Life's Rich Pageant is the official blog of e-VotingBooth.com, the only website where all Americans can vote on any bill or resolution in Congress. 'Life's Rich Pageant' is based on an English idiom.
Why vote legislation?
Because we believe the only way to 'change' the system is to meet our founders' intent of engaging all Americans to directly participate in the legislative process, ultimately taking ownership in our country through e-VotingBooth.com.
Our site, independent of the government and all political parties, allows America to switch the primary focus FROM the individuals we elect TO the legislation itself (and our values), as well as hold our public servants accountable.
Put another way, would you hire an employee, not give him or her any specific job direction, then leave them unsupervised for 2, 4 or 6 years?
And we wonder why the country is in trouble!

Sunday, October 31, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 31, 2010


The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:

    * Financial Crisis
    * Cultural War (between the left and right)
    * Politics

Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:


    * Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2
    * Life’s Rich Pageant

Financial Crisis: We have another indicator of the multi-dimensional leverage China is building over the U.S., or more accurately leverage the U.S. is ceding to China through eroding financial and political dominance: “China's top diplomat, State Counselor Dai Bingguo, and Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi offered reassurances about the minerals used in products from iPhones to superconductors in separate meetings with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton” (China gives U.S. assurances on rare earth minerals).

The stock market had a good October but could see a major swing through elections Tuesday, Fed quantitative easing and third quarter earnings announcement season (Dow has best October since 2006).

People are willing to die in order to avoid estate and other tax raises expected Jan. 1 (Wyoming Rep. Lummis: Estate tax rise has some planning death) as “many ranchers and farmers in the state would rather pass along their businesses—‘their life's work’—to their children and grandchildren than see the federal government take a large chunk,” said U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis.

America is still competitive in at lease one regard—entrepreneurship—as a very enterprising former police officer prepares to take advantage of Proposition 19 if it passes (Ex-cop snatches up marijuana web domains). “‘Marijuana domain name values will fly off the charts once Prop 19 passes,’ said Faler, 49. ‘I'm hoping to make enough money to buy a condo in Morocco. That's how big it's going to be.’” At least he’s optimistic!

Cultural War: Global Information Systems, an intelligence network whose unclassified analysis is used by the U.S. government, in a report titled "The Gathering Storm around the Greater Eastern Mediterranean Region," describes the storm ominiously ('Islam at gates because of collapse of West'): “much of the West is experiencing political paralysis due to economic disarray, the U.S. economy is in decline and the U.S. dollar as a global currency is in retreat. Islam is expanding rapidly in regions where it had been a relatively minor factor. Further, Russia's dominance over Eurasian energy networks is rising and a global economic transformation is developing in the use of currency and credit.”

Colorado gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo explicitly described the Cultural War Tuesday in comments made while campaigning in Canon City, saying Obama posed a threat to the Constitution: “It's not Al Qaeda, it's the guy sitting in the White House” (Obama is a bigger threat to the U.S. than Al Qaeda, says Colorado governor candidate).

We leave that statement to the reader, but it sure appears Nick McDermott, the assignment editor, and several reporters for CBS Anchorage affiliate, KTVA, are actively engaged in the Cultural War when they “allegedly left a voicemail by mistake at the campaign of the state's Republican nominee for Senate, Joe Miller, in which the journalists can be heard plotting to ‘find’ a ‘child molester’ among the politician's supporters” (CBS reporters hope for violence against GOP candidate). In the apparently accidental voicemail message, left on the cell phone of Miller's spokesperson Randy DeSoto, “the reporters are also overheard hoping for violence against Miller so they can ‘send out a tweet’ and Facebook alert that ‘Miller got punched’ at the rally. DeSoto says the voicemail message was later authenticated by McDermott himself, who sent a text to the Miller spokesman stating, ‘D--- iPhone … I left you a long message. I thought I hung up. Sorry.’” As an editorial note, if it weren’t for the seriousness of the issue we would have reported this story under Life’s Rich Pageant for their inattentiveness, poor judgment, stupidity, gross misconduct (from a job perspective), breaking the law, et cetera.

We find it very interesting how Democrats can scream ‘separation of church and state’ on one hand, then try to legislate ‘control of church by state’ on the other: “The Federal government apparently has blinked in a standoff with private Christian colleges over a proposal that would bring the schools under the regulation of the political powers in their states” (Religious schools now expecting to be protected from political influence of Education Department).

Another long-term trend indicator of relativism in politics is the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights: "My view of civil rights is that the definition of civil rights is dynamic," said the commission's chairman, Gerald Reynolds, who spearheaded a conference in September that included a discussion about whether the agency should be dismantled. "I'm not devaluing discrimination or the importance of remaining vigilant. All I'm saying is, we have to do that and do other things" (Future of U.S. Civil Rights Commission questioned). In other words, they want to be able to stick their noses into any person’s or group’s business and make their own individual determination as to what constitutes denial of civil rights. We argue their task should be the opposite: take potential issues identified, research them and make recommendations to Congress for changes in the law.

Politics: Not only has Al Gore gaffed again from his global warming perspective, he broke the law doing it and so far has somehow avoided prosecution (A VERY inconvenient truth: Al Gore 'left car engine running during hour-long environment lecture') as, according to the Daily Mail, “Swedish law prohibits—for environmental reasons—any car engine being left running without its driver for more than 60 seconds. The fines for breaking that law are severe but it appears Gore has not been fined.”

Not to be outdone, President Obama will go to India next month with the largest airlift and entourage of any U.S. President, including his own visit to England right after the election that was largely criticized for its size (Forty planes and six armoured cars: Obama visit to India the 'biggest ever by a US President'). Apparently Obama’s kids haven’t had enough vacations this year (Obamas to begin sixth holiday of the year) as “Obama's daughters Sasha and Malia were not to be part of the trip. But Michelle's opinion prevailed and now the girls will accompany the first American couple to India, according to the paper.”

2010 election: The Telegraph reports “In the closing days of the campaign for Tuesday's midterm elections, he (Obama) is not wanted by the Democratic candidates in states like Kentucky, West Virginia or even Colorado, where there are knife-edge Senate battles” (US midterm elections: Barack Obama's world turned upside down as Democrats face electoral disaster). Daily Mail also makes the argument he’s feeling the pressure (Barack loses his cool: Angry Obama yells BACK at hecklers... as new poll shows his own party isn't sure he should be President in 2012).

Jon Stewart alluded to a salient point Saturday during his Rally to Restore Sanity in Washington regarding the 24-hour media establishment: “If we amplify everything, we hear nothing," he said. "The press is our immune system. If it overreacts to everything, we eventually get sicker" (Jon Stewart points finger at media). If you analyze his comment for implications you realize Americans in general don’t realize either the power of the media or their patent manipulation of citizens.

Support for Stewart’s thesis can be found immediately in Nina Totenberg’s comment on Inside Washington Friday: “I am already afraid, very afraid. I mean, it’s not like governance has been going great. I think we’ll, I don't know whether I should be afraid, but there will be gridlock.” It’s pretty apparent the media has reached the limits of sensationalism as the American legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio actually tones down her comment midstream. Her co-panelist Evan Thomas of Newsweek continues with the limits of sensationalism in response to Gordon Peterson’s question of characterizing the 2010 election as a ‘catastrophe for America’: “No, but they might look on it as kind of a joke. There is sort of a circus aspect to it that people, it’s become comic and a kind of a dark way. You know, Krugman is a professional doomsayer. So, you have to take that with a grain of salt. But obviously the political system’s a mess.”

Sarah Palin predicted a "political earthquake" in Tuesday’s elections (Palin foresees 'political earthquake' on Tuesday). “‘The message has been sent [to Democrats] that they blew it,’ Mrs. Palin said on Fox News Sunday. ‘You blew it, President Obama. We gave you two years’ to improve the economy.”

It looks like abortion has broken the relationship between the Minnesota Democratic Party and Catholic Church (Democratic Ad: Catholic Church More Concerned About Abortion Than Poor).

In response to Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee’s accusations the controversial conservative group King Street Patriots say they're actually the victims and “Thursday afternoon, the group brought forward several poll watchers who say they found themselves intimidated by voters, county poll watchers and members of the Democratic Party” (King Street Patriots Say They're Not Intimidating Anyone). Things have gotten so bad they've written a letter to the U.S. Justice Department asking for an investigation, said Jonathan Saenz, the attorney for the organization. The New Black Panther Party in Harris County claims they will monitoring just like the Patriots. Standby for video Tuesday!

Life’s Rich Pageant: PETA demonstrated their idealism and naiveté recently through an offer to convicted recidivist drug user Lindsay Lohan (PETA to foot rehab bill if Lohan goes vegan). “‘As you know, a crucial part of any recovery is showing charity to others. One way to do this is to be kind to animals, the Earth, and your own body. You'll never regret it,’ writes PETA head Michelle Cho in a letter to the actress. The critter-loving group promises to pay up to $20,000 of Lohan's $50,000 bill for her three-month court-ordered stay. She'd get $10,000 up front for eschewing burgers and milkshakes while she's still receiving treatment at the center. If she wants the remaining $10,000, she'd have to go completely vegan for one year following her release on Jan. 3.”

TAKE ACTION: Please visit e-VotingBooth.com, setup your FREE account, login and vote legislation, including any previously-enacted 111th Congress (current) bills.
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Saturday, October 30, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 30, 2010


The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:

    * Financial Crisis
    * Cultural War (between the left and right)
    * ObamaCare
    * Global War on Terror

Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:

·      Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2
·      Life’s Rich Pageant

Financial Crisis: An extremely interesting article was published yesterday by Reuters about a National Bureau of Economic Research paper claiming “France was ‘somewhat more’ to blame than the United States for the worldwide deflation of 1929-33 and that the deflation could have been avoided if central banks had simply maintained things as they were in 1928” (Was France at fault for The Great Depression?). Since the world is currently using fiat currencies the lesson from the study is gold is now a trailing, not leading, indicator.

Combine gold’s Friday close ($1,357.10/ounce) with John Hathaway’s observation in a Thursday Bloomberg News Service commentary “The world’s monetary system is in the process of melting down” (Gold Will Outlive Dollar Once Slaughter Comes). “The only questions are how long the denouement of the dollar reserve system will last, and how much more damage will be inflicted by new rounds of quantitative easing or more radical monetary measures to prop up the system.”

Considering the world is already moving away from the dollar and Wall Street (U.S. financial dominance), with China, Russia and India actively pushing away (Medvedev Shows Off Sample Coin of New ‘World Currency’ at G-8, World currency unit intended to rival U.S. dollar for supremacy, 420 banks demand 1-world currency, World gripped by 'international currency war', China Raises Rates, Jolting World Markets, Administration delays China currency report, Dollar struggles as world seeks to avoid 'currency war', Gold hits record high on India purchase, Indians go on 'gold-buying blitz', Meet the 'father of world currency'), we postulate less, not more, time before denouement. Bottom line: gold may seem expensive now relative to 3 years ago, but it will be ‘dirt cheap’ once the dollar dies.

A Wall Street Journal article today demonstrates the breadth of foreclosure fraud versus ‘faulty paperwork’ as Big Banks Told Not to 'Fix' a Fraud. The Ohio Attorney General’s letters suggest the fraud will take him weeks to collect—for just one state.


Cultural War: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recently demonstrated it’s subjectivity by voting recently to declare Rachel’s Tomb to be a mosque (UN Org.: Rachel's Tomb is a Mosque). Never mind the fact Rachel's Tomb and the Tomb of the Patriarchs are burial sites along with other Biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs. No, instead UNESCO bought The Palestinian Authority’s claim Rachel's Tomb is holy to Muslims as the site of a mosque called the Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque. Even if it is, the historical dates of the Bible and Koran demonstrate proper legal claim.

The most frightening domestic news of the day centers on a perennial mover and shaker (Soros' proposal for 'elite' judiciary). According to the WorldNetDaily.com report, “A new report by John Gizzi of the Capital Research Center, to be released within the next few days, has an explanation: A powerful move by very wealthy interests across the United States to reshape the judiciary in the mold of progressives who believe the Constitution should be interpreted through the filter of personal desires.”

Maybe liberal radio host Bill Press has a good explanation for Mr. Soros’ plan: “The left is genetically disappointed, with or without Obama...” (Left 'genetically disappointed').

“Keep Austin Weird” proponents must be both proud and frustrated with the temporary restraining order against the parents of a pregnant 16-year-old (Court: Parents can't force teen to terminate). “‘No one should be allowed to decide that an innocent life—especially one that belongs to someone else—is worthless,’ added Stephen Casey of Round Rock, Texas, an Alliance Defense Fund-affiliated attorney involved in the case.”

You have to wonder just how bad crime in California is when police knowingly allow citizens to smoke pot in their presence. Slugger Josh Hamilton told the New York Post, "I could smell weed in the outfield. It was crazy. I was looking at the cops a couple of times during the game." The gravity was further exemplified by a Dallas sports anchor, who declared on-air, "Right over there, there's people smoking weed" (Dallas' Newy is the City's Newest Star). In his next report he added, "And the police aren't doing anything."

ObamaCare: The Hill reports “A conservative group critical of the Democrats' healthcare reform law has collected 1 million signatures calling for the law's repeal, the group announced Thursday. Revere America, a Washington-based conservative group named after the Revolution-era hero, has posted its petition online, calling for ‘the repeal and replacement of this law with responsible reforms.’”

On the other side of the isle Rep. Joe Sestak acknowledged ObamaCare’s cost to the Democrat Party explicitly "I would argue my party began getting off the track when it made a political calculation for the 60th vote on health reform" (Citing Specter shift, Sestak says Dems caved in on healthcare) and implicitly acknowledged Democrats went much farther than Americans wanted to go in socializing medicine and other socialist actions contained in the bill and it’s many Amendments, which, interestingly, are NOT linked to the bill on Congress’ official website.

Global War on Terror: The al Qaeda Arabian Peninsula cargo plan bomb campaign has been intercepted (Terror plot thwarted as US-bound explosives seized). The event is sure to drive the pat-down versus full body scan issue (Pat-Downs May Soon Become Norm At Airports). The real world continues to creep in on those who have never been outside the U.S.

Do the cargo bombs coincide with the Beltway sniper shots experienced recently (Gunshots! Jihadis on prowl in D.C.?) and/or the Metro bomb suspect, a Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen (U.S. has wiretap evidence on Metro bomb suspect)?

2010 election: Rush Limbaugh rails against vote fraud (Rush Limbaugh: Vote Fraud Essential to Democrats) as Sheila Jackson Lee alleges intimidation (Sheila Jackson Lee wants DOJ to monitor tea partiers at polls) and the prospect of an Afghanistan-style corrupted election grows (Utah voting machines left unattended in lobby -- even after authorities were notified).

Elise Viebeck of The Hill mocked Sarah Palin for not catching the drift of State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley’s tweet to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Palin pounces on State Department over Ahmadinejad birthday tweet). But Palin’s tweet comment is valid: “Mind boggling foreign policy ... Obama Doctrine is nonsense.” Twitter is neither a formal or informal communication method among countries. It is, on a routine basis, just an electronic ego-enlarging aide.

Life’s Rich Pageant: Yes, you can kill yourself with caffeine (Man Dies Of Caffeine Overdose). Historically it’s been difficult to accomplish but these days all it takes is two spoonfuls of caffeine powder bought over the Internet for $5.26.

TAKE ACTION: Please visit e-VotingBooth.com, setup your FREE account, login and vote legislation, including any previously-enacted 111th Congress (current) bills.
Why vote a bill already enacted?
Because we’re currently building our Voting Scorecard. This tool is effectively a report card and will list all your votes alongside your representative, senators, VP and President, where applicable. The bottom line number for each public servant will be a percentage indicating how each voted with or against your personal legislative desires. For example, 80% means the public servant, or potential public servant, voted with you 80% of your total votes. This is powerful information every American should have and use when making future election decisions. Though not live on the site yet, the database has been built and is current with all Roll Calls to-date.

Friday, October 29, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 29, 2010


The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:

    * Financial Crisis
    * Cultural War (between the left and right)
    * Global War on Terror

Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:

·      Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2
·      Life’s Rich Pageant

Financial Crisis: A couple stories combine to paint a ‘slow recovery’ picture for the next few years:
·      Reuters reports the Commerce Department announced third quarter gross domestic product at 2.0 percent (Economy grew modestly in third-quarter), after a 1.7 percent rate in the second quarter. The anemic pace wasn’t enough to reduce unemployment and isn’t expected to have much, if any, effect on the Fed’s monetary easing plans expected to be announced next week.
·      The Obama Administration spin campaign to kick-start the economy continues with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner saying in a Sept. 22 speech the bailouts “are completely behind us” (SPIN METER: Despite claims, bailouts not over yet). "The idea that TARP is dead is just not accurate," said Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general overseeing the program, in an Associated Press interview. "People can write its obituary, people can declare that it's been put out of its misery, but there's still close to $180 billion of TARP money outstanding, and $82 billion obligated to be spent."

Cultural War: Tom Tancredo’s longstanding opposition to the Federal Reserve is resonating with Tea Party members who are opposed to the Fed (Tea Party groundswell signals challenges to Fed). The Tea Party will probably have a vehement reaction once they become aware of HR 5741, the “Universal National Service Act,” introduced July 23 by Charlie Rangel to give Obama the "Civilian National Security Force as big and as well-funded as the $650 billion-plus U.S. military” cited in his 2008 Colorado Springs campaign speech (Rangel plan gives prez 'civilian security force').

TAKE ACTION: Please visit e-VotingBooth.com, setup your FREE account, login, type "5741" in the Quick Search field and vote on the Universal National Service Act (HR5741). Why vote a bill already enacted? Because we’re currently building our Voting Scorecard. This tool is effectively a report card and will list all your votes alongside your representative, senators, VP and President, where applicable. The bottom line number for each public servant will be a percentage indicating how each voted with or against your personal legislative desires. For example, 80% means the public servant, or potential public servant, voted with you 80% of your total votes. This is powerful information every American should have and use when making future election decisions. Though not live on the site yet, the database has been built and is current with all Roll Calls to-date.

You have to question the intelligence of judges who bought the story of a man who admitted using someone else’s Social Security Number to obtain a loan but claimed he wasn’t really trying to assume a false identity (Court allows use of fake Social Security Number). These judges, who reversed the conviction, just happen to be members of the Colorado Supreme Court!

The degree politics played in Obama’s Supreme Court selection is apparent in MSNBC’s report that Laurence Tribe of Harvard, one of the nation's most respected Supreme Court scholars, recommended against appointing Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court because she's not smart enough (Letter to Obama: Sotomayor not that smart). “’Bluntly put, she's not nearly as smart as she seems to think she is,’ Tribe wrote in a letter to Obama in May 2009, the day after it became public that Justice David Souter intended to step down.”

The extreme inappropriateness of putting a mosque at Ground Zero is exemplified by a Saudi Arabian prince who aided the imam driving the project, saying "Those people behind the mosque have to respect, have to appreciate and have to defer to the people of New York," Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was quoted as saying by the Dubai-based Arabian Business magazine, which said the full interview will be published Sunday (Saudi Prince Backs Moving Planned NYC Mosque). "The wound is still there. Just because the wound is healing you can't say, 'Let's just go back to where we were pre-9/11."'

Global War on Terror: North Korea’s egomania reared its ugly head again when border guards fired two rounds toward South Korea (South Korea: North Korea opens fire at border). Apparently they must have felt left out from the G20 summit!

Al-Qaeda seems to be working overtime to de-stabilize Pakistan and South Asia, as The Jamestown Organization reports “It appears increasingly clear al-Qaeda is intent on striking in India” (Al-Qaeda Exploits Kashmir Conflict to Expand Operations to India).

2010 election: Obama’s ego is catching up with him in Europe too as many don’t understand the situation: "They're very confused as to how [Americans] could vote for Obama and then two years later turn around and vote for a completely different set of policies," Sarah Oates, professor of political communication the University of Glasgow, told MSNBC (Europe 'dismayed' as midterms highlight Obama's struggles). His supersized ego clearly got in the way of managing expectations during the 08 campaign and demonstrates he’s much better suited to campaigning than actually serving as President.

Democrats are taking the low road, if not the sewer, in the final days before elections (Democratic Closing Argument: Personal Attacks), while Republicans focus on policy and voters focus on fraud and coercion (Concerns grow about election fraud, voter intimidation). Apparently voters are justified, as the Justice Department setup a toll-free number (800-253-3931) for complaints about ballot access!

Political hypocrisy continues too as Sen. John Kerry cries “obstructionism” against the GOP and talk-show hosts (Kerry voices frustration with US political scene). The Massachusetts GOP responded, saying “Instead of listening to the concerns of voters upset about the reckless spending that has pushed our national debt to an all-time high; the failed stimulus that has not created jobs and the unpopular government takeover of our health care system that hurts our seniors, Senator Kerry chooses to insult the intelligence of Americans who believe that our country is headed down the wrong path,” wrote Jennifer Nassour, chairwoman.

Life’s Rich Pageant: The Internet must be everywhere, because even mountain climbers at the top of Mount Everest have connectivity (Internet Reception Reaches Summit of Mount Everest). Having connectivity is one thing, but will the batteries survive the cold and altitude!

Talk about surviving, a 35-year-old Sri Lankan was arrested at the Chennai (India) airport with 2,060 pieces of diamonds and other precious stones in his stomach (Man on diamond diet' nabbed). Mohamed Rafi was acting as a human courier and was paid only Rs 10,000 ($225) for the job. He had stored the precious stones in 42 condoms and had swallowed all of them. It took the police six hours to retrieve the stones after they fed him with laxatives and bananas.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 28, 2010


The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:

    * Financial Crisis
    * Cultural War (between the left and right)
    * Global War on Terror

Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:

    * Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2

Financial Crisis: “With economic conditions weaker than expected, tax revenue is coming up short of projections in parts of Europe. As a result, countries struggling with high deficits are now confronting the prospect that they will miss the budget deficit targets forced upon them this year by impatient bond investors” notes Landon Thomas, Jr. in The New York Times (Tax Shortfalls Spur New Fear on Europe’s Recovery Bid). According to the EU Observer Portugal's minority government on Wednesday failed to reach agreement on the budget and the finance minister warned if no budget is passed: “the country will find itself in a serious situation with grave economic effects” (Portugal and Ireland inch closer to financial disaster). Ireland said it would double its previous budget cuts from €7.5 billion to €15 billion because of “lower-than-expected growth in the aftermath of the global crisis and the need to lower its record-busting deficit of 32 percent of GDP.” Meanwhile Reuters reports French protests continue even after adoption of the pension reform legislation (French protest again on pensions but fatigue weighs).

Bloomberg notes the Fed is probing the effects of additional quantitative easing by asking bond dealers and investors for projected asset purchases over the next six months, along with the likely effect on yields (Fed Asks Dealers to Estimate Size, Impact of Debt Purchases). Opponents are speaking out as Bill Gross, co-founder of Pacific Investment Management Co., wrote in his monthly investment outlook posted on Pimco's website on Wednesday and reported by Reuters saying the U.S. central bank's bond asset purchasing program "is in fact inflationary, and, if truth be told, somewhat of a Ponzi scheme" (Gross, Grantham blast Fed's asset buying).

The jobless ‘recovery’ continues to falter as companies hoard almost $1 trillion in cash, with Moody’s Investors Service saying the hoarding “shows borrowers are still concerned the economy may tip back into recession” (Cash Hoard Shows Borrowers' Angst Over Economic Growth). Another data point of the receding economy was the cancellation yesterday by New Jersey Gov. Christie of the $9 billion Hudson River rail tunnel project (Biggest public-works project in nation derails).

Because lawmakers won’t start debating to extend the Bush-era tax cuts until after the Nov. 2 elections business is left with no choice and no time to prepare. As a result they must assume the cuts will fail and are now contributing to increasing the double-dip recession by warning employees to prepare for slimmer paychecks in 2011 (Employers in U.S. Start Bracing for Higher Tax Withholding).

Cultural War: Appeasement continues in Europe, and even England, as an Islamic given name outranks all others in 2009, according to Daily Mail, even though Muslims only make up around three per cent of the British population (Mohammed is now the most popular name for baby boys ahead of Jack and Harry).

The Tea Party isn’t just a U.S. phenomenon as disaffected former and present members of Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party form an Israeli version, reports The Telegraph (Israel's right wing starts its own Tea Party). "We believe President Obama is trying to force us to do things that most Israelis believe are very dangerous," according to Michael Kleiner, a former Likud legislator who is one of the driving forces behind the movement. "We are being blackmailed to sacrifice our security and vital interests by another country, which is unprecedented."

According to WorldNetDaily.com an academy in Alexandria, Va. that “has graduated several terrorists, including a valedictorian-turned-al-Qaida agent recently sentenced to life in prison for plotting to assassinate President Bush” has received an extension of the lease for the “Saudi Embassy-owned school described by local law enforcement as a “breeding ground for terrorists’” (D.C. suburb OKs Saudi madrassa – again). “The hearing preceding the vote was contentious, with some 100 people turning out to protest the school. Ten of them—including Nina Shea of the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom—testified that teachers and textbooks there promote violence and teach anti-American ideology.”

Apparently WAVY-TV in Norfolk, VA was very anxious to discriminate on a religious basis when Jon Cash, the NBC affiliate’s morning weatherman, was abruptly fired “two days after mentioning during a sermon that he was considering leaving broadcasting for full-time ministry when his contract expires next summer,” according to WorldNetDaily.com (EEOC probes TV station's firing of Christian weatherman). Cash told WND “his contract entitled him to 60 days of severance pay if WAVY decided to terminate him. He accused WAVY of withholding the severance package because he refused to sign a separation contract waiving his right to sue the station or file an EEOC discrimination complaint.”

“Liberals may owe their political outlook partly to their genetic make-up, according to new research from the University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University (Researchers find a ‘liberal gene’). Ideology is affected not just by social factors, but also by a dopamine receptor gene called DRD4. The study’s authors say this is the first research to identify a specific gene that predisposes people to certain political views.

Global War on Terror: Russia is demonstrating her ascendance by dictating terms for support in Afghanistan, reports The Independent. The action also demonstrates the descent of NATO in general and the U.S. in particular both politically and financially (Russia raises its price to rescue Nato from Afghan quagmire). Next door our ally Pakistan continues to disappoint (Pakistani criminal justice system proves no match for terrorism cases).


2010 election: Gallup's latest figures on the composition of the 2010 electorate suggest, consistent with an earlier Gallup report, “those voting in this year's congressional elections across the country will be similar in gender, age, and education to 2006 voters. At the same time, they will be substantially more Republican in their party orientation, and more conservative than has been the case in the past several midterms” (2010 Electorate Still Looking More Republican Than in the Past).

“Some senior personalities in the Democratic Party have discussed with President Obama's advisers the possibility of him not running for re-election in 2012, according to an influential Democratic Party operative speaking on condition of anonymity,” reports WorldNetDaily.com (Democrats pressing Obama not to run again). Of course the source must be considered, but Edward Spannaus, of Executive Intelligence Review, went even further in an interview with Press TV Wednesday saying “President Barack Obama is unlikely to end his first term as there are serious efforts by American officials to remove him due to his incompetence” ('Obama unlikely to last his first term').

Politico reports “The View” co-host Joy Behar is probably swearing for a different reason today after Sharron Angle thanked her after Behar’s comments on the show helped Angle raise $150,000 Tuesday (Sharron Angle sends Joy Behar flowers).

TAKE ACTION: Please visit e-VotingBooth.com, setup your FREE account, login and vote legislation, including any previously-enacted 111th Congress (current) bills.

Why vote a bill already enacted?

Because we’re currently building our Voting Scorecard. This tool is effectively a report card and will list all your votes alongside your representative, senators, VP and President, where applicable. The bottom line number for each public servant will be a percentage indicating how each voted with or against your personal legislative desires. For example, 80% means the public servant, or potential public servant, voted with you 80% of your total votes. This is powerful information every American should have and use when making future election decisions. Though not live on the site yet, the database has been built and is current with all Roll Calls to-date.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 27, 2010


The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:

    * Financial Crisis
    * Cultural War (between the left and right)
    * Global War on Terror

Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:

    * Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2

Financial Crisis: The financial rift between the U.S. and China continues to grow as China now blames the U.S. for “imported inflation” through the rampant issuance of dollars (Dollar printing feeding China inflation: minister). In Europe Greek bond yields indicate the severity of the financial crisis as they surge on fear of possible early elections: "A change in the team would be ill-received by the markets," said Natixis bond strategist Cyril Regnat (Greek bond yields surge above 10% on election fears).

In the U.S. The Wall Street Journal reports the Fed “is close to embarking on another round of monetary stimulus next week, against the backdrop of a weak economy and low inflation—and despite doubts about the wisdom and efficacy of the policy among economists and some of the Fed's own decision makers” (Fed Gears Up for Stimulus). The ‘quantitative easing’ will be accomplished through gradual purchases of Treasury bonds to the tune of several hundred billion dollars over several months. This comes as CNBC reports forecasters lowered expectations about the pace of recovery (Survey: Economy to grow at slower pace), prices of single-family homes fell for a second straight month in August (Prices Fell in August, Hovering Near Recent Lows), and Breitbart reports consumer confidence remains in the ‘manic depressive’ column, rising to 50.2 from 48.6 in September (Consumer confidence rises only slightly in October) even considering Wall Street’s recent gains. 

Cultural War: Apparently President Putin is competing with President Obama in another category: anti-democratic (Gorbachev Says Putin Obstructs Democracy): “He thinks that democracy stands in his way,” Mr. Gorbachev said. According to The New York Times’ article Gorbachev, in an interview, “even described Mr. Putin’s governing party, United Russia, as a ‘a bad copy of the Soviet Communist Party.’ Mr. Gorbachev said party officials were concerned entirely with clinging to power and did not want Russians to take part in civic life.” Just goes to re-confirm John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton’s (1834–1902) quote: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

If you thought ObamaCare was a bold transfer-of-wealth scheme then standby, WorldNetDaily.com reports U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa. has raised Obama to the epitome of socialism ('Tax Everything' tax would bring in $4.4 trillion). Fattah introduced the Debt Free America Act (HR 4646). After introduction on Feb. 23 Thomas.gov shows the following status of the bill: “Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on the Budget, Rules, and Appropriations, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.”

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“Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano has sworn in a member of her agency's Advisory Council who is a strong supporter of the radical Islamist theologian who calls for "war" with the non-Muslim world and whose teachings inspired and continues to govern al-Qaida and Islamic terrorist organizations worldwide” (Napolitano swears in backer of al-Qaida hero).

Apparently NPR officials are hiding the true level of taxpayer support. Mark Browning of The American Thinker, “estimates that NPR's 900 member stations receive approximately 41 percent of their funding directly or indirectly from taxpayers, primarily through tax deductions, grants from government-funded universities, and direct grants by federal, state and local governments” (NPR's actual tax funding much more than 1% lie).

Educational intolerance continues as WorldNetDaily.com reports “a college professor—unhappy that a Christian pastor comes to the campus of Minnesota State University at Mankato to share his faith—is blaming the minister for suicide deaths in the homosexual community and calling him ‘douchebag’” (Prof, protesters punish pastor for speaking on campus). The Tea Party appears to be working the issue on a different level, according to The Washington Times, by abolishing the Carter-era agency ('Tea party' hopefuls target Education Department).

Global War on Terror: The Independent reports Russia will ‘return to Afghanistan, at the behest of NATO, to train the Afghan army and counter-narcotics troops and supply helicopters (Afghanistan: Russia steps in to help Nato).

Europe appears more concerned about privacy than countering terrorism (Armed with new treaty, Europe amplifies objections to U.S. data-sharing demands) as resistance mounts against “broad sharing of airline passenger data and other personal information designed to spot would-be terrorists before they strike,” according to The Washington Post.

Fox News reports Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y. is urging YouTube to remove radical cleric Anwar al-Awlaki's videos from its website, saying his message "has caused violence and is a threat to American security" (Al-Awlaki's YouTube Videos Targeted by Rep. Weiner).

The U.S. is gearing up for a potential civil war in Sudan between the Christian south and Muslim north after the referendum this coming January to decide if southern Sudan cedes to a new sovereign state (US ramps up civilian task force in Sudan in preparation for referendum).

2010 election: The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals continues its extremely liberal record by overturning Arizona’s requirement people show proof of citizenship to register to vote (Pueblo Politics: Court overturns Arizona's proof of citizenship requirement for voter registration). Also, claims of election fraud are popping up all over the country:
·      Residents cry foul over ballots (Pennsylvania)

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 26, 2010


The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:

    * Financial Crisis
    * Cultural War (between the left and right)

Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:

    * Iranian influence in Afghanistan
    * Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2

Financial Crisis: The Obama Administration’s futile efforts to control China continue as efforts shift from a direct relationship to seeking regional allies to confront China (Taking Harder Stance Toward China, Obama Lines Up Allies). In the meantime Bloomberg reports Fed Chairman Bernanke is likely to spark significant inflation in “another round of large-scale asset purchases” (Bernanke Asset Purchases Risk Unleashing 1970s Inflation Genie). But with China now selling, not buying, Tbills my question is how long can other governments prop up the dollar via U.S. bond purchases (China's money and fair-weather American friends), especially considering the financial condition of most of the rest of Western countries?

Cultural War: Europe’s continues to patience with multi-culturalism continues to wane, even in more progressive countries (Anti-Muslim feelings propel right wing in Europe). Even German Chancellor Angela Merkel has noted the failure in her comment last week multicultural efforts in Germany had “utterly failed” (Merkel says German multicultural society has failed).

Here in the United States the rule-of-law continues to wane as Democrats look to allow non-citizens to vote in elections (Cities Weigh Letting Noncitizens Vote) while liberals attempt to prevent volunteer observers away from polls (Soros group launches attack on poll watchers) and at least 2 separate incidents of voting manipulation have already been reported, including pre-selected choices (Nevada Voters Complain Of Problems At Polls and machines changing selections while finalizing votes (Voter reports problem with ballot machine).

Iranian influence in Afghanistan: President Karzai admitted yesterday his chief of staff had received “bags of money” (Karzai admits receiving 'bags of money' from Iran) while Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has been training Taliban fighters in Afghanistan to use surface-to-air missiles (Iran training Taliban fighters to use surface-to-air missiles), no surprise after WikiLeaks’ latest release (Will Barack Obama admit extent of Iran's role in Iraq, laid bare by WikiLeaks?).

2010 election: One week to go. Not only did a Rhode Island Democrat shy from President Obama, he told the President he can “take his endorsement and shove it” (Obama assails GOP on clouded final campaign push). Die-hard Democrats; however, appear to be under significant stress as, for example, Joy Behar of The View today slammed Sharron Angle (Harry Reid’s Senate opponent) on-air ('The View': Joy Behar tells Sharron Angle to 'go to hell, bitch').

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 24, 2010

The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:
  • Financial Crisis
  • Cultural War (between the left and right)
Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:
  • WikiLeaks
  • Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2
Financial Crisis: Friday the U.S. floated a plan "to redress 'global imbalances' in international trade and limit the surpluses that can be run by nations such as China ...." (American bid to avert global currency war rejected at G20).

According to Geithner, "G20 countries with persistent surpluses should undertake structural, fiscal and exchange rate policies to boost domestic sources of growth and support global demand. Emerging market countries with significantly undervalued currencies and adequate precautionary reserves need to allow their exchange rates to adjust fully over time to levels consistent with economic fundamentals."

The world is still upside down, i.e., President Obama and Secretary Geithner still think they can dictate their ideology to the financial world, as noted in the rejections: "The Japanese finance minister said the idea of a cap was 'not realistic,' while his German counterpart warned about 'planned economy thinking.'"

Britain continues to foreshadow ObamaCare: in light of the financial crisis NHS scrapped waiting targets for cancer tests (Numbers waiting months for cancer tests have doubled since NHS targets scrapped).

Financial ignorance remains costly: governments by nature have a very high percentage of fixed costs, or costs that can't be easily and quickly reduced. So when they are forced to cut, and cut deeply as in the current crisis, the fact people will be, at a minimum, 'distressed enormously' while waiting an unacceptably-long time means ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to politicians and bureaucrats.

Sorry Brits, you gave up your right to control your medical history when you abdicated responsibility to the state. This is the dirty laundry that does NOT come in the socialist sales pitch: 'if we need to balance the budget we WILL withhold medical care, even at the cost of thousands of citizens' lives.' To add insult to injury (no pun intended), do you think your medical administrators have more or less incentive to maximize efficiency of costs and operations WITHOUT a profit motive?

Hopefully Americans will learn sooner than later that 'profit motive' is not a bad thing.

Cultural War: Apparently The New York Times has gone off the deep end lately as Archbishop Timothy Dolan, "known for his easygoing demeanor," blasted the paper for offending Catholics, "something they would never think of doing rightfully so to the Jewish, Black, Islamic or gay communities" (Archbishop Timothy Dolan gives New York Times hell).

The pot called the kettle black when Green Party candidate Bill Scheurer refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance as requested by the audience, saying "It's not that I opposed reciting the Pledge. I opposed having my actions that evening being dictated by a mob." The venue was an Illinois 8th Congressional District debate at Grayslake Central High School, moderated by Kathy Tate-Bradish of the League of Women Voters, Evanston branch.

When asked if the Pledge would be recited (at a congressional debate in a public high school) she responded "No we are not. That is not part of the proposal tonight." She then displayed her political innocence by chiding the audience for proceeding with the Pledge anyway, especially after just having described the event as a 'proposal'!

WikiLeaks: The fallout continues but apparently Assange, et al., is out of material: "While I am not sure we have achieved the maximum possible (political impact) I think we are getting pretty close" (Wikileaks: UN calls for US to investigate torture claims revealed in leaked reports).

2010 election: Liberals are trying to create a self-fulling prophecy by citing an Atlas Project report, a Democratic consulting firm who analyzed early vote data (Early voting offers encouragement to Democrats), while Conservatives loudly beat the eligibility drum at the U.S. Capitol (D.C. rally boldly blasts Obama as 'fraud').

TAKE ACTION: Please visit e-VotingBooth.com, setup your FREE account, login and vote legislation, including any previously-enacted 111th Congress (current) bills.
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Saturday, October 23, 2010

Headline Report for Oct. 23, 2010

The top news long-term, continues to be the following ISSUES:
  • Financial Crisis
  • Cultural War (between the left and right), specifically ObamaCare and Islam's PC Veil. 
Short-term top news centers on the following EVENTS:
  • WikiLeaks
  • Final jockeying for election day Nov. 2
Financial Crisis:  Europe continues its downward spiral of financial viability as the French continue to protest the reduction of their work "birthrights" while their country continues to spend money it doesn't have (French Senate approves controversial retirement reform). Yet another indicator of the financial ignorance of the people combined with the financial raping of the country by their politicians to lead a country to the brink of collapse financially and politically.

The United States, meanwhile, continues down the same path as the effects of the Financial Crisis slowly dawn on investors (U.S. foreclosure mess chills investors, clouds market). While investors try to come to terms with the residual of the residential financial crisis the commercial financial crisis continues to unfold almost completely unnoticed by the markets (7 banks closed in Fla., Ga., Ill., Kan., Ariz.). On the other hand, investors could be studiously ignoring the commercial crisis as the FDIC's problem bank list jumped to 829 in the second quarter (from 775 in the first) and a $15.2 billion deficit of the insurance fund.

According to the story, "The FDIC expects the cost of resolving failed banks to total around $52 billion from 2010 through 2014." Yet on Nov. 13, 2009 The Washington Post ran a story about the FDIC assessing the remaining U.S. banks an "unprecedented" 3 years of fees IN ADVANCE, to be paid by the end of 09, to cover the $52 billion in loses (Banks to prepay FDIC for failures).

If you've been doing the math as you've read you can see this 'financial crisis,' writ large:
Maximum collected assessments: $45 billion
Less FDIC's expected loses: $100 billion

Less current fund deficit: $15.2 billion
Equals a minimum deficit of $70.2 billion


It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see what will happen in every branch of every bank in every state when Americans realize their deposits are at risk. The IMMEDIATE second-order effect will be a flood of 'Cash-Out' calls to investment brokers, an immediate crash in all U.S. markets and an instantaneous exponential increase in commodities, especially precious metals. The near-IMMEDIATE third-order effect will be President Obama and Sec. Geithner literally begging the Chinese for money.
And Greece thinks China is trying to buy them!

Cultural War: Opposition continues to grow to ObamaCare (HR3200) as Americans' doubt the constitutionality of the legislation (Majority want Supremes to decide Obamacare's future). At the same time the CBO has explicitly confirmed ObamaCare is anti-competitive and implicitly proclaimed it a socialist program (CBO Confirms: ObamaCare Discourages Work).

TAKE ACTION: Please visit e-VotingBooth.com, setup your FREE account, login, type "3200" in the Quick Search field and vote on ObamaCare (HR3200). Why vote a bill already enacted? Because we’re currently building our Voting Scorecard. This tool is effectively a report card and will list all your votes alongside your representative, senators, VP and President, where applicable. The bottom line number for each public servant will be a percentage indicating how each voted with or against your personal legislative desires. For example, 80% means the public servant, or potential public servant, voted with you 80% of your total votes. This is powerful information every American should have and use when making future election decisions. Though not live on the site yet, the database has been built and is current with all Roll Calls to-date.
 
Meanwhile, a Pakistani Taliban member very courageously filmed and delivered a brutal Taliban stoning of a woman "for the crime of 'being seen with a man'" (Shocking video captures brutal Islamic stoning). Coincidentally, but appropriately, Sarah Palin called for honestly and fully addressing the issue in the wake of the Juan Williams/NPR fiasco (SARAH PALIN: We Must Have An Honest Discussion About the Jihadist Threat).

WikiLeaks: Amazingly, the U.S. government remains impotent as Julian Assange, et al., continue their sedition with the largest unauthorized release of classified information in U.S. history. Perversely, the Obama Administration may benefit as the data dump documents Iran's extensive involvement with militias in Iraq (Will Barack Obama admit extent of Iran's role in Iraq, laid bare by WikiLeaks?).

2010 Election: Will it be dilution or deletion on Nov. 2 as Democrats support third parties (Democrats Back Third Parties to Siphon Votes) and Rush Limbaugh warns the Tea Party may just burst the cognitive dissonance bubble of the Republican (and Democrat) Party (Limbaugh warns GOP, 3rd party could take its place)! Only 11 days to wait for the answer.