Well, Osama has signed the "credit card" bill, that allows the card companies to do whatever they want, as long as they don't just spring it on us.
An amendment was added that repeals Osama's repeal of Bush's rule allowing people to carry their birthright in national parks - starting next February. Until then, I guess we just have to put up with people being at the mercy of wild animals - natural and man-made for a few months more.
Osama has flip-flopped on almost everything so far. Close Gitmo - no, wait a minute, let it run. Prosecute people who used extreme interrogation - on second thought, no. Release pictures of 'abuse' - no, better not.
Here in Wisconsin, our dear governor is bound and determined to make Wisconsin 'California East' or die trying. We've got raging unemployment and all he can think to do is encourage a huge decrease in local business by banning smoking.
What's with all this socialist stuff, anyway?
Friday, May 22, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Secretaries of State
We've gone from an elegant, intelligent woman as Secretary of State, to a shrill, stupid lawyer who appears to have partaken of the Hollywood fountain of youth - the face lift. She still reminds me of some kind of small yap-dog. Her grasp of international politics is non-existent.
I guess April First is now a continuous celebration - at least until we remove Osama from the White House.
At least our new first lady, so far, has had the sense to keep out of politics. As much as I disliked her pre-election remarks, she has shown a lot more class than that female Clinton.
I guess April First is now a continuous celebration - at least until we remove Osama from the White House.
At least our new first lady, so far, has had the sense to keep out of politics. As much as I disliked her pre-election remarks, she has shown a lot more class than that female Clinton.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
Untraceable weapons
From this evening's Beloit Daily news. My comments interspersed:
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2009/03/31/news/local_news/news01.txt
By Hillary Gavan
Police ask owners to keep record of serial numbers: 46 guns stolen so far in Beloit
Gun owners in Beloit need to be responsible by recording their weapons' serial numbers and storing them properly, which will help prevent thefts and help recover them after a burglary.
Exactly HOW does recording serial numbers help prevent thefts?
Proper storage is a no-brainer, if one is intelligent enough to be trusted with a weapon.
“It's hard to track weapons without serial numbers,” said Deputy Police Chief Norm Jacobs. “Most people would feel terrible if they had a weapon stolen from their home and a year or two later it came up used in a robbery or in an incident where someone got hurt.”
I suppose these people would be carefree if they had recorded the serial numbers, and later the gun was used in a crime. I love how officials try to work emotion into everything.
Why, exactly, do the police need to "trace" a weapon? If they can show it was used in a crime, it's evidence, obviously. If the possessor is not allowed to have that weapon, how is it important where he got it?
Jacobs said 46 weapons were reported stolen in Beloit so far in 2009, and several were taken in home burglaries. Others were taken out of automobiles when owners were illegally transporting them. Jacobs noted that in Wisconsin a gun must be unloaded, encased and located in a non-passenger area of the vehicle.
In other words, the only way to transport a weapon in Wisconsin is to make it unusable as a defensive device. Typical Democratic mindset - only the police and 'trained professionals' can carry ready to act - the rest of us need to call 911 and pray.
How does one who owns only a pickup with an open bed transport his legally possessed weapon?
Notice how the guns 'taken out of automobiles when owners were illegally transporting them' are rightly listed as 'stolen'. Nowhere in the Second Amendment do I see any requirements for enclosing an unloaded gun while transporting it.
Theft is still theft when a government official does it.
Or, did I misunderstand, and people illegally transporting weapons called the cops to report their illegally transported guns were stolen? I know crooks are generally stupid, but this is akin to the stoner calling the cops because his roomie smoked all the weed.
Of the weapons stolen only about half the owners were able to give police the serial numbers. Only 17 of 46 weapons were entered into a stolen gun database used by law enforcement across the country to identify stolen weapons.
Why were not all 46 entered into the stolen gun database at least by make and caliber?
I would like to have seen statistics on how many of those guns were returned to their rightful owners who DID have the serial numbers.
Jacobs said that weapons stolen so far this year include: .357 magnun Ruger revolvers, 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun, 6 shot Derringer, Winchester shotgun, and a Remington Arms 308 rifle with scope.
Interesting, but not pertinent. The thieves take what they find, and the cops recover what they find.
“These stolen weapons are untraceable with no serial number. As with any weapon, they never go away, sometimes bounding from thief to murderer until years later being used to hurt someone,” Jacobs said.
Again with the anthropomorphizing of an inanimate object. As if the guns would somehow refuse to jump into the arms of another crook if their numbers were written down in the cop's records, or even in the theft victim's records.
Actually, these weapons are eminently traceable if they were manufactured since the BATFE started requiring manufacturers to serialize and record the guns, and who they were shipped to. At least, in theory - IF the BATFE hasn't lost the records from closed gun shops, something they are legendary for doing...
Any modern firearm with an obliterated serial number is the tool of a criminal, plain and simple.
Gun serial numbers are located on various parts of the weapon depending on the make of the gun. Jacobs stressed that honest gun owners don't take the serial numbers off weapons.
Why would ANY sane gun owner want to mutilate his property? The serial number is important not only to help a theft victim get his property back, but it allows the owner to reliably order parts or get the gun serviced - or be made aware of recalls or defects.
“People who aren't interested in a safe community won't record serial numbers or act responsibly. We are not asking anyone to register weapons, we are just asking to record the serial numbers in case they are stolen,” Jacobs said.
Idiots who don't care if they recover their property don't keep track of serial numbers.
People not interested in a 'safe community' are of two kinds - those who will not take responsibility for their own safety - i.e., 911 callers who would never own a gun, and criminals.
Jacobs said that police see these stolen weapons sold from city to city and then used in small time robberies and sometimes gang shootings.
Exactly how is this going to be helped by legal owners recording serial numbers? He's trying to put a guilt trip on the honest folk, possibly softening us up for that mandatory gun registration - so we can get 'em back if they are stolen.
Right...
“It might be time for Beloit to consider an ordinance requiring owners to supply a weapon serial number to report a theft if they expect their property to ever be returned,” Jacobs said.
OK. So what happens if you DON"T keep the numbers and report the gun stolen?
How about a lot of folk who got the guns through private trades now just don't bother to tell the cops about the theft, to avoid the penalty?
Guns without serial numbers can be destroyed by police.
Guns WITH serial numbers can be destroyed by police - and have been. They have also been stolen by police, from the evidence lockers, and returned to the streets - Chicago had a problem of 'crime guns' returning to the evidence lockers multiple times.
Karen Thorson, an identification technician at the Beloit Police Department, said she drives guns to the Wisconsin State Crime lab when they need to be destroyed properly. Thorson said there are two locked closets full of guns at the Beloit Police Department and the number of guns is increasing.
It's nice to know that those guns are being euthanized in the correct manner. Wouldn't it be even better for the City of Beloit to sell those guns to legitimate owners if their original owners cannot be found? At least this would add some cash to the coffers of a struggling city, and provide Beloit residents with a source of reasonably priced defensive weapons.
Of course, we can't do that! That would result in more guns out there, and the people certainly cannot be trusted with the means to defend themselves!
http://www.beloitdailynews.com/articles/2009/03/31/news/local_news/news01.txt
By Hillary Gavan
hgavan@beloitdailynews.com
Police ask owners to keep record of serial numbers: 46 guns stolen so far in BeloitGun owners in Beloit need to be responsible by recording their weapons' serial numbers and storing them properly, which will help prevent thefts and help recover them after a burglary.
Exactly HOW does recording serial numbers help prevent thefts?
Proper storage is a no-brainer, if one is intelligent enough to be trusted with a weapon.
“It's hard to track weapons without serial numbers,” said Deputy Police Chief Norm Jacobs. “Most people would feel terrible if they had a weapon stolen from their home and a year or two later it came up used in a robbery or in an incident where someone got hurt.”
I suppose these people would be carefree if they had recorded the serial numbers, and later the gun was used in a crime. I love how officials try to work emotion into everything.
Why, exactly, do the police need to "trace" a weapon? If they can show it was used in a crime, it's evidence, obviously. If the possessor is not allowed to have that weapon, how is it important where he got it?
Jacobs said 46 weapons were reported stolen in Beloit so far in 2009, and several were taken in home burglaries. Others were taken out of automobiles when owners were illegally transporting them. Jacobs noted that in Wisconsin a gun must be unloaded, encased and located in a non-passenger area of the vehicle.
In other words, the only way to transport a weapon in Wisconsin is to make it unusable as a defensive device. Typical Democratic mindset - only the police and 'trained professionals' can carry ready to act - the rest of us need to call 911 and pray.
How does one who owns only a pickup with an open bed transport his legally possessed weapon?
Notice how the guns 'taken out of automobiles when owners were illegally transporting them' are rightly listed as 'stolen'. Nowhere in the Second Amendment do I see any requirements for enclosing an unloaded gun while transporting it.
Theft is still theft when a government official does it.
Or, did I misunderstand, and people illegally transporting weapons called the cops to report their illegally transported guns were stolen? I know crooks are generally stupid, but this is akin to the stoner calling the cops because his roomie smoked all the weed.
Of the weapons stolen only about half the owners were able to give police the serial numbers. Only 17 of 46 weapons were entered into a stolen gun database used by law enforcement across the country to identify stolen weapons.
Why were not all 46 entered into the stolen gun database at least by make and caliber?
I would like to have seen statistics on how many of those guns were returned to their rightful owners who DID have the serial numbers.
Jacobs said that weapons stolen so far this year include: .357 magnun Ruger revolvers, 9mm Smith and Wesson semi-automatic handgun, 6 shot Derringer, Winchester shotgun, and a Remington Arms 308 rifle with scope.
Interesting, but not pertinent. The thieves take what they find, and the cops recover what they find.
“These stolen weapons are untraceable with no serial number. As with any weapon, they never go away, sometimes bounding from thief to murderer until years later being used to hurt someone,” Jacobs said.
Again with the anthropomorphizing of an inanimate object. As if the guns would somehow refuse to jump into the arms of another crook if their numbers were written down in the cop's records, or even in the theft victim's records.
Actually, these weapons are eminently traceable if they were manufactured since the BATFE started requiring manufacturers to serialize and record the guns, and who they were shipped to. At least, in theory - IF the BATFE hasn't lost the records from closed gun shops, something they are legendary for doing...
Any modern firearm with an obliterated serial number is the tool of a criminal, plain and simple.
Gun serial numbers are located on various parts of the weapon depending on the make of the gun. Jacobs stressed that honest gun owners don't take the serial numbers off weapons.
Why would ANY sane gun owner want to mutilate his property? The serial number is important not only to help a theft victim get his property back, but it allows the owner to reliably order parts or get the gun serviced - or be made aware of recalls or defects.
“People who aren't interested in a safe community won't record serial numbers or act responsibly. We are not asking anyone to register weapons, we are just asking to record the serial numbers in case they are stolen,” Jacobs said.
Idiots who don't care if they recover their property don't keep track of serial numbers.
People not interested in a 'safe community' are of two kinds - those who will not take responsibility for their own safety - i.e., 911 callers who would never own a gun, and criminals.
Jacobs said that police see these stolen weapons sold from city to city and then used in small time robberies and sometimes gang shootings.
Exactly how is this going to be helped by legal owners recording serial numbers? He's trying to put a guilt trip on the honest folk, possibly softening us up for that mandatory gun registration - so we can get 'em back if they are stolen.
Right...
“It might be time for Beloit to consider an ordinance requiring owners to supply a weapon serial number to report a theft if they expect their property to ever be returned,” Jacobs said.
OK. So what happens if you DON"T keep the numbers and report the gun stolen?
How about a lot of folk who got the guns through private trades now just don't bother to tell the cops about the theft, to avoid the penalty?
Guns without serial numbers can be destroyed by police.
Guns WITH serial numbers can be destroyed by police - and have been. They have also been stolen by police, from the evidence lockers, and returned to the streets - Chicago had a problem of 'crime guns' returning to the evidence lockers multiple times.
Karen Thorson, an identification technician at the Beloit Police Department, said she drives guns to the Wisconsin State Crime lab when they need to be destroyed properly. Thorson said there are two locked closets full of guns at the Beloit Police Department and the number of guns is increasing.
It's nice to know that those guns are being euthanized in the correct manner. Wouldn't it be even better for the City of Beloit to sell those guns to legitimate owners if their original owners cannot be found? At least this would add some cash to the coffers of a struggling city, and provide Beloit residents with a source of reasonably priced defensive weapons.
Of course, we can't do that! That would result in more guns out there, and the people certainly cannot be trusted with the means to defend themselves!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Open letter to Tammy Baldwin
Ms. Baldwin,
Evidently, you missed out in school when they discussed the
Constitution of the United States - you know, that thing you
swore to uphold and defend when you took office?
Article 1, Section 9, is explicit:
3 No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
The recent 'tax the bonuses' law you voted for is such a bill,
and therefore un-Constitutional.
Why don't you call for an investigation of Mr. Chris Dodd, who
wrote explicit language into the bailout bill to allow exactly
this kind of bonus payment - after he and your glorious leader
Mr. Obama both accepted generous campaign contributions from AIG?
We do not live in a democracy, and, God help us, we will not
live in a socialist / Communist state. Please take that and your
solemn oath to the People of Wisconsin into consideration the next
time you vote.
The GIVE Act is another issue that should not be supported. America
functions on voluntary volunteers - not drafted slaves. With an
economy like ours, the government should not be passing more
laws providing more spending - quite the opposite.
While I'm in the mood, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009 - H.R.146 and the Federal Land Assistance, Management and
Enhancement Act - H.R.1404 are two more issues that the federal
government has no business exploring, either morally or from a
pragmatic financial basis.
Remember who you are - a part-time employee of the citizens from
your district - and begin to act accordingly, if you wish to keep
your job.
Evidently, you missed out in school when they discussed the
Constitution of the United States - you know, that thing you
swore to uphold and defend when you took office?
Article 1, Section 9, is explicit:
3 No bill of attainder or ex post facto law shall be passed.
The recent 'tax the bonuses' law you voted for is such a bill,
and therefore un-Constitutional.
Why don't you call for an investigation of Mr. Chris Dodd, who
wrote explicit language into the bailout bill to allow exactly
this kind of bonus payment - after he and your glorious leader
Mr. Obama both accepted generous campaign contributions from AIG?
We do not live in a democracy, and, God help us, we will not
live in a socialist / Communist state. Please take that and your
solemn oath to the People of Wisconsin into consideration the next
time you vote.
The GIVE Act is another issue that should not be supported. America
functions on voluntary volunteers - not drafted slaves. With an
economy like ours, the government should not be passing more
laws providing more spending - quite the opposite.
While I'm in the mood, the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of
2009 - H.R.146 and the Federal Land Assistance, Management and
Enhancement Act - H.R.1404 are two more issues that the federal
government has no business exploring, either morally or from a
pragmatic financial basis.
Remember who you are - a part-time employee of the citizens from
your district - and begin to act accordingly, if you wish to keep
your job.
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Taxing inalienable rights
So, Gov. Doyle has found a sure-fire way to balance the Wisconsin budget - he's going to charge law-abiding folk who wish to exercise their God-given Second Amendment right to self defense almost four times the current rate for a background check that wastefully duplicates the work of the FBI's NICS Instant Check system, that we already have paid for out of federal taxes.
Why am I not surprised?
In the meantime, Illinois seems closer than ever to becoming the 49th state to provide some form of concealed carry legislation for their citizens.
Wisconsin's 'leaders' seem to want to follow all the best that other states have done - like smoking bans and the like - but when it comes to legislation that could make our citizens actually safer, they run screaming.
Why am I not surprised?
In the meantime, Illinois seems closer than ever to becoming the 49th state to provide some form of concealed carry legislation for their citizens.
Wisconsin's 'leaders' seem to want to follow all the best that other states have done - like smoking bans and the like - but when it comes to legislation that could make our citizens actually safer, they run screaming.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
We are so screwed...
So, Nancy Pelosi needed to force the vote in the House on the newest pork package, because otherwise she would not be able to make her flight to go on a Roman holiday and visit the Pope.
Her vacation was more important than a promise by the Democratic party to allow us plebes 48 hours to study and understand 1100-odd pages of legalese, and send our reactions to our representatives. Of course, we can expect that those worthies have completely read and understood the whole thing - right?
Of course not. Most of them didn't even bother to try - they just accepted the crap placed on their plates, and wolfed it down - and expect us to gladly accept the results over the next decade or so.
Good for the House Republicans - who by their sudden acceptance of responsibility refused to have any part of this travesty, and as a bloc voted 'NO'. Good also for those seven Democrats who refused to vote on a pig-in-a-poke bill.
Now, if we can convince the three 'Republican' traitors, Specter, Snowe, and Collins, to refuse passage of this pile of steaming shit until at least We the People get a chance to read and approve or disapprove, we still might be able to prevent a small measure of the financial and freedom loss disaster that awaits.
Her vacation was more important than a promise by the Democratic party to allow us plebes 48 hours to study and understand 1100-odd pages of legalese, and send our reactions to our representatives. Of course, we can expect that those worthies have completely read and understood the whole thing - right?
Of course not. Most of them didn't even bother to try - they just accepted the crap placed on their plates, and wolfed it down - and expect us to gladly accept the results over the next decade or so.
Good for the House Republicans - who by their sudden acceptance of responsibility refused to have any part of this travesty, and as a bloc voted 'NO'. Good also for those seven Democrats who refused to vote on a pig-in-a-poke bill.
Now, if we can convince the three 'Republican' traitors, Specter, Snowe, and Collins, to refuse passage of this pile of steaming shit until at least We the People get a chance to read and approve or disapprove, we still might be able to prevent a small measure of the financial and freedom loss disaster that awaits.
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Stimulus package on it's way to the Senate...
So, Mr. Osama has gotten his first 'win' - the House passed his gazillion-dollar 'stimulus' package.
I say 'win', because it puts the lie to his claims of being able to do things with the blessing of both major parties. Not one Republican voted for the package, worse, ten Democrats voted 'no'.
This puts the Republican Party in the position of being able to place the entire credit for the results of this abomination squarelely on the shoulders of the radical Democrats - something that was not possible with many spending bills passed with 'bipartisan' support in the past.
Of course, now we come to the Senate, where many "Republicans" like McCain will gladly reach across the aisle and join with their colleagues in rescuing our nation from a painful, but fairly short recession, and deliver us into the next wonderful depression that will drag on for ten years or more, just like the last one did under the wise guidance of FDR and a compliant CONgress and packed Supreme Court. At least, so far, Mr. Osama has not been able to pack the Court with willing dupes, as FDR did. That's next.
I won't get into the $0.12 out of every dollar in this mess that is actually destined for something other than pork...
UPDATE: I just see at Hot Air that Mr. McCain might be growing back towards the Republican side!
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/30/mccain-i-dont-see-any-gop-votes-for-the-stimulus-in-the-senate/
I say 'win', because it puts the lie to his claims of being able to do things with the blessing of both major parties. Not one Republican voted for the package, worse, ten Democrats voted 'no'.
This puts the Republican Party in the position of being able to place the entire credit for the results of this abomination squarelely on the shoulders of the radical Democrats - something that was not possible with many spending bills passed with 'bipartisan' support in the past.
Of course, now we come to the Senate, where many "Republicans" like McCain will gladly reach across the aisle and join with their colleagues in rescuing our nation from a painful, but fairly short recession, and deliver us into the next wonderful depression that will drag on for ten years or more, just like the last one did under the wise guidance of FDR and a compliant CONgress and packed Supreme Court. At least, so far, Mr. Osama has not been able to pack the Court with willing dupes, as FDR did. That's next.
I won't get into the $0.12 out of every dollar in this mess that is actually destined for something other than pork...
UPDATE: I just see at Hot Air that Mr. McCain might be growing back towards the Republican side!
http://hotair.com/archives/2009/01/30/mccain-i-dont-see-any-gop-votes-for-the-stimulus-in-the-senate/
Ammunition Accountability Act
Recently, there has been a bunch of discussion of the "Ammunition Accountability Act", which is wending its' way through as many as 18 state legislatures. This bill would require all ammo makers to serialize every case and bullet, and keep records all the way to the end buyer, so that evidence recovered at a crime scene could be tied to the purchaser, who would of course be the perpetrator of the crime until he or she proves innocence.
This act would also require that all non-serialized ammo be turned over to your friendly local police department for destruction by a certain date. Reloading would be outlawed, and possession of unmarked ammo would be cause for a long visit to the state penitentiary and a permanent loss of your right to self-protection.
There would be a 'nominal' tax of say, $0,05 per round, to cover 'government costs'.
The thing they keep forgetting to tell us is that besides the $0.05 or whatever 'tax' on each round, there's also going to be a cost to the manufacturer - for the equipment (nonexistent) to do the marking, for the rebuilding of all assembly lines - right now, shells are made by the hundreds of thousands in one plant, and mated to bullets, also made by the hundreds of thousands in another plant. The marking needs to be done at the 'making' stage in either case, or it becomes 'rework', which is
much more expensive. Each serialized cartridge then needs to be continually tracked from the bullet seating and crimping die all the way to the end user - which means thousands of pages of records, because, of course, 'electronic' records won't be suitable for tracking such dangerous commodities.
Off the top of my head, I figure manufacturer's costs to be somewhere around $0.10 per cartridge to retool, and another $0.50 - $0.75 for the handling and record keeping. So, a box of 550 .22LR would have an added cost of anywhere from $357.50 - $495.00, which, of course, gets passed on to you, the consumer.
This scenario does not take into account the fact that Wal-Mart or your friendly local FFL will have to keep records and transmit them to the feds daily, or even on a per-transaction basis, so they need to add something for their time and expense.
Who's up for a $250.00 can-plinking session? A visit to Knob Creek might set you back $1M just for ammo.
There has also been a bit of talk saying that this is 'just' a state level thing, and it should be defeated in most cases. True. Most states in our Union are more intelligent and sensible than CONgress, and more likely to listen to their citizens.
The danger is if the Osama administration gets hold of this idea as it's newest cure-all - once the next depression is averted, and all our troops are home from Iraq, of course, that it will be rammed through CONgress. Even if all Republicans in the House vote 'no', just a couple McCains in the Senate will bless us with the latest in nanny-state bullshit.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
A stimulus package we can all live with
Latest I've read about Mr. Obama's wonderful stimulus package is that it's going to be gone at 'slowly' by Congress.
It's apparent to me that if there's to be a really effective stimulus package, it must be done at the lowest level of government - at the hands of the taxpayer. If we wait for the government to enact a new stimulus law, precious time will be lost, not to mention all the inefficiencies of government that will creep in to raise the cost of the whole thing.
So, here's my proposal. All of us taxpayers should simply file our tax statements with a note stating that the money that normally would go to the IRS to be absorbed into the black hole of Washington politics will instead be kept by each of us and spent or invested as we individually see fit. If your state is one of the five demanding $1,000,000,000 from the taxpayers as a "bailout', as my state of Wisconsin is, the same could be applied to your state income tax.
The result will be a immediate uptick in the economy as the stimulus funds reach each taxpayer instantly, with no middlemen and their inherent costs. Each dollar of stimulus thus spent will have the effect of two to ten dollars of government-doled money, since all of it will go to its' intended purpose.
Another benefit will be to starve the ravenous beast of big government. It's my feeling that government gets nastier when overfed, so a diet will do nothing but good.
A third benefit is that this form of stimulus does not either increase our national debt nor cause inflation, since it does not involve the Treasury either issuing bonds or printing money.
Besides, supposedly we've got a national epidemic of obesity. Let's help our government lead the way in slimming down, and therefore give all of us a good role model!
It's apparent to me that if there's to be a really effective stimulus package, it must be done at the lowest level of government - at the hands of the taxpayer. If we wait for the government to enact a new stimulus law, precious time will be lost, not to mention all the inefficiencies of government that will creep in to raise the cost of the whole thing.
So, here's my proposal. All of us taxpayers should simply file our tax statements with a note stating that the money that normally would go to the IRS to be absorbed into the black hole of Washington politics will instead be kept by each of us and spent or invested as we individually see fit. If your state is one of the five demanding $1,000,000,000 from the taxpayers as a "bailout', as my state of Wisconsin is, the same could be applied to your state income tax.
The result will be a immediate uptick in the economy as the stimulus funds reach each taxpayer instantly, with no middlemen and their inherent costs. Each dollar of stimulus thus spent will have the effect of two to ten dollars of government-doled money, since all of it will go to its' intended purpose.
Another benefit will be to starve the ravenous beast of big government. It's my feeling that government gets nastier when overfed, so a diet will do nothing but good.
A third benefit is that this form of stimulus does not either increase our national debt nor cause inflation, since it does not involve the Treasury either issuing bonds or printing money.
Besides, supposedly we've got a national epidemic of obesity. Let's help our government lead the way in slimming down, and therefore give all of us a good role model!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Bailouts
First it was Bear Stearns. $30 billion. Then Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. $200 billion. Then A.I.G. $150 billion. Then $25 billion in loans to the 'Big Three'.
That's just the start. Now we get into some real money.
That's just the start. Now we get into some real money.
Troubled Asset Relief Program - $700 billion (later increased to over $850 billion) for buying up distressed loans from Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae.
Citigroup. $247.5 billion
For a change, now we back off the big money - possibly because Mr. Bush is such a thrifty soul. Chrysler/G.M. $17.4 billion. This in direct opposition to the will of the people as expressed in Congress rejecting the bailout. Also, possibly illegally taking money from the TARP funds.
Keeping track? So far, we've given away $1,519.9 billion - over 1 1/2 trillion dollars.
Now come the governors of five states, including my home, Wisconsin. They only want another trillion dollars to make up for shortfalls caused by bad investments and state spending grossly outpacing tax collections.
If we figure the US population at present at 306 million, that give each of us, man, woman, and child, productive citizen and welfare taker, able bodied and handicapped, a current debt of around $8200. This is money given to huge corporations and government-backed funds as a reward for their corruption, malfeasance, and stupidity. Assuming a typical family of four, each family's share is almost $33,000. Of course, persons not paying taxes, such as those on welfare of any kind and many illegal immigrants, will never pay for any of this. I've heard that approximately 40% of the US population currently is in this group, but have no figures to back that up.
All of these bailouts seem to be so danged urgent that action must be taken instantly - without the Congresscritters being given any time to actually READ the bills, let alone time for their poor brains to UNDERSTAND what is being proposed. I recall something called the PATRIOT Act being similarly urgent, and being passed almost unanimously by 'legislators' who in most cases didn't even TRY to read the thousand or so pages of legalese.
Who writes these bills? The PATRIOT Act was authored by a Georgetown University Law Center professor, Viet Dinh - but who asked him to do it?
It's part of the American Dream to make it on your own - or fail on your own. It's an indication of how close we are to being a Soviet-style society that we cannot allow failure, especially if that failure would cause discomfort to some of our leaders and their handlers.
Citigroup. $247.5 billion
For a change, now we back off the big money - possibly because Mr. Bush is such a thrifty soul. Chrysler/G.M. $17.4 billion. This in direct opposition to the will of the people as expressed in Congress rejecting the bailout. Also, possibly illegally taking money from the TARP funds.
Keeping track? So far, we've given away $1,519.9 billion - over 1 1/2 trillion dollars.
Now come the governors of five states, including my home, Wisconsin. They only want another trillion dollars to make up for shortfalls caused by bad investments and state spending grossly outpacing tax collections.
If we figure the US population at present at 306 million, that give each of us, man, woman, and child, productive citizen and welfare taker, able bodied and handicapped, a current debt of around $8200. This is money given to huge corporations and government-backed funds as a reward for their corruption, malfeasance, and stupidity. Assuming a typical family of four, each family's share is almost $33,000. Of course, persons not paying taxes, such as those on welfare of any kind and many illegal immigrants, will never pay for any of this. I've heard that approximately 40% of the US population currently is in this group, but have no figures to back that up.
All of these bailouts seem to be so danged urgent that action must be taken instantly - without the Congresscritters being given any time to actually READ the bills, let alone time for their poor brains to UNDERSTAND what is being proposed. I recall something called the PATRIOT Act being similarly urgent, and being passed almost unanimously by 'legislators' who in most cases didn't even TRY to read the thousand or so pages of legalese.
Who writes these bills? The PATRIOT Act was authored by a Georgetown University Law Center professor, Viet Dinh - but who asked him to do it?
It's part of the American Dream to make it on your own - or fail on your own. It's an indication of how close we are to being a Soviet-style society that we cannot allow failure, especially if that failure would cause discomfort to some of our leaders and their handlers.
Friday, January 2, 2009
Well, here goes something...
I've been reading other people's blogs for years, and now I've decided to take the plunge myself.
I am concerned that the incoming federal administration will attempt to further destroy our inherently guaranteed right to keep and bear arms among other infringements of our freedoms. I will be posting my thoughts and experiences from time to time, as my free time permits.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time describing my daily life, unless it directly applies to my efforts to restore our country to a government controlled by the people of the United States, as opposed to what it has become over the last century.
I am going to allow comments up to the point where they appear to be advocating unwarranted violence or go too far off topic.
With that...
I am concerned that the incoming federal administration will attempt to further destroy our inherently guaranteed right to keep and bear arms among other infringements of our freedoms. I will be posting my thoughts and experiences from time to time, as my free time permits.
I'm not going to spend a lot of time describing my daily life, unless it directly applies to my efforts to restore our country to a government controlled by the people of the United States, as opposed to what it has become over the last century.
I am going to allow comments up to the point where they appear to be advocating unwarranted violence or go too far off topic.
With that...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)