth. He has a hesitant and insecure way of expressing himself, sort of like Speaker Pelosi, and most of the stuff that comes out is stupid and dumb. That’s why I was wondering how he got to this position. If anyone knows, please let me know. I always say to my friends that, “ I love when he and Speaker Pelosi get in front of the television cameras, because that’s the best thing for the Republican Party!”Let them talk, please.

In keeping with his reputation, Harry Reid made a ridiculous, callus, and desperate statement yesterday which illustrates that he really has trouble in pulling enough Democratic votes together for this misguided healthcare legislation we now have before the Senate. Reid equated the current Republican opposition to the bill as the same as the opposition to slavery and the civil rights legislation of the 60’s, when opposing legislators said we need to “slow-down” and discuss this drastic legislation further. You may recall that there was a filibuster of the 60’s Civil Rights Bill, however, Mr. Reid neglected to tell you that 80% of the senators participating in that filibuster were Democrats. I also seem to recall that the Emancipation Proclamation abolishing slavery was made during a Republican administration. Nevertheless, the analogy of civil rights legislation and this healthcare bill is obviously ridiculous, out of context, and as I said, stupid!

Legislation that will impact one-sixth of this giant economy and result in hundreds of government regulations and mandates that affect every part of the lives of all our people, should not have a timetable for passage. This is not a football game. Also, the argument that the other side does not have an alternate plan is patently false, since I have heard it from Representatives, Eric Cantor, Mike Spence, Tom Ryan, and Senators John Thune, John McCain, Mitch McConnell and many more. The alternate plan is much cheaper, gets at the real reform need to cut costs, and retains the quality of healthcare while providing more competition. It does not throw out the baby with the bath water or cost anywhere near $2.5 trillion.

Why we need to rush this through in these economic times, no matter how damaging, and leave the mess it creates to future generations, is beyond me. The choice is between Obamacare and a better reform alternative, which Mr. Reid does not want to be heard.

Thank God, he will be on the unemployment lines in 2010. I’m rooting for you Nevada.

Global Warming Uncovered

This corner has previously written articles that address the “junk” science of global warming, the posts were on March 11th, June 11, and June 29th, in which I discussed some of the scientific facts to illustrate that labeling CO₂ as the culprit in climate change is a farce that has already swindled billions of dollars from the economies of Europe and the U.S., which now threatens to reach trillions should the cap and “tax” legislation ever succeed in the Senate. Thank God the recent revelations about how overzealous scientists have attempted to hide data and prevent the publication of conflicting opinions may have finally put the nail in this coffin.

This is the story of how a very weak and fragmented climate theory has turned into a political ideology that has become a virtual industry in itself, while those who oppose it are considered heretics and obstacles to “progress”. It is a story of how misguided scientists, the media, and politicians can take noble environmental research and turn it into a money machine for their own self interests at the expense of those of us who are too busy living our lives to get informed.

For centuries the climate has always changed, sometimes drastically, even when the level of CO₂ was but a fraction of what it is today. What you don’t hear is that the global temperature has risen a mere ½ a degree centigrade in the last century and there is no evidence that the human production of CO₂ has any relationship to global temperature. In fact, volcanoes produce more CO₂ than man does; and decaying vegetation and oceans emit almost all of the CO₂ on this planet. The theory that man-made emissions can impact this is ludicrous and arrogant. Particularly when we consider that CO₂ is a minor greenhouse gas which represents only 0.054% of the total, and therefore any human impact would be even far less than that. Water vapor makes up 95% of greenhouse gas.

Regardless of all this, just follow the money and you will understand why the media and politicians continue to propagate this myth. Since many of these so-called reputable scientists elect to suppress and provide bias “peer reviews” of articles that refute this theory, there must be many research grants, consulting fees, books, and articles that provide a good living for them.

With the uncovering of thousands of emails and files that illustrate how this secretive group of scientists has suppressed data, frozen open debate, and ignored freedom-of-information laws in order to protect their money tree, we now see the quality of the science we are dealing with. At least the discourse will now be more open and objective and more of you out there will see that this inconvenient truth is one gigantic fib.

The Dumbing Down of America

I hate to sound like a snob but as I wait for our President to make a decision about what he is going to do in Afghanistan concerning General McCrystal’s recommendation, I can’t help but think what got us into this ridiculous situation. I also thought that in my years as a CEO, if it took me four months to make a decision about a high priority issue and then announced to an awaiting constituency about issuing that decision after that amount of time, I would have been a laughing stock to the employees and the shareholders would probably have shown me the door. I guess in politics the bar is not set as high.

The question then came to me about how we put an individual into the most powerful job on this planet with virtually no experience in running anything and educated in the Saul Alinsky school for radicals. Recently, Professor Joseph Olsen of Hamline University School of Law, in St. Paul, Minnesota did an unusual analysis of some interesting facts concerning last November’s presidential election. Although Obama won by a convincing electoral vote margin, many of us thought that the margin would be greater given the Republican candidate, the bias press coverage, the enormous amount of money spent by Obama, and the economic developments just prior to the election. Consider these facts:

The number of States won by Democrats: 19, Republicans: 29
The square miles of land won by Democrats: 580,000, Republicans: 2,427,000
Population of counties won by Democrats: 127 million, Republicans: 143 million
Murder rates per 100k residents in counties won by Democrats: 13.2, Republicans: 2.1

Dr. Olson also added that “in the aggregate, the map of the territory Republicans won was the land owned by most of the taxpaying citizens of the country. Democratic territory encompassed those citizens living in low-income tenements and living off various forms of government welfare”.

Olson believes that the U.S. is now somewhere between the “complacency and apathy” phase in the evolution of democracy, with some 40% of the population already having reached the “government dependency” phase. Since the liberal wing of the Democratic Party is hell bent on amnesty and citizenship for 20 million illegal’s who will eventually vote, along with the lowering of the voting age, the educational level of the U.S. voting public will be similar to that of a Banana Republic. The fact that Obama was elected primarily by minorities and the youth vote with the popularity of a rock-star, are you surprised at what we are contending with today?

Ronald Reagan said that, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction”. It’s time to stop this train to extinction. In this country we do it in the voting booth.

America you better start getting serious about this before its too late.

Fort Hood - Outright Terrorism and Political Correctness

As I contemplate the events that occurred at Fort Hood, Texas the other day, I can’t help but believe this really was a terrorist act caused by political correctness run amuck even in the U.S. army. Although 13 people were murdered and 30 injured this could have been far worse, were it not for the brave acts of a few people. The density of unarmed people in a small space and the assumed secure surroundings existent at Fort Hood were a perfect scenario for an entrepreneurial terrorist like Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan to carry out his dirty deed.

More facts will eventually emerge, particularly as people who came in contact with Hasan over the years are questioned and his computer files are inspected, however, one thing is certain in my mind; this was clearly a planned and calculated terrorist act of the entrepreneurial variety. Hasan was not a member of the “corporation”, Al Qaida, but in business for himself. This act was driven by his Muslim religious beliefs and it was executed in the name of Allah as he shouted “Allaha Akbar” the Arabic phrase for “God is Great!”. The frightening thing is that sentiments like this are cultivated in many mosques all over the U.S. Although the vast majority of people who practice the Islamic faith here are peaceful and law-abiding, there are pockets of people like Maj. Hasan who are capable of this type of terrorism and, in fact, we have stopped many these terrorist attempts with the help of law-abiding Muslims. However, the silence of the Muslim community in condemning these acts is deafening, this also is a result of political correctness in their own community.

The U.S. is extremely vulnerable to entrepreneurial terrorism; since our armed forces and intelligence community are in dire need of people who speak Arabic, who can act as counter-intelligence agents for us, and will integrate with the local population in efforts to stabilize political factions where our forces are deployed. The problem is that the forces of political correctness exacerbate this vulnerability as exemplified in the Hasan case. Hasan may have been provoked by harassment, but it now appears that his actions as a psychiatrist for army returnees and his vocal tirades against our military policies made him a lightning rod for this harassment. His training as psychiatrist should have been enough for him to realize the consequences of his behavior.

Yes, this may have been the act of a desperate man but most of the suicide bombers recruited by Al Qaida are desperate men and women with no future and caught up in a religious justification for their acts. Maj. Hasan had a future, an education, a profession, and a job, all paid for, compliments of the U.S. government and yet he chose this action in the name of Allah. Most Americans abhor this, yet political correctness prevents us from speaking out about this apparently unique Islamic concept.

Health Reform: Bad Assumptions versus Good Logic

I have been watching this "so-called" debate in health reform with interest and, as most of you know, this really has been a debate amongst Democrats only. The Republicans have been essentially squeezed out of the key meetings in the Senate except for Olympia Snow of Maine, since she seems to support this monstrosity of a bill. The specifics of the actual Senate bill are now being "worked out" behind closed doors between Rahm Emanuel, the President's Chief of Staff from Chicago, and Harry Reid the Majority Leader of the Senate along with a couple of aides, who basically take notes of the wondrous utterings of these gigantic intellectuals who single handedly are going to tell us what we should now do with 1/6 of our economy. Does that send shivers down your spine?

As this goes on, the President is telling you that we now have a bill that represents the best ideas of the Congress and of Republicans, Independents, and Democrats alike. It is a "bi-partisan bill that will not add one dime to the deficit". If you really believe that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn to sell you or you can continue to read on in order to make your own judgment based on facts and history.

First, as a rational human being, does the idea of adding more than 20 million uninsured to the roles subsidized by $500 B in savings from cuts in Medicare fraud and benefits in addition to a 40% tax increase to private insurance companies, make you comfortable that the quality or availability of your health care will stay the same or even improve? If you said "yes" to this question then please stop reading this post because it appears that you have imbibed too much of the Kool-Aid.

Not only is the $827 B ten year cost of this bill a fantasy, but the bill is effective for only 7 years of the ten years. How is that for doctored math? Let's now look at the government's track record of estimating the costs of these health plans:

Government Cost Overruns - $B

Program	Year	Predicted Cost	Actual Cost
Medicare	1965	12	110
Medicare Hospital	1965	9	67
Medicaid Hospitization	1987	1	17
Medicare Home Care	1988	4	10
Schip	1997	5.4	6.8
Medicare Prescription Drug	2003	49	41

These overruns were recently published by the Wall Street Journal. Ironically, George Bush's prescription drug plan has actually underun predictions. How come we hear no kudos for Bush on this? The Congressional Office said that the primary cause of the success of the prescription drug bill was that "the pricing is better than anticipated, which is likely a reflection of the competition that's occurred in the private market". Wow! Look what happens when you let the private market operate instead of having politicians regulate what they think is warranted. I don't think Obama will admit he "inherited" something good from the Bush Administration, do you?

At this point I think you should let your logic dictate over what you're hearing from Washington and then decide whether this is reform or just putting your children and grandchildren further into hock.