President and Michelle Obama

…Head To Europe For G20 Meeting

It will be Obama’s first visit to Europe as President and he brings with him high hopes of finding solutions to the global economic melt-down. The French President is already threatening to pull out of the talks, concerned that not enough will be done to tighten financial markets and system regulations and eliminate tax havens around the world. I agree with the French President. It was unregulated market greed and corruption running rampant and out of control that brought havoc to the United States financial world, spilling over globally. Nothing wrong with the capitalist system as long as greed and criminal activity are tightly regulated, controlled and eliminated. I hope the Obama’s have an enjoyable trip and the G20 can work out solutions to solve this global financial mess. Sounds like the French are already on the right track to me.

What A Pleasure

...An Intelligent President

A President who is not only intelligent but articulate, thoughtful, compassionate and one with a postive, progressive vision and plan for the future of our country. Unfortunately, there are no real journalists alive to cover him.

No Lawmaker Left Behind

…Mandatory Schooling For The Constitutionally Impaired

Just as the program “No Child Left Behind” was put in place to educate children, I recommend a “No Lawmaker Left Behind” program be instituted for lawmakers at all levels of government. The schooling would be an intense, closely monitored program teaching the U. S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Curriculum would cover a wide range of Constitutional issues and focus on the fact that the Constitution is the bedrock set of laws and guidelines for governing. Grades would be given, tests difficult. Failure to pass this rigorous program would render any lawmaker or elected official ineligible to hold public office or work on any project which would affect legislation in any way at any level of government.

After graduation from the “No Lawmaker Left Behind Program” legislators should be in a position to legally do their jobs and stop interfering in the rights of U.S. citizens. Should they wander from the Constitutional path I have this suggestion. Make it a felony criminal act to pass or attempt to pass laws and regulations which violate the Constitution and the U.S. Bill of Rights. Such action would be grounds for automatic and permanent disbarment (for licensed attorneys), immediate forfeiture of any elected office, render offenders ineligible to hold future elected or appointed government positions at all levels and prison for not less than five years in a maximum security facility. Following release from incarceration their names would be added to the publically available law enforcement list for “Constitutional Predators And Deviant Bill of Rights Molesters”.

Furor Over AIG Bonus Payments

…Justified But It Will All Work Out

I was never a supporter of AIG’s bailout or anyone else’s bailout for that matter because it is just not right under a capitalist system. Good firms survive, poor firms die. It’s the way it should be. The argument that some business or corporate adventure is ‘too big to fail’ is itself a failed argument. However, I have every bit of faith that President Obama’s team will formulate and instigate an effective and constructive solution.

Many screaming hair-on-fire politicians and paid talking heads in the media are looking for scapegoats, pointing fingers. The louder they scream the more I believe it is only a distraction from their own complicity in this financial melt-down (I’m looking at you, Republicans and some Democrats). This whole AIG thing started back under Bush and a Republican Congress. Few cared and most ignored what was going on at AIG or other such corporations (I’m looking at you Paulson, Bernanke, Republican Congress, Bush/Cheney regulators, corporate media outlets). Greed was allowed to run rampant, oversight was virtually non-existent and that is a formula for disaster. The capitalist system can only work effectively and fairly if greed and criminal activity are put in check.

There is good news on the horizon, a solution coming. A repair of the entire system is about to be implemented to reinstate oversight and help put an end to the excesses so prevalent these last few years.

While President Obama didn’t instigate this problem, he will straighten it out. He is intelligent, clear-thinking, well-informed, and well-meaning. He has a plan. It is a plan that will work but not overnight. It will take time and I’m willing to give him the time he and his team needs to put it into action and make it work. It took years to get here, it will take years to climb out of the hole greedy corporate crooks and their co-conspirators put us in.

Meanwhile, sit back, relax and enjoy the media circus

Madoff In Jail Awaiting Sentencing

…Feds Go After His Wife’s Assets

According to this, “Prosecutors probing Bernard Madoff’s massive fraud are determined to leave his wife with almost nothing after telling a Manhattan court that they consider more than $100 million in assets, most of it listed in her name, the fruits of her husband’s crimes.”

Think she might be merely an innocent party who never knew of her husband’s criminal activity? Apparently, not so much.

A former Federal prosecutor explained, “If the government had strong evidence she was an innocent third party, they wouldn’t bring a forfeiture.”

Crooks Need To Be Prosecuted And Punished

...But I Recommend Something Other Than Stocks

Put them all in the same little prison cell with Bernie Madoff. They can spend the rest of their lives there sharing a bunkbed and swapping swindling scheme stories.

Michael Steele Makes Me Wonder

…Is There A Genetic Marker For Stupid?

If there is, geneticists will find it in Michael Steele and virtually all members and supporters of the Republican Party. I mean, come on. What is it with modern-day Republicans? They are blind to self-analysis, void of critical thinking skills, lack the ability to research facts, wallow in hatred and hypocrisy and are seemingly void of compassion for the rest of us who inhabit this planet. They also get a failing grade in history.

On a recent hatetalk radio program, link here, the RNC Chairman and Leader (cough) of the GOP, said of global warming:

"We are cooling," Steele insisted. "We are not warming. The warming you see out there, the supposed warming, and I use my fingers as quotation marks, is part of the cooling process. Greenland, which is covered in ice, it was once called Greenland for a reason, right? Iceland, which is now green…”

Yes, it is called Greenland for a reason, Mr. Steele, and if you’d studied history you’d know Eric the Red gave it that name during his exploration of the area. But then, reading and learning new things seems to be another ability suppressed in those possessing the gene of Stupid.

Midde-Eastern Bible

…More Important Than U. S. Constitution

Here is one of the reasons this country has serious problems. People, especially some politicians, in particular most Republicans, place our bed-rock laws outlined in the Constitution as secondary to the Middle-Eastern tome called the Bible. Witness this statement from former Ohio secretary of state Ken Blackwell on why the RNC Chairman Steele’s flip-flopping on abortion is wrong.

“Chairman Steele, as the leader of America’s Pro-Life conservative party, needs to re-read the Bible, the U.S. Constitution, and the 2008 GOP Platform. He then needs to get to work — or get out of the way.”

Notice the U.S. Constitution is listed second. Considering the last twenty years of Republican ‘faith-based’ idiocy based on Middle-Eastern religious beliefs, I’m surprised the Constitution was even listed by Blackwell. Of course, I would be shocked if Blackwell ever read the Constitution of the United States of America. Blackwell, like others of his ilk, will not be satisfied until a repressive theocratic government based on radical Middle-Eastern laws replaces our Western representative republic and Western democratic ideals.

President Obama Rescues Stem-Cell Research

…From The Bush Faith-Based Dungeon

Kepler Off To Distant Worlds

…Searching For Planets Similar to Earth

I continue to be fascinated with the Universe and space exploration and the launching of this project is interesting. The spacecraft Kepler’s 3 ½ year mission is designed to find hundreds of Earthlike planets.

“The goal is to find, if they're there, Earthlike planets circling stars in the so-called habitable zone — orbits where liquid water could be present on the surface of the planets. That would mean there are lots of places out there for life to evolve, said Kepler's principal scientist, Bill Borucki.”

I say, may it be successful. One of the things with potential to unite all (well, almost all) humanity on this planet would be to discover life on another world and make a common effort to travel there and explore. That’s one upside. On the other hand, we just might end up destroying cultures on another world like we’ve done on this one. That said, I prefer to remain optimistic and will follow this mission with enthusiasm.

For more information on NASA Science Missions, visit this site.

When U. S. Senators Put Foreign Interests First

…United States of America Suffers

In 2000, Senator ‘Lying’ Lieberman put Israel first and conveniently forgot he was a U. S. not Israel Senator. He also forgot he was a Democrat. He supported the war-mongering Bush fiasco in Iraq to protect Israeli interests. Our loss of 4200 American soldiers and billions squandered from our treasury suited him just fine so long as Israel was safe.

Now we have Senator Menendez. He’s decided his anti-Cuba hatred is greater than his love for the United States of America and reason enough for him to fight what’s good for this country by working against President Obama’s economic stimulus plan.

GOP Plan For The Future

...It's All About Them, To Hell With America

Republicans Concerned About Socialism

…Supported U. S. Bush Fascist Dictatorship

The same right-wing Republicans currently moaning and groaning about President Obama bringing socialism to this country are the same anti-American, anti-freedom, anti-individual rights malarkey-mongers who supported and cheered on the fascist dictatorship of Bush and Cheney for eight years as we all watched our freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution and Bill of Rights get shredded and tossed into the fires of totalitarianism. President Obama didn’t start this economic and cultural downward spiral we find ourselves in. That was a gift from the horrifically bad, failed conservative Republican domestic and foreign agenda and philosophy the world and this country were subjected to under the Bush/Cheney/Wall Street greed-regime. Spare us the hand-wringing tears. We don’t want to hear it. Either get on board to help the President and the rest of us fix this mess you made or shut up and sit down. Please.

Bush Heading To Canada

…Canadians ready

Former U. S. President Bush, a waiting-to-be-convicted War Criminal and violator of his Oath of Office and the Constitution of the United States, and murderer of over 4,000 U. S. military people for oil, is heading to Calgary, Canada during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations there. Should be a fun visit if protesters have their way.

The Canadian government is being pressured to bar Bush from Canada or prosecute him for war crimes and crimes against humanity according to the report here.

I’m not holding my breath but if Bush were to be arrested, tried and convicted I’d buy and fly a Canadian flag on my house the rest of my life, hey!

Bailouts For Tax-Evaders?

… Obama’s Administration Goes After Tax Havens

President Obama has done so many things right so quickly it is hard to keep up. He’s now going after corporations who are apparently hiding money off-shore in overseas accounts to evade U. S. taxes.

The secretive practice has been around for a long time but what now makes it such a glaring problem is these same corporations are begging the U. S. government for huge amounts of money for ‘bailouts’.

Anyone shocked to learn Corporations like Citigroup, Morgan Stanley and Bank of America would be begging more and more of our tax dollars for bailouts all the while with money stashed in secret tax havens to avoid paying their fair share of taxes is also probably shocked to learn the sun rises in the east. Is it the money that makes these guys so anti-American, so ethically-challenged? A powerful thing, greed.

According to a report here, Morgan Stanley has 158 subsidiaries in the Caymans, Citigroup has 90 and Bank of America has 59. To put an end to this shameful practice of tax-dodging, the White House officially endorsed “legislation to crack down on offshore tax havens, raising the stakes in a mounting dispute between the United States and bank-secrecy nations…”

Think it is an unwinnable fight? Think again. Looks like there might be hope.

“UBS has already agreed to deferred prosecution after allegedly conspiring to defraud the United States by helping between 17,000-19,000 Americans hide accounts. It is estimated that UBS has helped hide $20 billion and has aided in Americans evading $300 million per year in taxes from 2002-2007.” Details here.

Good. About time.

Until these corporations come clean about the true amount of money, resources and holdings they have, they should not get one more penny from the U. S. Treasury.