DO THESE PEOPLE KNOW HOW REALLY STUPID THEY SOUND?

DO THESE PEOPLE KNOW HOW REALLY STUPID THEY SOUND?

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

I read a quote from Michelle (First Lady) Obama about how life was in the White House or rather how life really was. “In real life, everybody in the White House, my husband and I and every member of our extraordinary staff is there for one reason.,….because we love our country and want to serve it.” It’s a refrain that I’ve heard off and on my entire adult life.

When I was younger, I didn’t really think much about it, the serving my country phrase, I heard the words, but never really put them all together, and pondered there meaning until later in life. Now whenever anybody says that “they’re serving something because of an undying love whatever,” red flags pop up all over the place…..why, because I’m a cynic.

First and foremost, I’ve always wondered if there wasn’t a paycheck connected with this we love our country and want to serve it, thing, how long would these same people be willing to love and serve? I suppose that it’s all relative, people have been using this ruse forever, and sadly much of our society really believe these people.

But suppose everybody that says “I love my country, and want to serve,” really meant what they said, what might be their asking price…..indirectly. Like John Boehner, the speaker of the House, or Joe Biden, Vice President. Well I can tell you this, they wouldn’t be hurting…..financially. Plus there are all of those benefits.

President Barrack Obama is the country’s top wage earner, getting a pay package that includes a salary of $400,000. In addition the president has an annual expense account of $50,000, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment. The White House in Washington D.C. serves as the official place of residence and they are entitled to use its staff and facilities, including medical care, recreation, housekeeping, and security service. The government (us taxpayers) pays for state dinners and other official functions, but the president pays for dry cleaning and food that he and his family, and personal guest consume.

For ground travel the president uses the presidential state car, an armored built on a heavily modified Cadillac-based chassis. A VC-25 aircraft, which of course has been heavily modified serves as a long distance travel mode for the president, and then there is the fleet of 35 United States Marine Corps helicopters at his disposal almost on a moment’s notice.

After the presidents service to his country, he is provided with a $199,700 a year pension, and if the retiring president is former congressmen, he may also collect a congressional pension as well. And is provided with travel funds, and Franking privileges…..free mail service. Of course there is lifetime Secret Service protection for his entire family.

I gotta say, although I wouldn’t want the job, the financial awards and benefits are an ok deal, at least to my way of thinking. My point is really simple…..if there wasn’t all of the financial pay, and the perks that went along with the job, how long would Barrack Obama continue in his current position, what with all of the negative reaction by his countrymen, and some parts of the world? Like I said, “I wouldn’t want the job.”

NEXT IN LINE

In the on deck circle is Vice President Joe Biden who is paid $296,680 a year, and is afforded most of the same perks as his immediate boss. Joseph Robbinette Biden was born November 20, 1942, and is the 47^th Vice President.

Biden has been a politician on the national level since he was elected U.S. Senator from Delaware, after a career as an attorney. Pretty much a lifelong Democrat, Biden served as a County Councilman from 1970 until he was elected a senator in 1972.

If anything incapacitates the president, it’ll be Joe Biden who would assume the office of the presidency, and John Boehner who would move into the vice presidents seat. Why any of these three men would want anything to do with the responsibility that is hanging over their heads like the sword of Damocles.

I’m thinking that many of these people, these senators and representatives, are doing their jobs with a speck of patriotism, or love of country…..but they also are doing their elected jobs, and spending every penny of their pay that they get, and I don’t blame them one bit. However whenever these same people belabor  their love of country for doing their jobs…..it becomes old at least to me…..real fast.

In many instances elected officials are so removed from their electorate that is impossible for them to relate to the problems of the regular everyday people. These people are more worried about sound bites; photo opts, and front page news. This activity is completely out of hand, and low and behold…..voters pay the ultimate price through inattentive representation.

IT SEEMS LIKE SOME OF THESE GUYS WERE BORN INTO THEIR POSITIONS

I’m really at a loss to understand how some people can stay in an elected position for decades; there really aren’t any words that I can think of to explain the reason why anybody would want an 87 year old representing me in anything. Yet that is exactly what John Dingell is doing, representing the 12^th district in western Detroit (the suburbs). Thankfully he’s decided not to run for a 30^th term in Congress.

John Dingell was first elected into public office in December, 1955, I was 12 years old at the time, so I don’t remember the election. Dingell has served continuously for 58 years and 108 uninterrupted days…..a record of service.

Another long-standing political figure was Robert Byrd, who served uninterrupted for 57 years and 176 days…..and was finally beaten by the grim reaper, Byrd died in office. There are four other politicians who served at least 50 years, they are Carl Hayden, 56 years, 319 days, he retired, Daniel Inouye, 53 years, 118 days, died in office, Jamie L. Whitten, 53 years, 60 days, retired, and finally, Carl Vinson, 50 years, 61 days…..retired.

Sure there are some people who love their country, in fact I don’t personally know of anybody who doesn’t like the United States of America. But come on, 58 years at the public trough, talk about a tit baby. I think that if we all viewed government like a business, we’d all be better off, when the books don’t balance, we stop, take a long hard look at what procedures are in place, and maybe go off in a different direction.

Let’s leave those that profess love of country, and those that serve, at the doorway of government, and let’s take an honest look at ourselves…..and move in a positive direction.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!

WELFARE HANDOUTS TO MILLIONAIRES

WELFARE HANDOUTS TO MILLIONAIRES

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

In an article in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel penned by Tom Daykin, there seems to be action afoot to entice the taxpayers of Franklin, Wisconsin, a suburb 10 miles south of Milwaukee, to erect a $10.5 million dollar baseball stadium for use by a Franklin team in the independent Frontier League. The stadium would be built in an existing sports complex, called the Rock on property owned by a private individual who would also own the minor league team.

The proposal and funding would need Common Council and/or Redevelopment Authority approval, the city Mayor said Monday, March 24, 2014. The owner hopes to get a prompt response and begin groundbreaking this spring so the stadium would be ready for occupancy for the 2015 playing season. The Plan Commission has unanimously approved the stadium’s design, and the financing proposal will get separate consideration, including city task force review at the March 25 meeting.

Now everybody knows that I’m a baseball freak, or at least by now you should, baseball is by far the greatest game ever invented by man. But I kind of get rubbed the wrong way whenever I read about a proposed sports stadium for a private business, a professional baseball team is a business, and it’s private, there aren’t too many publicly owned profession sports teams like the Green Bay Packers.

Whenever one of these proposals come down the pike, there’s always a hurry-up atmosphere connected with it…..the reasons are varied, and legitimate sounding…..but always in a giddy-up mode. In this case, I personally know the reasons for a quick decision, and understand the rush, but that none-the-less doesn’t pardon the quick decision atmosphere, this thing should have been on somebody’s agenda a long time ago…..like last fall.

The plans to start a minor league baseball club were announced in January…..2014, and the owner, who has already spent $10.5 million thus far to develop his sports complex, and also would provide $4 million as his initial investment for the new team. The $4 mill would cover acquisition franchise fees, league dues, and first year operating budget.

The existing Rock Sports Complex now encompasses a ski hill, six baseball fields, a patio with a bar and bicycle trails. I personally think that the new sporting complex is a good fit for the Franklin area, or for that matter, any city throughout the entire United States…..however!!!!!

WE ARE PAWNS IN THE CHESS GAME OF LIFE

If the city of Franklin, population 36,000, funds the new stadium, the annual debt payments would be $1.1 million over 20 year, a cost of 21.5 million. Lease payments from the new baseball team, and other team revenue sources, including possible city funds, could be used to make those debt payments, the report said.

The stadium would generate an estimated annual spending of $11.3 million, including $5.17 million on baseball tickets, meals, hotel rooms and other items by people attending games on other facility events, and $3 million spent by the baseball team on its operations.

The financial impact study also lists $1.63 million of indirect spending, referring to the spending by business for additional supplies and merchandise for the additional traffic that would be created by the ball teams games and other events at the facility.

Of course these figures are estimates…..pie in the sky stuff, based on other stadiums, in other cities, mostly owned by the communities that host these sports teams. As with any other proposed situation where a prospective owner comes before a city’s governing fathers with hat in hand, these guys (hat in hand) always paint a rosy picture, with KA-CHING visions in their eye…..hoping to impart the same image into the eyes of city’s authority.

There are gaudy attendance estimates, gaudy attendance for other sports related games, concerts, antique shows, flea markets, outdoor marriages, group outings…..and, well, the list can go on and on, but the bottom line is that there’ll be so much money flowing that people will be turned away at the gate because of another capacity attendance at some event.

Of course there’s always the last gasp attempt, when all else fails, the projected owner might part…..up front with his projected income, and give a city a percentage of the concessions, and parking revenues. This usually is the last carrot that is offered to a community, the final push to get approval.

Throughout the United States there are sporting facilities that have been erected with public funding that sit vacant for a part of every year. These taxpayer supported venues are publicly owned, yet the primary tenant has absolute autonomy on who uses the facility, for what, and when. Now I understand that a baseball team needs this ability during its season, but before, or after their season, the facility should be used because of where the revenue came from to construct it.

THE BAD ACTORS ARE TO NUMEROUS TO RECOUNT

Every single profession baseball season, in the low minors and independent leagues, there are teams that go defunct, sometimes during the season. It is how a franchise is available to the current people who want Franklin, Wisconsin to build them a new ball park. The original franchise in the Frontier League was based out of Pontiac, Michigan, the team, the Dream Cruisers never played a game in Pontiac, they moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, and ended up in London, Ontario, Canada, where, in 2012 they went out of business during the month of July.

The fee for that franchise is about $800,000, or at least it was until last August when the owner had to let the team go back to the league. For the past couple of years, the Frontier League has operated with 13 franchised members, and the league operating another team for scheduling purposes. The league team, called the Grays, plays all of their games on the road and lives out of motels for the entire year. That is how the franchise became available to the Franklin group.

It is rare for professional sports teams to own their own playing facility; it’s the taxpayers who own every single chair-back seat, every shower head, toilet, water cooler, and urinal. Inevitably liability insurance, utility bills, and maintenance are left to the municipality where the stadium or arena are located…..the taxpayers are on the hook.

There is one final interesting fact that few authority figures think about whenever these sweetheart deals come down the road, what happens if, in 10 years the Franklin independent minor league team goes out of business, or actually in Franklin’s case an even worse event happens, the Rock recreation facility goes belly-up. The baseball team would probably soon follow, and then who would take care of the vacant property and the baseball stadium?

Today there are 30 Major League baseball clubs, and additional 160 minor league teams that are either owned by their major league (parent) club, or as in Franklin’s case, are independent, and pay for everything. You see, if a minor league baseball team is affiliated with let’s say the Milwaukee Brewers, like the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers up in Appleton, Wisconsin, the Brewers pick up equipment, managerial, coaches, travel, salaries, and insurance.

The Timber Rattlers pay for their liability insurance, their front office personal, upkeep of their ball park, advertising, marketing, and any incidental costs that may occur.  So right up front the cost to an independent team can be catastrophic…..is $4 million enough, these Rock people had better have all of their ducks aligned in a perfect row.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!

CRIMEAN WAR REVISITED

CRIMEAN WAR REVISITED

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

I’ll be earning my Rubles on this one friends, Crimea is now officially a part of Russia, if you don’t believe me, check out your local newspaper, it’ll be plastered under bold headlines of sanctions placed on Mother Russia by the U.S. and a bunch of other countries throughout Europe. Possibly the harshest set of penalties was laid down by who else, the United States, however the jury is still out on that issue.

Sanction, now there is a word with several meanings, and some are actually good, like an action recognizing a social custom, encouragement, or approval for a course of action. Of course there’s the dark side of the word, sanction, like punishment imposed, or a punitive measure to conform to international law. In short…..and an answer to the meaning of sanction…..a time-out for screwing up, according to other nations.

It’s what is happening even as I write this blog…..to Russia, by many nations throughout the world who have aligned themselves in an effort to blunt what is perceived as a take-over of the peninsula of Crimea. Even though there was a referendum vote on the question of Crimea simply joining Russia, hostilities and possible military action by the worlds global metropolitan policing forces.

There is an emerging trend by some nations, other than the U.S. that what the world needs is an all inclusive policing force to ensure that the world and it’s member nations follow some specific rules with regards to their political operations, and how they deal with their citizens.

We now seem to be facing a dilemma with Russia, Ukraine and Crimea, and exactly where they will end up with regards to the make-up of the Ukraine. I am of the opinion that after the dust has cleared, and all of the bully boys are finished with pumping up their collective chests…..cooler heads with seek and accept a political solution to the perceived problems.

However, until these cooler, talking heads come forward, much of the world is going to have to show extreme good judgment in what is said, and what is done during these important days of this, the world’s latest crisis and conflict.

We are a rather foolish people, seemingly unable to learn from our mistakes, and the extremely poor options that we adopt to deal with world crisis. It seems that (thus far) the world has chosen to slap a few meaningless sanctions on Russia in an effort to break Russia’s resolve. Like much of the United States, the Russian people view sanctions on some of Russian’s fortunate’s more a bothersome joke, than a threat to the average Russian.

I CAN’T SAY THESE NAMES…..MUCH LESS SPELL THEM

What is a Sergey Valkeryevich Aksyonov, or Sergey Glazyev, or how about an Andrei Klishas (no idea,) don’t feel alone, I have to look um up. Come to find out their people, kind of quasi important people, but none the less, people. Not only are they people, they have other things in common, they all made the cut with regards to the United State’s sanctions list.

Sergey Aksyonov is a 42 year old who, during the armed occupation of the Crimean parliament by pro-Russian forces, Aksyonov was subsequently voted into office following a vote of no confidence in the Ukrainian government. He is wanted by the Ukrainian Security Service for violation of Part 1 of Article 109 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (actions aimed at the violent overthrow of government).

Sergey (no relation to the first Sergey) Glazyev, 51 year old Russian politician and economist, was added to both the Canadian and U.S. sanction list on March 17, 2014 for saying the Ukraine preferred joining the European Union rather than the Customs Union.

And finally a chrome domed 56 year old Andrei Klishas was added to the sanctions list for…..are you ready for this, his status as a member of the council of Federation of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, and as Chairman of the Federation Council Committee of Constitutional Law, Judicial and Legal Affairs, and the Development of Civil Society.

There are at least 29 names on the list of sanctioned individuals that have been announced by the United States, its allies, and the European Union. I’m not sure what sanctioning individual people will do for the cause of the Ukraine, or Crimea, although sanctions are a hell-of-a lot better than lobbing a few bombs around.

I’m not sure that I can remember one nation laying sanctions on another nation when it involved just individuals. I suppose it doesn’t matter, embargos, sanctions, or pissy-hiss letters, they all mean the same; somebody doesn’t like what somebody else is doing.

SOME FOREIGN POLICY ACTUALL GETS DONE LIKE THIS

In an open letter that was signed by 52 luminaries, some in their minds only, to President Obama, and received by the president on March 21, imploring action in response to Russia’s aggression in the Ukraine. Talk about pressure being brought to bear…..no wonder I’m not interested in the job;

Dear Mr. President:

As Russia moves ahead with its illegal annexation of Crimea, we share your determination to “isolate Russia for its action to reassure our allies and partners.” America’s next step should be designed to strengthen Ukraine’s sovereignty and democratic transition, to impose real costs on the government of President Vladimir Putin, and enhance the deterrence posture of NATO.

Russia’s invasion of Crimea threatens the democracy that the Ukrainian people have sacrificed so much to achieve. A critical test of Ukraine’s newfound freedom will be its presidential elections on May 25, which Russia may seek to disrupt. As you have noted, Russia must recognize “the rights of all Ukrainians to determine their future as free individuals, and as a sovereign nation.” In order to help Ukraine secure its democratic transition, the United States should:

Provide Ukraine’s transitional government with technical expertise, international monitors, and assistance for the May presidential election. The United States should also enhance support for civil institutions that are necessary to consolidate Ukraine’s democratic gains.

Approve loan guarantees to help stabilize the Ukrainian economy, while working with the European Union, the International Monetary Fund, and other partners to provide long-term support for economic reforms in  the Ukraine.

Conduct an assessment of Ukraine’s self-defense needs and expand the scope and scale of U.S. military assistance available to the government of Ukraine, including intelligence sharing, training, and other support for Ukrainian forces, in coordination with NATO and the European Union.

Washington and its international partners should also impose real costs on Vladimir Putin and his key supporters. In this effort, we must distinguish between the corrupt regime surrounding Putin, and the Russian people who are the victims of this misrule. In this regard, it is essential to fully utilize the Sergei Magnitisky Rule of Law Accountability Act of 2012 and other legal authorities to sanction gross human rights violators in Russia. The United States should:

Increase the number of Russian officials who are subject to sanctions, including President Putin and those closest to him, both for their role in the invasion of Ukraine and the gross violations of human rights described under the Magnitisky Act.

Expand the scope of sanctions in order to isolate Russian financial institutions and businesses that are either complicit in Russia’s invasion in Ukraine or support the regime of Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad. The designation of bank Rossiya is an important first step in this effort.

Expose the extend of political and economic corruption among the senior leadership of the Russian Federation, including an unclassified report on the assets of President Putin and other senior Russian officials.

Suspend all civil nuclear cooperation pursuant to the “123” Agreement that was entered into force between the United States and the Russian Federation in December 2010.

Russia’s intervention in Ukraine poses a threat to all its neighbors, including NATO allies among the Baltic States and Poland. We believe that the United States and its NATO partners must reexamine commitments under the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act to refrain from deploying additional forces into former Warsaw Pact countries, as Russia’s recent actions demonstrate that the “current and foreseeable security environment” described in the Act has changed. In regard, the United States should:

Conduct an assessment on how to strengthen NATO’s deterrence posture vis-à-vis Russia, including the deployment of additional ground forces, missile defenses, or other assets to former Warsaw Pact members of NATO. Your deployment of U.S. fighter aircraft to Poland and the Baltic States is an important first step in this regard.

Press America’s NATO allies to agree to a Membership Action Plan for Georgia at the NATO Summit scheduled for September 2014, while expanding U.S. military rotations to Georgia. The United States should also support Ukraine, Sweden, Finland, and other European security partners, if they seek NATO membership.

Work to reduce European dependence on Russian natural gas, including by expanding liquefied natural gas exports from the United States, as well as supporting new pipelines into the Continent and other proposals to diversify Europe’s energy supplies, such as developing indigenous natural gas reserves.

We believe that these responsible steps will be essential to secure Ukraine’s future, to deter the Putin government from further acts of aggression, and to strengthen the NATO alliance and other security partnerships. We thank you for your consideration, and look forward to supporting you in taking these measures.

Sincerely,

There are 52 signatures of the people who support the above actions by the Obama administration, and more importantly…..the American people. Some of the signatory I’ve heard of, like Paul Bremer, John R. Bolton, Doug Feith, General Michael Hayden, Dr. Frederick W. Kagan, William Kristol, Joe Lieberman, Mary Beth Long, Governor Tim Pawlenty, Kurt Volker, and Dr, Kenneth R. Weinstein.

IT’S BLATANT, NO NEED TO READ BETWEEN THE LINES

No need to read between the lines here, what this letter suggest is tearing down some safeguards that have been in place for decades, evoke no rules, and obliterate others. The letter also does away with much of Russian power throughout the world, reestablishing the U.S. at least in Europe, as the policemen on the block.

And get that XL pipeline through the middle of the country, down to the Gulf of Mexico, making oil people happen as hell. Gee there’s something for almost everybody in the letter, the industrial military complex will be happy, the Pentagon will be happy, and those people who want to push the United States agenda…..well it’ll be a red letter day for them also.

It President Obama caves into these suggestions…..we are in for trouble with a big fat capital T and sadly if a Republican is elected into the White House in 2016…..we’ll be in trouble for a whole new set of reasons, probably Russia, and the brand new cold war leading the way.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!

IT SIMPLY WON’T GO AWAY!

IT SIMPLY WON’T GO AWAY!

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

Impunity is one mighty word, and unlike many words in the English language, its meaning leaves little to interpretation. Simply put, if you have impunity, no matter what the circumstances, you have freedom from unpleasant consequences for…..well here’s the thousand pound gorilla in the bathroom, are you, or some organization that you belong to exempt.

It’s like a get out of jail free card, no matter the crime, or the act, if you have one of these cards, no matter what you do…..nobody can touch you, so you’re free to do whatever you want without fear of retribution. Man I don’t know where I can get one of these cards, but I gotta get my hands on one…..I’ve got a lot of sinning to do, and a short time to do it in.

When the Defense Department, the Central Intelligence Agency, and all of those other agencies that are supposed to protect the United States, heard that President Bush was going to make special rules for gaining information with regards to terrorist’s activities, all of these agencies suddenly became obsessed with protection of the HOMELAND!

Some organizations as well as individuals want former President Bush to be brought up on homicide charges. This is a tired old ploy that is hauled out of the closet and run up the flag pole to see how many might support such nonsense. It is, you know, talking about legal action towards a public official for what is considered a grievous misdeed. While I do agree with some of what these people accuse Bush and his cronies of, taking them to task, legally, would be just too much…..anyway, that’s how I feel.

I would say this though, whatever organizations want to prosecute Bush, or any of his either elected or appointed officials, continue the research and investigation and do so until you run out of either evidence, or money. And at the end of the day, whatever facts you have found need to be transparently shared with the public in general…..let public opinion resolve this question once and for all.

FOR MY TWO CENTS WORTH

I personally wouldn’t waste my time digging for evidence, and the missing link to the president’s office, or Vice President Dick Chaney’s man cave. With little exception, with regard to why the U.S. invaded Iraq, the proof has always been right there in front of our noses…..OIL, BABY. No matter what anybody in the Bush administration said about why the U.S. launched a massive attack…..everybody in his/her right mind knew it was petroleum.

Every single person from Capitol Hill who talked to the public or the press all talked about the dangers that the Taliban, al-Qaeda or some other group within the Islamic world do to the United States, and her citizens. The terrorists hated our life, our capitalistic ways…..and, well, trust me, according to George W. Bush, those terrorists just hated us.

The result of that phrase, those terrorists just hate us, by the Bush administration has resulted in the United States officially designating 59 organizations as threats to the U.S. And the top developed nations of the world have followed the United States lead, listing an additional 251 world-wide organizations, as terrorists groups, and a threat to their countries.

It seems almost incomprehensible to me that there could be that much hate in the world directed at just a handful of countries. According to the list that I used, each of these organizations, more than 400, aren’t connected, and work independently.

The list was measured and established by several developed nations, the criteria used to identify these groups was based on information supplied by Secretary of State of the United States, in accordance with section of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, to be involved in what U.S. authorities define as terrorist activity. Most names that appear on the list are Islamist extremist groups, with the remainder being mainly communist, followed by nationalist/separatist groups.

For my two cents worth, I’d like to further examine one simple question that I’d put to those authority figures that established the criteria for terrorists groups, what is a terrorist group? It’s a simple and straight forward question, how does a person…..a young person qualify as a foreign terrorist?

The answers lie in the legal criteria designation;

• Must be a foreign organization
• The organization must engage in terrorist activity
• The organization’s terrorist activity must threaten the security of the United States

This seems like a kind of simple ABC’s of terrorist activity, you gotta be foreign, well duh, yup that would seem to be necessary…..unless you’re like that guy that blew up that government building in Oklahoma City back in 1996, and that would be called…..a domestic terrorist…..right?

I NOW WANT A QUARTER’S WORTH

This is my blog, and I’m taking liberties here, unless you live on Mars, underneath a boulder, you’ve heard of the United States Military Industrial Complex. Those people who supply all manner of material in support of U.S. military, and its activities.

I’m not getting on my soap box to preach the perils of warfare; I’ve already done that, illustrating the numbers of deaths, of fractured countries, and societies, the numbers are self explanatory. I will however reiterate that the numbers, of and by themselves are proof positive that war has little place in the 21^st century…..and yet, in any situation that might call for some sort of armed encounter…..conservatives seem to want to jump the gun as it were, and arm everybody.

Under the Bush administration, during the armed confrontation with our enemies it would appear that U.S. interrogation, and the methods that were used caused in excess of 100 deaths through clearly torture practices. In the final analysis, if this is true, I suppose that I’d have to reevaluate my assessment of war crimes trials for some in the Bush White House.

As a nation, we were told that Saddam Hussein was cultivating weapons of mass destruction, and that he had the makings for atomic bombs. We were told that he, had stockpiles of all sorts of rocketry with the capabilities to bomb our allies in the region. And we were told that it was imperative that we invade Iraq to protect not only the United States, but the Arab world.

Mushroom clouds over Washington, yup, that’s right, in the world, according to Condoleezza Rice, it’s how old dead eye saw things. In July 2002, Rice personally conveyed to C.I.A. Director George Tenet of the White House approval of torture tactics, and the fact that she approved of whatever methods were needed to glean as much information from captives as possible. At that point, as they say, “the die was cast.”

AND SO NOW…..WHERE DO WE GO

It’s a tough world out there, full of many enemies, and people with really bad intentions for the United States of America…..of that I have no doubt. What we have allowed our leaders to do in the name of freedom, and the spread of democratic societies is…..well, criminal, and if we haul one into the courthouse for a trial, can we, as a nation be too far behind?

You see…..after everything is taken into account, we allowed Bush and his bully-boys the opportunity to flex what they perceived as their patriotic muscle in the Far Eastern part of the world. And even though a fool would know that you can’t legally, or logistically bring an entire nation to task, we can volunteer to never allow our elected or appointed leaders to operate with impunity…..they’ll always be answerable to their bosses…..the electorate!

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!

ANOTHER ONE HAS TURNED TO CRAP!

ANOTHER ONE HAS TURNED TO CRAP!

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

I really had high hopes, I thought the man was going to be one for all seasons, silly boob that I am, I got sucked right in, and bamboozled too, boy, I’m a double threat…..of who not to follow in a national election that is as important as the presidency of the United States. I watched, I listened, I read, and by God I hoped, hoped that this slender articulate black man would be the one to deliver the goods.

Once again I was disappointed, the candidate, Barack H. Obama met one of my top criteria…..not to have been in political office for very long, he just made my cut, having served in public office for a decade when he was tapped to run for the presidency of the United States as the first black man…..and more important, to oppose that old war hawk, John McCain, and his ditsy running mate, Sarah Palin.

The country was (in my opinion), tired of George W. Bush, his junk and the collection of political hacks that actually were pretty dangerous. One day the collection of political toughs that the Bush administration recruited I have no doubt will be rated as one of the poorest excuses for a representative governing body that was ever assembled in one administration.  

I won’t dwell on Bush and his hack jobbing political bully boys, but I will say this, George W. Bush has been removed from the White House for over half a decade now, and the reverberations that his administration did is just now coming to the forefront…..his burping of a government job will be exhaling gas for years to come.

But we are now well into President Obama’s second and last term in the office of the U.S. presidency, and I for one am glad he can’t be elected for a third term. I just hope that he won’t be allowed to do a bunch of damage the way his predecessor did.

To a degree, the approval rating of a president here in the United States is tied to a popularity contest; it’s the way human nature works…..just more so here in the U.S. Without exception, how a candidate carries himself, how he might address a political issue and the exuberance that he displays goes a long way in determining how well he’ll be accepted by the masses.

THIS AIN’T NO POPULARITY CONTEST

Barack Obama was not elected in 2008 to be popular, and he sure as hell wasn’t reelected in 2012 to be popular, Barack H. Obama was elected to do a job, and reelected to finish that job. The only thing is…..what was the job(s) that a majority of the American people wanted their president to initiate, and then finish?

For me, the encouraging issue with Obama was the fact that he said that he’d get the United States out of Iraq, would shut Guantanamo Bay, would help to curtail the effects and the power of lobbyists, and would promote universal health care as a national priority.

Obama did get the U.S. out of Iraq (December 2011) and although it wasn’t an election and campaign priority, he did track down Osama bin Laden and kill him, although from where I sat that Sunday night, it was more like a murder being carried out than capturing a war criminal.

As the Obama administration moved towards some sort of universal health care (I never was going to depend on Obama-care, my wife and I have our own plan), progress seemed to be spasmodic at best, and a dismal failure at its worst.

Whatever the reason was, Obama health care failed to take a strong place in America’s health care programs…..and with the deadline fast approaching, problems still persist, and millions of people either refuse the plan, or chose to pay the $95 penalty for not having any health coverage.

Republicans can say all they want about Obama’s foreign policies; I call his foreign policies hawkish, and dangerous. The U.S. had no business in Libya, and has absolutely no business in the Crimean or the Ukraine.

What will President Obama do in his final three years at the helm of the most powerful military country on the planet…..I’m not sure. However I do know that he (Obama) worries about his popularity and subscribes to different polls as a way to map out some of his for the week.

Obama does get some credit for the economic recovery, because he kept worse things from happening, and he’s made good his promise to get out of Iraq, and will seemingly get out of Afghanistan by year’s end and ended the military’s stupid don’t ask, don’t tell policy, and endorsed same-sex marriage, helping top bend the historical arc of gay rights…..and he did win a Nobel Peace Prize.

FOR ME THERE’S STILL CLOUDS HANGING OVER THE OBAMA WHITE HOUSE

The ease with which we occupy, or invade countries is a bothersome issue that won’t go away any time soon. How government bends international laws is also a sore point with me, and there are times that Obama uses tax threats the same way Republicans do.

Although the president has taken a stand on abortion and gay marriage, and kind-of-a-stance on immigration, I am far from satisfied with his opinions, stance, or action on any of these subjects. I’ve also had a problem with the Obama administration and their unemployment stance; I’m not understanding how we can continue to pay people for not working. If the fed deems it necessary to pay people for not working, let’s create work for these people, like clearing forest lands, or building parks, and paying wages that way.

And Mr. President…..compromise is a real word; a word that you and you’re administration should learn how to use…..of course the Republicans need to brush up on the word also. Until compromise becomes standard and understood in the halls of government…..little will get done…..so Mr. President, be a leader, throw compromise around a little, get used to its feel, you’ll find that the word can help in many sticky situations.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!

WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM?

WHERE DOES IT ALL COME FROM?

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

There is a move afoot here in Green Bay, Wisconsin to borrow $20,000,000, and as they say, “that ain’t hay.” The story connected with the $20,000,000 appeared in the Green Bay Press Gazette and was authored by Patti Zarling. There’ll be a tax referendum on April 1^st 2014, a day before my 48^th wedding anniversary…..and a day after April FOOL’S Day! Wow, you’d think that the school authorities could have picked a better day for such an important issue.

There are 514 Wisconsin high, 388 middle, and 1,239 elementary schools in Wisconsin that total to 2,285 educational points. These schools are responsible for the education of 879,825 students, of which 453,955 are male, and 425,870 are female. The racial break-down is 29,659 Asian-Pacific, American Indian-Alaskan, 12,742, 92,546 blacks, 51,298 Hispanic, and 693,580 whites.

The Green Bay schools need for $20,000,000 is just the tip of the iceberg with regards to public school maintenance. The $20,000,000 that has been deemed necessary by school administrators is for just six elementary schools. The Green Bay public school district includes a total of 26 elementary, 5 middle, and 4 high schools.

I realize that the Green Bay public schools have engineers on staff that suggest repair, replacement, and maintain the buildings and grounds of each of the Green Bay schools. Atmosphere of the learning environment is important, not only to pupils, but instructors and administrative staff as well. Gone are the days of the one room school, where the barest of necessities were used, books, a desk seat, some paper and pencils.

HOW ARE PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN THE UNITED STATES FUNDED

“That is a very good question, and I’m glad that you asked,” guess what; the question of how schools are funded does not have a simple answer…..surprise, surprise, surprise. Schools in the U.S. are funded in accordance with the level of the school. Private schools are funded through private donations scholarships, and alumni gifts.

As state governments cut school budgets, public schools are increasingly looking to develop alumni and booster clubs that subsidize school program costs in all sorts of creative ways. However…..at the end of the day, public schools get most of their operating funds from the same sources, federal, state, and local taxation that they’ve been tapping for decades.  

The role of the federal government in education is limited and indirect, direct regulation of education is a power reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, (because the Constitution does not explicitly or implicitly give the federal government authority to regulate education.) However any public or private school that accepts educational funding from the United States government, such as Pell Grants, or Stafford Loans, (usually for college only) by accepting those funds or participating in the particular federal program, subjects itself to federal jurisdiction to the extent of that participation.

The first public taxpayer supported school in the United States was established in 1644, and was located in Dedham, Massachusetts. Today in the United States, 88% of students attend public schools, compared with 9% who attend parochial schools, 2% are home schooled, and 1% attend private independent schools.

Today there is almost an assault on public schools, and like somebody said, “size does matter,” well when people start talking about school funding…..”Money does matter.” From the top to the bottom of governments, each tries to lay its hands on educational funding. A cut here, a snip there, and pretty quick you’ve cut millions out of the educational budget…..and that can’t be good.

I always listen dubiously whenever a conservative talks about the shape of the educational programs in his state, region, or city. I simply can’t understand how having fewer teachers, and offering less (hands on instruction and teaching) can be a good thing for the kids.

At the end of the day, what we’re talking about here…..when it comes to supporting educational opportunities for our kids is sadly a very simple issue, suburbs refuse to give any of their tax dollars, (whenever possible) to inter-city schools or some rural educational systems.

It’s like my Mother used to say, “Paul clean your room, you have 5 minutes,” talk about setting me up for failure, I hadn’t cleaned my room in weeks, and she knew, and I knew that the job was gonna take hours to complete.

Without the proper funding, without the proper effort, schools are going to fail, and kids will miss out on gaining the very best education that they need, and deserve. And if that is the case, well pal, we’ll all be losing out.

IN THE END IT’S A RACIAL AND A CLASS THING

The back of my neck gets out and bothered every time there’s a discussing about school funding, where it’s coming from, and what it’ll be spent on. There are many schools right here in good old Middle America that is crumbling down around themselves. The six schools in the elementary system here in Green Bay that’ll need part of the $20,000,000 will be upgrading their heating systems, and INSTALLING AIR CONDITIONING because they don’t have it.

Revenue cuts mean increased class sizes, teacher aid cut-backs, smaller school districts here in Wisconsin are on the verge of collapse, and educational standards aren’t high enough to adequately prepare our kids for success in the global economy of 2015 and thereafter.

It costs around $8,600 per student per year here in Wisconsin, it doesn’t take long to reach a million dollars, and then two, three, four…..well you get the idea. When repair, remodel, and maintenance enter into the equation, $20,000,000 comes and then goes almost in a heartbeat.

And the Taxpayers Association talks about (not borrowing funds for remodels,) okay, exactly where do those funds come from? Maybe we can pull together and sell billboard advertisement on the sides of our school buildings like they do at sports facilities.

If the students here in the inter city schools of Green Bay needed (sun-block) or they’d get a sunburn, and if they all spoke English, you’d better believe that somehow the funds would be raised to get A.C. in the schools.

HAVE A NICE DAY!

NATIONAL DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES…..UGH!

NATIONAL DEBT OF THE UNITED STATES…..UGH!

(FRAZER CHRONICLE)

(All the News That Nobody Else Will Print)

 

The national debt of the United States is the amount owed by the federal government of the United States. The measure of the public debt is the value of the Treasury securities that have been issued by the Treasury and other federal government agencies.

Gross public debt consists of two components:

A. Debt held by the public, such as Treasury securities held by investors outside the federal government, including those held by individuals, corporations, the Federal Reserve System and foreign, state and local government.

B. Debt held by government accounts or intergovernmental debt, such as non-marketable Treasury securities held in accounts administered by the federal government that are owed to program beneficiaries, such as the Social Security Trust Fund. Debt held by government accounts represents the cumulative surpluses, including interest earnings, of these accounts that have been invested in Treasury securities.

Two plus paragraphs of mumbo-jumbo written by some Stanford graduate to explain what two words can explain our situation as a nation…..we’re broke. Yup the U.S. is broke, technically speaking, we…..ah, spend it before we’ve got it…..like an impulse sweet toothed buyer at the candy store.

We’re taking a spanking as a nation by our own people, Apple, Cisco Systems, Google, and Microsoft legally hold $124 billion in U.S. Treasury securities and $39 billion in U.S. government agency debt in accounts overseas, allowing them to avoid the 35% (maximum) corporate tax rate in the United States, according to Securities & Exchange Commission reports.

The four companies together would be the 14^th biggest overseas holder of Treasury securities, just ahead of Norway, Singapore, and India. Together the four corporations (Apple, Cisco Systems, Google, and Microsoft) have $255 billion in cash, cash equivalents, and marketable securities…..in their foreign subsidiaries, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported.

If the total amount was held offshore, making it subject to being taxed by the U.S. government, it would yield $89 billion, or 17% of America’s projected $514 billion dollar budget deficit this year. Overall the four companies hold $333 billion in domestic and foreign accounts, making them the most lucrative American firms outside the financial sector. The companies also hold $93.3 billion of corporate, municipal, and sovereign debt.

WE PAY ALL THE TAXES THAT WE’RE LEGALLY MANDATED TO PAY

“We pay every penny of tax that is due,” (we follow the tax laws that are established) that canned response to taxes that are paid by these corporations…..or at least what Cisco Systems said in response to the Bureau of Investigation question on tax payments.

Look…..there is a legal, and then there’s a moral question with regards to tax payments in this incident, and morality trumps legal every single time. Each corporation enjoys the fruits of their individual labor, and they deserve every single penny of profit that comes their way. However at the end of the day, when you are part of the problem…..and not the solution, and you take advantage of every single loophole that is available…..there is something really wrong with your thinking.

Twenty six of the most powerful American corporations, like Boeing, General Electric, and Verizon (my cell phone provider) actually paid no federal income tax from 2008 to 2012, according to a recent report that detailed how Fortune 500 companies exploit tax breaks and loopholes.

And more is never enough, as there seems to be a push to lower the tax rates that corporations fall under, even though the U.S. tax system towards business is…..well, dare I say it, “ lax.” There is an allegation going around Capitol Hill that the federal corporate income tax rate is uncompetitively high compared to other developed nations.

“Hold on there. Nellie,” while the U.S. corporate tax rate is technically the highest among Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s 34 member countries, the United States Congressional Budget Office found that the total corporate federal tax amount paid by American companies came to 12.1% of profits, the lowest total since 1972.

Besides offshore tax sheltering, companies are allowed to skirt tax rates based on factors that include accelerated asset depreciation based on continued investment, stock options, and industry-specific tax breaks. Bloomberg reported that the 317 largest U.S. based companies have $1.95 trillion held outside of the United States, an increase of 11.8% from 2012.

NATIONAL DEBT…..ABSOLUTELY NOTHING NEW

The United States has held a public debt since the original constitution went into effect March 4, 1789, except for 11 months between 1835-1836; America has had a national debt. Few understand exactly what a public debt is, and why or how we accumulated such an astronomical figure.

Like the man said, “its simple, stupid,” there really aren’t any secrets about America’s debt; it’s as simple as 2 + 2 = 4…..really. Government is just like operating a business; the government provides all sorts of services for us citizens, like a military, roads, education, and health programs. Here are the beginnings of problems…..politically with regards to what types of programs or benefits will be offered by the government.

The only source of income that a government, any government has is the taxes that it collects from its citizens…..the taxpayers. Here actually is the biggest divide between liberals and conservative thinking, the amount of taxes that are to be paid to the government…..for programs, benefits, and entitlements.

At the beginning of each fiscal year, government needs some cash on hand to procure all sorts of equipment, supplies, guns and bullets for those guns. If the country hasn’t been frugal…..like it never is, there is a debt…..it’s rolled over, and tacked on to the next budget.

This same activity without interruption has been going on for 178 straight years, since 1836, so you can understand how the country’s debt could be so…..ah, large. How large, try $17.226 TRILLION, and it just went higher…..I type slowly.

I could go on, with boring statistic after boring statistic, but I’m actually getting a headache from looking at all of these stats. This trend of deficit spending will (if left unchecked) be our undoing, our credit rating as a country was downgraded last year, and many experts said it was just a ho-hum thing. Well let me tell you, as a guy who has gone through some lean years, with the credit rating to prove it, a low credit rating is nothing to poo, poo, it’s not good, try to borrow money with a good rate attached to it…..you can’t, you’re a risk, and you’ll pay accordingly.

I’ve owed money to private individuals in my time, and let me tell you, it can strain friendships, and even family relationships. There’s an old saying, “never loan money to a friend,” and baby, truer words were never spoken. The United States however, has taken borrowing money to new extremes, owing the People’s Republic of China, and Japan excess of $1 trillion each…..come on, we’ve gotta be brighter than that.

WELL GUESS WHAT…..WE’RE NOT

What to get a real rush, I’ve got a list of the major foreign Treasury Securities holders, and the amounts that we owe them, better tighten up the old panty hose, it’ll be a rough ride;

China, $1268.9 billion; Japan, $1182.5 billion; Caribbean Banking, $290.9 billion; Belgium, $256.8 billion; Brazil, $245.4 billion; Oil Exporters, $238.3 billion; Taiwan, $182.2 billion; Switzerland, $175.1 billion; United Kingdom, $163.6 billion; Hong Kong, $158.8 billion; Russia, $138.6 billion; Luxembourg, $134.4 billion; Ireland, $125.1 billion; Norway, $97.2 billion; Singapore, $86.2 billion; India, $68.5 billion; Germany, $67.2 billion; Mexico, $65.1 billion; Canada, $55.7 billion; South Korea, $53.9 billion; France, $53.6 billion; Turkey, $52.2 billion; Thailand, $51.7 billion; Philippines, $40.2 billion; Netherlands, $36.9 billion; Sweden, $33.9 billion; Australia, $33.8 billion; Colombia, $33 billion; Poland, $30.9 billion; Italy, $30.3 billion; Chile, $26.1 billion; Israel, $23.7 billion; Spain, $23 billion; Peru, $14.8 billion; Denmark, $14.5 billion; Malaysia, $11.8 billion; South Africa, $11.3 billion; Uruguay, $10.7 billion; all others, $208 billion.

These figures were supplied on February 18, 2014 by the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve Board. The total is Treasury bills, and T-bonds and notes for a total owed $5,794.9 billion dollars, a really, really staggering amount of money.

Some of the countries on the list I didn’t even know that they had that kind of money to throw around, like Uruguay, and Italy and their austerity programs that they’ve put into place. And Thailand, come on, what’d we do, give those people some water buffalo or something as collateral.

I absolutely stand corrected, we aren’t brighter then…..whatever, I’ve been in debt, actually still am, but geez, how in hell could the country even get some of those countries to come up with the cash. We are in really deep, the absolute worst sort of…..crap that a country could be in, and we run around the world proclaiming our spreading of our kind of democracy.

I WONDER IF THE UNITED STATES COULD GO TO A DEBT CONSOLIDATION COMPANY

The amount of interest that America must be paying is probably more than some smaller emerging country’s entire budget for their fiscal year. We need help, and I’m not talking about cutting governmental programs. Every time the fed cuts programs, it hurts those people who can ill afford another shot on the jaw.

Austerity needs to start at this time…..and trickle downwards, not the other way around like it seems to always happen. As a country, we’ve been at this deficit spending for decades, and it’s beginning to catch up with us. When lending institutions and money monitoring agencies start to worry about the perceived fat cat of the block, anyone with an ounce of gray matter knows that it’s time to reevaluate the operating procedures that have been in use…..for decades.

This blog has been, for me, an eye opener, it’s one of the reasons that I feel compelled, most times I learn as I blog…..and today I learned one hell-of-a lot….hope you did to.

 

HAVE A NICE DAY!